First gaming build help!

[aaronknopp345]

Hi, I plan on building my first rig. I recently picked up an AMD A8 6600k Black edition Apu to use in my first pc build. I want some help on part choice. What is a decent motherboard I can use for my apu (FM2+) that's inexpensive, yet reliable. I don't have the biggest pocketbook and would like to spend 40-70 on a motherboard. Also what is a good , yet affordable ram setup I can use. And also since I have an apu, could I add a gpu onto the board and have it work? Thanks , Aaron.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Yes, you can use a discreet GPU with that configuration. It kind on negates having bought an APU and you would been better off to just get the Athlon X4 that has no graphics if you were going to add a PCI card anyhow, but it WILL work with it. I'd recommend not counting on the dual graphics for performance as the configurations and implementation are often a nightmare. I'd just go with the biggest single card you can afford which will undoubtedly offer much better performance than any of the R7 integrated graphics anyhow.

I'd suggest this card and RAM for that configuration and budget, IF, you're going to use an aftermarket card. If not, you want a lot of fast RAM so the integrated graphics can perform to their potential.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Motherboard: Asus A88XM-A Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($67.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($57.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $125.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-04 02:16 EDT-0400


It's about fifteen bucks cheaper after the mail in rebates, but I don't like to include that in the list so you'll know what the actual initial investment will be.

If you're planning to overclock the CPU, I'd probably go with a better board, which means a bigger budget.