CPU
The good 'ol AMD vs Intel debate.*
Realistically they both will perform the same. Most benchmarks are irrelevant to how people use a PC in real life.*
The best bang for your buck is the AMD FX series. If you're an OC enthusiast then you may go i5 with a z77 motherboard but you said you're not. Intel may perform better in gaming by +5-10fps but that doesn't even really matter since FX's will give you more than enough performance anyways.*
With the new Steamroller CPUs coming out around Q1-2014, I'd go with an inexpensive Piledriver core. The FX-6300 will be perfect for this situation. But if you don't plan to save to buy one of the new Steamroller processes when they release, I'd go with the FX-8320 or the 8350 which is the same as the 8320 but clocked at 4GHz instead of 3.5GHz.*
Even if you won't OC, get a cheap aftermarket cooler. The stock cooler is shit.*
Motherboard
There's not really much to explain here besides picking a board with features you'd like. Although AsRock is building their reputation in the PC Gaming market, I still wouldn't go with them. They're boards seem flimsy and you can get much better quality for the same price.*
If you don't know, just go with Gigabyte. They have nice quality and I've never had any DOAs with 5 I've ordered from them. You could go ASUS too but I'm not too familiar with them.*
Look at the chipset. I believe the latest for AMD is 990 and Intel is z77.*
Go with the Gigabyte 990FXA-UD3 if you're not sure what to get.*
RAM
G.Skill makes the most flashy "ricer" RAM. It really makes no difference between RAM although Crucial Ballistix are individually tested and quality assured. It's well worth the extra $20USD than the average 8gb stick of RAM to know you're getting quality. They're pretty dull looking though have LED status lights.*
Either brand will be nice. Even Corsair Vengeance sticks are nice too.*
Either go for 1600MHz CAS8 or 1886MHz CAS9 if your motherboard supports that speed. The lower CAS the better. 8 is the best, but I wouldn't go over 9.*
Crucial Ballistix Smart Tracer 2x4GB 1600MHz CAS8 are about $80USD and do well. I plan to get 16GB though 8GB is more than enough for gaming. I run servers and other things so...
HDD & SSD
Don't get a SSD just to put your OS on. It's too expensive and overrated. The only difference you'd really notice is boot speeds, and if you're like me or any other gamer, I doubt you rarely if ever turn your PC off. However if you plan to get a SSD to put games and software on, that would be better. Your Battlefield map would load at least twice as faster.*
A 1TB 720rpm HDD is cheap. You could even get more if you wanted. Cache is always nice though. I'd make sure it has at least 64mb of cache.*
Seagate Barricuda or Western Digital Black's are your best options for SSDs.*
Crucial M4 and Samsung 840 are good options for SSD. Samsung 84 Pro is probably the best. I would highly recommend not going with a cheap brand like Kingston.*
Graphics Cards
Again, we have AMD vs Nvidia.*
Yes Nvidia has PhysX, but do you play any games that use it? You can use PhysX on AMD too, it just runs off your CPU which isn't nearly as good as the inboard Nvidia GPU.*
The only other reason to buy Nvidia is for Cuda cores. Unless you're a professional 3D animator or movie editor (not montages, actual movies), you won't need much Cuda for anything.*
Another reason for Nvidia is Linux support. If you use Ubunutu, Debian, Linux Mint, or would like a Hackintosh computer, Nvidia has great driver support as I don't think AMD has any at all.*
If you're just strictly for gaming, the AMD is your best option. Its also cheaper.*
I'd go with a 7970GHz edition if you can. The Sapphire Vapor-X is probably the best. I wouldn't go cheap here either. Choosing a cheap brand gets you the same performance, but they usually have horrible fans and your GPU could probably fry an egg and it wouldn't last long. Sapphire, MSI, EVGA, and Asus are my favorite brands. Gigabyte as well though some of their cards have heating issues.*
The rest is really by preference. Read reviews on Power Supplies though. I'm not too familiar with reputable brands though you can search around google.*
Get a case made of steel. Going cheap on a case is stupid. Buy a decent one and it'll last you forever. The Fractal Design brand is my favorite. But if you're looking for LED teenage gaming look, I'd look at other brands. Corsair makes decent steel cases. And you don't need a full tower. They're huge and get ugly to look at. A mid-tower is perfect.*
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@Ecstacy
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Let me know how it is when you get it said up. Post some pics on my wall. Get some nice fans and make it look sexy.