Building My First PC - Stuck between two builds.

[KennethDev]

Hello everyone! I have been watching the Linus Tech Tips channel for a long time but I have just created my account to come to a knowledgeable community for some advice.

 

I am building my first computer (I am 15) My budget is $400-$500 and I have created two builds that seem to suit my needs.

 

The first build in question is here. I realize it is pretty bare-bones, but I was wondering if it was worth it. Also, would a downgrade from the Zotac GTX 970 in the build to the Zotac GeForce GTX 960 AMP! Edition be ok? What are the pros and cons of each?

 

The second build is here and is already using a GTX 960 AMP! Edition Card. For this build, would the upgrade to the GTX 970 be worth it?

And the final question, how would each of these builds handle games ranging from Minecraft to GTAV?

Thank you in advance for your help with my first build.

 

If you have an alternative build for $400-$500 (can go a bit over, it's a flexible budget) that could perform well on the suggested games, please provide it here as well. (I would prefer AMD over Intel because of what I have heard about the socket size fluctuation and the ability to upgrade) 

[HPWebcamAble]

3 minutes ago, KennethDev said:

(I would prefer AMD over Intel because of what I have heard about the socket size fluctuation and the ability to upgrade)

Yeah, Intel is better for sockets and upgradeability.

 

Get an i3 and a decent MOBO and upgrade to a better CPU in the future.

 

AMD's CPU are pretty old right now.

 

4 minutes ago, KennethDev said:

would a downgrade from the Zotac GTX 970 in the build to the Zotac GeForce GTX 960 AMP! Edition be ok? What are the pros and cons of each?

Uh, pretty straight forward.

Pros: Cheaper, less power draw

Cons: Not as powerful GPU

 

I'll put something together, one sec...

[HPWebcamAble]

3 minutes ago, HPWebcamAble said:

I'll put something together, one sec...

Ok, here we go:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($110.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: Asus B150M-C/CSM Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($83.99 @ NCIX US) 
Memory: G.Skill NT Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($29.98 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($60.00 @ Amazon) 
Case: Cougar Spike MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($33.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($59.88 @ OutletPC) 
Other: RX 480 ($200.00)
Total: $578.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-26 19:06 EDT-0400

 

1. CPU and MOBO allow for an upgrade to a Skylake i5 or even i7 in the future
2. Ram is, well, you know, ram
3. An SSD would be much faster but an HDD will do for now. You can get an SSD in the future.
4. RX 480 will be so much more powerful than a GTX 960 for only around 200 bucks
5. Case is a decent, but inexpensive
6. Much better PSU

[KennethDev]

3 minutes ago, HPWebcamAble said:

Ok, here we go:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($110.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: Asus B150M-C/CSM Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($83.99 @ NCIX US) 
Memory: G.Skill NT Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($29.98 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($60.00 @ Amazon) 
Case: Cougar Spike MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($33.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($59.88 @ OutletPC) 
Other: RX 480 ($200.00)
Total: $578.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-26 19:06 EDT-0400

 

1. CPU and MOBO allow for an upgrade to a Skylake i5 or even i7 in the future
2. Ram is, well, you know, ram
3. An SSD would be much faster but an HDD will do for now. You can get an SSD in the future.
4. RX 480 will be so much more powerful than a GTX 960 for only around 200 bucks
5. Case is a decent, but inexpensive
6. Much better PSU

Hello! Thank you for your build. Is there any drawback to only having 8GB RAM vs 16GB when it comes to playing Minecraft and developing Java Applications as well as Web Development?

 

Also, am I right to assume that the RX 480 comes out on the 29th and that it features 3 display port and 1 hdmi connection?

 

Thanks!

[HPWebcamAble]

2 minutes ago, KennethDev said:

Is there any drawback to only having 8GB RAM vs 16GB when it comes to playing Minecraft and developing Java Applications as well as Web Development?

Not as much multitasking ability, but the i3 or that AMD processor aren't great for multitasking anyway.

(I'm using 3.3 GB of RAM with just 2 Chrome tabs open)

 

3 minutes ago, KennethDev said:

am I right to assume that the RX 480 comes out on the 29th

Yes, but it'll be difficult to get your hands on one for about a week since it'll sell out fast

 

4 minutes ago, KennethDev said:

and that it features 3 display port and 1 hdmi connection?

