Need help with Gaming PC build

[Tim333build]

I'd like to get a gaming PC and so far I've got this base system:

-4gb RAM
-700W Alpine psu
-P8H61-MX motherboard
-500gb storage
-GT 210 gpu
-Intel I3 cpu (don't know which model but it has an LGA 1155 socket)

Now I have a budget of $150 to upgrade the GPU and to buy another 4gb of RAM. My question is this: which GPU should I get (was thinking of RX460) . Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[weberdarren97]

4GB of RAM is going to give a disappointing experience.

That PSU is worse than an actual potato. Don't use it.

Not a bad motherboard but it's kinda pricey.

This storage isn't used, is it?

How about you just don't buy a GPU right now? A GT 210 (or anything else you can fit into $150) will be worse than integrated graphics.

Are you getting a cooler with this CPU?

 

[DellInspiron530]

What's your total build budget? PSU seems too high in W, GPU is gonna make gameplay suffer as is CPU

 

[Corwin65]

With your budget of $150 you should be able to get more RAM and hope it works with what you have, and the RX460 (go for a 1050 if you can get it).

Upgrade that PSU as soon as possible. When ready ask here for help.

(i am assuming you already have everything else)

 

[Tim333build]

4GB of RAM is going to give a disappointing experience.

That PSU is worse than an actual potato. Don't use it.

Not a bad motherboard but it's kinda pricey.

This storage isn't used, is it?

How about you just don't buy a GPU right now? A GT 210 (or anything else you can fit into $150) will be worse than integrated graphics.

Are you getting a cooler with this CPU?

As I said I will get an extra 4gb of RAM. Is the PSU really that bad? And yes the storage is used, why? Won't an RX 460 be good? The CPU does come with a cooler.

 

[weberdarren97]

4GB of RAM is going to give a disappointing experience.

That PSU is worse than an actual potato. Don't use it.

Not a bad motherboard but it's kinda pricey.

This storage isn't used, is it?

How about you just don't buy a GPU right now? A GT 210 (or anything else you can fit into $150) will be worse than integrated graphics.

Are you getting a cooler with this CPU?

As I said I will get an extra 4gb of RAM. Is the PSU really that bad? And yes the storage is used, why? Won't an RX 460 be good? The CPU does come with a cooler.

1) How can you be sure the extra RAM will play well with the RAM you'll already have?

2) That PSU is a fire hazard.

3) Please ask the seller to show you pictures of it passing manufacturer tests. For Seagate drives you want Seatools, for WD drives you want WD Data Lifeguard.

4) AMD cards benefit greater from higher clocked CPUs. If your CPU is an older model and only an i3, I can't say it won't bottleneck an RX 460.

5) Good. You'll need that to keep it from melting.

 

[Tim333build]

4GB of RAM is going to give a disappointing experience.

That PSU is worse than an actual potato. Don't use it.

Not a bad motherboard but it's kinda pricey.

This storage isn't used, is it?

How about you just don't buy a GPU right now? A GT 210 (or anything else you can fit into $150) will be worse than integrated graphics.

Are you getting a cooler with this CPU?

As I said I will get an extra 4gb of RAM. Is the PSU really that bad? And yes the storage is used, why? Won't an RX 460 be good? The CPU does come with a cooler.

1) How can you be sure the extra RAM will play well with the RAM you'll already have?

2) That PSU is a fire hazard.

3) Please ask the seller to show you pictures of it passing manufacturer tests. For Seagate drives you want Seatools, for WD drives you want WD Data Lifeguard.

4) AMD cards benefit greater from higher clocked CPUs. If your CPU is an older model and only an i3, I can't say it won't bottleneck an RX 460.

5) Good. You'll need that to keep it from melting.

1 I will get the same one again.
2 Really?
3 I already have the PC, I'm only buying a new GPU and extra RAM.
4 Which card to you propose for the budget I stated?
5

 

[Corwin65]

Just to make sure you understand, getting the same RAM won't guarantee it will work.

Go for the RX460 as it's your only choice given your budget.

And yes, replace that PSU as soon as possible. Look around and you'll see everyone here recommends a good PSU as it not only provides the power as needed, it protects your components, and you won't have to wake up like I did and find a 3 month old PSU burning in your son's room about to set everything else on fire while we were sleeping.

 

[weberdarren97]

4GB of RAM is going to give a disappointing experience.

That PSU is worse than an actual potato. Don't use it.

Not a bad motherboard but it's kinda pricey.

This storage isn't used, is it?

How about you just don't buy a GPU right now? A GT 210 (or anything else you can fit into $150) will be worse than integrated graphics.

Are you getting a cooler with this CPU?

As I said I will get an extra 4gb of RAM. Is the PSU really that bad? And yes the storage is used, why? Won't an RX 460 be good? The CPU does come with a cooler.

1) How can you be sure the extra RAM will play well with the RAM you'll already have?

2) That PSU is a fire hazard.

3) Please ask the seller to show you pictures of it passing manufacturer tests. For Seagate drives you want Seatools, for WD drives you want WD Data Lifeguard.

4) AMD cards benefit greater from higher clocked CPUs. If your CPU is an older model and only an i3, I can't say it won't bottleneck an RX 460.

