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Opinions on budget gaming PC build (G3258+ GTX 650)

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August 24, 2014 9:03:48 AM

Hey all,
I am looking at putting together my first budget gaming build/HTPC and would like to game 720p-1080p with graphics on modern games a little above what the PS3/360 can handle (don't need to run on Max/Ultra settings). I already have a hard drive that I will be using, and would like to keep the budget around $230-$260. This is what I came up with, I'd love to hear your thoughts and recommendations:


PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/W4DvD3
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/W4DvD3/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($59.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-HDS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 650 1GB Video Card ($68.99 @ Best Buy)
Case: Rosewill R363-M-BK MicroATX Mid Tower Case w/400W Power Supply ($44.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $261.96

More about : opinions budget gaming build g3258 gtx 650

a b 4 Gaming
August 24, 2014 9:15:34 AM

I would have liked to see a better power supply and GPU like a 750ti but on that budget you've probably got the best build there. :) 
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a b 4 Gaming
August 24, 2014 9:18:36 AM

Ah just realised that pentium is a refresh Haswell and won't work with that mobo without a BIOS update. You either need...
-access to a non refresh Haswell just to update the BIOS
-a z97 or h97 motherboard
-a non refresh Haswell pentium like the g3220
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August 24, 2014 9:22:34 AM

Would I lose alot of performance if I downgrade to the G3220?
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a b 4 Gaming
August 24, 2014 9:28:28 AM

The g3220 is a weaker part but its not awful by any means. It also only supports 1300mhz RAM.

Can you stretch to the g3420? Its a bit better and supports 1600mhz ram.

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646g3420
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August 24, 2014 9:50:08 AM

And would you say this setup (either G3220 or G3420) would be better than a build with the latest AMD APU Kaveri chip? i.e.:

CPU: AMD A8-7600 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A78M-HD+ Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill R363-M-BK MicroATX Mid Tower Case w/400W Power Supply ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $257.96
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a b 4 Gaming
August 24, 2014 9:52:29 AM

Yes the a8 can't come close to the Pentium with a separate GPU like the 650. The advantage of the Pentium is in a year or more you can upgrade to an i3 or i5 chip for awesome performance :) 
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August 24, 2014 12:17:25 PM

for similar money, would you recommend the GT 730 or GTX 650? or any other budget gaming card under $70?
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August 24, 2014 12:21:52 PM

I'm looking for PS3/360 quality graphics, as that is all I know right now lol
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a b 4 Gaming
August 24, 2014 12:26:12 PM

Yeah that should be achievable. What monitor resolution?
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August 24, 2014 12:26:55 PM

it's my HDTV, 1080p LG
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August 24, 2014 12:32:22 PM

How about the R7 240 for gaming at 720p?
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a b 4 Gaming
August 24, 2014 12:32:26 PM

At 1080p you're looking at med-low settings for 2011/12 games like BioShock infinite and low settings on new games. The issue will be the GPU not the processor. If you drop the resolution to 720p you will get a big performance increase.
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a b 4 Gaming
August 24, 2014 12:33:07 PM

The performance of the r7 240 falls below the 650
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a c 280 4 Gaming
August 24, 2014 12:35:26 PM

plywrlw said:
Ah just realised that pentium is a refresh Haswell and won't work with that mobo without a BIOS update. You either need...
-access to a non refresh Haswell just to update the BIOS
-a z97 or h97 motherboard
-a non refresh Haswell pentium like the g3220


From what I've seen most H81 motherboards now come with an updated BIOS to support haswell refresh. It's always good to check the motherboard's CPU support page and see if it will need an update before installing the CPU.
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August 24, 2014 12:39:06 PM

Thanks RazerZ; If I were to use the R7 240 @ 720p, would performance be very strongly hit?
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a c 280 4 Gaming
August 24, 2014 1:02:17 PM

The R7 240 won't be able to game well even at 720p. You're looking at playing with lag even on lowest settings on modern titles like bf4, gta, crysis, etc.

It would be better to just buy a ps3 instead rather than having a low end system.

Also the PSUs that come with a case are usually crap, and if they blow out they can take the whole system with it.

I honestly wouldn't build a pc with a budget so low unless you you're ok with buying a used graphics card.
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August 24, 2014 1:28:31 PM

given my part list, what would you swap out? (obviously making realistic recommendations, not pie in the sky ones lol)
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August 24, 2014 2:12:51 PM

How about the Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply?
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a c 466 4 Gaming
August 24, 2014 2:20:42 PM

Get an Antec VP-450 PSU. Bets quality for the money. OR en EVGA 500w unit. Worse quality but still good and cheap.
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August 24, 2014 4:55:47 PM

If I go with a lower spec'd CPU, but keep the GPU as the GTX 650, will I run into trouble?
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a c 466 4 Gaming
August 24, 2014 5:09:43 PM

Not really. The gtx650 is quite a low end card. It would be almost impossible to bottleneck it.
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August 24, 2014 5:18:09 PM

any recommendations lower than the G3220 or G3258?
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a c 466 4 Gaming
August 24, 2014 5:26:53 PM

Athlon x4 760k. Nothing lower than that. I honestly would not go lower than a pentium or the athlon.
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a b 4 Gaming
August 25, 2014 1:21:22 AM

Yeah the trouble with that x4 750k is that the motherboard costs more and you need to buy a cooler, you'll end up spending just as much going for a pentium and h81 motherboard
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Best solution

a b 4 Gaming
August 25, 2014 1:27:28 AM

Cheapest I dare without dropping to the g3220 which is still an option of course

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($59.99 @ Micro Center)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-E33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 650 1GB Video Card ($68.99 @ Best Buy)
Case: Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($24.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $267.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-25 04:26 EDT-0400

The cheapest card that is better than the 650 is this r7 250x at $75
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-r7250x1gd5
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August 25, 2014 1:40:57 AM

for a little bit more you could nab the gtx 650 ti boost which is almost a 660 short of a few cuda cores probably be around 90$-100$ but the performance it has compared the normal 650 is really good it even has 2gb of memory instead of 1gb.
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August 25, 2014 3:41:00 AM

For the motherboard I have listed, I see the bios software update for the haswell refresh dated 02/2014, how would I know if it comes updated or would it be a roll of the dice?
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a b 4 Gaming
August 25, 2014 3:47:22 AM

As far as I know its a dice roll I'm afraid. There are options such as sending it back to the retailer, posting it to the motherboard manufacturer for them to put the update on for you or taking it into a PC shop made of bricks and mortar and see if they can aid you....
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a c 280 4 Gaming
August 25, 2014 3:51:57 AM

Trdmatrix88 said:
For the motherboard I have listed, I see the bios software update for the haswell refresh dated 02/2014, how would I know if it comes updated or would it be a roll of the dice?


Go to the motherboard's website and check the CPU support list. Most h81 motherboards now come shipped with a BIOS that can support haswell refresh, so if the motherboard selected does not just swap it for one that does. Here's one that's the same price as the MSI and comes with on board USB 3.0 ports.

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-h81mdplus
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a b 4 Gaming
August 25, 2014 4:01:26 AM

Yeah I went for the MSI because I know people have overclocked the g3258 nicely using it but the Asus board should also support overclocking. I have the Asus in my htpc actually, its nice :) 
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August 28, 2014 4:09:09 AM

I decided on this, there have been a few price drops and have hit my sweet spot, your thoughts?

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

CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-E33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Value 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 650 1GB Video Card ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($24.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($24.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $254.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-28 07:08 EDT-0400
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a c 280 4 Gaming
August 28, 2014 1:15:01 PM

For $5 more get the pentium G3258.
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