First Time Builder - Gaming Desktop - $800 to $950 Budget

[SuarAnth929]

Hello everyone,

I decided to get back into the PC gaming scene and would like some advice. I am new to building computers and choosing the hardware since I usually buy PCs pre-built. Currently running an AMD A8-3520M APU Quad-core 1.60 Ghz, 6GB RAM, Radeon 6620G graphics, 64-bit LAPTOP that overheats to blood (although it did play Crysis 2 on High in its prime).

Approximate Purchase Date: Within next one/two weeks
Budget Range: $800-$950
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Video Editing, HD Videos, Web Browsing
Buying a monitor: No
Buying OS: Yes
Location: London, Canada

I am looking for a rig capable of mid but mostly high graphics (not ultra or the lot), solid (hopefully) 60 fps, and runs between $800 to $950. Looking for it to run games like BF4, Crysis 3, etc. I am not looking to overclock. Optical drive and OS are needed (although, I'm unsure of the best OS for gaming). I also don't know if Wireless PCI cards are needed since I use WiFi as my primary internet source.

My younger brother knows much more than I do about choosing optimal components for a PC but neither he or I have ever built one before. We did spend a few hours researching components (on one website, TigerDirect.ca, however) and came up with this:

CPU: AMD FX-8350 Eight-Core 4GHz AM3+ Processor
Motherboard: ASUS M5A97 R2.0 AM3+ Motherboard
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Red 8GB
Storage: WD Blue 1 TB Desktop Hard Drive SATA
Case: ULTRA Etorque™ A5 Mid-Tower ATX Gaming Case
Power Supply: SolidGear 650W Power Supply

All of above available as barebones: http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=9494365&csid=_22 for $590.99 after rebate.

SSD: Kingston V300 240GB SSD ($109.97)
Video Card: Asus GeForce® GTX 750 TI ($169.97* rebate)
Optical Drive: LG - Internal DVD Burner ($19.99)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) ($119.99)
Wireless Network Adapter: TRENDnet N600 Wireless Network Adapter ($29.98)


When all is said and done, with rebate and sale prices, it came to $1040.88, which is slightly over budget. With shipping and taxes, it gets even higher. But, this PC, based on my knowledge and limited experience is pretty good albeit still over budget. I don't really need the SSD, but because I edit HD videos, it might be useful. Everything else is where I feel I want to go. Is there any way that anyone can recommend cheaper sites and/or suggest a different build? I am not familiar with many of the specifications that are presented to me so whatever my brother and I have chosen may not be optimal.

Sorry for the long post, thanks for reading and consideration.

 

[CTurbo]

That is a TERRIBLE value. You would do SO much better by picking out your own parts.

 

[CTurbo]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($222.50 @ shopRBC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.95 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ NCIX)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.95 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($229.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($64.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0 DVD/CD Writer ($17.48 @ DirectCanada)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit) ($107.92 @ shopRBC)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-N15 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($9.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $916.74
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-15 01:35 EDT-0400

 

[okcnaline]

A question before I go overload with choosing industrial components for editing. Do you edit full time and play games as hobby or is it the other way around?

 

[SuarAnth929]

A question before I go overload with choosing industrial components for editing. Do you edit full time and play games as hobby or is it the other way around?

Both hobbies, but gaming is much more prevalent in my life.

 

[SuarAnth929]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($222.50 @ shopRBC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.95 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ NCIX)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.95 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($229.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($64.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0 DVD/CD Writer ($17.48 @ DirectCanada)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit) ($107.92 @ shopRBC)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-N15 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($9.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $916.74
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-15 01:35 EDT-0400

I am a little iffy about the motherboard. Does it really matter the brand and what not? Also, how would a Sapphire Radeon R9 270X compare to the Radeon R9 280 Windforce you suggested? Thanks for your advice.

 

[logainofhades]

This build does not include any potential mail in rebates.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($222.50 @ shopRBC)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-E34 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($68.05 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($75.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.95 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB Superclocked Video Card ($244.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($40.99 @ Memory Express)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($74.98 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0 DVD/CD Writer ($17.48 @ DirectCanada)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit) ($107.92 @ shopRBC)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-N15 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($19.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $931.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-15 09:50 EDT-0400

 

[CTurbo]

Why are you iffy about that motherboard? The H97 boards are very good. The 280 is a good bit better than the 270x, but the 270x is a good bit better than the 750ti too.

 

[SuarAnth929]

Why are you iffy about that motherboard? The H97 boards are very good. The 280 is a good bit better than the 270x, but the 270x is a good bit better than the 750ti too.

I was just unsure because I'm not familiar with the brand. I don't know much of many of the components either since I am very much out of the loop. Just want to ask, does it matter what OS I use for gaming. I would like to stick with Windows 7, but I am unsure.

 

[okcnaline]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($173.95 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.95 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($125.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($55.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($323.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($107.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: XFX TS 650W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($71.08 @ Newegg)
Total: $940.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-15 15:42 EDT-0400

 

[SuarAnth929]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($222.50 @ shopRBC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.95 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ NCIX)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.95 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($229.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($64.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0 DVD/CD Writer ($17.48 @ DirectCanada)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit) ($107.92 @ shopRBC)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-N15 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($9.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $916.74
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-15 01:35 EDT-0400

I like your build but I was wondering if the i5-4590, which is a bit more expensive, would be better than the 4460, or if there is any discernible difference? How about the i5-4690?

 

[SuarAnth929]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($173.95 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.95 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($125.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($55.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($323.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($107.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: XFX TS 650W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($71.08 @ Newegg)
Total: $940.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-15 15:42 EDT-0400

I appreciate the time for you to answer, however, after clicking the links, I saw the the prices were in USD, and I'm in Canada. The price difference is quite a lot, so the build you suggested is much more in CAD than in USD. Thanks for your suggestion though.

