$750 First Build

[Gymnophoria]

Budget and Currency:

Aprox. $750 budget, US

 

Aim

The aim of this system is to keep up with recent-ish games at medium to low settings in 1080p at 60 FPS. The most intensive games I'd like to play are Just Cause 3, ARK: Survival Evolved, Postal 2, and Overwatch. I'm not aiming for super good graphics, I just want the game to look okay with 60 FPS. 

 

Monitors

I plan on running on one monitor. I might want to upgrade in 1 or 2 years, but that would most likely include the video card as well.

 

Peripherals

I need a monitor and a keyboard, which are both added to my list. I currently have a Razer Kraken headset and a logitech mouse. I do not need a WiFi adapter.

 

Why am I upgrading?

Well, I'm currently stuck with an old 2011 iMac.. Although this can handle some basic games, I'd love to upgrade to a Windows machine so I can play a few more games and get a bit higher FPS.

 

Build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($110.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B150M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($69.89 @ OutletPC) 
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($39.89 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($41.88 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($66.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 750 Ti 4GB Video Card  ($131.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Case: DIYPC Zondda-B ATX Mid Tower Case ($37.99) (this case is not listed on PCPP)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($39.99 @ NCIX US) 
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer  ($16.88 @ OutletPC) 
Monitor: Sceptre E225W-1920 22.0" 60Hz Monitor  ($100.98 @ Newegg) 
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse  ($27.69 @ SuperBiiz) 
Other: HDMI Cable (15 ft) ($12.02) dunno if it needs to be this long..
Total: $697.08
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-23 21:12 EDT-0400

 

Dunno if I need that cooler..

Thanks for help in advance

 

EDIT: I realize I have no clue when I will be buying this. The prices could change, but I'm looking at quality of the build right now.

[DutchTexan]

I’m not very experienced, but this is what I picked out.

 

I did not add Windows 10 or a wireless adapter for wifi

 

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/xQP6RG
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/xQP6RG/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($110.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: MSI H110M Gaming Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($69.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($29.99 @ Adorama) 
Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP600 64GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($36.98 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.49 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 480 8GB Video Card  ($269.99 @ B&H) 
Case: Rosewill Line-M MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($34.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($32.88 @ OutletPC) 
Monitor: Asus VS228H-P 21.5" Monitor  ($99.99 @ Best Buy) 
Keyboard: Logitech K120 Wired Standard Keyboard  ($13.74 @ Newegg) 
Total: $747.03
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-23 21:36 EDT-0400

[Member]

You don't really neeeed that Hyper212, but it's definitely better than the stock Intel cooler. 

[DutchTexan]

1 minute ago, Member said:

You don't really neeeed that Hyper212, but it's definitely better than the stock Intel cooler. 

The stock fan is not the best, absolutely, but you can be 100% sure that it is sufficient.

[Gymnophoria]

 

15 minutes ago, DutchTexan said:

I’m not very experienced, but this is what I picked out.

 

I did not add Windows 10 or a wireless adapter for wifi

 

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/xQP6RG
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/xQP6RG/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($110.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: MSI H110M Gaming Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($69.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($29.99 @ Adorama) 
Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP600 64GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($36.98 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.49 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 480 8GB Video Card  ($269.99 @ B&H) 
Case: Rosewill Line-M MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($34.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($32.88 @ OutletPC) 
Monitor: Asus VS228H-P 21.5" Monitor  ($99.99 @ Best Buy) 
Keyboard: Logitech K120 Wired Standard Keyboard  ($13.74 @ Newegg) 
Total: $747.03
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-23 21:36 EDT-0400

I can't understand why you chose that motherboard over mine.. Just because it says "gaming" doesn't make it that much better as far as I know.

I'd like to stick with a 120 GB SSD, it's only $3 more than your 64 GB one

I'd also like to stick with 2 TB HDD, I filled up my 1 TB mac fast.

8GB of VRAM is overkill for what I want to do... And a 480 with only 4 has no price.. Unless I can get a price on that, no, sorry.

The case is worse than mine.. wat

I kinda want the mouse on my combo

 

wait so why did you suggest this

9 minutes ago, EnemySp0tt3d said:

your monitor will come with a hdmi cable most likely. Just check the motherboard specs and see if its included. 

Naw, monitor does not. rip

4 minutes ago, Member said:

You don't really neeeed that Hyper212, but it's definitely better than the stock Intel cooler. 

so... keep it?

[Member]

1 hour ago, ThatNerdOverThere said:

snip

the stock cooler should suffice,

[DutchTexan]

Regarding your edit: I have been planning my iMac replacement build for like half a year. I have decided that the more time I spend planning the better my build will be for a large number of reasons. Overtime you get a better understanding of the hardware, everything involved with building a computer, you absorb random pieces of experience through your interest of building a computer, and the best thing yet is you get to see new products, reviews, and watch prices for specs go way down. 

