How's This Build?

[Taeran]

Here it is:

CPU: Pentium G860?
Motherboard: Not Sure
RAM: Any 2 x 4GB RAM DDR3, pref 1600
Graphics: Radeon HD 7770?
Power Supply: ~450W
Hard Drive: Cheap 500GB
DVD Drive: Cheap DVD burner
Case: ???(I'll decide after a decision on the mobo)

I'd like to keep this as cheap as possible, preferably around 450 dollars. Looking for advice mostly on the mobo and GPU, but changes to the processor are most certainly open. I'd like the options to upgrade in the future either to the i5 or a higher-end AMD cpu. I've done quite a bit a research in the past two weeks but I'm still unsure! Please Help!

This computer's ~450 dollar budget does not include: Monitor, OS, keyboard/mouse, or speakers.
Priority on gaming.

Thanks in advance, this computer will be purchased as soon as I can manage.

 

[Lord Tumnas]

if you purchase an intel cpu, upgrading to an amd processor would require a new motherboard, and there isnt much amd based cpus better than an i5 anyway....
it might be worth buying an i3 straight up instead of the pentium.
make sure the hard drive is 7200rpm, a 5400rpm drive will be quite slow
a cheap and decent motherboard is the ASrock pro3M, it comes in the B75 chipset(cheaper) and the Z77 chipset(more exspensive, but allows overclocking)

 

[ninjamark]

I'd agree on the CPU, I know you probably want the pretty soon, but I'd fore sure look at getting an i3 and then look into overclocking it.

 

[g-unit1111]

What's the budget here? Contrary to the previous two posters the Pentium G860 isn't really that bad of a CPU. The i3 is good but better would be an i5 but knowing the budget would help to suggest parts.

 

[Taeran]

Thanks for some reassurance, the Pentium benchmarked pretty well in what I read.

I mentioned a 450 dollar budget without the monitor, peripherals, or OS. I'll be more explicit in the future. The idea of this build is to have a decent computer for gaming now but also including an upgrade path to a better GPU and an i3 or i5 processor.

Edit:I'm probably going to be buying a 1920x1080 (on a different budget, I have one picked out) monitor.

 

[g-unit1111]

$450 is an incredibly tight budget to work with but here's what I came up with:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Pentium G870 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor ($81.09 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Silverline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($33.84 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB Video Card ($111.97 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($35.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($61.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $477.81
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-31 14:11 EST-0500)

 

[Taeran]

Thanks for the pretty quick reply.

Where would the first place be to improve upon and how much more money would it require to be worth it to come up from the pentium/7770?

 

[Taeran]

Best answer selected by Taeran.

 

[nix327]

What g-unit gave is a pretty neat build..but i suggest you save a little more money and either get an i5 or a better gpu..replacing both the cpu and the gpu means you will have to dump both the pentium and the 7770..if you only have to replace either the gpu or cpu it will save you some $..

to answer your question the best gaming cpus right now would be a quad core i5 which is about 180-200$ and a high end gpu will be around 200$ and upwards

 

[nix327]

I did'nt mean to discourage you or anything..the g860 and 7770 will provide good performance for gaming..it is upto you what to get..cheers

 

[g-unit1111]

What g-unit gave is a pretty neat build..but i suggest you save a little more money and either get an i5 or a better gpu..replacing both the cpu and the gpu means you will have to dump both the pentium and the 7770..if you only have to replace either the gpu or cpu it will save you some $..

to answer your question the best gaming cpus right now would be a quad core i5 which is about 180-200$ and a high end gpu will be around 200$ and upwards

Not possible on a $450 budget. You have to keep in mind that the onboard video is meant to handle basic functions only - it is not a substitute for a dedicated GPU.

 

[Taeran]

I believe he was suggesting to put off the build and buy better parts at a later date, with a higher budget. With ~175 dollars more (putting the build at 625 dollars), would upgrades to an Intel Core i5-3450 and a Radeon HD 7850 2 GB be the right way to go?

 

[nix327]

I was suggesting to put off the build until you can save enough for a better cpu or gpu..not both..having to bin both of them when upgrading is not worth it in my opinion..you can either get a good cpu now like the i5 3450 with the 7770 and upgrade to a better gpu later or get a g860 and a 7850/gtx 660 and upgrade the cpu later..

Having to upgrade both the cpu and gpu is bit of a loss..i hope now you understand what i meant..i'm not a native speaker so my english may not be that good..

But if you can wait until you have enough $ for both the i5 and 7850 that is also an option..but that will take longer..