Seeking help for my first budget gaming PC under $500

[FireInMyLungz]

Hello everyone, I'm currently attempting to build my first very own $500 budget gaming PC. However doing so has seem to be proven harder then what I've anticipated. As well as this being my first build I am more than open to anyone's opinion, advice, tips etc. Let me start out by letting you know I intend to buy all my parts from Amazon.com if possible. One last thing before we get started I picked these particular parts because I prefer high quality parts for the value, but if you feel I could do better by choosing a greater value than please let me know. I'm really trying to keep it as low as possible. Any who, without further adieu I present to you my ideal custom budget gaming PC for under $500.

GAMMA Classic Series ATX Mid Tower Interior Steel Chassis
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002UDK9U6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Corsair Builder Series CX 430 Watt ATX/EPS 80 PLUS
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0092ML1SC/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Patriot Memory Viper 3 Series Venom Red DDR3 8GB 1866MHz
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0098WZV1Y/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB SATA III 7200 RPM
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00461G3MS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_7?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Gigabyte LGA 1155 Intel B75 Micro ATX DDR3 1600 GA-B75M-D3H
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007R9CRGW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 GHZ 1 GB DDR5
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A0HZOEA/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Intel Core i3-3220 Dual-Core Processor 3.3 Ghz
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0093H8HXS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

A grand total of $495.95 USD. Once again please give me your honest opinion. I would love to learn more about building computers so feel free to support/guide me along the way.

Thank you,
Justin

 

[michxymi]

NZXT Technologies Source 210 Computer Case (Black)

LEPA N Series N500-SA 500W ATX12V Power Supply

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX

ASUS M5A97 LE R2.0 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

Patriot Memory Viper 3 Series Venom Red DDR3 8GB 1866MHz (PC3 15000) Memory Kit PV38G186C9KRD

PowerColor AX7850 1GBD5-DH Radeon HD 7850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB SATA III 7200 RPM 16 MB Cache Bulk/OEM Desktop Hard Drive - WD5000AAKX

That a way better build for this money! 7770 is low for 1080p gaming you definitely want a step up to 7850! Other than that I went with AMD because is more value per dollar at this price range and also gives you better upgrade path!

 

[FireInMyLungz]

NZXT Technologies Source 210 Computer Case (Black)

LEPA N Series N500-SA 500W ATX12V Power Supply

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX

ASUS M5A97 LE R2.0 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

Patriot Memory Viper 3 Series Venom Red DDR3 8GB 1866MHz (PC3 15000) Memory Kit PV38G186C9KRD

PowerColor AX7850 1GBD5-DH Radeon HD 7850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB SATA III 7200 RPM 16 MB Cache Bulk/OEM Desktop Hard Drive - WD5000AAKX

That a way better build for this money! 7770 is low for 1080p gaming you definitely want a step up to 7850! Other than that I went with AMD because is more value per dollar at this price range and also gives you better upgrade path!

Hi thanks a lot for your input. I changed my RAM from Cosair Vengeance to the Patriot Viper 3 Series Venom Red. By the way why do you prefer the AMD x4 965 over the i3 3220? Could you be as detailed as possible please? I am still learning the ways. Other than that thanks for replying!

 

[michxymi]

Hi thanks a lot for your input. I changed my RAM from Cosair Vengeance to the Patriot Viper 3 Series Venom Red. By the way why do you prefer the AMD x4 965 over the i3 3220? Could you be as detailed as possible please? I am still learning the ways. Other than that thanks for replying!

Yep sure! i3 is a Dual Core CPU with Hyperthreading (to make this clear think it as two virtual cores) while Phenom is a native Quad Core CPU. More and more games tend to use more than two cores, and while in single thread perfomance i3 wins, Phenom II is a better overall chip.

Also AMD platform is cheaper, with around 80$ you can get a great motherboard with high quality components, plenty of USB & SATA III or even room for Crossfire/SLI. Also AMD use to keep their socket unchanged, that means that when they release their new CPUs you can upgrade easily without changing your motherboard, while Intel's Ivy Bridge and socket 1155 is being replaced.

That's why I choose Phenom

 

[Marcopolo123]

What about fx 6300 the six-core ?

 

[michxymi]

What about fx 6300 the six-core ?

Great CPU but if you go with it, you have to step down to 7770. And because It's a gaming rig you want the best possible GPU 😉

 

[FireInMyLungz]

Great CPU but if you go with it, you have to step down to 7770. And because It's a gaming rig you want the best possible GPU 😉

If I chose a AMD FX 6300, why would I have to step down to a HD 7770? Can I not use an upgraded GPU later on in the future?? Please help. I'm totally confused.

 

[michxymi]

If I chose a AMD FX 6300, why would I have to step down to a HD 7770? Can I not use an upgraded GPU later on in the future?? Please help. I'm totally confused.

Because FX 6300 is more expensive than Phenom II X4 965 and by choosing it you will be out of your budget!

I prefer to get a good GPU now and upgrade my CPU if needed rather than updating my GPU and keep the CPU!

 

[FireInMyLungz]

Oh okay makes sense now. Thanks for the advice!

 

[FireInMyLungz]

Best answer selected by FireInMyLungz.

 

[michxymi]

Best answer selected by FireInMyLungz.

n
nCheck your inbox please

 

[FireInMyLungz]

I have, and I sent you a message back in reply.