I need help with a PC build and opinion

[SlyDevil]

Hi I have no experience with building a PC whatsoever and I have very limited knowledge about computers but anyway I want to build one. I have set my budget at around $550 and with this build http://pcpartpicker.com/p/cD2Hyc I felt like I hit the mark. Now I just want some opinion on this build cause as I've said before I have very limited knowledge about computers and I have a few questions.

Will bottlenecking occur with this build?
Is overclocking possible/a good idea for this build?
Will the cpu cooler fit?

Other info: It is mainly a gaming PC and the games I plan to play are Total war games, CIv 5, HoI3 and a couple of triple a titles like Assasin's creed and GTA V. Money was an issue I had to deal with so I picked the parts based on what I needed. 2 tb since I have a lot of movies and music to store.

Any opinion on how to improve this build will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Math Geek]

sticking to what you started with. i changed the ram, mobo (to a full sized one) and psu to better ones. i also changed the gpu to a cheaper one that is just as good. the price changed with the new gpu enough to allow the better parts and lowered the price overall.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($98.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock 980DE3/U3S3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($53.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($66.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R7 370 4GB Nitro Video Card ($143.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($38.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($41.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($17.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $527.58
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-19 19:30 EDT-0400

after i feed the kids, i'll be happy to revisit this some and see what kind of intel build can work for the budget as well.

 

[SlyDevil]

sticking to what you started with. i changed the ram, mobo (to a full sized one) and psu to better ones. i also changed the gpu to a cheaper one that is just as good. the price changed with the new gpu enough to allow the better parts and lowered the price overall.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($98.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock 980DE3/U3S3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($53.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($66.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R7 370 4GB Nitro Video Card ($143.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($38.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($41.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($17.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $527.58
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-19 19:30 EDT-0400

after i feed the kids, i'll be happy to revisit this some and see what kind of intel build can work for the budget as well.

I thought about buying an Intel cpu rather than amd. I certainly don't mind spending a few extra dollars for an Intel but I still have to buy a ssd and monitor so that's why I picked the fx-6300. Any way is your suggestion good? cause I'm getting ready to buy the parts soon.

 

[Math Geek]

what i picked is a little bit better. performance will be the same but the parts are better and will last longer at higher usage (especially the psu). as for an intel build, it can be done for about the same money. something like this would actually perform a bit better than the 6300.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4170 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($114.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z97 Killer ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($71.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($66.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R7 370 4GB Nitro Video Card ($143.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($22.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($41.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($17.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $520.59
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-21 11:54 EDT-0400

the mobo is actually an overclocking board so it is ready for a better cpu down the line if you ever wish to go there. such as an i5 or i7 as the price of these come down with the skylake ones now taking their place. of course for a bit more now you can have the i5 and be set except for a gpu upgrade down the line. the rest would be good for a few years easy.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($174.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z97 Killer ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($71.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($66.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R7 370 4GB Nitro Video Card ($143.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($22.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($41.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($17.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $580.60
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-21 11:56 EDT-0400

the locked i5 adds about $60 or so to the build but would be worth it if you have the money. this build is leagues ahead of the 6300 build and won't need to be upgraded until the gpu needs it. if you have the extra cash, this is the way to go for maximum benefit now.

 

[Math Geek]

and finally if you think you'll never move to an unlocked cpu and want to overclock then you can save a few dollars up front on a non overclocking mobo. final price is about the same because the z97 board has a $40 rebate. this saves that extra $40 up front since it is a cheaper board overall.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($174.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($67.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($66.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R7 370 4GB Nitro Video Card ($143.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($22.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($41.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($17.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $576.60
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-21 11:59 EDT-0400

i hope i have not overwhelmed you with tha options but i wanted you to see a few variables. the 6300 would be my last choice since the i3 is the same price and better. the i5 is my first choice for the extra few dollars as it provides the best performance overall for little more money. the money saved on the extra cooling for the 6300 goes a long way to getting rhe locked i3/5 into the build.

 

[SlyDevil]

Thank you for helping me out.

btw what do you think of this build instead?

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mWhqvK

I can get the intel i5-4590 for about $ 160 in mircocenter. So with fx-6300 plus with hyper evo 212 it's about $90 + $35 = $125
So I can get intel for about $35 more so worth it think.

That link is my absolute limit in terms of budget I didn't include an OS since I could get that in college. So what do you think?

 

[Math Geek]

no problem. hopefully you can come up with a solid choice based on the ideas here 😀

good luck and feel free to ask any questions you have as you go about the build.

 

[SlyDevil]

btw what do you think of this build instead?

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mWhqvK

 

[Math Geek]

the build looks like a winner to me

the only thing i would personally change is the ssd. the kingston one you chose is just about the bottom of the heap in terms of performance. if you can pull another $10 or so, the crucial bx100 is a solid budget choice as is the samsung 850 evo. here are the 2 models i am thinking of http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/compare/crucial-internal-hard-drive-ct120bx100ssd1%2Csamsung-internal-hard-drive-mz75e120bam/

if you can swing it, either of these would be well worth the cost of the step up. other than that, you have a nice solid build ready to enjoy 😀

 

[SlyDevil]

thanks for helping me out