Does my Gaming PC Build look okay?

[austin4380]

Does my gaming PC build look okay? I wanted it to be a $700 budget and I'm at $702. Which is good but do I need a CPU Cooler? I will be playing games like World of Warcraft and Minecraft, I probably won't be playing any FPS games. I mainly want this PC because I play these games on a laptop and I also want to start uploading YouTube videos and maybe start streaming if this computer can but i doubt.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3LJXy

 

[Onus]

You've selected a locked CPU with an overclocking motherboard. A B85-chipset board (or H87) might save you a little money and not affect performance.
Then, I think you'll want a stronger video card. See if you can make that a GTX750Ti.
The Corsair "CX" line is made with inferior Samxon capacitors that do not like heat and have been cited for early failure. Since your rig doesn't need much power anyway, here's a 450W Rosewill Capstone for $60 that would be better: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182066 or, if that's a little too much, a 380W Antec Earthwatts is $50 and is enough for any graphics card needing a single PCIe power connection (which the GTX750[Ti] doesn't need anyway).
For a non-overclocked system, the stock cooler is sufficient.

 

[Traciatim]

Spend the extra few bucks and get the K edition CPU. If you aren't overclocking at all the Intel cooler will do fine for now. If you decide you want to crank it up a bit you can buy a nice cheap tower cooler and get a 212 evo or similar.

 

[smorizio]

looks fine. at some point if you start to do higher end games you may have to swap out the stock intel cooler for a higher end cooler to keep the cpu cool. if you can spend few bucks more on the newer x97 intel chipset mb that have dropped.
it give you at lest one more cpu upgrade latter on. without replacing both the mb and cpu. the older x8x chipset wont work with the newer cpu.

 

[austin4380]

You've selected a locked CPU with an overclocking motherboard. A B85-chipset board (or H87) might save you a little money and not affect performance.
Then, I think you'll want a stronger video card. See if you can make that a GTX750Ti.
The Corsair "CX" line is made with inferior Samxon capacitors that do not like heat and have been cited for early failure. Since your rig doesn't need much power anyway, here's a 450W Rosewill Capstone for $60 that would be better: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182066 or, if that's a little too much, a 380W Antec Earthwatts is $50 and is enough for any graphics card needing a single PCIe power connection (which the GTX750[Ti] doesn't need anyway).
For a non-overclocked system, the stock cooler is sufficient.

Do I want an ATX or a Micro ATX form factor? Is this good for the video card? http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-02gp43751kr

This is my build right now. So my memory and storage is okay?
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3LLxp

And so I won't need a CPU cooler right now for this build?

 

[geofelt]

I like the build.
At stock, intel chips run cool; the stock cooler will be fine.

Since you are on a budget, I suggest a few changes:
1. Start with a more modern Z97 based motherboard. That will cost you $20 more.
That gives you the option to a future "K" quad or broadwell update.

2. Use a cheaper strong duo for starters like a i3-4130 at $125.
Lest you think a duo is weak, read this:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-processor-frame-rate-performance,3427-9.html

 

[Beezy]

if you are going to spend 700...you may as well spend 800. Drop the motherboard down as suggested above. forget overclocking for now, and consider re sinking ALL and any saved money into the GPU. the very minimum i would suggest is a 750ti.

Honestly for that much money and that weak of a GPU id say go get a PS4.

far lower on the priority list is a better PSU like Antec Seasonic and XFX.

Also while dominators are great, get the cheapest RAM you can find that is
A 1600mhz
B CAS 9 or lower
C runs at 1.5V (NOT 1.6V)

 

[austin4380]

This is my updated build. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3LM6P

Does this look better. I still need to know if I should get an ATX or Micro ATX form factor motherboard.

 

[Raheel Hasan]

This build is looking good. U can get any one of them ATX or microATX.

 

[Beezy]

since you are on a budget here is an option to consider. An AMD build, but honestly with a lot more power than the build we have been working on so far.

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3LMUW) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3LMUW/by_merchant/) / [Benchmarks](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3LMUW/benchmarks/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-fd8320frhkbox) | $142.99 @ NCIX US
**Motherboard** | [Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-m5a97r20) | $77.99 @ Amazon
**Memory** | [A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/a-data-memory-ax3u1600c4g9dr) | $63.99 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Seagate Barracuda ES 750GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st3750330ns) | $53.99 @ Amazon
**Video Card** | [HIS Radeon R9 270X 2GB IceQ X² Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/his-video-card-h270xqmt2g2m) | $189.99 @ Newegg
**Case** | [NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-s210001) | $32.99 @ Micro Center
**Power Supply** | [Antec Neo Eco 620W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-power-supply-neoeco620c) | $49.99 @ NCIX US
**Operating System** | [Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-gfc02050) | $89.98 @ OutletPC
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | $701.91
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-17 14:33 EDT-0400 |


i say the future is in cores.

