Budget PC Build Advice

[Sinsin]

Hello there,

 

I'm new to LInusTechTips forum and I'm also new in PC building. 

 

I'm currently looking to start building my own new budget PC for gaming. After searching the internet and advice from my friend, I've come up with this build.

 

AMD Athlon X4 860K Quad Core, 3.7GHz / 4.0GHz Turbo    
Asus A68HM-Plus    
HIS AMD Radeon R7 360 iCooler OC 2GB    
Corsair Vengeance® Pro Series (2 x 4GB) DDR3    
Seagate 1tb SATA-III 64Mb
Cooler Master N200    
Cooler Master Elite V2 500w   

 

Is this a decent budget gaming PC? What I'm afraid the most is, I've come with something that is not compatible with one another.

 

Any advice from you guys really means a lot =)

 

Thanks!

[Herman Mcpootis]

what is your budget?

[Kickflapper]

What is your budget? What games do you like to play?

[Herman Mcpootis]

judging from the price of your parts in pcpartpicker, you can consider this instead if you're willing to sign some rebate forms.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($69.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: MSI A68HM-E33 V2 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($35.99 @ Micro Center) 
Memory: Mushkin Silverline 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($27.49 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($45.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 380 2GB Video Card  ($153.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case  ($22.99 @ Micro Center) 
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $386.32
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-08 03:53 EDT-0400

[Sinsin]

1 hour ago, Kickflapper said:

What is your budget? What games do you like to play?

After I convert my country's currency to USD, my budget be around $400-500.

 

I'm planning to play some open world games like GTA V and Witcher 3. Also, some MMORPGs like FFXIV.

 

If this build can give me a decent FPS in normal setting, I'd be happy 

[Sinsin]

31 minutes ago, herman mcpootis said:

judging from the price of your parts in pcpartpicker, you can consider this instead if you're willing to sign some rebate forms.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($69.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: MSI A68HM-E33 V2 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($35.99 @ Micro Center) 
Memory: Mushkin Silverline 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($27.49 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($45.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 380 2GB Video Card  ($153.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case  ($22.99 @ Micro Center) 
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $386.32
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-08 03:53 EDT-0400

Thank you for your reply and your suggestion.

 

I'm planning to play games like Witcher 3, GTA V and FF14 MMORPG, would I get a decent fps in maybe normal settings?

[Sinsin]

1 hour ago, herman mcpootis said:

what is your budget?

It should be around $400-500 (after I convert my currency). And mostly used to play some open world games 

[Castdeath97]

40 minutes ago, herman mcpootis said:

judging from the price of your parts in pcpartpicker, you can consider this instead if you're willing to sign some rebate forms.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($69.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: MSI A68HM-E33 V2 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($35.99 @ Micro Center) 
Memory: Mushkin Silverline 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($27.49 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($45.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 380 2GB Video Card  ($153.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case  ($22.99 @ Micro Center) 
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $386.32
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-08 03:53 EDT-0400

That R9 380 will get bottlenecked by the 860K

[Herman Mcpootis]

For $500

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor  ($98.89 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Biostar TA970 ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($51.88 @ OutletPC) 
Memory: Mushkin Silverline 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($27.49 @ Newegg) 
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($34.88 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($45.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 380 4GB PCS+ Video Card  ($172.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case  ($22.99 @ Micro Center) 
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $485.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-08 04:37 EDT-0400

Both rigs will play your games at around mid or high setting fine.

[Castdeath97]

2 minutes ago, herman mcpootis said:

For $500

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor  ($98.89 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Biostar TA970 ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($51.88 @ OutletPC) 
Memory: Mushkin Silverline 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($27.49 @ Newegg) 
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($34.88 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($45.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 380 4GB PCS+ Video Card  ($172.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case  ($22.99 @ Micro Center) 
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $485.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-08 04:37 EDT-0400

Both rigs will play your games at around mid or high setting fine.

I would favour the i3 6100 for a gaming build:

 

 

 

[Castdeath97]

Can you fit this in your country:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($112.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($50.99 @ Micro Center) 
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($45.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 950 2GB Video Card  ($129.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($24.99 @ NCIX US) 
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($29.89 @ Newegg) 
Total: $424.73
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-08 04:40 EDT-0400

[Sinsin]

29 minutes ago, herman mcpootis said:

For $500

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor  ($98.89 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Biostar TA970 ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($51.88 @ OutletPC) 
Memory: Mushkin Silverline 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($27.49 @ Newegg) 
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($34.88 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($45.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 380 4GB PCS+ Video Card  ($172.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case  ($22.99 @ Micro Center) 
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $485.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-08 04:37 EDT-0400

Both rigs will play your games at around mid or high setting fine.

