Building a Gaming PC

DeadLyInCamo_1

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Dec 7, 2016
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hello fello gamers..
im trying to buy parts for my new gaming pc that im willing to build, but before i do that i would like to make sure that i have the maximum amount of power that i can get with a budget build, so lets say if im trying to build a pc around 350-400$ but the thing that is confusing me is im not sure how i can match the cpu and the motherboard, im afraid i end up buying a cpu that doesnt match a motherboard.
so what i would like to do is write down all the components that i need to build a gaming pc and for a start, i have my gpu already purchased which is the NVidia GeFroce GTX 1050 so i got about 350-400$ for all the other components.
 
Solution

Reasons to go with the Ryzen 3:

1.) More cores; It's a true quad-core

2.) Overclocking; CPU + Memory can be overclocked, even on the cheap B350 motherboard and stock cooler.

3.) Upgrade; CPU upgrade path for the socket will be supported longer than Intel's

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($74.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Team - Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage:...
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($79.44 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - B250M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($74.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Team - Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($67.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($66.89 @ OutletPC)
Case: Corsair - Carbide Series 88R MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($56.50 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($47.79 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $393.60
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-03 20:32 EDT-0400

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($109.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M-HDV Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($66.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Team - Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.88 @ OutletPC)
Case: Corsair - Carbide Series 88R MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($56.50 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($47.79 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $397.15
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-03 20:33 EDT-0400

I had to go with a cheaper motherboard for the Ryzen 3 to stay withing your budget. If you can afford it I'd recommend getting the Pro4 motherboard instead, which you can get for the Ryzen 3 for about $15 more.
 


While all of that would be compatible, there are a few issues I'd like to point out and maybe save you money to go towards a better CPU.

1. The Pentium G4400 is a dual-core, but does not have Hyper-Threading. If you're gaming on a dual-core, you want hyper-threading. The G4560 is the cheapest dual-core with hyper-threading and you need to go with a 200 series chipset motherboard for that. B250 is the cheapest 200 series chipset, but I suppose you can find one cheaper than the one I suggested.

2. The G4400 has a locked multiplier so you won't be doing any overclocking, and therefore will not need the liquid cooler. Non-K Intel CPUs come with a stock cooler that is usually sufficient.

3. Non-Z Intel motherboards don't allow for overclocked memory. Standard memory speed on 100 series chipset motherboards is 2133MHz, and 2400MHz on 200 series chipset motherboards. So getting faster RAM is not necessary because it will only run at the standard speed allowed by the motherboard.


Those are the three main issues I see where you could have saved money and went with a better CPU. The non-HT dual-core will be severely limited in some modern games, but some older or lower budget games may play fine.

About liquid cooling, it's expensive and it's not really necessary until you get a K-series CPU and are looking to overclock, and then you want at least a 240mm radiator to do any good. The 120mm radiators are usually on par with entry-level air coolers, which are much cheaper than the 120mm AiO.
 
oh it does? is it the heat sink? bcuz i've seen many youtubers putting the heat sink cooler from intel and they dont put a link for it in the description so i was wondering where do they get that, so i got a question, is it better to use the cooler that comes with the intel core or get a custom cooler for the build? if no could you please tell me what do u suggest to upgrade with the money im gonna save on the cooler
 
The stock Intel cooler comes with the Intel processor (except on 6th-gen and newer Intel K-series), so you don't have to buy a cooler. I would either get a better motherboard or a bigger hard drive.

You can really save more money by going with the G4560 instead of the i3-6100. This motherboard is on sale right now and I'd get it even if you went with the i3-6100 or 7100. You can also save money by going with the 2400MHz RAM because 3000MHz RAM will not run at 3000MHz unless you have a more expensive Z-series motherboard.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($79.44 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-B250M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($76.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.88 @ OutletPC)
Case: NZXT - S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA - 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $363.28
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-04 12:51 EDT-0400

Now, you have more money saved to get a bigger HDD or a new game.

i3-6100 vs Pentium G4560 - http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Pentium-G4560-vs-Intel-Core-i3-6100/3892vs3511
 
it says that the i3 6100 is +5% better than the Pentium G4560 and i dont really care about the HDD bcuz in my old pc i have a seagate 500gb so 1tb is more than enough for me, i just want a pc build that can run gta 5, black ops 3 and battlefield 1 above 60fps without getting drops & on medium to high settings, so i think im gonna stick with the intel core i3 6100 and save the cooler money for a better motherboard, and for the ram could you please tell me how to run on 3000MHz?

and btw do u have any of instagram, whatsapp or any chatting app so i get to discuss this even better? bcuz it looks like ur an expert with these things and i think i need to discuss this kind of topics in a better way instead of sending a 1 time msg 😛
 
To use 3000MHz RAM on an Intel system you need a Z170 or Z270 motherboard, which are more expensive and allow for CPU and Memory overclocking. That's really out of your budget unless you want to go with the G4560, in which case you'd be losing the extra performance. *Update: You can still use the 3000MHz RAM on a non-Z board, it will just run at a lower speed (2133/2400MHz, and may have tighter timings (tighter timings is a good thing) depending on the motherboard.

Or, you could go with AMD. Then you could use 3000MHz RAM on a cheaper B350 motherboard, which also allows for CPU overclocking. You would still have to set the RAM speed in the BIOS and with a Ryzen CPU you can overclock it even on the stock cooler that comes with it. I recommend going with the ASRock B350M Pro4 motherboard instead of the cheapest one available. But there is one B350 motherboard that is $15 cheaper, it's just not great quality and doesn't have many features.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($74.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($82.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.88 @ OutletPC)
Case: NZXT - S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA - 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $414.33
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-04 16:52 EDT-0400

*I don't really use chatting services. Sorry. But if you have any questions at all just post them here and me or someone else will be willing to answer them the best we can.
 
I just realized you had changed the power supply to the 430W EVGA in the last list you posted. I'd need a second opinion on whether that should be used with the Ryzen 3 CPU if you intend to overclock it. Ryzen 3 uses considerably more power than the Intel Pentium or i3 CPU. Though the rest of your system still doesn't use much power, the EVGA 430W is not meant for overclocking systems.

I think the first Ryzen 3 list I posted might be the best build if you change the motherboard to the ASRock B350M Pro4 instead of that cheap motherboard. Do you have to have the Corsair Vengeance RAM? It's a good brand and all, but once your system is built you don't really see it much anymore. The Team Vulcan RAM in the first AMD build I posted is 3000MHz and would do just fine.
 

Reasons to go with the Ryzen 3:

1.) More cores; It's a true quad-core

2.) Overclocking; CPU + Memory can be overclocked, even on the cheap B350 motherboard and stock cooler.

3.) Upgrade; CPU upgrade path for the socket will be supported longer than Intel's

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($74.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Team - Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.88 @ OutletPC)
Case: Corsair - Carbide Series 88R MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($47.79 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $404.13
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-05 08:43 EDT-0400
 
Solution