- Aug 22, 2014
- 75
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Hey guys, so here I am, deciding which PC build to buy. I have done literally days upon days of research and have found so many combinations that I need an outside opinion. My goal for the build is to play fairly recent modern games at 45+ fps on a 900p monitor with high-ultra settings at a $500 budget. I also want it to last me a good 3-4 years since I will probably move or upgrade it when I'm in college. So that means that I will use it to game and do some light video editing and school work. This $500 budget does not include Windows (since I have a downloadable copy from the Dreamspark program) and a mouse (since I can still use the one I have right now), but does include a wireless network adapter and a keyboard since I am switching from a laptop to a desktop. This also includes mail in rebates from sites. I will just be summarizing the builds that I have composed:
Build 1:
CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K (3.7 GHz, Quad Core)
GPU: MSI GTX 960 (2GB)
MOBO: Gigabyte GA-F2A88X-D3H ATX FM2+ (64 GB max RAM, no Crossfire, USB 3.0 headers)
RAM: 8GB DDR3-1866 (2x4 GB)
Storage: 500GB HDD (7200 RPM, 16mb cache)
PSU: Corsair Builder CX600 80+ Bronze (600 Watts)
Build 2:
CPU: Intel i3-4160 (3.6 GHz, Dual Core, Hyperthreaded)
GPU: Sapphire R9-280x (From ebay however, used)
MOBO: MSI Z97 Mate (Z97, 1150 socket, Crossfire support, 3.0 Headers)
RAM: 4GB DDR3-1866
Storage: 500GB HDD (7200 RPM, 16mb cache)
PSU: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze (600 Watts)
Build 3:
CPU: Intel i3-4160 (3.6 GHz, Dual Core, Hyperthreaded)
GPU: XFX R9-280 (3GB)
MOBO: Gigabyte GA-Z97-HD3 (Z97, 1150 socket, Crossfire support, 3.0 Headers)
RAM: 8GB DDR3-1600 (2x4 GB)
Storage: 500GB HDD (7200 RPM, 16mb cache)
PSU: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (500 Watts)
Build 4:
CPU: CPU: Intel i3-4160 (3.6 GHz, Dual Core, Hyperthreaded)
GPU: MSI GTX 960 (2GB)
MOBO: ASRock H97 Anniversary (Only up to 1600 type RAM, No Crossfire/SLI, 3.0 Headers)
RAM: Kingston 4GB DDR3-1600 (1 x 4GB)
Storage: 500GB HDD (7200 RPM, 16mb cache)
PSU: Corsair Builder CX600 80+ Bronze (600 Watts)
Build 5:
CPU: Intel i5-4690k (3.5 GHz, Quad Core, no Hyperthreading)
GPU: None
MOBO: Gigabyte GA-Z97-HD3 (Z97, 1150 socket, 3.0 Headers, Crossfire support)
RAM: 8GB DDR3-1866 (2x4 GB)
Storage: 2TB HDD (7200 RPM, 32MB cache)
PSU: Corsair Builder CX600 80+ Bronze (600 Watts)
Build 6:
CPU: FX-8320 (3.5 GHz, Octa Core)
GPU: HIS R9 270 (2GB)
MOBO: MSI 970A-G43 (AM3+ socket, 3.0 Headers, Crossfire Support, 32GB RAM capacity)
RAM: 8GB DDR3-1600 (2x4 GB)
Storage: 500GB HDD (7200 RPM, 16mb cache)
PSU: Thermaltake SMART 650W 80+ Bronze (650 Watts)
Alright, so here are all the builds I came up with. Right now, I'm leaning leaning towards the i3-4160 and the R9 280 combo because it offers me 8GB of RAM, and better single threaded performance while having the r9 280, but I don't think the i3 will last me 3-4 years. The Athlon can last me longer, but there is no upgrade path. The FX-8320 can probably last me the longest in terms of CPU, but the GPU won't be as powerful as it is right now in 3-4 years, especially compared to an r9-280/x or a GTX 960. The i5-4690k build probably has the best of every component for the budget, but doesn't have a GPU. If you guys can make a better build than all of these for the money, that would be awesome! Thank You guys for even just reading this in advance!
Build 1:
CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K (3.7 GHz, Quad Core)
GPU: MSI GTX 960 (2GB)
MOBO: Gigabyte GA-F2A88X-D3H ATX FM2+ (64 GB max RAM, no Crossfire, USB 3.0 headers)
RAM: 8GB DDR3-1866 (2x4 GB)
Storage: 500GB HDD (7200 RPM, 16mb cache)
PSU: Corsair Builder CX600 80+ Bronze (600 Watts)
Build 2:
CPU: Intel i3-4160 (3.6 GHz, Dual Core, Hyperthreaded)
GPU: Sapphire R9-280x (From ebay however, used)
MOBO: MSI Z97 Mate (Z97, 1150 socket, Crossfire support, 3.0 Headers)
RAM: 4GB DDR3-1866
Storage: 500GB HDD (7200 RPM, 16mb cache)
PSU: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze (600 Watts)
Build 3:
CPU: Intel i3-4160 (3.6 GHz, Dual Core, Hyperthreaded)
GPU: XFX R9-280 (3GB)
MOBO: Gigabyte GA-Z97-HD3 (Z97, 1150 socket, Crossfire support, 3.0 Headers)
RAM: 8GB DDR3-1600 (2x4 GB)
Storage: 500GB HDD (7200 RPM, 16mb cache)
PSU: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (500 Watts)
Build 4:
CPU: CPU: Intel i3-4160 (3.6 GHz, Dual Core, Hyperthreaded)
GPU: MSI GTX 960 (2GB)
MOBO: ASRock H97 Anniversary (Only up to 1600 type RAM, No Crossfire/SLI, 3.0 Headers)
RAM: Kingston 4GB DDR3-1600 (1 x 4GB)
Storage: 500GB HDD (7200 RPM, 16mb cache)
PSU: Corsair Builder CX600 80+ Bronze (600 Watts)
Build 5:
CPU: Intel i5-4690k (3.5 GHz, Quad Core, no Hyperthreading)
GPU: None
MOBO: Gigabyte GA-Z97-HD3 (Z97, 1150 socket, 3.0 Headers, Crossfire support)
RAM: 8GB DDR3-1866 (2x4 GB)
Storage: 2TB HDD (7200 RPM, 32MB cache)
PSU: Corsair Builder CX600 80+ Bronze (600 Watts)
Build 6:
CPU: FX-8320 (3.5 GHz, Octa Core)
GPU: HIS R9 270 (2GB)
MOBO: MSI 970A-G43 (AM3+ socket, 3.0 Headers, Crossfire Support, 32GB RAM capacity)
RAM: 8GB DDR3-1600 (2x4 GB)
Storage: 500GB HDD (7200 RPM, 16mb cache)
PSU: Thermaltake SMART 650W 80+ Bronze (650 Watts)
Alright, so here are all the builds I came up with. Right now, I'm leaning leaning towards the i3-4160 and the R9 280 combo because it offers me 8GB of RAM, and better single threaded performance while having the r9 280, but I don't think the i3 will last me 3-4 years. The Athlon can last me longer, but there is no upgrade path. The FX-8320 can probably last me the longest in terms of CPU, but the GPU won't be as powerful as it is right now in 3-4 years, especially compared to an r9-280/x or a GTX 960. The i5-4690k build probably has the best of every component for the budget, but doesn't have a GPU. If you guys can make a better build than all of these for the money, that would be awesome! Thank You guys for even just reading this in advance!
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