Need some computer building tips

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petepete123

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So I have had gaming consoles all my life. PS2, N64,Xbox 360 but recently I've been looking at how much better computers are for gaming! I was just wondering if anyone could help me with finding parts for a build and of course, building it. I've been doing research but I figure just asking would be a lot easier for myself. I'm only a teenager and really never worked with computers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bUghCx9iso I have watched this video and it really spurred me into the computer gaming type of way after seeing that it didn't look too hard, i mean of course a lot of things look simple on the internet and here is really my main question. Can anyone help me decide on what parts to buy that are relatively easy to build and is within a price range of $400-$600? I really don't need top line stuff that can run BF4 on ultra settings but something that can run top quality games?(that can run as well or better than next gen consoles) keep in mind I only have a minimum wage job and with college in the future, $600 still seems too pricey in my mind.
 
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damric
Both the builds I posted have the ability to overclock but that doesn't mean that you need to do so. Both are low power draw and basically just easy to put together low budget builds that can still play games at medium settings or better.

Also remember that you would need a cheap optical drive (~$15) to install windows or linux by disk. Or just install windows or linux by flash drive. Most people download software and games these days so having an optical drive isn't a requirement for everyone.
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robax91

robax91

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Bare bones:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Y3Wfxr

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($69.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($16.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G41 PC Mate ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team Xtreem Dark Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 270X 2GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($27.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $509.91

Good performance after a mild OC to the CPU. If you need an OS you can shop around for cheap ones or get one for free if you are a student.

Edit- Don't forget to do the rebates!
 
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damric

damric

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Sep 17, 2010
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OK I'll stay near $400 which is a good goal for a first build anyway. Keep in mind that Windows costs another $90-100 or you can install a linux distro for free.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Team Xtreem Dark Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 750 1GB Video Card ($103.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cougar MG100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($28.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 300W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($42.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $420.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-13 02:05 EDT-0400

 
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dariens007

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to people that have never built a computer before i generally wouldn't recommend any overclock endeavors unless they can research pretty well and are comfortable with that. to be clear, the CPU in this build wont really work for gaming UNLESS you overclock it specifically. you have to to make it viable. if your comfortable with that go for it, it is a long process but definitly doable as long as you read the guides for overclocking the g3258 on the forums and websites like tomshardware and such
 
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dariens007

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again this processor needs to be overclocked. keep that in mind please.
 
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petepete123

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thank you for the response and help! I really am new to this and by that I mean first time ever. I also really don't have friends that are in to computer gaming so no help there. Do you have any recommendation for a first timer?
 
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damric

damric

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AMD Version:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 760K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($84.73 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A55M-HD2 Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($45.37 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Team Xtreem Dark Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R7 260X 1GB Video Card ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cougar MG100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($28.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 450W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $444.05
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-13 02:13 EDT-0400
 
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petepete123

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So i read up on overclocking and figured that i'm new at this and would like to avoid this, is this PC going to avoid that approach? I will work some overtime just to avoid this since I feel like i'm not comfortable with overclocking.
 
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damric

damric

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Both the builds I posted have the ability to overclock but that doesn't mean that you need to do so. Both are low power draw and basically just easy to put together low budget builds that can still play games at medium settings or better.

Also remember that you would need a cheap optical drive (~$15) to install windows or linux by disk. Or just install windows or linux by flash drive. Most people download software and games these days so having an optical drive isn't a requirement for everyone.
 
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petepete123

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thank you so much

 
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robax91

robax91

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False. Do your research before saying this "CPU in this build wont really work for gaming" Tom's has done 2 specific articles for that CPU and the stock performances are pretty good for the price. Best ratio for $/power. You can search for them, I don't feed like linking them, but they also include very easy suggestions for OC. Not to mention the MSI board can OC the CPU by itself by selecting "Auto Overclock."
 
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xInfluX

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As far as gaming goes Pentiums aren't very good..
You can get a very low end haswell i3, which is hyperthreaded and run so much smoother for like 40$ more.
 
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