First Build: ~$500 Gaming System

[phoenixlol]

I'm planning on building a gaming system based on August's $500 gaming machine. This will be my first build and most powerful machine I'll have owned to date so I was hoping to get some advice before I buy all the parts. Here is what I have in my carts from Amazon and NewEgg:

Intel Pentium Dual-Core Processor G860 3.0 GHz 3 MB Cache LGA 1155
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LLBBSS/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_6?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231394

Diablotek PHD Series PHD450 450W ATX12V V2.2 Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817822002

GIGABYTE GA-B75M-D3V LGA 1155 Intel B75 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128540

Samsung SH-222BB/BEBE 22X SATA DVDRW Internal Drive (Black), Bulk without Software
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006B7R9PU/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_2?ie=UTF8&smid=A1HNC035CZ2MR5

NZXT Technologies Source 210 ComputerCase http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005869A7K/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_3?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB SATA III 7200 RPM 16 MB Cache Bulk/OEM
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00461G3MS/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_4?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Superclocked 1024 MB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 2DVI/Mini-HDMI SLI Ready Graphics Card, 01G-P3-1461-KR
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0050I1PH4/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_5?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

The machine will mostly always connected to an LCD TV for watching TV/Movies and gaming (Diablo 3, Planetside 2, Fallout New Vegas, Arma II (Day Z mod)). I would love some general advice, but also have some specific questions.

Most importantly, will all of this work together and did I miss anything?

Should I stick with Windows 7 for now? What's the best way to purchase an OS for a new build like this?

Any glaring improvements that could be made for relatively cheap? I could probably throw another $75 at it.

If I'm not mistaken the GPU's output (that I'll be using) is HDMI mini. Will there be any loss in using an adapter to convert to reg HDMI?

Lastly, what will I need to upgrade first if I continue to buy new games as they come out and when you you think that might be?

Thanks to anyone willing to put up with the new idiot!

 

[phoenixlol]

If I missed some information required to be able to give advice please let me know. I'd really like some input on this before I spend the money with it being my first build and all. Thanks for reading.

 

[Deemo13]

I would definitely not recommend that DiabloTek PSU. They generally make pretty garbage quality power supplies.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Pentium G860 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($68.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B75M-DGS Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($61.97 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($171.97 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec Three Hundred ATX Mid Tower Case ($45.98 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $499.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

This offers a better video card and a more reliable power supply.

If you want to buy Windows, generally Amazon has a cheaper price. If you don't plan on upgrading anything anytime soon, then go with the OEM version of Windows.

It might be a bit over the budget, and if that is an issue, then you can downgrade to a Radeon HD7770.

 

[phoenixlol]

I'm pretty loose on the budget. Would like to keep it under 550 (not including OS) but would go a bit higher if it were necessary for longevity. Guess that could turn in to an endless cycle though. Thank you very much for the input.

 

[quilciri]

I would definitely not recommend that DiabloTek PSU. They generally make pretty garbage quality power supplies.

+1

Deemo's build is solid. The only possible improvement I would come up with is *if* you live near a microcenter, they now offer cpu/mobo bundles with the i3-3225. You could pick that up with one of the Gigabyte or MSI mATX boards for ~$160, which would bring your total to about $540.

have fun!

 

[phoenixlol]

Best answer selected by phoenixlol.