5) Good. You'll need that to keep it from melting.

1 I will get the same one again.
2 Really?
3 I already have the PC, I'm only buying a new GPU and extra RAM.
4 Which card to you propose for the budget I stated?
5

Even though the RX 460 is going to be held back by your CPU, it's still your best bet because of your limited budget. If you feel the need, you can go into Radeon Control Center (it comes with the AMD drivers) and lower the speed of the card so that it doesn't put such a high load on the CPU.

For the power supply, don't go out and buy another bad one just because it's all you can afford. For now, run the system like normal and replace the power supply as soon as you have the money. For budget builds, the Seasonic S12ii Bronze and M12ii Bronze EVO Edition (basically modular S12ii) are good.

Also note that the 80+ standard is an efficiency standard and doesn't reflect actual PSU quality in any way. If it's made with better components, an 80+ Bronze unit can be worlds above an 80+ Gold unit that's made with lower quality components.

Sorry for so many edits. I can't grammar today. I'm sure one of the moderators is looking at all my edits and is just like "dude are you drunk?"

 

[Tim333build]

What's your total build budget? PSU seems too high in W, GPU is gonna make gameplay suffer as is CPU

I've already got the base system above, I'm just looking to buy a GPU for ($150-price of 4gb of RAM)

 

[Tim333build]

Just to make sure you understand, getting the same RAM won't guarantee it will work.

Go for the RX460 as it's your only choice given your budget.

And yes, replace that PSU as soon as possible. Look around and you'll see everyone here recommends a good PSU as it not only provides the power as needed, it protects your components, and you won't have to wake up like I did and find a 3 month old PSU burning in your son's room about to set everything else on fire while we were sleeping.

OK. I'll probably get the RX460 and a new PSU. How do I find out if the RAM is compatible with the mobo?
Wow, that PSU sounds frightening!

 

[Tim333build]

4GB of RAM is going to give a disappointing experience.

That PSU is worse than an actual potato. Don't use it.

Not a bad motherboard but it's kinda pricey.

This storage isn't used, is it?

How about you just don't buy a GPU right now? A GT 210 (or anything else you can fit into $150) will be worse than integrated graphics.

Are you getting a cooler with this CPU?

As I said I will get an extra 4gb of RAM. Is the PSU really that bad? And yes the storage is used, why? Won't an RX 460 be good? The CPU does come with a cooler.

1) How can you be sure the extra RAM will play well with the RAM you'll already have?

2) That PSU is a fire hazard.

3) Please ask the seller to show you pictures of it passing manufacturer tests. For Seagate drives you want Seatools, for WD drives you want WD Data Lifeguard.

4) AMD cards benefit greater from higher clocked CPUs. If your CPU is an older model and only an i3, I can't say it won't bottleneck an RX 460.

5) Good. You'll need that to keep it from melting.

1 I will get the same one again.
2 Really?
3 I already have the PC, I'm only buying a new GPU and extra RAM.
4 Which card to you propose for the budget I stated?
5

Even though the RX 460 is going to be held back by your CPU, it's still your best bet because of your limited budget. If you feel the need, you can go into Radeon Control Center (it comes with the AMD drivers) and lower the speed of the card so that it doesn't put such a high load on the CPU.

For the power supply, don't go out and buy another bad one just because it's all you can afford. For now, run the system like normal and replace the power supply as soon as you have the money. For budget builds, the Seasonic S12ii Bronze and M12ii Bronze EVO Edition (basically modular S12ii) are good.

Also note that the 80+ standard is an efficiency standard and doesn't reflect actual PSU quality in any way. If it's made with better components, an 80+ Bronze unit can be worlds above an 80+ Gold unit that's made with lower quality components.

Sorry for so many edits. I can't grammar today. I'm sure one of the moderators is looking at all my edits and is just like "dude are you drunk?"

Yeah, I'll get the RX460. Do you think it's OK if I run the system for like 1 month before I upgrade the PSU? And what should I upgrade first: PSU or RAM?
Probably so.

 

[weberdarren97]

4GB of RAM is going to give a disappointing experience.

That PSU is worse than an actual potato. Don't use it.

Not a bad motherboard but it's kinda pricey.

This storage isn't used, is it?

How about you just don't buy a GPU right now? A GT 210 (or anything else you can fit into $150) will be worse than integrated graphics.

Are you getting a cooler with this CPU?

As I said I will get an extra 4gb of RAM. Is the PSU really that bad? And yes the storage is used, why? Won't an RX 460 be good? The CPU does come with a cooler.

1) How can you be sure the extra RAM will play well with the RAM you'll already have?

2) That PSU is a fire hazard.

3) Please ask the seller to show you pictures of it passing manufacturer tests. For Seagate drives you want Seatools, for WD drives you want WD Data Lifeguard.

4) AMD cards benefit greater from higher clocked CPUs. If your CPU is an older model and only an i3, I can't say it won't bottleneck an RX 460.

5) Good. You'll need that to keep it from melting.

