$650 Intel Build

So, today we're gonna make an Intel build for around $650. So, enough jibber jabber, let's get started.

Motherboard: ASRock H61MV-ITX LGA 1155 - $55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157367

This ASRock mobo will do a very good job with the CPU you'll be putting in this. It's also future proof, so you can upgrade it with another LGA1155 CPU if you want, or use a different LGA1155 chip if you wanna save some money.

CPU: Intel Core i5 3570k Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz - $220
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504

The i5-3570k is apparently the best CPU you can buy for gaming. Or so I've heard. It's overclockable, has 3.4GHz stock speed and runs at a really low 77W of power. Much lower power consumption, but the difference between the i5 and the FX-4300 in the other build barely makes a difference, because you're spending less on the FX-4300 up front. So either one is fine.

RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB DDR3 1600MHz - $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148544

I used the Crucial RAM in another build, and for the price, there's not much that can beat it. You could use the Team Vulcan RAM from the AMD build, but it won't make too much of a difference while gaming.

Graphics Card: MSI Radeon HD 7850OC 2GB GDDR5 - $130, $110 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127727

This GPU is amazing right now, especially for this build. At the normal sale price alone, it's a steal, and you even get two free games with it. You could go for an nVidia GTX 660 if you have some more money, but this game will get you going on your budget gaming.

Hard Drive: Kingston HyperX 120GB SSD - $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820239045

This was also in the AMD build, and just like that, it will make your boot times faster and load times speedy. You can always find a normal HDD for cheaper and with more space, or just use an old hard drive for the normal space and the SSD for your booting and a few games.

Power Supply: Seasonic 400W PSU 80+ Bronze - $45
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151076

This PSU doesn't look like much, but you don't need a 500W PSU for this build, despite what people say. After some looking around, I found out that a rig with the similar specs won't go above 400W even with some overclocking on the CPU. This will do us just fine.

Case: SilverStone PS08B - $35
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163223

Once again, buy a case you like, it's all preference, but I like the look of this. Looks like it has nice air flow, has all the prerequisites I like, and will be plenty for this build.


Now, the total price for this build is $650. If that's your budget, build this, or build the AMD build. I like both of these rigs, and they'll both do great playing games.

Happy gaming guys and gals.