$500-600 Budget gaming PC

[th0th]

After using nothing but laptops for the past decade or so, I've decided I want to try to try my hand at building a cheap desktop. Researching and finding deals on CPUs/GPUs/etc. seems easy enough, but I'm at a complete loss on how to pick out a motherboard/psu/ram or even the case. It seems like the AMD FX-6300 and Sapphire Radeon HD 7750 pack a lot of bang for your buck in this price bracket, and I was thinking of making a build around those, but I'm not married to the idea. just what I came up with looking at prices and various builds around here.

I don't need windows or any unnecessary accessories. I would like the case to have a headphones/mic and atleast 1 USB jack on the front if possible. Thanks for any help!

 

[AMD Radeon]

what will be the PC for? gaming? video editing?
are you in us/canada?

 

[ikes9711]

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

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($116.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A85X Extreme4-M Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($97.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($46.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 6670 1GB Video Card ($88.98 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($53.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $557.44
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-22 08:28 EST-0500)

 

[th0th]

what will be the PC for? gaming? video editing?
are you in us/canada?

Didn't think to mention location for prices/shipping heh, I'm in the US. This would be for general use, casual gaming (GW2 and TF2 are what I mainly play now, but I'd like to get the most out of the price bracket to play whatever I else I can in the future), and a small amount of video editing.

@ikes, is it worth it to spend that much on a motherboard/1600 ram? Compared to using a cheaper mobo/1333 ram, and putting that money into a better CPU/GPU that is.

 

[AMD Radeon]

^ i am sorry to say this, @ikeh is actually trolling or just plain dxmb

 

[AMD Radeon]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($129.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock 970DE3/U3S3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.57 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($209.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $605.51
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-22 09:32 EST-0500)

amd 6300 core build as you wish, ddr3 1600 is actually the cheapest now
for your game, 7870 is overkill... you might want to swap it to 7770 and get SSD from that price saving

 

[AMD Radeon]

with SSD and 7770, this is likely the best option for you

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($129.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock 970DE3/U3S3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.57 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($112.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7770 1GB Video Card ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $598.49
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-22 09:37 EST-0500)

 

[EzioAs]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / 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: Corsair Vengeance 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($27.98 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($174.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill Blackbone ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX12V Power Supply ($30.95 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $605.83
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-22 09:47 EST-0500)

 

[th0th]

@ AMD Radeon

Except the more expensive GPU, that build is basically what I was going for. I didn't realize 1600 was cheaper, I guess that's non-argument than lol. I'm going to shop around and work from that, thanks!

 

[cball1311]

I suspect, since you have been using laptops, that you will need a monitor too. Here you go, all for under $600.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($129.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI 760GM-P23 (FX) Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.57 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7770 1GB Video Card ($106.97 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 370 ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Acer G215HVBbd 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $588.47
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-22 10:09 EST-0500)

But if you could fudge $650, I would go with this. The jump from the 7770 to 7850 is well worth it for FPS gain.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($129.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI 760GM-P23 (FX) Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.57 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 370 ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Acer G215HVBbd 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $651.49
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-22 10:21 EST-0500)

 

[th0th]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I have a couple of questions;

For the motherboard, beyond supporting processor/memory I'm using, what should I be looking for? The prices are all over the place.

If the prices for the radeon cards are similar (as in the same model between different manufacturers), is there any reason to prefer one manufacturer over the other?

For the AMD build, do I really need the 600w power supply over using a cheaper 430w version from the same brand?

 

[AMD Radeon]

For the AMD build, do I really need the 600w power supply over using a cheaper 430w version from the same brand?
yes you can, but for safety reason, it is good to provide enough room for PSU normally corsair 430W is for minimalist build without GPU

 

[EzioAs]

For the motherboard, beyond supporting processor/memory I'm using, what should I be looking for? The prices are all over the place.

Just find the chipset that best suits your needs (in this case, I recommend the H77 or B75) and then just look for the motheboard with your desired number of ports (SATA, USB, PCI/PCIe) and desired price.

If the prices for the radeon cards are similar (as in the same model between different manufacturers), is there any reason to prefer one manufacturer over the other?

Not really. Although Sapphire and/or MSI cards are usually cheaper than the rest. However, look for deals as well.

For the AMD build, do I really need the 600w power supply over using a cheaper 430w version from the same brand?

I'm assuming you're talking about the CX600 in cball1311's list. I believe Newegg has a great deal on that unit now so that's why he suggested it.

 

[th0th]

AMD Radeon has the same psu in his build as well. What could of problems could I run into with the 430w version over the 600w? They both seem to be cheap on newegg atm, using the 430w would save $25 I could put towards the GPU.

 

[EzioAs]

AMD Radeon has the same psu in his build as well. What could of problems could I run into with the 430w version over the 600w? They both seem to be cheap on newegg atm, using the 430w would save $25 I could put towards the GPU.

No problem really. Although getting a higher wattage, still high quality unit (CX600) does give you more reassurance for future upgrades and a little more headroom really doesn't hurt, you know.

 

[iceclock]

the 430 is of higher quality actually.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=214

scores a 9 outta 10. i think ur wrong radeon

the cx600 isnt the same quality as the cx430.

According to the specifications, they are rated to give full power at 30ºC. We have to Keep in mind that some internal components decreases their capacity for delivering current when the temperature increases. Therefore a maximum power measured at a low temperature may not be got at a higher temperature, so the maximum power value would be unreal if we consider that the temperature inside the computer case will be 40-50º C in most cases.
Comparing the CX430, for example, with the old OCZ StealthXStream 400W (which was made by CWT too), it has 36W on the +12V more than the new Corsair's model.
Corsair claims that the CX prices are going to be very, very low in the market and the CX is an entry-level product for people building unexciting email and web machines, maybe some light gaming. It's also designed as a decent replacement PSU for somebody who has a dead PSU and just wants a cheap, reliable replacement. They are not speaking about quality. Only about pricing.
Therefore, consedering the high quality of the CX400 model, the new CX series is very very dissapointing. It seems that Corsair has no intention to send samples to be reviewed, but it won't be strange if we find any review in the near future.
In my opinion, Corsair strategy is wrong.

 

[iceclock]

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

CPU: Intel Core i3-2120 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($118.79 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-G41 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($79.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.57 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7770 1GB Video Card ($102.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 370 ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 450W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($42.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS72 DVD/CD Writer ($22.75 @ Amazon)
Total: $503.05
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-22 10:20 EST-0500)

Base Total: $537.06
Mail-in Rebates: -$40.00
Shipping: $5.99
Total: $503.05


for the win.