Complete NOOB building boyfriend gaming rig for gift, and I need HELP !!!

cenochs · Jul 17, 2014

I have spent hours researching, comparing, and tearing my hair out trying to build a nice, efficient BUDGET rig that will hold up to my boyfriends expectations in gaming. So far this is what my build will be---
CPU AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core $144.98
Motherboard Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0 ATX AM3+ $127.98
Memory Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 $79.99
Storage Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM $49.99
Video Card MSI Radeon R9 270X 2GB TWIN FROZR $184.98
Power Supply XFX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V $104.98
Optical Drive Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer $14.99
Operating System Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) $89.98
Case- AZZA solano 1000 blue (but I will be switching out the blue led fans with green ^_^) $114
I don't know if I can cut cost anywhere, or if the power supply will work well with this case.
Also, I need to figure out what monitor that is 120hz and that I can afford. ... I'm a little lost. Any and all feedback will be MUCH appreciated!!!
Oh and I have about 3 weeks to do all of this !!!!

byza · Jul 17, 2014

Do you have this in a partspicker list?

cenochs · Jul 17, 2014

byza :

Yep!
My friend gave me the website and I went from there.

USAFRet · Jul 17, 2014

My suggestion - Gather your money, print up a fancy gift card:
"Here honey, here's $1,000 let's build you a PC!"

If the BF is into gaming, there may well be specific parts that he is partial to. We here could spec out a great PC, but if something is 'not quite right'....it is not quite right.
'Here's the money, lets build it together!'

Some things you can buy and surprise with. A ring, a dinner, a new shirt...
A custom PC...maybe not so much.

byza · Jul 17, 2014

Sorry, I meant can you post the partspicker list, but i've already compiled it so it doesn't matter.
So far i've changed the PSU to a cheaper option and you could get cheaper again if it's not going to be used for overclocking. I've also added faster RAM for the same price and a CPU cooler for overclocking. You could also change to case to something cheaper to save some money, but if you like to look of it, there's not much you can do. Just note that it is a very large case.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($144.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($127.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.70 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270X 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($184.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Azza Solano 1000R ATX Full Tower Case ($94.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $717.60
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

ssddx · Jul 17, 2014

he likely meant for you to provide the link... to save us clicking on every single part and adding it again. its simpler if we can click it then edit it and repost it.

--

doesnt look bad but a few comments:

-you dont need a 990fx chipset motherboard. while its definitely a great board with lots of options and overclocking support you could make do with a 970 chipset motherboard to save money and put that towards a better gpu

-you dont need a 750w psu. for about $70 you can get a seasonic or xfx or antec hcg 650w power supply and use the other money towards a better gpu

-you could save a bit of money (perhaps $5) on ram.

with the money saved you could upgrade to a 280x for better performance ($260 instead of $180 gpu) or just pocket the money to use towards a monitor.

i'm not sure that a 120hz panel is really ideal for a 270x... unless he would be okay with dropping down graphic settings or if he plays older games. even playing on *high* graphics instead of ultra in bf4 you will only be getting about 55-66fps average on a 270x http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2013/11/27/battlefield-4-performance-analysis/3 but on medium about 81-92 which could start seeing benefits from a 120hz screen. your choice of course...

cenochs · Jul 17, 2014

ssddx :

he likely meant for you to provide the link... to save us clicking on every single part and adding it again. its simpler if we can click it then edit it and repost it.

--

doesnt look bad but a few comments:

-you dont need a 990fx chipset motherboard. while its definitely a great board with lots of options and overclocking support you could make do with a 970 chipset motherboard to save money and put that towards a better gpu

-you dont need a 750w psu. for about $70 you can get a seasonic or xfx or antec hcg 650w power supply and use the other money towards a better gpu

-you could save a bit of money (perhaps $5) on ram.

with the money saved you could upgrade to a 280x for better performance ($260 instead of $180 gpu) or just pocket the money to use towards a monitor.

It's been two years of living together, that stuff has been done countless times. Why not get him something he can enjoy for a long time? We've been sharing my crappy laptop forever, and this is the only thing I know he will absolutely appreciate. He is very indecisive, clueless about computer parts, and impatient. I wouldn't be doing him a favor by telling him we'll build it together. He has no specific parts in mind ( I had a friend talk to him about one of his rigs). He just wants something that will be a great computer in the long run, and I wanted to give him that. He would tell me I'm stupid for spending 1000 on it.
The case specs state that the wiring for power supply is not very big so I dont know if that matters when picking one. I could definitely downgrade on that if its not a big deal. Do I need a CPU cooler if it already has 5 fans?
I'm going to stick with the 270x because its a happy median.
What would you suggest for memory/cpu/processor?
And a good budget monitor?

cenochs · Jul 17, 2014

Sorry about that, I'm new to this site as well.

byza · Jul 17, 2014

The CPU cooler attaches directly to the CPU. The CPU you buy will come with a stock one, but aftermarket coolers are quieter and more efficient, but really only necessary if you are going to overclock the PC. Considering the lack of knowledge, and his impatience, he probably won't overclock, so a stock cooler should be fine.

byza · Jul 17, 2014

The best thing to do is tell us your budget for the build and any extra parts you need (monitor, mouse etc), then we can try to tell you which parts are best suited.

cenochs · Jul 17, 2014

byza :

Overclock? Please explain...

USAFRet · Jul 17, 2014

cenochs :

For some combination of CPU and motherboard, you can increase the ' advertised speed' of the CPU. A 3.4Ghz might be able to increase to 4.2Ghz.
But at an increase of heat. And that heat needs to be removed with a better cooler.

If the user isn't all that PC cognizant, nothing to really worry about.

cenochs · Jul 17, 2014

byza :

I need everything listed in the list I made along with 2 x 230mm green led fans, 2 x 140mm green led fans, monitor, mouse, keyboard.
Budget was originally 700, and then I discovered I have expensive taste lol.
So let's say...750-850 including everything.
If it's possible

cenochs · Jul 17, 2014

USAFRet :

cenochs :

For some combination of CPU and motherboard, you can increase the ' advertised speed' of the CPU. A 3.4Ghz might be able to increase to 4.2Ghz.
But at an increase of heat. And that heat needs to be removed with a better cooler.

If the user isn't all that PC cognizant, nothing to really worry about.

OHHHH. Yeah, I don't think I should worry about that. Good to know though!

cenochs · Jul 17, 2014

Also, the case in the pc list isnt the right one.
This is the correct one; http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=11-517-004

Thank you so much everyone for all your info!

byza · Jul 18, 2014

In this build to keep the CPU and GPU, but I had to go to a cheaper case to keep under $850. There's really not much to trim if you want that CPU/GPU and a 1080p monitor. You can probably find a cheaper KB/mouse combo, I just picked items that budgeted about $30 for them. There are also cheaper 270x models, but I went for the one with the highest clock speed as you won't be overclocking it (you can overclock GPU's as well).

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6350 3.9GHz 6-Core Processor ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($73.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.70 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270X 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($184.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: BenQ GW2255 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($107.60 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Cherry J82-16001LPNEU-2 Wired Standard Keyboard ($11.35 @ Mwave)
Mouse: Gigabyte GM-M6900 Wired Optical Mouse ($19.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $842.54
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

cenochs · Jul 20, 2014

byza :

In this build to keep the CPU and GPU, but I had to go to a cheaper case to keep under $850. There's really not much to trim if you want that CPU/GPU and a 1080p monitor. You can probably find a cheaper KB/mouse combo, I just picked items that budgeted about $30 for them. There are also cheaper 270x models, but I went for the one with the highest clock speed as you won't be overclocking it (you can overclock GPU's as well).

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6350 3.9GHz 6-Core Processor ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($73.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.70 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270X 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($184.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: BenQ GW2255 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($107.60 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Cherry J82-16001LPNEU-2 Wired Standard Keyboard ($11.35 @ Mwave)
Mouse: Gigabyte GM-M6900 Wired Optical Mouse ($19.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $842.54
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Can this work with the AZZA case?
I'm really set on that one. Also, is a 60hz monitor good enough? Thank you!!!!

byza · Jul 20, 2014

Yes it will work with the AZZA

Complete NOOB building boyfriend gaming rig for gift, and I need HELP !!!

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