 

[austin4380]

since you are on a budget here is an option to consider. An AMD build, but honestly with a lot more power than the build we have been working on so far.

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3LMUW) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3LMUW/by_merchant/) / [Benchmarks](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3LMUW/benchmarks/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-fd8320frhkbox) | $142.99 @ NCIX US
**Motherboard** | [Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-m5a97r20) | $77.99 @ Amazon
**Memory** | [A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/a-data-memory-ax3u1600c4g9dr) | $63.99 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Seagate Barracuda ES 750GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st3750330ns) | $53.99 @ Amazon
**Video Card** | [HIS Radeon R9 270X 2GB IceQ X² Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/his-video-card-h270xqmt2g2m) | $189.99 @ Newegg
**Case** | [NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-s210001) | $32.99 @ Micro Center
**Power Supply** | [Antec Neo Eco 620W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-power-supply-neoeco620c) | $49.99 @ NCIX US
**Operating System** | [Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-gfc02050) | $89.98 @ OutletPC
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | $701.91
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-17 14:33 EDT-0400 |


i say the future is in cores.

I like the build but I would rather have an Intel CPU.

 

[austin4380]

Which of these two motherboards should I get?

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-b85pro4

or

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-b85mpro4

 

[Beezy]

since you are on a budget here is an option to consider. An AMD build, but honestly with a lot more power than the build we have been working on so far.

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3LMUW) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3LMUW/by_merchant/) / [Benchmarks](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3LMUW/benchmarks/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-fd8320frhkbox) | $142.99 @ NCIX US
**Motherboard** | [Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-m5a97r20) | $77.99 @ Amazon
**Memory** | [A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/a-data-memory-ax3u1600c4g9dr) | $63.99 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Seagate Barracuda ES 750GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st3750330ns) | $53.99 @ Amazon
**Video Card** | [HIS Radeon R9 270X 2GB IceQ X² Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/his-video-card-h270xqmt2g2m) | $189.99 @ Newegg
**Case** | [NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-s210001) | $32.99 @ Micro Center
**Power Supply** | [Antec Neo Eco 620W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-power-supply-neoeco620c) | $49.99 @ NCIX US
**Operating System** | [Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-gfc02050) | $89.98 @ OutletPC
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | $701.91
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-17 14:33 EDT-0400 |


i say the future is in cores.

I like the build but I would rather have an Intel CPU.

do you live near a microcenter? they are doing CPU + motherboard bundle deals right now.
anyways if you changed to an i5 and a 75$ ish dollar motherboard (microATX might be a good idea) then with my rig that would only put you at 750ish $$ total!

 

[4cloud]

have a look at this: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3LNQk

 

[Beezy]

have a look at this: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3LNQk

that CPU drop is not worth ~10$ in savings

 

[Onus]

That depends on how hard the budget is; maybe there's no choice.
Other than the PSU, I like that one. Beezy's AMD build is also a viable option. I'd choose that over an i3 hands down; vs. i5 it's a tougher choice. If it allows a better graphics card, it will be a better gamer in some things, but the OP says he won't be playing FPS, and a better CPU helps in WoW and in MMOs.

 

[chainers]

That depends on how hard the budget is; maybe there's no choice.
Other than the PSU, I like that one. Beezy's AMD build is also a viable option. I'd choose that over an i3 hands down; vs. i5 it's a tougher choice. If it allows a better graphics card, it will be a better gamer in some things, but the OP says he won't be playing FPS, and a better CPU helps in WoW and in MMOs.

I have the FX-6350 on my computer, and it seems to be running MMO's just fine. Personally, since the OP is going for budget I would urge him to reconsider AMD since it does give a much better price/performance ratio. I mean, no one is going to argue that Intel is a better chip, but I would argue that AMD's chip works just fine for what the OP needs.

When I was building a PC, I opted to get the FX-6350 and put the savings into a graphics card. Now that it is getting a little overworked, I payed $30 for a cooler that will make it last til I can afford a "luxury" PC.

Just my thought.

 

[Beezy]

That depends on how hard the budget is; maybe there's no choice.
Other than the PSU, I like that one. Beezy's AMD build is also a viable option. I'd choose that over an i3 hands down; vs. i5 it's a tougher choice. If it allows a better graphics card, it will be a better gamer in some things, but the OP says he won't be playing FPS, and a better CPU helps in WoW and in MMOs.

