Budget Gaming Build Plan

[aemee]

Spoiler

 

A good day to anyone reading this. Am planning a build by the end of the year and am in need of some help so I'll just jump right into it.

The following is my current and only PC which also happens to be a prebuilt one.

Acer Aspire X3990

Monitor - Acer23HL*
KB+Mouse - Acer brand that came with the system
CPU - Intel Core i5 2310 2.9GHz
RAM - 4 GB DDR3
HDD - 1TB [?]*
GPU - OEM GeForce GT530*
PSU - Generic 220W PSU [?]

 

*Monitor is faulty so pc is currently hooked up to a TV
*Bought a Sapphire Radeon HD6670 to replace the GT for gaming since it seems to overheat too fast and too often resulting in the pc shutting itself off for safety.
*HDD died and currently running a portable OS via a portable drive. Its sad.

 

Been gaming casually on this machine before and after all the crappy stuff happened and seems to do quite well for the most part.

 

Aim of this build is for me to build my first system to serve as a base to learn from and subsequently upgrade further. Will be used primarily for browing the Internet or watching movies/videos with the occasional gaming. Am intending to hook up 2 monitors and use some form of multiseating software like SoftXpand to allow dual usage if possible.

 

I refer to this as a budget build but I am not able to provide any form of budget amount as I intend to acquire the items slowly over time as and when I have the means to do so. It does also mean that I am going the "cheap" route considering. I am hoping to be able to complete this build as early as September or by the end of this year.

 

Since I will be procuring the parts when able, I'm trying to prioritize the core components to make up some sort of skeletal structure.
Below are what I have come up with in order of priority with the top being the highest.

 

 

 

Case - [Armageddon Microtron T2Z   |   Carbdie Air 240]
CPU - [AMD Athlon X4 880K   |   AMD A10-7850K]
Motherboard - [Asrock FM2A88X-Pro3+   |   GA-F2A88XM-D3H]
RAM - [Ballistix Sport 1600/Kingston HyperX Fury 1866 DDR3 8GB Kit]
SSD - [A-Data Premier SP550 120GB/Sandisk Ultra II 240GB]
HDD - [WD Black/Blue 1TB-4TB]
GPU - [AMD RX 480]
PSU - [EVGA Supernova 750 G2/CoolerMaster V750

 

Spoiler

 

Color coded for reference. Mostly for mine.

Red means locked and that I will not deviate from the choice(s) unless given a legitimate argument.

Green means open to any suggestions since I either have little to no clue on it or am not particularly considering the component.

Blue means taken from suggestions, read up on it, and carefully considering it. But still open to up/downgrades.

Parts from current pc will be substituted in initially.

Not entirely sure how relevant it is but I am living in Singapore. It doesn't really matter to me if the prices are in USD or GBP or SGD. Ultimately, the parts will cost roughly the same whether I got them locally or shipped here. Generally.

 

I hope I am being specific enough with the wall of text. Do correct me on anything I may have done in error or misunderstood.
I welcome any suggestions as I am trying to learn what goes with what and overall trying to catch up in this field.

 

I've pretty much locked in all of the components needed to be purchased.

Depending on which case I get, the CPU+Mobo would have to be changed so in a way, there's 2 possible combinations for me to choose.

The rest of the components with more than 1 choice are just there in case I cannot get hold of one or the other.

I guess a 750W 80+GOLD PSU is too much but after checking out the prices on them, seems like a good deal and makes it easier for future upgrades.

There shouldn't be any incompatibilities between components unless I have missed something out.

I have no intention of changing anything unless the choices I have made are somehow within the "JustKillMeNow" category.

Edited July 16, 2016 by aemee
Finalized plan

[Energycore]

14 minutes ago, aemee said:

A good day to anyone reading this. Am planning a build by the end of the year and am in need of some help so I'll just jump right into it.

The following is my current and only PC which also happens to be a prebuilt one.

Acer Aspire X3990

Monitor - Acer23HL*
KB+Mouse - Acer brand that came with the system
CPU - Intel Core i5 2310 2.9GHz
RAM - 4 GB DDR3
HDD - 1TB [?]*
GPU - OEM GeForce GT530*
PSU - Generic 220W PSU [?]

