Build Plan So Far- First Time Builder

[Avarose]

Hi there! 

So this is my first time building a PC, I'm pretty excited to start but whilst researching the various components I fear mixing and matching components that won't go well together. I am using pcpartpicker but I still want to make sure to avoid bottlenecking or having drastic differences in components in terms of quality. Also I'd like to keep my budget around $600. So far, these are what I've been looking at. I have other parts I haven't decided on (like RAM, psu, etc...)  but I want to settle on a motherboard, cpu, and gpu before I continue and would like feedback on them.  Also I'm planning on gaming on it- I'd just like to play games like WoW and GTA maybe on high graphics with good fps (50+) as I've seen plenty of people's budget builds allow. I will also use movie editing software, do some screen recording, and maybe things like MMD. I imagine I'd do some upgrades in the future, so keep in mind I just want a great first time build.

 

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor  ($105.39 @ NCIX US) 
Motherboard: MSI 970 GAMING ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($109.99 @ NCIX US) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($49.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB FTW ACX Video Card  ($129.99 @ B&H)  ***OR**** EVGA GeForce GTX 750Ti SC 2GB GDDR5 Graphics Card ($109.99 @ Amazon)   (Not sure which is worth it/ is better suited for my build)
Case (can and probably will change): Apevia X-DREAMER4-RD ATX Mid Tower Case  ($58.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($34.99 @ NCIX US) 

Monitor: AOC i2367Fh 60Hz 23.0" Monitor  ($129.99 @ Amazon)  
Total (SO FAR): $614.83

 

- I like the motherboard/cpu combo I have now because from what I've read the combo boosts performance by a significant amount....

- I'm not too sure about the monitor... they can be pretty pricey so idk what's best. If I'm going over $130 for it I'd have to compensate- any advice or suggestions?

- Also I see a lot of arguments over psu... If anyone has the EVGA Bronze- or silver- I'd love to know how it worked for you

[duckwithanokhat]

Get the GTX 950, its $120 dollars after rebate on newegg.

 

The PSU can probably be bumped down to one of those cheaper 430w corsair power supplies, thanks to maxwell architectures GPUs are super power friendly.

 

For RAM 8GBs DDR3 1600mHz is all you need. RAM speeds don't really impact performance.

[shadowbyte]

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

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($109.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: Asus B85M-E/CSM Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($79.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($32.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($49.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card  ($99.99 @ NCIX US) 
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($49.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($78.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Monitor: AOC i2367Fh 60Hz 23.0" Monitor  ($129.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $631.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-10 18:19 EST-0500

 

here we go

Dual core i3 w/ hyperthreading destroys the 6300 in single threaded workloads

1 stick of RAM for easier upgradability.

Cheaper 750ti. It doesn't make much of a difference on such a low end card.

I swapped the case for a nice, cheap Corsair model.

And I got 550watt SuperNOVA G2, one of the best power supplies around

 

[Trav_X]

I can say now your CPU, mobo, and GPU choice is good. The FX CPU will not bottleneck the GPU, and it is a pretty nice chip for a first time system. The 750Ti is a lovely card at 1080p, I have had one, works like a DREAM at 1080p, and unless you are playing super demanding games likes The Witcher, Crysis 3, or Shadow of Mordor, the 750Ti is really all you need for 1080p gaming. I played GTAV on mine, and if you put settings on like medium, maybe a few on low, and turn super intense stuff like Ambient Occlusion and 16X anti aliasing down, you can get like 45-50 FPS, and if you put even more stuff lower, the game still looks pretty nice and you can hit 60. 

 

You could probably find a cheaper monitor that is around the same size as that one. Look at some of these options:

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824276348&cm_re=1080p_monitor-_-24-276-348-_-Product

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009421&cm_re=1080p_monitor-_-24-009-421-_-Product

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236678R&cm_re=1080p_monitor-_-24-236-678R-_-Product

 

Besides that, you don't have Ram In your build. But good luck with everything!

 

[Avarose]

30 minutes ago, Trav_X said:

I can say now your CPU, mobo, and GPU choice is good. The FX CPU will not bottleneck the GPU, and it is a pretty nice chip for a first time system. The 750Ti is a lovely card at 1080p, I have had one, works like a DREAM at 1080p, and unless you are playing super demanding games likes The Witcher, Crysis 3, or Shadow of Mordor, the 750Ti is really all you need for 1080p gaming. I played GTAV on mine, and if you put settings on like medium, maybe a few on low, and turn super intense stuff like Ambient Occlusion and 16X anti aliasing down, you can get like 45-50 FPS, and if you put even more stuff lower, the game still looks pretty nice and you can hit 60. 