This is a great build. After checking at the local website, the total for this build in Indonesia Rupiah is around Rp9.337.000,- (divide 13.125 for $1), so that should be around $711..

 

If only the R9 380 isn't double the price here.. But thank you, I must save some more then 

[Herman Mcpootis]

6 minutes ago, Sinsin said:

This is a great build. After checking at the local website, the total for this build in Indonesia Rupiah is around Rp9.337.000,- (divide 13.125 for $1), so that should be around $711..

 

If only the R9 380 isn't double the price here.. But thank you, I must save some more then 

Oh, indonesia? Was thinking you were from USA. Which sites do you guys have for pc parts? Any pricelists from local stores?

[Sinsin]

34 minutes ago, Castdeath97 said:

Can you fit this in your country:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($112.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($50.99 @ Micro Center) 
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($45.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 950 2GB Video Card  ($129.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($24.99 @ NCIX US) 
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($29.89 @ Newegg) 
Total: $424.73
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-08 04:40 EDT-0400

I've checked at the local website and this build would cost around $624.

 

The video card is 50% more expensive and the power supply is 125% more.

 

Is the R7 360 would be decent for this build?

 

And is it a good idea to buy a case that is bundled by the Power supply 500W from an okay (local) brand? (what makes me wonder that it's so cheap, I can almost save 50% compare to buying the case and PSU separately)

 

[Herman Mcpootis]

2 minutes ago, Sinsin said:

I've checked at the local website and this build would cost around $624.

 

The video card is 50% more expensive and the power supply is 125% more.

 

Is the R7 360 would be decent for this build?

 

And is it a good idea to buy a case that is bundled by the Power supply 500W from an okay (local) brand? (what makes me wonder that it's so cheap, I can almost save 50% compare to buying the case and PSU separately)

 

Check the brand and model of psu online first before you buy. If a bad psu craps out, it can destroy some or all of your parts, and maybe cause a house fire in extreme cases. What is the website you are using?

[Sinsin]

2 minutes ago, herman mcpootis said:

Oh, indonesia? Was thinking you were from USA. Which sites do you guys have for pc parts? Any pricelists from local stores?

I usually use this two websites for price checking:

https://rakitonline.com/

http://enterkomputer.com/

 

The websites are pretty straightforward, not many Indonesian words, you should check them out 

[Herman Mcpootis]

here's what i went with in rakitonline.com

cpu: Amd x4 870k 1,085,000

mobo: Asus a68hm-e 870,000

graphics card: digital alliance r9 270x 2,495,000

ram: Adata 8gb ddr3 pc12800 490,000

hdd: toshiba 1tb sata3 7200rpm 603,000

psu: Fsp hexa+ 500w 668,000

case: Aerocool Qs-182 275,000

total: 6,486,000 IND ($493.80 USD)

if you require an OS, go to reddit windows marketplace/kinguin to get for around $20-30 USD.

[dre92]

This should be a good starting point for you.

I decided to go with 1 stick of 8GB RAM because the motherboard only has 2 RAM slots, so you can add more later if you want, and uh.. that Avexir RAM looks cool imo and it wouldn't hurt to have a bit of 'bling' in your rig. If you think otherwise then perhaps the Adata DDR3 should be a good alternative with slightly lower price. Btw I tend to stay away from Vgen and Venomrx RAM.

PSU is not the best, it looks more like a Tier 3 PSU I think, so it's not quite up there with something like the Seasonic X series or Corsair AX series, but it's definitely not a piece of junk like some other PSUs such as Simbadda or VenomRX.

The CPU should be good paired with the GTX 950. If you really want to save more money then go with the 860K. The GTX 950 imo is like the best bang for your buck right now in Indonesia, and I have great experiences with Zotac since the GTX 560Ti era, so this one should be no different. Besides, it's the cheapest one I think without necessarily being the worst.

The case is totally personal preference, but I like that one, I have built in it once before, and it's pretty good for the money. There's plenty room for cable management, pretty good airflow, but if I recall correctly, it didn't come with preinstalled fans so you might wanna spend a bit more for a couple of 120mm fans. 1 intake at the front and 1 exhaust at the back should be good. I'd recommend the Cougar Dual-X, it's cheap, it's relatively silent, it moves a lot of air, and it looks decent.