 

[okcnaline]

X) My fault. Here's one that's will actually fit.PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($211.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($167.95 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.98 @ NCIX)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.95 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($229.99 @ NCIX)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($89.98 @ NCIX)
Total: $944.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-16 13:28 EDT-0400

 

[CTurbo]

Is there something about my build that you don't like? I still believe it is the best option here even though all of these builds are solid.

 

[SuarAnth929]

Is there something about my build that you don't like? I still believe it is the best option here even though all of these builds are solid.

No, like your build, I like all suggested builds. I just purchased everything about 4 hours ago from Canada Computers in my city. I used your build except I used an ASUS M5A97 Motherboard and an ASUS GeForce GTX 960, because they were on sale at my local store. Just finished putting it all together, and first try, it works perfectly. Thanks for your advice.

 

[okcnaline]

WHAT?!!!!!!! NO WAY YOU JUST DID THAT.

M5A97 is a AMD 970 chipset motherboard.

 

[SuarAnth929]

WHAT?!!!!!!! NO WAY YOU JUST DID THAT.

M5A97 is a AMD 970 chipset motherboard.

Oh yeah, I forgot, I bought a cheaper AMD FX-6300 Six Core 3.5 Ghz processor instead of the pricier i5. Actually, that means I used around half of the suggested build, excluding processor, graphics and motherboard.

So the build was

CPU: AMD FX-6300 Six-Core 3.5GHz AM3+ Processor
Motherboard: ASUS M5A97 R2.0 AM3+ Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws 8GB (2x4GB) 1866 RAM
Storage: WD Caviar Blue 1 TB 7200RPM Desktop Hard Drive SATA
Case: Deepcool Tesseract White Mid Tower
Power Supply: EVGA 600W Bronze Power Supply
SSD: ADATA SX900 120GB SSD
Video Card: ASUS GeForce GTX 960 2GB
Optical Drive: LG - Internal DVD Burner
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (64-bit)

It ran me about $914 CAD without taxes. The tech guys at Canada Computers knew their stuff very well and assisted me in combining some of your suggestions with cheaper but good processor, better motherboard, and a different graphics card. The graphics card you suggested was unavailable at the local store in addition to the motherboard, which is why I switched from an Intel build to an AMD build. The less priced processor let me get an SSD, too. I opted out of the Wireless PCI card and instead used direct cable connection.

 

[okcnaline]

Oh... x) You actually managed to troll me. I legitimately thought you got the i5 into the AMD 970 socket.

Just a few precautions:
1) While the FX is okay, you'll need a 5.0 Ghz OC to compare to an i5, and have the same maxed out performance you find in one of those Intel processors.
2) ADATA does not have the best track record...
3) The PSU isn't the top-tier PSU you'll find for EVGA... The new GS, and the slightly older G2 series is the most excellent ones people find from them, but this 80+ Bronze is actually rated by Tom's Hardware as a "Tier 2A" and not tier 1 like the GS and G2.
4) Deepcool... I don't trust em'. I've seen some bad reviews even on this forum, so...
5) Last of all, the GTX 960 is benchmarked to roughly perform at the performance of a GTX 760, or kinda close to the 770. It's actually barely beating out a R9 285, a weakened version of R9 290, which barely gets above the GTX 960. It's not that well done, so...

Don't worry, take my information with a grain of salt. Others can say different, but that's merely my opinion and there is nothing I intend for you to do, since you already got the rig. I'm sure the rig you got is still okay.

 

[CTurbo]

This is just my opinion so don't take this the wrong way, but you kind of got ripped off with your final build performance and quality wise. The end build is inferior to the builds presented to you in every way. I believe this is what happens when you buy from a local shop. I'm not trying to hate on your build. It's not terrible in general, just terrible for the price.

 

[logainofhades]

Yup, you got hosed.

 

[SuarAnth929]

Oh... x) You actually managed to troll me. I legitimately thought you got the i5 into the AMD 970 socket.

Just a few precautions:
1) While the FX is okay, you'll need a 5.0 Ghz OC to compare to an i5, and have the same maxed out performance you find in one of those Intel processors.
2) ADATA does not have the best track record...
3) The PSU isn't the top-tier PSU you'll find for EVGA... The new GS, and the slightly older G2 series is the most excellent ones people find from them, but this 80+ Bronze is actually rated by Tom's Hardware as a "Tier 2A" and not tier 1 like the GS and G2.
4) Deepcool... I don't trust em'. I've seen some bad reviews even on this forum, so...
5) Last of all, the GTX 960 is benchmarked to roughly perform at the performance of a GTX 760, or kinda close to the 770. It's actually barely beating out a R9 285, a weakened version of R9 290, which barely gets above the GTX 960. It's not that well done, so...

Don't worry, take my information with a grain of salt. Others can say different, but that's merely my opinion and there is nothing I intend for you to do, since you already got the rig. I'm sure the rig you got is still okay.

Thanks for the response! Like CTurbo, I tried to use all I could from both your build, the only problem was that when I picked them out online, the shipping and handling costs skyrocketed the price (because for some reason shipping to Canada is more expensive). Also, when I questioned about your parts at the store, they were sold out/didn't have them.

I understand your concerns, however. I too was unsure of what the guy was telling me, but he said he builds mostly AMD builds and told me it would be a pretty good first build. I'm only looking to use this computer for games/some video editing, but as long as it will last at least 3 years, I think I'll be ok.

Anyways, I really appreciate your input and precautions. I will be sure to read on proper OC procedures so I can maximize the processor. Hopefully, I'll continue to learn and adapt to building/upgrading my PC. Thanks again.

 

[CTurbo]

The build is not bad, it's just how much you paid for it. It would be a decent build if it was a couple hundred cheaper.