 

You could probably find a cheaper monitor that is around the same size as that one. Look at some of these options:

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824276348&cm_re=1080p_monitor-_-24-276-348-_-Product

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009421&cm_re=1080p_monitor-_-24-009-421-_-Product

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236678R&cm_re=1080p_monitor-_-24-236-678R-_-Product

 

Besides that, you don't have Ram In your build. But good luck with everything!

 

Awesome! 1080p is definitely fine with me. I will definitely find some RAM I just ended up putting if off while I swamped myself with research on other parts

[Avarose]

38 minutes ago, shadowbyte said:

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

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($109.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: Asus B85M-E/CSM Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($79.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($32.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($49.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card  ($99.99 @ NCIX US) 
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($49.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($78.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Monitor: AOC i2367Fh 60Hz 23.0" Monitor  ($129.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $631.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-10 18:19 EST-0500

 

here we go

Dual core i3 w/ hyperthreading destroys the 6300 in single threaded workloads

1 stick of RAM for easier upgradability.

Cheaper 750ti. It doesn't make much of a difference on such a low end card.

I swapped the case for a nice, cheap Corsair model.

And I got 550watt SuperNOVA G2, one of the best power supplies around

 

I'm not sure about the dual core- I keep hearing that compared to 6 or 8 core their performance isn't as good? 

[shadowbyte]

29 minutes ago, Avarose said:

I'm not sure about the dual core- I keep hearing that compared to 6 or 8 core their performance isn't as good? 

it's a dual core w/ hyper threading, for 4 logical cores.

To achieve good performance w/ the 6300, you're going to want to overclock, and for that, you'll want an aftermarket cooler.

Intel also has a much better upgrade path.

check this article for more information

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2199660/low-budget-cpu-4150-6300-4350.html

[Trav_X]

41 minutes ago, shadowbyte said:

it's a dual core w/ hyper threading, for 4 logical cores.

To achieve good performance w/ the 6300, you're going to want to overclock, and for that, you'll want an aftermarket cooler.

Intel also has a much better upgrade path.

check this article for more information

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2199660/low-budget-cpu-4150-6300-4350.html

Agreed OP, go with the Intel. Unless you are going to do some pretty great over clocks with a good aftermarket cooler on the 6300, the i3 is probably your better path  

[Avarose]

26 minutes ago, Trav_X said:

Agreed OP, go with the Intel. Unless you are going to do some pretty great over clocks with a good aftermarket cooler on the 6300, the i3 is probably your better path  

 

1 hour ago, shadowbyte said:

it's a dual core w/ hyper threading, for 4 logical cores.

To achieve good performance w/ the 6300, you're going to want to overclock, and for that, you'll want an aftermarket cooler.

Intel also has a much better upgrade path.

check this article for more information

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2199660/low-budget-cpu-4150-6300-4350.html

I read more about the Intel and I guess I knocked it too fast- I'll definitely look into the one you mentioned as I think it will have more to offer with less power as you mentioned!

[BurblingBarbacoa]

• Switch the 6300 to a i3 6100
• ram is easy, just grab a kit of dual channel 8gb from a good manufacturer like skill or corsair and make sure that it is at least 1600 ddr3 or 2133 ddr4 pending on your motherboard (I don't reccomend ddr3 skylake boards) 
• go up to a gtx 950. Only a bit more and much better. I use a 750ti in one of my builds and it struggles a bit at 1080p 
• That case is ok but.. . Eh. Not that great. For a budget I reccomend a NZXT S210, s210w or a Fractal Core 1000 for smaller builds 
• I, personally have had that supply kill a few components when it blew up. I reccomend an OEM Seasonic unit or a corsair CXM or cxm series PSU 
• grab a small SSD for boot and some apps. 120gb if good. You can grab one for about $50 
• Go for a 27 inch monitor or prepare to sit really close to your screen. I personally find 23/24" too small. BenQ makes some good ones... 
• Periherals? 
• Cpu cooler? 

[stconquest]

Comparative build.  I would save up a bit more and get a decent GPU, or drop to the i3 6100 and get a better GPU.  You can leave the GPU out for now and add in a 240-256GB SSD then save up for something (GPU) worthwhile.

 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($189.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H110M-DGS Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($52.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($35.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($49.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card  ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H22 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($34.98 @ Directron)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($55.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case Fan: Kingwin CF-012LBR 40.0 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($3.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Kingwin CF-012LBR 40.0 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($3.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: LG 23MP47HQ 60Hz 23.0" Monitor  ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $642.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-10 21:10 EST-0500

[Avarose]

On 3/11/2016 at 9:02 PM, BurblingBarbacoa said:

• Switch the 6300 to a i3 6100
• ram is easy, just grab a kit of dual channel 8gb from a good manufacturer like skill or corsair and make sure that it is at least 1600 ddr3 or 2133 ddr4 pending on your motherboard (I don't reccomend ddr3 skylake boards) 
• go up to a gtx 950. Only a bit more and much better. I use a 750ti in one of my builds and it struggles a bit at 1080p 
• That case is ok but.. . Eh. Not that great. For a budget I reccomend a NZXT S210, s210w or a Fractal Core 1000 for smaller builds 
• I, personally have had that supply kill a few components when it blew up. I reccomend an OEM Seasonic unit or a corsair CXM or cxm series PSU 
• grab a small SSD for boot and some apps. 120gb if good. You can grab one for about $50 
• Go for a 27 inch monitor or prepare to sit really close to your screen. I personally find 23/24" too small. BenQ makes some good ones... 
• Periherals? 
• Cpu cooler? 

