Budget AMD Build

That will be a marginal gamer at best at 1080p resolution

This will be about 20 times more powerful

FX 6300 $140
Asrock 970 extreme3 $75
2 x4 gig of RAM $47
Radeon 7850 $165

spend way less on your mouse and keyboard. These are easy to update later so its not worth building a dud computer to own expensive models now

Does it have to be AMD? Intel makes better CPUs.

ROFL

rofl the 2 here -_- what???,

heres what u can get for 700$

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

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($77.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Blu Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Toshiba 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB Video Card ($106.97 @ Newegg)
Case: Zalman Z9 ATX Mid Tower Case ($31.98 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($52.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ Outlet PC)
Monitor: Zalman MZ240ED 24.0" Monitor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Razer Arctosa Wired Standard Keyboard ($40.24 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Logitech G300 Wired Optical Mouse ($32.60 @ Amazon)
Total: $665.25
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-19 20:39 EST-0500)

Base Total: $685.71
Mail-in Rebates: -$35.00
Shipping: $14.54
Total: $665.25

cheers

GPU: XFX Core Edition Radeon HD 7850 1GB $159.99 (before $20 MIR)
RAM: Wintec One 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 $34.99
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200 RPM SATA $59.99
DVD: SAMSUNG DVD Burner $15.99
Case: COOLER MASTER Elite 430 $39.99 (before $10 MIR)
PSU: CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 80 PLUS BRONZE $44.99 (before $20 MIR)

Subtotal: $355.94 (after $0 shipping and before $50 mail-in-rebates)

Option 1 (AMD) --
CPU: AMD FX-4170 $119.99
Mobo: ASRock 970 PRO3 $69.99

Subtotal: $197.54 (after $7.56 shipping)
Total: $553.48 (after $7.56 shipping and before $50 mail-in-rebates)

Option 2 (Intel) --
CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 $129.99
Mobo: ASRock B75M-DGS $54.99

Subtotal: $191.96 (after $6.98 shipping)
Total: $547.90 (after $6.98 shipping and before $50 mail-in-rebates)

I prefer option 2, but if you have to go AMD, option 1 will work. There are several decent 1080p monitors on newegg in the $120 range. That only leaves you about $30 budget (before rebates) for your mouse and keyboard, so I suggest buying a cheap combo now, then buying a decent gaming mouse when your rebates come in.

not bad.

Actually these are great builds but it has to be AMD because it is cheap. I didn't mind the Zalman MZ240ED 24.0" Monitor that was a great choice. Things that need to stay are the case because its like the only thing my brother cares about. And the mouse and keyboard will stay the same as well. Then there is that I need an optical port on the motherboard. Sorry I did not specify. Taking some suggestions from your builds I have come up with this.

Intel
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/yA2P
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/yA2P/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/yA2P/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Tactical 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($23.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7770 1GB Video Card ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout ATX Mid Tower Case ($66.01 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Zalman MZ240ED 24.0" Monitor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Razer RZ01-00152400-R3M1 Wired Optical Mouse ($47.99 @ Best Buy)
Other: SteelSeries Shift Gaming Keyboard (Black) ($44.29)
Total: $701.21
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-20 10:42 EST-0500)

Amd
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/yA9O
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/yA9O/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/yA9O/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-D3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7770 1GB Video Card ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout ATX Mid Tower Case ($66.01 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Zalman MZ240ED 24.0" Monitor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Razer RZ01-00152400-R3M1 Wired Optical Mouse ($47.99 @ Best Buy)
Other: SteelSeries Shift Gaming Keyboard (Black) ($44.29)
Total: $700.21
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-20 10:58 EST-0500)

OP, do you have a microcenter nearby? If you do, they have discounts on amd motherboard cpu combos where you get about 40 dollars off a board when you buy a cpu.

I don't like PCPartPicker because it includes rebates in the final price, but that's not the price you'll pay at checkout. You have to send your rebate in and wait 3-4 months for a check in the mail.

