Trying to Create a Build that's Low Budget but Will Last a Few Years.

Apple Junior · May 1, 2015

What am I looking for?
- I'm hoping to build a computer that can run modern day games at high frame rates but not going overkill and buying something that would be able to run games at 60 fps that won't even come out for another year. My budget is around $900 so I'm able to get something decent but not fantastic.

What I'm looking at:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/7ZkkP6

CPU - AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor
CPU Cooler - Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Motherboard - MSI 970 GAMING ATX AM3+ Motherboard
Memory - G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage - Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card - XFX Radeon R9 280X 3GB Double Dissipation Video Card
Power Supply - EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply

Total Price : $817.68

The CPU, being an 8-core and 4.0GHz seemed worth the money. I'm not afraid to buy AMD over intel to get a cheaper price. I picked a liquid because I heard from reviews that the CPU can get very hot. 3TB of hard drive space is a bit necessary for me as I record quite a bit and my main source of games is Steam. I heard the video card I picked is one of the best bang-for-your-buck video cards out there.

If you have any comments or suggestions, I'd be happy to hear!

spdragoo · May 1, 2015

You probably don't need a liquid CPU cooler, unless you plan on OC'ing the 8350. In fact, unless your PC is going to be in a very hot room, or don't have good airflow/cooling in the case, the stock cooler should be just fine -- & before anyone speaks to the contrary, I say this from experience with my FX-8320 (stock cooler, the maximum 5 case fans in my case, & I usually top out at 58-60C when gaming). If you're going to OC, a 970 board isn't going to give you as much room to do so, so you can not only save by using an air cooler instead (probably save you about $20-30), but also by picking the FX-8320 (about $30 cheaper, plus it can be OC'd about as high as the 8350).

If you do that, you could then add a 120-128GB SSD to your build. Using that for your OS & some of your apps would help with your system speed, & wouldn't be too expensive.

Beyond that, seems like a pretty nice build.

Apple Junior · May 1, 2015

spdragoo :

Thanks for the response! I'm definitely gonna make some tweaks and changes like with the cooling system. I don't plan on overclocking so I'm going to toss the liquid cooling. I see your point on the CPU as well, definitely going to look into it. Thanks again!

NA_xGG · May 1, 2015

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($167.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($88.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.26 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280X 3GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($228.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($77.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX TS 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($66.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.49 @ OutletPC)
Total: $792.68
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-01 16:04 EDT-0400

I modified your build a bit. You also didn't have a case in yours, so I swapped some things & threw one in.
This build is solid, imo. I think you'd like it in the long run more than the AMD build. I'm not a fanboy either.. just my two cents lol

NA_xGG · May 1, 2015

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($231.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($88.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.26 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280X 3GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($228.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: XFX TS 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($66.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.49 @ OutletPC)
Total: $778.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-01 16:27 EDT-0400

If you don't need a case, this will get you i7 performance.
Or for a bit more, you can get an i7. Only $10 more than your original build.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($279.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($88.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.26 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280X 3GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($228.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: XFX TS 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($66.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.49 @ OutletPC)
Total: $826.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-01 16:29 EDT-0400

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Trying to Create a Build that's Low Budget but Will Last a Few Years.

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