# Config-proposal for 30-35k gaming PC: Need you stamp (& advice)



## GhorMaanas (Jun 3, 2012)

*[Purchased!] Config-proposal for 30-35k gaming PC: Need you stamp (& advice)*

Hello all!

First of all sorry to burden this already burdened section. as per the title, i went through a few threads pertaining to similar budgets, but there are some specific needs for which i need suggestion from you, and hence creating this thread. i'll start with the basics first:

*A friend needs to upgrade his gaming PC. moving ahead:*

*1. What is the purpose of the computer? What all applications and games are you going to run? *
Ans: *NOT* going to be used for any official work. its desirous that latest games should run smoothly and without much hiccups, even if not at ultra settings, and config should be future-proof for atleast (understandably) 1-2 yrs. games like skyrim, kingdoms of amalur, and some gone-by titles + upcoming titles are the prime concern (mostly RPGs and FPSes).
other than this, the PC would be used for movie-playback (mostly HD movies) and general web-surfing. absolute ultra-high settings for games or frame-rate excellence is not a concern at all! upcoming games should run decently.

*2. What is your overall budget? If you can extend a bit for a more balanced configuration, then mention this too.*
Ans: overall budget is 30k, stretchable to 35k.

*3. Planning to overclock?*
Ans: No

*4. Which Operating System are you planning to use?*
Ans: Win7 64-bit

*5. How much hard drive space is needed?*
Ans: Have HDDs already.

*6. Do you want to buy a monitor? If yes, please mention which screen size and resolution do you want. If you already have a monitor and want to reuse it, again mention the size and resolution of monitor you have.*
Ans: No

*7. Which components you DON'T want to buy or which components you already have and plan on reusing?*
Ans: Monitor, keyboard, mouse, LAN card, HDD -- these wont be replaced.

*8. When are you planning to buy the system?*
Ans: Max within 3 months, min within a week. if brighter prospects are on the horizon, there's no issue in waiting for, say, 2-3 months.

*9. Have you ever built a desktop before or will this be done by an assembler?*
Ans: An assembler is preferred.

*10. Where do you live? Are you buying locally? Are you open to buying stuff from online shops if you don't get locally?*
Ans: Bhandup (mumbai). Open to buying online if products not available locally. open to buying from anywhere.

*11. Anything else which you would like to say?*
Ans: yes:
_*1)* the friend has a PSU -- *VIP 600W*. he insists to use it if there's no issue. he's been using it for the pas 4-5 yrs or so without any problems. but considering the worth of the components we will be purchasing for him, i told him it would be safe to purchase a better PSU. he is ready to comply if you guys suggest so. please advise._

_*2)* he doesn't have good speakers. i want him to have a decent 2.1 system. so if budget permits, please suggest the same._

*3)* _i read that the local prices of GTX 560TI have come down. i understand that getting a GPU pricier than this won't be possible in this budget. sometime back i got a gaming PC for my friend with the help of you guys. based on that, as well as upon some reading here, i have made a rough-plan of the config, which am presenting to you people below. please suggest on the same:_

*Mobo + CPU* - _core i5 2400 + intel DH67CL-B3 --> ~16k_
*GPU *- _MSI GTX560TI --> would first search for a seconds deal, otherwise pls suggest a GPU._
*Cabinet* - _NZXT Source 210 elite, or gamma (2.2k-2.4k)_
*RAM* - _Gskill ripjawsX 4GB for 1530/- (or should 8GB be bought?)_
*PSU* - _Seasonic S12II - 520W (~4k)_

_*Optionals (if budget permits):
*_
*Sound Card* - _Xonar DG (~1.5k)_
*Speakers* -_ Please suggest (for ~2k; am personally leaning towards an F&D model)_

over to you friends.
thanks in advance !

