I'm building a new PC, what do you think of my build?

Chrisnonymous · May 23, 2015

My budget is $800 AUD (about $625 USD) and I've researched for a couple of days on pc parts. This is my first time building a new pc so I don't know if I'm doing it right. I plan to do not just gaming but a lot of video editing and photoshop (for my youtube channel). I don't need to go full on max settings, 60fps, I don't mind turning down the graphics a little or having the fps around 30-40fps, but I will be running fraps at the same time. At the moment, I have a real crap of a pc so anything better than what I have now will be awesome.

Here are the parts:
AMD FX-3850 8 Core
Sapphire R9 270X 2GB
ASUS M5A78L-M/USB3
Ripjaws 8GB DDR3 (1600Mhz) <--- I don't know what that means
Thermaltake Versa H21 Mid Tower w/ 500W PSU
Some 1TB HDD plus the two 500GB HDD from my current pc.

Thanks!

Mugglensu1984 · May 23, 2015

Please post a link of a local reseller or an online shop

Chrisnonymous · May 23, 2015

Mugglensu1984 :

http://cplonline.com.au/sapphire-dual-x-r9-270x-2gb-gddr5-oc-with-boost.html
http://cplonline.com.au/amd-fx-8-core-black-edition-fx-8350.html
http://cplonline.com.au/asus-m5a78l-m-usb3-motherboard-m5a78l-m-usb3.html
http://cplonline.com.au/gskill-8gb-kit-2x4g-pc12800-1600mhz-ripjaws-f3-12800cl9d-8gbrl.html
http://cplonline.com.au/thermaltake-black-versa-h21-mid-tower-with-500w-psu.html
http://cplonline.com.au/wd-1tb-sata3-7200rpm-64mb-caviar-blue-wd10ezex.html

Friend recommended this store to me because its a drives distance from where I live.

Mugglensu1984 · May 23, 2015

The AMD FX processors are very old so I cannot in good conscience recommend them.
The R9 270X is a midrange GPU. I'd recommend a GTX960 with 4GB VRAM.
G.Skill Ripjaws 8Gb @DDR3-1600 is very good RAM.
If you already have a HDD then please get a SSD. Even a 120GB SSD will provide such a performance increase.

FreshRestart · May 23, 2015

I wouldn't get a 4+1 phase motherboard for that FX-8350, you need a better motherboard for it with at least 6+1 power phases and preferably passively cooled VRMs. I would also get a better PSU than the Thermaltake. I would strongly suggest an Intel build with an SSD. Take a look at this and tell me what you think:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($248.00 @ Umart)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-DGS R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($62.00 @ Umart)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($85.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Corsair Force LS 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($80.00 @ CPL Online)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 270X 2GB DirectCU II Video Card ($229.00 @ Centre Com)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($78.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $782.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-23 17:26 AEST+1000

Chrisnonymous · May 23, 2015

Mugglensu1984 :

Thanks man, but I think that'd be out of my budget, I can't really afford any high-end stuff at the moment.

jediTT · May 23, 2015

Not sure about prices in your location but if you were to get the build FreshRestart posted you could change the GPU to a GTX 960 and drop the SSD and it should be closer to your budget and a lot less outdated than the 8350 build.

FreshRestart · May 23, 2015

This is is the same build as before except with a Gigabyte motherboard that won't probably need a bios update for the i5:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($248.00 @ Umart)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81M-DS2 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($68.00 @ Centre Com)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($85.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Corsair Force LS 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($80.00 @ CPL Online)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 270X 2GB DirectCU II Video Card ($229.00 @ Centre Com)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($78.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $788.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-23 17:47 AEST+1000

jediTT · May 23, 2015

The gtx 960 is newer, better, and cheaper and even though an SSD will give him a performance boost its not absolutely needed if his budget is tight assuming the 1tb he already has is decent. Its something he could pick up later, especially with SSD prices going down lately. Those 2 things shave off about $100 and put it within range of his budget.

Chrisnonymous · May 23, 2015

FreshRestart :

Okay so based on your recommendations, this is what I ended up with:
Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz @$249
ASRock H81M-DGS mATX Motherboard @$65
Gigabyte GTX960 OC GV-N960IXOC-2GD Video Card @$285
G.Skill Ripjaws 8GB @$89
eVGA 100-B1-0500-KR 500W Bronze Power Supply @$78
WD 1TB 3.5 Inch SATA3 7200rpm 64MB Caviar Blue Internal HDD @$72
Cooler Master Force 500 Black ATX Case, No PSU @$55
(Everything from CPL except Cooler Master which is at scorptec)
Total: $843 AUD (approx $660 USD)

I decided to go with the 1TB HDD because as I am a youtuber, video files take up a heap of space along with the games I'll download. (I've only got 100GB/1TB atm) I threw in a cheap case because my current one isn't big enough to fit the GPU. It is kinda a bit over budget but I'll manage, unless there is something that I can change to cut the total price and still have a good pc. I'm wondering how much better an SSD is to a HDD because I care a lot more about space than speed, I don't really need to boot up the pc super quickly or anything, I can just turn it on and grab a snack while I wait.

kwa-e · May 23, 2015

When video editing on a budget the 8350 is a prime choice, despite it's older architecture its performance in fully threaded applications will still beat the i5 4460.

And it still games fairly well, despite what everyone else is saying:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrwUWCsyjdY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4et7kDGSRfc

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($245.00 @ Centre Com)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 EVO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($139.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($85.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Corsair Force LS 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($80.00 @ CPL Online)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($179.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Power Supply: Antec 600W ATX Power Supply ($80.98 @ Mwave Australia)
Total: $808.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-23 18:32 AEST+1000

FreshRestart · May 23, 2015

It is not about boot up speed. If you record videos using a HDD you will be VERY speed limited and you may encounter slowdowns and fps drops. The HDD will bottleneck you. You can record your gameplay much easier with a SSD. Also I recommend the Gigabyte motherboard over the Asrock one since the later needs a bios update for the processor.

FreshRestart · May 23, 2015

The GTX 960 supports CUDA accelerated GPU video rendering depending on the software you are using, which is faster than software rendering probablly even on the FX-8350 so you have nothing to worry about. The i5 is the superior gaming chip and many modern CPU intensive titles like GTA V proves that. I would stick to the Intel build.

kwa-e · May 23, 2015

The i5 is superior in gaming but the 8350 will still run the same games pretty smoothly, will render faster and will record better. (Although the recording argument is invalid if you plan to use shadowplay.)

FreshRestart · May 23, 2015

The FX-8350 is faster for rendering but if the OP is using CUDA accelerated rendering then that won't really matter, and like you said shadowplay can help him with the recording if he gets the GTX 960. The i5 is the overall better chip and it does not need an expensive motherboard like the FX-8350. But it is up to the OP to decide what build suits him better.

kwa-e · May 23, 2015

FreshRestart :

Agreed.

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I'm building a new PC, what do you think of my build?

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