CPU and Motherboard Problem

[Demolishdude]

  So, I am putting together a gaming computer build that I am hoping to get as cheap as possible. What I want to do is buy a low grade CPU and motherboard and pair them with my grandfather's HD 6870 and save up money for when Broadwell comes out or when AMD releases their new Steamroller CPUs next year.

 

I am stuck between getting an Athlon X4 760K with a $60-80 mobo (not sure yet) and getting a Pentium G3220 with a $50-70 mobo. The Pentium is cheaper but it may bottleneck the 6870. The 760K is more expensive and will run hotter, but I can overclock it to make it much more powerful.

 

Which CPU should I get and could you recommend a motherboard to go with it?

 

(Here is my build without the CPU and Mobo. There is no hard drive because I plan on using an USB 2.0 500GB external hard drive for games and the SSD for my OS and some programs. Also, I plan on upgrading to a larger graphics card later on, which is why I have a high wattage power supply).

[WinNut]

I agree with the bottlenecking situation...

 

Have you looked into an i3 or something similar? Perhaps for the best graphics you should do an APU if it fits your budget and CrossFire it with your 6870 (not sure if it supports that, check w/ AMD).

 

Wish you the best of luck! I always wanted to build but was not allowed to. (Techie dad advocated OEM laptops)

[DavidGordon]

I'd go with the Athlon X4 760K over the Pentium. May I ask why you wouldn't prefer to go for something like a fx6300 for example? It's only about $25 more and out performs the 760K by some bit.

 

I know you want to upgrade the CPU in the future, but this may well give you the performance you need for some time.

 

Anyway, if you want to stick with the 760K then I'd suggest this-presuming you haven't bought the other parts yet:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  AMD Athlon X4 760K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($84.74 @ Amazon) 

CPU Cooler:  Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($16.99 @ NCIX US) 

Motherboard:  MSI A88X-G43 ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($90.86 @ Newegg) 

Memory:  Kingston Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($64.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage:  Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($66.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Case:  NZXT H440 (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($119.99 @ Amazon) 

Power Supply:  Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 

Total: $462.55

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-05 18:05 EST-0500)

[-rascal-]

I'm going to spill the beans here...you are on a smaller budget, yet you are spending quite excessively (non-proportional) on parts.

 

1. CPU cooler.

$60 is in high-end, expensive area. Beyond a certain point, the price-to-performance ratio starts to level of a bit.

Like @DavidGordon suggest, the Cooler Master TX3, or the Hyper 212 EVO, would be a suitable choice. It's much lower in cost, yet performs exceptionally well. Both the TX3 and 212 EVO will be sufficient for mild overclocks - even if you decide to get a Steamroller or Broadwell CPU down the road.

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2

 

2. RAM.

RAM is RAM. All the "Gaming Edition" and "Fata1ity edition" crap is just marketing gimmick.

The Kingston Black previously suggested, Crucial Ballistic Sport XT, PNY,or the G.Skill Ares is perfectly fine.

DDR3 1600MHz, CAS 9 timings, 1.5V is pretty standard. Not too slow, not amazingly fast (faster RAM doesn't have too, too much benefits in gaming right now), just in the middle.

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f31600c9d8gao

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-memory-bls2k4g3d169ds3

 

3. Power Supply.

Even a 500W or 550W is plenty for a entire system with a...GTX 780 or a R9-290X.

Beyond 650W is only really necessary if you plan to run multiple graphics cards (SLi / Crossfire).

The Corsair CX500 is a good choice for budget builds. I've used and recommended CX430 / CX430M's and CX500's in several systems in the past 2 years; no issues reported back to me so far.

$29.99 price tag for a CX500 is hard to beat.

 

$120 for a computer case is a pretty large chunk considering you are only willing to spend $80 - $70 on a more important component, motherboard, and another  $70-$90 on the processor.

But...if you like the computer case, it fits your needs, then okay. If it's going to be a temporary "home" for your computer (a one-time kind of thing) you may want to reconsider.

[harrynowl]

I'm going to spill the beans here...you are on a smaller budget, yet you are spending quite excessively (non-proportional) on parts.

 

1. CPU cooler.

$60 is in high-end, expensive area. Beyond a certain point, the price-to-performance ratio starts to level of a bit.

Like @DavidGordon suggest, the Cooler Master TX3, or the Hyper 212 EVO, would be a suitable choice. It's much lower in cost, yet performs exceptionally well. Both the TX3 and 212 EVO will be sufficient for mild overclocks - even if you decide to get a Steamroller or Broadwell CPU down the road.

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2

 

2. RAM.

RAM is RAM. All the "Gaming Edition" and "Fata1ity edition" crap is just marketing gimmick.

The Kingston Black previously suggested, Crucial Ballistic Sport XT, PNY,or the G.Skill Ares is perfectly fine.

DDR3 1600MHz, CAS 9 timings, 1.5V is pretty standard. Not too slow, not amazingly fast (faster RAM doesn't have too, too much benefits in gaming right now), just in the middle.

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f31600c9d8gao

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-memory-bls2k4g3d169ds3

 

3. Power Supply.

Even a 500W or 550W is plenty for a entire system with a...GTX 780 or a R9-290X.

Beyond 650W is only really necessary if you plan to run multiple graphics cards (SLi / Crossfire).

The Corsair CX500 is a good choice for budget builds. I've used and recommended CX430 / CX430M's and CX500's in several systems in the past 2 years; no issues reported back to me so far.

$29.99 price tag for a CX500 is hard to beat.

 

$120 for a computer case is a pretty large chunk considering you are only willing to spend $80 - $70 on a more important component, motherboard, and another  $70-$90 on the processor.

But...if you like the computer case, it fits your needs, then okay. If it's going to be a temporary "home" for your computer (a one-time kind of thing) you may want to reconsider.

This exactly.

[Leonius]

im not sure weather running games of a usb 2.0 external hdd is such a good idea might be quite slow. Just take the hdd out of the casing and put it in the computer, that is much faster.