Need help with budget gaming PC build

[Alwaysunarmed]

I have about 11 days until I can purchase this build, and I plan on getting the best possible performance and longevity out of my $750 budget that I possibly can.

The link to my build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2yN3o

 

[zemiak]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ TigerDirect)
Motherboard: Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($52.49 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($160.00 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Chaser A31 ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.95 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Microcenter)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($97.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $711.36
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-10 01:11 EST-0500)

Made some changes.

 

[Alwaysunarmed]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ TigerDirect)
Motherboard: Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($52.49 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($160.00 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Chaser A31 ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.95 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Microcenter)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($97.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $711.36
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-10 01:11 EST-0500)

Made some changes.

I really appreciate the post mate, however I really dislike a few changes made. I'm definitely open to suggestions, but a lot of the parts you recommended were rate poorly on numerous sites. I've run this build by a few different forums and it's been tweaked, and right now all I've seen truly suggested up to this point was upgrading the power supply to a more reliable brand, and upgrading the video card to a 270x.

I appreciate the effort, and I'll definitely consider this, however I think I'll probably see what other people have to say first.

 

[realchaos]

If you're willing to go a bit over:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ TigerDirect)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 270 2GB Video Card ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Microcenter)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($97.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $763.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-10 01:40 EST-0500)

-Better quality motherboard. The motherboard you listed is not really meant for FX chips. It may work, but it's not the most stable option. It's best to get, at the least, a 970 chipset motherboard for FX processors, especially if you plan to overclock.
-Added a Hyper 212 EVO for mild overclocking.
-Better quality case and psu.
-Much stronger gpu.

 

[Alwaysunarmed]

If you're willing to go a bit over:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ TigerDirect)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 270 2GB Video Card ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Microcenter)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($97.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $763.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-10 01:40 EST-0500)

-Better quality motherboard. The motherboard you listed is not really meant for FX chips. It may work, but it's not the most stable option. It's best to get, at the least, a 970 chipset motherboard for FX processors, especially if you plan to overclock.
-Added a Hyper 212 EVO for mild overclocking.
-Better quality case and psu.
-Much stronger gpu.

Thanks a lot for the post and tips mate, I have to ask though, why use 2x4GB memory? I've seen people tell me to use a single stick. And as far as the motherboard, I may have cut back too much on that because I was trying to cut cost.

 

[Alwaysunarmed]

If you're willing to go a bit over:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ TigerDirect)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 270 2GB Video Card ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Microcenter)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($97.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $763.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-10 01:40 EST-0500)

-Better quality motherboard. The motherboard you listed is not really meant for FX chips. It may work, but it's not the most stable option. It's best to get, at the least, a 970 chipset motherboard for FX processors, especially if you plan to overclock.
-Added a Hyper 212 EVO for mild overclocking.
-Better quality case and psu.
-Much stronger gpu.

Also I have to ask, and sorry if this is really dumb but I'm just curious, on PCPartPicker it gives a possible incompatibility with the BIOS possibly needing to be updated when using the 970 chipset. Is this something to worry about? Because I don't know where to start with updating the BIOS.

 

[realchaos]

Everyone will recommend 2x4gb over 1x8gb because it allows you to utilize dual channel memory to effectively double the bandwidth, something that a single stick can't utilize.

If you need to cut back on money, I would rather skip the cpu cooler for now and get it later on in the future. The cpu cooler is something that you can easily add in, while a motherboard is much harder and more expensive. The Asus M5A97 R2.0 is one of the best 970 chipset motherboards.

Yeah PCPP shows a possible incompatibility, but you can probably disregard it. When Vishera processors first came out (the FX-X3XX series), motherboards required a BIOS update because they didn't initially support them. It's been quite a while since then so almost all 970 chipset motherboards should support the Vishera processors right out of the box. It's still possible to get one that doesn't support it, depending on how long the retailer has been keeping the older motherboards. I doubt they still have any in stock as it's been so long though. I have that Asus motherboard and it supported my FX-6300 right out of the box, so you should be fine.