theMixxer

PSN: the_mixxer

Time Zone: US, Central

Launch games: AC4, BF4, Killzone, NBA 2K14, Need for Speed, and Ghosts.

My PSN friends list is pretty slim, so anyone who likes playing a lot of multiplayer feel free to add me! (Also, mention GB somewhere in your request).

Considering GTA Online is busted for the moment, figured I'd throw my name into the ring while we wait:

PS3

PSN: the_mixxer

R* ID: theMixxer

Wow. That Wind Waker HD screenshot sold me on the remake. Also, SMT x Fire Emblem sounds crazy. Glad to see the Wii U actually has some more first party titles queued up for 2013. I've been using mine to backtrack on older Wii games. :P

@Shingro: Thanks for the heads up! Been meaning to pick this up for some time. For $6 and change I couldn't resist.

Not sure of the 3DS shop, but there's currently a few Wii U Shop games on sale. So it's not out of the realm of possibility.

Both my UPlay name and my Steam name is: theMixxer . Would love to play some co-op so feel free to add me.

My ID is theMixxer.

Without upgrading your power supply I'd suggest a GT 640. Here's a couple reviews so you can get an idea of framerates.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5969/zotac-geforce-gt-640-review-

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gt-640-review,3214.html

Luckily a target of 1280 x 720 with no AA will yield favorable results. I will recommend getting a new PSU and a slightly higher-end card like a 7770, but that's just me being picky. GT 640 should suffice and meet your requirements.

@A_Cute_Squirtle said:

@MordeaniisChaos said:

@A_Cute_Squirtle said:

@AlexW00d said:

You shouldn't be buying a hd7770 for a dedicated gaming PC dude. It won't last very long, and I don't even know if it'll really keep up with current games.

Do you have any suggestions for a better card?

@MordeaniisChaos said:

@A_Cute_Squirtle: Your CPU is overkill, you aren;t going to get jack shit out of a quad core duder. Go for the i3, and you'll be fine. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115078 $80 less than the one you have on your list.

If your budget is $800-900 including monitor, I'll try and drum up what I would personally suggest. That GPU is pretty weak, and I wouldn't suggest an ATI, they just have shitty driver support.

Will I really not see that much of a different with an i5? I've been told from everywhere that i5 is the type of CPU I want. Do you have a better GPU in mind? Thanks much for the advice.

You do not need a quad core, you will NEVER use it. Dude, I'm using a Core 2 Duo running like 2.5GHz. An i3 will do you just fine. CPU's aren't all that important unless you do stuff that uses the CPU hardcore (not games) or get a crazy amount of power elsewhere in the system and need a beastly CPU to keep up with giving out instructions so you don't waste the power elsewhere (ie, SLI setups). Trust me, you don't need an i5. Your processor is the thing you can skimp on as long as you stay in the current naming scheme. The last couple generations of Intel CPUs have been fantastic, and they really really aren't that important for gaming.

Also go back and look at my post again, I edited it to include the build I would suggest.

I'm very invested in getting an i5 processor, it's just a matter of whether or not I want the i5-3550. I'm reading that the 3550 only features Intel 2500 graphics, which doesn't handle gaming as well as this processor might: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504

Here's what it comes down to:

The performance difference between the i5 3550 and the i5 3570K is going to be negligible. The specs are nearly identical except for a 100 MHz difference in clock speed (and, in turn, turbo). Where the advantage of the i5 3570k comes into play is that it's unlocked (hence the "K" designator). This means that the multiplier of the CPU is unlocked which means you can overclock much further than a locked CPU. This especially comes in handy as the system ages because you can squeeze extra performance out of the CPU in a few years if you want to avoid upgrading for a bit. These unlocked Intel processors are notoriously easy to overclock and keep stable, so a lot of people buy them over the locked processors. They run cool enough that you can even do some decent overclocking on an air cooler (but definitely NOT on stock Intel HSF - those are crap). The second main difference is the integrated graphics within the two CPU's. The Intel HD 4000 featured in the 3570K is remarkably faster than that of the 3550 with its HD 2500 integrated graphics. Really, though, the only time you'd be using the integrated graphics is on the off chance your graphics card craps out or you are in between graphics cards and still want to play your games. This really shouldn't be a sticking point in your purchasing decision because you are building a performance system with dedicated graphics.

In short: the extra $$$ is worth it for the 3570K if you want the CPU to last you longer. It can be overclocked much easier and further so you can put off upgrading your CPU when the next big thing comes around.

The 570 was a better bang for the buck back when the 7870's were still retailing for $350+. Since the price actually favors the 7870, and considering you're getting a good power supply than you can overclock the GPU with, I'd say get the 7870 hands-down. The extra VRAM (2GB vs 1.28GB) will help down the line too.

Disclosure: I've built 2 systems recently. One jumped from a 560ti 448 Core (basically a 570) to a 7870. The other a 6950 to a 670 (my personal rig). The 7870 runs cooler, performs better, and is currently a great price/performance ratio.