Virgin Build - $500 Entry Level Youtube Gaming Machine

Hardware Hub Build a PC
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UPDATED:

I'm going to go with the FX-6300 and the R9 270, unless prices decide to spike up for some reason.

I've decided to make the long worthwhile trip to Microcenter from my location in order to take advantage of their CPU/Mobo Combo deals. Of course, I'll probably carpool to save on fuel, and if the prices of this list are similar to prices @Microcenter with tax, I will probably make the purchase.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3z1v0

 

ORIGINAL POST:

Greetings fellow humans, dogs, cats, and lizards alike,

This will be my very first build of my life. Currently I am using a laptop that struggles to edit even 480p videos of me playing classics on emulators with the likes of A Link to the Past, F-Zero, Mario Kart and others. Although I could probably upgrade it to 4GB of DDR2 RAM, I don't think it would make much of a difference.

For this build I will primarily be playing and recording racing sims like Assetto Corsa, rFactor, iRacing, Game Stock Car 2013, among others. I do not intend to live stream as of yet because my internet connection is not ideal, and I intend to wait until fiber is rolled out in my town. I'll probably play other more mainstream games as well as Steam games like Rust, GMod, Minecraft, Star Citizen, Borderlands 2, etc. ATM I only need to record at 720p with Open Broadcaster or Action, but I'd like to play most games when I'm not recording at 1080p at medium to high settings. (while maxing out at 60 fps)

As for the monitor and Windows, I'm probably just going to use the Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit code from my laptop, and just get a cheap DVI or HDMI 60hz monitor from craigslist to save some money. Then I'll probably just install a 32 bit linux distro on my laptop to get acquainted with linux.

What do you guys recommend to buy used? Maybe I can purchase some used items like the GPU and maybe a case or MOBO from eBay to save a few more dollars or to upgrade to something slightly better.

I'm currently going for the FX-6300 for the cpu and the R7 260x for the gpu as they seem to be very good bang for your buck parts to maximize my dollar value. I've also considered the GTX 750 as it seems to draw less power than the 260x for the same performance, however I have yet to find a similarly priced model.

I am currently halfway to saving up for the build, and I will most likely be getting a part time job to aid in the funding in my 1st build. I don't intend to overclock as of yet, because I live in Texas and I do not have AC so keeping the computer's temp down will be difficult enough without overclocking. After a month of continued research, here is the list on pcpartpicker that I have compiled.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3rgRD

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http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3vxni

This is one that will keep cooler due to it's lower power draw. The i3 is very comparable to the FX-6300 in many aspects. This also allows for a nice upgrade path too. I think the 260X will be the best thing at your price range right now.

This is just an idea. This CPU can handle 720p no problem but I don't know what to tell you when it comes to streaming. If the 6300 is better, I say go for that. I would advise against getting used parts but that is up to you.

Good luck!  -The New Guy

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http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3vyff

After rebates this is less than $500. Should play a good number of games on ultra textures, including Battleifled 4. I decided to place a little more money into the GPU. But if you wanted a faster CPU/better platform, the 260X is a capable card. But the performance trade-off is kinda big.

If you're unhappy with the base total (before rebates) there are cheaper CX PSUs. Consider the CX430M

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I think I will stick with either an i3 or the 6300 purely because an FM2+ motherboard won't do me much good since I can't really upgrade to superior processors with that motherboard.

 

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Thanks, I had been considering the i3 because I had heard it's easier to keep cooler and that Intel CPUs tend to be a bit better for video editing. Just a question, should the stock cooler for the i3 be sufficient assuming I have decent airflow through the case?

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I understand that, but I thought I would offer an alternative.

Closing thought, maybe save an extra $50 and just get a better GPU? Then you should be all set, whatever path you choose. 260x is good, but the R7 265 or the R9 270 and 270x would be much more suitable.

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I would recommend you stick to 2sticks of ram, so a 2x4gb pack. and I would also recommend bumping the graphics to the 270 instead of the 260x.

I like the i3 upgradable idea too:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3vBz7

This gets you the dual channel memory benefit, the AMD 270 and its only $515

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The R9 270 is worth the premium over the R7 260X.  It's a great mid range card.

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What's up with the RAM compatibility issue? Would it just run at 1333 mhz instead of the stock 1600?

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yes the i3 doesn't overclock and doesn't put out a whole lot of heat. The stock cooler is a bit noisy and terrible but it will keep your i3 at safe temperatures as long as you have some sort of airflow in your case.

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Intel recommends 1.5v RAM, but it should run just fine at 1600mhz.

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I updated with 1.5v ram... sorry I overlooked it shamefully... :(

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3w4df