How do I PC?

[DrOuchy]

Hi guys,

 

I thought most of you would like to know that I've been a console gamer my entire life and I've recently discovered that I can build a PC for nearly the same price as a console and with a much better gaming performance.  I also see the money that can be saved by building my own PC and upgrading the components rather than just buying a new PC every 3 years or so.  Not to mention the sheer power increase whenever you start upgrading to serious shiznit.  Needless to say I was intrigued.  I'm a student engineer at heart, and the added bonus of being able to build my PC really scratched an itch.

 

I already have what I want to buy listed below.  I just want to know if everything is compatible and within the size constraints of the tower.  I've measured it and rechecked the slots:  The motherboard socket and CPU must be compatible.  The DDR3 memory slots on the motherboard must be compatible with the DDR3 RAM in the bundle.  I'm posting today to check and make sure I did it correctly, this being my first time.

 

Just note guys!  I have very little experience with all computer components!  If you need to know how dumb to go: keep the technical jargon to say to a level a chimp would understand.

 

1. Budget & Location

The limit to my budget is about 450 US dollars.  I found a good bundle on newegg that appears to be about what I am looking for.  I'll post the link below as well as the list of components contained in the link in case your just feeling lazy today.  Note guys:  I'm just looking to ensure that the following parts are compatible with one another.  Any opinions on better components are appreciated but we would have to save them for a later upgrade.

 

https://secure.newegg.com/Shopping/ShoppingCart.aspx?submit=ChangeItem

 

CPU:

AMD FX-6300 Vishera 6-Core 3.5 GHs (4.1 GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 95W FD6300WHKBOX Desktop Processor

 

GPU:

ZOTAC GeForce GTX 750 Ti DirectX 11 ZT7065-10M 2GB 128-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP Ready Plug-in Card Video Card

 

Motherboard:

Gigabyte GA-970 6 x SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard (Uses DDR3 Memory)

 

Storage:

TOSHIBA DT01ACA100 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache Sata 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive

SanDisk Z400s 2.5" 128GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) SD8SBAT-128G-1122-OEM

 

Tower:

RAIDMAX Vortex V4 ATX-404WUP Black Steel/Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450W Power Supply

 

Ram:

HyperX Fury 8GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Memory Model HX316C10FB/8

 

Optical Drive:

LG Internal 24x Super Multi with M-DISK Support SATA Model GH24NSC0B-OEM

 

2. Aim

The following was the goal I had in mind while researching and shopping for parts:

I would like to run most games out there, most triple A titles.  I am interested in Fallout 4, Starcraft II, Diablo III, and maybe an fps shooter here and there.  I realize that the challenge is finding a happy medium between adequately running most demanding games and finding components within my budget.  I don't too care to much about the extreme cosmetic attributes such as 1440p or that my game plays in 6 million fps; functionality is my main concern.  A secondary concern would be the upgradablity.  Once I have a functional rig, I would like to be able to tinker with it in the future to allow for cheap improvements to my home computer.

 

3. Monitors

I'm probably gonna stick to 1 and maybe move to 2 later.

 

4. Peripherals

I will need a gaming mouse, keyboard, monitor, and an OS (preferably windows 10 since I am familiar with it) .  I am not including these within the budget but some opinions on some good ones or good ways to obtain them are most welcome.

 

5. Why are you upgrading?

I'm not yet.

 

I'm not 100% confident that what I have asked for can be achieved inside my budget.  If it cannot, then tell me.  I am unfamiliar with everything tech related here but I am looking to learn and meet the challenge myself.  Sorry if my post is lengthy.

 

[Kitten of the Broccoli]

We can't view your shopping cart, but I'll help you anyway.

[DrOuchy]

Ah I am sorry.  I can fix it if need be.

[AlphaGamer46]

Hi.

 

That build seems half-decent for low-mid end games. What games did you intend on playing?

 

If you are new to the PC building community (#PCMasterRace For the win!), get it built by your local computer store. They will probably charge a small labour fee but it will be worth it if you aren't new with PC building (I got a pretty pricy gaming PC at the start of the year and me and my dad (my dad knows how to build a computer pretty well) got our local computer store to build it. Mind you, we got all of the components from that computer store.

[Kitten of the Broccoli]

Just now, DrOuchy said:

Ah I am sorry.  I can fix it if need be.

Can you give me a more specific name for your motherboard? Most of what I'm finding is GA-970A, with one being GS-970-Gaming.

[DrOuchy]

The motherboard specs:

Learn more about the GIGABYTE GA-970A-DS3P (rev. 2.0)

Model

Brand

GIGABYTE

Model

GA-970A-DS3P (rev. 2.0)

Supported CPU

CPU Socket Type

AM3+

CPU Type

FX / Phenom II / Athlon II

FSB

2400 MHz Hyper Transport (4800 MT/s)

Chipsets

Chipset

AMD 970

South Bridge

AMD SB950

Memory

Number of Memory Slots

4×240pin

Memory Standard

DDR3 2000(O.C.)/ 1866/ 1600/ 1333/ 1066

Maximum Memory Supported

32GB

Channel Supported

Dual Channel

Expansion Slots

PCI Express 2.0 x16

1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x16 (PCIEX16)
* For optimum performance, if only one PCI Express graphics card is to be installed, be sure to install it in the PCIEX16 slot.
1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x4 (PCIEX4)
(All PCI Express slots conform to PCI Express 2.0 standard.)

