[BUILD] I want to build a 500 dollar gaming pc

firemaster9309 · Aug 6, 2015

I already have these parts in mind
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rcGwf7
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rcGwf7/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 380 4GB SOC Video Card ($223.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $293.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-06 17:32 EDT-0400

and i would like someone to help me find the rest of the parts for my build. also i have a hard drive already and a case and my ram. so i need help choosing a psu( with some headroom for oc) and a good motherboard to overclock my 860k a little bit so it won't bottlenech the gpu. thanks guys.

boosted1g · Aug 6, 2015

First off - 380 is just a rebranded 285. The r9-280x is better and cheaper.

Now the 860k is going to bottleneck a 380 or 280x. You would need to not only overclock it but get high frequency to reduce (not fully eliminate) the bottleneck.
The other problem is that the 860k is the max best CPU you can get in the FM2 socket, but it is slower then an fx-6300 or core i3. This leaves you with absolutely no upgrade path.

If you feel that you never want to upgrade then this is ok, otherwise you should go a different router.

The other issue is that the expensive GPU does not leave enough money for a motherboard, a case, a power supply, memory and hard drive that would cost around $250 all together.

DonkeyOatie · Aug 6, 2015

Do you have an Operating System or must that be included too?

What games would you want to play?

boosted1g · Aug 6, 2015

If you do not need OS in that $500 you can do this. Otherwise you will have to drop back CPU and GPU back a good bit:

FYI for another $20 you can get a 280x instead of the 280

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($107.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-GAMING 3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($51.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Blue 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($177.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($53.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $510.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-06 18:04 EDT-0400

firemaster9309 · Aug 6, 2015

boosted1g :

i have a budget of around 500 dollars so what cpu would you suggest instead of this one

firemaster9309 · Aug 6, 2015

i already have an os and a hard drive

firemaster9309 · Aug 6, 2015

the games i would like to play atleast are gta 5 at high to med settings 60fps and battlefield 4 and maybe some pitcher 3

boosted1g · Aug 6, 2015

Since you already have a hard drive, then go with this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($107.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-GAMING 3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($51.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Blue 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280X 3GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($219.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($53.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $502.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-06 18:23 EDT-0400

firemaster9309 · Aug 6, 2015

isn't the 380 better than the 280x though since it is newer? what are the major differences? and thanks tho

DonkeyOatie · Aug 6, 2015

They are similar, but the 280X is slightly better, and uses about 60W more power.

firemaster9309 · Aug 6, 2015

ok thanks. what about directx 12 will both support it?

firemaster9309 · Aug 6, 2015

also for the build, what would have better performance, the fx 6300 or the i3 4160 as the fx is 6 cores opposed to 2 cores.and i am not 100 percent sure about this but i read that most games now days are starting to use more and more cores.

DonkeyOatie · Aug 6, 2015

The answer to your question can generate considerable controversy although I consider the facts settled. The i3 has Hyperthreading so it appears to most software as it it has four cores and manages it's threads as if it has four even though it has only two. For the vast majority of benchmarks and real-life uses, the i3 performs better than even an overclocked FX 6300. Frequency is like RPM and cores are like cylinders in a car engine. Neither the maximum RPM nor the number of cylinders determines car performance, it's a lot more complicated than that.

You are trying to build a great system with insufficient money, so we have to look at 'good enough for the money'. The FX is less powerful, but it is also a bit cheaper. Direct X 12 and Windows 10 are supposed to have multi-core benefits. Before I change my recommendations, I need to see the real benchmarks and test results. More importantly, the FX is an old chip and the motherboard is old too. AMD has new stuff on the horizon, but it will not be compatible.

firemaster9309 · Aug 6, 2015

can you please make me a build around 500 that is good for 1080- gaming

DonkeyOatie · Aug 6, 2015

It's tough. Your budget is a bit too small to get everything you need. The two builds by boosted1g above are about as good as you can get and even then corners have been cut to get down to your budget. A gaming system is GPU limited most of the time, so you need the best GPU you can afford to run games for as long as possible.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($166.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($74.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Mushkin Silverline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($42.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 270X 2GB Dual-X Video Card ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H22 ATX Mid Tower Case ($28.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Antec Neo Eco 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0B DVD/CD Writer ($11.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $495.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-06 20:20 EDT-0400

This is a good system built to your budget. The PSU is good and better than anything of lower power and cheaper, even though it's a bit bigger then you need. A bit cheaprr motherboard and a bit more money would buy a better GPU.

boosted1g · Aug 7, 2015

The fx6300 is not 6 true cores. The fx6300 is 3 cores, each with 2 logical cores, this is different yet similar to intel's hyperthreadng. The i3 is a dual core with hyperthreadig and thus acts as 4 cores, while the fx6300 has the 6 "logical cores".

Now intel refreshes their cpu's ever 1.5-2 years while AMD has been very stagnant on desktop CPU development and has only put an emphasis in the lower end FM2 platform (which cant even beat a fx-6300).

Because of this stagnant development by AMD the intel i3 is so much more efficient per core that its "4 cores" can go neck and neck with the 6300. When you look at a fair fight that uses benchmarks/programs not optimized specifically for intel or amd then they are pretty much even in multi threaded, but in single threaded the i3 wins.
The bigger argument for the i3 then becomes that you can use a cheaper board with the i3 and not need an aftermarket cooler, and then latter you can upgrade to an i5 which is better then anything AMD currently makes.

Using the car reference, the i3 is like a modern turbo charged 4 cylinder engine with modern technology that can pump out 270hp, and the fx-6300 is a early 90s V8 engine that does 260hp.

firemaster9309 · Aug 7, 2015

thanks guys i would pick you both as solutions but i cant so i just wanted to let you know that you[re both awesome!

DonkeyOatie · Aug 7, 2015

It doesn't matter boosted1g is a Grandmaster, and I answer for the fun of it.

firemaster9309 · Aug 7, 2015

haha ok thanks tho. and could youpls tell me if this psu is of good enougp quality
http://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-240-Pin-Power-Supply-TR-600/dp/B0058FAYQ2/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1438977031&sr=1-6&keywords=600+watt+power+supply

DonkeyOatie · Aug 7, 2015

NO! Actually, HELL NO! You can get a great Antec Eco 620 at the moment, with rebate, for much less.

firemaster9309 · Aug 7, 2015

what about this one
it has 5 star reviews and delivers 48 amps on the 12v rail
http://www.amazon.com/Xpp725-hs-Computer-48ampers-Crossfire-Warranty/dp/B00SN6VN7W/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8

DonkeyOatie · Aug 7, 2015

HELL NO!!!! Still far worse than this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371031&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker,%20LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

Why are you looking at that other stuff? The PSU is the engine and foundation of your system. Cutting corners is for other parts.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list/page-21.html

firemaster9309 · Aug 7, 2015

ok thanks man. and last question. how do you determine if a psu is good quality?

DonkeyOatie · Aug 7, 2015

Read the reviews of others. The last link above is to our PSU Tier list. This list is all about high-performance Gaming and extreme uses. Tier 3 PSUs are good for business machines.

It's all about the quality of components and construction, especially the important capacitors.

firemaster9309 · Aug 7, 2015

Thanks DonkeyOatie, I have decided to build the system that you have linked and made some more room in my budget to get a r9 380

[BUILD] I want to build a 500 dollar gaming pc

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