$650 PC for mainly Gaming, Home Media/Streaming, and Light Adobe work. First Build.

justwatch

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Dec 28, 2013
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Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: this week (the closer the better)

Budget Range: $650 After Rebates; After Shipping

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Most important is Gaming. I want something that will run certain games on high or higher if possible. Namely: Battlefield 4, Guild Wars 2, The Division (can only speculate on specs, I know), and some other games bound for PC like Dark Souls 2 and more. Also, I want to use this as a media center, streaming stuff to devices and my Samsung Smart TV. Finally, I do personal projects involving Adobe suite stuff and video editing. I want to make clear though that I don't really need professional workplace level render times. I currently make do with a system that is probably far less advanced than what you'll suggest, but I figured I should mention it just in case.

Are you buying a monitor: No


Parts to Upgrade: New Build


Do you need to buy OS: No


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg, Amazon, Micro Center, any reputable site.


Location: City, State/Region, Country - Los Angeles area, California


Parts Preferences: No preference.


Overclocking: Don't know much about it, so probably not.


SLI or Crossfire: Whatever gives me the best performance for my money.


Additional Comments: Quiet and Cool would be appreciated, but as long as it doesn't sound like a jet turbine, and catch fire in the Summer, I'll be happy.


And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Preparing for the new string of games I'm expecting to come out on PC. Also, looking forward to having a nice media center.




Thanks for the help.
 
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G

Guest

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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($77.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: GeIL EVO Veloce Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: Cooler Master N600 ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($32.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $651.48

The GTX 760 will handle BF4 on ultra settings, but it won't be 60 FPS (http://www.techspot.com/review/734-battlefield-4-benchmarks/page2.html). The other games you mentioned will be above 60 FPS, though.
 
Solution

FractalDesignCore

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Jul 30, 2013
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Heres something relatively close to your budget. Have a look.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock 960GM/U3S3 FX Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($53.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG Gaming Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($249.95 @ B&H)
Case: Antec One ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $663.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-28 18:49 EST-0500)
 

justwatch

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Dec 28, 2013
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Someone on another site has suggested the following build, featuring a i3 processor over the that certain 6 core. What do you think of this one? http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2rIWE
 

justwatch

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I'm not very well-versed on this thing, yet, but that seems like a pretty good build for the price and with a pretty great discount on the processor (any idea how long that coupon lasts?).

As I mentioned in another response, someone on another site has recommended the following build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2rIWE

Any thoughts?
 

justwatch

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Dec 28, 2013
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That build sounds like it might work very well for me. And for some reason, when I click the link to look at the parts my total is actually slightly cheaper than the total in your post, which is a plus.
 

justwatch

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Dec 28, 2013
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Any idea how long that 30 dollar coupon is going to last on the processor. I was planning to buy the parts mid-January, but if the coupon expires soon, I'm thinking I'll at least have to get that one before it does. Thanks for the help, man.
 

FractalDesignCore

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Jul 30, 2013
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When i went on the newegg site it said limited time offer with the coupon code but doesnt say when it will end. Good luck.
 

justwatch

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Dec 28, 2013
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I have gone ahead and just ordered the processor to make sure I don't miss out on that coupon, and I was going to order the case, but it seems it has sold out from where I wanted to buy it from (Amazon, since it the case is much more expensive than it shows up for on PCPart for some reason).

Do you think you could help me out again by finding me a case up to 39.99 that would be appropriate size for this build?
 

justwatch

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Dec 28, 2013
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Would I be right in thinking this case would be adequate too? A little more than I was looking to spend, but it has great reviews, and looks pretty slick.
 

justwatch

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Dec 28, 2013
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I've gone ahead and purchased a few components, but now I've read some other things steering me away from the mobo that build. Seems like a lot of people are having their problems with it.

I was hoping you could direct to another one compatible with the other components that would be around the same price or so.