Opinions on $600 Build

[nkhaira]

Hello!,
I have convinced my cousin to the PC gaming, and he has about $600 to spend, so I made this build for him using PCPartPicker:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/wyrsQ7

I know for sure that for CPU he definitely prefers Intel, but for graphics card he can go for either AMD or Nvidia

He will only be playing at 1280x1024 resolution and does not plan on upgrading anytime soon, so that was another reason why I thought a GTX 750Ti would be very ideal, he will be able to push games at high to ultra settings at that resolution and still have 60FPS, if my calculations are correct

If maybe there is a better Intel CPU or if she should go for an i3 dual core instead of the g3258, he could get or maybe a better or cheaper motherboard that would work, that would be great, maybe even a better power supply for a little bit more I would be willing to go a little over $600

I doubt I would teach him how to overclock yet, I know a friend of mines who has this same CPU, who does not overclock at all and still plays games fine so I thought this CPU was very ideal, at this point with the current resolution the GPU looks ideal too.

If there is anything you would change in this build please comment, just try to keep everything really close to $600

Thanks!

 

[Archaic59]

This is how I'd do a budget build like yours-

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($108.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Superclocked Video Card ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H24 ATX Mid Tower Case ($20.00 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($58.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) ($86.98 @ OutletPC)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($27.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $601.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-11 11:37 EDT-0400

 

[nkhaira]

This is how I'd do a budget build like yours-

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($108.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Superclocked Video Card ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H24 ATX Mid Tower Case ($20.00 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($58.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) ($86.98 @ OutletPC)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($27.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $601.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-11 11:37 EDT-0400

Someone else recommended that I stick with the G3258 but upgrade the 750Ti to a GTX 960?

Would you say it is better to upgrade gpu or CPU in this case?

 

[FreshPineApples]

i3 4160 > g3258 unless overclocked, you can't overclock on a h98 but the g3258 is an exception with a bios update not 100% sure on which exact boards support it though.

 

[Archaic59]

If you are comfortable overclocking the G3258, then get it. It's really that simple. You'll need a better motherboard with better power phase design and the hyper 212 to cool the cpu. By the time you've got all that you've spent more than the i3. For any software that can utilize the i3 hyperthreading the G3258 will lose every time. Also, the G3258 uses slower DDR3 1333, not 1600 that you listed on your build. What we need is an i3-4160K if Intel would please make one.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8232/overclockable-pentium-anniversary-edition-review-the-intel-pentium-g3258-ae/5

 

[FreshPineApples]

From what I understand a 750ti will get between mid 30 fps - 40s on new AAA titles maxed out 1080p

 

[nkhaira]

From what I understand a 750ti will get between mid 30 fps - 40s on new AAA titles maxed out 1080p

But keep in mind that he will be playing on 1280x1024 resolution, so that 750Ti could definitely push 60FPS at high settings

 

[nkhaira]

If you are comfortable overclocking the G3258, then get it. It's really that simple. You'll need a better motherboard with better power phase design and the hyper 212 to cool the cpu. By the time you've got all that you've spent more than the i3. For any software that can utilize the i3 hyperthreading the G3258 will lose every time. Also, the G3258 uses slower DDR3 1333, not 1600 that you listed on your build. What we need is an i3-4160K if Intel would please make one.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8232/overclockable-pentium-anniversary-edition-review-the-intel-pentium-g3258-ae/5

So if you had the choice, would you go with a G3258 and a GTX960 or a i3 plus GTX 750Ti, keeping in mind the gaming resolution of 1280x1024

 

[Archaic59]

Single core performance is close between them. Overclocking is the only saving grace for the G3258. I'd take the i3 and not look back. Opinions vary.