600ish Dollar Gaming Computer

[theravindu]

Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: this week (the closer the better)

Budget Range: <600. If 500-600 makes a big difference then I'd gladly spend the 600. Otherwise, im fine with 500

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, surfing, watching movies

Are you buying a monitor: NO




Do you need to buy OS: My parents work for a university, will they be able to get a OS there?

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: anywhere

Location: I live in north carolina

Parts Preferences: Intel CPU

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: No idea, if not needed then No

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920 x 1080

Additional Comments: Rather have a quiet PC that can deal with summer heat. Should run newer games like heart of the swarm and dota 2 and Path of Exile very well.

Could you tell me the FPS i expect to get as well?

Thanks!

PCPartPicker part list /
Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($118.93 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock B85 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($67.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Source 220 ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ TigerDirect)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $611.85
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-03 00:31 EDT-0400)
Right now it will do fine for gaming, but the OP wants to upgrade to an i7 later on and is built with upgrading purposes in mind.

Here is my current build.
I would like to change the case for one with built in standoffs for easier installation. could anyone help me upgrade/ fine tweak this build a little or is it already really good? I am looking to upgrade i nthe near future too.

 

[AMD Radeon]

well i dont think i3 is good for gaming

this is AMD 6 cores build, for your consideration, with 270X

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($72.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Kingston Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card ($199.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Source 220 ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ TigerDirect)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $597.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-04 01:43 EDT-0400)

 

[theravindu]

well i dont think i3 is good for gaming

this is AMD 6 cores build, for your consideration, with 270X

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($72.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Kingston Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card ($199.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Source 220 ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ TigerDirect)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $597.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-04 01:43 EDT-0400)

im going to upgrade to an i7 next december. how hards it to pgrade a processor?

 

[tiny voices]

You should be thinking about an i5 not an i7 for gaming. It is not too difficult.

 

[theravindu]

Its just dota 2 , not that graphic intensive

 

[RazerZ]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($184.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-DGS R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($51.38 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 220 ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ TigerDirect)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $621.30
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-04 14:31 EDT-0400)

Could go with this and upgrade the ram later on.

 

[tiny voices]

Dota is more CPU intensive than other games. It will run more than fine in an i3 though.

 

[theravindu]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($184.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-DGS R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($51.38 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 220 ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ TigerDirect)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $621.30
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-04 14:31 EDT-0400)

Could go with this and upgrade the ram later on.

do you know of a case iwth the built in motherboard stands? or is it not that hard to put it in yourself?

 

[tiny voices]

They just screw in. They are called standoffs. It is about the easiest thing to do.

 

[RazerZ]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($184.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-DGS R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($51.38 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 220 ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ TigerDirect)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $621.30
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-04 14:31 EDT-0400)

Could go with this and upgrade the ram later on.

do you know of a case iwth the built in motherboard stands? or is it not that hard to put it in yourself?

Most cases come with stand offs.

 

[theravindu]

Ok I bought the Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($118.93 @ OutletPC) and MSI Radeon R9 270 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Amazon)

how long would it take me to upgrade next year to like an i7, an hour or so? If so , is it really difficult?

 

[theravindu]

Also do I just need a CD of windows 7 or what?Do I need a CD key? DIf I were to ask my university IT for one, how should I ask them?

 

[RazerZ]

Ok I bought the Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($118.93 @ OutletPC) and MSI Radeon R9 270 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Amazon)

how long would it take me to upgrade next year to like an i7, an hour or so? If so , is it really difficult?

No maybe ten minutes. You simply remove the heatsink from the cpu and take the cpu out of the motherboard. Then you put in the new cpu and put back to cooler.

 

[RazerZ]

Also do I just need a CD of windows 7 or what?Do I need a CD key? DIf I were to ask my university IT for one, how should I ask them?

You need the CD and key. I would ask your parents to ask some one in the IT department for a copy.

 

[theravindu]

Ok I bought the Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($118.93 @ OutletPC) and MSI Radeon R9 270 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Amazon)

how long would it take me to upgrade next year to like an i7, an hour or so? If so , is it really difficult?

No maybe ten minutes. You simply remove the heatsink from the cpu and take the cpu out of the motherboard. Then you put in the new cpu and put back to cooler.

Would I need a new heatsink since its glued onto it?
Oh, and the heatsink comes with the CPU right?

 

[RazerZ]

Ok I bought the Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($118.93 @ OutletPC) and MSI Radeon R9 270 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Amazon)

how long would it take me to upgrade next year to like an i7, an hour or so? If so , is it really difficult?

No maybe ten minutes. You simply remove the heatsink from the cpu and take the cpu out of the motherboard. Then you put in the new cpu and put back to cooler.

Would I need a new heatsink since its glued onto it?
Oh, and the heatsink comes with the CPU right?

No, you would just have to buy thermal paste and reapply it when you put it back on. The heatsink comes with the CPU.

Before you start building make sure to watch some youtube videos. This guy has really good and clear tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/user/CareyHolzman/videos

Also just search on youtube how to replace a CPU.

 

[theravindu]

Could you link me the specific videos, he seems to have a ton

 

[RazerZ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zOYdNEHDQo

 

[theravindu]

OH, I almost forgot haha. What should I buy for WiFi connectivity?

 

[RazerZ]

OH, I almost forgot haha. What should I buy for WiFi connectivity?

A PCI Express x1 wireless network adapter. Should be able to find one around $15

 

[theravindu]

Is there anything special I have to do during installation for that? Just plug it in and start windows?

 

[RazerZ]

Is there anything special I have to do during installation for that? Just plug it in and start windows?

Yes plug it in, go to the BIOS menu and select the CD/DVD drive to boot first.