Building a new computer. Any Advice for this build? ($550 - $600)

Baweek

Honorable
Apr 16, 2016
7
0
10,510
Hi guys,
I'm building a computer mainly to run high quality games and for programming projects, but I didn't really know what I was doing. I recently sought advice from a friend who recommended some parts and I heard this was a good place to seek further help.

Some benchmarks I am looking to reach are maybe running games like Battlefront or GTA V on ultra and black desert/blade and soul on above average

Here's the build as of today:

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/baweek/saved/yvR2FT

I already have peripherals and an OS ready, but just in terms of building a gaming computer for $550 - $600, what do you guys think?

Thanks!
 
Solution
My brother has the fx6300 processor and it's very decent. However after getting my girlfriend the i3 4170, I would say the i3 is better almost everywhere. Also having an lga1150 motherboard will allow you to go for an i5 or i7 later on. The i3 is very close in price too, almost the same price really because the heatsink that comes with the i3 works great. The heatsink for the fx6300 is garbage and you'll need an after market one for sure if you go the amd route. Either processor is great though, but I would personally go for the i3.

RoyalRope

Reputable
Aug 22, 2014
49
0
4,560
My brother has the fx6300 processor and it's very decent. However after getting my girlfriend the i3 4170, I would say the i3 is better almost everywhere. Also having an lga1150 motherboard will allow you to go for an i5 or i7 later on. The i3 is very close in price too, almost the same price really because the heatsink that comes with the i3 works great. The heatsink for the fx6300 is garbage and you'll need an after market one for sure if you go the amd route. Either processor is great though, but I would personally go for the i3.
 
Solution
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($111.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H170 Pro4S ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill NT Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($32.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 380 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($55.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $590.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-16 16:46 EDT-0400
err went a bit above budget.

the i3 is stronger than the 6300 and 8320 in gaming thanks to the smarter architecture/ and strongersingle core and hyperthreading.
 

Baweek

Honorable
Apr 16, 2016
7
0
10,510


Would having just the SSD be better than having an SSD for the OS and a HDD for storage? That's the general thing that I have heard since 1TB of storage sounds really nice to have
 


youre right, but i chose a quality ssd from samsung first. you can add a hdd later when u got enough money(10min work).
however ther ssd is enough for your os all your programs and 4-5 triple a games.
 

Baweek

Honorable
Apr 16, 2016
7
0
10,510
I've also been told that the power supply works better if it is fully modular and is of a gold certification. Can someone elaborate more on why it matters and if it would be better to buy one now rather than later?

(specifically looking at this psu: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-s12ii520bronze)
 
[PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($111.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H170 Pro4S ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($27.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX200 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($81.72 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 960 4GB Video Card ($184.99)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Thermaltake 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $596.66
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-16 17:54 EDT-0400

$10 off the Asus Strix through 4/21 at Newegg with WITH PROMO CODE EMCETFJ42


The SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze is not Haswell ready to my knowledge, but you can compensate for that by disabling C states in the UEFI. However, I would just move to the semi-modular gold rated Thermaltake. If you want to save a bit, the EVGA 750 B2 bronze semi-modular PSU is also a good choice. I prefer a cooler running nVidia GPU with less driver issues. The Asus Strix is a cool, quiet card with a semi-fanless design.
 


modular= plug in the cables u need this is better for cableble management otherwise u need to hide the cables u dont use, with a non modular powersupply.

effiency its all about beeing efficient, titanium>plat>gold>silver>bronze.

modular -efficieny sais nothing about the build quality stability and reliability.

the seasonic is way better thans ome platinum units, because its good quality and stability.
 

Baweek

Honorable
Apr 16, 2016
7
0
10,510


Just curious, but what do the changes from the original build I posted do (performance, aesthetics, price, etc)?
 
There are a couple of things on sale today and you can get this really nice i3 build with a very nice MB and both SSD and HDD storage. The Asus MB is a shell shocker and only available today.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($111.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z170-E ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($90.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($27.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial BX100 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($49.48 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 380 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($48.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $590.31
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-21 16:44 EDT-0400

Alternatively, you could go with this i5 build, but you have to give up the SSD and get a more basic MB.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B150M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($66.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($27.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 380 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($48.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $599.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-21 16:49 EDT-0400

Or this slightly over budget i5 build with the better MB:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z170-E ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($90.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($27.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 380 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($48.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $608.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-21 16:54 EDT-0400