Need someone to help me w/ a buld for $650

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exodasius

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Dec 25, 2012
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So I've got a pretty decent build in mind, but I'd like to see if people can make an even better build :) Also, I'm planning on using this computer for 5 years or so (I'll be upgrading GPU every 2 years, adding ram every year or so, doing small upgrades over time)
But I'd like a killer which can play Crysis 3 @ 1600 x 900 or better w/ 40+ fps (Maybe a little greedy xD)
This is my first ever build (I got a good idea on how to make the pc, but I'd like to see if any tech buffs can make a build better then what I've got planned)

Approximate Purchase Date: Mid July

Budget Range: $650 after rebates and shipping

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Video editing, a little server hosting (like a MC server for 5 people for 6h straight at most), school work,

Are you buying a monitor: Yes (must be in the budget please)

Parts to Upgrade: None. I need everything new xD

Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: http://www.pcpartpicker.com (all of the sites they show you parts from are safe, and I trust all of them)

Location: Chapel Hill, NC (USA)

Parts Preferences: Radeon 7850 please (If you can manage a 660 or 7870 (I will be forever thankful if you can make that miracle), then that'd be awesome!)
AMD FX-8320 (I'm an AMD fanboy)


Overclocking: No. I don't trust myself to OC

SLI or Crossfire: Not atm, but in the future, definitely

Your Monitor Resolution: anything above 1440 x 810

Additional Comments: LED fans which look good w/ the case (So blue LED fans in a black case)
A sick looking case (your choice). I personally prefer ones w/ side windows.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: There's not a chance in hell I can rec, game, AND video edit on this ultrabook!

Thank you!
Exodasius
 
Solution
bigshootr8
You may also find somethings may be cheaper in Canada quiet frankly. And I agree your build can be stronger particularly in the memory department easily fixed though and motherboard as well. But overall your build isn't bad given your budget.
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bigshootr8

bigshootr8

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here is something that may fit the bill for you I slipped in a GTX660 it was cheaper then going with the 7870 although you could go with the 7850 as well however it won't change your processor selection too much which is why you would make that drop more then likely.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 750K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI FM2-A55M-E33 Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($49.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.08 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($174.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Microcenter)
Monitor: Asus VH238H 23.0" Monitor ($134.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $636.98
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-18 16:28 EDT-0400)
 
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ikes9711

ikes9711

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PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/17ORB
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/17ORB/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/17ORB/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($84.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Extreme3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($84.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Scorpio Black 250GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.39 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ 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 ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Acer G215HVBbd 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $651.29
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-18 16:31 EDT-0400)
 
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slomo4sho

slomo4sho

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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($94.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Seidon 120M 86.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.97 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB Video Card ($159.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill Challenger-U3 ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VE228H 21.5" Monitor ($129.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $649.87
 
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exodasius

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Actually, I have :) However, I liked the suggestions all over this thread so (drum roll please...)
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($149.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock 770iCafe ATX AM3+/AM3 Motherboard ($62.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Avexir Budget Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($32.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.23 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($174.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Azza Toledo 301 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: HP LV2011 60Hz 20.0" Monitor ($79.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $662.70
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-18 17:08 EDT-0400)
 
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bigshootr8

bigshootr8

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The issue is you don't know whether or not that is a board that needs to be flashed to use that piledriver chip. As I thought you will need to flash your bios which you probably won't be able to do without a cpu in the socket.
http://www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/770iCafe/?cat=CPU

 
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exodasius

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I apologize for my ignorance, but what does it mean to "Flash your bios"? And how can I tell if a board is compatible with the cpu? Frankly, I just look @ whats compatible on PCpartpicker, but it doesn't say in the notes these kinds of things.
 
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bigshootr8

bigshootr8

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Yea its alright you aren't ignorant :p You just didn't know the way you normally flash your bios is there is a download supplied from your motherboard manufacture. And you save it to a cd or flash drive and you boot to it and it will upgrade your bios to handle new things cpu support, overclocking profiles, bugs, etc.,

If you go to my link you'll see the processor list and the bios revision the ones that say all are clear no matter what. The ones that say since 1.2, 1.1 or whatever number they have are the ones you would need a flash for it to work.
 
