$500 Gaming and Home Theater Desktop

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Omis

Omis

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[strike]I want to build an Intel based computer for not more than $500. I will be using it for gaming and home theater. These are the things I have as of now, but I'd like to ask for your suggestions with some components:[/strike]

[strike]CPU : Intel Pentium G3258 - Please suggest if there is a better alternative (price and performance wise)
Mobo : Asrock - Need suggestion with this
Memory : DDR3-1600 CL9 8 GB Kit - I'd probably get Kingston
Graphics : Nvidia GeForce GTX 750 Ti - If this is the best I can have for this build. Not sure about getting bottlenecked as well.
PSU : 400 WATT 80+ BRONZE RATED - Need suggestion with this
HDD : WD Blue 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache - WD Blue
OD : Any $20
[/strike]

[strike]Others:
Thermal Paste : I've built a gaming desktop before and I realize that I should be getting a thermal paste IF I have anything left from my budget
CPU Fan : I forgot the model, but it's the Cooler Master brand.[/strike]

[strike]I will be using it for gaming and home theater. I play Steam games mostly CS:GO and Dota 2, but I want to play BF4/COD/NBA2k14 too if I can on med settings with hopefully at least 40 (or above) fps. Monitor and OS are not needed so hopefully $500 would be enough for this build.

Please let me know if I'm not being realistic about my build or any suggestions you have.

Thanks in advance. I look forward to your suggestions.[/strike]


UPDATE:
Here is what I have so far http://pcpartpicker.com/p/txHjBm

I decided to stretch my budget due to own preference (brand and black theme). Right now, I'm sitting at around $600 which is still acceptable for me.

I will be using it for gaming and home theater. I play Steam games mostly CS:GO and Dota 2, but I want to also play BF4/COD/NBA2k14 too if I can on med settings with hopefully at least 40 (or above) fps.

FEW QUESTIONS:
1. Can you confirm if I've already chosen the best CPU for a budget of less than $100.
2. Will the CPU and GPU have bottleneck issues?
3. Is a 430 Watt PSU good enough for the build or should I be bumping it to at least 500W?
4. Can you recommend a good MATX case with good airflow and cable management.

OTHER PARTS TO BUY (IF THERE'S ANY $ LEFT)
1. Thermal Paste recommendation?
2. Recommend an aftermarket fan? I forgot the model, but it's the Cooler Master brand.

Thanks in advance. I look forward to more of your suggestions.



 
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camohanna
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TheRedFox

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Hey Omis. I'm not an expert in building pcs but recently i've got a new one and after surfing the itnernet i've found out that it's not what i was expecting it to be - it wasn't a gaming pc. You might need to save a bit more to have better experience. Just remember not to hurry when searching for pc parts. I hope this thread will help you with the PSU and GPU http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2144832/gpu-wait-time.html. Other parts are good for your purposes in my opinion.
 
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camohanna

camohanna

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I would suggest going for amd on this one. BF4 will suffer on a dual core. I chose a decent motherboard so it will enable you to overclock safely (just get a hyper 212 evo and slap it on)

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

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 750K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A88X-UP4 ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.70 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($134.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT H230 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $489.63
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-22 06:33 EDT-0400
 
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Omis

Omis

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Thanks for this man. Will reconsider my GPU then.
 
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camohanna

camohanna

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0. Why do you have two ram kits? :p Both are excellent, so chose the cheapest / better looking, they will perform the same.
1. The Athlon X4 is undoubtedly the best sub-$100 cpu, quad core and unlocked.
2. The X4 will in no way bottleneck the R9 270X.
3. The builder series is not the best, I would suggest the XFX 550w for $59 (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1550sxxb9) it is a much more solid unit (seasonic built) and very reliable, unlike the CX which has lower quality components. I personally owned the 750w variant of the XFX and it was rock solid for my whole 1 1/2 years with it (have since upgraded). I understand the modular need, but you will find with a 550w you will be using all the cables anyway (bar maybe a molex) so the modularity goes to waste.
4. http://pcpartpicker.com/part/silverstone-case-ps08b looks like a decent case. In a microATX format, you cant expect too much in the way of airflow and cable management.

Other Parts:
1. Just use the stock thermal paste
2. By aftermarket fan, do you mean cpu cooler? If so, the Hyper 212 Evo however it might not fit into the case I listed.
 
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camohanna

camohanna

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I had an idea, since you wanted a small computer, why not go ITX? A build like this would be perfect!

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

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 750K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A88X-ITX+ Mini ITX FM2+ Motherboard ($98.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 270X 2GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($57.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($26.97 @ Newegg)
Total: $605.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-23 05:41 EDT-0400
 
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Omis

Omis

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My bad! I was not able to remove the other RAM kit, but that makes it perfect since I have extra $80 to spend.

Thanks for the information about the PSU. I am actually using a 750W XFX PSU as well from my previous gaming pc build (HD6850 era about 2-3 years ago). The reason why I chose the Corsair 430 is because it's modular (which you already explained that it is unnecessary) since I plan on using a small case (mATX) and also because I know that 500W is already more than enough for the build, so I just looked for something lower than 500.

Regarding the case, hopefully the one you recommended is available. If not, I hope there are other good mATX cases available from where I'm getting the parts.

MORE QUESTIONS:
1. If I'm going for the R9 270X, is it going to be overkill? I mean, the most demanding game I'll be playing is just BF4, but I'm fine with just having 40+ fps on a med setting. So, can you please suggest another graphics card that is cheaper, but can meet the demand just so I have an option?
2. I won't overclock now and don't have plans on doing it later. Should I be getting an aftermarket CPU cooler or it's just going to be a waste of money?
 
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Omis

Omis

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Thanks for the suggestion! I was actually thinking about getting a Mini ITX Case, but I haven't checked with our local dealer if they have any available Case and Motherboard. Hence, I decided to just get a mATX just to be sure. If it is available, I'd definitely consider it.

Questions:
1. Do you think all parts will fit into a Mini ITX case? Like the RAM and Graphics card?
2. Since the case is small, surely there will be airflow issue. Will I be looking at a possible temperature problem in case I use it 24/7 and in a non A/C room?
3. Does cable management exist with ITX cases?
 
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camohanna

camohanna

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Now, do you need a disk drive? If not, this tiny little cube would be a nice idea.

I would once again recommend the 750 ti due to its 75w power consumption. Less power = less heat = cooler computer. Since you dont want to overclock, intel i3 is probably a better option as it has stronger per core power and wont suffer that much in BF4 if you only want medium settings.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/v2srRB
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/v2srRB/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($114.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock B85M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($77.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($129.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 110 Mini ITX Tower Case ($39.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($58.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $561.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-23 23:35 EDT-0400
 
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Omis

Omis

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I would actually need a disk drive. Willl the GPU not fit in the case if I have a disk drive?

About the processor, I might get the i3 because from where I am, AMD doesn't exist.
 
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camohanna

camohanna

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That case does not have a disk drive bay, so I would suggest the elite 120 then. The i3 is a good option as well :)
 
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Omis

Omis

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Thanks. Appreciate it buddy.
 
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