CPU for <$500 USD Build (Gaming)

[space6011]

I'm trying to build a inexpensive PC for little more than $400 (not including an OS).

My graphics card of choice at this moment is a EVGA 960 w/ 2GB VRAM which should meet my price point after selling the free game that is included.

(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487091&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=)

I was going to go with 4GB VRAM but decided to save a few $$ and get 2GB VRAM instead, this gives me a few more dollars to play with.

At first I was going to go with a FX 6300 but now having about $20 more to spend makes me wonder if going for an Intel i3 would be a better choice over an similarly priced AMD CPU.

TL😀R For about $120 which CPU would give the best bang for my buck?


EDIT: forgot to mention this is primarily a gaming build.

 

[nathanstrainrocks]

For a build that cheap you should go AMD perhaps,
https://www.google.com/shopping/product/619247990003457599
You could build a much better computer if you raised your budget a little.

 

[space6011]

For a build that cheap you should go AMD perhaps,
https://www.google.com/shopping/product/619247990003457599
You could build a much better computer if you raised your budget a little.

I actually already have a high-end PC, I'm just trying to make a budget build using some spare parts lying around and on sale parts for fun. So far I have almost everything figured out besides which CPU to use.

 

[nathanstrainrocks]

For a build that cheap you should go AMD perhaps,
https://www.google.com/shopping/product/619247990003457599
You could build a much better computer if you raised your budget a little.

I actually already have a high-end PC, I'm just trying to make a budget build using some spare parts lying around and on sale parts for fun. So far I have almost everything figured out besides which CPU to use.

Well that processor should be just right.

 

[space6011]

For a build that cheap you should go AMD perhaps,
https://www.google.com/shopping/product/619247990003457599
You could build a much better computer if you raised your budget a little.

I actually already have a high-end PC, I'm just trying to make a budget build using some spare parts lying around and on sale parts for fun. So far I have almost everything figured out besides which CPU to use.

Well that processor should be just right.

Probably a pretty good choice, gives me just about $400 on the build.

 

[nathanstrainrocks]

This one is also a pretty good choice.
https://www.google.com/shopping/product/4189425310298079710

 

[DubbleClick]

An i3 4160 would be a much better choice.

 

[synphul]

Here's a build I could figure that had that gpu and close as I could get to $500 without going complete junk on the parts like psu, mobo etc. An 860k system would be a little cheaper by around $35. It also wouldn't game as well as the i3 but it's an option. I imagine overclocking the 860k would also require an aftermarket cooler and the popular budget 212 evo would quickly close the gap in cost savings.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($108.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81M-DS2V Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($48.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($194.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($22.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($37.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $516.43
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-19 08:24 EDT-0400

 

[synphul]

Edit: ignore, double post (internet reset, it's storming atm)

 

[space6011]

Here's a build I could figure that had that gpu and close as I could get to $500 without going complete junk on the parts like psu, mobo etc. An 860k system would be a little cheaper by around $35. It also wouldn't game as well as the i3 but it's an option. I imagine overclocking the 860k would also require an aftermarket cooler and the popular budget 212 evo would quickly close the gap in cost savings.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($108.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81M-DS2V Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($48.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($194.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($22.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($37.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $516.43
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-19 08:24 EDT-0400

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($76.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A88M EXTREME4+ Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($58.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($150.00)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Two ATX Mid Tower Case ($10.00)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($25.00)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($10.00)
Total: $405.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-19 13:19 EDT-0400

This is what I currently have on the parts list.

CPU-MOBO: Like I posted I'm currently trying to decide what to get exactly. I was thinking of an i3 but if I'm not mistaken those are all dual cores which might have problems with some games?

RAM: Trying to keep it as close to $400 as possible I opted for 1 stick of 4 GB since that leaves room to upgrade.

GPU: I included the price after rebate and after selling the provided game for $40 (which I could probably sell it for a few $ more).

Case + Optical Drive: Arbitrary choices but I was going to try to salvage a used basic tower from someone for cheap. otherwise I would go with the cheapest options available.

PSU: I have this left over from my main build after upgrading, I reason that after a couple years of usage it's worth about $25 now.

I plan on maybe selling this so that's why I'm valuing the part I already have.