*UPDATE --> forgot to mention. my friend has a newly-bought liteon ihas drive, as well as a sony drive. so no optical drive is needed.
                 secondly, he's going to game at FHD resolution.*


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## RiGOD (Jun 3, 2012)

*Component*
*	Make*
*Price*

CPU	AMD Phenom II 960T	6890
Motherboard	ASUS M5A88-M	5120
GPU	Gigabyte HD 7850 OC	15300
RAM	G.Skill RipjawsX 4GB DDR3	1530
Optical Drive	Asus DRW-24B3ST	1110
Case	CM Elite 310	1600
PSU	Seasonic S12 II 520	3770
Total		35320
>Assuming that OP's friend has a decent UPS.
>Switch to NZXT Source 210 Elite if possible.


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## GhorMaanas (Jun 3, 2012)

thanks rigod! sorry i forgot to mention about the optical drive. its not needed. have updated it in the original post.

very happy to see the 7850 in your suggestion. just feeling a bit skeptical about the AMD mobo+proccy combo. although GPU matters more here, but still


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## RiGOD (Jun 3, 2012)

^^The CPU+board combo is just fine. You can go for the *Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3* with the extra bucks from optical drive. Its a better OC'er (in case if you wish to OC in future).


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## kbganesh (Jun 3, 2012)

Proccy : Intel i5 2400 -10.5k
Mobo: Intel DH67CL-B3-5.6k
Ram: Corsair XMS3 2X4GB 1600mhz-3.5k OR Gskill Ripjaws 2X4GB 1600mhz-3.5k 
GFX: 7850 -15k or 6950 - 14.5k
PSU: Corsair TX650 v2 - 5.8k or Seasonic S12ii 620W-4.6k 
Cabinet: Nzxt Gamma-2.4k Or  BitFenix Merc Alpha- 2.7k
UPS: Apc BR1100CI 1.1 kv - 4.9k


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## GhorMaanas (Jun 3, 2012)

i understand its a fine combo. but i read 'phenom' is an EoL series of processors. hence the doubt.


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## ArjunKiller (Jun 3, 2012)

Phenom II isn't EOL. Many models are still widely available in the market.


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## GhorMaanas (Jun 3, 2012)

alright. considering that games have to played in FHD reso, my friend shouldn't take anything less than:

1. gtx 560ti
2. hd6950 1gb
3. hd7850

on account of this, am ready to take it light on the processor, and ready to consider the above suggestion, or i3 2100. could someone pls tell me whether 960T is a better performer or the i3 2100, speaking of 'real world' scenario?

if i3 2100 garners favour here, should any of the config below be considered?

ECS H61H2-M2 MB, Intel Core i3-2100, Mushkin 8GB Offer

Asus P8H61-M LX MB, Intel Core i3-2100, Corsair 4GB DDR3 RAM


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## RiGOD (Jun 3, 2012)

^^If the purpose is solely gaming then i3 2100 has the upper hand. It performs better than 960T in that department. But in future when games start to use more than two cores, with 960T you'll be on the safer side. And being a BE processor OC'ing is a walk in the park. And for the price, 960T is unbeatable.

If you're planning to go with i3 2100 then get the ASRock H61M/U3S3.


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## GhorMaanas (Jun 3, 2012)

thanks! is that mobo better than DH67CL?

also, would the existing VIP 600W suffice?

may i know where can i get the gigabyte hd7850 OC windforce x2 ?! can't seem to find a link.


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## Sainatarajan (Jun 3, 2012)

Infact the DH67CL is better . But , This one has all the features like USB 3 , SATA 3 . No , the VIP 600W will not suffice. It is a desi PSU . You must atleast get a CORSAIR CX430 V2 @ 2.2K as minimum .


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## GhorMaanas (Jun 3, 2012)

yes i agree. DH67CL also has USB 3.0 and SATA 6 and SATA 3 ports.

shall ask him to buy seasonic 520W. thanks !


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## amruth kiran (Jun 4, 2012)

is the radeon 6870 better than the 560 ti?? benchmarks say 560 ti is better.


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## d6bmg (Jun 4, 2012)

About processor, think about Phenom 1075T @7.4K from flipkart.

Reason for suggesting: have 6 cores. Nothing more useful in it.


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## Sainatarajan (Jun 4, 2012)

No game uses 6 cores . Go with Rigod Config.


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## GhorMaanas (Jun 4, 2012)

sorry d6bmg, my friend's on a tight budget, and already its stretched to his maximum capacity. so can't accommodate a 1075T there.


