Okay, so here is the issue that I have: I have about $350 to spend (absolutely no more, as is I have to sell some stuff in order to justify spending that on a desktop PC, would actually prefer less). I already have a mouse, monitor, keyboard, hard drives, and a couple of optical drives so they are a non-issue. So here is my dilemna:
Question Number 1:
I have been looking for a used computer for around $150 with a Core 2 Quad CPU (at probably around 2.4ghz) and ~4gb minimum RAM (it'd probably be ddr2) (such as an HP DC5800) that I can add a GPU such as an R7 260x to and potentially a new PSU for cheap. While browsing on craigslist I found a custom computer with an i3-540 CPU (Dual core, hyper-threaded, 3.06ghz), 4gb DDR3 1333mhz RAM, a 430 watt 80+ certified Antec PSU and I could purchase it for $120. I would then buy an R7 260x for $129 to add to it and call it good for the total cost of $250. (Alternately, I could buy 2 GTX 560ti GPUs for $120 and a new power supply as it does support SLI) but I was concerned that the i3 might be a bottleneck in the system. I needed help in determining if that would be the case, and if so, whether you would say that for a $250 rig, just ignore it for the comparative cost.
Option number 2 (less favorable in my eyes):
For a cost of $350, I could build a PC (so cheap because of the components I already listed that I have) that has an AMD A8-6800k (3.9ghz APU quad core), NO GPU (I'd be using the integrated 8570D APU graphics) 8gb of RAM that would have to be shared with the APU graphics, and a 430 watt PSU for a total of $350. Would this be a better option to have a potentially stronger CPU but weaker graphics, or would the other system be a better option?
In short: $350 max budget, which would be the better option:
Used Rig for $120 and add GPUs (and maybe PSU for $130-$180) for a total of $250-$300
Intel Core i3-540 lga1156 CPU @ 3.06ghz (overclockable)
4gb DDR3 RAM (could afford to upgrade a little more in the future perhaps)
430w PSU
and add either R7 260x for $130 or dual 560ti in SLI + PSU for $180
OR OPTION 2 for $350:
AMD A8-6600k
8GB DDR3 RAM
430w PSU
APU onboard graphics (Radeon 8570D)
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3EzC1
I'd buy the used PC with the i3 540 and throw in an R7 265 or R9 270 if possible. Also it might be worth upgrading to 8GB of RAM if you're able to fit that into your budget, although it would be easier to upgrade RAM than graphics card.
That's what I think I'm leaning more towards as it would be the cheaper route and I'd have a little money to bring the ram more up to par. I was originally wanting to do the R9 270 as well but I'm a little concerned it'd be bottlenecked by the CPU which is why I started leaning to the 260x. If there was no bottleneck though, of probably still go with the 270. The same concern arises with dual 560ti setup, but the guy is selling them at $60 a piece or $110 for the pair so I'm not sure how it would compare (although I'd prefer single GPU).
The r7 265 is a pretty good budget GPU. It's quite a bit more powerful than the 260X. You can also look as the GTX 750 ti, if that's within your budget.
Get the computer with the i3 but i think that you'd really appreciate getting an ssd, anything will do for under $100
http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-HyperX-2-5-Inch-SH103S3-120G/dp/B007R67FNA/ref=sr_1_7?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1399334735&sr=1-7&keywords=samsung+ssd
and then consider getting a cheaper gpu if you find it necessary. a 750 will do you just fine.
http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GDDR5-1GB-2xDVI-I-Graphics-GV-N750OC-1GI/dp/B00I9I8MWS/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1399334942&sr=1-1&keywords=gigabyte+750
The ssd is going to give you the real performance boost that we crave. And regarding the bottleneck an i3 and 4gb 1333 ram will feel pretty snappy but you wont be playing and games at 1080p with any luck. Thats why i recommend getting a cheaper gpu so is to balance out the rest of the system.
So I currently I have a laptop that I game on with a first gen AMD APU with specs as follows (I have a different productivity laptop that my high school made me purchase):
1.6ghz dual core, single threaded AMD E-350 APU
Radeon 6310 graphics
4gb DDR3 Ram
I will be selling this for around $120 and pitching in the rest of the money out of pocket (it plays games at 1366x768 (built in display) from around 2008 maxed out but I'm looking to move up in the world but have a very tight budget. I have a really nice 1920x1080 IPS monitor already that I use for doing schoolwork/movies/Xbox 360 (when I had one for just Halo and Forza) and also because I knew I'd be getting a desktop for college eventually. I know the R7 260x and R9 270 ( for the $10 price difference, I'd get the R9 270 over the R7 265) could play 1080p games at frame rates and details I'd consider acceptable, especially the R9 270. My major concern at this point (I've pretty much decided to get the i3 by now) is whether the 270 would be bottlenecked to the point where it'd just make more sense to get the 260x or even one or two of the 560ti for sale at $60/piece. If it weren't for the 560ti's for sale though, I'd probably go AMD (sorry Nvidia suggestions) but I feel at my price point AMD has better offerings if if Nvidia is better at the high end
And thank you all for your advice I really appreciate it, and if I were to get an SSD (I've looked before) it'd probably be a PNY XLR8 Pro unless any of you had complaints against it, but I'd really prefer to spend the money on a better GPU or more Ram. Going from my current laptop to the i3 system with a good GPU would feel like a much larger leap in performance to me than my 7200rpm drive I'd put in it would compared to an SSD. It'd be a consideration, but something well into the future and not for a while to come.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that the i3 is both hyper-threaded so it has 4 threads despite only 2 cores, has 4mb cache, and is overclockable to 3.5ghz - 4.2ghz, it just doesn't have the k demonation at the end as it is an earlier i-series CPU if that helps any if you out in deciding how it'd do with 1080p performance. I wish they had charts for this kind of stuff, but most people don't sit there and try and bottleneck a lower end CPU for fun...
I'm personally not a huge fan of SSDs in gaming rigs when on a tight budget. It will make your computer feel, overall, faster, but once a game has loaded it won't make it difference. Sure, they're really nice, but I think it would be much better to invest money into a better graphics card or processor, at least up until a certain point.
A 560 Ti for $60 is probably the best bang for buck option. However, if you're willing too, you might as well grab an R9 270. The i3 might bottleneck it in some games, but I wouldn't worry about that a ton. Like you said, it's only $10 more than a 260x. Also, were you ever to upgrade your rig, you'd already have a decent-ish GPU to use with your new CPU and motherboard, whereas with a 560 Ti you'd probably need to upgrade that as well.
If you want to spend your whole budget, I'd go for the R9 270. Otherwise, I'd probably go with the 560 Ti.