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What parts should I add or replace?

OhhYeyo

OhhYeyo

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Mar 16, 2016
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I'm a student and am on a 500$ budget but am willing to go 600$ if its really worth it. I've done a bit of research since this is my very first build I don't know much. But after reading some forums on 500$ budgets I've found these two. Are there any parts I should replace if so with what? Or suggest me a altogether? I appreciate any help I get.
Computer case – Thermaltake Versa H22

Motherboard – Gigabyte AM3+ AMD DDR3 1333 760G Micro ATX GA-78LMT

Video Card – EVGA GeForce GTX 950 2GB SSC

Processor – AMD FX-6300 6-Core Processor Black Edition

RAM – Crucial 8GB Single DDR3

Hard Drive – Seagate 1TB Desktop HDD SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache

CD Drive – Asus 24x DVD-RW

Power supply – EVGA 500w W1 80+
Or
Computer case - Thermaltake Versa H22 Window CA-1B3-00M1WN-00 Mid-tower Computer Chassis
Processor – AMD FX-8350 8-Core Black Edition

Motherboard – Gigabyte AM3+ AMD Micro ATX GA-78LMT-USB3

Video Card – ASUS STRIX GeForce GTX 960 Overclocked 4 GB

RAM – Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB Single

Power Supply – EVGA 500W

Hard Drive – Seagate 1TB

CD Drive – Asus 24x DVD-RW
 
OhhYeyo said:
I'm a student and am on a 500$ budget but am willing to go 600$ if its really worth it. I've done a bit of research since this is my very first build I don't know much. But after reading some forums on 500$ budgets I've found these two. Are there any parts I should replace if so with what? Or suggest me a altogether? I appreciate any help I get.
Computer case – Thermaltake Versa H22

Motherboard – Gigabyte AM3+ AMD DDR3 1333 760G Micro ATX GA-78LMT

Video Card – EVGA GeForce GTX 950 2GB SSC

Processor – AMD FX-6300 6-Core Processor Black Edition

RAM – Crucial 8GB Single DDR3

Hard Drive – Seagate 1TB Desktop HDD SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache

CD Drive – Asus 24x DVD-RW

Power supply – EVGA 500w W1 80+
Or
Computer case - Thermaltake Versa H22 Window CA-1B3-00M1WN-00 Mid-tower Computer Chassis
Processor – AMD FX-8350 8-Core Black Edition

Motherboard – Gigabyte AM3+ AMD Micro ATX GA-78LMT-USB3

Video Card – ASUS STRIX GeForce GTX 960 Overclocked 4 GB

RAM – Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB Single

Power Supply – EVGA 500W

Hard Drive – Seagate 1TB

CD Drive – Asus 24x DVD-RW
Click to expand...

What are you trying to do with the rig? Gaming? General Tasks? Would help to know what you want to do.

Also just to throw it out there.... One of the most important things when buying an FX processor is making sure the motherboard you choose has a quality power phase design with at least a 6+2 design.... I would try and lean towards a 990FX board, however those will be a bit more pricey. I don't want to be the guy who recommends intel right away over an AMD build... as I have a couple well running AMD rigs doing what I need.

We first need to know what you want to do before anything else.
 
Jborg said:
What are you trying to do with the rig? Gaming? General Tasks? Would help to know what you want to do.

Also just to throw it out there.... One of the most important things when buying an FX processor is making sure the motherboard you choose has a quality power phase design with at least a 6+2 design.... I would try and lean towards a 990FX board, however those will be a bit more pricey. I don't want to be the guy who recommends intel right away over an AMD build... as I have a couple well running AMD rigs doing what I need.

We first need to know what you want to do before anything else.
Click to expand...
I want to use this rig for gaming but nothing VERY serious
 
OhhYeyo said:
I want to use this rig for gaming but nothing VERY serious
Click to expand...
Either rig should work. For basic gaming an Octa-core CPU won't give you an edge, so the first one kinda looks better.

If nothing serious, then simply get a 120GB SSD to install the OS, throw in a second 8GB stick to run RAM in dual-channel and you are pretty much set for the next few years.