 

*Monitor is faulty so pc is currently hooked up to a TV
*Bought a Sapphire Radeon HD6670 to replace the GT for gaming since it seems to overheat too fast and too often resulting in the pc shutting itself off for safety.
*HDD died and currently running a portable OS via a portable drive. Its sad.

 

Been gaming casually on this machine before and after all the crappy stuff happened and seems to do quite well for the most part.

 

Aim of this build is for me to build my first system to serve as a base to learn from and subsequently upgrade further. Will be used primarily for browing the Internet or watching movies/videos with the occasional gaming. Am intending to hook up 2 monitors and use some form of multiseating software like SoftXpand to allow dual usage if possible.

 

I refer to this as a budget build but I am not able to provide any form of budget amount as I intend to acquire the items slowly over time as and when I have the means to do so. It does also mean that I am going the "cheap" route considering. I am hoping to be able to complete this build as early as September or by the end of this year.

 

Since I will be procuring the parts when able, I'm trying to prioritize the core components to make up some sort of skeletal structure.
Below are what I have come up with in order of priority with the top being the highest.

Case - [?] //any budget case should do as long as everything fits. would go for the carbide air 540 if it was possible
CPU - [AMD Athlon X4 860k] //pretty adamant about using this processor for no logical reason
Motherboard - [?] //have not done enough research to warrant a choice
RAM - [?] //all i know is i might need 8gigs. i got really confused when exposed to ddr3/4 and the clock timings etc
SSD - [?] //pretty much gonna be used for OS and possibly some games to cut load times
HDD - [1TB-TB] //preferably an SSHD. gonna be used for storage and mirror backups. seagate seems attractive
GPU - [any RX 480 variant]
Monitor - [?] //a decent 1080p monitor would be sufficient for a start
KB+Mouse - [X] //current set should suffice until a better set can be obtained
PSU - [?] //i read that it should be considered last. modular would be nice though

 

Parts from current pc will be substituted in initially.

Not entirely sure how relevant it is but I am living in Singapore. It doesn't really matter to me if the prices are in USD or GBP or SGD. Ultimately, the parts will cost roughly the same whether I got them locally or shipped here. Generally.

 

I hope I am being specific enough with the wall of text. Do correct me on anything I may have done in error or misunderstood.
I welcome any suggestions as I am trying to learn what goes with what and overall trying to catch up in this field.

 

Hi! First off, if you don't plan on building soon, the advice we give you today may not be applicable by the time you build, so consider asking again when you're a couple weeks off building. For instance, we are expecting to see a new platform from AMD, that will come with updated hardware like PCI Express 3.0, and DDR4 RAM. It might be worth getting that

 

Might want to switch the Athlon 860K for an 880K variant, it's the same chip but it's got a much better and quieter cooler.

 

If you want overclock your CPU, you will need a motherboard that can handle it. Most cheap boards for the Athlon do not have the power delivery necessary for an overclocked Athlon 860/880K, and might literally melt or catch on fire if you try to pull too much power off them

 

My go-to recommendation for a motherboard that can overclock the 880K is the Asrock FM2A88X-Pro3. It's got enough power delivery and a heat spreader for its voltage regulation chips.

 

The PSU is most certainly not the last consideration (I'd consider the case last unless you plan to move the computer around a lot), and getting a terrible power supply is going to yield a system that's unstable and dangerous to your hardware. You can ask us whether a power supply you see is safe and a couple brands that mostly make safe power supplies are: Corsair (except the VS series), XFX (except the XT), Seasonic, EVGA (Except the 400W, 430W, 500W, anything that says 80 plus bronze is at least decent), and others that you should ask for if you find them where you'll be buying parts

 

 

[aeroencychris]

Just my stab it

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/Gb6KBP
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/Gb6KBP/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($110.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: Asus Z170-E ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($85.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($36.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($37.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.49 @ OutletPC) 
Case: Corsair Air 540 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($109.79 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($65.99 @ Amazon) 
Monitor: AOC E2425SWD 24.0" 60Hz Monitor  ($100.98 @ Newegg) 
Other: RX 480 ($240.00)
Total: $836.21
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-12 23:54 EDT-0400

A budget would be helpful but this is what I made based off of the needs you stated. I'd get a better cooler than stock but that's low priority since that i3 is relatively cool.

