Friend Needs Advice on His $600 Build

[supermochalala]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6200 3.8GHz 6-Core Processor ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($50.38 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($35.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7770 2GB Video Card ($152.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Rosewill R363-M-BK MicroATX Mid Tower Case w/400W Power Supply ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Other: 54Mbps 802.11g PCI Wireless LAN Card / Adapter with Detachable Antenna For Most Desktop PC ($13.99)
Total: $619.28
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-05 22:34 EST-0500)

Really looking for any improvements. Needs an OS and the Wireless card.

 

[AMD Radeon]

i will personally go with intel build and get 7850
7770 2gb is a waster

 

[johnsonjohnson]

Hi. Don't go with that PSU. Newegg has the CX430 for $20 after promo code and rebate. You can get the HD 7850 1GB for around the same price after rebate like AMD Radeon have said.

 

[AMD Radeon]

cheaper and better

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Pentium G860 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($67.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI H61M-P31/W8 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($35.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Other: 54Mbps 802.11g PCI Wireless LAN Card / Adapter with Detachable Antenna For Most Desktop PC ($13.99)
Total: $563.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-05 22:48 EST-0500)

 

[supermochalala]

Are you sure a Pentium G860 would be good for a gaming PC? Could that build run modern games at medium settings at a decent FPS?

 

[johnsonjohnson]

The HD 7850 1GB is currently out of stock on Newegg but one can often be had for around $150 after rebate.

 

[AMD Radeon]

Are you sure a Pentium G860 would be good for a gaming PC? Could that build run modern games at medium settings at a decent FPS?

dual core sandy bridge is slightly below phenom, much lower power

 

[AMD Radeon]

The HD 7850 1GB is currently out of stock on Newegg but one can often be had for around $150 after rebate.

thanx for pointing that

tthis is still cheaper
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Pentium G860 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($67.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI H61M-P31/W8 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($35.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($172.08 @ NCIX US)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Other: 54Mbps 802.11g PCI Wireless LAN Card / Adapter with Detachable Antenna For Most Desktop PC ($13.99)
Total: $580.98
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-05 23:06 EST-0500)

 

[Outlander_04]

The pentium option is grimly bad compared to using the FX processor .
The FX is a match for even the best intel dual core , let alone the crippled pentium.
Personally Id send a few extra dollars and get an FX 6300

Here is the Anandtech benches .
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6396/the-vishera-review-amd-fx8350-fx8320-fx6300-and-fx4300-tested/5
The best i3 is only in the Diablo and Skyrim charts but the FX 6300 beats it . The 6200 almost exactly as powerful as the 6300 but clocks higher to get the performance
And here
http://www.techspot.com/review/586-amd-fx-8350-fx-6300/page6.html
The FX is always within a frame or two of the i3 3220
The pentium wont perform any where near as well , and its just plain wrong for people to recommend them as a gaming option

If you want to overclock the FX it will out gun any intel dual core in gaming and it demolishes them in applications and encoding

and replace the video card with a 7850 which is a much more powerful graphics card for around $170 . Newegg does seem to have various models at around that price .
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202004
$165

Consider Win8 if its cheaper . In some ways its a definite improvement , and if you want a start button and start menu you can download and install one free

 

[supermochalala]

Here's the current build:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock N68C-GS FX Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($44.98 @ Amazon)
Memory: Mushkin Silverline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($33.84 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($169.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Other: 54Mbps 802.11g PCI Wireless LAN Card / Adapter with Detachable Antenna For Most Desktop PC ($13.99)
Total: $633.72
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-05 23:21 EST-0500)

It's a little over his budget, but he's not looking to buy for a few weeks, so we'll just see how the price changes until then, and hopefully it will either go down or we can make a few compromises here and there.

