Torn on what build is best for my uses Budget (500-600)

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xxEMOxx

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May 10, 2013
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So my new thoughts on what I want to build are as follows.

Either a fx-6300, maybe fx8320 ( used ) with a asrock pro-4 board. (about 250ish give or take ) or A10-5800k with a ASrock Extreme 4 I believe the board is ( $200 )
16gig ddr3 2000 ($125)
1tb 7200 64mb cache barracuda ( already bought ) $49.99
60gig OCZ SSD Agility 3 $54.99 ( I am pretty set on getting a solid state for my OS )
Windows 7 $90 ( Yes I need an OS )

Have access to a couple different cases from a buddy, nothing crazy but they should work, also I have optical drives already so that is also covered.

My break down $$$wise is around
Mobo/Processor: $200-$250
Ram: $125
SSD Drive: $50ish ( tempted to buy 2 smaller ones and run in raid set up )
Operating System: $100

Dedicated Video Card ( MAYBE ): $100-$150 ( used is ok i think )

So all in all I am looking at like $500-$600 just depending on how I do it, and since i already have the 1TB I could even skip the SSD for now and just use the 1TB so I can apply funds elsewhere if need be.

Possibly video card, as I mention below.

My only issue is due to the amount of gaming I do which is not much. World of Warcraft possibly as well as the new Sim City and Diablo 3 and Starcraft2 as well. Thats about it, I am not a FPS player so those are not of a big concern for me.



My big debate at the moment for myself is do I spend the extra money and get a nice mid-level video card and build the fx build 650ti or similar; or do I drop the FX and decide to run the A10-5800k and then possibly in the future Crossfire the apu with a second dedicated card if I feel the urge?

Oh also is 16gigs of ram necessary or is just 8 gig at like 2133 or 1866 plenty?
 
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Kindredsouls

Kindredsouls

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Mar 4, 2010
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To answer your RAM question, 8 GB at 1600 mhz is the sweet spot for gaming right now. Anything beyond that in size or speed isn't noticeable for gaming. If you intend on doing any other applications, such as rendering, then that can change things.

Selecting the right GPU for a person is actually quite subjective. What games you want to play and what settings you desire to play those games at is all up to you. Also, what monitor you're using has an impact as well. Primarily what the screen resolution is and how many monitors you intend on using. For now I will assume 1 monitor at 1920 x 1080 since that's the most common right now.

A few things to keep in mind with the list of games you presented: SimCity and Starcraft 2 are fairly CPU intensive. Both of those titles are "busy" games, which require the computer to keep track of a lot of things at once. The AMD FX-6300 should be able to handle that just fine. I would highly recommend a Nvidia GTX 650 Ti Boost if you can afford it. Its significantly better then GTX 650 Ti.

I hope that helps, good luck!
 
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bigshootr8

bigshootr8

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Mar 28, 2011
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Given your budget this is something you could do. This incorporates the 6350 which you had mentioned earlier which I'd get over the 5800k if you are open to a dedicated graphics card. Also, I found a good deal on some 1866 memory 8 gigabytes of it which was around the same price of the 1600 mhz ram. I went with a 7850 2 gigabyte model since it will stand up tall to what you are doing as well as any other games you may venture into trying. Also, I would hold off on the SSD situation. I would get a solid SSD and not try and get SSD's on the cheap something in the 128 mb range would probably go well with what you are doing and I wouldn't run off and make a raid array with what you are doing you don't have intensive needs.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6350 3.9GHz 6-Core Processor ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($122.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($67.30 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($174.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.94 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $595.21
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-13 15:45 EDT-0400)
 
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xxEMOxx

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May 10, 2013
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10,510
Thanks for your feedback thus far.

From what it looks like the 6350, or if I can find one an 8320 or 8350 seems like that might be my best bet for the moment. As I said I am not a hardcore gamer, and this will be my school, work, and fun PC.

I do a bit of messing around in photoshop and some light video stuff but nothing crazy like tons of converting or rendering.

From what I have seen its looking like I would be much happier with a cheaper discrete video card and a FX or I5 then I would a A10 just because even though A10-5800k is the top of line I am starting to think its going to end up just not being enough.
 
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bigshootr8

bigshootr8

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People purchase the A10 mainly so that they don't have to buy a discrete card and where you could do that. With your budget and what you are open to it would be best placed on a discrete card you would get more out of it.

Within your budget its easier to get a stronger card with the AMD solution given the price of the chip and motherboard.
 
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xxEMOxx

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May 10, 2013
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Yeah i just saw newegg had a 660ti with 2gb for 229, and 10% off free shipping so like $200 bucks.

Bummer they are sold out :(

As it sits now I am torn between a i5-3570k or a fx8320. With the intel I would run onboard until i get some more money, and with the fx i would take my savings and get a ok discrete card.
 
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xxEMOxx

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May 10, 2013
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So This is the build i am at currently

AMD option:

Mobo $54.99 : ASRock 960GM/U3S3 FX AM3+ AMD 760G SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

Processor $174.99: AMD FX-8320 Vishera 3.5GHz (4.0GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 125W Eight-Core Desktop Processor FD8320FRHKBOX

Ram $124.99: G.SKILL Sniper Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-1866C10D-16GSR

After all the discount codes and specials it comes out to: $334.34 and then you figure I can use onboard video for a bit until I get a good video card.

I already have a hdd, case and psu, and optical unit.

Intel Build Option:

Mobo ($72.99 and 10% off) : GIGABYTE GA-B75M-D3H LGA 1155 Intel B75 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Processor $219.99: Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000

Ram $124.99: G.SKILL Sniper Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-1866C10D-16GSR

Total After discounts but before MIR's: $414.85
 
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bigshootr8

bigshootr8

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well you would need to spend more then 100 dollars on a graphics card to get a decent card I'll tell you that if you went to 200 then I can see that making more sense. So it really depends on how much you are wanting to spend. Also, I would double check on the AMD board to make sure out of the box and the revision is able to play well with FX piledriver chips. Go to there website and check there CPU support list and what bios revision you need for the chip.
 
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xxEMOxx

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May 10, 2013
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10,510
I hear what you have to say about the video card thing, i am looking at used as well.

As i stated I am not a huge gamer, I do not play FPS's much if at all; also I am trying to get the best bang for my buck, as honestly playing even the games I do enjoy I am not to um anal in regards to having to run at crazy ultra plus graphics. I do however tend to run tons of browser tabs at a time like 15-20.. so multitasking is of a concern to me more then gaming as work comes first. But the ability to cut lose and play my stuff on a occasion or late night is important too.

From what i have seen it looks like I can get a decent refurb card or used card for $100ish give or take 25 or so.
 
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