[pinksnowmanshandle]

2 minutes ago, cdsboy2000 said:

snip

Lol a Z170 mobo for a locked CPU though that's a good price for a Z170 mobo.

[aeroencychris]

2 minutes ago, wcreek said:

Lol a Z170 mobo for a locked CPU though that's a good price for a Z170 mobo.

that's why I got it lol, hard to pass up at that price, plus it looks pretty nice visually and will resell for more.

edit: obvious upgrade potential for a K processor if they choose to do so

[Herman Mcpootis]

3 hours ago, aemee said:

 

Not entirely sure how relevant it is but I am living in Singapore. It doesn't really matter to me if the prices are in USD or GBP or SGD. Ultimately, the parts will cost roughly the same whether I got them locally or shipped here. Generally.

 

 

AMD processors are mostly dead in singapore, very hard to find them now. i recommend you go to lazada, get the armageddon microtron t2z for $50 sgd, gtx 950 for around $200 and FSP hexa+ 450/550w, and 8gb of ddr3 from pcthemes at sim lim square instead. reuse everything else for a cheaper upgrade.

[aemee]

I didn't want to multi quote and end up having a huge wall of text just to reply to individual responses so I'll just state my replies, if any, systematically.

 

I thank you for the concern with regards to the advice given in the present may not be such a good idea in the near future.

But, any advice and suggestions given here will be "locked" by my self once I have settled on the components. I planned a DIY build 2 years ago and never got around to it because of the updates to hardware so I never really stuck to it. This time, I intend to stick to the build and get my hands on the parts one-by-one the moment I have the chance to do so. Not sure if that made sense but in a way, I'd like to discipline myself to not worry so much about the possible updates as this will be serving as my initial base setup.

 

I did some reading between the 860k and the 880k. Only difference I noticed was a higher frequency and clock speed of the 880k which costs slightly more. There seems to be an addon for the 860k to include the same fan the 880k uses.

Definitely no overclocking intended. Honestly, I do not trust my abilities to OC the chip without a 3rd party cooler installed.

 

Took a look at the Asrock FM2A88X-Pro3+. Looks like it covers the basics of what I would want.

 

I'm considering the PSU last simply because I am unable to estimate the power usage until I have settled on the other components. On the otherhand, if I considered the case last, I have nothing to install the skeletal structure of the system in to test.

 

Took a look at and saved the PCPartPicker link. As much as I appreciate it, I subconsciously ignored the CPU+Mobo almost immediately. I only realized you had them picked when typing up this reply.

 

I've read up on the WD Blacks vs Blues and I seem to be leaning more towards the Black series. Based on the price difference, I might default to the Blues. Hopefully my local market doesn't have that big of a price gap.

 

The Corsair ram kit, PSU and SSD are on my to-read list and are under consideration.

 

Thankful for the monitor suggestion. Anything less of a 23" monitor feels weird to me. Price does not seem too bad and I have been told AOC's monitors released 2014 onwards are pretty darn good.

 

I swear the Air 540 price fluctuations are to mess with my head. It used to cost $99USD on amazon..Are there any similar cases to this for a budget build? I just like the fact that the Air 540 with the right fans deliver awesome air cooling within its huge body. Plus cable management.

 

I do understand that a budget would be really helpful. I very much agree. But I am rather constrained and limited with regards to funding this build hence I'm on a "buy-when-i-can" kind of thing going the almost cheapskate build.

 

I do intend to get noctua fans eventually assuming it fits whatever case I lock in. It just looks so mean.

 

"That Country where gum is illegal". Ah the memories. Though technically its the sale thats illegal.

