I am a first time PC builder and until a few days ago I was planning on using the Intel I3 3220 with the Gigabyte XKT-115 Z68AP-D3 motherboard. I then realised that with my lower budget it would make more sense buying a AMD processor, mainly because of the 4 cores, but as I have only done research into Intel processors I am unsure of which is best for the money.
The rest of my system is very mix and match because I have managed to pull some strings by getting a fairly cheap case, a 7200rpm HDD, a very cheap 400w PSU, a graphics card and optical drive for free. With my current budget of around $430 I was also wondering whether I should put some of that into a case, I was thinking the Fractal Design Define R4, and a better power supply. The RAM I have chosen is 8GB Corsair vengeance 1600mhz and a $15 Wifi Card.
Finally I was wondering if I would need to get a better CPU cooler, perhaps the coolermaster hyper 212 evo?
Just to start off... Dont just say "a very cheap 400w power suplly and a graphcis card"!
I wonder what GPU you're gonna get since you only need 400w. And if you want something like an i5 or an fx 4300 it will either bottleneck or the power supply wont hold up.
OK its slightly embarrassing but at the moment I don't actually know what model or brand the graphics card is, you see my uncle is giving me the one from his system and he hasnt yet told me much about it, as far as the power supply goes it is a unbranded 400w powersupply and I've decided I wouldn't trust it to run my system and I will definetly buy a new one.
As far as the CPU goes I was considering a AMD FX6300 but I dont know what mobo to pair it with because I really want a Fractal Design Define R3 case but all of the mobos suggested soo far are micro-atx, and the R3 is an ATX case
Be very careful with power supplies. In all seriousness, some power supplies are legitimate fire hazards. Make sure you get a decent power supply. For example, Corsair, XFX, Seasonic, NZXT, and some Antec and Coller Master supplies. Those are all good. Make sure you get a good supply.
If you are going for an AMD cpu woith a budget supply, go for an FX-4100 or 6100. The 6100 has 6 physicl cores so make sure you get "real" physical cores. The 4100 is technically only a dual core but it performs well. It's what I'm using and I'm perfectly satisfied. While the phenom x4 955, and 965 are much better, they like to drink some power.
As far as the case goes, you can put an mATX in an ATX. Just check the case specs. However, if you haven't bought the case yet, I would recommend going for a cheaper case. There are options out there that are cheaper but just as good. For example, the Corsair 400R is a fantastic case. The HAF 912, Fractal Arc Middi, 300R, 200R, NZXT Temptest, and Fractal Core 3000 are all great cases for the cheap. So keep your mind open in that aspect.
As far as the mobo, I use an MSI 970a-G46 and it works well for me. MSI drivers were a pain though. If you'll go crazy waiting 5 hours for drivers to download (I'm serious), go with something like an AsRock Pro3 or an AsRock 970 something.
Lastly, in regards to the cooler, the Hyper 212 in phenominal. If it's in your budget, then get it. You can't go wrong. If you look at the benchmarks, the 212 is able to hold it's ground with some of the better coolers.
No one here is going to say anything but get a quality, minimum 80+ bronze certified PSU. It is very important in any build to have solid clean power delivery. I just build a system with a FX-6300 CPU ($139.00) and put it in a Gigabyte GA-990FX-UD3 motherboard ($144.99). The system is very stable and the drivers are easy to download from the Gigabyte website.