First Build $600 Budget

jperry36

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Looking to build a gaming PC for the first time on my own. I already have a 22" TV that I will be using as my monitor until I can afford to upgrade.

I need Windows, a keyboard, and a mouse in addition to the PC. I would like to include WiFi and a DVD/CD Burner, but these do not have to fit into the $600 price range, I just need someone to show me which products would fit.
 
This would be an outstanding mid level gaming rig for that price range:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($71.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.98 @ Directron)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($174.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($48.58 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $668.45
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-31 22:38 EST-0500

Any name brand USB wifi adapter would be fine, although you can use a wifi internal card if you want. You don't want a board with integrated wifi as it dramatically raises the price and really offers no benefit over USB adapters or add in cards.
 
Here you go:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($96.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($70.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($75.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.85 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: HIS Radeon R9 270 2GB IceQ X² Video Card ($111.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: Thermaltake TR2 600W ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Micro Center)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-N10 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($9.79 @ SuperBiiz)
Keyboard: Logitech K120 Wired Standard Keyboard ($9.94 @ NCIX US)
Mouse: Cobra E-3lue Wired Optical Mouse ($10.15 @ Amazon)
Total: $599.61
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-31 22:42 EST-0500
 
Solution

jperry36

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I think that would be a little too far out of my price range (~$750 when you add Windows). Anywhere you could cut down the cost?
 


Get an i3 instead of the i5. You could maybe get a cheaper case but nothing under ~$30. That should do it.
 


The build that I made is almost identical to mine and I run games pretty well. I posted it earlier
 
This might be better for you, even though I'm an AMD guy usually, the i3 outperforms the FX-6300:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81-D3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($45.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ Micro Center)
Video Card: HIS Radeon R9 270X 2GB IceQ X² Video Card ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill Line ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX Power Supply ($33.98 @ Directron)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0B DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($97.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Wireless Network Adapter: Rosewill RNX-N150PCe 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($11.10 @ Amazon)
Total: $665.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-31 22:56 EST-0500
 


Is the 270x really worth it? It's pretty much identical to the 270 except it's slightly faster. It's $40 more for a little bit more speed? I don't think that's really worth it. Using that money he can get 8gb of RAM. He could also drop the SSD and get a normal HDD. Because 256gb isn't enough space.
 

KingSaif

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Jan 27, 2012
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($72.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.98 @ Directron)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($31.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX TS 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $644.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-31 23:06 EST-0500

OR

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($66.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.98 @ Directron)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270X 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($184.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($48.58 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($63.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $581.51
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-31 23:07 EST-0500
 

jperry36

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This seems perfect for my price range! Since this is my first time and I don't really know, are the compatibility notes on pcpartpicker going to be an issue?
 

KingSaif

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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($66.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.98 @ Directron)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($48.58 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX TS 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $595.51
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-31 23:10 EST-0500
 


No they're fine. If you want you could get a case with front panel USB ports (that's what one of the things is about) but it doesn't really matter. And the other thing is just a warning, that you don't need to worry about.
 



In THIS case, probably not as I know for a fact that board supports the FX-6300 and the front panel USB 3.0 is an option not a necessity. But it could have been a serious compatibility issue with a different board. A little more attention needs to be paid by some of these "builders". You would have a real problem on your hands if you bought a board that needed a BIOS update to support Vishera and couldn't do it without a supported CPU installed before you could update.
 

jperry36

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Dec 31, 2014
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Thanks, that's something I'll definitely keep my eye on with whatever I decide on.
 


There is no problem with this motherboard. I always check before I put it in the build if you're talking about me.