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Gaming PC $600 budget! Help me pick a CPU & motherboard

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Etho

Registered
Joined
Oct 25, 2014
Location
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Need an upgrade from a laptop that I've been using since 2010. I want to build a PC that is capable of running some lightweight games like Path of Exile and CSGO but mostly this will be a general use PC. My younger brother will also play games like Minecraft, etc. I already picked some of the parts but most of them can be changed. My budget is around $600 CAD and I plan on buying most of my parts used. I want to buy most of my parts locally because I live in Canada and shipping from the US would use up a lot of my budget. I really don't know what CPU and motherboard to get.
All prices are in CAD

Parts:
R9 280X Dual X - $150 used local deal

500W EVGA Power Supply N82E16817438016 - $50 + $10 Shipping
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438016
Might not use this one, will check if any similar PSUs are on sale.

8gb Kingston Ram Kit - $50 sealed in box local deal
http://www.kingston.com/datasheets/khx1600c9d3k2_8gx.pdf

22" LG 1080p monitor - $40 used local deal

Random case - $20 used local deal

WD Blue 1TB Hard Drive - $70 new online

This is an option I have for CPU:
i5 2500k + Hyper 212 Evo - $165 used local deal
At first I wanted to use the G3258 but I decided to go with a quad core CPU. The i5 2500k seems to do pretty well and won't bottleneck the 280x, really not sure if this is a good choice. I would have around $50 left for a motherboard.
 
That all looks pretty good. There's only one board at under $50 on Newegg.ca, this Biostar board. I don't know anything about it, so someone else would have to make recommendations. If used is your market, you'll have to tell us what you can find.
 
I agree the build looks solid. The 2500k is still a darn good processor, with a CM 212 Evo on it you should be able to Oc it to at least 4.3 if wanted. I still own my 2500k and it does 4.5 on the same cooler. It's serving duties as my 11 yr olds minecraft rig. The only issue I see is finding a motherboard for it. If you're going used I'm sure you can find yourself a decent board but just make sure you buy it from a reputable seller just in case it has bent pins when received.
 
Looks solid.

One note, unless you get a P67, Z68, or Z77 board you won't be OCing the CPU very far.
 
I still have that craptastic 3570K + ASUS P8Z77-PRO that I don't use.

It'll do 4.3 Ghz, but not any higher :-/
 
I think I will go with the i5 2500k but now I need to find a decent motherboard with P67, Z68 or Z77 chipset so I can overclock. Now I just need to find one for cheaper than $100 CAD.
 
I think I will go with the i5 2500k but now I need to find a decent motherboard with P67, Z68 or Z77 chipset so I can overclock. Now I just need to find one for cheaper than $100 CAD.

For $100 back when socket 1155 was current, I picked up the Gigabyte Z77 HD4 for $110 at Canadacomputers....
Good board, but it's "entry level" in terms of Z77..
 
For $100 back when socket 1155 was current, I picked up the Gigabyte Z77 HD4 for $110 at Canadacomputers....
Good board, but it's "entry level" in terms of Z77..

Still plenty to push a 2500K to 4.5GHz or more.
 
ECS isn't usually my first choice, but that seems like a solid motherboard.
 
ECS........
I haven't seen them since Athlon XP days....
IIRC, they were rock bottom cheap boards. I'd be leery about them IMHO.

They're still rock bottom boards. Cheaply made, with cheap components, and cheap to buy.

I wouldn't recommend them to anyone though. Wouldn't be anywhere on my list of choices to be honest.

Back in the Athlon XP vs Pentium III and Pentium 4 days ECS (and their sister-company PC Chips) were at the lowest end of the scale for motherboards.

They've made a few gimmicky boards targeted at gamers and overclockers since then, but their quality hasn't really improved much from what I've seen and heard.
 
They're still rock bottom boards. Cheaply made, with cheap components, and cheap to buy.

I wouldn't recommend them to anyone though. Wouldn't be anywhere on my list of choices to be honest.

Back in the Athlon XP vs Pentium III and Pentium 4 days ECS (and their sister-company PC Chips) were at the lowest end of the scale for motherboards.

They've made a few gimmicky boards targeted at gamers and overclockers since then, but their quality hasn't really improved much from what I've seen and heard.

Took a look at the ECS board mentioned here...

It's better than what I was expecting actually. Solid caps, 6+2+1 phase (so it appears anyway)....
Not too shabby for $100. :shrug:

Perhaps they have the garbage boards we all know, but have a few half decent ones?
 
Took a look at the ECS board mentioned here...

It's better than what I was expecting actually. Solid caps, 6+2+1 phase (so it appears anyway)....
Not too shabby for $100. :shrug:

Perhaps they have the garbage boards we all know, but have a few half decent ones?

This is what I'm thinking. It won't be top-shelf by any means, but it should get the job done for the OP.
 
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