PC gaming first build, want to make it cheaper

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ElvisOnTheMoon

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Jul 13, 2015
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Hi, I'm working on building my own PC, and it is my first time doing it. This is my current build and budget:

Budget: $830

Graphics card - Radeon R9 280X - $300
CPU -AMD FX-8320 8 Core Black Edition Processor - $209
Case - ? - ~$100
Motherboard - Asus M5A99X R2.0, or gigabyte 990fxa-ud3. - $165
Power Supply - Corsair VS650 ATX - $85
128GB SSD - ? - ~$110
1TB Hard Drive - ? - ~$75
RAM - Corsair Vengeance 8GB - $99

Remaining Budget: $-214

Now, I want to cut down on the budget and want to know how. This PC will be used chiefly for gaming. I think I may be able to cheapen the mobo or memory or something, but I really don't know what to do. Any advice will help.

Thanks.
 
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logainofhades
The 280x is slightly faster, and in some titles, it is slower, than an R9 285/380. Not enough of a performance difference, that I would consider changing to an inferior CPU.
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HaraldViking

HaraldViking

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Jul 1, 2015
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Hi there, this is what i get in part picker

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($139.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($108.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($46.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.99 @ Best Buy)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280X 3GB Black Edition Double Dissipation Video Card ($259.50 @ B&H)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($56.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair VS 650W ATX Power Supply ($85.00)
Total: $813.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-13 09:20 EDT-0400
 
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Larry Litmanen

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Jan 22, 2015
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If you check Slickdeals often and really look around you can find a nice ATX case on sale, look at the case in my signature, i found it for $40's. So you can save like $50 there.

Also SSD,

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147372&leaderboard=1

NewEgg sells a 250GB SSD for $99, so i am sure you can find one for the size you want at lower price.

Also NewEgg is having a daily deal on a 650W power supply, look under the daily Shell Shocker, a PSU will go on sale later today. Right now that PSU sells for $89, once the sale is effective if the price is low enough and you like the brand and the product maybe you can sale a little here as well.

Extreme way to really cut down the price is to reuse parts lol, like using a pc case you have now or even reusing case fans, heck i even used RAM from old PC and CD/dvd rom.

 
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James Mason

James Mason

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Jan 2, 2014
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Try this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($176.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI H97M-G43 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($86.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Blue 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($97.95 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.99 @ Best Buy)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 380 4GB Video Card ($239.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cougar Spike MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($32.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $772.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-13 11:21 EDT-0400
 
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Larry Litmanen

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here's a $49.99 SSD 120 GBs

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.aspx?sku=730481

 
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ElvisOnTheMoon

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Hi, thanks for the answer. Quick clarification: is this USD? Because I am using AUD and really should have mentioned that. Soz.
 
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ElvisOnTheMoon

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Also thanks for all the answers, I didn't expect to get such good ones so fast. Thanks.

Also, I'm Australian, so can it be in AUD please? ($830 AUD is $620 USD)

Oh and I'm planning on/wondering if I should overclock the CPU, as I'm afraid it will be a bottleneck for the 280X. I'm just saying that if it would be a good idea to overclock, the mobo should be good for overclocking. Both of the ones I have mentioned are, to the best of my knowledge.

Sorry for the long list, and thanks again.
 
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logainofhades

logainofhades

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An i3 can hold its own, against even an FX 8350, in gaming. You can always upgrade to an i5 or a Xeon 1231v3 later, too.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4350 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($159.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-E34 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($72.00 @ Centre Com)
Memory: Kingston Savage 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($84.98 @ Mwave Australia)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($70.00 @ IJK)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 380 2GB Video Card ($289.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Case: Cougar MX300 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.00 @ CPL Online)
Power Supply: Antec Neo Eco 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($99.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $822.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-15 00:07 AEST+1000
 
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ShakeNBlake12

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Overclocking your cpu will give you a little more performance but it will depend on the exact cpu you get because some OC better than others. The CPU does matter for gaming but I wouldn't necessarily worry about bottlenecking your gpu, especially if you are playing games that support the mantle api. Mantle reduces the CPU overhead and (I think, correct me if I am wrong) Directx 12 may do this too.
 
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ElvisOnTheMoon

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I think that I'll stick with the R9 280X and the FX 8320, but this strikes me as just about the best build I can think of for my budget.
I'm just sticking with the original idea because the 280X can be found for ~$20 more expensive than the 380, and I think it thrashes it performance-wise. And as for the CPU, I just think that the 8320 is better value for money, especially taking into consideration overclocking.

Just thinking, if I wait a bit longer to get the build, I might be able to add $50-$80 to my budget, which pretty much takes care of the difference in cpu and gpu. So, I'm just wondering which of those parts aren't compatible, and what to replace them with.

Thanks again, by the way. As a hardware noob, this has helped a lot.
 
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