1 I will get the same one again.
2 Really?
3 I already have the PC, I'm only buying a new GPU and extra RAM.
4 Which card to you propose for the budget I stated?
5

Even though the RX 460 is going to be held back by your CPU, it's still your best bet because of your limited budget. If you feel the need, you can go into Radeon Control Center (it comes with the AMD drivers) and lower the speed of the card so that it doesn't put such a high load on the CPU.

For the power supply, don't go out and buy another bad one just because it's all you can afford. For now, run the system like normal and replace the power supply as soon as you have the money. For budget builds, the Seasonic S12ii Bronze and M12ii Bronze EVO Edition (basically modular S12ii) are good.

Also note that the 80+ standard is an efficiency standard and doesn't reflect actual PSU quality in any way. If it's made with better components, an 80+ Bronze unit can be worlds above an 80+ Gold unit that's made with lower quality components.

Sorry for so many edits. I can't grammar today. I'm sure one of the moderators is looking at all my edits and is just like "dude are you drunk?"

Yeah, I'll get the RX460. Do you think it's OK if I run the system for like 1 month before I upgrade the PSU? And what should I upgrade first: PSU or RAM?
Probably so.

A month should be okay. Do not overclock anything until you replace the PSU.

The PSU upgrade should take priority because it's the main issue with the stability of your system.

 

[Tim333build]

4GB of RAM is going to give a disappointing experience.

That PSU is worse than an actual potato. Don't use it.

Not a bad motherboard but it's kinda pricey.

This storage isn't used, is it?

How about you just don't buy a GPU right now? A GT 210 (or anything else you can fit into $150) will be worse than integrated graphics.

Are you getting a cooler with this CPU?

As I said I will get an extra 4gb of RAM. Is the PSU really that bad? And yes the storage is used, why? Won't an RX 460 be good? The CPU does come with a cooler.

1) How can you be sure the extra RAM will play well with the RAM you'll already have?

2) That PSU is a fire hazard.

3) Please ask the seller to show you pictures of it passing manufacturer tests. For Seagate drives you want Seatools, for WD drives you want WD Data Lifeguard.

4) AMD cards benefit greater from higher clocked CPUs. If your CPU is an older model and only an i3, I can't say it won't bottleneck an RX 460.

5) Good. You'll need that to keep it from melting.

1 I will get the same one again.
2 Really?
3 I already have the PC, I'm only buying a new GPU and extra RAM.
4 Which card to you propose for the budget I stated?
5

Even though the RX 460 is going to be held back by your CPU, it's still your best bet because of your limited budget. If you feel the need, you can go into Radeon Control Center (it comes with the AMD drivers) and lower the speed of the card so that it doesn't put such a high load on the CPU.

For the power supply, don't go out and buy another bad one just because it's all you can afford. For now, run the system like normal and replace the power supply as soon as you have the money. For budget builds, the Seasonic S12ii Bronze and M12ii Bronze EVO Edition (basically modular S12ii) are good.

Also note that the 80+ standard is an efficiency standard and doesn't reflect actual PSU quality in any way. If it's made with better components, an 80+ Bronze unit can be worlds above an 80+ Gold unit that's made with lower quality components.

Sorry for so many edits. I can't grammar today. I'm sure one of the moderators is looking at all my edits and is just like "dude are you drunk?"

Yeah, I'll get the RX460. Do you think it's OK if I run the system for like 1 month before I upgrade the PSU? And what should I upgrade first: PSU or RAM?
Probably so.

A month should be okay. Do not overclock anything until you replace the PSU.

The PSU upgrade should take priority because it's the main issue with the stability of your system.

OK l will keep that in mind. And how many Watts should I have?

 

[weberdarren97]

A month should be okay. Do not overclock anything until you replace the PSU.

The PSU upgrade should take priority because it's the main issue with the stability of your system.

OK l will keep that in mind. And how many Watts should I have?

I doubt you're going to pull more than 225W after you add the RX 460. The 520W variants of the Seasonic S12ii Bronze and M12ii Bronze EVO Edition will serve you well into the future.

If you decide to spend a little extra for the M12ii Bronze EVO Edition, make sure you get the EVO Edition. The original version (rare these days) used lower quality internal components and I can't vouch for its stability or safety.

Recap: S12ii Bronze is fine. If getting the M12ii Bronze, get the EVO Edition. Sometimes EVO Edition isn't included in the product name, but it's written on the box so you can just look for it in the product pictures.

 

[Tim333build]

A month should be okay. Do not overclock anything until you replace the PSU.

The PSU upgrade should take priority because it's the main issue with the stability of your system.

OK l will keep that in mind. And how many Watts should I have?

I doubt you're going to pull more than 225W after you add the RX 460. The 520W variants of the Seasonic S12ii Bronze and M12ii Bronze EVO Edition will serve you well into the future.

If you decide to spend a little extra for the M12ii Bronze EVO Edition, make sure you get the EVO Edition. The original version (rare these days) used lower quality internal components and I can't vouch for its stability or safety.

Recap: S12ii Bronze is fine. If getting the M12ii Bronze, get the EVO Edition. Sometimes EVO Edition isn't included in the product name, but it's written on the box so you can just look for it in the product pictures.

Great. Thanks, I will get the stuff you recommended.