31-40k A Gaming Rig That can play FIFA for the next 3 years. :)

[windstalker]

Hi everyone, long time since i've been here. This site is still awesome and its amazing to see how much the TE community has grown.

I've got a predicament here and i'm really confused. My friend wants a Rig that can play FIFA comfortably for the next 3 -5 years. However, he's only got 40k to spend. Only way i could think of getting around the tight budget is to build a mid range PC for now then OC & crossfire it later (like next year) when he's got a bit more cash. So this PC is basically gonna be building the base for that while being a good performer (for a 21inch monitor) for now.

1. Q: What is your budget?
   • 40K
2. Q: What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)
   • None. Got a really sad HP Laptop that works more like an Iron than a laptop.
3. Q: Which hardware will you be keeping (component name - component brand and model)
   • External keyboard & Mouse, Speaker, UPS
4. Q: Which hardware component are you looking to buy (component name). If you have already decided on a configuration then please mention the (component brand and model) as well, this will help us in fine tuning your requirement.
   • Everything in cabinet and a Monitor (21 to 23 inch). AMD (Quad Core) and ATI combination only please, bcos AMD is budget friendly. Need a quad core, no Dual cores please.
   • Also, please recommend a good budget CPU cooler for the CPU cos i'll be using it in Cochin and will be OCing it later.
5. Q: Is this going to be your final configuration or you would be adding/upgrading a component in near future. If yes then please mention when and which component
   • No, will add another identical GPU and a compatible PSU in crossfire mode next year.
6. Q: Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)
   • Bangalore (S.P. Road) / Cochin
   • Online (Flipkart only i suppose, cant really trust any other site)
7. Q: Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TE market
   • No
8. Q: What is your intended use for this PC/hardware
   • Gaming (FIFA!!)
   • Watching HD movies
     
     
9. Q: Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.
   • I feel that Sapphire is a good company for the GPU. however, i am open to recommendations besides this from you guys.
   • The Motherboard MUST support Crossfire, AM3+ and if possible PCI express 3.0.
   • If possible, please accommodate a PSU that can support crossfire, else will upgrade the same later
     
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10. Q: If you will be playing games then which type of games will you be playing?
    • Fifa and PES
    • Strategy - Civilization 4
    • FPS
11. Q: What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage
    1. Gaming - Full HD, if possible, would be nice. Whatever is the maximum resolution on an average 21.5 inch monitor.
12. Q: Are you looking to overclock?
    • Yes, once the PC begins to get outdated.
13. Q: Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?
    • Windows 7 64 bit

I will also be buying an Xbox Controller for this Rig. (Its really overpriced on Flipkart!!)
The RAM must be DUAL channel. (2 X 4 GB, G.Skill RipjawsX sounds good)
The larger the screen the better, however, i'm okay with a 21.5 inch screen. Monitor must have 5ms refresh rate. If possible, Full HD.
Cabinet must be big enough for a CPU Coole and the recommended GPU. I prefer CM, Corsair.

Sorry for being so picky, i've been on this for like 3 days now. Deciding on a motherboard/CPU has been difficult cos i'm seriously outdated.

Thanks a bunch in advance.

 

[ALPHA17]

@windstalker, your budget is too low for an over-clock capable RIG --

Intel Core i3 3220 ~6500/-
GIGABYTE-B75M-D3H ~4500/-
Corsair Vengeance 4GB x2 1600MHz ~3000/-
AMD HD7770GHz edition ~9000/-
Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 1TB ~4000/-
DeLL ST2220L ~8500/-
Corsair CX v2430W ~2700/-
NZXT Gamma ~2500/- (get this from Golccha Inter-Trade at S.P. Road)
[rest peripherals upto your choice]

Hope this helps, Cheerio!

 

[harshit verma]

i suggest monitor should be DELL S2240 latest edition with IPS panel at Rs. 8600/- in delhi, Nehru Place market,
rest as suggested by ALPHA17

 

[ALPHA17]

i suggest monitor should be DELL S2240 latest edition with IPS panel at Rs. 8600/- in delhi, Nehru Place market,
rest as suggested by ALPHA17

Only problem is that the guy is not based out of Delhi. So sourcing the model will be tough (even I was not aware of this model).

And you know the attitude of the local reseller, "I do not have it, must be crap OR does not exist."

 

[windstalker]

windstalker, your budget is too low for an over-clock capable RIG --

Intel Core i3 3220 ~6500/-
GIGABYTE-B75M-D3H ~4500/-
Corsair Vengeance 4GB x2 1600MHz ~3000/-
AMD HD7770GHz edition ~9000/-
Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 1TB ~4000/-
DeLL ST2220L ~8500/-
Corsair CX v2430W ~2700/-
NZXT Gamma ~2500/- (get this from Golccha Inter-Trade at S.P. Road)
[rest peripherals upto your choice]

Hope this helps, Cheerio!

Hey @ALPHA17, thank you for your response.

I'm not into an Intel setup cos of the restrictive budget. I'm okay with almost everything u said on the build except for the CPU - Mobo combo.

