Help me with this budget gaming PC

ButterRum

Member
Feb 26, 2013
37
0
0
Hello, I am new to building a PC, though I am knowledged in computer systems.

Could someone tell me if I am missing anything or compatibility issues I would with this build, other than the OS (plan on getting Windows 7 Pro, 64-bit)?

I imagine I will have to get some minuscule items, such as cable extensions, so let me know about that too.

Thanks!


Budget ~$500, items priced from Newegg.

Case $23
Athena Power CA-GSB01DA Black 0.8mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811192289

Motherboard $85
ASRock 970 EXTREME3 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157280

Processor $140
AMD FX-6300 Vishera 3.5GHz (4.1GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 95W Six-Core
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113286

Graphics $120
SAPPHIRE 100358L Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB 128-bit GDDR5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202011

Memory $51
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231311

Power Supply $47
RAIDMAX HYBRID 2 RX-530SS 530W ATX12V V2.2/
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817152028

Heatsink
Not really sure what to get?

Hard Drive $80
Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840

DVD $20
SAMSUNG DVD Burner SATA Model SH-224BB
 
Last edited:

mfenn

Elite Member
Jan 17, 2010
22,400
5
71
www.mfenn.com
First off, what is your budget and how much are you paying for each part in that list?

Second, you don't need the sound card and that power supply is utter crap. Let me know where you purchase parts and I'll find you something better.
 

ButterRum

Member
Feb 26, 2013
37
0
0
First off, what is your budget and how much are you paying for each part in that list?

Second, you don't need the sound card and that power supply is utter crap. Let me know where you purchase parts and I'll find you something better.

I'm using New Egg. I want to keep it at ~$500. The price of all the items listed is $574.

**Edit: I have added links to the items.
 
Last edited:

Sleepingforest

Platinum Member
Nov 18, 2012
2,375
0
76
You won't need a heatsink; the stock one from AMD is fine unless you have a burning need to overclock. Get a Corsair CX500 instead for $30AR; it's much better than the Raidmax crap you listed. This Toshiba 1TB HDD helps you save a bit of money. I'd also step down to the Asrock Pro3 motherboard for $75 (plus $8 for shipping). There's a 7770 for only $105 after a $10 rebate, plus it comes with Sleeping Dogs for free (an excellent open world action-adventure game with some RPG elements from Square Enix about a man infiltrating the Hong Kong triads).

You might actually want to step up to a better case like the Corsair 200R, which is $50 after a $10 MIR.
 
Last edited:

ButterRum

Member
Feb 26, 2013
37
0
0
You won't need a heatsink; the stock one from AMD is fine unless you have a burning need to overclock. Get a Corsair CX500 instead for $30AR; it's much better than the Raidmax crap you listed. This Toshiba 1TB HDD helps you save a bit of money. I'd also step down to the Asrock Pro3 motherboard for $75 (plus $8 for shipping). There's a 7770 for only $105 after a $10 rebate, plus it comes with Sleeping Dogs for free (an excellent open world action-adventure game with some RPG elements from Square Enix about a man infiltrating the Hong Kong triads).

You might actually want to step up to a better case like the Corsair 200R, which is $50 after a $10 MIR.

Do the ratings matter? The hard drive and motherboard you listed -- the people say theirs crapped out on alot. When I shop I usually go for the ones with better reviews so I have less of a chance of returning DOA items. Its pretty inconvenient.


Now, after I get all this, is there anything else I need? Or do I just put it all together, then install the Windows 7?

...Somehow this sounds too easy and I'm sure I'll run into problems....
 

Sleepingforest

Platinum Member
Nov 18, 2012
2,375
0
76
DOA items are roughly equally possible with all items--most are a result of bad S&H practices rather than the actual fault of the item.

As for installation: here's a video and the accompanying text.

If you need Wifi, get a PCI card or a USB stick for it; those will need drivers too.
 
Last edited:

ButterRum

Member
Feb 26, 2013
37
0
0
Sounds good enough. Thanks for the info.

I do have all my torxes and screws. I have upgraded several laptops/desktops. Just never build a computer from the ground up.

I guess I'm wondering if I'll need connector extensions for this build, should something be too short to connect to, etc. Just trying to think of things that would make me wait 2-3 days to get shipped if I forgot something.

If I get a PCI-card for Wifi, will I need an extra PCI slot? I'm sort of confused on the PCI with the motherboard. The GPU I'm getting says it's for PCI 3.0, but the motherboard I'm getting is a PCI 2.0. However I checked other configs and they seem to work together.
 

Sleepingforest

Platinum Member
Nov 18, 2012
2,375
0
76
Fortunately, PCIe editions are very nice to each other: parts can go either way (so PCIe 3.0 can go in 2.0, but will suffer a small, typically 2-3%, performance penalty).

It's important to keep a distinction between PCI and PCIe. A WiFi PCI card will not take away from PCIe bandwidth and has a different kind of slot. Your motherboard, fortunately, has both PCIe (for the video card) and PCI (for WiFi).
 

Steltek

Diamond Member
Mar 29, 2001
3,263
1,007
136
PCIe 3.0 cards are backwards compatible with PCIe 2.0 motherboards - you just loose a small percentage of performance that you'll never notice in real world use.

The cables should be plenty long.

