I wanted to build a pc for my brother as an early birthday present. Planned to take advantage of the November deals, and so I got this build out:
[url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mpjJ]PCPartPicker part list[/url] / [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mpjJ/by_merchant/]Price breakdown by merchant[/url] / [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mpjJ/benchmarks/]Benchmarks[/url]
[b]CPU:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-hdz965fbgmbox]AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor[/url] ($89.99 @ Newegg) [b]Motherboard:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-990xagd55]MSI 990XA-GD55 ATX AM3+/AM3 Motherboard[/url] ($89.99 @ Newegg) [b]Memory:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-memory-mv3v4g3dus]Samsung 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory[/url] ($39.99 @ Newegg) [b]Storage:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st31000524as]Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive[/url] ($74.93 @ NCIX US) [b]Video Card:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/his-video-card-h787q2g2m]HIS Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card[/url] ($224.99 @ Newegg) [b]Case:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-s210002]NZXT Source 210 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case[/url] ($45.98 @ Newegg) [b]Power Supply:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/pc-power--cooling-power-supply-ppcmk3s400]PC Power & Cooling Silencer MK III 400W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply[/url] ($49.99 @ Newegg) [b]Optical Drive:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/lite-on-optical-drive-ihas124-04]Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer[/url] ($15.99 @ SuperBiiz) [b]Total:[/b] $631.85 [i](Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)[/i]
Anything I'm missing? I might wait until Logan releases the n00b gaming rig build that he said he would, but I'd like to be prepared.
Also, some notes, and what I'm willing to do:
>I can change the size of the HDD. I can always extend later.
>I don't need the CD/DVD drive.
>I'm not willing to go above $700, and preferably I'd not like to get close to it.
Thanks! This will also be going up on reddit as well.
And this is a build I've been recommending for the past week or so:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/lMmf
Its fairly similar to your build, but its got a bit more room on the PSU (your cutting yours kinda close), smaller HDD, a case with FP USB 3.0 support, and a much more power CPU, the FX6300 will blow away other chips anywhere near this price point in games and productivity applications. You can also get a 4.6-4.9GHz OC out of these, which is pretty sick.
Not a bad build. I'll probably bring down the GPU one step to save an extra $30. Do I really need the FX-6300? After all, this is a beginner's computer, and I don't want to put too much into it if I have to. Apart from that, it looks really good.
Well, I've got a new updated version, with a few tweaks to the old:
[url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mpN5]PCPartPicker part list[/url] / [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mpN5/by_merchant/]Price breakdown by merchant[/url] / [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mpN5/benchmarks/]Benchmarks[/url]
[b]CPU:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-hdz965fbgmbox]AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor[/url] ($89.99 @ Newegg) [b]Motherboard:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-970ag46]MSI 970A-G46 ATX AM3+ Motherboard[/url] ($77.95 @ NCIX US) [b]Memory:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-memory-mv3v4g3dus]Samsung 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory[/url] ($39.99 @ Newegg) [b]Storage:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd5000aakx]Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive[/url] ($59.99 @ Amazon) [b]Video Card:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-fx787acdfc]XFX Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card[/url] ($209.99 @ Newegg) [b]Case:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-s210002]NZXT Source 210 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case[/url] ($45.98 @ Newegg) [b]Power Supply:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-m12ii520bronze]SeaSonic 520W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply[/url] ($69.99 @ Newegg) [b]Total:[/b] $593.88 [i](Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)[/i]
I followed your advice, and got a slightly more powerful PSU. Also, I made the HDD smaller, and changed the mobo.
This actually looks pretty formidable for a budget build.
Do you NEED it? No, but its a mighty find CPU for its price. Though the PII is no slacker for its price either. The FX6300 is significantly more overclockable though, upwards of 4.8GHz, you might hit 4.0GHz with a PII. Heres a comparison of the two at stock (note the ones that state 'lower is better'):