My 1st PC build!

[Thuggins]

I've always been better than you're average Joe when it comes to computers, but some of the finer details have alluded me. The only real goal I have in mind for this PC is to play Skyrim Special Edition, Diablo 3, and Guild Wars 2. All on highest settings and at 1080p@60fps. I'd like to be able to have 15-20 mods running for Skyrim, too.

 

What I have so far:

CPU: AMD FX-8350

Mobo: MSI 979A Gaming Pro Carbon

RAM: Patriot Signature DDR3-1333

PSU: Corsair 650W

SSD: PNY 120GB

GPU: Diamond Radeon HD 6450 (it was free just so I could get the PC setup)

Case: Thermaltake Commander Snow Edition (Moving everything over to this case when I pick it up in 3 days)

 

Obviously; that GPU just isn't going to cut it and this is where I need help. I need some recommendations for what would work best, but isn't overkill. I'm not a big PC gamer so I'm not really looking to future-proof anything.

 

All help is greatly appreciated!

 

Edit: Forgot to mention that I have no plans for multi-montior setup. Budget? Only thing I'm looking to buy now is the GPU and I'd like to stay close to $225.

Edited January 7, 2017 by Thuggins
Added RAM used in build

[The Sloth]

get a 6700k and a rx480 you should be good or wait for ryzen 

[EPPHO]

Don't go with FX CPUs

[Thuggins]

1 minute ago, nerdslayer1 said:

get a 6700k and a rx480 you should be good or wait for ryzen 

Well, I've already got this PC built and it's a bit of budget PC. It would take me several months to build a PC centered on a 6700k. I've found some good prices on RX 480s though; I think.

[The Sloth]

1 minute ago, Thuggins said:

Well, I've already got this PC built and it's a bit of budget PC. It would take me several months to build a PC centered on a 6700k. I've found some good prices on RX 480s though; I think.

 

 

awsome yea the 480s  for cheap

[Thuggins]

1 minute ago, frozeNNN said:

Don't go with FX CPUs

Too late. I can't afford the Intel CPUs recommended for gaming. I've also seen plenty of evidence showing FX CPUs work just fine for these games.

[EPPHO]

Just now, Thuggins said:

Too late. I can't afford the Intel CPUs recommended for gaming. I've also seen plenty of evidence showing FX CPUs work just fine for these games.

Literally i3 6100 outperforms any FX CPU in games

[Thuggins]

2 minutes ago, nerdslayer1 said:

awsome yea the 480s  for cheap

I found one for close to $150. Hopefully the person still has it come time for me to get it.

[The Sloth]

1 minute ago, Thuggins said:

I found one for close to $150. Hopefully the person still has it come time for me to get it.

test it out before you buy it 

[Bananasplit_00]

before anything whats the budget here?

[Energycore]

2 minutes ago, Thuggins said:

Too late. I can't afford the Intel CPUs recommended for gaming. I've also seen plenty of evidence showing FX CPUs work just fine for these games.

The FX CPU is not a bad gaming chip, don't let people tell you that. It comes with its caveats however.

 

That system you have would go really well with a $170 RX 470. It will max out the games you said you want and then some since you're not asking for that demanding games

[Thuggins]

3 minutes ago, frozeNNN said:

Literally i3 6100 outperforms any FX CPU in games

I'm seeing mixed results for that claim. Most benchmarks are showing the 8350 to be better. Only exception I saw was Assassin's Creed Black Flag; which I have no desire to play.

[Thuggins]

2 minutes ago, Bananasplit_00 said:

before anything whats the budget here?

I knew I had forgotten something. Since I've got everything else already; my budget for the GPU is $225.

[Bananasplit_00]

2 minutes ago, Thuggins said:

I knew I had forgotten something. Since I've got everything else already; my budget for the GPU is $225.

RX 470 or RX 480 for a new GPU and a R9 Fury if you are going for used. the CPU was a pretty poor pick tbh with no upgrade path and weak cores but if you already have it its not the worst i guess.

[Thuggins]

6 minutes ago, Energycore said:

The FX CPU is not a bad gaming chip, don't let people tell you that. It comes with its caveats however.

 

That system you have would go really well with a $170 RX 470. It will max out the games you said you want and then some since you're not asking for that demanding games

I saw this CPU/Mobo combo for $150 so I did some research and saw it being used for exactly what I was wanting. Problem was all of those videos and articles were using some overkill GPU and I simply did not need it. Thank you for the 470 recommendation though! I'll add that to the list for comparison.

