My first gaming build in over a decade and looking for advice.

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Animatrix4

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Jun 16, 2014
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So, like my title said, I haven't built a system in a very long time and I'm looking for advice on this budget build I was making for myself. Since I haven't posted before, I figured following the posting guidelines a great idea.

Approximate Purchase Date: Within the next 3 days

Budget Range: $600-750 After Rebates & Shipping

System Usage: Gaming @1080p on a single monitor, movie watching, general word processing

Are you buying a monitor: No

Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: places I can buy from in the US

Location: Los Angeles, California, USA

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: I've got a large Steam backlog I'd love to play (Skyrim, Tomb Raider, Darksiders 2, Bioshock: Infinite, and Dishonored especially)

Here's what I've pieced together after looking through a ton of guides and recommended builds. As you can see, I've stayed at the lower end of $600.00. Any ideas or suggestions?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($114.49 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 V2 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($55.99 @ Mwave)
Memory: Kingston Fury Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: PNY XLR8 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.50 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 270 2GB Dual-X Video Card ($152.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($48.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $608.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-16 21:26 EDT-0400
 
Solution
O
You can save a little and use a 450 - 500 watt psu [ but then again that price might be hard to beat ]

The CAS latency on that RAM is high . Look for RAM with timings of 9-9-9-24 or lower .

Also consider building with an AMD FX 6300 and an Asrock 970 Pro 3 motherboard . Price is similar but you will be better off in most gaming scenarios , but especially online games
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Outlander_04

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Nov 18, 2008
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You can save a little and use a 450 - 500 watt psu [ but then again that price might be hard to beat ]

The CAS latency on that RAM is high . Look for RAM with timings of 9-9-9-24 or lower .

Also consider building with an AMD FX 6300 and an Asrock 970 Pro 3 motherboard . Price is similar but you will be better off in most gaming scenarios , but especially online games
 
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reesemonster

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Jun 14, 2014
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Your build def needs a better CPU, an i3 can manage the games, but it'll be a lot more future proof with a better one. Perhaps shave off a few bucks from the CD drive by using an old one?
 
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Animatrix4

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Jun 16, 2014
22
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4,510
@ Outlander_04: Got it. Did some research and now I know what those timings mean. I think I've found something better in this:
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg). It's 9-9-9-24 2N, but I have no idea what the 2N at the end stands for though.

After looking around a bit, I saw that there's no upgrade path from the AMD FX6300. Something about the architecture being at the end of its life. Is there a large performance difference for the AMD?

@reesemonster: Sadly, I've got no drives to plunder. Recycled my older systems because they were taking up space and very, very old. With the board I have, I could go with the i-4590 that was recommended this month as the next step up. I honestly cannot tell the difference with all the models inbetween.

Taking what you both said into account, as well as other forum topics I've read on AMDs vs Intels how would this system look? And should I add A CPU cooler?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($143.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Pro3 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($68.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: PNY XLR8 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.50 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 270 2GB Dual-X Video Card ($152.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($27.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $620.41
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-17 00:25 EDT-0400
 
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