 

 

 

 

[Gymnophoria]

Just now, DutchTexan said:

Regarding your edit: I have been planning my iMac replacement build for like half a year. I have decided that the more time I spend planning the better my build will be for a large number of reasons. Overtime you get a better understanding of the hardware, everything involved with building a computer, you absorb random pieces of experience through your interest of building a computer, and the best thing yet is you get to see new products, reviews, and watch prices for specs go way down. 

Wow. I've been planning for a bit over a month, although it will probably be longer until I buy it as I don't know when I'm getting this much available money. I think I have most of the basics on the hardware, and I'm starting to understand putting it together. The one thing I'm really shady on is GTX vs. Radeon GPU comparison, and AMD vs. Intel CPU comparison. (e.g. which ones are equal and which ones are easily outmatched by another)

[DutchTexan]

2 minutes ago, ThatNerdOverThere said:

 

The way I choose parts is by price and review. You can always finder cheaper hardware with more specs, but it needs to be enmeshed with reasonable quality also.

 

You can save $30 on the cpu cooler, I would spend that somewhere else and keep the stock cooler with the cpu

 

You can change the mother board, but for the same price read some review averages.

 

That seagate 2TB drive is solid:)

 

Like I said, I can only go off my own perception. I chose a really cheap keyboard because I don’t think you should spend over $30 on a non-mechanical keyboard. 

 

 

 

Also, something to consider is the merchant. My own pcpartpicker lists are always only from newegg, amazon, or micro center(only because I have one near me)Sometimes that messes with the pricing.

[Gymnophoria]

Just now, DutchTexan said:

something

Yea alright, I think I'll take off the cooler. 

Ill look around a bit for a different motherboard.

Thanks for the feedback

[DutchTexan]

2 minutes ago, ThatNerdOverThere said:

Wow. I've been planning for a bit over a month, although it will probably be longer until I buy it as I don't know when I'm getting this much available money. I think I have most of the basics on the hardware, and I'm starting to understand putting it together. The one thing I'm really shady on is GTX vs. Radeon GPU comparison, and AMD vs. Intel CPU comparison. (e.g. which ones are equal and which ones are easily outmatched by another)

That area I really can’t comment on with accuracy. Generally, from what I understand, AMD chips are more for budget orientated things. Although they have excellent specs and good quality, I find people reccomending i7s and i5s most frequently.

 

GPUs is something I honestly don’t have an opinion on. Its largely depending on what games you are playing and what monitor you are buying(g sync vs free sync).

 

 

[DutchTexan]

Just now, ThatNerdOverThere said:

Yea alright, I think I'll take off the cooler. 

Ill look around a bit for a different motherboard.

Thanks for the feedback

No problem! Picking parts is like an art form. People can recommend stuff to you all day, but only you truly know what you want. My situation is I have an iMac that I want to replace, but it still works. It wasn’t until about 8 months ago that I really discovered graphics cards and cpus and what not. I think I may spend a year before I jump in. After all, once I build a PC it will last the rest of my life. I will only upgrade and evolve the hardware slowly. Never again will I buy a whole new computer for myself. 

[Gymnophoria]

4 minutes ago, DutchTexan said:

No problem! Picking parts is like an art form. People can recommend stuff to you all day, but only you truly know what you want. My situation is I have an iMac that I want to replace, but it still works. It wasn’t until about 8 months ago that I really discovered graphics cards and cpus and what not. I think I may spend a year before I jump in. After all, once I build a PC it will last the rest of my life. I will only upgrade and evolve the hardware slowly. Never again will I buy a whole new computer for myself. 

Yup. I have the same goal in mind: Upgradability. 

 

Anyways, I can't find any other motherboards (that have an advantage) with 4 RAM slots for the under $80 price range. I found 2 other motherboards, but they had the exact same specs and only cost a bit more.

[DutchTexan]

59 minutes ago, ThatNerdOverThere said:

Yup. I have the same goal in mind: Upgradability. 

 

Anyways, I can't find any other motherboards (that have an advantage) with 4 RAM slots for the under $80 price range. I found 2 other motherboards, but they had the exact same specs and only cost a bit more.

Read reviews! I find amazon to reviews to be the most realistic, if applicable. Newegg reviews are much more critical. 

[Herman Mcpootis]

i recommend this for you:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($179.89 @ OutletPC) more games are needing 4 cores, so get an i5 over an i3.
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X150M-PLUS WS Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($52.46 @ Amazon) $32 after rebates, and you can upgrade to a xeon in the future if you need to.
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($30.98 @ Newegg) 
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($59.99 @ Newegg) kingston v300 is crap, get this instead.
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($43.90 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 380X 4GB PCS+ Myst. Edition Video Card  ($149.99 @ Newegg) will play games much better than a gtx 750ti
Case: Deepcool TESSERACT SW ATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: Rosewill 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($64.99 @ Newegg) good quality psu to keep your system stable.
Monitor: AOC i2369V 23.0" 60Hz Monitor  ($99.99 @ Best Buy) 
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator - OEM Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse  ($18.98 @ Newegg) 
Total: $741.16
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-24 00:23 EDT-0400

[Gymnophoria]

