I need some advice/help with a gaming rig on a budget.

[AndrewPmullins]

MY BUDGET AND GAMES
So I have a budget for my gaming rig of $800. This will be my first personal build.

Games I intend to play are Minecraft, Starcraft 2, Titanfall, The Sims 3 and 4, Age of Empires III (3), Prison Architect, FTL (faster then light), Simcity, Cities XL, Total war ROME, Kerbal Space Program, Total war Empire, Battlefield 3, and anything else along those lines.

WHAT I HAVE AND MY STORY
I have a DVD drive, two really. One blue ray and one just a normal one. So I wont be needing that.
And that is pretty much it. My last computer was fried due to my water-cooling installed. It could do some gaming at the time. But it was not up to today's specs. I say about 4-5 years behind. I would like to see a possible build from you guys here. With this budget.

PROCESSOR
I would like to have a AMD one. I just have loved them since I learned about them 2-3 years ago. With my budget I am assuming it would be the best thing to get. Intel are good too.

CPU COOLER
Water-cooling if possible

GRAPHICS CARD
I would again prefer AMD graphics card. But if you choose Nvidia I would be okay with it. I won't reject it, I'll consider it.

BRANDS
Who make them, I could careless, as long as it is a reliable one.

MEMORY
I would like 8 gb's.

BRANDS
A major brand that's reliable.

HARD DRIVES
1 Terrabyte to 2 Terrabytes. What ever you can put in the build. Maybe a SSD for a boot drive.

BRANDS
Seagate or WD. Or who ever else is a good brand.

MOTHERBOARD
Just a good motherboard. I probably won't be doing any major overclocking if any.

BRANDS
Reliable ones

POWER SUPPLY
What ever brand, size, modular or not. Just have fun 😉 but not to much fun with my budget.

BRANDS
A good one, major and reliable please

CASE
I would like to include a CoolerMaster n600 V2. Its really nice looking too.

CASE FANS
I would prefer some purple led case fans. They would look amazing in the case.

SIZE
120mm prefered.

BRANDS
Any good brands that offer purple led case fans

**the coolermaster n600 v2 case has mounting options for 8 total fans**

MOUSE AND KEYBOARD
A good brand, to go a long with my build.

And anything else you think would be cool to add. Like fan controlers, leds, etc. Of course withing my budget.

 

[Ahmadjon]

Look for this build, sorry i didn't add case fans((

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock 990FX Extreme3 ATX AM3+/AM3 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($249.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master N600 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $797.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-11 17:47 EDT-0400)

 

[woltej1]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/38aKE
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/38aKE/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/38aKE/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 PRO3 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($70.66 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($249.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master N600 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $788.58

I wouldn't worry about water cooling until you want to do some heavy OC, and also isn't quite in the budget yet. But that can be bought easily later.

Was trying to get you a 770, but it seems just out of your reach.

 

[AndrewPmullins]

I am looking at both of the builds. Impressed I have to say. Ahmadjon it's okay that you didn't add case fans I don;'t mind in fact my old computer --now haven't been used for a long time. Still has some fans in it. Woltej1 okay I won't do some water cooling. Does that processor come with some kind of cooler for it?

And thank you both for keeping my mind open to more ideas like these.

Now a question for both of you guys.
Do I need a separate drive for windows?

 

[woltej1]

it comes with one, some people complain it is loud so a $30 cooler master or xigmtek one will keep it cooler and quieter. DO NOT over clock on the stock cooler though.

 

[AndrewPmullins]

I wasn't planing on overclocking it. And will it like burn it up?

 

[woltej1]

If you OC on a stock cooler yes the CPU will burn up. At stock the original cooler will do fine, but the 8320 draws a lot of power and creates a decent amount of heat so it's never a bad idea even to get a low end cooler.

 

[Ahmadjon]

I am looking at both of the builds. Impressed I have to say. Ahmadjon it's okay that you didn't add case fans I don;'t mind in fact my old computer --now haven't been used for a long time. Still has some fans in it. Woltej1 okay I won't do some water cooling. Does that processor come with some kind of cooler for it?

And thank you both for keeping my mind open to more ideas like these.

Now a question for both of you guys.
Do I need a separate drive for windows?

No you don't need separate drive unless you want really fast OS boot time

 

[Ahmadjon]

But you can get 60GB SSD and your OS would boot 2x times faster and programs 5x or 10x times faster!

