Gaming / Photo Editing Build Under $600

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crboyne

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Dec 16, 2014
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I am looking for a build for an entry level gaming and photo editing computer; more or a less a good all around computer with gaming capabilities. I currently have a HDD, Optical Drive, OS, and all peripherals. My initial thoughts are to have my operating system on a SSD, so the SSD would need to be included in the <$600.

I am new to building PCs so any help would be appreciated. Trying to maximize the performance for the cost with potential to upgrade (if I pick up more of an interest in either editing or gaming).

Thank you.
 
Solution
Rapajez
Ok, this should do it. Assuming you're not doing heavy video editing:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($99.99 @ Micro Center)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81M-HD3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($59.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport XT 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($84.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card ($163.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill Line ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX...
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Rapajez

Rapajez

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Jul 17, 2014
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Ok, this should do it. Assuming you're not doing heavy video editing:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($99.99 @ Micro Center)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81M-HD3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($59.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport XT 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($84.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card ($163.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill Line ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $593.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-16 19:56 EST-0500

That SSD should be sufficient for the OS, your games, photo-editing programs, etc. I'd put the projects you're currently working on, on the SSD, and then store them on the HDD when you're done. You can find guides here for moving "My Documents" over to the HDD, to keep room on the SSD.

If you have any wiggle room, go with a true quad-core, like the i5-4440.
 
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crboyne

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Dec 16, 2014
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Thank you! One question though: I have been reading a bit about the use of multiple cores. What are the advantages of say having less cores with Intel, though I have read they are more powerful, vs. having more cores with AMD at around the same price range?
 
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Rapajez

Rapajez

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In that price range, the 4 virtual cores in the i3 will beat the 6-core AMD offerings. Granted, it does depend on the specific applications and games. In general, gaming mostly goes to Intel though, and light photo editing shouldn't make much of a difference on either, which is why the Intel seems like the best option in your case.

Here's a more detailed comparison between an i3-4360 (slightly faster than what I recommended, but not so much that it's worth the price IMHO) and an AMD FX-6350: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1197?vs=1281 . Keep in mind the lower is better in some of the scores, and none of them really focus on gaming. As you can see, they both trade blows, but the Intel wins most catagories, and does so with less than 50% of the power usage.
 
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crboyne

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Dec 16, 2014
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So, I am about to buy this unit but modified it around a bit. I decided that I don't have very many games that I plan on playing at the moment (console ATM), with my near term focus being on editing / general use. With that being said, I changed the motherboard, dropped the graphics card, and upgraded as you suggested to the i5. This is my current build to put me closer to what I am willing to spend right now for the most upgradability.

Is there any glaring mistakes that it seems I may be making? Will relying on this motherboards integrated graphics hinder me at all with using it currently or potentially upgrading it in the future?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-Pro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($110.78 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport XT 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($84.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill Line ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $540.73
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-22 14:36 EST-0500
 
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