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## Cilus (Jun 4, 2012)

^^ 1075T is not required for gaming. So you can drop the idea of getting it.

For Graphics card, currently GTX 560 Ti is available around 14K. But if you want my opinion then spend 1.2K extra and get the Gigabyte HD 7850 2 GB OC model. It is simply better than both HD 6950 or GTX 560 Ti and very close to HD 6970/GTX 570.
Also the2 GB frame buffer of it will help you to enable high AA and AF in gaming.


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## ico (Jun 4, 2012)

amruth kiran said:


> is the radeon 6870 better than the 560 ti?? benchmarks say 560 ti is better.


HD 6870 = GTX 560.

GTX 560 Ti is faster than HD 6870 and GTX 560.

HD 6950 is faster than GTX 560 Ti.

HD 7850 is faster than HD 6950.

HD 7850 = 28 nm. So, highly power efficient as well.


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## GhorMaanas (Jun 5, 2012)

thanks a lot cilus, and ico (for that comparative analysis). infact, we're already decided on getting the Gigabyte HD7850 OC Windforce x2 

although i think we have the only option of getting it shipped from SMC. doesn't seem to be available locally


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## d6bmg (Jun 5, 2012)

Price of SMC is very good. So, yo should go ahead and order Gigabyte 7850 from there.
Even Gigabyte 7850 is not available in Kolkata too.


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## digit1191 (Jun 5, 2012)

I think buying a Phenom II is a bad idea now as there is no room for future upgrade in the AM3 platform. But if he gets a i3-2120 (it will be better in gaming) and he can also upgrage to an ivy bridge non-k i5 after 2 years.. or a better CPU whichever is available then


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## Cilus (Jun 5, 2012)

We are not suggesting him AM3 motherboard, we're suggesting him AM3+ mobo which has plenty of upgrade path. All the Bulldozer FX series are supported as well as the upcoming Piledriver.


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## digit1191 (Jun 5, 2012)

but wouldn't i3 provide better frames while gaming ?


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## Sainatarajan (Jun 6, 2012)

i3 has only dual core

it may struggle in 4 threaded games


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## the_conqueror (Jun 6, 2012)

Sainatarajan said:


> i3 has only dual core
> 
> it may struggle in 4 threaded games



AFAIK, core i3 has hyperthreading feature, so that might not be a big problem.


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## Cilus (Jun 6, 2012)

Hyper threading enables to have two logical cores for each physical cores to the OS so that it can use better Instruction Level parallesim (ILP) but the execution is done in only one core. So it can't be an alternate of  real or physical cores.

But because of the advanced architecture, i3 2100 performs better than most of the Phenom II quad cores in gaming for now. So getting it is not a bad idea.

But now a days games can use more cores and perfect example is Battlefield 3 and Crysis 2. Here Quad core CPUs can hold their ground + the suggested AMD processor is a Black Edition CPU which can overclocked to fetch some extra performance compared to the locked i3.


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## Sainatarajan (Jun 8, 2012)

Spend money on the core components like Processor , Motherboard , PSU and Graphic Card.


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## GhorMaanas (May 3, 2013)

Hello everyone!

its been many months that i asked this question, and my friend kept postponing his decision to buy the components above (which i came to know, much later, was because he had his marriage on his mind foremost :X).

now he has contacted me again for this same thing. please suggest to me. following is the config we had decided upon at that time for +/- 35k:

intel DH67CL 
core i3 3120 
gigabyte r7850 windforce

wanted to know whether better components are available now at this budget of 35k? saw a thread for the same budget, and there every component is different from the above one. please do suggest. thanks!


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## Cilus (May 3, 2013)

Make sure he is purchasing this time before asking here. Otherwsie, we don't want another useless thread.


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## GhorMaanas (May 3, 2013)

hehe...he's married now, so am sure he will not ditch me this time. says will upgrade in next month.


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## rakesh_ic (May 3, 2013)

GhorMaanas said:


> hehe...he's married now, so am sure he will not ditch me this time. says will upgrade in next month.



