New gaming builds.

[MatteAMG]

Hey forum, I came here before for advice on a build and the build I was told is working wonderfully. So I come here again to seek opinions and criticism on two builds I have chosen. The chosen build will be used for gaming purposes on a TV running 720p. I do plan on getting a gaming monitor, but more towards the future. I am hoping the build will get decent frames at decent settings and be able to play both old and new titles. All I ask and hope for is that this community will provide me with good and truthful reasoning since one build is Intel and the other is AMD. Thank you for all feedback.

-No RAM is listed because I already have a pair of 4GB G.SKILL Ripjaws DDR3-1600
-Both builds include a 1TB HDD, optical drive, and Windows 7.

Build 1(Balrog):

CPU- Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core
Cooler- Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM
Motherboard- MSI Z87-GD65 Gaming ATX LGA1150
Video Card- MSI N760 TF 2GD5/OC
Power Supply- EVGA NEX650G Gold
Case- Corsair 230T

Total Price: 989.00USD

Build 2(Kuro):

CPU- AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core
Cooler- Corsair H55 57.0 CFM Liquid
Motherboard- Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+
Video Card- EVGA GTX 760 Dual Superclocked w/ EVGA ACX Cooler
Power Supply- EVGA NEX650G Gold
Case- Corsair 200R

Total Price: 822.00USD

 

[barnsley]

First of all, what games?

I'd also add an extra 4gb ram as games are making more use of ram now and change the 6300 for an 8320. The 6300 is basically the competitor to the high end i3s while the 8xxx are competitors against the i5.

 

[SeekaX]

neither one.
take the first build, replace the gd65 with a gd45/43 and put in a gtx770/ 280x. change the PSU to a corsair cx550 and get a better case, maybe a fractal design arc midi r2, also upgrade the RAM to 8GB of corsair vengeance pro.

 

[MatteAMG]

First of all, what games?

I'd also add an extra 4gb ram as games are making more use of ram now and change the 6300 for an 8320. The 6300 is basically the competitor to the high end i3s while the 8xxx are competitors against the i5.

@barnsley I would have thought the 6300 was a competitor of the i5 since the the 6300 has Six Cores compared to the quad-core, I mean I am curious what would be the difference between the 6300 and the 8320. I mean I do not mind the price difference between the 8320 and 8350 if you believe eight cores would be more beneficial, but like I said it is only for gaming. BTW I plan on playing games like Battlefield 4, Final Fantasy XIV, Nether, etc. @SeekaX I appreciate the feedback, but I already have 8GB RAM from G.SKILL I don't really want to return it just to get Corsair Pros.

 

[SeekaX]

@barnsley I would have thought the 6300 was a competitor of the i5 since the the 6300 has Six Cores compared to the quad-core, I mean I am curious what would be the difference between the 6300 and the 8320. I mean I do not mind the price difference between the 8320 and 8350 if you believe eight cores would be more beneficial, but like I said it is only for gaming. BTW I plan on playing games like Battlefield 4, Final Fantasy XIV, Nether, etc. @SeekaX I appreciate the feedback, but I already have 8GB RAM from G.SKILL I don't really want to return it just to get Corsair Pros.

ahh a pair of 4GB i'm sorry, yea then cut the RAM part, the rest still applies.
to give you an overview how the AMD CPUs compare to the Intel CPUs.
FX4300 = low end i3
FX6300 = high end i3 - low end i5
FX8320 = i5 4670k
FX8350 = pay for a 500mhz OC you could do yourself

if you want to be on the safe side, take the 4670k, if you are adventurous and get hard when you see price/performance charts get an 8320.

 

[looz]

I'd definitely prefer the i5 over 8350, they might share the raw processing power but four powerful cores is much better than eight mediocre ones. Some games will not take advantage of the eight cores and that greatly hinders the performance.

Not to mention that i5 4670ks are generally better overclockers.

 

[SeekaX]

I'd definitely prefer the i5 over 8350, they might share the raw processing power but four powerful cores is much better than eight mediocre ones. Some games will not take advantage of the eight cores and that greatly hinders the performance.

i agree with this

Not to mention that i5 4670ks are generally better overclockers.

haswell cpus aren't exactly amazing overclockers and the 8320 does hold the overclocking record iirc.

 

[MatteAMG]

Thank you both SeekaX and looz. Now that we have agree that the i5-4670k is a better choice and better overclocker. What do you think of the GPU. I see the 760 as a good and cheap GPU, I was thinking that down the road I would SLI it since some say it can reach performance numbers similar to a single 780. But I know maybe people prefer the better single card rather than dual SLI. So my next question is their such a grand difference between the 760 and the 770 in terms of performance? Also I am not so familiar with AMD cards so what would the counter part of the 760 or 770 be in terms of the new R8 and R9 cards?

 

[SeekaX]

Thank you both SeekaX and looz. Now that we have agree that the i5-4670k is a better choice and better overclocker. What do you think of the GPU. I see the 760 as a good and cheap GPU, I was thinking that down the road I would SLI it since some say it can reach performance numbers similar to a single 780. But I know maybe people prefer the better single card rather than dual SLI. So my next question is their such a grand difference between the 760 and the 770 in terms of performance? Also I am not so familiar with AMD cards so what would the counter part of the 760 or 770 be in terms of the new R8 and R9 cards?

the counterpart for the 760 should be the 270x and the couterpart for the 770 is the 280x. i would definitely go for either the 770 or the 280x, the performance difference is quite big. if you don't want to spend more money, change the PSU to a cx550, that should make up for the price difference.
personally i'm not a huge fan of SLi, it just causes more problems, pulls more power, demands therefore a bigger PSU and empties your wallet. you are better off upgrading a single GPU setup more often.
/edit
downgrade the gd65 to a gd45, it's cheaper and you won't notice the difference, that will allow you to upgrade case. also maybe look into an ssd.

 

[looz]

Problem with planning for a future SLI is that once you need it the new offerings probably offer a better single card option.

770 is quite a sweet deal from nVidia.

About Haswell overclocking, the lower achieved clocks are negated by the higher per clock performance.

 

[MatteAMG]

Well I have thank all of you once again I will definitely put into account everything you have told me. I am going to change a few things around and see if I can squeeze in a SSD. I appreciate all the feedback and I apologize for too much questions.