First time builder. advice needed.

Wfs0801

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Hello,

I'm extremely new when it comes to computers when it comes to how they work, and their components. I've been thinking about buying a new computer to accommodate the few games I currently play (Minecraft, RS, LoL) as well as be powerful enough to run newer games from Steam, should I choose to go down that route. My new PC will also be used for College, which I start in the coming months, as well as video editing/uploading.

That being said, I've been doing some research and have come to the conclusion that it's cheaper to build a PC than buy one. The only problem is that until this morning I didn't even know that power supply made a difference, that's just how uneducated I am in this aspect. After reading a bit, I found a (seemingly) good build on a $600 budget. This is kind of perfect for me as it would leave room to still buy 2 matching monitors in my budget.

The build is the $600 build in this article:
http://lifehacker.com/5840963/the-be...r-600-and-1200

Is this indeed a good build for the possibility of gaming, along with schoolwork and video streaming/editing/uploading? If not, help along the road would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
 
Solution
CPU:
minecraft as a game runs on a single core. Intel has stronger cores, while AMD offers more cores. The extra cores help a lot with editing, and streaming. the Intel cores are generally better for gaming. That 600 build in the article is pretty good, the FX 6300 would be better for most games, but minecraft specifically will run better on a core i3, or possibly an i5 4440 or something

MEMORY:
8 GB ram, 2 x 4 GB 1600 Mhz/ Cas 9 min. 1.5 v standard.

Storage:
a small 60GB Solid State Drive for the Operating System and important apps and a regular 7200 rpm drive for mass storage

PSU:
500W generally (you will need more for the GPU if anything, so this depends on that) of Seasonic, Antec, XFX, Silverstone are all good brands. do NOT...
CPU:
minecraft as a game runs on a single core. Intel has stronger cores, while AMD offers more cores. The extra cores help a lot with editing, and streaming. the Intel cores are generally better for gaming. That 600 build in the article is pretty good, the FX 6300 would be better for most games, but minecraft specifically will run better on a core i3, or possibly an i5 4440 or something

MEMORY:
8 GB ram, 2 x 4 GB 1600 Mhz/ Cas 9 min. 1.5 v standard.

Storage:
a small 60GB Solid State Drive for the Operating System and important apps and a regular 7200 rpm drive for mass storage

PSU:
500W generally (you will need more for the GPU if anything, so this depends on that) of Seasonic, Antec, XFX, Silverstone are all good brands. do NOT cheap out on the PSU.

Motherboard will depend on the features you need mostly. a good 80$ board with socket of your CPU choice will likely do. ASUS and MSI and Gigabyte are my favorite brands. ASUS would be my vote.

GPU
This is most important for gaming. a 750ti or r9 260x would be the absolute lowest i could recommend. You should look into a gtx760 or a gtx770 for ideal gaming.
 
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Wfs0801

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Thanks for the reply.

I looked into that gtx760 and it looks to be about the same price as the one they listed, which is good because it'll stick to my budget.

If I switch out parts is there anyway to be sure that they will be compatible?

One question I forgot to ask, I know PCs have sound cards, but the build never even mentions the word sound. Am I missing something here?
 

Wfs0801

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Also, with this PC being geared more towards gaming at the moment, I have to be sure that it can also hold the load of my schoolwork. Meaning, would it be able to handle having several Word, Excel, and Internet tabs open, running, and working at the same time?
 
all new motherbords have high def audio with 5, 7, or sometimes 8 channels, so you wont need a sound card. (if you have 500$ headphones, you may need a soundcard). The Graphics cards are generally all compatible in standard motherboard that support PCIe 16x, which will be any new motherboard you get. ( granted the power supply is enough).
 

RazerZ

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I can post an updated build if you want, as builds on websites sometimes aren't that great and get dated fast. Just tell me if you need an OS or not.
 

Wfs0801

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I can post an updated build if you want, as builds on websites sometimes aren't that great and get dated fast. Just tell me if you need an OS or not.[/quotemsg]

I was thinking I'm going to get Windows 8, or downgrade back to Windows 7 (Which is what I have now, and I love it). But I'm not really concerned with that being part of the rough $600 budget. The budget is more geared towards the hardware itself.
 