I'd make sure you need an optical port. I don't have much experience with it, but I was talking with a guy at work about this the other day, and he said it only works with movies and such that have a separate digital track. He said it did not work for any of his games.

You seem to already know what you want, but I'll just throw this out there --
Phenom II is 5 years old. It's cheaper than Ivy Bridge i3s for a reason.
A case just holds your parts (sound and airflow won't be a big concern for entry-level parts).
Mouse and keyboard are easy to upgrade and don't impact game performance.
It's better to spend more of your budget on CPU and GPU now and get cheap input devices later (for example, after your rebates come in.

heres my changes for u to save money.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/yAS5
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/yAS5/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/yAS5/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus M5A78L-M LX PLUS Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.12 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Hitachi 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($55.08 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7770 1GB Video Card ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout ATX Mid Tower Case ($66.01 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Zalman MZ240ED 24.0" Monitor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Razer RZ01-00152400-R3M1 Wired Optical Mouse ($47.99 @ Best Buy)
Other: SteelSeries Shift Gaming Keyboard (Black) ($44.29)
Total: $662.43
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-20 12:19 EST-0500)

Base Total: $702.43
Mail-in Rebates: -$40.00
Total: $662.43

cheers

I'm gonna go and get the i3. And I understand the input devices thing. But once you go Razer you will never go back. It is the most important part of the PC in my opinion. Because it doesn't matter if you can play 100fps if you cannot have precise input devices. I have my reasons and know the consequences. I have a pc that I built for my dad that has a Phenom X4 in it with a gtx 680 ssc and it runs everything at 100+fps. But I see that the superiority of an intel cpu and how much more performance you get. I think I will buy this build unless there is something majorly wrong.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/yA2P
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/yA2P/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/yA2P/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Tactical 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($23.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7770 1GB Video Card ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout ATX Mid Tower Case ($66.01 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Zalman MZ240ED 24.0" Monitor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Razer RZ01-00152400-R3M1 Wired Optical Mouse ($47.99 @ Best Buy)
Other: SteelSeries Shift Gaming Keyboard (Black) ($44.29)
Total: $701.21
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-20 12:26 EST-0500)

here:

modified it for better price.

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

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock B75M-DGS Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($56.97 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($23.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 6770 1GB Video Card ($77.86 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout ATX Mid Tower Case ($66.01 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Zalman MZ240ED 24.0" Monitor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Razer RZ01-00152400-R3M1 Wired Optical Mouse ($47.99 @ Best Buy)
Other: SteelSeries Shift Gaming Keyboard (Black) ($44.29)
Total: $656.05
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-20 12:31 EST-0500)

Base Total: $691.20
Mail-in Rebates: -$50.00
Shipping: $14.85
Total: $656.05

cheers. 6700=7700  

6770 != 7770. 6770 is closer to 7750 in performance. It wasn't just a rename like the 5770 to 6770 was.

OP, you want to install RAM in matched pairs. Get 2x4GB instead of 1x4GB. I can get behind you using a mouse you like, but I really, really, really think you should at least downgrade the keyboard for now, and choose a cheaper case to afford a step up to a 7850 1GB. It's three tiers higher on Tom's graphics card hierarchy chart for $50 more. It's going to make a pretty big difference in performance.

hm was shur it was similar.

heres my revised build:

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

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock B75M-DGS Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($56.97 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($23.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7770 1GB Video Card ($106.97 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout ATX Mid Tower Case ($66.01 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Zalman MZ240ED 24.0" Monitor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Razer RZ01-00152400-R3M1 Wired Optical Mouse ($47.99 @ Best Buy)
Other: SteelSeries Shift Gaming Keyboard (Black) ($44.29)
Total: $685.16
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-20 13:13 EST-0500)

Base Total: $691.20
Mail-in Rebates: -$20.00
Shipping: $13.96
Total: $685.16

still within ur budget mate.

