Planning on Building Budget Gaming PC. Part Recommendations Wanted!

[JacobMc]

Hey guys,

I just recently have been researching parts for building a budget gaming PC and have already picked some parts out. This is my first time building a PC and I would like some opinions on the parts I picked but before I share those here is some information to help with your opinions and recommendations.

Budget (for PC, not external parts): <$500
Performance: I'll mostly be playing older games for now (Call of Duty 4, Oblivion) but I'd like to have a PC that can handle newer games as well. I'm not looking to run games on maxed out settings though. I'm fine with 720p, medium settings.
Country: US
Overclocking: No
Current monitor: LG M227WDP (1080p)

So here are some of the parts I'm looking at now. I've been watching Austin Evan's videos and some of these parts are from his $500 build.

Case: NZXT Technologies Source 210 Computer Case (Black)
Rosewill Dual Fans MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case FBM-01
Corsair Carbide Series SPEC-01 Mid Tower Gaming Case CC-9011050-WW
Hard Drive: WD Black 500GB HD
Power Supply: Corsair Builder Series CX 430 Watt ATX
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport Very Low Profile 8GB Single DDR3-1600
CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 Processor (I hear good things about Intel but I would like some recommendations for this part especially.)
GPU: Recommendations please!
Motherboard:Recommendations please!

Please let me know if I'm missing any parts of if I'll need any additional fans for this system. Also, would someone give me a comparison of ATX vs micro ATX?

I must say I'm a little overwhelmed at all of the options there are for PC parts so I greatly appreciate expert recommendations! Again, I'm not looking for the highest performance but rather something that can play modern games at a smooth FPS on medium to high settings.

I greatly appreciate any help!

EDIT:
I've created this build and I'd like to hear some expert opinions on how well these parts will suit my needs! Also, I'm still debating whether to get an mATX case or an ATX case. I definitely want smaller but I'm wondering if there are cons to having an mATX case.

 

[Ken g6]

[thread=2389797]Do you need an OS with that[/thread]?

If not, you can improve on the parts in my linked post a little, and more RAM isn't a bad place to start.

 

[JacobMc]

[thread=2389797]Do you need an OS with that[/thread]?

If not, you can improve on the parts in my linked post a little, and more RAM isn't a bad place to start.

Yes I do I need an OS. But I should be able to get that fairly easily. And I actually did take a look at your post previously and I'll definitely consider those parts as well! Seems very helpful.

 

[JacobMc]

Hey guys,

I created this build, could you guys let me know what you think of it based on the info I provided?

Also, I get a compatibility note saying:

"Gigabyte GA-B85M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard has an onboard USB 3.0 header, but the NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case does not have front panel USB 3.0 ports."

Does that mean I won't be able to use the USB 3.0 ports on the front of the case?

Also, are there any other vital parts for building this PC that I missed? The case comes with a fan, will that be sufficient for this PC?

 

[Essence_of_War]

Does that mean I won't be able to use the USB 3.0 ports on the front of the case?

It means that you won't be able to use the USB 3.0 ports on the front of the case because they don't exist . That case has only front panel USB 2.0.

If you want front panel USB 3.0, I might consider either the Cougar Spike the Rosewill Line-M, or the Fractal Design Core 1000. All of which are no-frills mATX cases with front panel USB 3.0, at very reasonable prices.

If you wanted a slight step-up in both quality and price, the Carbide 200R and the Graphite 230T would be nice too.

 

[JacobMc]

It means that you won't be able to use the USB 3.0 ports on the front of the case because they don't exist . That case has only front panel USB 2.0.

Ohh, I see. That's fine with me though.

Do you guys have any other advice for me before I order these parts and start building?

 

[mfenn]

Ohh, I see. That's fine with me though.

Do you guys have any other advice for me before I order these parts and start building?

- The list you posted doesn't include Windows (obviously). If you need a Windows license, plan on spending another $100 on top of the parts.

- If you add $20 to your hardware cost (still under $500), you can pick up an R7 265 like this XFX for $130 AR. The 265 is about 20% faster overall.

 

[Aspendancer]

R7 250, maybe if you stretch your budget an R9 270

 

[JacobMc]

- If you add $20 to your hardware cost (still under $500), you can pick up an R7 265 like this XFX for $130 AR. The 265 is about 20% faster overall.

Thanks for the suggestion. The comparison results were helpful and I'll definitely consider that GPU.

If I were to upgrade the GPU do you notice any parts that I could spend less on and still have a decent gaming PC?

Again, I'm not looking to play modern games on max, or even high settings.

 

[frozentundra123456]

Since you have a 1080p monitor, I would definitely want to play at native resolution. You should be able to do that with a R9 265 or above.

 

[piasabird]

Cant use much of a video card with a 430 watt power supply. I am using a CX430M, but I chose to run without a video card for my home computer. Don't do much gaming.

 

[mfenn]

Thanks for the suggestion. The comparison results were helpful and I'll definitely consider that GPU.

If I were to upgrade the GPU do you notice any parts that I could spend less on and still have a decent gaming PC?

Again, I'm not looking to play modern games on max, or even high settings.

I'm not sure what decent means to you, so I can't really pass judgement on that. You could certainly dial the RAM back to 4GB of DDR3 for $35 and the CPU to the Pentium G3258 for $60 AP and still be able to play most games at lowered settings.

 

[mfenn]

Cant use much of a video card with a 430 watt power supply. I am using a CX430M, but I chose to run without a video card for my home computer. Don't do much gaming.

This is simply not true. You can run a quite decent card like the R9 270X before even getting worried about wattage.

You'll have to use a single Molex to PCIe adapter with such a card (packed in with most cards), but the CX430 is a single-rail design, so it dodges issues associated with rail balancing that can sometimes occur when using such adapters.

 

[mistersprinkles]

Lowest end I would go for gaming is the following, personally:

AMD FX6300 (you MUST OC this chip for optimal performance in this case)
CM Hyper 212 cooler
Gigabyte GA970AUD3P
2x4GB DDR3 1600
1TB WD Caviar Blue HDD
GTX 750Ti (high perf, super low wattage)

The alternative is to swap the CPU to an Intel Pentium G3258, which you will also have to overclock for optimal performance, but you can do it on the stock cooler. That's already a $60 savings over the AMD. For MOBO I'd get the Gigabyte H97 G1 sniper. And yes, you can OC on H97. Not ALL H97, but the good ones yes. That board is about $90.