$500 Gaming PC (First Build)

[Nate B]

Hey guys! So first off, lemme get this disclaimer out of the way.. (I'd like to apologize before-hand for probably not presenting my information in any sort of way that is acceptable to the mods, such as navigating the forums isn't my specialty :\) Okay, so like the title says, this will be my first computer build, and I don't want to muck it up, as I'm not experienced with part-picking, so I decided to post it here first; if there are any problems, concerns, suggestions, please don't hesitate to throw them at me Thanks!

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The Build
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CPU: $69.99 Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core - newegg.com
Motherboard: $54.95 MSI H81M-E34 Micro ATX LGA1150 - amazon.com
RAM: $26.65 Crucial 4GB (1x4GB) DDR3-1600 - amazon.com
HDD: $44.99 Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM - amazon.com
GPU: $149.99-$20 rebate PowerColor Radeon R9 270 2GB TurboDuo - newegg.com
Case: $39.99-$15 code Fractal Design Core 1100 MicroATX Mini Tower - ncixus.com
PSU: $39.99-$20 rebate Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX - newegg.com
OS: $91.71 Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) - bhphotovideo.com

Approximate Purchase Date: Ideally Before April 13'th, due to rebates

Budget Range: $400-500 Before rebates

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Surfing the Internet, Hosting Small LANs with a max of 5 people

Parts Not Required: Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor, Speakers, (OS is in the build)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: (e.g.: newegg.com, ncix.com, ncixus.com, amazon.com

Country: USA (not positive)

Parts Preferences: Probably Intel, in-case certain Intel parts require other Intel parts)

Overclocking: Preferably not, but acceptable if necessary

SLI or Crossfire: ? (Very sorry, first build)

Okay, so that's what I have so far, again, very sorry for the lack of knowledge of the topic, and I really appreciate your responses Thank you!

Monitor Resolution: Currently, 1360x768, but looking for 1920x1080 in the future

Additional Comments: Again, I truely am sorry for my lack of knowledge on the topic, and I really super appreciate any answers. Thanks!

 

[Darkbreeze]

This is a bit over your budget, but would be a much better overall performer than that G3258 that you would need to add some additional case fans and an aftermarket CPU cooler to, and overclock the shit out of, in order for it to be worthwhile. It still probably wouldn't perform as well as this would. A slightly higher GPU addition would be nice too, but a budget is a budget, I know. Plus, that Powercolor card and Corsair PSU certainly wouldn't make their way onto any build I was working on due to quality issues.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($103.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($68.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($56.10 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 270 2GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($152.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX Power Supply ($33.98 @ Directron)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $588.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-08 03:11 EDT-0400


Plus, it's highly likely that H81 chipset will need a bios update in order to support that G3258 Haswell refresh processor, which means if it does, you'd need to already have a compatible chip that worked with the board without an update in order to get the bios updated.

 

[DonkeyOatie]

As darkbreeze has said, you are going too close to the edge because of your budget and chase after rebates. I would never use choose to use that PSU in a serious gaming machine. It isn't built for it. You are putting a 'mini-van' engine in a 'race car'. Nor would I select they GPU, for the reasons above.

Do you live anywhere near a MicroCenter?

I'm not so worried about the G3258/H81. Recently made boards will work fine. They have the right BIOS and you can check with the manufacturer.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Yeah, maybe not an issue on the board, but maybe. I get so used to almost all our members asking about builds being from India and having a high likelihood of getting older inventory that does bring with it older bios version issues that I sometimes forget boards in US markets will likely have been updated versions.

I even tried to make it work with an Athlon X4 chip, but considering the need for an operating system, which adds an extra hundred bucks to the price, it's just not going to happen with anything of acceptable quality.

 

[DonkeyOatie]

Better parts and choices and close to budget.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($43.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($55.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 270X 2GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Case: HEC Enterprise MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($26.09 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX Power Supply ($33.98 @ Directron)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $512.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-08 17:44 EDT-0400

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($43.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($55.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 270X 2GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($152.98 @ Newegg)
Case: HEC Enterprise MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($26.09 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX Power Supply ($33.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $495.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-08 17:45 EDT-0400

 

[Nate B]

Wow, thanks guys so much for the support, I didn't expect any replies this quick I'm 16, so I don't have that much time to spend researching parts what with all the school, working, and just not researching parts xD @DonkeyOatie, I'll definitely check out your build, thanks for putting it together. And thanks @darkbreeze as well. TBH I didn't pick out these parts, I let a site called choosemypc.net do the work, then I figured up the prices, so I'm glad I came here before buying. Thank you again for your time

 

[DonkeyOatie]

Here's something we did at school. http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-2328703/build-log-mini-itx-middle-school.html