 

[DubbleClick]

An i3 is a dual core (with hyperthreading) but does still easily outperform an Athlon and even 8 core fx cpu's in games.

As for your build, the ram is worse and the PSU is... well, trash. Don't go cheap on parts like that. If you really want it as cheap as possible:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($108.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-GAMING 3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital RE3 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($40.49 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($150.00)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Two ATX Mid Tower Case ($10.00)
Power Supply: XFX TS 650W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($10.00)
Total: $469.45
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-19 14:44 EDT-0400

This is, using the prices you entered manually for the same parts.

For even less money, it seems that the only option is getting a weaker cpu. But why did you get a gtx 960 then.

 

[space6011]

An i3 is a dual core (with hyperthreading) but does still easily outperform an Athlon and even 8 core fx cpu's in games.

As for your build, the ram is worse and the PSU is... well, trash. Don't go cheap on parts like that. If you really want it as cheap as possible:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($108.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-GAMING 3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital RE3 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($40.49 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($150.00)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Two ATX Mid Tower Case ($10.00)
Power Supply: XFX TS 650W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($10.00)
Total: $469.45
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-19 14:44 EDT-0400

This is, using the prices you entered manually for the same parts.

For even less money, it seems that the only option is getting a weaker cpu. But why did you get a gtx 960 then.

"As for your build, the ram is worse and the PSU is... well, trash. Don't go cheap on parts like that."

I'll admit that the RAM is probably not a good choice, I picked the cheapest for now but I was going to keep looking. I don't see how the PSU is trash though, especially for a build like this. It's served me (and my friend whom I let borrow) well for the few years that I used it. I know it's a bad choice for overclocking though.

"For even less money, it seems that the only option is getting a weaker cpu. But why did you get a gtx 960 then."

I'm pulling towards $400 but I'm trying the best CPU to fit this build . Not sure what you mean exactly by the 960. Is it not a good card for $150? (the price after rebate and selling the promotional game). Should I go cheaper or is the 960 generally a bad GPU?

Edit: I forgot to mention the HDD is also a placeholder at this point. I'm going to try to get a hold of one for cheap but if not i'll default to a $50 1TB HDD.

 

[DubbleClick]

I'm pulling towards $400 but I'm trying the best CPU to fit this build . Not sure what you mean exactly by the 960. Is it not a good card for $150? (the price after rebate and selling the promotional game). Should I go cheaper or is the 960 generally a bad GPU?

Nono, it's a good card, I just said it makes no sense getting a powerful card like the gtx 960 and then crippling it with a weak cpu. An i3 is really the "lowest" I'd advise.

 

[space6011]

I'm pulling towards $400 but I'm trying the best CPU to fit this build . Not sure what you mean exactly by the 960. Is it not a good card for $150? (the price after rebate and selling the promotional game). Should I go cheaper or is the 960 generally a bad GPU?

Nono, it's a good card, I just said it makes no sense getting a powerful card like the gtx 960 and then crippling it with a weak cpu. An i3 is really the "lowest" I'd advise.

Yeah I was afraid of getting a CPU that would limit this build too much, I'll go for an i3. Depending on what price I can get my hands on the other parts I might go for a weaker GPU if necessary.

 

[zheyizhu]

Instead of a 6300, you can opt for a 6350 which is a generation younger. I feel like AMD CPUs have a better performance to price ratio than Intel at the budget/entry CPU level, plus the AMD has much more cores and faster clock speed than its Intel price equivalent.

 

[DubbleClick]

Instead of a 6300, you can opt for a 6350 which is a generation younger. I feel like AMD CPUs have a better performance to price ratio than Intel at the budget/entry CPU level, plus the AMD has much more cores and faster clock speed than its Intel price equivalent.

Yeah, more cores and faster clock speeds - but still the overall slower cpus.

 

[space6011]

Any thoughts on used processors? It seems a used i5 is around $100, and provided that the chip works as intended it would be a very good value compared to a new i3.

 

[DubbleClick]

A used (haswell/broadwell!) I5 would indeed be superior. If you want to take the risk of a damaged part is your decision, I'd personally make 100% sure the product is working before spending a cent.

 

[LookItsRain]

i3 4160/4170 whatever is the cheapest would be your best bet, you could easily drop your budget by replacing the 960 with a r9 280 without losing performance and putting that money into ram and psu.