Budget gaming computer.

[Gotye]

This computer will be mainly for games such as Skyrim, BF3, and COD.
I'm on a budget about 530 dollars.
Will this suffice for good gaming?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-2100 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H61MA-D3V Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($76.97 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 6870 1GB Video Card ($139.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($53.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Cooler Master 500W ATX12V Power Supply ($35.67 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $523.58
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-05-12 17:17 EDT-0400)

 

[byteninja2]

Your case supports full ATX motherboards, so get one for higher upgradabilty.And I would highly reccomend a new i5 quad ivy bridge.The psu is junk, likly to blow up and take other parts with it.Plus its probobly outputting 430w. Motherboard: provantage.com/gigabyte-technology-ga-p75-d3~7GIGB0HT.htm CPU: newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116506&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Processors+-+Desktops-_-Intel-_-19116506 PSU: newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371045&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Power+Supplies-_-Antec-_-17371045

 

[Darren]

Your case supports full ATX motherboards, so get one for higher upgradabilty.And I would highly reccomend a new i5 quad ivy bridge.The psu is junk, likly to blow up and take other parts with it.Plus its probobly outputting 430w. Motherboard: provantage.com/gigabyte-technology-ga-p75-d3~7GIGB0HT.htm CPU: newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116506&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Processors+-+Desktops-_-Intel-_-19116506 PSU: newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371045&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Power+Supplies-_-Antec-_-17371045

Calling it junk might be pushing it. It's alright, but I would defintely suggest a Corsair or Antec PSU. You probably want more power for a 6870 anyway.

You could upgrade your CPU and it would help but you should be able to max out pretty much everything depending on your resolution. Might struggle with BF3 maxed out, but again, depends on your res.

I'd suggest this PSU. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371016

15 percent off by the 16th.

Full ATX board is unessary unless you're planning on doing Crossfire/SLI and additional slots. For a budget build, a midATX or even microATX would be fine.

 

[byteninja2]

It is mid atx.The cpu should deffinatly be a quad.The psu is bad, maybe not junk, but not even alright, only the higher quality cm psus are okay to good.

 

[Darren]

It is mid atx.The cpu should deffinatly be a quad.The psu is bad, maybe not junk, but not even alright, only the higher quality cm psus are okay to good.

It's not so much the cores that matter. My 955 and the 2100 are basically the same in performance. 2100 might actually be slightly ahead, not sure. But the 2100 has 4 threads but 2 actual cores. Mine has 4 threads with 4 cores. Point is, cores don't matter so much, and at that budget point, investing more in the GPU is better than getting a better CPU and lesser GPU. However if the budget has some breathing room, I'd definitely suggest an upgrade to an i5.

You said he should upgrade to the full ATX, which I think is unnecessary but is really whatever (he or she?) wants.