PCI and PCIe slots are electrically incompatible. The motherboard you have chosen has 2 PCI slots so you can install a PCI wifi card with no problems.

EDIT: Guess we were posting at the same time.
 
Last edited:

ButterRum

Member
Feb 26, 2013
37
0
0
OK, even though the processor is 45W and the GPU requires a minimum of a 450W power supply, this will not borderline-overload the power supply (500W) or do the two not go together?
 

Sleepingforest

Platinum Member
Nov 18, 2012
2,375
0
76
They say that the GPU requires 500W because many people get crappy PSUs (like the one you originally linked to) that can't give nearly what they claim. The PSU I recommended is solid.

If it really worries you, look over this Bench. It shows the power consumption under load to be only 200W or so (and I put in some game framerate stats).
 

Steltek

Diamond Member
Mar 29, 2001
3,263
1,007
136
For power supplies, so long as you stick to Seasonic, Antec, Corsair, or XFX you'll rarely go wrong and the power supply will usually match its quoted specs. If you buy any other brand, you really have to research who actually made it (i.e. most companies don't manufacture their own power supplies, but re-brand OEM supplies. For instance, XFX and many Corsair power supplies are made by Seasonic who is pretty much the top tier manufacturer) to determine if it is any good or not.

The Raidmax power supply you linked is actually made by a Taiwan company called Andyson. There is very little information out there about them relative to testing in their own name; however, Raidmax isn't a very highly regarded brand (i.e. mfenn's "utter crap" above pretty much agrees with my own personal opinion, which is "even the clang it makes hitting the bottom of my garbage can is utter crap").
 
Last edited:

ButterRum

Member
Feb 26, 2013
37
0
0
Thanks for the info on the power supplies.

I've watered down the setup to get it to about $350, as I've realized I don't need something as powerful as what I originally listed.

This is the new setup I'm thinking about. Major changes are the processor, motherboard, and graphics card.

Case
Corsair 200r

Hard drive
Western Digital 1tb 7200rpm

Motherboard
MSI FM2-A55M-E33 FM2 AMD A55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130661

Processor
AMD A6-5400k
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819113282

Graphics
AMD Radeon HD 7540D (integrated with the AMD A6-5400k)

Memory
Corsair Vengeance Blue 8 GB (2X4 GB) PC3-12800 1600mHz DDR3 240-Pin
- I'm seeing some RAM say it's compatible with AM3+, but it doesn't list the LM2. Does this matter?

Power Supply
Corsair CX500

DVD
SAMSUNG DVD Burner SATA Model SH-224BB

I've left room so that I can upgrade if I ever need to (such as adding a discrete graphics card -- will the 7770 work with the setup?). Let me know if there are foreseeable problems with the setup.
 
Last edited:

Steltek

Diamond Member
Mar 29, 2001
3,263
1,007
136
Yes, the HD-7770 will work with that motherboard down the road.

The only downside is that, right now, socket FM2 has limited upgrade potential. I believe the highest level processor you can get for it now is the A10-5800k, which is way below the FX-8350 (not an FM2 processor). The A10 will fall somewhere in the ballpark of between i3 and i5, solely dependent upon the game.
 

ButterRum

Member
Feb 26, 2013
37
0
0
That's what I figured with the FM2 motherboard. Upgrading to an AM3+ motherboard would force me to get the FX-series, and that would tack on an extra $150-$200. I could always replace the motherboard for later, but I really only plan on using this for MMO-like games, and I don't mind playing games like BF3 on medium settings (if I do end up playing).

I was checking Youtube videos of the AMD A6-5400K, and it looked like more than enough for what I need.

What do you think of the WD Green drive? It's 1.5TB and only $70 with a coupon: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136892
Thanks!

**Edit! May just go with the AM3+. Micro Center has great deals.

lol Ehhh, forgot that the FX-series does not have an integrated card, so it would be more expensive.
 
Last edited:

Sleepingforest

Platinum Member
Nov 18, 2012
2,375
0
76
Hm... I would at least get an A10 now. The A6 definitely will not allow for BF3 on medium unless you accept a lowered resolution and around 25FPS, especially on multiplayer.

WD Green drives are really slow because they're meant for an NAS. Don't get them if you can; you probably won't even use a single TB, let alone 1.5.
 

Hubb1e

Senior member
Aug 25, 2011
396
0
71
The A6 is a dual core part and is underpowered for BF3 multiplayer which requires a 4 core CPU (or at least an i3 which can handle 4 threads). It works fine as a basic office machine but for gaming on modern games it won't cut it. I would avoid it. Get at least the A8 5600K. This chip is only $100 so it doesn't add much to your build cost.
 

Sleepingforest

Platinum Member
Nov 18, 2012
2,375
0
76
If you go A10, you'll actually need an FM2 A85X chipset to support all the features. You can still fit everything to about $400 after rebates:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($127.29 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A85X Extreme4-M Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($88.56 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($50.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: Silverstone PS08B (Black) MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($34.90 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $415.70
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-27 21:26 EST-0500)

I'd say that if you have a $500 budget, you'd be better off going Intel and an discrete GPU. It's literally 50% more powerful (more frames) at least. Here's a comparison between a 7770 and a GT 640. The GT 640 is, in turn, much faster (20-50%) than the iGPU in the A10 (called the 7660D).
 
Last edited: