is this a good $600 gaming pc?

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an4564

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Jul 20, 2014
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Hi, this is my first time posting on toms
My friend asked me to build two computers for his two friends to play games at mid to low gaming for around 600 dollars US. i was wondering if the parts i picked are good?

CPU: FX 6300
GPU: R9 270
MOBO: Biostar ta970
PSU: EVGA 500B
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1tb
RAM: Mushkin Enhanced 2gb x 2 1333 (996586)
Disc drive: LG dvd burner
Cases: Cooler Master Elite 430 and Nzxt Source 210

is there anything i should charge? thanks in advance
 
Solution
moozilbee
Some people use disks...
Marooner, few things about your build:
Why did you pair such a weak processor with the 280?
A 32GB SSD isn't really big enough to put the OS on, although if you're using it as a cache it's fine.
4GB isn't really enough, but it depends on what his friends are doing, since he didn't mention it we can't really say for sure.

Anyway, here's my build with a balanced GPU + CPU, I can change certain things depending on your preferences, whether you want an SSD, whether you plan on OCing, etc.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($118.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU...
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marooner

marooner

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Jul 19, 2014
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($69.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Sandisk ReadyCache 32GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($32.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($216.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair Graphite Series 230T Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Raidmax Cobra 700W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $624.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

In my opinion, this is a "better" build:
Overclockable Intel processor
Added a CPU Cooler
Better quality motherboard
Better quality memory
Added SSD Cache
Upgraded to R9 280
Upgraded case
Upgraded power supply
Cheaper optical drive

I know it's slightly over $600, but I think this will do.
 
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moozilbee

moozilbee

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Jul 19, 2013
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Some people use disks...
Marooner, few things about your build:
Why did you pair such a weak processor with the 280?
A 32GB SSD isn't really big enough to put the OS on, although if you're using it as a cache it's fine.
4GB isn't really enough, but it depends on what his friends are doing, since he didn't mention it we can't really say for sure.

Anyway, here's my build with a balanced GPU + CPU, I can change certain things depending on your preferences, whether you want an SSD, whether you plan on OCing, etc.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($118.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($74.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($71.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 270 2GB Core Edition Video Card ($139.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair SPEC-02 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($55.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $596.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
 
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marooner

marooner

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Jul 19, 2014
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It's weak without overclocking but it can match the highest end i3 with overclocking. At his level of playing, the R9 280 will still be the bottleneck.
 
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an4564

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Jul 20, 2014
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its just for mid level gaming. im guessing they'll also use it for basic stuff but nothing demanding. they wont be doing any kind of over clocking, is the 212 really needed? i dont really know the resolution they are playing at but im pretty sure its under 1080 so a 280 is overkill.
 
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moozilbee

moozilbee

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Jul 19, 2013
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What do you define as "mid level gaming"? Ask them what games they plan on playing, now, and in the next couple of years.
If they don't want to overclock, pick my build as it will be fine without any sort of overclock.
Also, Marooner, one thing I didn't notice before, why did you pick such a cheap bad quality PSU?
 
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moozilbee

moozilbee

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Jul 19, 2013
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Okay, might as well stick with the build I gave then, it will be able to play all those games on ultra, and similar games on ultra in the next couple years. You could go with a cheaper build if you want, but I would stick with my current one as it will secure you for the future, and if your friends get into more graphically intensive games such as Crysis, BF4, etc, it will perform well in those as well.
 
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