Budget gaming PC build for first time builder

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maura1131

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May 11, 2013
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Hello-- my 12 year old son is interested in building his first gaming PC. We have been researching components, but find the wide variety of options confusing. We want to make sure that everything we purchase is compatible. We have been looking at going with AMD processors; he likes the 8320.

Budget range: $500 with room to wiggle
System usage: Light gaming, internet, video downloads, possible video editing

So far we have picked out:
XFX ATX 550 Power Supply - P1550SXXB9 $61.24
Cooler Master HAF 912 - Mid Tower Computer Case with High Airflow $59.99
Asus 24xDVD-RW Serial ATA Internal OEM Drive DRW-24B1ST (Black) $20.99

We need help with choosing additional reliable components that would be compatible with the 8320 or the 6300. I am not sure exactly if he "needs" the 8320 or not, but I am ok with spending a little more if it will last him longer. Any and all advice appreciated.
 
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icypyro

icypyro

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Jan 23, 2013
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No he definitely doesn't 'need' the 8320. So far though, you have good components. The 8320 is not going to be good for the budget you want. If your son still wants to get AMD, I would recommend the 4300 (119.99). You'll want a cheap, but reliable motherboard. I recommend the GIGABYTE GA-970A-D3 (59.99 with MIR). That'll leave you with 177.78. Does your price include an OS? If not, you can get your CPU up to a 6300 (20$ more), and then use the remaining cash (157.78) to get a video card. I would reccomend the MSI 650 Ti boost edition since it's on sale for 114.99 with a MIR. That would leave you with a bit of cash (42.79) for a CPU cooler. I advise getting the COOLER MASTER V6 GT RR-V6GT-22PK-R1. It'll give you space for overclocking, which is the best part about the 4300 and the 6300.

EDIT: Well now I feel quite stupid for not including RAM or HDD. I suppose I was rushing a bit. So we'll go ahead and go with the 4300 instead. Also, we'll downgrade the video card to a radeon 7770, which costs around 100$. Also, we'll go ahead and throw out the cooler. That'll give us an extra 75$, which we can get a cheap HDD (WD Blue 500gb costs 60$) with, as well as 4 gb of RAM (Team Elite's costs 32.99). Sorry in advance.

EDIT #2: I saw that you said you would be willing to spend around 600$ for a longer lasting system. You have almost no idea how much that would help. You could upgrade the CPU to a 6300, grab a better cooler, and a better video card, as seen above. Although rather than the V6 GT, I would get the NZXT Respire T40 or Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus for only 30$.
 
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With the price difference of <$20 the 6300 is a better deal if doing video editing.(Probably a better deal without also)
But with a tight budget an APU might be the way to go.I'm not really informed about apus but I'm sure others on the forum can help with this. Depending on the games played and your resolution you could get away with intel i3 and onboard graphics.

arrpee
 
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Guest

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what about ram and hdd.
 
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maura1131

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May 11, 2013
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No, I am not including the OS. Is the motherboard you suggested compatible with the 6300?
Also need advice on RAM.

Thank you.



 
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maura1131

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May 11, 2013
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Yes, looking for advice on those as well. I am aware that this will bring me over budget most likely.
 
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Not knowing the games your son plays or the resolution of your monitor it is hard to make any concrete recommendations. Is the budget $500 or more.
 
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maura1131

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May 11, 2013
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What motherboard and other components would you suggest with this processor? We are not set on AMD, but were leaning that way due to cost. This CPU is listed at $189.99.
 
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maura1131

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May 11, 2013
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We have not purchased a monitor yet. But we are looking at one that is 1920x1080. He states he wants to play TF2 and Chivalry. He also spend a great deal of time on Minecraft. He is just making the leap from normal video games on Xbox and such to the computer. This project is a way for him to learn a bit more about computer engineering. We don't want to spend a great deal of money, but I don't want to have to upgrade in a year either.
 
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maura1131

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May 11, 2013
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Also, where do you see the video card for that cheap? The cheapest I can find for that card is $169 after MIR. Is there a cheaper on you can recommend?
 
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maura1131

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May 11, 2013
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I am not including peripherals at this point in the budget.

 
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maura1131

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May 11, 2013
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I would like to stay around $500 given that I am not including the monitor, OS, etc. But I am not opposed to spending closer to $600 if it will get him a system that will "last" longer. Does that make sense?
 
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ksham

ksham

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Mar 29, 2013
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Comes down to how much you're willing to spend on the GPU.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($87.24 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB Video Card ($168.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $565.16
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
 
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diazalon

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May 12, 2013
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He does not need the 8350 this first build (just as an example) it can run BF3 at high avg 40 fps if you have a bit more go with a gtx650ti boost or gtx 660

Intel Core i3-3220 CPU: http://goo.gl/VRJio

MSI B75MA-P45 Motherboard: http://goo.gl/0UxgT

EVGA GTX 650 Ti Graphics Card: http://goo.gl/kpPCv

4GB Corsair Vengeance 1600MHz RAM: http://goo.gl/k6MHj
or 8gb corsair vengeance 1600mhz ram: http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Vengeance-Desktop-Memory-CMZ8GX3M1A1600C10/dp/B005T63BJM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1368386833&sr=8-3&keywords=corsair+vengeance+8gb

500GB Western Digital Caviar Blue Hard Drive: http://goo.gl/42nno

430W Corsair CX430 Power Supply: http://goo.gl/aT957

NZXT Source 220 Case: http://goo.gl/cEDdu

Pretty much $500

or an AMD option (a little older)

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor
Motherboard: ASRock 960GM/U3S3 FX Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard
Memory: Mushkin Redline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card
Case: NZXT Source 220 ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply
Total: $539.90

 
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