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Help with budget gaming build

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  • Gaming
  • Homebuilt
  • Build
  • Motherboards
  • Graphics Cards
  • Systems
Last response: in Systems
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July 7, 2014 12:01:45 AM

Hi, I'm working on my first ever build and I wanted to get some help from the experts to be sure I'm making good decisions. Here's my build so far:

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

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($119.97 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81M-HD3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($59.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($41.40 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R7 260X 2GB Video Card ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $463.28
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

I currently only have a laptop, so I'm also going to be getting a monitor, keyboard & mouse, and a copy of Windows 7, but I figured I didn't need to add those to the pricing since that all will be the same cost regardless of how the rest of the build comes out.

I don't currently play many games because up until now I've been very limited as to what I can play on my laptop. Games that will get a lot of play include Minecraft, Don't Starve, other Steam games, and maybe a little WoW. Beyond that I don't really have a specific goal for games I would like to play. I want to be able to have the freedom to play a variety of games at medium settings, but I don't need cutting edge graphics or anything like that.

For the graphics card, I considered going with the R7 240 to save another $40, but I don't think it's quite going to cut it. I could be wrong though, so if you all think I can get by with the cheaper card please let me know.

I also considered going with the i5-4690, but I don't think it's necessary for my needs and it adds quite a bit to the price tag, but I'm willing to take suggestions.

I just want to make sure this all looks acceptable, and that there aren't any compatibility or quality issues. Thanks for the help.

More about : budget gaming build

July 7, 2014 12:12:58 AM

Within this price range I'd probably go for AMD FX-6300 which i reckon would boost a little gaming performance but still its fair setup.
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July 7, 2014 12:24:52 AM

Ra_V_en said:
Within this price range I'd probably go for AMD FX-6300 which i reckon would boost a little gaming performance but still its fair setup.



I think I would like to stick with Intel, but I'll take a look at that one, thanks.
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July 7, 2014 12:31:25 AM

Fringe88 said:
Ra_V_en said:
Within this price range I'd probably go for AMD FX-6300 which i reckon would boost a little gaming performance but still its fair setup.



I think I would like to stick with Intel, but I'll take a look at that one, thanks.


No need to go with amd. I prefer Intel.
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The main reason is that you've got a LGA 1150 mobo. Now If in future you notice your performance going down, you will be able to buy a i7 4790k devil's canyon unlocked on cheap price(as the prices gradually reduce after a new launch) So you can overclock it too get your ultimate needs. Or you can also go for i5 4690k for lower budget!
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July 7, 2014 12:46:00 AM

I almost forgot to mention that I will be running dual monitors eventually, although not right away. Will that impact anything I've picked?
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July 7, 2014 12:49:44 AM

I know ur on budget but i would go with 2x4gb bcs its much better than 2x2gb
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July 7, 2014 12:56:49 AM

If u want to have 2 monitors and game on them u will need to trow one more 260x. And if u trow one more 260x in your system u will need a stronger psu. (I would not use 2monitors bcs i think its just trowing away money. But that is just how i see using 2monitors, u dont need to listen to me)
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July 7, 2014 1:01:19 AM

The second monitor would be for more basic stuff, like jumping online quick to look something up for a game or watching a YouTube clip or stuff like that, without having to minimize my game on the main monitor.
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July 7, 2014 1:04:04 AM

Aha than everything is good just change the RAM to 8gb
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a b 4 Gaming
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July 7, 2014 2:11:26 AM

Fringe88 said:
For the graphics card, I considered going with the R7 240 to save another $40, but I don't think it's quite going to cut it. I could be wrong though, so if you all think I can get by with the cheaper card please let me know.


You could cheap out on the CPU a little if you wanted to save $30

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646g3440
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a b 4 Gaming
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July 7, 2014 5:20:46 AM

Fringe88 said:
The second monitor would be for more basic stuff, like jumping online quick to look something up for a game or watching a YouTube clip or stuff like that, without having to minimize my game on the main monitor.


With R7 260x If you want to use the other monitor while gaming. That will need simultaneous graphics processing. Because while you are gaming, you are still getting output for the secondary monitor. So your game's fps will drop eventually. So even 2 GB GPU can can run both monitors. But there will be fps loss while gaming.
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