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What CPU should I get? Gaming, 3D, other

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  • Gaming
  • CPUs
  • 3D
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April 13, 2014 12:49:08 PM

Hey guys, I am building a new system here with a budget of $600-$850. I could bump up that budget, actually a lot, if you think it is worth it. So far I have this:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3r2rE
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3r2rE/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3r2rE/benchmarks/

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($17.69 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI A55M-E33 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($39.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: PNY XLR8 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($116.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: PNY Optima 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($154.65 @ Amazon)
Case: Aerocool Strike-X One ATX Mid Tower Case ($48.47 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $582.73
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-13 15:43 EDT-0400)

I chose that CPU because it is cheap, but what do you guys think I should replace it with? I also need to get a keyboard, monitor, and mouse. I don't care if it isn't compatible, lots of changes will be made to this system. Thanks!

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a b à CPUs
April 13, 2014 12:51:27 PM

Woops, CPU didnt copy. It is an AMD Athlon X4 760K running at 3.8GHz with a 4.2 turbo and 4 cores. It is about $82.
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April 13, 2014 1:09:58 PM

Are you sure you need 16 Gigs of ram? Personally, I would go with 8GB of ram, an i3, and a stock cooler. Otherwise, still go with 8GB of ram, and spend the extra money on either an FX-6300 (keep a 3rd party cooler) or better graphics.

Which games do you play?
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April 13, 2014 5:08:33 PM

Well, with the 3D rendering I will do that will certainly eat up all the RAM I can throw at it. The gaming portion of this build really only needs a good graphics card. Do you think that card will handle games (HAWKEN, Dota 2, PlanetSide 2) at pretty good settings? Someday I will be playing more demanding FPS games (Titanfall, BF4, Bioshock Infinite), but I will probably get another system upgrade by then. I am planning on keeping this system and upgrading as I go along. So, do you think it is worth my money for a FX-6300? Thanks!
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April 13, 2014 8:54:51 PM

Yeah, the card will handle HAWKEN, Dota 2, PlanetSide 2 very well since they are a bit older.

The FX-6300 up to 40% faster for multi-threaded applications, but is the same speed as the 750K for single threaded applications. It costs $110 (a 35% increase over the 750K and that's before considering motherboard pricing). I know BF4 can use the additional cores. From what I can tell, Bioshock infinite and Titanfall aren't as CPU demanding.

As for upgrade path, you don't really have much of one with the Athlon. The FX-6300 can be upgraded if the motherboard supports higher power CPUs. Either way, you'll need a good motherboard if you plan to overclock.
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April 14, 2014 2:39:42 PM

pyro226 said:
Yeah, the card will handle HAWKEN, Dota 2, PlanetSide 2 very well since they are a bit older.

The FX-6300 up to 40% faster for multi-threaded applications, but is the same speed as the 750K for single threaded applications. It costs $110 (a 35% increase over the 750K and that's before considering motherboard pricing). I know BF4 can use the additional cores. From what I can tell, Bioshock infinite and Titanfall aren't as CPU demanding.

As for upgrade path, you don't really have much of one with the Athlon. The FX-6300 can be upgraded if the motherboard supports higher power CPUs. Either way, you'll need a good motherboard if you plan to overclock.


I have made a lot of updates to my build, especially the budget which is now $1-1.2k. The new CPU I picked out is an AMD FX-8350, do you think that is a good choice? Here is the list so far:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3rIXi
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3rIXi/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3rIXi/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($179.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Biostar A960D+ Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($35.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: PNY XLR8 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($116.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 270X 4GB Video Card ($279.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Aerocool Strike-X One ATX Mid Tower Case ($48.47 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $785.39
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-14 17:37 EDT-0400)

I might change my storage later. I also need to leave a little room in my budget, as I still need a monitor(s) and a good keyboard/mouse. Should be easier now :3 Thanks for your help so far!
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a c 82 à CPUs
April 14, 2014 3:22:46 PM

that motherboard will have a horrible time overclocking the 8350 but other than that its well balanced but if you never expect to then its all good
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a b à CPUs
April 14, 2014 3:41:09 PM

will it even be able to take the 8350? biostar doesnt make great motherboards, and i wouldnt trust it with such a power hungry processor in the 8350. also, you have a mid tower case but a micro atx board. you should get a better motherboard, so that you can overclock in the future and have the capability to sli / crossfire, and use more of the expansion slots



EDIT: i just checked, the biostar does take the 8350, but still take in my comments above about using a atx board over a micro atx board
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a b à CPUs
April 14, 2014 3:50:49 PM

jshoop said:
will it even be able to take the 8350? biostar doesnt make great motherboards, and i wouldnt trust it with such a power hungry processor in the 8350. also, you have a mid tower case but a micro atx board. you should get a better motherboard, so that you can overclock in the future and have the capability to sli / crossfire, and use more of the expansion slots



EDIT: i just checked, the biostar does take the 8350, but still take in my comments above about using a atx board over a micro atx board


+1 Biostar makes terrible motherboards. A cheap ASUS board would do the job just fine, and be much better suited for the FX 8350.

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a b à CPUs
April 14, 2014 3:59:01 PM

what kind of monitor are you looking for?

also, your case doesnt have usb 3.0

did you like the look of the case or did you choose it because it was inexpensive?
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April 14, 2014 4:06:58 PM

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3rOig

i would go with something like this. i switched the case to one with onboard usb 3.0 that somewhat looks the same. i picked out an ips 23" monitor, low response time, and 1080p. i dropped the gpu a little bit, its a 270x but with 2gb of vram. you dont need 4 unless you are gonna crossfire them. the budget leaves you abot 100 for a keyboard and mouse. to lessen the price, you can go with the 8320, a less expensive motherboard, a 1tb hard drive, and less ram.
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a b à CPUs
April 14, 2014 4:18:32 PM

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3rOLE

edited that build with my comments from above, leaves you with 150 for peripherals, gives you an ssd and better performance overall. i left the ram at 16gb because you render, and this build will play modern games at high settings.
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a b à CPUs
April 14, 2014 6:40:44 PM

Ya, I will change the mobo for sure now. I was planning on getting a USB expansion to make use of those extra 5.25 external bays, so yes I did choose it because it was cheap. For the monitor, I need something that is pretty stunning to look at. The one I have now is 1600x900 and it is pretty good, but if I could upgrade that would be the best for me :3 My budget is also at 1-1.2k now, so that leaves me a lot more room for peripherals. Thanks for all your help guys!
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a b à CPUs
April 15, 2014 5:54:08 AM

i suggest an ips monitor, those have really good colors. the one in the parts list i suggested above has it in there, its not too expensive, and its rated good
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a c 902 à CPUs
April 15, 2014 6:26:35 AM

I would go with this over an AMD build.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($244.48 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($17.69 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock B85 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($129.99 @ TigerDirect)
Storage: Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 270X 4GB Video Card ($259.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($98.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Monitor: Acer H236HLbid 60Hz 23.0" Monitor ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($32.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1189.06
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-15 09:26 EDT-0400)
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