$500 so far, can go higher. gaming and internet addict

[MalcolmAubrey]

I've been hesitant about getting started on this, so I figured I'd put something together and post it. I live in Texas and I start shivering if I turn the air to 75F, so it's usually warm in here. It might be better to get a cooler processor.

I know the 7770 isn't great, but that price is pretty awesome. I'm willing to spend more there. Again, cooling may be an issue.

I need to buy a new TV as well, so I figured I would use that as a display for now, if that's not a problem.

Thanks for your time.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($90.97 @ Outlet PC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock 990FX Extreme3 ATX AM3+/AM3 Motherboard ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB Video Card ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $501.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-10 19:49 EDT-0400)

 

[Outlander_04]

If you want to play games well on a 1080p screen then the starting point is probably the radeon 7850 .

You could also consider a 500 watt psu to give you a litlle more head room , but thats optional even with a 7850

The rest of it looks great for $500

 

[AMD Radeon]

good build, but fx 6300 is 30 more

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock 990FX Extreme3 ATX AM3+/AM3 Motherboard ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB Video Card ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $524.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-10 20:15 EDT-0400)

 

[Outlander_04]

and yes I would use the FX 6300 if its in your budget too

You could also save $20 on the mb by using a model with a 970 chipset . Performance is the same , but you are limited to one graphics card which shouldnt be an issue at this budget

Asrock 970 extreme3
Asus M5A97 R2.0

 

[MalcolmAubrey]

These changes sound good. If I want to go up to an HD 7850, I can't help but notice that there are a lot of them.

 

[psychatog]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1fmLV
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1fmLV/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1fmLV/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.43 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($76.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB Video Card ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Gamma Classic (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Microcenter)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $512.35
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-10 21:09 EDT-0400)

 

[MalcolmAubrey]

Wow. I'm probably going to get closer to $600, but that would be under $500 without an optical drive. I'm pretty sure I can scavenge one, and most people probably can.

Here's where I'm at. It's still under $600, with an HD 7850, but I have a minor conflict with the case and MoBo

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1fmJG
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1fmJG/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1fmJG/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G43 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($159.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $581.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-10 21:29 EDT-0400)

 

[Outlander_04]

avoid the G43 MSI board . They have no overheating protection in the voltage regulators and can catch fire

The Asus le board is nice but wont overclock well because it has no heat snks on the voltage regulators

Use the premium ASUS M5A97 R2.0 , or Asrock 970 extreme3 IMO

 

[MalcolmAubrey]

Alrighty. With all suggestions in mind, here it is currently. I feel like I need to jump on it now. It's a steal. I had to swap the Corsair Vengeance blue for red, but it's the same, right?

I think the only way to get this cheaper is to go for a 500 GB instead of the TB and swap to the Sapphire 7850 1GB card; but I'd be losing a Gig of VRAM. I wonder about the PowerColor a little. I'd never heard of them until recently.
EDIT: And I'll probably hold off on the cooler for a bit, which drops another $30.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($84.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($150.40 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Gamma Classic (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $553.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-12 16:13 EDT-0400)

 

[psychatog]

Go for it my friend!!

Nice build, i think you won't find better specs for US$550

 

[MalcolmAubrey]

Thanks guys! The first package arrived today. I'm excited.

 

[JPNpower]

Hey you know what's addicting? Running a PC performance pushing program on your computer, and collecting points. Also comparing the points with other enthusiasts on Tom's! It is called Folding at home, check it out.

Folding@Home is a "distributed computing" project. It lets users "donate" their unused computing power to help disease research in critical areas such as Cancer and Alzheimer's. Do the world, the future, and maybe you yourself some good by at least checking it out. Link here. http://folding.stanford.edu/

Moral things aside. Many performance enthusiasts love to compare how well their PC is by showing their points tally for folding. Tom's Hardware has its own team right here! Come in and comment! http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1580785/folding-home-thgc-team-40051/page-173.html