Review my PC build

[Jimmynooo]

Hey guys, first time PC builder here looking for some advice on my build.

I want to use my PC to game smoothly with moderate to high settings, upgrading from my old clunky laptop. I would like to be able to play games like witcher 3 on moderate-low settings and host games of Civ V

I was looking to initially spend about $600 but my build has gone a bit over budget to come out to $725. I am Canadian so this price translates differently to American ($560 USD)

My parts are:

CPU: AMD FD6300WMHKBOX FX-6300 6-Core Processor Black Edition: http://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B009O7YORK/ref=ox_sc_act_image_7?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3KZFHPRUM5A3U ($140)

Motherboard: ASUS Micro ATX DDR3 2000 AMD AM3 Plus Motherboard M5A78L-M/USB3: http://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B00DQO9L1Q/ref=ox_sc_act_image_6?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB ($78)

GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 SuperSC ACX 2.0 Plus 2GB GDDRt 128 bit: http://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B00SC6HAS4/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB ($260)

RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB Kit (4GBx2) http://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B006WAGGUK/ref=ox_sc_act_image_5?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB ($75)

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1 TB HDD SATA 6 Gb/s NCQ 64MB Cache:
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B005T3GRNW/ref=ox_sc_act_image_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1HU0UETW2PFPN ($70)

Case: Rosewill Dual Fans MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case: http://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B009NJAE4Q/ref=ox_sc_act_image_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB ($45)

Power: EVGA 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V/EPS12V Power Supply: http://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B00H33SFJU/ref=ox_sc_act_image_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1HU0UETW2PFPN ($57)

Are there any components which you think may be excessive or could be changed? I'm also slightly concerned about having enough space for comfort in the case as well as power supply. Also, should I look into replacing my monitor?

I am up for any tips which you can provide to a newbie and would love some help.

Thanks in advance

 

[Jimmynooo]

Bump, any advice is appreciated

 

[datguy20]

Here's an Intel build http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/VrBDvK I know it's not in the budget, but it would perform much better than an FX-6300. Maybe you can cut down on some things, but idk.

 

[Jimmynooo]

How does that build perform when weighing in the video card? I feel as if the gpu isn't as efficient. Please correct me if I'm wrong, I really am very new to all this

 

[datguy20]

The R9 280 is better than a GTX 960 (slightly), and comes with an additional GB of VRAM. It's very overclockable as well, if you are comfortable doing that (think around an additional 10-15 free FPS).

If you're willing to spend a little more, I would probably recommend the R9 280x 3GB ($259) or R9 380 4GB ($279), but those are even more out of budget. I didn't know how far you'd be willing to push it, so I stuck with the R9 280. GTX cards aren't really good at the moment for people on tight budgets, as AMD cards beat Nvidia at most price points below ~$480 (depends on location though).

The difference from a 280 & 280x is bigger and more worthwhile (compared to the price difference) than the difference of a 280x & 380, if that helps you.

 

[Jimmynooo]

Perfect, thank you

 

[Jimmynooo]

Is there any reason as to why you chose a 600W power supply when less than 400W are being used?

 

[datguy20]

Is there any reason as to why you chose a 600W power supply when less than 400W are being used?

Because the rest of the lower watt PSU's are terrible quality. That one ranks as tier 3 (aka not bad, but not enough for heavy overclocking or SLI/Crossfire), while the rest at a lower price than it were ranked as immediately avoid. lol

You really can't get decent quality PSU's lower than 550W.

 

[Jimmynooo]

Okay thank you