[Thuggins]

4 minutes ago, Bananasplit_00 said:

RX 470 or RX 480 for a new GPU and a R9 Fury if you are going for used. the CPU was a pretty poor pick tbh with no upgrade path and weak cores but if you already have it its not the worst i guess.

Thanks for the recommendations! The main reason I bought the CPU was because it was bundled with the Mobo for only $150 (this was a great deal based on individual pricing) and everything I researched showed it to work just fine for what I wanted.

[Energycore]

3 minutes ago, Thuggins said:

I saw this CPU/Mobo combo for $150 so I did some research and saw it being used for exactly what I was wanting. Problem was all of those videos and articles were using some overkill GPU and I simply did not need it. Thank you for the 470 recommendation though! I'll add that to the list for comparison.

Yeah $150 for FX-8 + mobo is really not bad, especially on a pretty OK motherboard (you should research into what its VRM is like before overclocking on it, be warned).

[Bananasplit_00]

2 minutes ago, Thuggins said:

Thanks for the recommendations! The main reason I bought the CPU was because it was bundled with the Mobo for only $150 (this was a great deal based on individual pricing) and everything I researched showed it to work just fine for what I wanted.

well its not a super bad CPU, its not the worst there is but upgrading will be costly later instead seeing as you will have to get new motherboard, CPU and RAM at once but its fine if you are just playing games at 1080p. as i said the RX 480 is probably the best card i would pair with that processor, seeing as much more would bottleneck. 

[iRileyx]

20 minutes ago, frozeNNN said:

Literally i3 6100 outperforms any FX CPU in games

On games that arent optimized for using more than 2 cores, yeah.

FX's are very good for multi-core workloads.

[Thuggins]

5 minutes ago, Energycore said:

Yeah $150 for FX-8 + mobo is really not bad, especially on a pretty OK motherboard (you should research into what its VRM is like before overclocking on it, be warned).

I actually have no desire to OC; at least not yet. I'm not familiar enough with OC to be comfortable doing such a thing. All I know regarding the VRM is it's an 8-phase. Of course, that means nothing to me. Like I said; finer details have alluded me over the years due to a lack of participation in the PC world.

[Energycore]

1 minute ago, Thuggins said:

I actually have no desire to OC; at least not yet. I'm not familiar enough with OC to be comfortable doing such a thing. All I know regarding the VRM is it's an 8-phase. Of course, that means nothing to me. Like I said; finer details have alluded me over the years due to a lack of participation in the PC world.

It means you can probably OC on it

 

Well, overclocking, once you eliminate the motherboard as a potential problem, is really not dangerous (don't push voltage past the warning point though lol). I would do it

[Thuggins]

9 minutes ago, Bananasplit_00 said:

well its not a super bad CPU, its not the worst there is but upgrading will be costly later instead seeing as you will have to get new motherboard, CPU and RAM at once but its fine if you are just playing games at 1080p. as i said the RX 480 is probably the best card i would pair with that processor, seeing as much more would bottleneck. 

I honestly have no plans to upgrade. I do, however, have plans to build something new in the future. That being said; I'll keep in mind everything you guys have shared thus far. I'm a tactile and visual learner so being able to actually physically play around with all this makes it easier for me to learn the things I can't learn just from reading.

[Thuggins]

3 minutes ago, Energycore said:

It means you can probably OC on it

 

Well, overclocking, once you eliminate the motherboard as a potential problem, is really not dangerous (don't push voltage past the warning point though lol). I would do it

I may just OC in a month or two. Just depends on how quick I can research and absorb what I need. I also plan on getting some water cooling going eventually, too!

[Energycore]

44 minutes ago, frozeNNN said:

Literally i3 6100 outperforms any FX CPU in games

In Starcraft II, maybe. In any game that's remotely demanding, not really: having 4 real FPUs on the 8300 instead of 2 on the i3 pushes it past on 4 threaded applications.

[Bananasplit_00]

1 hour ago, Thuggins said:

I honestly have no plans to upgrade. I do, however, have plans to build something new in the future. That being said; I'll keep in mind everything you guys have shared thus far. I'm a tactile and visual learner so being able to actually physically play around with all this makes it easier for me to learn the things I can't learn just from reading.

well you will need something better in the future, this wont hold up forever but by then you probably have other goals and more funds for your new PC