Wfs0801

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Oh ok I see, so basically the motherboard will already have a plugin for my speakers?
 

yrock3000

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You can use pcpartpicker.com to check the compatibility of parts for your Computer Build. I'm not too computer literate myself, but I do know a little more than the average bear when it comes to computers. For one, a small ssd (30-64GB) would be useful to have the PC turn on quickly and open up your vital software's (Microsoft Word, Excel, etc..), but it is not 100% necessary. Two, a 1-2 TB hard drive is necessary if you want to store videos, lots of documents, gaming softwares, and more in your PC. Third, I would highly suggest that you buy a Nvidia card over an AMD card if you plan on editing with Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, or any other Adobe products for video (and also SpeedGrade). Also, if you plan on using the Blender software, you really want an Nvidia card, as Cuda Cores are needed for Cycles render. If you're using Pinnacle Studio 14 or something like that, the GPU is not to much of a factor to pay attention to.

I also noticed that you said something about getting two monitors. I would definitely not suggest you get that for a 600$ computer. If you decide to go with just one monitor, you'll have just that much more money to invest in your PC, which is a bigger advantage compared to a separate monitor. Just saying.

As I stated before, I am not a computer expert, so I may have said something that is not even remotely true in my post. Please, Computer Gurus, correct me if I have said anything that's wrong.
 

Wfs0801

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Thanks for the site to check parts compatibility.

Is the smaller hard drive really worth it just for saving the startup and os on it? If so, will a smaller hard drive and the 1tb hard drive in the build both fit?

As far as the videos, I will mostly be using Sony Vegas and/or Camtasia to do a lot of the recording and editing.

With the monitor thing, It's kind of a necessity to have 2. I work with 2 in my career, and for the work at home I typically need the extra space that 2 will offer. I won't necessarily be purchasing the 2 new monitors immediately with the PC, but I will be working up towards them in the weeks after. Currently I have 2 monitors that, despite being different sizes and resolutions, fit my bill of daily tasks. They just wouldn't be good for gaming and it's honestly kind of annoying with the different resolutions. At the moment, just because I thought it'd be cool, I'm using my T.V. as a single monitor. With a 60" 'monitor' you don't really have to worry about space as much, but it's not going to be permanent.

Thanks for all the suggestions and help guys, I'll be back in the morning to check up on this.
 

Wfs0801

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Alright, thanks a lot. I'm reading through some other 'budget' builds and writing down parts that others are suggesting. I'm learning, slowly :p

If I decide to try my own build, of course I'll post it here for reviews first. I'm hoping to order the parts within the next week or 2.
 

yrock3000

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So, if you're using Sony Vegas Movie Studio, the gpu is not too much of a matter to worry about. But still, I would suggest at least an Nvidia GTX 750 ti in the case you ever want to grow in video editing or whatever really.

As for the Hard Drive issue, if you don't want an ssd, then just get a single 1TB hard drive. You might even want to get a Hybrid Hard Drive since they're cheap and can at least open up your os faster than a regular hard drive. But I'd still suggest getting the 64gb ssd. If you save your most essential programs on it, they'll open much quicker than a hard drive could open them. It's definitely worth in the long run.

And by the way, what is your goal career if I may ask? Knowing that will help the real Computer Pro's come up with a build that will be optimized for your needs. Also, I would suggest ou go to logicalincrements.com to check out some builds around your price range and even more expensive builds for the hell of looking (and procrastination).

Again, I'm not a computer expert, so anything I may have said may just have been completely wrong. Please correct if I have said anything untrue.
 

Wfs0801

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I wasn't aware that saving the essentials on a small ssd would help them open faster, but it does make sense. I think I'll go ahead and get one, an extra $60 won't break my bank, and I could use it for just the OS and my schoolwork so it's still a win-win situation.

I'll definitely check out that site, even just to kill some time in my free time.

Professionally, I will be going to school for Business Administration. Currently, I make videos to post online (mostly for fun), as well as run an active eBay sellers account, and I run multiple Twitter based scripts in the background. Add into that the career work that I bring home and the schoolwork soon to be brought home, you can see why I'm trying to get the best out of this build.

