Building First PC

[Nahhan529]

I am going to be building my fist pc from scratch soon. I have upgraded my old pc alittle but its time for me to build one for gaming. I'm on a very tight budget. What I need to now is are these parts compatible with each other.

Here is my parts list.

CPU: Amd Athlon 64 x2 6000 3.1*

CPU fan: ARCTIC Alpine 64 Pro Rev. 2**

Motherboard: ASrock Mirco ATX 960GC-GS FX**

RAM: 2 x 4GB Kingston DDR2 KFJ-BX667K2/8G**

GPU: XFX AMD Radeon HD 5450 1GB*

Case: ROSEWILL CHALLENGER**

Note:

*all ready own

**Plan on buying

[KemoKa]

I'm sorry, dude, but that build, no matter what anyone tells you, is not cut out for gaming. You could play Portal on that at... reasonable framerates, but.... DDR2 and an old Athlon X2... It's not enough.
 

Tell us your budget and we can help you work something out.

[Nahhan529]

I got $400 max lol

[Nahhan529]

I really like the case and motherboard that i have already picked out. the motherboard supports ddr2 and ddr3

[Nahhan529]

And trying not to go over 300.

[KemoKa]

I got $400 max lol

Ok hold on, don't buy anything with that, we can work with $400. It's not going to be anything super ridiculous but it should be adequate.

[Wingfan]

I own that case ( Rosewill Challenger) cable management is very poor. You could get a better case for less.

[Nahhan529]

I'm try to get a case that has great air flow because i live in hawaii and it gets really hot in my room a lot. and cheap. i choose it Becase all of the preinstalled fans and the price.

[Wingfan]

Challenger doesnt have good airflow. Only one front 120mm, 140mm up top and 120mm in the rear. There are 2 spots for 120mm's on the side but dont recommend them as they dont have filters. And if you have a big CPU cooler you wont be able to use one of those or even both if the cooler is huge.

 

Depending on what KemoKa recommends you can find a case thats better, just need to know what motherboard he will choose for you.

[MaxY]

If you could get 100$ more, you are set for 1080p gaming. Not on MAX. settings, but it's there. I'm not sure how exactly it would work with the CPU you have, but I'll list the specs. and you see what can you change or add:

 

MOBO: ASRock 970 Pro3 R2.0

CPU: AMD FX-6300 (since you said you have the CPU already, this is just an option, as you WILL have an impact on performance)

GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX750 (you also own a GPU, but it's simply not good)

RAM: Kingston HyperX Beast CL9 DDR3 2x4GB @1600 MHz (CL9 is because it will actually use all the bandwidth)

HDD: Toshiba DT01ACA050 500GB 7200RPM 

OPTICAL DRIVE: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE (optional)

CASE: 520W Blueberry BC-M42-520 (built in PSU)

 

So, there are your components. You can check them out if you want, get maybe one component, it's your choice. But, believe me, for the money, this is awesome. If you have any questions, be free to ask. Also, another great reason for this build is it's has very very good upgrade potential, and as you collect more money, you can get better components. I hope you will consider some of these at least, as they're really good for the money, especially as a whole system. Good luck with the build

[Wingfan]

What case do you have now? Do you have a PSU you can use?

[Toasted Waffles]

Here you go, I went a bit over the max however it is a much better system and would game a lot better than the one you originally priced out. I put good parts in the build that would allow you to upgrade the GPU later on in the build and the CPU is one of the best compared to price for performance. I would personally see if you could last a little longer for a bit more money and buy a better machine like this one posted than buy a very outdated hardware set. You should never skimp out on the psu as it is kinda the heart of the computer with out that there is no blood pumping. I also switched to a Corsair 230T as these little awesome cases have amazing airflow for their size and I think they look pretty awesome.

 

<Lower GPU>

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jgGLbv

 

<Higher GPU>

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/s9k9RB

 

Welcome to LINUS TECH TIPS

 

and congrats on your first build

[Nahhan529]

The case i have now is some crap came with my prebuild hp pavilion desktop years ago. I have a 550 coolmaster PSU also have a 500GB hdd

[Wingfan]

Maybe this. I have the G3258 and can be OC'd to 4.5Ghz with stock cooler. This setup leaves you room to upgrade your CPU when you get the money.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qX4svK

 

Its a very tight budget your on, its good you have a PSU and HDD.

[Nahhan529]

Do you guy know any cheap cases that have a 200mm fan on the top?

