Upgrade Path

[Kithkannin]

So not to long ago I had posted up a budget gaming build and I have managed to drop the price quite a bit with some patience and bartering. So as of now all the parts are ordered and on the way from various folks (everything but case and WiFi card are used) and I was curious what I should do as far as upgrades go. 

 

The goal behind this tower was to build something to hold me over until I can save up for my big build in the fall as well as a project for my Computer Hardware class (extra 5% on overall class grade from it). This is build is just expected to handle 1080p gaming at decent specs. In addition I do not currently have a gaming desktop so this will be the first. One thing I feel I should upgrade will be the CPU to the FX 8350. WOuld prefer not to spend more than another 2-300usd on upgrades just to get this to be solid for 1080p gaming. 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor  ($94.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Asus Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($79.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($26.49 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Western Digital AV-GP 500GB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($34.95 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.49 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: MSI Radeon R7 370 4GB Video Card  ($149.99 @ Micro Center) 
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case  ($22.99 @ Micro Center) 
Power Supply: XFX XT 400W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($22.98 @ Newegg) 
Total: $479.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-29 14:16 EDT-0400

 

I spent 430 usd for all of it so I am happy with that price. I do not use mail in rebates as it voids warranty (or so i was told) so in the end im saving almost 100usd off of build going used and using that 100 to get http://www.amazon.com/HP-Pavilion-21-5-Inch-HDMI-Monitor/dp/B015WCV70W?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER to accompany the tower. If anyone has a better suggestion for monitor please let me know.

[LabRat]

rebates don't void warranty. but if you remove the bar code from the box you might have problems with the 30 day returns dept.

i wouldn't "upgrade" anything. save your money.

 

the 5400rpm drive is not the boot drive right?

[Loleo]

That CPU upgrade aint worth it my friend, waste of money. Save your money for something else.

[Cyracus]

if I were to upgrade anything it would be adding an ssd

[Kithkannin]

6 minutes ago, Loleo said:

That CPU upgrade aint worth it my friend, waste of money. Save your money for something else.

the 6300? I got it for 50 bucks with another 15 for a hyper evo 212. or the 8350? Well then as long as it plays games at 1080p better than consoles I am happy. Just made the switch to pcmr lol. 

[Loleo]

1 minute ago, Kithkannin said:

the 6300? I got it for 50 bucks with another 15 for a hyper evo 212. or the 8350? Well then as long as it plays games at 1080p better than consoles I am happy. Just made the switch to pcmr lol. 

I mean buying a new 8350 and replacing it with your 6300.

[Kithkannin]

6 minutes ago, Cyracus said:

if I were to upgrade anything it would be adding an ssd

I was thinking about that. Not sure I really will in the end. As once i build my other pc this will either go to a friend or my kid brother (he is big on minecraft and stardew valley so this should be overkill)

[Kithkannin]

1 minute ago, Loleo said:

I mean buying a new 8350 and replacing it with your 6300.

OKay thanks. with that in mind I guess the build is mostly what it will be. Thank you for the input. 

[Cyracus]

7 minutes ago, Kithkannin said:

I was thinking about that. Not sure I really will in the end. As once i build my other pc this will either go to a friend or my kid brother (he is big on minecraft and stardew valley so this should be overkill)

well you could always take the ssd and clone the ssd OS and data over to one of the HDDs

[Kithkannin]

4 minutes ago, Cyracus said:

well you could always take the ssd and clone the ssd OS and data over to one of the HDDs

That is a good idea. I think that is exactly what I am going to do thank you.