 

Back to your response, I never knew AMD chips are almost non-existent here. The T2Z looks really good with the basic I/O interface at the top. And the price. I guess it does make sense to consider the case last in this kind of situation.

 

Like with the Intel cpu+mobo combo above, I subconsciously ignored the nVidia gpu until the time of typing. Although nVidia caters to the gamers more these days, I still see their cards as for a workstation kind of setup meant to be utilized for video-editing/processing.
Plus the GT530 OEM I was using made me want to nuke the thing whilst the HD6670 just makes me want to throw the card at the wall when I start having problems. At least the 6670 performs like brand new after cleaning and reseating the cooler. The GT530 remained horribly hot even after cleaning.

 

Just my own biased thought process.

 

I will update my main post regularly based on these suggestions and advice. Got some reading up to do tonight.

It is possible that there might be conflicts between hardware, is there some way I can check for compatibility besides manually checking each individual components and cross checking them?

[Herman Mcpootis]

1 hour ago, aemee said:

I'm considering the PSU last simply because I am unable to estimate the power usage until I have settled on the other components. On the otherhand, if I considered the case last, I have nothing to install the skeletal structure of the system in to test.

A 500-550w power supply should do you well for a pc with any graphics card. FSP hexa+ 550w is a decent psu for $68 if you wanna save some money. Fsp 300-50HMN for $39 should be enough if you don't wanna buy a graphics card/using a gtx 750ti/950 75w.

 

1 hour ago, aemee said:

On the otherhand, if I considered the case last, I have nothing to install the skeletal structure of the system in to test.

 If you get a new case now, you'll need to swap out your psu too, since they likely won't fit.

 

1 hour ago, aemee said:

I've read up on the WD Blacks vs Blues and I seem to be leaning more towards the Black series. Based on the price difference, I might default to the Blues. Hopefully my local market doesn't have that big of a price gap.

The WD blues are $74 if i remember correctly. you can get a toshiba instead for $64 if you wanna cheap out. 

 

1 hour ago, aemee said:

I swear the Air 540 price fluctuations are to mess with my head. It used to cost $99USD on amazon..Are there any similar cases to this for a budget build? I just like the fact that the Air 540 with the right fans deliver awesome air cooling within its huge body. Plus cable management.

Thermaltake core v1 is at $79, while the core v21 is at $89. Air 540 would be $195 if you get at sls. The armageddon t2z would be my favoured option for $50, but you can get the nanotron t1z for $40 if you really wanna cheap out.

 

1 hour ago, aemee said:

 

Like with the Intel cpu+mobo combo above, I subconsciously ignored the nVidia gpu until the time of typing. Although nVidia caters to the gamers more these days, I still see their cards as for a workstation kind of setup meant to be utilized for video-editing/processing.
Plus the GT530 OEM I was using made me want to nuke the thing whilst the HD6670 just makes me want to throw the card at the wall when I start having problems. At least the 6670 performs like brand new after cleaning and reseating the cooler. The GT530 remained horribly hot even after cleaning.

Their gtx 950,750ti are pretty good for budget gaming pcs, better than their amd counterparts. Fermi has serious heat issues but they're quite good now. Also, amd is more pricey here, most of the time nvidia ends up being a better value.

1 hour ago, aemee said:

It is possible that there might be conflicts between hardware, is there some way I can check for compatibility besides manually checking each individual components and cross checking them?

Check to see if the mobo is using normal connectors or some random proprietary crap. Otherwise, it should probably work together when you finish upgrading.

[aemee]

Really thankful for your suggestions kind sir.

Makes it a lot easier when someone local knows the average pricing in the local market.

 

Also, the cheap out options. Brilliant.

 

Air 540 has always been expensive at SLS. I have been looking at amazon for better prices but its a case I'd want to have eventually so its not really that big a deal for this base build.

 

Will continue checking the components out.

Lots to read up and catch up on.

[david cassar]

Why would you get a new build when you have such a decent cpu to begin with. Your i5 is better than the athlon's you mentioned. My advice is to get a socket 1155 motherboard either used or new and build your pc around that. The i5 is much better at gaming than the athlon and you'll also save a lot of money in the process. Also mind telling me what motherboard you currently have in your prebuilt pc?