What about the i5 4590 or 4460? Sorta stuck between the two now and not sure if the 4590 is worth the extra bucks. Also switched psu to a Corsair cxm

[BurblingBarbacoa]

47 minutes ago, Avarose said:

What about the i5 4590 or 4460? Sorta stuck between the two now and not sure if the 4590 is worth the extra bucks. Also switched psu to a Corsair cxm

I would get a 4460 if I had to pick between those two. Not much is going to bottleneck a low end GPU like a 750ti or a 950. If you want to go i5 I would try to squeeze in an i5 6400. To be honest I think that is this of is for nothing but gaming an general home computer use, an i3 6100 is fine. 

[Avarose]

7 minutes ago, BurblingBarbacoa said:

I would get a 4460 if I had to pick between those two. Not much is going to bottleneck a low end GPU like a 750ti or a 950. If you want to go i5 I would try to squeeze in an i5 6400. To be honest I think that is this of is for nothing but gaming an general home computer use, an i3 6100 is fine. 

I'm also planning on video editing and screen recording though

[BurblingBarbacoa]

5 minutes ago, Avarose said:

I'm also planning on video editing and screen recording though

Then i reccomend the i5 6400/4460 as a minimum.

[Avarose]

On 3/11/2016 at 9:09 PM, stconquest said:

Comparative build.  I would save up a bit more and get a decent GPU, or drop to the i3 6100 and get a better GPU.  You can leave the GPU out for now and add in a 240-256GB SSD then save up for something (GPU) worthwhile.

 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($189.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H110M-DGS Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($52.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($35.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($49.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card  ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H22 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($34.98 @ Directron)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($55.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case Fan: Kingwin CF-012LBR 40.0 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($3.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Kingwin CF-012LBR 40.0 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($3.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: LG 23MP47HQ 60Hz 23.0" Monitor  ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $642.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-10 21:10 EST-0500

So I could play games at high settings and whatnot without the gpu?

[stconquest]

27 minutes ago, Avarose said:

So I could play games at high settings and whatnot without the gpu?

Oh hell no.  You can't play a lot of games at high settings with that GPU

[Avarose]

4 minutes ago, stconquest said:

Oh hell no.  You can't play a lot of games at high settings with that GPU

Yeah I didn't think so lol. But most reviews I've seen with the GTX 950 seem to have fine playability with modern games on higher settings...  

[stconquest]

9 minutes ago, Avarose said:

Yeah I didn't think so lol. But most reviews I've seen with the GTX 950 seem to have fine playability with modern games on higher settings...  

The 950 is much better than the 750Ti:  25-30% better.

 

But the R9 380 ($200) is much better than the 950.

 

...and so on...

[Avarose]

2 minutes ago, stconquest said:

The 950 is much better than the 750Ti.

 

But the R9 380 ($200) is much better than the 950.

 

...and so on...

Yeah, I think I'll go for the 950 for now. Seems suitable and I think in terms of what I really end up doing I'll be fine

[stconquest]

26 minutes ago, Avarose said:

Yeah, I think I'll go for the 950 for now. Seems suitable and I think in terms of what I really end up doing I'll be fine

i5 (4460/Haswell or 6500/Skylake) with a 950 will be an overall enjoyable experience.  The i3 will hit it's limits quickly and the FX CPUs even sooner.  Also, try for a 240-256GB SSD instead of the hard drive so you can set up Windows.  You can add the hard drive later, easy as plug n' play.

[1shanghai]

If you want for that price point you could fit in a 960/amd equivalent (r9 380?) With a less powerful cpu and cheaping out other non peformance related items

[stconquest]

2 hours ago, 1shanghai said:

If you want for that price point you could fit in a 960/amd equivalent (r9 380?) With a less powerful cpu and cheaping out other non peformance related items

The R9 380 is better than the GTX 960 and cheaper too.

[1shanghai]

4 hours ago, stconquest said:

The R9 380 is better than the GTX 960 and cheaper too.

Sorry im kinda an nvidia fanboy but i try not to be one

Edited March 13, 2016 by 1shanghai

[stconquest]

14 minutes ago, 1shanghai said:

Sorry im kinda an nvidia fanboy but i try not to

It is not a lot better, but better/faster.