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PC build parts on a Budget.

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huntinman13

huntinman13

Registered
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Joined
Aug 13, 2012
Location
NW Florida
Hello, I just was thinking about building my first computer from scratch and am looking for suggestions on my parts list. I was thinking of going with a Asus Socket AM3 / AMD 970/ Quad CrossFireX ATX Motherboard with a AMD FX-8120 8-Core processor with either a Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 6850 1GB PCI-E Video Card or a EVGA GeForce GTX 550 graphics card andCooler Master Elite 430 Mid Tower Computer Case with All-Black Interior . all suggestions are welcome and will be appreciated.
 
Hey, welcome to OCF! :beer:

When trying to recommend a build to you, there's some information that's extremely helpful for us to know. If you could answer these few short questions, we'd be happy to help!

  • What are you planning to do with this compuer? Please be as specfic as possible.
  • What is your budget?
    1. Does this include a copy of Windows?
    2. Does this include peripheals (a keyboard, monitor, mouse, speakers, etc.)?
  • Are you from the United States or a different country? Are you ordering from your own country or from across borders?
    1. Wherever you may be from, does the store that you are planning to order from have a website? It's okay if it isn't in English, we can manage.
    2. If you are from the United States, do you live nearby a Microcenter?
  • Do you have any specific requests with the build?
    1. Do you plan on overclocking? If yes, do you have a specific goal in mind?
    2. Would you prefer the build to be particularly small?
    3. Would you prefer the build to be particularly quiet?
    4. In general, do you prefer this to be a computer that you can spend money on now and let it rest, or a box built for continuous upgrading?
    5. Do you ever plan on utilizing NVIDIA's SLI or AMD's CrossfireX technologies? These features, with a compatible motherboard, allow a user to link multiple identical graphic cards together for added performance. In real world terms, this lets you buy a second identical graphics card down the line as a relatively cheap and easy way to gain a fairly large boost in performance. However, this requires buying a SLI/CFX compatible motherboard and PSU now, which may result in slightly higher initial cost.

Once again, thank you in advance for taking the time to answer these, and I hope you enjoy your stay at OCF! :)
 
I would Like to keep the build under $1k,I am pretty much starting with nothing parts wise because all my parts are tied up in other systems. I live in the US and plan on getting most of my parts on Amazon.com. Yes I plan on overclocking depending on performance. Size doesn't really matter and some noise is fine. I did not plan on using those graphics card capabilities because Frankly I didn't know about it lol. Thanks for the speedy reply and and advice.oh and sorry for not answering every question I was sorta overwhelmed lol
 
Here are the highlights I would suggestis a general idea of what I would recommend

I5-2500k sandy bridge
Compatible mobo with a good rep and features
AMD Radeon HD 6850
8GB of 1333 or 1600 RAM
Good quality 500w-700w PSU
60GB or more SSD
CM 212 cpu cooler

Whatever else(case, HDD, fans, etc.)

Should come in around $800 to $1000 depending on what you buy, and haul *** :D
 
I do not live near a Microcenter, I have the mouse,speakers, but not the keyboard. I would like to go with a AMD processor if possible. I do have an old hard rive and dvd-rw drive but I think i'll need a new hard drive. Thanks again for the advice. and I was thinking of going with a Cooler Master Elite 460W ATX +12V V2.31 SATA PSU.
 
All I've heard about the current AMD processors is that they are disappointing, so if you are really stuck on AMD, you can do what I did and get an older Phenom II...but be prepared for it to be obsolete a lot sooner.

I love AMD, but IMO the i5-2500k is one hell of a processor for the money, and that's where my general recommendation stays for someone building on a budget.
 
Well i'm not realy stuck on AMD i've always had Intels. but I just don't understand how an 8 core is out performed buy a 4 core but i'm not the computer smart lol. It would be nice if someone could explain that to me.
 
Nothing really needs or properly uses those 8 cores, hell not that many programs are even capable of taking advantage of 4 cores. If you really want a lot of cores, get a Phenom II hex-core(if you can find one), not an FX octa-core.

Basically those FX processors are known to give disappointing levels of performance, and the Intels are considered just all around better right now. The i5-2500K is great because it's relatively inexpensive, has all the good stuff, and overclocks like a champ.
 
How does The i-5 2500k Do on Battlefield 3? Do you know the overclocking stats for the I-5. And is a 460 W PSU enough?
 
It should handle BF3 just fine, I think after a solid OC, BF3 will hit like 80% CPU usage on a 2500k, which is pretty normal.

I'm not totally sure where it tops out but I see folks with 2500k's clocked between 4.0GHz and 4.5Ghz all the time.

As someone who made the mistake of trying to go cheap and bought a 460W cooler master PSU myself, I highly recommend getting a high quality 500w or higher PSU. 460w will do the job, but will be prohibitive with overclocking and give you little room for upgrades in the future.
 
No problem, I recommend a PSU made by Corsair, OCZ, or SeaSonic

the i5-3450 is ivy bridge while the 2500k is sandy bridge, the 3450 is newer and has a great reputation, though I've never played with one myself, but the 2500k should overclock a bit easier(the k means it should be unlocked) but I can't say for sure. I'll leave someone with a bit more ivy bridge experience to answer that for sure.

As for the mobo, I've heard the Intel mobo's are a bad choice, don't remember why though, I can say though I'd recommend one made by ASUS, had great experiences with them when building Intel machines.
 
Haha don't worry about it man, I enjoy being able to help, so seriously ask away, I'll keep answering as long as I can and know the answer lol.

Looks like a good board to me, has all the features I look for in a mobo.
 
Nice , If you haven't noticed i'm a teen thats not very knowledgeable on alot of PC stuff, Just one of those kids thats been tinkering with PC's since I was five and finaly have a Job and some money to spend lol. I found a I-5 3450 for $150 but i'm not sure if thats a good price.
 
You'll catch on quick, I started out knowing very little last winter, now I have a small under the table computer building and repair business lol

That seems oddly cheap tbh, but then again I haven't shopped for one before.
 
Why order from Amazon? Newegg is cheaper unless you live in New Jersey, Tennessee, or California (you have to pay tax in those states on Newegg).

This is really low-end for $1K. This will run BF3 at high and leaves you plenty for a good keyboard. I'm assuming you don't need a monitor since you didn't mention it.

You can't overclock Intel CPUs that don't end in a K.

Also, a few years down the road, you can add another 7850 as an easy upgrade and run dual-GPUs, should make the rig last even longer.

Capture.JPG
 
Hahaha how do you do that Knufire? Every time its like I recommend a build that I am convinced is great, and then you pull out something like 5x better for the same money.

Yeah go with that build, it should keep you happy for a very long time
 
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