First Gaming Budget Build...$900 to $1200

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Rickey B

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Jan 12, 2014
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Morning everyone, I'm quite new to building a gaming PC and searched and did research on various computer parts for the best PC build within my budget. The less money I spend is most likely better. Gaming wise, I will be playing Skyrim, Deus Ex Human Revolution, Batman Arkham Series, Assassins Creed Series and other AAA and AA games. Well here is what I put together, any thoughts would be helpful. :) Note: All parts from newegg due to I want to purchase from one source. I don't plan on overclocking my CPU or GPU.



]AMD FX-6300 Vishera 3.5GHz (4.1GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 95W Six-Core Desktop Processor FD6300WMHKBOX(119.99)

ASUS M5A97 R2.0 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI
BIOS(99.99 currently 94.99 on Newegg)

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL(84.99)

GIGABYTE GV-N760OC-2GD REV2.0 GeForce GTX 760 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP Ready WindForce 3X 450W Video Card(259.99)

Western Digital WD10EZEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive, Blue - OEM(69.99 currently 59.99 on Newegg)

CORSAIR CX series CX600 600W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply(79.99 currently 69.99 on Newegg)

ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM(19.99)

NETGEAR WNA1100-100ENS USB 2.0 Wireless-N Adapter(48.00 currently 34.30 on Newegg)

Cooler Master HAF 912 - High Air Flow Mid Tower Computer Case(69.99)

Logitech MK120 Black USB Wired Slim Desktop(24.99)

Asus VE228H 21.5" Full HD HDMI LED BackLight LCD Monitor w/Speakers(189.99 currently 135.99 on Newegg)

Total 991.25 with sale and shipping. 1088.95 with regular price and shipping
Also, which OS will work best with the ASUS M5A97 R2.0 AM3+, spec wise it states Wins 8 ready
and wondering if Wins 7 will suffice. If I'm missing any parts please let me know.
 
Solution
MDXX


No clue about the power supply. I just stick with Corsair, since their well known.

And i have that same case you want it has my 760 in it also. Plentyyy of room. Its way bigger than you probably think. And the case keeps really cool also.
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Onus

Onus

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Jan 27, 2006
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Since you're not interested in overclocking, you may wish to consider an Intel build; you really need to overclock an AMD FX CPU to get the most from it. Otherwise, even a hyperthreaded i3 will provide better performance.
I would suggest a better PSU than the Corsair CX. Unlike better units, the Corsair CX includes some inferior capacitors that don't like heat. I'd look for a Seasonic-built unit (their own, XFX, some Antec) or a Superflower-built Rosewill Capstone.
I'd also get a PCIe wireless card (if you'll be using wireless rather than your board's wired connection). They are notably better than USB adapters, if only on the strength of better antennas. I have a TP-Link TL-WDN3800: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704162 and was impressed by it.
Cases are a strong personal preference item, but check some of the Rosewill cases in that price range. They typically come with more fans. In my own experiences with a half-dozen models from each company, the Rosewills had better fit and more attention to little details, although some of the CM were a little more sturdy.
I like my Gigabyte HD7970 with the WF3 cooler; if I were going to buy another powerful card (like the GTX760) I'd likely get another Gigabyte because of the cooler.
If you stick with AMD, you'll likely want to overclock it eventually, so you'll want an aftermarket cooler. I use and recommend the Xigmatek Gaia over the more often parroted Hyper212 EVO. I seem to be missing my review links on this PC, but the Gaia is a little better, and a little cheaper. It isn't that the EVO is bad, but it's a bang/buck Loser. NZXT has a similar 120mm tower cooler that is even cheaper, and likely offers similar performance.
 
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Onus

Onus

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Jan 27, 2006
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Newegg often comes up with deals on a day-by-day basis. For example, I picked up an 80+ Gold 650W Seasonic recently for $89. Keep an eye out for similar deals when you're ready to buy. I've seen some of the Antec HCG models discounted (they're Seasonic), and a few others as well.
I personally would buy Windows 7, but that's just me. If you do get 8, make sure it is 8.1.
 
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R

Rickey B

Honorable
Jan 12, 2014
14
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10,510
Alright, thank you. It seems my build needs some revisions and another second or third look. I'll update with a new build in some time. Thank you again for your help. Also, one more question how many pins will be needed to power the 760 and if I keep the Amd fx 6300 will it bottleneck from what I heard the 760 with or without overclocking? If it does is there any Card that you suggest that would not bottleneck.

My budget for the card is maxed at $260 or $265. I was looking at the 660 but not sure how well it will perform on an FX 6300 and what settings would I expect. Overall, which is more future proof between the 660 and 760 for the next 2 to 4 years?




