Beginner PC Build $600 - $700

fuzzylikelegos · Mar 2, 2014

Hi, first off, let me say that I'm brand new to this site and to the PC world in general, so take it easy.

Now then, I am looking to put together a PC, around a $600 - $700 price range. The OS that I would like to use is Windows 7, and I want to do a little (but not a lot) of my gaming on this new PC. I need it to be able to run games like Skyrim, SWTOR, and of course the upcoming Elder Scrolls Online

. I watch a lot of media and DVDs on my computer, so I need an optical drive. Also, I need a new monitor with a max price of around $140 (separate from original budget), and a wireless keyboard and mouse. The keyboard and mouse only have to be decent, nothing too expensive. I need a list of compatible parts, and I'm not sure where to even start looking. Thanks, and I hope I was specific enough with what I'm looking for.

maurelie · Mar 2, 2014

Here is something for your budget

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($113.48 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($74.97 @ OutletPC)
Memory: PNY XLR8 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 270 2GB Video Card ($195.99 @ Staples)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Microcenter)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $695.36
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-02 06:07 EST-0500)

Monitor, Keyboard and Mouse combo

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Monitor: BenQ GW2255 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($118.33 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Logitech Wireless Combo MK260 Wireless Standard Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($35.40 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $153.73
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-02 06:12 EST-0500)

AMD Radeon · Mar 2, 2014

so basically your budget is $840

it is a modification from the build above, with better price/performance parts
including superb LED monitor from ASUS, 24" 1ms
better gaming keyboard+mouse
better mobo, cheaper GPU for not-so-hardcore gaming
better case with windowed windows
better psu

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($113.48 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($94.79 @ Amazon)
Memory: Kingston Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R7 260X 2GB Video Card ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Enermax ECA3253-BW ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Microcenter)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus VX238H-W 23.0" Monitor ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($32.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $835.15
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-02 06:59 EST-0500)

fuzzylikelegos · Mar 2, 2014

Thank you both for the help. Seeing as there is a pretty big difference in the pricing of the 2 video cards, I was wondering if there is also a large difference in the performance of the two? Will they both still run the games I listed about the same, or is there a noticeable difference? Sorry for not knowing, I'm still learning the basics of everything.
Also, with both builds there is a flagged compatibility issue with the mobo. It says:
Some AMD 970 chipset motherboards may need a BIOS update prior to using Vishera CPUs
It sounds like it may just need an update, but I would like to know if this is an issue for my build, and how or should I update it?
Lastly, I was interested in a case, and I was wondering if is ideal for my build. The case is Xion XON-985-BK ATX Mid Tower Case.
Thanks a lot!

maurelie · Mar 3, 2014

R9 270 is faster than R7 260x by about 20-25%, and will run games smoother. About the motherboard chipset problems, it is new thing on pcpartpicker, one or two months ago, if you select motherboard with 970 chipset and fx series CPU, there were no compatibility issues. I don't know why pcpartpicker sees it as problem, since all 970 chipset motherboards form 2013 and 2014 are shipped with the new bios updates. But it is not a big problem it is just a simple update if there is any problem. Just go to motherboard's manufacturers site, choose the motherbard, choose OS, and there will be the newest updates. Also Asus M5A97LE vs Asus M5A97 (non LE) is that the LE version doesn't have on board 3.0 usb, you will have to rout the cable to enable front usb 3.0. Also about the Xion XON-985, it is ok case.

fuzzylikelegos · Mar 3, 2014

Ok, that is quite a difference. Even with the price difference, it sounds like I'm leaning towards the R9 270. And thanks for clearing that up about the motherboard, and the difference between the two. I haven't reached a decision yet about the case, but that is great to know. Thank you very much for your help, I've actually learned a lot of new information!

maurelie · Mar 3, 2014

Another suggestion is if you can use the PSU from AMD Radeons build the XFX 550w, it is $5 more expensive, but it is better then the PSU in my build. Maybe it is not semi modular, but it has better quality and it will be more future proof if you want to buy more powerfull GPU in the future.