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exodasius

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Ahh, thank you for all your help! Just before I pick your answer as the solution, when ordering from the websites on PCpartpicker, is the shown price before, or after the american tax rate? I don't know this, because I'm a Canadian citizen coming down to my aunts place in US for vacation/to grab and assemble the stuff
 
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slomo4sho

slomo4sho

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You really should be using two sticks of ram to take advantage of the performance boost offered by dual channel memory over single channel.


Consider this more balanced build:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.58 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($174.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cougar Solution (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: AOC e2351F 60Hz 23.0" Monitor ($117.47 @ TigerDirect)
Total: $646.97
 
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bigshootr8

bigshootr8

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You may also find somethings may be cheaper in Canada quiet frankly. And I agree your build can be stronger particularly in the memory department easily fixed though and motherboard as well. But overall your build isn't bad given your budget.
 
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exodasius

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Sadly, things are not cheaper in Canada (Damn you free healthcare! I never used your system as of yet!), as the components all together in Canada are like $720, but o'well :) That's what cheaping it out in the US is for :D
As for the memory sticks, the reason I'm not going w/ 4x2 GB of ram is because I plan on eventually maxing out the Mobo (I'll grab the same 8GB stick in December) so it's overall cheaper then replacing the sticks one after another.
 
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clarkjd

clarkjd

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The problem with that is that you might not be able to find the SAME memory available at that time. Getting memory that is different to work is problematic at best. You might have to underclock it.

 
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bigshootr8

bigshootr8

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I'd have to say its never truly recommendable to max out the memory on your motherboard. What I mean by that is to populate all the slots. Also there are limitations to windows home premium in that you can only hit 16 gigabytes. You can go to much higher points with Windows 7 Professional at that point but I would stick to 8 gigabytes honestly because in terms of gaming its been pretty much the same deal beyond 8 gigabytes you'll see massive diminished returns on your purchase. By the time you need to go beyond 16 gigabytes you'll be using a different platform is essentially what I'm saying.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa366778(v=vs.85).aspx
 
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exodasius

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Nah, dw about that :) I'm getting the 2nd most common form: 1333 memory :D


I kno that. I'm planning on going w/ windows ultimate (no apparent reason besides bragging rights xD)
 
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clarkjd

clarkjd

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Well, good luck, anyway! getting >2 sticks of ram to work is a challenge in itself, without having to worry about whether the new batch is compatible with the old stuff.
 
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bigshootr8

bigshootr8

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Right on yea the only real thing that you get with windows ultimate is there bitlocker encryption which may or may not be something you will find useful. As well as the ability to work in 35 languages otherwise i'd just stick to windows 7 professional quite frankly.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/compare#T1=tab01

get DDR3 1600 as a note 1333 is the slowest you probably should go in terms of DDR3 memory at the moment.
 
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exodasius

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Ahh, but I'm not getting windows 7 ultimate like a true sir (if you know what I mean)
Also, I can't upgrade my ram to 1600, as my budget is already having me grasping for breathing room, and I don't think I'll want to downgrade my CPU, GPU, or Case. It doesn't matter too much (I've read a few articles where unless you are comparing the 2800 to a 1333, there isn't that big of a difference speed wise. It's there, but it's not that noticeable.)
 
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bigshootr8

bigshootr8

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Yea honestly there isn't much of a difference. I believe its all in the latency really right now. Sure you can increase the bandwidth but as you it you increase the latency. I don't think they'll be a huge memory performance push till DDR4. Where they'll be room for faster speeds at a lower latency.
 
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exodasius

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Ohh, it's gonna suck for people like me when DDR4 comes out, simply because knowing what happened to the price of DDR2 after DDR3 came out, (Both were expensive at the same time for no apparent reason, w/ DDR2 going up). So when DDR4 comes out... I'm scared to think about what will happen to DDR3's price
 
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