Is this a good build for the value?

[Ant Vo]

Hello tom's Hardware community! My friend is currently in the process of building a computer and he wanted me to choose the parts. So my question is, is this the best you can get for the value? The budget is $500 with an operating system. A monitor, keyboard, and mouse is not required. Here is the build:

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mpWgNG) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mpWgNG/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646g3258) | $49.99 @ Micro Center
**CPU Cooler** | [Cooler Master Hyper T4 70.0 CFM Rifle Bearing CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rrt418pkr1) | $19.99 @ NCIX US
**Motherboard** | [MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-z97pcmate) | $40.00
**Memory** | [Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-memory-bls2kit4g3d1609ds1s00) | $54.99 @ Micro Center
**Storage** | [Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezex) | $53.49 @ Directron
**Video Card** | [Sapphire Radeon R7 260X 2GB Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/sapphire-video-card-1003662l) | $122.98 @ Newegg
**Case** | [Rosewill Galaxy-03 ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/rosewill-case-galaxy03) | $44.99 @ Amazon
**Power Supply** | [Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cx430m) | $49.99 @ Amazon
**Operating System** | [Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit)](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-885370635690) | $92.00 @ B&H
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| **Total** | **$528.42**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2015-03-15 11:01 EDT-0400 |

Thank you for any help!

- Ant Vo

 

[RCFProd]

I'd say a stock cooler is enough for that game. However, the R9 280 is overkill if he really is going to be playing just that. That way the build can be balanced a by still keeping a good graphics card but also a decent cooler for overclocking.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.50 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($40.00)
Memory: Kingston Fury Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($60.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.97 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R7 265 2GB Video Card ($140.98 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Comrade ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($53.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($92.00 @ B&H)
Total: $555.41
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-15 12:23 EDT-0400

Ok, thank you for the help! I will probably choose this build as he probably will not be playing intensive games for a while. Thank you so much!

No problems, I've edited the post with an additional note. If he also plays World of Warcraft then get a GTX 750 Ti instead of the the R7 265. Only Nvidia graphics cards work well in that game.