 
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R

Rickey B

Honorable
Jan 12, 2014
14
0
10,510
Alright, after some looking I did another build. The build is similar but I choose a different GPU, PSU, Wi-fi adapter, and Case. Just want to know if it is better than my first build and if it is compatible as a whole.

AMD FX-6300 Vishera 3.5GHz (4.1GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 95W Six-Core Desktop Processor FD6300WMHKBOX(119.99)

ASUS M5A97 R2.0 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI
BIOS(99.99 currently 94.99 on Newegg)

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL(84.99)

ASUS R9270X-DC2T-2GD5 Radeon R9 270X 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 CrossFireX Support Video Card(259.99 currently 249.99 on Newegg)
Note: Budget max at 260 or 265.

Western Digital WD10EZEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive, Blue - OEM(69.99 currently 59.99 on Newegg)

Cooler Master Extreme Power Plus - 600W Power Supply(69.99 currently 59.99 on Newegg) Note: Budget might allow for higher price

ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM(19.99)

TP-LINK TL-WDN3800 Dual Band Wireless N600 PCI Express Adapter, 2.4GHz 300Mbps/5GHz 300Mbps, IEEE 802.1a/b/g/n, WEP/WPA/WPA2(54.99 currently 33.99 on Newegg)

Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, comes with Three Fans-1x Front Blue LED 120mm Fan, 1x Top 140mm ...(59.99 currently 49.99)

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM(99.99)

Logitech MK120 Black USB Wired Slim Desktop(24.99 currently 19.99 on Newegg)

Asus VE228H 21.5" Full HD HDMI LED BackLight LCD Monitor w/Speakers(189.99 currently 135.99 on Newegg)

Total: 1029.88
With Shipping 1050.50 with current sale

Without with shipping $1105.51

Any suggestions to make it better is welcomed and is this a good build for my $900 to $1200 budget.
 
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MDXX

MDXX

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Jan 17, 2011
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Im not saying dont listen to Onus, but him saying amd wont be any good since your not overclock is a crock of you know what.

Im running a 6300 and a 760 and getting great performance.
 
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Rickey B

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Jan 12, 2014
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Yes, I decided to stick it out with the fx 6300. Between the two builds, I'm not sure which is better the r9 270x or the 760. The second build I did seems nice, just need to know if it will be compatible and if its better than the first build. :)
 
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MDXX

MDXX

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Jan 17, 2011
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The 760 is better. And personally i feel nVidias drivers are better than AMD
 
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Rickey B

Honorable
Jan 12, 2014
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10,510
Ok, good thing the 760 cost the same as the r9 270x at regular price. Ill make the switch, thanks for the suggestion. Also, is the cool master extreme 600w a good PSU for the 760 and the Rosewill a good case for the total second build system, once I get the 760 in place for the r9 270x?

Just want to know if everything is compatible before I settle on the build.
 
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MDXX

MDXX

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Jan 17, 2011
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No clue about the power supply. I just stick with Corsair, since their well known.

And i have that same case you want it has my 760 in it also. Plentyyy of room. Its way bigger than you probably think. And the case keeps really cool also.
 
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MDXX

MDXX

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Jan 17, 2011
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Yes thats what i thought when i built mine. And dont forget you can always upgrade down the line!

Here in a few months im going to upgrade my 6300 to a 8320 as i plan on getting a gtx770. Best of luck! Post picks in the member gallery at the top of this forum when you build it ^_^
 
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Onus

Onus

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Jan 27, 2006
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I did not say that the FX-6300 would be no good; not at all. What I said, and benchmark reviews bear this out, is that at stock, it is generally outperformed by the hyperthreaded i3.
Here's an interesting case where an IB i3 has a higher minimum frame rate, but a lower average. Remember that a Haswell i3 will be a little faster: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/call-of-duty-ghosts-pc-performance,3683-10.html . This one doesn't list the FX-6300, but it is also likely very close to the i3. I probably should have mentioned that with this matching performance, the i3 runs cooler and uses less power.
Hmmm, I just went over some more benchmarks myself. For NON-gaming, it looks like the FX is decidedly superior. There are some charts in this thread: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/352610-28-3220-6300 that show them trading. There appear to be reasons for going with either one. My own preference would be for the i3 for the upgrade path and less power used. I probably wouldn't see a big difference in my games.
While not the greatest choice, I would take a Corsair PSU hands down over any CM budget PSU; competent technical reviews have consistently found the latter to be only a notch or two above junk, with missing protection circuits and considerably overrating.
 
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