Building a budget gaming PC

[drfunk83]

Hello,

I'm currently planning to build a gaming PC, being the main objective to keep it as low cost as possible while having a decent performance for current and upcoming games - planning to keep this system for at least two years, or maybe just changing some components later on. I want to get some advise on the components that I have thought of so far, and possible recommending others that might be better or have the same features at a lower price. For now, not thinking on overclocking anything. This is what I have in mind

- AMD FX 8320
- ASUS M5A97 mobo
- 8GB ADATA Gaming Series DDR3 1600Mhz (2x4GB)
- Asus Radeon HD 7850 (already have this one)
- SeaSonic G Series 550W PSU
- Asus VE228H monitor (maybe three of these later on)

I haven't really looked into the case and hard drive, so no decision on those just yet. What do you think? Is there something that could be improved, or another component at a better price with similar performance?

Thanks!

- update: I also have the OS (Win 7)

 

[navask01]

Start off with a 6300 CPU. But what is your budget?Do you already have a copy of the OS?

 

[drfunk83]

Start off with a 6300 CPU. But what is your budget?Do you already have a copy of the OS?

I'm looking to spend up to 600 (not including the video card), and yes already have a copy of Win 7

 

[PepitoTV]

Take this as a start:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99X EVO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.65 @ OutletPC)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus VE228H 21.5" Monitor ($124.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $632.57
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-06 13:44 EST-0500)

This build is overkill right now, but has covered the upgradeability you mentioned, as for going to 3 displays you will need to add another GPU, reason for the bigger PSU and the 990FX motherboard, which supports two cards running at x8/x8.

 

[navask01]

600 inclusive of the monitor,right?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($71.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.65 @ OutletPC)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($48.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: BenQ GW2255 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $547.57
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-06 13:46 EST-0500)

EDIT😛epito's build is more upgradeable than mine.Or rather,upgrading that build won't be as expensive as opposed to upgrading this

 

[drfunk83]

Take this as a start:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99X EVO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.65 @ OutletPC)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus VE228H 21.5" Monitor ($124.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $632.57
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-06 13:44 EST-0500)

This build is overkill right now, but has covered the upgradeability you mentioned, as for going to 3 displays you will need to add another GPU, reason for the bigger PSU and the 990FX motherboard, which supports two cards running at x8/x8.

Thanks! this is a great suggestion. Now a couple of questions:
- will the stock cpu cooler be enough? I forgot to put it on the initial list - I'm also considering getting something like Antec Kuhler H2O 620 Liquid
- I'm not an expert at all, but wouldn't the Radeon 7850 support 3 displays without adding another GPU?

 

[PepitoTV]

The stock CPU cooler is enough if you're not into heavy overclocking, you can always get an aftermarket cooler for your peace of mind though.

The 7850 does support 3 displays, but you won't be able to "game" on 3 displays, not on higher settings at least for newer titles but throwing a second one will definitely improve your experience, hence the room for upgradeability.

 

[drfunk83]

The stock CPU cooler is enough if you're not into heavy overclocking, you can always get an aftermarket cooler for your peace of mind though.

The 7850 does support 3 displays, but you won't be able to "game" on 3 displays, not on higher settings at least for newer titles but throwing a second one will definitely improve your experience, hence the room for upgradeability.

That makes a lot of sense, thanks a lot!