Well the cheaper keyboard thing won't work either because I have a reason for that as well. I cannot use a regular keyboard. A mechanical keyboard is essential to my setup. I was considering the Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2013 but there are cheaper mechanical keyboards which is why I chose the Steelseries Shift. The case is also a very important part of the setup because it has a handle for portability and is a very attractive case. Price is a bit steep though I'm willing to drop to high settings rather then ultra for a nice case.

how do u like my build hewho?

7770 vs 7850 is not high vs. ultra. It's more like low/medium vs. high/ultra.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/536?vs=549

But it's your money, so get what you want.

Motherboard does not have USB 3.0 and no digital audio and only 2 channel analog. The ram is only 2gb per module. And that might be all. I really want to get the 650 ssc but the 7770 does about 3 frames higher for like $35 less.

I think I'll take it.

1337. thanks ur gonna enjoy this super budget build  

The intel dual core is a match for the AMD FX6300 in gaming at stock speed but cannot keep up once you start overclocking the FX .
And the FX is much stronger every where else .
The 7770 is marginal for gaming at 1080p . Image details will have to be on lowered settings

Since a decent gamer is possible with this budget it just does not make sense to build that intel system with such big compromises

also has to do with his budet.

i say otherwise.

since hed have to invest in a aftermarket cooler. and get a better case for maximum cooling when overclocking.

so overall would cost more.

Well this technically isn't mine. This is going to be my brother's pc. He currently plays on my dad's pc. Which is 8gb 1600 Oced to 2000, phenom x4 and GTX 660 SSC. Which pulls everything at 100fps or more. Be a bit of a transition but at least you will have a pc that is yours. But Battlefield 3 will do about 45 fps at high. Skyrim at 50fps on high. And Black Ops 2 40 fps on ultra and 62fps on high. All these are at 1080p so 720p should handle it at 50 or more fps.

You can overclock moderately using only the stock AMD cooler . It gets louder but it does work . A 10% OC is easy .
Then He'd have a cpu/ motherboard that has a future upgrade path as well as much better performance now

But the main sticking point is the 7770 . Its never going to run games at high settings at 1080p

Since the rig I suggested does fit in his budget , and is the strongest possible gamer at that price it would be unwise to waste so much on peripherals IMO

i suggested amd but he wanted intel.

I know people that do youtube with a 7770 with an i5 2500k and they play at 1080p just fine. The i3 that i have selected outperforms all of the Fx processors at stock. So lets see $150 for a crap FX or $120 for a processor that outperforms that crap $150 processor.

ok just for the record the fx isnt crap, but the 120 intel i3 does quite fine.

the better bang for bucks is the intel if ur gonna game. if multitasking different story.

You can play games at 1080p with a 7770 but you have to turn down image detail settings . A lot .
A youtube video wont look worse because the video is even lower resolution , but dont be fooled in to thinking you get a great gaming experience . You dont .

Here are some gaming benches
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6396/the-vishera-review-a...
only the first two games include the intel dual core

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/fx-8350-83...

If , as you say , the FX 6300 is a crap cpu ITS A BETTER CRAP CPU THAN THE INTEL i3

If you fit a decent cooler to an FX 6300 you can bump performance to very close to an i5 2500k

Well I'm not going to argue with you anymore because you don't seem like you will change your mind anytime soon. I have seen first hand what the 7770 will do as well as an i3's performance. And it is great and I don't think I will waste anything on the i3 and 7770.

the i3+7700 is decent. and fits within his budget, if he had more id suggest the 7850 but he doesnt, so this build is just great  

Enjoy your mediocre performing dead end build

So to you 45 fps at high on battlefield 3 is mediocre? Wow. And thats at 1080p. It should do at least 40fps on ultra at 720p. If that is still what you call mediocre then I'm not sure will impress you at all.

dead end, what u talking, he can always upgrade to an i7 or i5 later on, and he doesnt have the budget for a 6core+7850

anyways i think hew is happy with the build i made.