Sayken · Mar 3, 2014

if you can stretch it a bit you can get a tier 2a psu lot safer than tier 3 cx and a mainboard capable for overclock:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/33iTB
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/33iTB/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/33iTB/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($113.48 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 EXTREME4 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($84.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($76.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 270 2GB Video Card ($195.99 @ Staples)
Case: Cougar Solution (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: AOC E2260SWDN 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($119.99 @ Staples)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($32.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $884.34
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-03 06:28 EST-0500)

Sayken · Mar 3, 2014

it took me to long to post to see the previous post >_>

fuzzylikelegos · Mar 3, 2014

Thank you for the explanation, maurelie, I will keep that in mind when I come to a conclusion on my build. Thanks for the build suggestion, Sayken. The case looks great, I'm going to look into that one for sure

. Can I ask why you suggest the ASRock 970 rather than the Asus M5A97 motherboard? Also, there doesn't seem to be a big difference between the G. Skill Ares Series and the PNY XLR8 or Kingston Blu memory, the only difference that I can tell is a bit of voltage and pricing. Is the 1.5v from the G. Skill Ares Series significantly different than the Kingston or PNY 1.65v, or is that suggestion just to give me more options in deciding my final decision? Thanks a lot!

Sayken · Mar 3, 2014

mainboard concerning is just another possible option.
i find kingston ram unstable while using xmp in bios. i as well hate their ram and quality problems i have encountered. and they never offered the promised mhz for me. but that may be my bad luck. was as well stuck on 3 threads and took me long to finish the post so I missed other posts x.x
something along the line of more options.
good luck!

fuzzylikelegos · Mar 9, 2014

Hi again. After days of checking out the parts you guys suggested and reviewing hundreds of parts until I was pleased with what I had, I'm pretty happy with what came out. Your suggestions were absolutely fantastic from the start!
]http://pcpartpicker.com/p/36Hmb[
I overshot my initial ideal budget by about $100, but I'd rather be happy with what I get than not. I just had one more question about the gpu, so I may create another thread for it, but you guys have been so helpful so far, I thought why not ask?

Since most of the r9 270 video cards are out of stock, and the ones that aren't are unreasonably priced, I figured that I could get a gpu with better performance for just about the same price. I read nothing but praise for the EVGA GeForce GTX 760, so after looking into other 760s, I couldn't find anything else to beat it's price and good reviews. My question is: is there another, cheaper gpu with just about the same performance as the 760? If you could provide a link to any in stock gpu like this, that would be great. Thanks again!

Sayken · Mar 9, 2014

concerning the gtx 760 price and performance there is simply no rival out there. of course there is r9 270x an tweaked hd 7870 surpassing hd 7950 but which is still weaker by 7 procent in theoretical difference and 4 procent - 14 procent weaker in real performance depending on the game and software used than 760.

http://gpuboss.com/gpus/Radeon-R9-270X-vs-GeForce-GTX-760

http://www.game-debate.com/gpu/index.php?gid=1863&gid2=882&compare=radeon-r9-270x-vs-geforce-gtx-760

now that simply depends on the price in your country. if the r9 270x is a lot cheaper 40$ or even more then get it.
gtx 760 of course is a good gpu worth it.
for multi gpu in future I preffer nvidia but amd crossfire became stable as well so depends on price difference.

fuzzylikelegos · Mar 9, 2014

Sayken :

No, the cheapest r9 270x available now is only $10 cheaper than the 760, and at that point the price difference is pretty insignificant. I was going to try to wait for some to become available, but I'd rather not wait God knows how long just to save 50 bucks. Also, my current PC is failing on me (it's about 10 years old), so the sooner that I can get this started the better. Thanks a lot for all the help, it was invaluable to me. I've learned more about computer hardware, as well as software, it the past few days then I've learned my entire life! I've already got my mouse & keyboard and monitor in, so I'm going to get started on ordering the rest of my build. Again, thanks a ton!

Sayken · Mar 9, 2014

np.
you said 270x was only 10$ cheaper? then not worth it at all.
just go for the gtx 760.
if you have more questions ask them ^^

Sayken · Mar 9, 2014

and the build you made is perfect.
windows 8.1 is 5$ cheaper but that's if you like it ^^
honestly speaking you won't see a difference between 8.1 and 7 home premium versions as long as performance is concerned.
though windows 7 pro is a lot more stable than windows 8.1 pro

fuzzylikelegos · Mar 9, 2014

Sayken :

Yeah, I'm not really a fan, and I'm already starting to grow accustomed to Windows 7, so I figure that's the safest bet. Thanks for the help!
Also, I love your avatar :3

Sayken · Mar 9, 2014

thank you ^^

Beginner PC Build $600 - $700

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