$800 Gaming Rig - First Build

[wgehring]

Hello all,
I am looking to build my first PC so I have been trying to learn all I can. I know that you all can help me! I'll be using it primarily for gaming. Here's a link to my build (ignore the extra ram and case fans in the list and total cost, those are just there so I remember which ones they are). I'm aiming for a completed build for no more than $800 with OS, peripherals, and all.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/fprjqs

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5 GHz 6-core
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3
Memory: 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3-1866
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 7200RPM
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280 3GB Double Dissapation
Case: NZXT Phantom 240
PSU: Corsair CX 750W Semi Modular

I'm happy to hear your opinions on any part of the build, but I do have some specific questions which I'm listing below. I'm pretty decided on the CPU and GPU, and the motherboard seems like the best pick for me. Still, any feedback helps.

■What RAM would you recommend for this build? Will I get any benefit from 1866 memory or should I just get 1600?
■Is an SSD or hybrid drive something I should consider considering my tight budget?
■I've already added a CPU cooler to replace the stock AMD one. Will the two case fans that come with the case be enough to keep this rig cool or should I be installing more? Will I need a fan controller?
■My motherboard says it has connections for 2 system fans and one power fan. What's a power fan? It sounds awesome.
■Other than personal preference, are there any real differences in performance or compatibility between Windows 7 and 8?

 

[middlemarkal]

go for an 8 core 8350
faster ram is always better
psu to much, 650 is enough, but on the other hand you never have to much
better fan if you whant to overclock only, case and cpu
if noise is not important put the max number of fans, front bottom in, back top out
the fan controler depends of the number of fan plugs on the motherbaord or of molex plug adapter for your fans, also if you whant to vary the speed of your fans.

ssd faster Windows startup and faster loading of game but not faster fps
if you can squeeze it the nvidia 970 is THE card to get and future proof


ok I check your config and the mobo has 3 extra fanns headears, the case can have a max of 6 fans so yes you need a y spliter or a fan controler . the system fan header must be 4 pins (to report the rpm) and power header just 3 pins header.

 

[logainofhades]

Too much money wasted on fluff, when it should be spent on performance. Your build is $897, with the extra ram kit removed. This is a good deal less, and far better CPU performance. Still over your $800 mark, though.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($187.93 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus B85M-G R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 280 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($187.27 @ TigerDirect)
Case: Corsair SPEC-03 White ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $805.10
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-24 09:46 EDT-0400

 

[wgehring]

go for an 8 core 8350
...
better fan if you whant to overclock only, case and cpu
...
if you can squeeze it the nvidia 970 is THE card to get and future proof

ok I check your config and the mobo has 3 extra fanns headears, the case can have a max of 6 fans so yes you need a y spliter or a fan controler . the system fan header must be 4 pins (to report the rpm) and power header just 3 pins header.

Thanks for your response. I don't feel the need to spend more for the 8-core FX processor because games can rarely even utilize 4 cores and I won't be doing any heavy multitasking. If the 8-core would give me noticeably better gaming performance than the 6-core feel free to correct me.

I won't be overclocking, at least for now. However, I read poor reviews of the stock AMD CPU cooler so I went ahead and specced a replacement.

I appreciate your support of the Nvidia 970 but that card is over $300 and not even close to my budget.

Thanks for clearing up the power fan question, that makes sense. Although I have to say that it could have been way cooler with a name like "power fan"!

 

[logainofhades]

If you are not going to overclock, then even an i3 4150 would be better for you. FX 6300 has to be overclocked to beat i3.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($88.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 280 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($187.27 @ TigerDirect)
Case: Corsair SPEC-03 White ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $751.15
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-24 09:54 EDT-0400

 

[wgehring]

Too much money wasted on fluff, when it should be spent on performance. Your build is $897, with the extra ram kit removed. This is a good deal less, and far better CPU performance. Still over your $800 mark, though.
...
CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($187.93 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus B85M-G R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($68.99 @ Newegg)
...
Case: Corsair SPEC-03 White ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
...

If you are not going to overclock, then even an i3 4150 would be better for you. FX 6300 has to be overclocked to beat i3.

Thanks for your detailed responses! Maybe you can help me understand the pros / cons of these processors a bit more. I know Intel's i-series processors are better pieces of technology than the AMD alternatives (I have an older i7 at the moment and I've been happy with it), but based on my research it's not quite so clear cut at this price point. I know benchmarks aren't everything but they are the only way I really know how to research processors. PassMark scores have an standard-clock FX 6300 easily beating the i3-4150 you listed and coming in just barely below the i5-4460 from your first post. Plus, it's $90 cheaper than the i5 and about $10 cheaper than the i3. I'm not a hardcore enthusiast so as long as the FX-6300 is still a good processor capable of handling modern games, it seems like a better value per dollar. Enlighten me if I'm wrong.

It seems like you've saved some money by going for cheaper RAM, mobo, PSU, and case and ditching the added cooling. RAM and mobo I get. I know motherboards will differ between processors. The Gigabyte board that I selected in my original build was chosen because of its very positive reviews even though it was at the upper edge of my price range. I feel like I shouldn't go too cheap on the part that holds everything together, but maybe I'm wrong? (again, n00b here.)

For the power supply, I chose an overpowered model because I felt like it would run cooler and quieter if it had plenty of headroom. I also selected a semi-modular design to help with cable management. Is it still overkill?

I appreciate the feedback!

 

[logainofhades]

If you have , what I would assume is, a gen 1 i7, why would you downgrade to an FX 6300? Passmark doesn't equal real world gaming performance. You need to overclock to FX 6350 speeds, at minimum, to compete with the i3. Expensive motherboards are unnecessary for a locked chip. Even if you wanted SLI, you don't need to spend more than $125 or so. The CX series is not very good. An evga 750w B2 would be a good choice though, if you really want the extra wattage. I do not think it is necessary, as my builds both are rated under 400w.

 

[wgehring]

If you have , what I would assume is, a gen 1 i7, why would you downgrade to an FX 6300?
...
Expensive motherboards are unnecessary for a locked chip.
...
The CX series is not very good. An evga 750w B2 would be a good choice though
...

Well I should have said it's an i7 2630QM in a laptop so not really relevant to the desktop discussion, but I've been happy with Intel regardless. I'm certainly open to switching to Intel if the FX 6300 is indeed significantly inferior. I've seen it recommended elsewhere as a great budget gaming option which is why I had it in my build. I don't want to hash out the processor issue too much since I can research and post in a CPU-specific forum for info on that.

Motherboard question: If I go for an Intel processor, are there certain motherboard chipsets that are better to look for, or are they all pretty much the same in the under-$120 price range?

Power supply question: The CX series seems to have pretty good reviews and be pretty widely used. If it's not that good, how come? What should I be looking for to evaluate whether or not a given PSU is a good choice?

 

[logainofhades]

The CX series used to be decent, but they changed the components inside of them, and are not as good of quality now. H97 is the current chipset to use for locked cpu's, if you want support for Broadwell, next year. Z97 is the overclocking chipset to get. I chose a B85 earlier, to meet budget with the i5. Also by the time an i5 is no longer a viable chip, Intel would be on a new socket anyway, so broadwell doesn't really matter as much. Problem is that H81 and B85 boards might need a bios update to support certain Haswell refresh CPU's like the 4460 and 4150. The i3 with an H97 would save you money, still give good performance, and give you an upgrade path to broadwell.