budget Skylake i3 Build

[rose.thashton]

I don't know if my build could possibly get any cheaper than this (other than if I decide to buy from different merchants.) I really don't have much money, and I'm just looking for a decent build for 900p gaming. Going to run it with Windows 10. 

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/bM6fJx
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/bM6fJx/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($122.00 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($49.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($31.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($53.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 380 4GB SOC Video Card  ($204.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($34.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $497.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-06 16:54 EST-0500

 

Can anybody with an i3-6100 confirm that this will actually run okay? Do I need to put in an extra 60-75 USD for an i5? I'm not planning on really playing anything heavy, but I think if I have a sudden change of heart my graphics card would make up for the lack of CPU performance in some games. I know it's a decent GPU. I'm probably going to end up upgrading a year or less after I buy this PC. I'm going to make the transition from an i3 to an i7, so I can do more with my PC like mess around with video editing, programming, etc... I chose the single 8GB stick because my motherboard only supports two RAM slots, and I might buy the same set of RAM even if I do decide to get a new motherboard. 

 

After I buy a new CPU a few months to a year after the purchase of this thing, which component should I upgrade next? Thanks for any help that is provided. 

[HKZeroFive]

Get a better PSU. That EVGA one is very low tier. If your budget allows it, yes, go for the i5. Games like GTA V and Fallout 4 will benefit with four actual cores.

 

I'd advise getting a better variant of the R9 380 as Gigabyte models are pretty meh:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($122.00 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($49.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($35.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($53.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 380 4GB PCS+ Video Card  ($189.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: XFX XT 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($56.98 @ Newegg) 
Total: $508.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-06 17:02 EST-0500

[Fungal]

I'd get a 380x instead it's like 30 more

[rose.thashton]

Just now, HKZeroFive said:

Get a better PSU. That EVGA one is very low tier.

 

I'd advise getting a better variant of the R9 380 as Gigabyte models are pretty meh:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($122.00 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($49.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($35.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($53.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 380 4GB PCS+ Video Card  ($189.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: XFX XT 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($56.98 @ Newegg) 
Total: $508.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-06 17:02 EST-0500

I'll take the advice for a better variant of the R9 380. However, I'm probably not going to buy an expensive PSU unless the one I chose has a high risk of damaging my system. Taking a look at jonnyguru's review of the PSU and the tons of positive reviews of it on Amazon and Newegg, I think I am fine for now. If need be, I'll go ahead and buy a replacement PSU before I buy my i7. 

 

I'm just on a budget right now... I do strongly believe the PSU will be fine for the time being. 

[HKZeroFive]

1 minute ago, rose.thashton said:

I'll take the advice for a better variant of the R9 380. However, I'm probably not going to buy an expensive PSU unless the one I chose has a high risk of damaging my system. Taking a look at jonnyguru's review of the PSU and the tons of positive reviews of it on Amazon and Newegg, I think I am fine for now. If need be, I'll go ahead and buy a replacement PSU before I buy my i7. 

 

I'm just on a budget right now... I do strongly believe the PSU will be fine for the time being. 

Jonnyguru even mentions the meh 12V ripple suppression, it's not suitable to be paired with something like the R9 380 as a gaming build. It also ranks very lowly in quality:

 

The XFX PSU is a much more reliable option for a few bucks more.

[rose.thashton]

2 hours ago, HKZeroFive said:

Jonnyguru even mentions the meh 12V ripple suppression, it's not suitable to be paired with something like the R9 380 as a gaming build. It also ranks very lowly in quality:

 

The XFX PSU is a much more reliable option for a few bucks more.

I guess, yeah, but he does also say... 

 

Quote

What you do get is quite possibly the most solid forty dollar unit on the market today. Would I buy it myself? If I was on that tight a budget, yes. I would. Again... you could do a heck of a lot worse, and not just at this price point.

 

[Streetguru]

2 hours ago, rose.thashton said:

I don't know if my build could possibly get any cheaper than this (other than if I decide to buy from different merchants.) I really don't have much money, and I'm just looking

Well if AM4 launches soon that'd be a decent quad core option potentially if the price is right

That motherboard's IO is crap man, for $15 more you get USB 3.1 and Type C with this board, as well as all the display outputs you could want

https://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gah110ms2hp

 

otherwise that's going to be the minimum you'd want

 

600B is another PSU option

https://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-100b10600kr

[HKZeroFive]

41 minutes ago, rose.thashton said:

I guess, yeah, but he does also say... 

If you're really, really on a budget, I'd get a 500B or 600B. I don't recommend it but it's better than that 500W White.

[rose.thashton]

27 minutes ago, Streetguru said:

Well if AM4 launches soon that'd be a decent quad core option potentially if the price is right

That motherboard's IO is crap man, for $15 more you get USB 3.1 and Type C with this board, as well as all the display outputs you could want

https://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gah110ms2hp

 

otherwise that's going to be the minimum you'd want

 

600B is another PSU option

https://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-100b10600kr

What is IO? lol

[Streetguru]

2 minutes ago, rose.thashton said:

What is IO? lol

the ports available on the board

[rose.thashton]

35 minutes ago, Streetguru said:

the ports available on the board

Oh... I only need very basic ports. I don't even use any USB devices other than a mouse and keyboard. 

[Streetguru]

8 minutes ago, rose.thashton said:

Oh... I only need very basic ports. I don't even use any USB devices other than a mouse and keyboard. 

I'm pretty sure it'd be worth it to spend the extra 15 bucks and have future compatibility with a smart phone, or the additional display output options.