$700 Gaming/Video Editing PC

bnsfup1

Honorable
Mar 30, 2013
142
0
10,680
I am looking at building a pc this summer, and I have been going back and forth on what all I should put in this build. I have 4+ months of research I have been doing in preparation of this computer, and I have kept changing my mind. Now, I think I have figured out what I am doing with the build. I am going to be doing light gaming, surfing the internet, and maybe even a little video editing. The current pc I am using is a core 2 duo cpu running at 1.86 ghz with 1 gb of ram and nvidia 7300 gs graphics, so I'm pretty sure anything I get will blow that system away, but I still want to get the best for my money. For my budget $600-$700 with os, I am thinking AMD will be my best bet for this build. I would like this computer to be somewhat easy to travel with, that is why I chose that case. Me being a teenager, I also wanted a "cool" looking computer, so I wanted a case that had a window. I also wanted something that I can put any colored lights/fans in and the color scheme would match, so I didn't want multi-colored parts. Is this the best I can get for my budget?:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($91.00 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($129.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Patriot Gamer 2 Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.98 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7770 2GB Video Card ($137.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout 2 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($94.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($53.00 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($94.44 @ Amazon)
Total: $709.35
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-03 17:52 EDT-0400)

I went over the budget just a smidge, but I figured it would be worth it. I will be taking the hard drive out of my previous pc, and I have an external usb dvd drive to install the os with, so I don't need a dvd drive. Am I good?
 
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($118.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($79.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.94 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB Video Card ($168.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($75.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $588.84
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-03 18:24 EDT-0400)
 


I don't know, there seems to be some good parts in there, but my OCD is going crazy about the part colors. I probably shouldn't be complaining, as the case you picked doesn't even have a window, but here I am doing so.
 
Would you rather have flashy shit on your desktop or real raw performance? You are spending way too much on the case.

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

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($118.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($79.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Patriot Gamer 2 Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.98 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card ($250.38 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Tempest 410 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($58.24 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $698.52
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-03 20:23 EDT-0400)
 


Point taken. I need the os included in that price range, but I already have a hard drive and a dvd drive, so I'll take those out and put win 7 in instead and we should be good. Anything else?
 
Nothing really, if you have extra $20, go for the asrock extreme4 for $100. It already has a great video card, it's basically a 7950, because it uses tahiti architecture. And I would change the PSU to something better if you're budget allows it. XFX 550w for around $70 I believe.
 
I had to drop the price point a little, so I think this is what will work:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($91.00 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek Dark Knight II SD1283 Night Hawk Edition 89.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Patriot Gamer 2 Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.98 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB Video Card ($168.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.95 @ Amazon)
Total: $597.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-04 21:38 EDT-0400)

Trying to keep the price now under $600; over a little if needed. I got the cpu cooler because I am going to try a little overcloking.
 
Maybe I'm being biased, but I'm loving my new Fractal Design Core 3000 (USB 3.0) case. It has a very simplistic, sleek look yet has all the features you'll need at an affordable price. I manage to take advantage of the $15 dollar instant rebate from Newegg along with the free 2-day shipping from Shop Runner.

Give this case a look if you're on a budget and prefer something elegant over extravagant.
 


I only got the S12ii 620 (with a discount), but yeah, Seasonic rocks!

They build their own PSU's and they're widely accepted as reliable. I also recommend Seasonic :)
 


Come on take the fx 6300 its only few $ more .
The phenom 965 is 4,5 years old, not up-to-date.
 


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($118.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Patriot Gamer 2 Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.98 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB Video Card ($168.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 220 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.95 @ Amazon)
Total: $615.85
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-05 09:02 EDT-0400)

Went over budget a little, but meh. I changed the cpu cooler to the 212 evo because the dark night night hawk cooler rose up to $50. putting me a little too much over budget.