Could u please suggest an AMD CPU + Mobo config?? the FX (bulldozer) series looks good, (i know they're a flop in the market), especially since they're supposedly built for overclocking. and they're cheap! More importantly they are Quad core. I simply CANNOT opt for a dual core config now, its too outdated. More and more games coming out these days that need a Quad core to run properly.

Also, i've heard that ASRock gives relatively cheap motherboards with a lotta features. Are they worth it, and do they have decent build quality?

Harshit, the IPS panel Dell monitor (S2240) sounds good, i'll definitely try getting it from S.P. Road if its there.

So could u help with a AMD CPU+Mobo combo within 10 - 12 k?? also, any opinions would be good too.

 

[ALPHA17]

Hey @ALPHA17, thank you for your response.

I'm not into an Intel setup cos of the restrictive budget. I'm okay with almost everything u said on the build except for the CPU - Mobo combo.

Could u please suggest an AMD CPU + Mobo config?? the FX (bulldozer) series looks good, (i know they're a flop in the market), especially since they're supposedly built for overclocking. and they're cheap! More importantly they are Quad core. I simply CANNOT opt for a dual core config now, its too outdated. More and more games coming out these days that need a Quad core to run properly.

Also, i've heard that ASRock gives relatively cheap motherboards with a lotta features. Are they worth it, and do they have decent build quality?

So could u help with a AMD CPU+Mobo combo within 10 - 12 k?? also, any opinions would be good too.

I don't trust ASRock motherboards but most people have pleasant relations with them.

About an AMD RIG, honestly unless the next generation of consoles does not come out there is no need of anything over a dual-core processor. The Intel Core i3 lineup performs better than AMD's flagship pseudo octa-core(s) when it comes to gaming. You are not loosing on anything.

AnandTech - Bench - CPU -- AMD FX-8350 vs. Core i3 3220 (the AMD processor costs ~12000/- and motherboard ~6500/-)
AnandTech - Bench - CPU -- AMD FX-6300 vs. Core i3 3220 (the AMD processor costs ~9000/-)

^^ Both AMD FX processors not only cost more than the Intel Core i3 but also draw more power, have an affinity for multi-threaded task sets but even with all the extra cores cannot give more than ~20 fps than the latter in games like SKYRIM. Which I think is a very raw deal.

And more so FIFA according to me has some of the more relaxed requirements ever because most people / college goers love to play it on laptops which are behind the GPU power-curve vis-á-vis PC's.

In the end it is your call and you can go with an AMD FX build but I do not know about the latter's availability and pricing so you will have to do your homework there.

 

[windstalker]

I don't trust ASRock motherboards but most people have pleasant relations with them.

About an AMD RIG, honestly unless the next generation of consoles does not come out there is no need of anything over a dual-core processor. The Intel Core i3 lineup performs better than AMD's flagship pseudo octa-core(s) when it comes to gaming. You are not loosing on anything.

AnandTech - Bench - CPU -- AMD FX-8350 vs. Core i3 3220 (the AMD processor costs ~12000/- and motherboard ~6500/-)
AnandTech - Bench - CPU -- AMD FX-6300 vs. Core i3 3220 (the AMD processor costs ~9000/-)

^^ Both AMD FX processors not only cost more than the Intel Core i3 but also draw more power, have an affinity for multi-threaded task sets but even with all the extra cores cannot give more than ~20 fps than the latter in games like SKYRIM. Which I think is a very raw deal.

And more so FIFA according to me has some of the more relaxed requirements ever because most people / college goers love to play it on laptops which are behind the GPU power-curve vis-á-vis PC's.

In the end it is your call and you can go with an AMD FX build but I do not know about the latter's availability and pricing so you will have to do your homework there.

So i've finally decided on a rig.

Processor : : Intel Core Intel Core i5-3470 ~11945/-
RAM : : Corsair Vengeance DDR3 4 GB (1 x 4 GB) PC RAM (CMZ4GX3M1A1600C9)~ 1659 /- (will upgrade to dual channel later)
GPU : : Sapphire AMD/ATI HD 7770 1 GB GDDR5 Graphics Card ~9095/- (will upgrade to crossfire later)
HDD : : Seagate Barracuda 1 TB Desktop Internal Hard Drive (ST31000524AS) ~4358/-
Monitor : : Dell 21.5 inch LED - S2240L Monitor, 9234
PSU : : Corsair CX v2 430W ~2700/-
Cabinet : : NZXT Gamma ~2500/-
Motherboard : : ????????????

Its over budget but it will be worth it. I still need a recommendation for a motherboard. I need one that can support 2 HD 7770s in crossfire so that i can upgrade in the future. The B75M-D3H does not support crossfire, its got only 1 PCI x16 slot. Any suggestions?? Please remember, i'm on a tight budget.

 

[manu1991]

Fifa has pretty low requirements. I am pretty sure a stock i3 and a single 7770 can easily play it for the next 3-5 years. My friend has an 8600GTS which I think was released in 2007, it still plays FIFA 13 fine. if you still want a motherboard with dual PCiie then you can checkout Gigabyte GA-H77-DS3H, seems to have decent specs. But it should be at least 6k or so.

 

[ALPHA17]

So i've finally decided on a rig.

