Thoughts on cheap $500 budget gaming build?

nathan4102 · Nov 13, 2013

What do you guys think about this build? Its mostly going to be used for low end online gaming (minecraft), software development (windows apps) and web browsing/word processing.

I'm trying to get the build under $500, but I'm not sure what I can cut out without losing too much. I think the graphics card is overkill, I only really need ~60 fps on medium to high on simple games like minecraft. Let me know what you think

Thanks!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($159.99 @ NCIX)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.79 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 EXTREME4 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($95.00 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($84.99 @ Memory Express)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card ($213.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($53.13 @ DirectCanada)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($79.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($17.00 @ Vuugo)
Total: $732.86
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-13 08:31 EST-0500)

IRONBATMAN · Nov 13, 2013

As you can see , the HD 7870 's performance is similar to the R9 270x , maybe 3 FPS less , but the Hd 7870 comes with 2 free games .
http://www.amd4u.com/radeonrewards/

the Hd 7870 qualifies for the silver class reward.

nathan4102 · Nov 13, 2013

I should also mention I have a 1TB HDD already. And free games aren't a huge deal to me, its more price/performance. Is it any cheaper?

IRONBATMAN · Nov 13, 2013

you gotta check your stores. you haven't told me where you are from. I'm not from the US , but I know where to buy parts.

nathan4102 · Nov 13, 2013

I'm in Canada, southern Ontario.

IRONBATMAN · Nov 13, 2013

Oh yeah , I forgot. Didn't see your store links. Sorry about that.

Here is the cheapest HD 7870 I could find. It's $200 after Rebates
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150605

but if you don't like the mail-in Rebates , here is the cheapest one
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202025

so in a way , it's cheaper. You could sell the 2 games to your Friends.

nathan4102 · Nov 13, 2013

Do you know of anything a little cheaper? I'm trying to bring my cost down a bit.

IRONBATMAN · Nov 13, 2013

If you're just gonna play Minecraft , you might as well just get a $500 laptop

nathan4102 · Nov 13, 2013

Laptop won't work, I'm planning on switching to dual monitor soon, and I need fairly large screens for what I do. Minecraft is only something I do in my spare time, not the main purpose of my build.

IRONBATMAN · Nov 14, 2013

Are you planning on doing 3D animations and Video Rendering ?

Do you want to overclock ?

Is low power consumption your priority ?

nathan4102 · Nov 14, 2013

I won't be doing any 3d development any time soon, so we dont have to worry about that. If its worth it, I'll over clock. I dont need an insane build, just something nice and powerful for $500-$600. Power consumption ISNT a huge factor.

IRONBATMAN · Nov 14, 2013

I personally would avoid overclocking CPUs but if you really want to , read up more discussions and threads on overclocking.

here's a HD 7750 1Gb GDDR5 it's an entry-level GPU but after rebates , it only costs $30.
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131461

The HD 7750 is one of the best GPUs that don't require you to connect any wires from the PSU to the GPU. So all you need to do is to install the latest drivers for it.

If you don't really like the rebates , then this would be a good choice
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125417

IRONBATMAN · Nov 14, 2013

These articles should help

GPU
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-8.html

CPU
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-6.html

PSU
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1804779/power-supply-unit-tier-list.html

If you want your PC to boot faster , consider getting a SSD

4 GB of RAM should be enough since you're not gonna play any high-end games

Intel CPUs generally consume less power. Especially the 4th Generation LGA 1150 Haswell CPUs

Faceplant1324 · Nov 14, 2013

You don't need a powerful gpu like that all you need is a FX 6300 should do everything you need it can run a R9 280x no problem it should do just fine with a R9 270x. That would help bring the price down and you could also do what everyone else had said and get a Radeon Hd 7870 theirs not much of a difference between them playing Mine Craft I think you wont notice any difference.. Plus if you want you can just overclock the 7870 a little and it would run just a fast as a R9 270x

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