best upgrades for 300 bucks

[cpunoob87]

I need a new cpu, mobo, ram, psu. I've been shopping around but i dont know much about building. What do you think the best price to performance upgrades would be with a budget around 300 dollars with a little wiggle room?

This machine will be for gaming and browsing the web. I would like the cpu to be something that i will be able to use for a little bit not expecting it to last forever with my budget. I've been looking at the i5 4460 4th gen with g.skill sniper 8gb 2x4gb and GIGABYTE GA-B85M-DS3H-A ($289) but i'm undecided i still need a psu for that build. I have a xfx r7 260x 2gb gpu that will do for now but my corsair cx 450 is under the recommended for its 500w rating or whatever. The cpu i have now (pentium e6300 2.8Ghz) has just about the same watt useage as the if 4460 (65w vs 68w(i5). At first i liked that i would be able to use my current psu which is what took me to intel since with amd i would need a new psu and cooling for something like an 8350. Pretty much I'm lost and can't find my head thanks for the help guys. Sorry if this is in the wrong section i used the fancy thing on the side that placed it for me.

 

[Rooster__]

What is your current build? It is easier to know what to upgrade if we have the specs of what you have now. I will respond asap when you send them

 

[TechyInAZ]

First off, I'm going to have to answer your question with a few questions:

1. Currently, what are your computer specs?
2. What will you be doing with your PC?

 

[SPgamer007]

For new PC,these are good for 300$

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($174.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($32.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($55.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $308.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-06 11:42 EST-0500

 

[cpunoob87]

nice lol i didnt expect to get answers that quick thank you. Gaming is what the computer will be used for mainly. I edited my original after reading it and realizing i didn't put anything really useful in it. sorry about that.

 

[SPgamer007]

For mainly gaming, the haswell i5 is the right choice under the budget. The XFX PSU is also of good quality, though a r7 260x in no way would want a 500w,i added for future upgrades.

 

[cpunoob87]

nice i like the build and thank you for the quick response. Do you think my current corsair vx450w (srry thought it was cx series i dont know the difference) will run the upgrades so i can hold off and put that money toward something else for now?

 

[SPgamer007]

For now,yes.

 

[cpunoob87]

thanks for your help

 

[SPgamer007]

Also, i advise you to install some case fans if you haven't already, lesser the heat on the PSU the better.

 

[cpunoob87]

kk will do. I was just reading that the 4th gen haswell need a psu that can drop the amps down for the cpu in stand-by. Is this something that i need to worry about? or is it an optional thing if you want as low of power consumption as possible?