 

[AMD Radeon]

now that is sweet. dont try to OC because of limited 430w

 

[Outlander_04]

Here's the current build:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock N68C-GS FX Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($44.98 @ Amazon)
Memory: Mushkin Silverline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($33.84 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($169.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Other: 54Mbps 802.11g PCI Wireless LAN Card / Adapter with Detachable Antenna For Most Desktop PC ($13.99)
Total: $633.72
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-05 23:21 EST-0500)

It's a little over his budget, but he's not looking to buy for a few weeks, so we'll just see how the price changes until then, and hopefully it will either go down or we can make a few compromises here and there.

That motherboard uses an nVidia chipset . Im sure they work , but you get way better options if you can fit $70 for an AMD 970 chipset based board in to the budget

 

[djangoringo]

Just get an i3+7850, the fx-6300, you need a good mobo for that(and with support out of the box like the chipset 990FX has...and some 970, also others, and a decent one to oc) and a good cooler.
Also in my opinion the antec vp-450 is better than the corsair cx 430w.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI B75MA-P45 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.57 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($169.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX12V Power Supply ($30.95 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Other: 54Mbps 802.11g PCI Wireless LAN Card / Adapter with Detachable Antenna For Most Desktop PC ($13.99)
Total: $631.42
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

 

[supermochalala]

Would overclocking even be possible and/or worth it with only the stock cooler? If he wasn't looking to overclock, would the 6300 and the cheaper motherboard be a better choice? Looking at CPU benchmarks, it looks like the 6300 is better than that i3.

 

[Outlander_04]

You can OC using the stock cooler , but not as high because you run into heat limitations .

I think the 6300 is always the better choice of those two

 

[blake1243]

The pentium option is grimly bad compared to using the FX processor .
The FX is a match for even the best intel dual core , let alone the crippled pentium.
Personally Id send a few extra dollars and get an FX 6300

Here is the Anandtech benches .
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6396/the-vishera-review-amd-fx8350-fx8320-fx6300-and-fx4300-tested/5
The best i3 is only in the Diablo and Skyrim charts but the FX 6300 beats it . The 6200 almost exactly as powerful as the 6300 but clocks higher to get the performance
And here
http://www.techspot.com/review/586-amd-fx-8350-fx-6300/page6.html
The FX is always within a frame or two of the i3 3220
The pentium wont perform any where near as well , and its just plain wrong for people to recommend them as a gaming option

If you want to overclock the FX it will out gun any intel dual core in gaming and it demolishes them in applications and encoding

and replace the video card with a 7850 which is a much more powerful graphics card for around $170 . Newegg does seem to have various models at around that price .
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202004
$165

Consider Win8 if its cheaper . In some ways its a definite improvement , and if you want a start button and start menu you can download and install one free

Lol "crippled" pentium. It is tomshardware's recommended budget gaming cpu. Also the best sub-$100 gaming cpu on there recommendation. It is not a "crippled pentium". I personally own it and i must say it is by far the best dual core i have ever owned. A 3ghz sandy bridge dual core is by no means a "crippled".

 

[blake1243]

Also @Outlander_04 what do you mean by "wont perform any where near as well"

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/404?vs=699

The 6300 is only about 4-7 fps more than the G850 let alone the G860. Plus, that is easily made up for by purchasing a video card with the left over money you save from getting a cpu that is HALF the price of the 6300. You should look up some benchmarks before you say such a thing. The i3 only give a few frames more than the G860 because hyperthreading just isn't that strong.

 

[Outlander_04]

Lol "crippled" pentium. It is tomshardware's recommended budget gaming cpu. Also the best sub-$100 gaming cpu on there recommendation. It is not a "crippled pentium". I personally own it and i must say it is by far the best dual core i have ever owned. A 3ghz sandy bridge dual core is by no means a "crippled".

The Toms recommendations are based low resolution testing using a $500 graphics cards in various systems . The intel dual cores did well in that set up , helped a little by the use of game engines that dont multithread well and couldnt use the core count of the AMD's
In the real world where we tend to play at 1080p , and want image details set as high as we can the intels dont do so well .