PCI Express x1

3 x PCI Express x1 slots
(All PCI Express slots conform to PCI Express 2.0 standard.)

PCI Slots

2 x PCI Slots

Storage Devices

SATA 6Gb/s

6 x SATA 6Gb/s

SATA RAID

0/1/5/10/JBOD

Onboard Audio

Audio Chipset

Realtek ALC887

Audio Channels

2/4/5.1/7.1-channel

Onboard LAN

LAN Chipset

Realtek GbE LAN chip

Max LAN Speed

10/100/1000Mbps

Rear Panel Ports

PS/2

1 x PS/2 keyboard port
1 x PS/2 mouse port

RJ45

1 x RJ45

USB 3.0

2 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports

USB 1.1/2.0

6 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports

Audio Ports

3 x audio jacks (Line In/Line Out/Microphone)

Internal I/O Connectors

Onboard USB

1 x USB 3.0/2.0 header
3 x USB 2.0/1.1 headers

Other Connectors

1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector
1 x 4-pin ATX 12V power connector
1 x CPU fan header
2 x system fan headers
1 x power fan header
1 x front panel header
1 x front panel audio header
1 x S/PDIF Out header
1 x Clear CMOS jumper

Physical Spec

Form Factor

ATX

Dimensions (W x L)

12.0" x 8.5"

Power Pin

24 Pin

Features

Features

Supports AMD AM3+ FX / AM3 series Processors
GIGABYTE Ultra Durable Technology
Audio Noise Guard with High Quality Audio Capacitors
GIGABYTE UEFI DualBIOS
2-way CrossFire Support
4 USB 3.0 ports with transfer rates of up to 5Gbps
GIGABYTE On/Off Charge for USB devices

I/O Controller: iTE I/O Controller Chip

H/W Monitoring:
System voltage detection
CPU/System temperature detection
CPU/System/Power fan speed detection
CPU overheating warning
CPU/System/Power fan fail warning
CPU/System fan speed control (Note 4)

BIOS:
2 x 32 Mbit flash
Use of licensed AMI UEFI BIOS
Support for DualBIOS
PnP 1.0a, DMI 2.7, WfM 2.0, SM BIOS 2.7, ACPI 5.0

Unique Features:
Support for @BIOS
Support for Q-Flash
Support for Xpress Install
Support for EasyTune (Note 5)
Support for Smart Recovery 2
Support for Auto Green
Support for ON/OFF Charge
Support for 3TB+ Unlock

Bundle Software: Norton Internet Security (OEM version)
Operating System: Support for Windows 8.1/8/7/XP

[DrOuchy]

I intended on first playing fallout 4 Alpha. then I thought i would try starcraft II then Diablo III

[HKZeroFive]

If I were you, I'd skip on a SSD and invest into a better GPU and PSU:

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xPyBwP
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xPyBwP/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($76.98 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: Asus A68HM-K Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($51.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($51.99 @ Newegg) 
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 380 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card  ($169.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Xion XON-310_BK MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($24.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($54.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $460.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-03 01:47 EST-0500

[Kitten of the Broccoli]

Does it matter if it's that specific motherboard? I've found a similar one made by Gigabyte, but it's cheaper.

[Kitten of the Broccoli]

1 minute ago, HKZeroFive said:

If I were you, I'd skip on a SSD and invest into a better GPU and PSU:

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xPyBwP
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xPyBwP/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($76.98 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: Asus A68HM-K Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($51.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($51.99 @ Newegg) 
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 380 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card  ($169.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Xion XON-310_BK MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($24.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($54.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $460.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-03 01:47 EST-0500

Yeah, I'd just say go with this. I don't really know anything when it comes to AMD processors, seeing as Intel seems to be better for video editing.

[DrOuchy]

1 minute ago, fireclaw316 said:

Does it matter if it's that specific motherboard? I've found a similar one made by Gigabyte, but it's cheaper.

Well that particular motherboard is included in the bundle but if we can get the overall price to be cheaper then why not.

[Kitten of the Broccoli]

1 minute ago, DrOuchy said:

Well that particular motherboard is included in the bundle but if we can get the overall price to be cheaper then why not.

Go with HKZeroFive's build. It's optimal for what you want.

[DrOuchy]

3 minutes ago, HKZeroFive said:

If I were you, I'd skip on a SSD and invest into a better GPU and PSU:

That's actually a good point.  I don't think the SSD is a high priority for my first build and I could definitely see removing it and improving the other components.

