Wisdom needed for first Gaming Rig

cwb50

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May 22, 2014
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!!!Disclaimer: I am a complete beginner at Computer building. I need simplified, 5 year old level talk/advice. Thanks!!!

I have made a few posts about this already, and I am slowly finalizing my first Gaming Rig Build. I have even created a full shopping cart at both New Egg and Amazon to see what happens with prices. However, I still have a few questions and I want to be sure I am doing everything right because as a college student in a 6-year program... This is a large chunk of change to drop. So let me tell you a few expectations and ask a few questions.

Expectations of my rig:
1. Great for gaming at high quality
2. Online ready (wireless/ethernet)
3. Preferred to be under $800 (currently over my "budget")
4. Types of games: Minecraft, Sims 4, Elderscrolls, Valve (half-life, portal), some others

Questions:
1. Where is my rig lacking?
2. Where is my rig TOO good? (a place i can save 50-100 bucks)
3. Will my rig be capable of having multiple monitors (2-3)?
4. When my parts come to me, will it all work together? Are there any flaws/incompatibilities?
5. Are there any concerns I should have with any of the parts/providers?
6. Do I have to do anything special to insure that it can go online?
7. How should I buy it? Can I just use PC Part Picker, click "Buy," and call it a day? Or is that a bad idea? Should I get all the cheapest prices from every website, or choose the one site where I can get the best price for the whole bundle? Is there some efficient strategy to buying all this and saving the most money?


PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mZKtQ7
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mZKtQ7/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($112.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G43 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($72.71 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($75.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 270X 2GB Dual-X Video Card ($188.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($57.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($43.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer V226HQLAbd 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($108.99 @ NCIX US)
Keyboard: Logitech MK120 Wired Slim Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($14.18 @ B&H)
Total: $850.78
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
 

cwb50

Reputable
May 22, 2014
205
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4,680


Were you saying something is wrong with my power supply?

What is the problem with my current CPU exactly? I should add that I know absolutely nothing about building computers so I'm not intending to sound snarky. Can you direct me to the alternate of what I am currently looking at?

You are probably right about the optic drive, the only point of that would be if i intended to watch Blu-rays on my cpu, which I do not. Thanks for pointing that out, that was silly... I knew it was, I just needed someone to tell me.

Is there something in particular wrong with my motherboard, or is it just personal preference?

I have plenty of money for it, my budget could inflate to more than 1000 if need be, I just am trying to be a responsible buyer.
 


You post has many issues.
- He will not have hours of problems. An intel build can be JUST as problematic as an AMD build.
- He does not need an i5. That will take away from his GPU budget, which would be a poor decision. The 6300 and 270x is a GREAT pair.
- The CX PSU is not the best but is not terrible. I would recommend an XFX unit.
- W8.1 is better than 7 is pretty much every way. Many of us mods use it and have ZERO issues. I have never had a single issue with it. It is faster and lighter than 7.
- MSI boards are perfectly fine. In the past they had issues, but their current boards are just as high end as any one else. This board in particular does have issues though and i recommend a different 970 board. Gigabyte makes VERY good ones.
 


Sorry, but this is false. Just plain incorrect. Those parts are designed to work at a certain power level. They will last just as long as Intel rigs. MOST of the older builds still chugging along 5 years later which are still able to play games and hold their own are AMD Phenom 2 x4 builds. Those CPUs are 125w (HOT) and last plenty longer than many other intel CPUs.
 
There is no need for a competition, but I have FIRST SHIPMENT Phenom 2 x4 965BE which has been overclocked to 4.0ghz its whole life. Until 6 months ago it was on the same MSI 890FX board. It all still works perfectly fine. I changed the board because I will be buying an fx8320 here in about 2 weeks. NEVER had a single issue with it. Still runs cool, never blue-screened, never had any issues with the board.
 
Like I said. No need to make this into a contest. This is what I wanted to avoid.

Yes I can give an example of a stock Intel CPU dying. My girlfriend's parents had a Core 2 quad fry. It happens, both with Intel and AMD.

You say "cheap" motherboards, but the board I referenced was anything but cheap. I'm not saying that intel or AMD lasts longer. Just making a point that Just because a CPU uses alot of power, doesn't mean it will not last a long time.

Telling this guy to get an i5 is pointless. He will have to sacrifice so much in the way of GPU power, that gaming quality will greatly suffer.

i5's are great CPUs, but they have their place. Generally with higher end GPUs which can actually use the additional CPU power.

I NEVER meant to say that AMD or intel is better or last longer.

Also, the Pentium 2 and 3 CPUs you list, while having a low TDP wattage, actually use MORE power than any modern CPU. The Pentium 2 333 has a Vcore of 2v. That is .5v or about 25% more than even highly overclocked modern CPUs. These old CPUs were very 'HOT' and used ALOT of power. Also, voltage is what is harder on the motherboard, not wattage. These older CPUs asked MORE of the motherboard's power phases, than modern CPUs do.