Dunno, sorry. It'll definitely have at least 1 HDMI and 1 display port.

[KennethDev]

1 minute ago, HPWebcamAble said:

Not as much multitasking ability, but the i3 or that AMD processor aren't great for multitasking anyway.

(I'm using 3.3 GB of RAM with just 2 Chrome tabs open)

 

Yes, but it'll be difficult to get your hands on one for about a week since it'll sell out fast

 

Dunno, sorry. It'll definitely have at least 1 HDMI and 1 display port.

Thanks for the quick reply.

I am hoping to get the computer very soon. Is there a comparable graphics card that you can suggest or is it truly worth waiting the extra week or two?

[HPWebcamAble]

2 minutes ago, KennethDev said:

Thanks for the quick reply.

I am hoping to get the computer very soon. Is there a comparable graphics card that you can suggest or is it truly worth waiting the extra week or two?

It's truly worth the wait.

 

You'll be able to use the computer without a GPU because the 6100 has an iGPU (which isn't very powerful but it can do basic tasks well)

[Kyle2202]

1 minute ago, KennethDev said:

Thanks for the quick reply.

I am hoping to get the computer very soon. Is there a comparable graphics card that you can suggest or is it truly worth waiting the extra week or two?

It's worth waiting for the rx480... Also if the budget allows it I'd use a z170 board just for the added bonus of being able to upgrade down the line to a "k" cpu if you want to oc

[KennethDev]

3 minutes ago, HPWebcamAble said:

It's truly worth the wait.

 

You'll be able to use the computer without a GPU because the 6100 has an iGPU (which isn't very powerful but it can do basic tasks well)

Can you confirm that the case in the build is worth buying? Reviews say there is very little to no space for cable management as well as some of the components being weak. All that aside, thanks so much for your help. I will surely be taking this all into account.

[Kyle2202]

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/list/qtpr7h) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/list/qtpr7h/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/product/hV7CmG/intel-cpu-bx80662i36100) | $110.99 @ SuperBiiz 
**Motherboard** | [ASRock Z170 Pro4S ATX LGA1151 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/product/fcqbt6/asrock-motherboard-z170pro4s) | $82.98 @ Newegg 
**Memory** | [Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/product/kkL7YJ/kingston-memory-hx421c14fbk28) | $31.99 @ Newegg 
**Storage** | [Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/product/MwW9TW/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezex) | $47.49 @ OutletPC 
**Case** | [Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/product/pDphP6/corsair-case-spec01redled) | $37.99 @ Micro Center 
**Power Supply** | [EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/product/qYTrxr/evga-power-supply-220g20550y1) | $70.98 @ Newegg 
**Other**| Rx 480| $200.00 
 | *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
 | Total (before mail-in rebates) | $602.42
 | Mail-in rebates | -$20.00
 | **Total** | **$582.42**
 | Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2016-06-26 19:33 EDT-0400 |

[HPWebcamAble]

22 minutes ago, KennethDev said:

Can you confirm that the case in the build is worth buying? Reviews say there is very little to no space for cable management as well as some of the components being weak. All that aside, thanks so much for your help. I will surely be taking this all into account.

That's the sacrifice you'd make with that case. If you want something with better cable management, look at Kyle's build (though it is more expensive).

He also included a MOBO that supports overclocking for future upgrades

 

13 minutes ago, Kyle2202 said:

[PCPartPicker part list]

Nice build! But you posted it with the wrong Markup (that's for reddit, you want the [BB] one)

Edited June 26, 2016 by HPWebcamAble
My brain likes to skip words every so often

[KennethDev]

1 minute ago, HPWebcamAble said:

That's the sacrifice you'd make with that case. If you want something with better cable management, look at Kyle's build (though it is more expensive).

He also included a MOBO that supports overclocking for future upgrades

 

Nice build! But you posted it with the Markup (that's for reddit, you want the [BB] one)

Ok, thanks.

[Kyle2202]

1 minute ago, HPWebcamAble said:

Nice build! But you posted it with the Markup (that's for reddit, you want the [BB] one)

Thanks...been wondering which one to use lol...still new and trying to figure out how things works lol