Final check before buying parts - And a few questions

[nathan4102]

Hey guys!

First of all I'd like to thank all of you who helped me put together this list of parts! If it wasn't for you, my build would probably have half the power it does for the same price 😛

So this is a build I'm going to start purchasing parts for very soon, I'd just like to get a couple last opinions and suggestions before I commit. Here's the PCPartpicker list:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($114.98 @ Newegg Canada)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.79 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 EXTREME4 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($95.00 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($78.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V200 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($85.48 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $50.00)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($189.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($53.13 @ DirectCanada)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($78.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($17.00 @ Vuugo)
Total: $793.33
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-21 18:30 EST-0500)

This build will be used for school work and web browsing plus windows applications programming usually, but I'll be gaming on it in my spare time too. I currently play minecraft a lot online, but after this computer, I'm planning on getting BF4 to play too.

Price wise, I'm just trying to get good bang for my buck. I don't really want to go much over what I have now, but for a huge improvement, I'd be willing to.

So here are my questions:

1. Is it worth upgrading to the FX-8320? It's about $40 difference, which isn't too bad. But is there that much of a difference in performance? I've heard gaming wasn't too intensive on the CPU, so I'm assuming a FX-6300 will be enough.

2. Is it worth overclocking? I've heard overclocking voids your warranty, so I'm scared of it breaking weeks/months after I overclock, because I'd be stuck with no computer until I can cough up $120 (Not easy as a student)

3. How will this graphics card do in BF4? What could I be hoping for frames-wise on high settings? Are there any other better ones I could go with?

4. Hows my PSU? I kind of don't like how it's not modular, as I'd like to keep my computers guts as neat and clean as possible. Are there any good modular ones for around the same price?

If you have an answer for one question, or all of them, or just want to leave some comments on my build, please do! I need all the help I can get as this is my first build! I'm also trying to go for a black/red themed build, so parts these colors would be awesome! 😀

ALSO a note to people making PCPartPicker lists, I'm in southern ontario, Canada, so all prices would have to be in CAD.

Thanks a bunch guys! 😀

 

[leeb2013]

if you can, go for the 8320. The 6300 will start to bottleneck newer games, such as BF4, not so much with the HD7870, but if you did get a better GPU, then it might. The 7870 is ok, but again a better GPU will allow higher settings and fps in current and forthcoming games.

o/c doesn't normally invalidate warranty, the FX cpus are unlocked so they can be o/c. Check AMD T&C. It's difficult to prove a CPU was o/c, but I guess if overheating caused the issue, then it would be suspicious.

 

[nathan4102]

I'll look into the warranty stuff on AMD's CPUs, thanks! Anyone else have any comments?

 

[nathan4102]

Bump, still looking for more feedback!

 

[nathan4102]

Buying starting tomorrow, so if I could get a few opinions that would be awesome 😀