RAM : : Corsair Vengeance DDR3 4 GB (1 x 4 GB) PC RAM (CMZ4GX3M1A1600C9)~ 1659 /- (will upgrade to dual channel later)
GPU : : Sapphire AMD/ATI HD 7770 1 GB GDDR5 Graphics Card ~9095/- (will upgrade to crossfire later)
HDD : : Seagate Barracuda 1 TB Desktop Internal Hard Drive (ST31000524AS) ~4358/-
Monitor : : Dell 21.5 inch LED - S2240L Monitor, 9234
PSU : : Corsair CX v2 430W ~2700/-
Cabinet : : NZXT Gamma ~2500/-
Motherboard : : ????????????

Its over budget but it will be worth it. I still need a recommendation for a motherboard. I need one that can support 2 HD 7770s in crossfire so that i can upgrade in the future. The B75M-D3H does not support crossfire, its got only 1 PCI x16 slot. Any suggestions?? Please remember, i'm on a tight budget.

Instead of CrossFire OR such, go for a single card now and upgrade to a more powerful card later. Although frankly looking at the lax requirements of the FIFA titles I do not see that happening any-time before the first title made with the new-generation consoles in mind.

Also you can look at this graphic card instead of the AMD HD7770GHz edition (if your budget allows) --> ZOTAC NVIDIA GTX 650 Ti 1GB 1 GB GDDR5 Graphics Card - ZOTAC: Flipkart.com

Try to go with 2 x2GB RAM modules OR 2 x4GB RAM modules instead of just a single module.

Rest of your RIG is good.

Hope this helps, Cheerio!

 

[windstalker]

@manu1991 and @ALPHA17, I did wanna buy something just for FIFA initially, but i'm sure i'd want to do a lot more once i actually get this PC (esp since i'm spending upto 50k on it), Also, the new gen consoles are gonna release out this year, so i cant really predict what the trend might be once they do come out. I wanna be able to get the best possible FIFA / PES experience for the next 3 years alteast. Hence i'm leaning towards a mid range upgradable rig. The Gigabyte GA-H77-DS3H looks good and i think i'll go ahead with it after some more research.

Also, i will be getting another 4 gig RAM stick in a few months to make it DUAL channel. No point using up 2 DIMM slots for 4 GB right now.

You guys have been a lotta help, thanks a lot.

 

[ALPHA17]

@manu1991 and @ALPHA17, I did wanna buy something just for FIFA initially, but i'm sure i'd want to do a lot more once i actually get this PC (esp since i'm spending upto 50k on it), Also, the new gen consoles are gonna release out this year, so i cant really predict what the trend might be once they do come out. I wanna be able to get the best possible FIFA / PES experience for the next 3 years alteast. Hence i'm leaning towards a mid range upgradable rig. The Gigabyte GA-H77-DS3H looks good and i think i'll go ahead with it after some more research.

Also, i will be getting another 4 gig RAM stick in a few months to make it DUAL channel. No point using up 2 DIMM slots for 4 GB right now.

You guys have been a lotta help, thanks a lot.

This RIG will become redundant the moment Intel releases its Haswell processor + chipset in Q2 this year. So you will not be able to upgrade it per-say from that moment onwards.

Rest all I think is fine and thanks for the kind words. Cheerio!

 

[NeViLLe]

forget about Crossfire or SLI setup's coz by the time you get a second card, there'll be better performing single cards with lower power requirements on the market...

Plus don't forget that you'll have to upgrade to a more beefier PSU also.. so the cost of a PSU upgrade and the second card will definitely be more than upgrading to a newer mid-range GPU

And frankly, FIFA doesn't need that much horsepower, unless the game is radically re-designed in the future - the 8800GT which almost half-a-decade old, can still handle FIFA at the highest settings @ 60fps

Even basic setup with an Core i3 3220 with an ATI HD 7770 or nVIDIA GT650 is actually an overkill!

EDIT: Talking about FIFA13, I've hit crash to desktop bug in the career mode... haven't found a solution yet.. any bright ideas?

 

[naive_harry]

forget about Crossfire or SLI setup's coz by the time you get a second card, there'll be better performing single cards with lower power requirements on the market...

Plus don't forget that you'll have to upgrade to a more beefier PSU also.. so the cost of a PSU upgrade and the second card will definitely be more than upgrading to a newer mid-range GPU

And frankly, FIFA doesn't need that much horsepower, unless the game is radically re-designed in the future - the 8800GT which almost half-a-decade old, can still handle FIFA at the highest settings @ 60fps

Even basic setup with an Core i3 3220 with an ATI HD 7770 or nVIDIA GT650 is actually an overkill!

EDIT: Talking about FIFA13, I've hit crash to desktop bug in the career mode... haven't found a solution yet.. any bright ideas?

I started facing a crash once I stated international team management along with the club. I went back to last save before accepting the offer and never faced the crash again.

May be you can share symptoms of crash.

 

[manu1991]

yeap, have had 4-5 crashes in the career mode. no solution as such. just resume it from the last save. for me, most of them occur when the transfer window is closing, it just shows an empty screen with a revolving circle at the bottom and nothing happens.