Need help planning a budget build

Pringles1515 · Jan 24, 2014

So for a very long time I have been wanting to build myself a computer, primarily for gaming, but I may be doing a little bit of editing. I know a thing or two about computer parts and stuff, but I don't feel like I'm getting the best deal I can.

Now my budget is around $500-$600. I don't really want to go over $600 because I'm not going to be playing very graphic intensive games. I have an idea of what components I want to put into it but I don't know if they're are any better ones out there.

CPU: AMD 760K Richland 3.8GHz Socket FM2 100W Quad-Core
GPU: MSI R7 260X 2GD5 OC Radeon R7 260X 2GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0
Motherboard: MSI A78M-E35 FM2+ / FM2 AMD A78 (Bolton D3) HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX AMD
RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB Single
HDD: 1TB Western Digital Caviar Blue
PSU: 430W Corsair CX430
Case: Rosewill LINE-M Micro-ATX Mini

Rammy · Jan 24, 2014

You can definitely do better for your money. FM2 can seem like a great option given how cheap the CPUs can be, but often an AM3+ build can turn out not much more expensive, and quite a bit better in performance.

You can just about squeeze in an FX6300 and an R9 270X if you tweak the PSU and case costs, but that's about the minimum I'd recommend spending. Both the CPU and GPU are significantly better than the ones you picked, so you'll get quite a lot more performance in games.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($114.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport XT 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.67 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 270 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($42.98 @ Best Buy)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $587.59
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-24 19:15 EST-0500)

If you wanted to get the cost nearer to $500, you could downgrade the graphics card and cut back in a couple of areas. It'd just about be doable.

Pringles1515 · Jan 25, 2014

Rammy :

You can definitely do better for your money. FM2 can seem like a great option given how cheap the CPUs can be, but often an AM3+ build can turn out not much more expensive, and quite a bit better in performance.

You can just about squeeze in an FX6300 and an R9 270X if you tweak the PSU and case costs, but that's about the minimum I'd recommend spending. Both the CPU and GPU are significantly better than the ones you picked, so you'll get quite a lot more performance in games.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($114.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport XT 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.67 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 270 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($42.98 @ Best Buy)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $587.59
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-24 19:15 EST-0500)

If you wanted to get the cost nearer to $500, you could downgrade the graphics card and cut back in a couple of areas. It'd just about be doable.

What other GPU's would you recommend if I wanted to get a little closer to $500?

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Need help planning a budget build

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