I think he has better chance of ditching you now than before


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## GhorMaanas (May 3, 2013)

*Re: Config-proposal for 30-35k gaming PC: Need you stamp (&amp; advice)*



rakesh_ic said:


> I think he has better chance of ditching you now than before



perhaps not, unless the family planning days of his are near for him  
-------------------------------------------------------------------
alright. can someone pls just tell me whether for upto 15k, gigabyte R7850 windforce is still a better choice, or any other GPU has trumped it to gain that position? mobo & cpu is more or less decided now.


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## harshilsharma63 (May 5, 2013)

*Re: Config-proposal for 30-35k gaming PC: Need you stamp (&amp; advice)*



ghormaanas said:


> perhaps not, unless the family planning days of his are near for him
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> alright. Can someone pls just tell me whether for upto 15k, gigabyte r7850 windforce is still a better choice, or any other gpu has trumped it to gain that position? Mobo & cpu is more or less decided now.


gtx660.


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## Sainatarajan (May 5, 2013)

At 15K there is no other choice than the GTX 660


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## GhorMaanas (May 5, 2013)

thanks! either the zotac or gigabyte version, isn't it?


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## harshilsharma63 (May 5, 2013)

*Re: Config-proposal for 30-35k gaming PC: Need you stamp (&amp; advice)*

Get zotac, offers 5 years warranty.

Get zotac, offers 5 years warranty.


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## Cilus (May 6, 2013)

Right now the price of Sapphire HD 7870 is only 15.2K + 4% Vat in Vedant Computer, Kolkata, which is a better card than GTX 660.


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## Sainatarajan (May 7, 2013)

Go with the HD 7870 as suggested by Cilus .. 
@Cilus
Thanks for the price info.


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## GhorMaanas (May 15, 2013)

Thanks everyone for the suggestions!

based on going through another thread of similar requirements, i've suggested to my friend the following config-options

OPTION #01:

CPU- I5 3570 3rd gen
Mobo- Gigabyte GA-H77-DS3H 
PSU- Seasonic 520W
GPU- ASUS GTX660-DC2TG-2GD5 (13500)
RAM- G.Skill RipjawsX DDR3 4 GB 
Cabinet- NZXT Gamma/Bitfenix Merc Alpha/CM Elite 310, or any good cabinet which falls below 2500/-.


OPTION #02:

CPU- AMD FX 8350 
Mobo- ASUS M5A97 R2.0
PSU- Seasonic 520W
GPU- Sapphire HD 7870 2 GB 
RAM- G.Skill RipjawsX DDR3 4 GB 
Cabinet- NZXT Gamma/Bitfenix Merc Alpha/CM Elite 310, or any good cabinet which falls below 2500/-.


we haven't been able to go hunting for the prices locally yet, and moreover with the LBT strike going on-off here in Mumbai, we've decided to do that on the next-to-next weekend. however, going through a few online-stores' listings in the meanwhile, the prices seem to be quite northwards of what i've read on some threads (like AMD FX 8350 being mentioned for abt 11k here on the forum, whereas online, its close to 13k or more, etc.).

he is open to pursuing the AMD set-up way too, primarily if it means lesser expenditure for him. he insisted on searching for another AMD processor which would be cheaper than FX 8350, but i explained to him that having a 7870 with a low-end proccy may result in the proccy bottlenecking your GPU, and hence go with the FX 8350 only. would like to know whether am i correct in my assumption? or, is there any other AMD proccy as well, cheaper than the 8350, which won't drag down the 7870? a rough estimate shows that even the AMD set-up is crossing the budgetary-limit, and hence we've decided to postpone the purchase of the GPU till 15th of June, to see if AMD reduces prices of their GPUs in the wake of Nvidia releasing their newer GPUs.


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## harshilsharma63 (May 15, 2013)

GhorMaanas said:


> Thanks everyone for the suggestions!
> 
> based on going through another thread of similar requirements, i've suggested to my friend the following config-options
> 
> ...


Well, if overclocking is not required and no heavy duty task such as multimedia creation, rendering or similar task is to be performed, you are completely safe to go with the intel rig. I am myself buying the exact same rig as mentioned in option 2 for my friend. If AMD rig is permitted by budget, then go with it.


