$500 strict budget - help me maximize this build please

rpaapeJul 28, 2015, 2:14 AM

Approximate Purchase Date: Mid August
Budget Range: $500 max
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Online poker, streaming online poker, counterstrike, video editing
Are you buying a monitor: no
Do you need to buy OS: no
Overclocking: Probably not
Comments: I'm interested in cooling/value/long life.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sdmvGX
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sdmvGX/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($96.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock 970M PRO3 Micro ATX AM3+/AM3 Motherboard ($41.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($41.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280 3GB Black Edition Double Dissipation Video Card ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($46.99 @ NCIX US)
Case Fan: Fractal Design FD-FAN-SSR3-120-WT 46.5 CFM 120mm Fan ($8.99 @ NCIX US)
Case Fan: Fractal Design FD-FAN-SSR3-92-WT 24.4 CFM 92mm Fan ($8.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $469.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-27 21:07 EDT-0400

Thank you!

2 answers Last reply Jul 28, 2015

More about 500 strict budget maximize build

rpaapeJul 28, 2015, 2:54 AM

is i5 4690 that much better than a FX 6300?
I went all AMD here for value.

I had an i5 4460 build with gtx 960 but was struggling to get it in the $500 range

Thank you.
CTurboJul 28, 2015, 3:15 AM

All of the microATX AM3+ motherboards are pretty bad making the FX6300 a poor choice. This would be better.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A88M PRO3+ Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($48.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($42.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280 3GB Black Edition Double Dissipation Video Card ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($46.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $437.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-27 22:14 EDT-0400

Yes any i5 is WAY better than the FX6300. It's perfectly fine to use an i5 with the 280.

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jtabb1256Jul 28, 2015, 3:21 AM

Get the Sandisk Solid State Drive 64GB 2.5" Solid State Drive. I've read that SSD's help a lot for online poker. You can put your OS and your online poker on the SSD and use the HDD for storing other things.

This motherboard is more reliable, has sata 6gb/s, and usb 3, although it only has 2 ram slots: MSI 760GMA-P34(FX) Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard

The HDD you selected is not sata 6gb/s. I'd recommend getting the: Western Digital Caviar Blue 750GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

It is a slightly higher price, but it's probably worth it for the added reliability and performance.
As a side note, do you need an optical drive to load the OS on?

Note: Posted without updating the webpage and seeing previous replies

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