First build: APU based. Look good?

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Latest Build Link: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/18xud

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Hey Guys n Girls.

I have been wanting to build my first PC for a few months now. My budget for my first build is roughly 500$.

I will be using it for pretty much everything. Photo manipulation, browsing, light gaming and programming. I do want to use this PC as my primary media center, as well.

The new APU from AMD just came out and it seems like a really top notch choice (good price/performance). Some guy in Sweden was able to overclock this chip to just over 8 Ghz using liquid nitrogen cooling =) I am not planning on overclocking much, I just wanted to throw that in as a random tidbit.

So on pcpartpicker.com I came up with the following list (I hope it's cool to include outside links, I know some forums don't like that).


CPU: AMD A10-6800K 4.1GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($139.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A85X-ITX Mini ITX  FM2 Motherboard  ($105.38 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Beast 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory  ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($92.46 @ Outlet PC)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($24.99 @ NCIX US)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A9x14 29.7 CFM 92mm  Fan  ($19.49 @ Outlet PC)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply  ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $522.27

Here is the link to the build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/181s4

However I do have a few questions about it. Especially regarding the RAM in combination with the APU. I read somewhere that the A10-6800k supports 2133 MHz RAM, however I have seen that other people have gotten better results with 2400 MHz and other people have noted that they had to throttle their RAM to 1866 MHz in order to resolve booting issues regarding this APU with it's RAM.

So which is the best route to take? I do want to get the best performance I can out of it. So what would you recommend and how does the overall build look?

Thanks for reading and I am hoping to get some feedback from this great community (at least that's what Logan says =) )

Greetz from the German in Las Vegas

The CPU supporting different speed of ram is a little luck of the draw, but getting higher quality components for the motherboard and ram modules will give you the best results.. provided you got a good chip.

There is no reason to get a mini-itx motherboard for a case that size.

The motherboard in this build is a bit better suited for overclocking processors and ram.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/18neo

I found this case on sale.. and its a fantastic deal. and comes with 3 140mm fans and is about the same size.

**if you dont get the noctua fan, the cases are about the same price.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352007

**move the top fan to the front so you have 2 intakes at the front and a single exhaust out the back.

Lastly I added an SSD. If you are going to be doing work on this machine, then its worth running windows on one drive and saving your other files to a second drive that isnt always in operation. Plus, and SSD will really speed up your daily usage for .. well everything.

 

 

Thanks for the response feralshad0w!!

Thanks for the change of the motherboard, the other one didn't have a backplate for a cooler.

So I made a little update with the case, since the case you suggested had a 25$ shipping fee, I just replaced it with the Arc Mini (basically same price)

Also I had to get rid of the 2TB HDD, because it wasn't in the budget.

So this is the product I will be buying tonight!

Any thoughts or suggestions????

oops forgot the link lol

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/18xud

This is a lot better, just a little more expensive. 

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/18Cpe

1066 Speed Ram?

@ Ghettohamster36: I need a HDMI and DVI output, the board you chose has neither. And 1066 won't even cut it by a long shot. thx though

However you do have a point Ghettohamster. A SSD and HDD combo do sound nice. If I can get both for 120$ then fine. Otherwise I will stick with the Samsung and add a HDD down the line

I like your original build, it looks really nice, plus you can also pair a graphics card with it later on when you can afford it again.

I was thinking the same thing! Buying it now =) I'm so excited of putting it together soon. Thx again for all the responses and input! Thread can be considered [CLOSED]