 

[AndrewPmullins]

Hey guys, what do you think of my build here?
http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/

 

[FractalDesignCore]

Hey guys, what do you think of my build here?
http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/

Put it in BBCODE.

 

[AndrewPmullins]

Hey guys, what do you think of my build here?
http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/

Put it in BBCODE.

What do you mean by that?

 

[AndrewPmullins]

you mean like this?


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($74.97 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R7 260X 2GB Video Card ($148.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master N600 Windowed ATX Mid Tower Case ($95.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake TR2 700W ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series Purple 2 pack 52.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($20.43 @ Mwave)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series Purple 2 pack 52.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($20.43 @ Mwave)
Fan Controller: BitFenix Recon (Black) Fan Controller ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $808.71
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-14 00:20 EDT-0400)

 

[FractalDesignCore]

you mean like this?


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($74.97 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R7 260X 2GB Video Card ($148.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master N600 Windowed ATX Mid Tower Case ($95.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake TR2 700W ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series Purple 2 pack 52.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($20.43 @ Mwave)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series Purple 2 pack 52.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($20.43 @ Mwave)
Fan Controller: BitFenix Recon (Black) Fan Controller ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $808.71
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-14 00:20 EDT-0400)

Looks solid to me.

 

[AndrewPmullins]

you mean like this?


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($74.97 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R7 260X 2GB Video Card ($148.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master N600 Windowed ATX Mid Tower Case ($95.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake TR2 700W ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series Purple 2 pack 52.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($20.43 @ Mwave)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series Purple 2 pack 52.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($20.43 @ Mwave)
Fan Controller: BitFenix Recon (Black) Fan Controller ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $808.71
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-14 00:20 EDT-0400)

Looks solid to me.

thank you ^_^ people have been telling me --from pc part picker.com forums-- that I should get the r9 270x. What do you think? Should i opt the 260x for the 270x?

 

[FractalDesignCore]

you mean like this?


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($74.97 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R7 260X 2GB Video Card ($148.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master N600 Windowed ATX Mid Tower Case ($95.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake TR2 700W ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series Purple 2 pack 52.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($20.43 @ Mwave)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series Purple 2 pack 52.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($20.43 @ Mwave)
Fan Controller: BitFenix Recon (Black) Fan Controller ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $808.71
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-14 00:20 EDT-0400)

Looks solid to me.

thank you ^_^ people have been telling me --from pc part picker.com forums-- that I should get the r9 270x. What do you think? Should i opt the 260x for the 270x?

The 270x all the way. It has great mining and gaming capabilities.

 

[AndrewPmullins]

but my budget tho...I cant do it...those cards are going way up now. 250-300 already

 

[AndrewPmullins]

you mean like this?


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($74.97 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R7 260X 2GB Video Card ($148.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master N600 Windowed ATX Mid Tower Case ($95.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake TR2 700W ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series Purple 2 pack 52.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($20.43 @ Mwave)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series Purple 2 pack 52.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($20.43 @ Mwave)
Fan Controller: BitFenix Recon (Black) Fan Controller ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $808.71
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-14 00:20 EDT-0400)

Looks solid to me.

thank you ^_^ people have been telling me --from pc part picker.com forums-- that I should get the r9 270x. What do you think? Should i opt the 260x for the 270x?

The 270x all the way. It has great mining and gaming capabilities.

So I added the r9 270, thought this would be a good compromise between my budget and performance

 

[FractalDesignCore]

you mean like this?


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($74.97 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R7 260X 2GB Video Card ($148.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master N600 Windowed ATX Mid Tower Case ($95.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake TR2 700W ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series Purple 2 pack 52.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($20.43 @ Mwave)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series Purple 2 pack 52.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($20.43 @ Mwave)
Fan Controller: BitFenix Recon (Black) Fan Controller ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $808.71
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-14 00:20 EDT-0400)

Looks solid to me.

thank you ^_^ people have been telling me --from pc part picker.com forums-- that I should get the r9 270x. What do you think? Should i opt the 260x for the 270x?

The 270x all the way. It has great mining and gaming capabilities.

So I added the r9 270, thought this would be a good compromise between my budget and performance

I saw an r9 270x Sapphire Vapor-x addition for $194.99 yesterday. If you can find the 270 than get it cause a 270x is just an overclocked version.