This is why I need to make sure my build is not only good for gaming on the weekends, but will be able to handle the stress of multiple schoolwork documents and/or scripts running and being worked on at the same time.

I'm pretty uneducated on how PCs function, but I have to assume that a PC that can run high level games on medium-high settings can handle the load of a few Word documents and some simple Twitter scripts. But I could easily be wrong, which is why I'm here.

Still looking forward to what suggestions you guys may have, I will be using the next week or so to learn about what parts I need and picking out my build, and then I will post the final build for one last review before I order everything.
 

RazerZ

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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Extreme3 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($58.00 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($61.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Zalman Z5 ATX Mid Tower Case ($33.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $603.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-08 09:37 EDT-0400)

This is probably the best you can get for the money.
 

Wfs0801

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Awesome, thanks. Is the cooler really necessary? I'm only asking because every other build I see in this price range doesn't have one.

Am I right to assume that these 'gaming' built PCs are going to be just as good for everyday use? And how am I to be sure my PC will be future proof? I'd rather upgrade over the next few years than to have to buy an entire new system in a couple years.

I am entertaining the thought of raising my budget to $800 or so. Simply because if you think about it, it's not a bad investment. Considering a new Xbox One or Playstation 4 is $500 or $450 respectively, plus with a PC you add in the everyday use and convenience. If I was to buy a new console, and a new OEM PC, I'd probably be out of pocket for around $1,000 just for startup. I'm just spit-balling here with this thought, but I may up the budget.

If Logicalincrements is a reputable site (and it does seem to have it's ducks in a row) and their builds really perform the way they describe, then I may use their build and yours as a template and see where I can get.

I'd like to keep getting help and suggestions and speaking with you more knowledgeable folk over the next week while I decide on what I am to do.

Thanks again for your time and effort in helping me with my decision, it's greatly appreciated.
 


you cant easily overclock on an Asrock extreme..i would HIGHLY recommend an ASUS M5A97 R2.0 the best 970 motherboard, and can handle an actual overclock (i assume the point of the hyper 212).
 


then you can ditch the hyper 212 evo cooler and save 30$. on the other hand it will be more quiet than the stock cooler though
 

Wfs0801

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PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3oiID
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3oiID/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3oiID/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD FX-6350 3.9GHz 6-Core Processor ($128.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($89.79 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($229.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Rosewill R5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($58.00 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($76.30 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $733.03
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-08 14:16 EDT-0400)

This is what I came up with on an '$800' budget, using logical increments buying guide, along with the one posted by RazerZ. I would like to add in a small (maybe 64gb, you tell me how much I'll need) ssd for the startup and essentials. If you have a suggestion on size, and brand/model, that would be great.

Does this look good? I'd still have to purchase an OS (Windows 7 is $100 on newegg), but I'm more worried about the hardware at the moment.

Let me know what you think, I think this build would suit my needs. Considering I don't necessarily play the most demanding games (Ghosts, BF$, etc.) but would like to leave it open as an option on lower settings if I should choose to.
 

RazerZ

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Wouldn't go for that build because of overpriced components. The only thing I would do is change the graphics card in my build to a 760 if you want to and upgrade to a FX 8320.
 

Wfs0801

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the FX 8320 I could not find, that is a motherboard, correct?

"Some AMD 970 chipset motherboards may need a BIOS update prior to using Vishera CPUs." -- This was copied from the 'potential issues/ incompatibles' warning. What does this mean?

EDIT: Never mind, I found the FX 8320, I'm an idiot lol
 

Wfs0801

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Tell me, is the 8 core processor actually necessary? I don't really know what the cores do, but after a quick google search most people (mostly from threads on this site) state that more cores are only needed for video editing, as most games and other programs only use 4 at the moment.

The FX-6300 is recommended on basically every budget build I've seen so far so it seems to be a highly valued piece, is the 2 extra cores really worth the extra $40 or so? I will be doing some video editing, but it won't exactly be any high grade- high class stuff. Just simple gaming footage mostly.