I didn't include an optical drive because almost nobody is using it nowadays, but if you still wanted one then you might have to go with a different case because that one doesn't have an optical drive bay.

For storage, I decided to go just with a 1TB HDD because the SSD options are too expensive. You can go with like a 60GB SSD but I won't recommend it, just too little space, and too much headache later down the road. Even if you have a spare HDD laying around, 60GB for a boot drive is just not enough for the long run. 120GB is like the safe minimum, but it's more expensive, so yeah... you get the idea.

 

In case you're wondering why I know some of those local brands I mentioned, yes, I am an Indonesian too and I agree, prices here sucks balls.

[Sinsin]

On 4/8/2016 at 5:05 PM, herman mcpootis said:

here's what i went with in rakitonline.com

cpu: Amd x4 870k 1,085,000

mobo: Asus a68hm-e 870,000

graphics card: digital alliance r9 270x 2,495,000

ram: Adata 8gb ddr3 pc12800 490,000

hdd: toshiba 1tb sata3 7200rpm 603,000

psu: Fsp hexa+ 500w 668,000

case: Aerocool Qs-182 275,000

total: 6,486,000 IND ($493.80 USD)

if you require an OS, go to reddit windows marketplace/kinguin to get for around $20-30 USD.

I believe I could use some of part these parts that you recommend. This will be a great insight for me, Really appreciate your help 

[Sinsin]

On 4/8/2016 at 5:52 PM, dre92 said:

This should be a good starting point for you.

I decided to go with 1 stick of 8GB RAM because the motherboard only has 2 RAM slots, so you can add more later if you want, and uh.. that Avexir RAM looks cool imo and it wouldn't hurt to have a bit of 'bling' in your rig. If you think otherwise then perhaps the Adata DDR3 should be a good alternative with slightly lower price. Btw I tend to stay away from Vgen and Venomrx RAM.

PSU is not the best, it looks more like a Tier 3 PSU I think, so it's not quite up there with something like the Seasonic X series or Corsair AX series, but it's definitely not a piece of junk like some other PSUs such as Simbadda or VenomRX.

The CPU should be good paired with the GTX 950. If you really want to save more money then go with the 860K. The GTX 950 imo is like the best bang for your buck right now in Indonesia, and I have great experiences with Zotac since the GTX 560Ti era, so this one should be no different. Besides, it's the cheapest one I think without necessarily being the worst.

The case is totally personal preference, but I like that one, I have built in it once before, and it's pretty good for the money. There's plenty room for cable management, pretty good airflow, but if I recall correctly, it didn't come with preinstalled fans so you might wanna spend a bit more for a couple of 120mm fans. 1 intake at the front and 1 exhaust at the back should be good. I'd recommend the Cougar Dual-X, it's cheap, it's relatively silent, it moves a lot of air, and it looks decent.

I didn't include an optical drive because almost nobody is using it nowadays, but if you still wanted one then you might have to go with a different case because that one doesn't have an optical drive bay.

For storage, I decided to go just with a 1TB HDD because the SSD options are too expensive. You can go with like a 60GB SSD but I won't recommend it, just too little space, and too much headache later down the road. Even if you have a spare HDD laying around, 60GB for a boot drive is just not enough for the long run. 120GB is like the safe minimum, but it's more expensive, so yeah... you get the idea.

 

In case you're wondering why I know some of those local brands I mentioned, yes, I am an Indonesian too and I agree, prices here sucks balls.

This is a very comprehensive guide and I do agree with you about the storage. I think I wont make an effective use of 1TB, I'll consider getting 320 or 500gb.

 

Gettting gtx 950 is a really great option and after some calculation it's still inside my budget, to be honest I've never considered it before.

 

Thank you very very much for your help and salam kenal agan dre92 

[Herman Mcpootis]

after looking at dre92's rig, i combined the 2 rigs together and made some changes, this would give you the best performance for your budget, should perform similarly to the first build i recommended.

cpu: Amd x4 860k 985,000

mobo: Asrock FM2A68M-HD 765,000

graphics card: Club 3D  HD7970 3GB DDR5 384 Bit SUPER OC (13 Series) 2,755,000

ram: Adata 8gb ddr3 pc12800 490,000

hdd: toshiba 1tb sata3 7200rpm 603,000

psu: Fsp hexa+ 500w 668,000

case: Armageddon Nanotron T1x 240,000

total: 6,506,000 IND($496.26 usd)