Budget Render Gaming PC ($600)--Trimming the Fat

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Archean_0-1354672

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Jul 5, 2013
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PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1IQVm
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1IQVm/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1IQVm/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD FX-4300 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Would I need one?
Motherboard: ASRock 960GM/U3S3 FX Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: 120GB OCZ Solid SATA III SSD, 1TB 7200RPM HDD
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB Video Card ($168.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Silverstone SG10B MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($115.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Rosewill Green 430W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($52.83 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: ASUS Super-Multi (From old PC)
Operating System: Linux Mint 15 & Windows 7 or 8 (would it matter which version of windows i install?)
Displays: transferred from old computer (all 1080p)
Peripherals: transferred from old computer (all wired)
Total: $552.77
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-29 09:23 EDT-0400)



This is my proposed budget PC that will be used for rendering and gaming, respectively.
What do you think? Could you help me trim the fat and make it as good as possible? I am looking to keep the budget under $600.00 USD
All parts must ship to the USA. I plan on purchasing a variation of this machine around black Friday in hopes of finding 'better' deals. The machine must be upgradable as I intend to use this machine for 3-4 years.

Thanks for your input
 
Solution
RazerZ
A lot faster for gaming and editing and better parts too :)
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Armor A30 ATX Mini Tower Case ($97.98 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $537.93
(Prices...
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Archean_0-1354672

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thanks : )
---
the only thing that i would prefer to keep in this build, other than budget, is the small form factor--im limited in space and prefer smaller cases.
<mATX or mITX are both fair game>


 
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RazerZ

RazerZ

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A lot faster for gaming and editing and better parts too :)
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Armor A30 ATX Mini Tower Case ($97.98 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $537.93
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-29 09:57 EDT-0400)

Only get a CPU cooler if you plan to do some light overclocking.
 
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Archean_0-1354672

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Awesome reconfig : )

A few questions for you...
-is the FX-6300 unlocked by default?
-Was the 550W PSU for future upgrades?
-Will the AMD 7950 card play well with applications that use CUDA? (AUTODESK, etc.)
-Just curious, why did you pick the mobo that you did?

Are there any more small cases out there? I'm having a hard time finding any besides bitfenix, lian-li, and thermaltake...I'm ok with the flashy look, but would prefer a more 'business' case--the A30 is decent tho
---
Looking at http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/550?vs=647 and a little confused by the benchmarks--it doesn't seem to be weighted in any direction in particular...thoughts?
 
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RazerZ

RazerZ

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Sure, I just found a better case which is a lot more quiet and has a clean look to it.

1) Yes
2) Yes and because it is durable, if the PSU fails the whole system is gone.
3) It will with no problems.
4) I picked it because it uses high quality parts and shouldn't give any problems.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define Mini MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $519.94
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-29 10:15 EDT-0400)
 
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Onus

Onus

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Unfortunately, there are no true 900-series AMD boards that are not ATX (that ASRock is a liar-labeled 700-series board). You want one with heatsinks on the VRMs. The only board with heatsinks on its VRMs is this Gigabyte: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128565 for $65. Unfortunately, it's not a great board otherwise, running at only 4400MT/s (vs. 5200 or 5600 on a true 900-chipset board). Also, you do want a CPU cooler. I use and recommend the Xigmatek Gaia over the more commonly parroted but slightly inferior Hyper212 EVO:
http://www.techreaction.net/2011/07/07/review-xigmatek-gaia-sd1283/7/
http://www.techreaction.net/2011/11/27/review-cooler-master-hyper-212-plus/4/

Unlike the Hyper212 EVO (ignore the URL; it IS the EVO they tested), the Gaia never throttled, although it wasn't always the coolest depending on the fan used. Both got awards, but if you factor in the price, the Gaia wins hands down.
Here's a $50 case with plenty of room inside: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147166 . I used one for my father's PC, and it has room for a RAID1 pair plus a SSD boot drive, and supports long graphics cards.
Still, if small size is an important consideration, you might be better off long-term looking at an Intel build. Motherboard choices are more robust, and per-core performance is higher. You may take a hit in well-threaded rendering software, but check benchmarks for how much.
 
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Archean_0-1354672

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You've been super helpful : )
1 last question--are there any more shoebox or cube cases? (preferably something within the constraints of 15x15x15)
(I'm still sifting through every company's cases >_>) Something between a cooler master elite 130 and the thermaltake a30 would be great

Still, if small size is an important consideration, you might be better off long-term looking at an Intel build. Motherboard choices are more robust, and per-core performance is higher. You may take a hit in well-threaded rendering software, but check benchmarks for how much.
Click to expand...
I wanted to do an intel build because an mITX would have been an option...along with the CM elite 130, but im not sure if i could squeeze that in a $600 budget...Its probably doable tho--I'll look into it : )

Could you recommend a comparable intel variation ($)of the current build?

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1IRDq
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1IRDq/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1IRDq/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define Mini MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $519.94
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-29 10:37 EDT-0400)
 
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RazerZ

RazerZ

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True but depends which version of autodesk it is.
 
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Onus

Onus

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Ok, here's a mini-ITX Intel build:

Gigabyte Ultra Durable 4 Classic GA-B75N Desktop Motherboard - Intel B75 Express Chipset - Socket H2 LGA-1155
Model #:GA-B75N
Item #:N82E16813128646
$79.99 $79.99
Note that this board has a slot for a wireless card if you ever decide you need that.

Intel Core i3-3240 Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz LGA 1155 55W Dual-Core Desktop Processor ...
Model #:BX80637i33240
Item #:N82E16819116773
$119.99 $119.99

FSP Group FSP450-60GHS(85)-R 450W Micro ATX12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply with Intel Hawell Ready
Model #:FSP450-60GHS(85)-R
Item #:N82E16817104132
$69.99 -$5.00 Instant $64.99

MSI R7870-2GD5T/OC Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
Model #:R7870-2GD5T/OC
Item #:N82E16814127722
Mail in Rebate Card
$219.99 -$50.00 Instant $169.99
I'd need to confirm that this will fit, but it should.

Western Digital WD Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive
Model #:WD1002FAEX
Item #:N82E16822136533
$89.99 $89.99

SilverStone Sugo Series SG05BB-LITE Black SECC / Plastic Mini-ITX Desktop Computer Case with 2 x USB3.0 ports (Black)
Model #:SG05BB-LITE
Item #:N82E16811163231
$39.99 $39.99
Unclear from the description, I do not believe this case comes with the 300W PSU (which would be too small anyway).

Link Depot Model LD-SATA-0.5C 6" SATA Cable with Power Adapter
Model #:LD-SATA-0.5C
Item #:N82E16812189193
$2.99 $2.99
Needed to power the slim optical drive.

SAMSUNG Internal Slim 8x DVD Writer SATA Model SN-208DB/BEBET - OEM
Model #:SN-208DB/BEBET
Item #:N82E16827151261
$24.99 -$5.00 Instant $19.99
This case only takes a slim drive.

Subtotal: $587.92
Plus shipping, but there are some rebates in there too, so hopefully this will fit your budget.
 
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Archean_0-1354672

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I'll revisit this thread later, but for now I'm still waiting for a good case to be produced or come back in stock.
I may end up having to build a custom case...

Thanks for your input : )
---
Back, and if stuff is on sale, it can still retain the ~$600 budget limit...GFX will be upgraded next year, the 7850 is a placeholder
lots of rendering and multi-tasking

what do you think?

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1JnDX
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1JnDX/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1JnDX/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($144.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($124.97 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Kingston Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.75 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $609.67
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-30 19:24 EDT-0400)
 
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