The pentium is a crippled i3 core . Cache and some other portions of the processor are not enabled .

And when the FX is matching the i3 3220 in Toms testing I linked previously its going to be a way better processor than the pentium .


These builds are interesting though . That i3 build suggested by djangoringo is a worthy build . it might even be a coin toss between the two , or it will come down to secondary use besides gaming where the AMD is LOTS better

 

[supermochalala]

With a little more money, we upped his build to this which really looks nice:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3225 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($127.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.57 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Case: MSI TC- (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($22.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: CoolMax 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Other: 54Mbps 802.11g PCI Wireless LAN Card / Adapter with Detachable Antenna For Most Desktop PC ($13.99)
Total: $686.46
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-06 18:25 EST-0500)

 

[blake1243]

The Toms recommendations are based low resolution testing using a $500 graphics cards in various systems . The intel dual cores did well in that set up , helped a little by the use of game engines that dont multithread well and couldnt use the core count of the AMD's
In the real world where we tend to play at 1080p , and want image details set as high as we can the intels dont do so well .

The pentium is a crippled i3 core . Cache and some other portions of the processor are not enabled .

And when the FX is matching the i3 3220 in Toms testing I linked previously its going to be a way better processor than the pentium .


These builds are interesting though . That i3 build suggested by djangoringo is a worthy build . it might even be a coin toss between the two , or it will come down to secondary use besides gaming where the AMD is LOTS better

Actually the higher end Pentium's such as the G860 have the same amount of l3 cache. The only thing disabled is hyperthread and 100-200 mhz clock speed. And at a lower resolution it puts more load onto the CPU and less on the GPU. The people who write the articles aren't dumb. The builder marathon for like the last 6 months has used the HD 7850 and the G860 got the $500 build. I play BF3 MP on high at around 30-40 fps with the G860 and the HD 7770.

 

[djangoringo]

With a little more money, we upped his build to this which really looks nice:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3225 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($127.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.57 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Case: MSI TC- (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($22.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: CoolMax 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Other: 54Mbps 802.11g PCI Wireless LAN Card / Adapter with Detachable Antenna For Most Desktop PC ($13.99)
Total: $686.46
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-06 18:25 EST-0500)

Why the i3-3225 ?...the difference is the on die gpu(intel hd 4000) which you don't need, just get the i3-3220, same performance.
Also you don't need the z75 mobo and the cooler(you can't oc the i3), get the h77m asrock or h77 pro4-m or pro/mvp...
Also don't cheap out on the psu, that coolmax isn't 80 plus certified it's a fake label, and a terrible psu, probably a real 350w...get the antec vp-450, a real 450w psu...and a good one, also get a decent case.

like this : http://pcpartpicker.com/p/wfQU or http://pcpartpicker.com/p/wfSH (different case)

 

[supermochalala]

He's looking to possibly upgrade in the future to an i5-3570k and that Z77 apparently is good for overclocking. I actually have that case and can personally recommend it, so I think we'll stick with it. Thanks for the advice on the PSU though.

 

[djangoringo]

Unless you can pick up the case in microcenter, it costs 50$ in newegg, so there's better ones at that price : http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-case-rc912kkn1

Yes, then get the z77, then save for the g860, it will cost less, and then latter put that cpu(i5), also drop the cooler, buy it when you'll buy the i5-3570k...

 

[supermochalala]

No, you can get the case for $22.99 shipped from MicroCenter thanks to a $20 rebate, so I think we'll stick with this one.

 

[djangoringo]

It's a decent case, i guess you can cheap out on that.
But do not cheap out on the psu.
You can buy the 660 gtx with the the money, you'll be willing to pay for the i3-3225 and the cm hyper 212 evo, it's a better gpu, same power consumption, only requires a 6 pin pcie connector.

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/zotac-video-card-zt6090110m