I have the FX-6350 on my computer, and it seems to be running MMO's just fine. Personally, since the OP is going for budget I would urge him to reconsider AMD since it does give a much better price/performance ratio. I mean, no one is going to argue that Intel is a better chip, but I would argue that AMD's chip works just fine for what the OP needs.

When I was building a PC, I opted to get the FX-6350 and put the savings into a graphics card. Now that it is getting a little overworked, I payed $30 for a cooler that will make it last til I can afford a "luxury" PC.

Just my thought.

FX can certainly hold its own, the 6350 can easily match the 8320 at stock with a good OC. But it does make more sense considering the types of games he plays to go intel, those games are rarely threaded over 2 or 4 cores no?

 

[chainers]

That depends on how hard the budget is; maybe there's no choice.
Other than the PSU, I like that one. Beezy's AMD build is also a viable option. I'd choose that over an i3 hands down; vs. i5 it's a tougher choice. If it allows a better graphics card, it will be a better gamer in some things, but the OP says he won't be playing FPS, and a better CPU helps in WoW and in MMOs.

I have the FX-6350 on my computer, and it seems to be running MMO's just fine. Personally, since the OP is going for budget I would urge him to reconsider AMD since it does give a much better price/performance ratio. I mean, no one is going to argue that Intel is a better chip, but I would argue that AMD's chip works just fine for what the OP needs.

When I was building a PC, I opted to get the FX-6350 and put the savings into a graphics card. Now that it is getting a little overworked, I payed $30 for a cooler that will make it last til I can afford a "luxury" PC.

Just my thought.

FX can certainly hold its own, the 6350 can easily match the 8320 at stock with a good OC. But it does make more sense considering the types of games he plays to go intel, those games are rarely threaded over 2 or 4 cores no?

On closer look, I actually don't play Minecraft or WoW so I probably shouldn't have commented.

 

[Beezy]

That depends on how hard the budget is; maybe there's no choice.
Other than the PSU, I like that one. Beezy's AMD build is also a viable option. I'd choose that over an i3 hands down; vs. i5 it's a tougher choice. If it allows a better graphics card, it will be a better gamer in some things, but the OP says he won't be playing FPS, and a better CPU helps in WoW and in MMOs.

I have the FX-6350 on my computer, and it seems to be running MMO's just fine. Personally, since the OP is going for budget I would urge him to reconsider AMD since it does give a much better price/performance ratio. I mean, no one is going to argue that Intel is a better chip, but I would argue that AMD's chip works just fine for what the OP needs.

When I was building a PC, I opted to get the FX-6350 and put the savings into a graphics card. Now that it is getting a little overworked, I payed $30 for a cooler that will make it last til I can afford a "luxury" PC.

Just my thought.

FX can certainly hold its own, the 6350 can easily match the 8320 at stock with a good OC. But it does make more sense considering the types of games he plays to go intel, those games are rarely threaded over 2 or 4 cores no?

On closer look, I actually don't play Minecraft or WoW so I probably shouldn't have commented.

if you play all sorts of games, the FX 6350 would be a good choice, but its priced really close to an FX 8320 right now anyways. Generally speaking if you can get a considerably better GPU because you are getting the FX it will be better for most games. the 750 paired with an i5 wouldn't do the i5 justice. it would be much more balanced with an i3. (you want balance to avoid bottleneck, and it will provide a much smoother experience overall)

 

[Onus]

At issue here is the types of games the OP plays. If it included FPS, which it specifically does not, the budget is such that going AMD could allow more money for the graphics card, yielding better results. The only comment that definitely favors AMD is probably the streaming, which uses more cores. Otherwise, single- or poorly-threaded titles (like MMOs) would do better on an i3, and aren't as reliant on graphics. It sounds to me that, depending on the importance of streaming, the choice here should be i3 vs. FX-63xx. Keep in mind that in order to OC the FX, a "better" mobo will be needed, not a cheap 700-series or one of the MSI 970A-G4x boards (that blow their VRMs). I would look at specific benchmarks comparing those two CPUs in the desired [types of] games.

 

[Beezy]

At issue here is the types of games the OP plays. If it included FPS, which it specifically does not, the budget is such that going AMD could allow more money for the graphics card, yielding better results. The only comment that definitely favors AMD is probably the streaming, which uses more cores. Otherwise, single- or poorly-threaded titles (like MMOs) would do better on an i3, and aren't as reliant on graphics. It sounds to me that, depending on the importance of streaming, the choice here should be i3 vs. FX-63xx. Keep in mind that in order to OC the FX, a "better" mobo will be needed, not a cheap 700-series or one of the MSI 970A-G4x boards (that blow their VRMs). I would look at specific benchmarks comparing those two CPUs in the desired [types of] games.

true and it helps to know if OP does anything CPU or graphic intensive other than video games