Entry-Level PC Build?

[DwarveSC]

I am looking to build a PC for gaming. I play mostly Dota and CSGO but I do sometimes play more demanding titles like MGSV and The Witcher 3. I do not need to max out all the settings and as long as I get medium settings with playable FPS I am okay. Well this work for 1080p gaming?

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/fgJzVn

 

[turkey3_scratch]

The Pentium processor will struggle on many games. Honestly, I recommend saving up a bit more money and you'll be happier in the end.

 

[cleanshot911]

This isn't a great build but it'll do what you asked, and is the best performance you're gonna get for that budget. Expect it to perform noticeably better than any console. 1080p 60fps at medium settings in just about anything (except for maybe Crysis 3) and it should pound Dota and CS:GO into the dust.

PCPartPicker part list: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/J9gXcf
Price breakdown by merchant: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/J9gXcf/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($128.38 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($62.50 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Kingston 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($28.54 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.75 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R7 370 2GB Video Card ($194.25 @ Vuugo)
Case: Rosewill RANGER-M MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($64.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($45.98 @ NCIX)
Monitor: Acer UM.WV6AA.B01 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($125.50 @ Vuugo)
Total: $709.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-03 10:52 EDT-0400

 

[geofelt]

A very good budget starter build.
The motherboard will support a future cpu upgrade to i3, i5, or even i7-4790K.

I have no problem overprovisioning a PSU a bit. Say 20%.
It will run cooler, quieter, and more efficiently in the middle third of it's range.
A PSU will only use the wattage demanded of it, regardless of it's max capability. Perhaps
500w-620W range. It should not be significantly more expensive and will permit a future stronger graphics upgrade.

FWIW.
I will never again build without a ssd for the "C" drive. It makes everything you do much quicker.
120gb is minimum, it will hold the os and a handful of games. If you can go 240gb, you may never need a hard drive.

I would defer on the hard drive unless you need to store large files such as video's.
It is easy to add a hard drive later.
Samsung EVO is a good choice.
Intel 730 is OK too.
But, if you go with a hard drive, I think WD is a better option. Here is a nice article on the WD rainbow:
https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Understanding-the-WD-Rainbow-674/

 

[DwarveSC]

I have considered an ssd but with so many games over 40-50 gbs I will probably need an hard drive. I am looking for a pc that will last me at least a year. I've read a lot of reviews on the Pentium G3258 and I don't play on a lot of multitasking so is 2 cores with no hyper treading good enough? If not I will probably go for the fx-6300 but then will probably have to get a slightly worse graphics card.

cleanshot911's build is pretty good although I like the gtx 950 more than the 370. So is it worth the trade off for the fx-6300?

 

[cleanshot911]

I have considered an ssd but with so many games over 40-50 gbs I will probably need an hard drive. I am looking for a pc that will last me at least a year. I've read a lot of reviews on the Pentium G3258 and I don't play on a lot of multitasking so is 2 cores with no hyper treading good enough? If not I will probably go for the fx-6300 but then will probably have to get a slightly worse graphics card.

cleanshot911's build is pretty good although I like the gtx 950 more than the 370. So is it worth the trade off for the fx-6300?

If you could shell out just a bit more then you could get the gtx 950 AND the fx 6300, which would be a great combo. But like I said, if you're budget is fixed at $700 including a monitor, my build will allow you to ply games like the Witcher 3 at 1080p 60fps at medium to low settings. Games like Shadow of Mordor would play at 1080p 60fps medium to high settings. And games like Dota and CS:GO you'll be able to max out no problem.

 

[geofelt]

What games do you play?
strategy, sims and mmo are typically cpu limited and dependent on one fast single master core. G3258 excels there.
If your games are fast action shooters, the cpu is less important than the graphics cards.
A report of G3258 as a gamer, compared to a X4-865:
http://www.techspot.com/review/1017-best-budget-gaming-cpu/

The FX chips are slow per clock and only win when you have an app that can use many cores.
Games rarely use more than 2 or 3.

 

[cleanshot911]

What games do you play?
strategy, sims and mmo are typically cpu limited and dependent on one fast single master core. G3258 excels there.
If your games are fast action shooters, the cpu is less important than the graphics cards.
A report of G3258 as a gamer, compared to a X4-865:
http://www.techspot.com/review/1017-best-budget-gaming-cpu/

The FX chips are slow per clock and only win when you have an app that can use many cores.
Games rarely use more than 2 or 3.

To be fair the fx 6300 is a notably better cpu than the athlon. But your point does still stand, as the single core performance of the pentium is slightly better. Still, either way the performance is going to be about the same. I just think that at his budget an fx chip would be appropriate as it would give him similair gaming performance in most games and better multitasking abilities. Either way though, if you go with the G3258 or the fx 6300 you won't be disappointed with the performance at your budget.

 

[DwarveSC]

I think I will most likely go for the GTX 950 and try to see if there are sales to fit the FX-6300 in my budget. But what kind of games really benefit from 4+ cores? I am not looking to have 8-10 programs running at once so does more cores really benefit performance that much?

 

[cleanshot911]

I think I will most likely go for the GTX 950 and try to see if there are sales to fit the FX-6300 in my budget. But what kind of games really benefit from 4+ cores? I am not looking to have 8-10 programs running at once so does more cores really benefit performance that much?

Well more demanding games might make use of the 4 cores if the games are more heavily threaded, but in most games you probably would see better performance out of the pentium. Like I said it's a close race between them most of the time, but the pentium will do a better job more often and if you have a really good mobo you can overclock the hell out of it. That's actually why most people tend to suggest the pentium g3258 to budgeters because if you give it a nice new motherboard with good oc capabilities and a nice cpu cooler to go with it, it can keep up with brand new processors in most games. However I don't think it's within budget for you to get a mobo and cpu cooler good enough to achieve this. But it's up to you, either way you won't be disappointed with the performance, I can assure you of that.