(<US$850) workstation/HTPC/gaming rig

[jonnyyyl]

My dear friend situated in London UK has asked me for ideas for a rig.

The guy is generally lazy, and his knowledge in hardware extends to only replacing RAM. So something generally low maintenance and somewhat future proof.

I have suggested two builds. One AMD and one Intel. There will be no OC-ing.

Function wise they are more or less the same.

The objective is to play lots of games, music production workstation and HTPC.

The SSD is for OS steam and software. The 2TB is purely for storage with instant access. The 512GB is a scratch drive for torrent, and activities that shorten lifespan.*

I read that AMD is sticking to the FM2+ sockets till 2016, which gave me motivation for the following build:

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/gJTGdC) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/gJTGdC/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [AMD A10-7800 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-ad7800ybjabox) | $140.25 @ Newegg
**CPU Cooler** | [Noctua NH-U9B SE2 37.9 CFM CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhu9bse2) | $46.98 @ OutletPC
**Motherboard** | [MSI A88XM GAMING Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-a88xmgaming) | $100.88 @ SuperBiiz
**Memory** | [G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f32133c9d8gxl) | $73.95 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7te120bw) | $79.79 @ Amazon
**Storage** | [seagate Barracuda 250GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st250dm000) | $49.02 @ Amazon
**Storage** | [Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd2003fzex) | $134.98 @ OutletPC
**Video Card** | [XFX Radeon R7 250 4GB Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-r7250aelf4) | $99.99 @ Newegg
**Case** | [Fractal Design Core 1100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcacore1100bl) | $39.99 @ Amazon
**Power Supply** | [Corsair RM 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-rm550) | $89.99 @ Newegg
 | | **Total**
 | Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $855.82
 | Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-27 02:33 EDT-0400 |

Intel Build; This has clearly exceeded the budget:

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/fN2v23) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/fN2v23/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54430) | $181.98 @ OutletPC
**CPU Cooler** | [Noctua NH-U9B SE2 37.9 CFM CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhu9bse2) | $46.98 @ OutletPC
**Motherboard** | [Asus H97M-E Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-h97me) | $94.99 @ Amazon
**Memory** | [G.Skill AEGIS 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f31600c11d8gis) | $75.99 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7te120bw) | $79.79 @ Amazon
**Storage** | [seagate Barracuda 250GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st250dm000) | $49.02 @ Amazon
**Storage** | [Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd2003fzex) | $134.98 @ OutletPC
**Video Card** | [Asus GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-gtx660dc2o2gd5) | $160.50 @ Newegg
**Case** | [Fractal Design Core 1100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcacore1100bl) | $39.99 @ Amazon
**Power Supply** | [Corsair RM 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-rm550) | $89.99 @ Newegg
 | | **Total**
 | Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $954.21
 | Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-27 02:46 EDT-0400 |

I have put RAM at 8GB for now as most of us expect DDR3 RAM prices to slide. Can upgrade then. Maybe put in a DVD/CD RRW when needed.

As I am not located in the UK, I don't know what is the pricing for the above items.
Is an upgrade for R7 260 GPU worth it?

For the AMD build, as there is a crossfiring going on, how big is heat going to be an issue and how should I improve? Thanks.

How do I improve these builds? (from an intellectual perspective as well, I want to improve my knowledge)
 

[Captain_WD]

My dear friend situated in London UK has asked me for ideas for a rig.

The guy is generally lazy, and his knowledge in hardware extends to only replacing RAM. So something generally low maintenance and somewhat future proof.

I have suggested two builds. One AMD and one Intel. There will be no OC-ing.

Function wise they are more or less the same.

The objective is to play lots of games, music production workstation and HTPC.

The SSD is for OS steam and software. The 2TB is purely for storage with instant access. The 512GB is a scratch drive for torrent, and activities that shorten lifespan.*

I read that AMD is sticking to the FM2+ sockets till 2016, which gave me motivation for the following build:

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/gJTGdC) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/gJTGdC/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price

:----|:----|:----

**CPU** | [AMD A10-7800 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-ad7800ybjabox) | $140.25 @ Newegg

**CPU Cooler** | [Noctua NH-U9B SE2 37.9 CFM CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhu9bse2) | $46.98 @ OutletPC

**Motherboard** | [MSI A88XM GAMING Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-a88xmgaming) | $100.88 @ SuperBiiz

**Memory** | [G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f32133c9d8gxl) | $73.95 @ Newegg

**Storage** | [samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7te120bw) | $79.79 @ Amazon

**Storage** | [seagate Barracuda 250GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st250dm000) | $49.02 @ Amazon

**Storage** | [Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd2003fzex) | $134.98 @ OutletPC

**Video Card** | [XFX Radeon R7 250 4GB Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-r7250aelf4) | $99.99 @ Newegg

**Case** | [Fractal Design Core 1100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcacore1100bl) | $39.99 @ Amazon

**Power Supply** | [Corsair RM 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-rm550) | $89.99 @ Newegg

 | | **Total**

 | Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $855.82

 | Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-27 02:33 EDT-0400 |

Intel Build; This has clearly exceeded the budget:

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/fN2v23) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/fN2v23/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price

:----|:----|:----

**CPU** | [intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54430) | $181.98 @ OutletPC

**CPU Cooler** | [Noctua NH-U9B SE2 37.9 CFM CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhu9bse2) | $46.98 @ OutletPC

**Motherboard** | [Asus H97M-E Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-h97me) | $94.99 @ Amazon

**Memory** | [G.Skill AEGIS 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f31600c11d8gis) | $75.99 @ Newegg

**Storage** | [samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7te120bw) | $79.79 @ Amazon

**Storage** | [seagate Barracuda 250GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st250dm000) | $49.02 @ Amazon

**Storage** | [Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd2003fzex) | $134.98 @ OutletPC

**Video Card** | [Asus GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-gtx660dc2o2gd5) | $160.50 @ Newegg

**Case** | [Fractal Design Core 1100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcacore1100bl) | $39.99 @ Amazon

**Power Supply** | [Corsair RM 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-rm550) | $89.99 @ Newegg

 | | **Total**

 | Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $954.21

 | Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-27 02:46 EDT-0400 |

I have put RAM at 8GB for now as most of us expect DDR3 RAM prices to slide. Can upgrade then. Maybe put in a DVD/CD RRW when needed.

As I am not located in the UK, I don't know what is the pricing for the above items.

Is an upgrade for R7 260 GPU worth it?

For the AMD build, as there is a crossfiring going on, how big is heat going to be an issue and how should I improve? Thanks.

How do I improve these builds? (from an intellectual perspective as well, I want to improve my knowledge)

 

 

 

Hey jonnyyyl,

 

Both are good builds. The Intel/nVidia is generally more energy, efficient and less heat-emitting but a bit more expensive. 

With the AMD build you would need more wattage as when doing crossfire compared to nVidia's SLI.

For a real future proof build I believe you'd need a GTX 970 or R9 290 type of GPU plus a good 750W gold-certified PSU.

Concerning the heat problems, I don't believe dual Radeon GPUs would emit heat that your fans couldn't handle. You could upgrade to liquid cooling down the road.

 

Captain_WD.

[jonnyyyl]

Thanks for that.

I just learnt that most gaming will use wifi instead of LAN. Will these specs do? Does MSI's killer lan apply in wifi's case.

[jonnyyyl]

Hi guys.

Any recommendations for a mATX or mITX with good wifi capabilities with FM2+ sockets?