Advice on first PC build. Open to all suggestions! Working with about $600.

[benjieg]

Hey guys I am looking to build a PC. I figure the next generation of consoles are still not going to compare to what I could build myself. This is what I am currently thinking of building. I honestly don't even know if all the parts are compatible. All suggestions and comments are greatly appreciated!

CPU - Intel i3-3220 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz

Hard Drive - Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB

SSD - SanDisk ReadyCache SDSSDRC-032G-G26 2.5" 32GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive

Memory - Corsair Vengeance (2 x 4GB) 240-pin DDR3 1600

Power Supply - CORSAIR CX430M 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Motherboard - GIGABYTE GA-B75M-HD3 (rev. 1.0) LGA 1155 Intel B75 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Video Card - SAPPHIRE 100355-1GOCL Radeon HD 7850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card OC Version

Case - Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, comes with Three Fans-1x Front Blue LED 120mm Fan, 1x Top 140mm Fan, 1x Rear 120mm Fan, option Fans-2x Side 120mm Fan

 

[JD88]

That looks pretty solid. I would consider going with the AMD FX 6300 over the i3 as I think it will benefit you in the long run. Also, do you already have a copy of Windows? If not, don't forget it adds around $90 to the cost. Everything else looks pretty good. Might move up to the CX 500 power supply as its on sale right now at Newegg.

 

[stickmansam]

I would rather get stronger base components and add an SSD in later
1866mhz ram as it is cheap
CX500 with the 7870ghz 2GB
FX6300 with a fast 1tb HDD (grab a larger 128gb SSD later on, you can live without one)
USB3 case + mb

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($133.79 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($49.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($47.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($204.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 431 Plus (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $599.69
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-28 22:31 EDT-0400)

 

[benjieg]

I would rather get stronger base components and add an SSD in later
1866mhz ram as it is cheap
CX500 with the 7870ghz 2GB
FX6300 with a fast 1tb HDD (grab a larger 128gb SSD later on, you can live without one)
USB3 case + mb

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($133.79 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($49.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($47.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($204.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 431 Plus (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $599.69
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-28 22:31 EDT-0400)

Why do you all suggest AMD over intel? I have heard that the i3 is better than the majority of the AMD processors that are on the market and that AMD processors tend to run very hot. Also thanks for the advice on waiting for the SSD. I was thinking the same thing but I wanted someone else's input.

 

[benjieg]

That looks pretty solid. I would consider going with the AMD FX 6300 over the i3 as I think it will benefit you in the long run. Also, do you already have a copy of Windows? If not, don't forget it adds around $90 to the cost. Everything else looks pretty good. Might move up to the CX 500 power supply as its on sale right now at Newegg.

I would rather get stronger base components and add an SSD in later
1866mhz ram as it is cheap
CX500 with the 7870ghz 2GB
FX6300 with a fast 1tb HDD (grab a larger 128gb SSD later on, you can live without one)
USB3 case + mb

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($133.79 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($49.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($47.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($204.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 431 Plus (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $599.69
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-28 22:31 EDT-0400)

I have not forgot about Windows, I just like to forget that I have to buy it haha. Is it possible to download linux as the operating system and then "magically" download windows online through linux?

 

[stickmansam]

You can just run Linux until you get a friend to gift you one for your birthday or you save up to buy one

The AMD is slightly better than the i3 over a large range of games, and will be more powerful as time goes on (in crysis 3 the FX shreds the i3)

The AMD isn't really hotter and a cheap $10 cooler can keep the temps low (both intel and amd stock fans suck)

I have a friend running an FX6300 + 7850 and he's pretty happy with it

 

[JD88]

I have not forgot about Windows, I just like to forget that I have to buy it haha. Is it possible to download linux as the operating system and then "magically" download windows online through linux?

The FX-6300 generally matches the i3 in most gaming benchmarks. It also has an unlocked multiplier meaning it can be overclocked substantially for even better performance. Also, it is a 6 core processor vs a dual core with hyperthreading in the i3. More and more games are starting to utilize the additional cores so the AMD chip is likely to be better off down the road.

Unfortunately there is no way around buying Windows aside from piracy which is illegal and should be avoided at all costs. Owning your own copy and knowing it is genuine has a lot of benefits. You won't regret purchasing it.

Linux is great, but it's simply not a good platform for gaming. Yet...

 

[stickmansam]

The FX 6300 would perform at about FX8150 levels

 

[benjieg]

Looks like I'll go with AMD then. Is over clocking difficult? And any suggestions on AMD motherboards and heatsink fans?

 

[stickmansam]

This mb I chose would be fine for normal overclocking, about 4-4.2ghz

For a nice heatsink, get the 212+/212 EVO or one of the Zalman cnpsx10+ whichever is cheaper

It may be good to just buy everything else and if you feel like you need more cpu power, then get the heatsink and OC