[DrOuchy]

4 minutes ago, fireclaw316 said:

7 minutes ago, HKZeroFive said:

If I were you, I'd skip on a SSD and invest into a better GPU and PSU:

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xPyBwP
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xPyBwP/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($76.98 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: Asus A68HM-K Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($51.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($51.99 @ Newegg) 
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 380 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card  ($169.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Xion XON-310_BK MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($24.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($54.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $460.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-03 01:47 EST-0500

Yeah, I'd just say go with this. I don't really know anything when it comes to AMD processors, seeing as Intel seems to be better for video editing.

 

Wow, thanks guys!  That's some serious assistance!  I appreciate the input and I think I will go with this over the bundle.  Glad I asked.

[Curufinwe_wins]

This is so much better as far as upgrade path is concerned:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($113.89 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: ECS B85H3-M9 (1.0) Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($27.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($30.99 @ Adorama) 
Storage: Patriot Blast 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($57.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($46.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 950 2GB Dual WindForce Video Card  ($129.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($14.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $452.71
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-03 01:57 EST-0500

 

Drop the SSD for now and you can get a 380 4GB which is about 20-30% better for games.

 

Although honestly, if you feel comfortable selling your gpu down the line, I'd personally recommend keeping an SSD because it is always worth it (and 128 GB or smaller ssd's are not cost effective or nearly as powerful so don't buy them).

 

[Kitten of the Broccoli]

Just now, DrOuchy said:

 

Wow, thanks guys!  That's some serious assistance!  I appreciate the input and I think I will go with this over the bundle.  Glad I asked.

That's why they call us  #PCMasterAnonymous!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't know I still game with a controller on PC. People hate it.

[Mason_Brasher]

Just now, fireclaw316 said:

I don't know I still game with a controller on PC. People hate it.

That's not the worst thing ever, so you're still good with us.

[Kitten of the Broccoli]

1 minute ago, Curufinwe_wins said:

This is so much better as far as upgrade path is concerned:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($113.89 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: ECS B85H3-M9 (1.0) Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($27.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($30.99 @ Adorama) 
Storage: Patriot Blast 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($57.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($46.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 950 2GB Dual WindForce Video Card  ($129.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($14.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $452.71
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-03 01:57 EST-0500

 

Drop the SSD for now and you can get a 380 4GB which is about 20-30% better for games.

 

Although honestly, if you feel comfortable selling your gpu down the line, I'd personally recommend keeping an SSD because it is always worth it (and 128 GB or smaller ssd's are not cost effective or nearly as powerful so don't buy them).

 

These are all good options. I'm going to stop posting on this thread because there's nothing more that I can contribute.

 

Also, it's at that point of the night where I become drunk on being awake, so I tend to say stupid stuff that makes me look stupid.

[Curufinwe_wins]

On the other things...

 

Buy your OS off of r/MicrosoftSoftwareSwap. It should only cost about 20 USD.

 

For first timers, I'd recommend these monitor and keyboard/mouse combos:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Monitor: Acer G227HQLbi 60Hz 21.5" Monitor  ($99.99 @ Micro Center) 
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse  ($24.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $124.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-03 02:03 EST-0500

 

[Kitten of the Broccoli]

1 minute ago, Mason_Brasher said:

That's not the worst thing ever, so you're still good with us.

It's the worst thing ever when you're forced to play Black Ops 2 with keyboard/mouse because the looking sensitivity for controllers is completely janky compared to consoles.

[DrOuchy]

6 minutes ago, Curufinwe_wins said:

r/MicrosoftSoftwareSwap

I'm not familiar with that. Is it legal?

[Kitten of the Broccoli]

1 minute ago, DrOuchy said:

I'm not familiar with that. Is it legal?

If you want PC games on the cheap - also the legal  - you need to check out G2A.com.

[Mason_Brasher]

1 minute ago, DrOuchy said:

I'm not familiar with that. Is it legal?

People abuse their MSDN Sub. and they sell the keys cheap. It's hard to explain of it is legal or not. Just think of it like a trade.. Money for a key and it will be legal. Other than that I've read in a lot of places that fetr about 3 months to 5 years the bought keys get terminated.. so idk about it.

[Curufinwe_wins]

2 minutes ago, DrOuchy said:

I'm not familiar with that. Is it legal?

Put it this way... It is impossible to prove if the specific sales being conducted by users there are legal or illegal, but the system in place guarantees the customer a 100% legal copy of Windows.

[Curufinwe_wins]

1 minute ago, fireclaw316 said:

If you want PC games on the cheap - also the legal  - you need to check out G2A.com.

LOL G2A has gotten into so much shit about their system and all of the issues that exist on r/microsoftsoftwareswap are the exact same that exist on G2A (and for the record, I would recommend using G2A as well.)

 

1 minute ago, Mason_Brasher said:

People abuse their MSDN Sub. and they sell the keys cheap. It's hard to explain of it is legal or not. Just think of it like a trade.. Money for a key and it will be legal. Other than that I've read in a lot of places that fetr about 3 months to 5 years the bought keys get terminated.. so idk about it.

Well there are other ways to do it. For example, oem keys that went unclaimed, keys from a third world country where local currency exchange is much more favorable, etc etc. It is literally the exact same grey area that G2A exists in for gaming.