Help with a custom build.

RaickyDerwent · Sep 5, 2014

I'm trying to build a mid ranged gaming pc (500~550$ budget) but its my first custom build so I figured its better to ask the experts for help

So far the only things i have my sights set on are AMD FX 6300 CPU and Asus M5A97 Mobo. I'm going to use my current HDD and Optical drive so those two are set as well.

The things I need help with:
1.Video Card
What would be your recommendation for a video card ? I'm mostly be going to play WoW, Dota2 and occasionaly Assassin's Creed/BF4 (and some newer games i'm planning to buy - DA4/ME:Shadows of Mordor)
I've had a look at Radeon 260x and the 270x series and they seemed quite appealing to me and the reviews I've read so far were favorable as well.

2. SSD
I know that an SSD wont improve my FPS, but I've seen an SSD in action and it completely blows the traditional HDDs out of the water and I'm very tempted to get one. What do you guys think ?

3. Are the CPU and Mobo too low for my requirements ?

Apologies if this post was made in the wrong section and thanks in advance!

lightcloud · Sep 5, 2014

With the budget I added a R9 270X. But an SSD could not fit with the budget (wait for sales if possible and you may be able to afford an SSD, but it isn't so important if you have a HDD already).

The CPU is good for budget gaming so you will be fine.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($107.03 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99X EVO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($116.97 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 270X 2GB Dual-X Video Card ($178.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($71.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $597.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-05 07:52 EDT-0400

BlacksunKing · Sep 5, 2014

Your build looks pretty good I would recommend a 270X or 280 for graphics and if in budget the the asus m5a99f rev. 2 board is a great board used a couple recently. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131874
As for SSD they provide fast boot up times and help a little with map load times. If you have it in your budget they are nice but won't be anything that makes huge difference in game play.

MeteorsRaining · Sep 5, 2014

Hello and welcome to the forums!

Those choices are good but a 990 series MoBo, which is in the $100 range, will be optimal to OC FX x3xx, and moreover, you'll need an af cooler. I'd recommend going with i3, which's the same price range as FX and will save you on MoBo and won't require an af cooler. It usually betters the FX in single core performance.

Then, you'll have the budget to go for R9 270X, which's really comfortable for high settings games and can do ultra with fine FPS. You'd enjoy the pair.

I don't see the need to include SSD as the budget will suffocate if you remove $75 (I wouldn't recommend Kingston) from it. You'll then have to suffice with Pentium G3258+OCing MoBo+Cooler+R9 260X or GTX 750 Ti. You can always add a SSD later when you feel fuller in the pocket.

try:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($120.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PERFORMANCE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 270X 2GB DirectCU II Video Card ($165.25 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $536.18
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-05 07:51 EDT-0400

lightcloud · Sep 5, 2014

Or this. When you want to overclock it, it will be a total gaming beast.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3450 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($99.97 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus H97M-PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 270X 2GB DirectCU II Video Card ($165.25 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($71.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $590.16
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-05 08:04 EDT-0400

DHFF · Sep 5, 2014

Here is one possible build for you that come in slightly over your budget. It is an intel build, to keep within your budget, I did not include an SSD. This build however will give you the best performance for games. you can always add an SSD later.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/MRVnXL

and here is a AMD build which will still work well for all the things you wanted:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/7mCJBm

The end price comes in at about the same but it includes an SSD which is very nice. you will notice I switched the 6300 out for a 4350, for the most part this will do you much better as most games seldom use more then a couple of cores anyway and the 4350 has a much higher clock speed. the 6300 is better for multi tasking or running applications that use multiple threads, most games do not do this.

Let me know what you think.

RaickyDerwent · Sep 6, 2014

DHFF :

Here is one possible build for you that come in slightly over your budget. It is an intel build, to keep within your budget, I did not include an SSD. This build however will give you the best performance for games. you can always add an SSD later.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/MRVnXL

and here is a AMD build which will still work well for all the things you wanted:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/7mCJBm

The end price comes in at about the same but it includes an SSD which is very nice. you will notice I switched the 6300 out for a 4350, for the most part this will do you much better as most games seldom use more then a couple of cores anyway and the 4350 has a much higher clock speed. the 6300 is better for multi tasking or running applications that use multiple threads, most games do not do this.

Let me know what you think.

I see that the build you posted with the i5 doesn't include a cooler. Do you think the stock cooling would cover it ?

RaickyDerwent · Sep 6, 2014

Also thank you everyone for the answers! I'll have a look at it when I get home

MeteorsRaining · Sep 6, 2014

Glad to help

DHFF · Sep 6, 2014

The stock cooler include with the i5 is ok. Sure you could get better, I usually toss a $35 212 EVO on just about everything I build but thats really just preference. if you wont be overclocking then the stick cooler will handle the heat. I include a cooler with the AM build because the AM chips run so much hotter then the Intel. The i5 runs I think at 77W an the FX4350 runs at 125W.

For the sake of a budget you could start with the stock cooler and add the Hyper 212 later on. its easier to install before you put in the case but plenty of people add them after the fact.

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Help with a custom build.

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