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## GhorMaanas (May 15, 2013)

harshilsharma63 said:


> Well, if overclocking is not required and no heavy duty task such as multimedia creation, rendering or similar task is to be performed, you are completely safe to go with the intel rig. I am myself buying the exact same rig as mentioned in option 2 for my friend. If AMD rig is permitted by budget, then go with it.



Thanks! absolutely none of such work is reqd. to be done. so will ask him to go with the one that costs him less.


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## GhorMaanas (Jul 10, 2013)

so finally, the PC was bought 2 weeks back. here's the break-up:

*1. Motherboard + CPU* --> *Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 + AMD FX6300* --> *12,200/-* (prices for most of the things have gone up. hence, LE R2.0 was bought, instead of just R2.0).

*2. GPU* --> *Sapphire HD7870 2GB* --> ~*15k-16k*. don't remember the exact amount (here too, the seller confused my friend between XFX and Sapphire. XFX was a little cheaper. however, i kept on insisting him to buy Sapphire only. the seller admitted that he doesn't have much idea about differences between both the brands and is just suggesting XFX as you guys have a limited budget and XFX is cheaper. i somehow convinced my friend after showing him some google-searches on the shopkeeper's computer and after asking an online friend of mine, after which this hurdle was also successfully cleared!).

*3. RAM* --> *Kingston HyperX 4GB X 2 1600MHz* --> ~*2300/-* for each module.

*4. PSU* --> *Seasonic S12II - 520W* --> *4100/-* (the seller had kept on harping to buy VIP, CM, Antec PSU, and friend seemed to buy this; and seasonic also wasn't there in stock, and Tirupati's godown was closed and was to remain so till 3-4 days ahead. but i remained adamant and kept my friend on hold from buying one of those PSUs. ultimately, after a google-search on the computer available in the retailer's shop, i was able to convince both, my friend, and the seller, to go for seasonic. he then agreed to send the seasonic PSU to my friend's home when Tirupati's godown opened up).

*5. Cabinet* --> *NZXT Gamma* --> ~*1950/-*.

the purchase was made at *R.K. Infosys* (Lamington road). enquires were made at _McCann Infosys (Bharat bhai)_ and _primeabgb (quite expensive)_ as well. it was a close call between R.K. and McCann, but after much ado, we finally decided upon R.K. the _seller/proprietor (Rakesh Shah)_ is a jolly-good and helpful seller. he gave us the best deal of all. assembling was free of cost.


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## Cilus (Jul 10, 2013)

1st of all, congratulation on your purchase and the rig is really a balanced one in my opinion. Regarding the Problem with the GPU, there is a chance that it was not plugged into the PCI-E X16 slot properly or you have connected the display cable to the wrong port. Which Monitor you're using and what connection you are using now, VGA, HDMI or DVI?


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## GhorMaanas (Jul 10, 2013)

Thanks Cilus!

and just received good news from the friend - the issue is solved! he told me that y'day night he sat down for troubleshooting, moving backwards, negating all options (monitor-fault, motherboard-fault, etc., etc.), until finally, he spotted where it was all wrong! the person from the shop who came down to his place to install the Seasonic PSU, had connected the GPU's in-box power-cables to the PSU's 4-pin connectors through some adapter. my friend, he took off the adapter and the GPU's power-cables that came in its box, and connected the GPU directly with the 6-pin connectors coming out from the PSU, and voila!

sorry for bothering you. 

editing my post above and the OP now.

thanks a lot Cilus and all those who assisted me in this venture! pics in a few mins from now. 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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_*Photos:*_

*Cabinet:*

*i.imgur.com/Xw1SA1sl.jpg *i.imgur.com/IkBmVUYl.jpg *i.imgur.com/mvhLVE2l.jpg *i.imgur.com/KKnLdN3l.jpg *i.imgur.com/I19vQ27l.jpg 

*Motherboard:*

*i.imgur.com/T3EYknzl.jpg 

*Processor:*

*i.imgur.com/RAc6Zwkl.jpg

*GPU:*

*i.imgur.com/Cwa7Q7il.jpg

*Assembly:*

*i.imgur.com/mGa5x7Nl.jpg


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