Is this a Good PC Build?

BorealBlueRoo

Reputable
Mar 16, 2014
17
0
4,510
I've been looking at different gaming PC builds, and I think it's time to start looking into parts and build one on my own. I want this PC to be able to record games such as Minecraft, Battlefield Heroes, sometimes COD, and other smaller PC titles. I also want it to be able to LIGHTLY edit my videos. I will leave a link to the specs below. Thanks :)

***NOTE: I've never built a computer before so if I made a mistake, or any of my parts aren't compatible, PLEASE LET ME KNOW***

Specs: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/3lSy0


 
Solution
There are a few changes I believe you should make.
Least important (it just saves money), you may find the FX-8320 to be a lot cheaper than the FX-8350. It may reach the same speeds when overclocked, so unless you are entirely uncomfortable with any overclocking, might save you $50 or more (some of which you'll use on a cooler...).
I believe you'll want a better motherboard. The one you selected is an old 700-series board with a modern socket tacked onto it. I'd look for a 900-series board from Asus or Gigabyte. Use the spreadsheet at https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AgN1D79Joo7tdE9xMUFlMEVWeFhuckJEVF9aMmtpUFE&gid=4 to avoid those known for VRM issues, like the MSI 970A-G4x boards. The interfaces on a...
You were on the right track, but I switched some stuff around to get you Ultra in BF4, higher quality power supply and motherboard, and included an SSD for faster everyday computing :)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($164.99 @ Canada Computers)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Extreme3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($74.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($76.36 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($79.50 @ Vuugo)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.75 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($264.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Cougar Solution (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($46.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($55.99 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($16.79 @ DirectCanada)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($97.88 @ DirectCanada)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN725N 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($9.99 @ Canada Computers)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($29.99 @ Canada Computers)
Total: $983.21
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-04 12:34 EDT-0400)
 
There are a few changes I believe you should make.
Least important (it just saves money), you may find the FX-8320 to be a lot cheaper than the FX-8350. It may reach the same speeds when overclocked, so unless you are entirely uncomfortable with any overclocking, might save you $50 or more (some of which you'll use on a cooler...).
I believe you'll want a better motherboard. The one you selected is an old 700-series board with a modern socket tacked onto it. I'd look for a 900-series board from Asus or Gigabyte. Use the spreadsheet at https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AgN1D79Joo7tdE9xMUFlMEVWeFhuckJEVF9aMmtpUFE&gid=4 to avoid those known for VRM issues, like the MSI 970A-G4x boards. The interfaces on a 900-series board will be faster, and you're less likely to encounter BIOS and/or compatibility glitches; some of the older boards may need to be flashed (requires another CPU) to a revision to support the FX.
The PSU you have selected, the Corsair "CX," reviews well when new but may not last, as they are built with some inferior Samxon capacitors that do not tolerate heat well. You should be able to find a Seasonic-built XFX unit without breaking your budget. A 500W-550W unit would be a comfortable size.
Cheap USB wireless adapters tend to perform poorly compared internal cards, if only on the merits of better antennas. Although I like TP-Link, I'd look for one of their dual-band PCIe x1 cards.
Finally, the FX CPUs tend to run warm, especially when overclocked. I would recommend a 120mm direct-touch tower cooler OTHER THAN the frequently-parroted CM Hyper212 EVO. That one is NOT a bad cooler, but its competitors offer similar performance but may be up to 40% cheaper (e.g. NZXT). That makes the Hyper212 EVO a bang/buck Loser, and I try not to recommend losers.

Edit: Other than the network adapter and not adding a cooler, HiTechObsessed addressed each of my other points with good alternatives.

 
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