[KemoKa]

Okay, I've been looking on PCPartPicker and I think we can deal, but to be honest we're really, really down to the wire here in terms of budget. We're just on that thin line between "a decent system" and "not worth building". Don't worry, though. I think you should be able to upgrade this one in the future.

CPU - AMD FX4130 OEM/Tray -- Quad-core, 3.8GHz, overclockable or upgradeable if you need it.
Cooler - CM Hyper TX3 - It's a cooler. Should do for now.
Motherboard - ASRock 970 Extreme3 R2.0
Storage - WD RE3 500GB

Memory - Adata XPG V2 2x4GB -- DDR3-1866
PSU - Corsair CX500
Case - Cooler Master Elite 431 Plus
GPU - R7 250X

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PZVwCJ

I found this all at the price tag of $405.93. Bear in mind that this is the grand total after about $75 in mail-in rebates.

BUT.

Theoretically, if you have an old computer, you can, if you wish, cannibalize the case. If you have a hard drive or two lying around the place, use them. If you can't, browse on eBay, find a good Hitachi drive from a laptop (I got a 250gb for about $25) and use that. that will at least save you $32, bringing you well under your $400 target.

If you can find any other ways to cut costs, go for it.

It's not going to be a killer PC, but it sure as hell beats the one you listed. Very upgradeable, too.

 

[natelliot123]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($84.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus A55BM-E Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($39.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Mushkin Stealth 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($65.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card  ($184.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $404.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-08 09:41 EDT-0400

[Earache]

This should suit your needs. An APU will allow you to invest in better hardware and not tie all of your money up with a GPU.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: AMD A10-6800K 4.1GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($129.98 @ SuperBiiz) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($28.99 @ Micro Center) 

Motherboard: Asus A78M-E Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($52.00 @ NCIX US) 

Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory  ($74.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($53.98 @ OutletPC) 

Case: BitFenix Neos Black ATX Mid Tower Case  ($34.99 @ NCIX US) 

Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($34.99 @ Newegg) 

Total: $409.92

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-08 09:48 EDT-0400

[Guest]

If you could get 100$ more, you are set for 1080p gaming. Not on MAX. settings, but it's there. I'm not sure how exactly it would work with the CPU you have, but I'll list the specs. and you see what can you change or add:

 

MOBO: ASRock 970 Pro3 R2.0

CPU: AMD FX-6300 (since you said you have the CPU already, this is just an option, as you WILL have an impact on performance)

GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX750 (you also own a GPU, but it's simply not good)

RAM: Kingston HyperX Beast CL9 DDR3 2x4GB @1600 MHz (CL9 is because it will actually use all the bandwidth)

HDD: Toshiba DT01ACA050 500GB 7200RPM 

OPTICAL DRIVE: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE (optional)

CASE: 520W Blueberry BC-M42-520 (built in PSU)

 

So, there are your components. You can check them out if you want, get maybe one component, it's your choice. But, believe me, for the money, this is awesome. If you have any questions, be free to ask. Also, another great reason for this build is it's has very very good upgrade potential, and as you collect more money, you can get better components. I hope you will consider some of these at least, as they're really good for the money, especially as a whole system. Good luck with the build

Getting a case with a built in psu is not a good idea, even on a limited budget, as they are usually junk.

[MaxY]

Getting a case with a built in psu is not a good idea, even on a limited budget, as they are usually junk.

I know, but it's just for the sake of cost reduction.

[Guest]

I know, but it's just for the sake of cost reduction.

That is false economy though. It could end up failing and taking the rest of the system with it, and then you are left with no pc. Something like a Corsair CX or EVGA 500B would be a decent cheap option.

[Nahhan529]

all i have been looking around and at all of the stuff you guys have been showing me and this is was ive came up with so far,

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JdGP7P

I already own the  HDDs, GPU, and PSU. i just put them in the list to have a full build.

 

Tell me what you guys think?

[Wingfan]

is this list with the parts you have now?

[Nahhan529]

The only thing that i alreay own on that list is the hdds, the psu, and the gpu

[Wingfan]

So this is what you actually want to buy?

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nm7Rqs

That leaves you room for a GPU, you really need something better than what you have

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/kwDjqs

 

I would go this route, it leaves better upgrades

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hNspVn

 

Or if you want AMD, its slightly over your budget

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/BkqHnQ

 

Does your old pc have any fans you can use?