First build

Layke · October 7, 2015

Thank you! You've been a great help. Any other advice?

stconquest · October 8, 2015

Thank you! You've been a great help. Any other advice?

Oh tons... the best advice I have is:

Ask questions =)

Layke · October 8, 2015

Ill be sure to ask when i inevitably come up with more questions.

Layke · October 9, 2015

Long time no see. Haha. When I inevitably buy a graphics card what kind should I get. I don't need anything super high and buy I do want to get the best deal for my money and not have it immediately be outdated. Since I don't play pc games right now I'm not familiar with what specs I need. Thanks again

stconquest · October 9, 2015

Long time no see. Haha. When I inevitably buy a graphics card what kind should I get. I don't need anything super high and buy I do want to get the best deal for my money and not have it immediately be outdated. Since I don't play pc games right now I'm not familiar with what specs I need. Thanks again

A mid-range card will give you access to any game, and perform decently when required. Around the $200 mark should do you fine: GTX 960, R9 280, R9 380, R9 280X. $300 let's you into the higher end range with the GTX 970 and the R9 390. If you find a good $250 deal on a R9 290, it is a good bridge between mid-range and higher-end. All prices referenced in USD of course.

Want the introductory gaming cards? R9 270(X), GTX 950, R7 370. Don't pay more than $150 for these.

Layke · October 17, 2015

I've been doing more research as i wait to accumulate the funds to build my PC and I came across this build http://pcpartpicker.com/b/dQbj4D

I was wondering, what is your opinion of it? As you know I'm still learning so I wanted to get some good/credible input, you know just to get some perspective on common first build mistakes, or what you would have done if you were him

I know I'm asking a lot so whenever you get time to reply is great. I also want any advice from anyone else out there reading this!

stconquest · October 18, 2015

I've been doing more research as i wait to accumulate the funds to build my PC and I came across this build http://pcpartpicker.com/b/dQbj4D

I was wondering, what is your opinion of it? As you know I'm still learning so I wanted to get some good/credible input, you know just to get some perspective on common first build mistakes, or what you would have done if you were him

I know I'm asking a lot so whenever you get time to reply is great. I also want any advice from anyone else out there reading this!

The 860K is for the lowest of budgets. It is a weak quad core (by today's standards)... but it under $100, so decent value. No upgrade path so you are stuck with needing a new motherboard if you ever wanted a better CPU.

The R7 370 is the introductory zone for gaming rigs. You can enjoy your gaming experience, but be prepared to see very low FPS if you try to run new games or high settings.

The power supply is as low as any gaming PC should go... actually it could be argued against, but i do not see a problem with it.

Even the $20 cooler is too much for such a low end build, stock cooling is just something you have to suffer with in this price range.

All in all, at under $450 (no HDD) he did a good job.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($113.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($42.89 @ OutletPC)

Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.49 @ Newegg)

Video Card: Club 3D Radeon R9 270 2GB Video Card ($149.00 @ Amazon)

Case: Thermaltake Versa H21 ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($53.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Total: $432.35

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available