$400 Gaming Build

[lucidrainbow]

Hello,
I have been wanting to build a PC for light gaming and basic use. My budget is quite inflexible; it is $400. I have managed to pick a combination of parts that might work. No Overclocking.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mxOO

I just want to know if
1) if this can be made faster
or
2) if this can be made much cheaper

Thanks!

 

[azathoth]

There was only one Change that I have suggested.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mxUA
The addition of a second memory module for $10 more.

 

[bigcyco1]

no if your even thinking of trying to game with the build it can not get any cheaper

 

[lucidrainbow]

Got it. Is the 660 a decent graphics card? Or should I go with a 7750?

 

[bigcyco1]

660 eats a 7750 for breakfast!Yes 660 is a good gaming card.

 

[lucidrainbow]

My bad, i meant the 650 xD If I had that much to spend for a GPU, I would def. get a 7870 or a 660, haha

 

[bigcyco1]

My bad, i meant the 650 xD If I had that much to spend for a GPU, I would def. get a 7870 or a 660, haha

look here http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&sqi=2&ved=0CDcQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hwcompare.com%2F13468%2Fgeforce-gtx-650-vs-radeon-hd-7750%2F&ei=ExuXUP2kMYjoiwKQ4YDgAw&usg=AFQjCNHWBvgg87waDzhGPc_TmnooHn9qHw&sig2=sXCMOf-pvlg-UpWzRS2Lgw&cad=rja

 

[bigcyco1]

The answer is the GTX 650 is faster then a 7750 lol

 

[lucidrainbow]

I also found the FX6100 for $10 less than a FX4300. Would replacing the 4300 for the 6100 result in noticeably better system performance?

 

[lchrisk]

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus M5A78L-M LX PLUS Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($56.40 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint M7E 320GB 2.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 650 1GB Video Card ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill REDBONE ATX Mid Tower Case ($32.00 @ Newegg)
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: $390.34
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

If you want a little upgrade, get the 7770. It's like 10 more and it will hit your $400.

 

[lucidrainbow]

Would the 5400RPM drive be a large problem in terms of boot times/load times/etc? I know the Phenom II x4 is great, though.

 

[guerrero]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mygW

 

[lucidrainbow]

I also considered the G850, but the benchmarks for the Quad Core AMD FX/Core i3 seemed to fit my needs better. I am gonna be doing some media work(like Photoshop and Premiere). Granted, these do run well enough on my Core 2 Duo, but I figured that Quad Cores would provide a bit of an improvement. Though, if I were purely gaming, that would have been amazing.

 

[sonicers]

Would the 5400RPM drive be a large problem in terms of boot times/load times/etc? I know the Phenom II x4 is great, though.

Yes, 5400 RPM is DRAMATICALLY slower than 7200 RPM. It's worth the extra five dollars. If you have the extra money, for ten dollars more I'd recommend the GTX 560 ti. It's almost as good as an HD 7850, and RAPES both the GTX 650 AND the 7750, and even the 7770. It's 93 dollars at NCIX US including a $20 rebate right now.

This is probably the best build you could get for your price range right now.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/myxP
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/myxP/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/myxP/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i3-2120 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H61M-DGS Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB Video Card ($93.30 @ NCIX US)
Case: Rosewill REDBONE ATX Mid Tower Case ($32.00 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX12V Power Supply ($35.83 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $402.08
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

The i3 beats the Phenom in just about ever aspect, the Antec VP-450 is a better PSU than a Corsair CX 430,and 4GB is all you will ever need for gaming. 4GB sounds like a little, but it's been proven in numerous tests, so you'll be okay.

 

[lucidrainbow]

That's pretty freaking amazing. $3 dollars more, and I can actually game on a PC. So would that pair up well with a FX4300?

 

[sonicers]

I don't see why not, but the FX 4300 and an AM3+ motherboard would go like, $50 over you budget, if you do more video editing, go for it, but I tried to stay as close to $400 as possible. In the end, you're the buyer, and the FX 4300 DOES outperform the i3 2120 in video editing and in gaming, as it's a true quad-core.

 

[lucidrainbow]

I made a few tradeoffs on your build... Just went with a single module of 4GB at 1600 and a 320GB HDD. Figured that I can upgrade my RAM later, and I usually don't use too much space for files. Anything wrong with these decisions? Does dual channel RAM really affect performance too much?
I'm at about $410, but I feel a bit more confident about this one.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/myAL

 

[sonicers]

I'd agree, but really, single channel far underperforms dual channel, and you're only saving one dollar anyways. 4GB of 1600 isn't expensive in the first place.

Other than that, I'd say you're set. Honestly I think the Fractal Design Core 1000 case looks a bit better, but that's all personal preference.

Good luck on your build!

 

[lucidrainbow]

But you are using DDR3-1333 up there.
I would agree, it looks a ton better. But its also much smaller, so it would be harder to build in (first build here, haha).
Originally planned for a G620 and a HD7750. This is a drastic improvement for the better. Thanks.

 

[lucidrainbow]

Best answer selected by lucidrainbow.