Will my newb build work OK? (1st time build with dad, 12 yrs old)

[kblob78]

Hi everyone,
I'm 12 years old and I'm about to build a $500 budget gaming PC with my dad within the next week or two. I've researched heavily and checked all the specs of the parts to make sure they work together OK, but I have almost no experience building computers (at age 10, I made a frankenputer out of some old parts, and it worked fine and booted to XP until I realized there was no CPU heatsink... dammit.) I used PCPartPicker, researched all the standards, etc., but both humans and computers can fail sometimes. Before I take the plunge I'd like a bit of help from you guys out there (just some stuff like if the video card will fit, whether the PSU will make my PC into a Kentucky Fried Computer, that sort of thing.) Thanks for your time.

(And in case you're wondering, I mostly play games like Minecraft, Portal, and racing games. That's why I went for a powerful CPU at the expense of a slightly better GPU- I think the extra processing power will help me more in the end.)

PCPartPicker Plain Text:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3Gv4D
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3Gv4D/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3Gv4D/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($80-100 on EBay used)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($18.15 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($54.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 270X 2GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($135 on EBay)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($26.13 @ Newegg)
ODD: On hand ($0.00)
HDDr: 320GB HDD loaded with Win7 Pro from EBay ($50.00)
Total: $460-480
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-08 21:19 EDT-0400)

 

[HiTechObsessed]

Changed some stuff to get you a better motherboard with better power delivery, and a better power supply. The 6300 + 270x will give you great performance for gaming

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($18.15 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 270X 2GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($199.99 @ TigerDirect)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($47.99 @ NCIX US)
Other: ODD from a previous build ($0.00)
Other: 320GB HDD loaded with Win7 Pro ($49.99)
Total: $571.08
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-08 23:20 EDT-0400)

 

[kblob78]

Changed some stuff to get you a better motherboard with better power delivery, and a better power supply. The 6300 + 270x will give you great performance for gaming

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($18.15 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 270X 2GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($199.99 @ TigerDirect)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($47.99 @ NCIX US)
Other: ODD from a previous build ($0.00)
Other: 320GB HDD loaded with Win7 Pro ($49.99)
Total: $571.08
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-08 23:20 EDT-0400)

Thanks HiTechObsessed! I have some questions though: Why go with that particular mobo, when it can only support DDR3-1333? I mostly play Minecraft, so higher memory transfer speeds are important. (Besides, I know this is stupid, but I don't really like the solid light-blue color of Gigabyte's mobos.) Also, does XFX make reliable power supplies? I know that they make good GFX cards, but I had never heard until an XFX PSU until now. (The Corsair CX-430 would have been perfect, until it jumped from $19.99 to $34.99. I'll see if this is just a temporary price hike, or if it'll go down.)

Also, will the GFX card I picked fit? All the reviews say the thing is massive, and even though I'm using an ATX mid tower, I don't even know if a mATX mobo will give it the structural support it needs, let alone leave crucial ports uncovered.

Thanks so much for your help. I really appreciate it!

 

[HiTechObsessed]

Yeah the graphics card will fit alright.

And yes, XFX power supplies are all built by seasonic, which is one of the best quality manufacturers out there.

The speed difference between 1333 and 1600, even in minecraft, won't be very much. I did just choose that motherboard as it has just enough power delivery to be ok. Feel free to get any ATX board you want, I was simply going for cheaper lol if you do go ATX sized, be sure if you get a 970 board to steer clear of MSI. Their 970 boards are poorly cooled.

 

[kblob78]

Yeah the graphics card will fit alright.

And yes, XFX power supplies are all built by seasonic, which is one of the best quality manufacturers out there.

The speed difference between 1333 and 1600, even in minecraft, won't be very much. I did just choose that motherboard as it has just enough power delivery to be ok. Feel free to get any ATX board you want, I was simply going for cheaper lol if you do go ATX sized, be sure if you get a 970 board to steer clear of MSI. Their 970 boards are poorly cooled.

Thanks for all the help! I just ordered all the parts last night. Thanks to some sales (and my dad giving me a bit more cash to upgrade some stuff), I was able to slightly better than I thought before.

CPU: AMD FX-6300, $110 due to a sale @ NCIX
MoBo: ASUS ATX board (it had some long, weird number for a name I can't remember). It had XFire support, good power draw, a 970 chipset, support for 4 sticks/64GB of 2133+ ram, etc. etc. etc.
Video Card: Gigabyte R9 270X video card. Normally $220+, I got a working one off EBay for $135!
PSU: RaidMax 630w 80+ dealie. I know that RaidMax PSUs aren't the best, but this one had great reviews (people said it was very reliable), had great cooling (a 135mm fan!), and blue LEDs, so it fit well with my black/blue color scheme. And with sales & rebates, it was only $40!
HDD: WD Blue 500GB w/Win7 Pro built in. Only $65. I'd say it's a pretty good deal, considering it's worth $130+.

Thanks for everything!

 

[HiTechObsessed]

All looks good. Just be careful with the power supply. I wouldn't try overclocking with it. The capacitors are weak.

Enjoy the build! Gonna be really fun. You have a nice performance combination