[aemee]

2 minutes ago, david cassar said:

Why would you get a new build when you have such a decent cpu to begin with. Your i5 is better than the athlon's you mentioned. My advice is to get a socket 1155 motherboard either used or new and build your pc around that. The i5 is much better at gaming than the athlon and you'll also save a lot of money in the process. 

 

Yes, that is true and I understand that I will be saving quite a sum.

But it is not my intention to use any of the components from the current pc in the final system I am planning to build.

 

Essentially, I'll end up with 2 systems whilst building the amd one.

 

The only component from the intel pc I will be salvaging will be the HD6670 to be used on the amd pc until I can get a hold of a better card.

 

Buying and building the amd based system step-by-step and slowly one-by-one would mean that I'll always have 1 working system and 1 incomplete one until completion.

 

Hope that makes sense. I'm not sure myself how to explain what it is I am after.

[david cassar]

1 minute ago, aemee said:

 

Yes, that is true and I understand that I will be saving quite a sum.

But it is not my intention to use any of the components from the current pc in the final system I am planning to build.

 

Essentially, I'll end up with 2 systems whilst building the amd one.

 

The only component from the intel pc I will be salvaging will be the HD6670 to be used on the amd pc until I can get a hold of a better card.

 

Buying and building the amd based system step-by-step and slowly one-by-one would mean that I'll always have 1 working system and 1 incomplete one until completion.

 

Hope that makes sense. I'm not sure myself how to explain what it is I am after.

Ohhh I see so it is a separate build then? 

[aemee]

3 minutes ago, david cassar said:

Ohhh I see so it is a separate build then? 

 

Yes it is my good man.

[Herman Mcpootis]

4 minutes ago, aemee said:

 

Yes, that is true and I understand that I will be saving quite a sum.

But it is not my intention to use any of the components from the current pc in the final system I am planning to build.

 

Essentially, I'll end up with 2 systems whilst building the amd one.

 

The only component from the intel pc I will be salvaging will be the HD6670 to be used on the amd pc until I can get a hold of a better card.

 

Buying and building the amd based system step-by-step and slowly one-by-one would mean that I'll always have 1 working system and 1 incomplete one until completion.

 

Hope that makes sense. I'm not sure myself how to explain what it is I am after.

As i said, amd cpus are dead in SG. I suggest you save enough for the other parts, then buy them at one go and reuse the i5, ram and mobo as they're still good. For the rest of the parts, you can reuse it for a htpc or sell it ans see how much you can get.

[aemee]

On 13/07/2016 at 10:13 PM, herman mcpootis said:

As i said, amd cpus are dead in SG. I suggest you save enough for the other parts, then buy them at one go and reuse the i5, ram and mobo as they're still good. For the rest of the parts, you can reuse it for a htpc or sell it ans see how much you can get.

 

I pretty much had that fact handed to me.

 

Been scouring all over for both 860k and 880k to no avail locally. Online, managed to find 860k variants. Can't seem to find an 880k except for ebay which seems overpriced.

 

And FM2+ mobos are nonexistent locally too which surprized me. I had thought that I had to at least ship the amd chip in but I guess that was a longshot.

 

I'm very stubborn by nature and am pretty adamant about having those amd components so I think I'm gonna compromise by mixing and matching for the time being.

 

I'll take on your suggestion on reusing the current parts.

I'm thinking of slowly buying relevant "upgrade" parts suggested by many above,  as originally planned, and subsequently transplant the cpu, mobo, ram and gpu to the new case which should already have all other components to function.

 

Then I guess I'll either continue searching for the amd chip and FM2+ mobo locally or just ship them here regardless.

 

I will be updating my OP once I have finalized my decisions. For some reason, this is making me quite excited to have some sort of plan and goal in mind.

 

I would like to thank all who helped me out with the information and parts suggestions. Gave me a lot to read up and compare. I wish I could show my thanks by showing the final build but considering that it might take quite a long time to complete, I think I'll just have to settle on just plain, thanks.