Need help with motherboard, psu, case, and ram selection.

bobert823

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I'm buying components over time to build a decent gaming rig. I already have an xfx r9 270x that i found for $80. I'm looking at the intel pentium g3258 anniversary edition (69.99), the coolermaster hyper 212 evo ($31.24), and the fractal design define r4 ($79.99) or the coolermaster haf 922 ($79.99 after $10 rebate). I would like help choosing an (atx lga 1150?) motherboard (hopefully with usb 3.0, crossfire capability, and upgradable), 8gb of ram, a psu (corsair cx750w 80 + bronze for $73.98 after $10 rebate??) and choosing between these two cases (I don't know if the r4 will be cool enough to run my components, or if the haf 922 would be too loud) without breaking the bank.
 
Solution
You do not need an aftermarket cooler to overclock the G3258. I have overclocked my two to 4.2 and 4.5 Ghz on the stock and it was not loud. Here: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2706290/g3258-memory-overclocking-project-reults.html


Here are my choices. USB 3.0 ,crossfire, and full ATX. (I'd probably go mATX and get a smaller case, but that's me)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($59.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($74.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($43.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W...
You do not need an aftermarket cooler to overclock the G3258. I have overclocked my two to 4.2 and 4.5 Ghz on the stock and it was not loud. Here: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2706290/g3258-memory-overclocking-project-reults.html


Here are my choices. USB 3.0 ,crossfire, and full ATX. (I'd probably go mATX and get a smaller case, but that's me)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($59.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($74.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($43.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $228.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-09 18:09 EDT-0400

The PSU I have suggested is better in every way than the one you selected.

Cases are a personal choice. I like the simpler lines of the Fractal Design. You are not putting enough in it to stress it's cooling overmuch.

There are cheaper cases which might work, but you need to find ones YOU like the look of, (as opposed to ME).

Motherboard upgradable in what way? What might you want to add?
 
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bobert823

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thanks for the quick reply! I did not know that I didn't need the aftermarket cooler for it. I'm just beginning my first build. Through research, I just seen that the g3258 was a good starter processor for a good price and most articles recommended the coolermaster 212 evo to go with it. Nice suggestion. For the motherboard, I would just like to be able to upgrade the processor to a great intel processor eventually. I was looking at z97 motherboards, but they seem pricey and I hear motherboards don't really do too much besides connect everything together. I believe intel is better, but that amd has better pricing? I didn't know if eventually I'd like to crossfire, instead of having to shell out more money for an entirely new video card. So, I thought having an ATX would be better than mATX. Also, I thought if i did that I'd want a bigger case for ease of building and airflow. I really don't mind how any of them look. I think some look really cool with the lights and all that, but I also like the idea of having something simple and sleek. I'm not too picky on cases really, just seen a lot of recommendations for the r4. I'm not really too sure how to know which PSU is better between one 750w 80+ bronze and another 750w 80+ bronze haha. I, also, seen recommendations for crucial ballistix sport, but also for g.skill ripjaws or ares. If you can suggest any setup you'd prefer, I would gladly appreciate any of your opinions.
 

bobert823

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I also checked on PC part picker. It doesn't always show shipping prices, which sometimes can be astronomical. I have Amazon Prime and using Newegg which does free shipping sometimes. So the pricing I have is including shipping prices. At least it was astronomical for the cases from NCIXUS. It looks like that motherboard would be what I'm looking for. Do you have a recommendation on a nice micro atx case, if i get the mATX motherboard? It would also have to fit the xfx r9 270x gpu, which is rather long.
 
No it doesn't. I use Newegg a lot for my school builds. http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2625445/build-log-consolidated-middle-school-builds.html

Crucial Ballistic Sport are good. Crucial are one of the few companies that make their own chips (owned by Micron) 1600Mhz CL9 DDR3 is a commodity. The cheapest units from a good manufacturer are fine.

An mATX board will do anything you are likely to do, but many prefer the bigger ATX. It's almost a personal choice. The ASRock H87 Pro4 comes in either size.

 

bobert823

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What do you think of this setup?

Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor 69.99 after shipping
Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory 43.99 after shipping
XFX Radeon R9 270X 2GB Double Dissipation Video Card $80 total
Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case 34.99 after 10 mail in rebate
EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply 49.99 after 30 mail in rebate
ASRock Z97M OC Formula Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard 103.97 after shipping and 30 mail in rebate
using 500 gb 7200 rpm hdd from current computer free

Total: 452.93 - 70 in mail in rebates = 382.93
comes with ability to upgrade cpu eventually, add more ram if i actually ever need to, use of m.2, i can either crossfire or upgrade to another single gpu if i actually ever need to, and the case has room for water cooling if needed. I can also research, learn and try to overclock. Do you think that is a good case and motherboard? Or would you choose differently? With the case and motherboard, I don't care about how it looks. It's more about functionality, ease of building, and price.
 
I don't know if you looked, but that's the motherboard in our School Research system. I've been using that for overclocking all summer. I like it, and it is great value for overclocking and Crossfire/SLI. I have run a good i5 4690K to 4.8Ghz on 'big air' on that board.

If you can stand the cost, I would recommend 2400Mhz memory. Here's what I could do with that.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2706290/g3258-memory-overclocking-project-reults.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2626627/build-log-middle-school-science-fair-project-system.html#16397318

Great for what you want, and it will handle Crossfire.
 

bobert823

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Nice! Thanks for all the help! Now, I just need to know which post to pick as the best answer haha. So, you think the case is good for functionality, ease of building, and price? Which 2400 mhz ram would you choose?