As I have previously said a 7770 can play games at 1080p , but you only get good FPS is you turn image details down , and even then there will be slow downs that you will notice at times

If you wish to play at those kind of settings its an excellent choice .

well like i said out, hes got a limited budget, what can u do  

The FX 6300/970 chipset mb/ 8 gig of RAM/ 7850
can easily be done in that budget

so , yeah , thats what you can do

This is not a $700 computer only budget. I need a nice keyboard and a nice mouse and a monitor which cuts the budget by like $200. Leaving $500 for a computer. If I get more money I will probably get a 660 or a 650ti SSC. I'm putting together a $700 budget computer with a I5 and a 660 and it is about $600. And then $170 worth of mouse/keyboard. It can be done with a limited budget. If you only have $700 what can you do. And I am a huge fan of Nvidia/Intel and would not stand for anything else but a Nvidia/Intel. But this is not my pc so I don't mind what goes into it as long as it can perform yet stay within the budget. Go on show me the build you can come up with.

FX 6300 $140
Asrock 970 extreme3 $75
2 x4 gig of 1600 Mhz RAM $36
Radeon 7850 $160
Samsung DVD $16
CM elite 430 case $40
500 gig hard drive $60
Corsair CX 430 $25


Zalman monitor $120

and a budget of $28 - 40 for a perfectly workable mouse and keyboard combo

would put you on or fractionally above the $700 mark
It will game better , and it will do everything else much better

hes stuck on the case+mouse+keyboard good luck convincing him otherwise.

which is roughly the same as buying a crap car because it has a nice coat of paint

hopefully he is smarter than that

Just because it has a nice coat of paint... Wow. Just wow... If you would have read all the posts you would know otherwise. I want the case because it is flashy and portable. I want the keyboard because it is relatively cheap for a gaming mechanical keyboard compared to the Razer Blackwidow or the Razer Lycosa. The mouse is because the Razer Abyssus does not have additional buttons and the Deathadder is an amazing mouse. With Razer products you get what you pay for if not more. So back to your "coat of paint." So this is the actual analogy to what my situation is. I am buying a great car because it performs better.

NO
The system you are suggesting building performs much worse at everything , but especially gaming

and you seem to have changed your story again?
Before it was not for you
and now it is again?

either way the actual analogy is you are buying a slow car that has nice paint

It is for my brother and it will stay that way. It is a lot easier to type one letter rather then my brother over and over again. And I am buying it for him so I want to get him something I would like. And what you are saying is that the "slow car with nice paint actually is cheaper and faster then the more expensive car that you have to mod a new engine into (Oc-ing) to make it perform on the level of the "slow" car. But then I could just buy a top notch i3 and it would be about the same price as this amd cpu and would outperform it even still. The i3 beats even the 8 core fx cpu at benchmarks. It is pathetic. And don't tell me it won't perform when I have a 7770 with a pentium in it right in front of me (at my uncles friends house) and it does Assassins Creed/Skyrim just fine at high settings. I am doubting that you have actually used any of these products except the crap FX.

your "slow car" has a radeon 7770 graphics card and a dual core processor that cant be overclocked

My suggestion has an AMD processor thats a fraction better [ depends on the game ] at stock speed , but can be overclocked to increase performance a lot . And it has a 7850 graphics card thats 50% or more stronger everywhere


Im not sure why you think the FX is not as good a gamer as an intel dual core . There is plenty of evidence to the contrary if you looked for benchmarks . Or even just read the links I posted earlier .

Stop being mean to your brother and buy him the best computer his money can get

But what do i know? I've only been building computers for 30 years so Im no where near as well informed as yourself

um, this threads about what the buyer wants not what u want.

I'm gonna get this build and it will play games. He likes to play minecraft a lot which is not a tough game to have maxed out. Getting to play other games is an extra. And yes I am being very mean to my brother by getting him a quality pc that is cheap and will play games. Might as well get him a 3D monitor and that will put a little more salt in the wound.

im happy to hear the build i made u will sastify ur brother  

best u could of got with the budget and keyboard+mouse u wanted

Best answer selected by hewhogamez.