20 hours ago, herman mcpootis said:

i recommend this for you:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($179.89 @ OutletPC) more games are needing 4 cores, so get an i5 over an i3.
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X150M-PLUS WS Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($52.46 @ Amazon) $32 after rebates, and you can upgrade to a xeon in the future if you need to.
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($30.98 @ Newegg) 
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($59.99 @ Newegg) kingston v300 is crap, get this instead.
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($43.90 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 380X 4GB PCS+ Myst. Edition Video Card  ($149.99 @ Newegg) will play games much better than a gtx 750ti
Case: Deepcool TESSERACT SW ATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: Rosewill 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($64.99 @ Newegg) good quality psu to keep your system stable.
Monitor: AOC i2369V 23.0" 60Hz Monitor  ($99.99 @ Best Buy) 
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator - OEM Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse  ($18.98 @ Newegg) 
Total: $741.16
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-24 00:23 EDT-0400

Im torn on if I actually need the CPU... The i3 is better in almost every way except for the amount of cores. And the jump in money is so much..

That motherboard costs $99 after rebates and is worse than the current.. no ty lol

Why is kingston "crap"? It seemed fine, with all the positive reviews.. But perhaps I could use 240/50 GB

I kinda wanna stick with 2TB, I'm horrible with space management and its not much more.

Thanks for the GPU suggestion, I'm using that

My case is cheaper and better than the tesseract lol

Uh.. Pretty sure I don't need the fancy "80+ Gold". As far as I know, that doesn't really change much lol

That monitor is $140.. Your prices are off..

 

I mean, thanks for the suggestions, but quite a few of them were kinda.. meh.

[Herman Mcpootis]

6 hours ago, ThatNerdOverThere said:

Im torn on if I actually need the CPU... The i3 is better in almost every way except for the amount of cores. And the jump in money is so much..

That motherboard costs $99 after rebates and is worse than the current.. no ty lol

Why is kingston "crap"? It seemed fine, with all the positive reviews.. But perhaps I could use 240/50 GB

I kinda wanna stick with 2TB, I'm horrible with space management and its not much more.

Thanks for the GPU suggestion, I'm using that

My case is cheaper and better than the tesseract lol

Uh.. Pretty sure I don't need the fancy "80+ Gold". As far as I know, that doesn't really change much lol

That monitor is $140.. Your prices are off..

 

I mean, thanks for the suggestions, but quite a few of them were kinda.. meh.

the i5 is better, where did you get your info from? dual cores will stutter in games, 2 cores isn't enough anymore. 

the kingston v300 has very slow read and write speeds, wont be much of an improvement from a hdd.

the 80+ gold psu is good quality and is more efficient so that your power bill wont be as high.

if the case you have now is better then just be quiet and choose it, don't need to rub it in my face(i'm using the tesseract myself).

both the monitor and mobo changed prices since the time i posted, not that my prices are off, those were the prices from when i posted them.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($179.89 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($53.88 @ OutletPC) 
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($49.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($36.99 @ NCIX US) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($60.00 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 380X 4GB PCS+ Myst. Edition Video Card  ($149.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Thermaltake Versa H21 Window ATX Mid Tower Case  ($42.99 @ Directron) 
Power Supply: XFX TS 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($59.99 @ NCIX US) 
Monitor: Acer G227HQLbi 21.5" 60Hz Monitor  ($100.98 @ Newegg) 
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator - OEM Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse  ($18.98 @ Newegg) 
Total: $753.68
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-25 03:28 EDT-0400

 

[Gymnophoria]

12 hours ago, herman mcpootis said:

the i5 is better, where did you get your info from? dual cores will stutter in games, 2 cores isn't enough anymore. 

the kingston v300 has very slow read and write speeds, wont be much of an improvement from a hdd.

the 80+ gold psu is good quality and is more efficient so that your power bill wont be as high.

if the case you have now is better then just be quiet and choose it, don't need to rub it in my face(i'm using the tesseract myself).

both the monitor and mobo changed prices since the time i posted, not that my prices are off, those were the prices from when i posted them.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($179.89 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($53.88 @ OutletPC) 
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($49.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($36.99 @ NCIX US) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($60.00 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 380X 4GB PCS+ Myst. Edition Video Card  ($149.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Thermaltake Versa H21 Window ATX Mid Tower Case  ($42.99 @ Directron) 
Power Supply: XFX TS 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($59.99 @ NCIX US) 
Monitor: Acer G227HQLbi 21.5" 60Hz Monitor  ($100.98 @ Newegg) 
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator - OEM Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse  ($18.98 @ Newegg) 
Total: $753.68
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-25 03:28 EDT-0400

 

the i5 has 2.7 GHz. Which, as far as I'm concerned, is not better. That's worse than my iMac's i5.. lel Also, look at this link: http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i5-6400-vs-Intel-Core-i3-6100

Oh.. Would this SSD work: http://pcpartpicker.com/product/ZvLypg/kingston-internal-hard-drive-shfs37a120g or should I go for 240/50?

Aight aight, Ill change PSU

Why are you so on me about changing the mobo and monitor? I'd like 4 RAM slots (dual channel RAM ftw), and I think my monitor is fine lol