Son wants to build a gaming desktop - do these parts go together? < $700 budget

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mannabsn

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Dec 8, 2013
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I've spent HOURS reading different posts and sites trying to learn more about PC parts. My son (15yo) is much more computer savvy than I am and has wanted to build his own desktop for awhile. I'd like to surprise him with some parts for Christmas - although they won't be his "dream wishlist" parts (too pricey for me right now). I'd like to give him the opportunity to build his first PC and learn to do it using somewhat cheaper pieces - then he can save up and buy his dream rig in the future. He currently has a laptop that he plays games such as Minecraft, League of Legends, Skyrim, Starcraft, Tomb Raider, etc. on but he wants to move to a desktop.

Approximate Purchase Date: this week (hope to get it bought and shipped to me in time for Christmas)

Budget Range: < $700 (that's my goal, anyway)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Playing games such as - League of Legends, Starcraft, Skyrim, Tomb Raider. Listening to music, playing on the internet

Are you buying a monitor: No (have one, not sure of resolution)

Do you need to buy OS: Yes - but I am a college student if that helps me to get one cheaper ?

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: I am primarily familiar with Newegg and amazon but will order from anywhere reputable that has the best prices

Location: Mississippi

Parts Preferences: No preferences - I don't have enough knowledge to have preferences :)

Overclocking: No

Do I need a sound card? I'm sure I also need some sort of networking/wireless card.

Based on what I've read, these are the "budget" items I've picked out so far. Do these go together? Are they good/ok/poor choices? Thanks so much for your help!!! I am so impressed by the vast knowledge of the members here!

-AMD FX-6300 Vishera 3.5GHz (4.1GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 95W -- $109.99
-GIGABYTE GV-R927XOC-2GD Radeon R9 270X 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card -- $199.99
-ASUS M5A97 LE R2.0 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS -- $74.99
-G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL -- $49.99
-ORSAIR CXM series CX430M 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply -- $49.99
-Corsair Carbide Series 300R Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case -- $69.99
-Etekcity® Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB Internal 7200 RPM 32MB Cache Desktop Portable Hard Drive WD10EALS WD HDD -- $66.99
-LITE-ON DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+ -- $17.99
(So far my total is $597.40)

 
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sportfreak23
Yes I was also gonna say the PSU is a bit low wattage. Price to performance wise the 7870 and 270 are roughly the same, but the 7870 is like $30 cheaper where I found. They soon gonna be out of stock.

I trimmed the build around a bit, put a 8320 FX if you wanted a 8core instead. Comes with OS, but I remember when I was a student, I got like $80 off windows 8 professional in Canada atleast o.o

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Extreme3 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($52.99 @...
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H4X3R

H4X3R

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Aug 11, 2013
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Nice build there. I have to criticise 1 part, namely the case. You don't need sucha pricey case to fit those components. Something like a corsair 200R would be better suited for the job. Also, the R9 270 (without X) is basically a R9 270X if you overclock it. There are many overclocking tutorials on sites such as youtube and also here on tomshardware that can help you overclock safely. The R9 270 is also the best overclocker which means you can basically just put all sliders to the end and it'll work.

From the suggestions above you would save about $50 with which you can upgrade the cpu to a fx-8320, which does a way better job than the 6300 and is also just $30 more expensive.
You could use the other 15$ to buy a wireless pcie card.
 
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zink1701

zink1701

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Sep 14, 2012
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Looks good and I agree with above post, the only other thing is the Power supply. If you go with the R9 270X then you will need a minimum 500w with 24Ampa across the 12v rails (use a good quality one like you listed but with more wattage).

You do not need a sound card unless you want 5.1/7.1 surround sound otherwise the mobo has a built in sound card. You will need a wireless adapter if you are using a wireless router. Either a USB or a PCI-e adapter (unless you pay big dollar they are as good as each other).

As far as I know you wont get a discount on your OS unless the site is doing a deal.
 
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H4X3R

H4X3R

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The 270 only has 1 pci e 6 pin connector and his system wouldnt be using more than 400 watts but i also support the point above which is you need a psu that can supply more wattage, just to be safer.

If you go with something like a cx 500 you would be around the 600$ mark.
 
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sportfreak23

sportfreak23

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Dec 4, 2013
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Yes I was also gonna say the PSU is a bit low wattage. Price to performance wise the 7870 and 270 are roughly the same, but the 7870 is like $30 cheaper where I found. They soon gonna be out of stock.

I trimmed the build around a bit, put a 8320 FX if you wanted a 8core instead. Comes with OS, but I remember when I was a student, I got like $80 off windows 8 professional in Canada atleast o.o

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Extreme3 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Shinobi Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - OEM (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $660.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-08 05:21 EST-0500)

edited: psu
 
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