Jborg said:
Also just to throw it out there.... One of the most important things when buying an FX processor is making sure the motherboard you choose has a quality power phase design with at least a 6+2 design.... I would try and lean towards a 990FX board, however those will be a bit more pricey. I don't want to be the guy who recommends intel right away over an AMD build... as I have a couple well running AMD rigs doing what I need.
Click to expand...
This board has decent 4+1 power phases, and is officially compatible with an FX-6200 (which has higher max TDP than FX-6300). Overclocking on this board is somewhat questionable, but with listed requirements I don't even think it is necessary at all.
 
silentbogo said:
If nothing serious, then simply get a 120GB SSD to install the OS, throw in a second 8GB stick to run RAM in dual-channel and you are pretty much set for the next few years.


This board has decent 4+1 power phases, and is officially compatible with an FX-6200 (which has higher max TDP than FX-6300). Overclocking on this board is somewhat questionable, but with listed requirements I don't even think it is necessary at all.
Click to expand...
A game I will be playing a lot is GTA v will it give me good frames on medium to high quality? Since this is my first rig I feel safe dropping around 500 to 600.
I wanna be able to play games and it run smooth ya know?
 
GTA V is CPU intensive, I can play it smooth on high/very high, textures highest with FXAA on, GTX770M + i7-4700HQ.
I just don't know much about AMD CPU's.
 
silentbogo said:
Either rig should work. For basic gaming an Octa-core CPU won't give you an edge, so the first one kinda looks better.

If nothing serious, then simply get a 120GB SSD to install the OS, throw in a second 8GB stick to run RAM in dual-channel and you are pretty much set for the next few years.


This board has decent 4+1 power phases, and is officially compatible with an FX-6200 (which has higher max TDP than FX-6300). Overclocking on this board is somewhat questionable, but with listed requirements I don't even think it is necessary at all.
Click to expand...

Just speaking from experience and past mistakes.... I initially had a 500W EVGA Silver PSU and my FX 8350 rig would not even boot with that PSU... Using a GTX 760. Had to upgrade to a 650W.
You can get away with a 4+1 sure.... but I ran into all sorts of problems.... initially with that, so that's why I mention that at least..... Everybody who is buying an FX processor needs to be educated on that whole power phase system, just due to the fact of how much problems it caused me.

I did play GTA V quite a bit on my rig when using the FX 8350 combined with a GTX 970, and I was getting anywhere from 35-60fps, average FPS was mid 40s. I was playing on High detail mostly.
You wont be able to turn the textures above Normal quality with that GTX 950 with 2G.... It limits you based on VRAM.

I can say however, playing with a GTX 760 and FX 8350, GTA V is playable for sure on Medium detail, with textures set to normal.


P4-630 said:
GTA V is CPU intensive, I can play it smooth on high/very high with FXAA on, GTX770M + i7-4700HQ.
I just don't know much about AMD CPU's.
Click to expand...

This is definitely true... I noticed my FPS is much more stable using an i5 over an FX 8350, and average fps is usually 55-60FPS on my i5.
 
Jborg said:
Just speaking from experience and past mistakes.... I initially had a 500W EVGA Silver PSU and my FX 8350 rig would not even boot with that PSU... Using a GTX 760. Had to upgrade to a 650W.
Click to expand...

That can't be right. It must have been something wrong with it.
 
Jborg said:
Just speaking from experience and past mistakes.... I initially had a 500W EVGA Silver PSU and my FX 8350 rig would not even boot with that PSU... Using a GTX 760. Had to upgrade to a 650W.
You can get away with a 4+1 sure.... but I ran into all sorts of problems.... initially with that, so that's why I mention that at least..... Everybody who is buying an FX processor needs to be educated on that whole power phase system, just due to the fact of how much problems it caused me.

I did play GTA V quite a bit on my rig when using the FX 8350 combined with a GTX 970, and I was getting anywhere from 35-60fps, average FPS was mid 40s. I was playing on High detail mostly.
You wont be able to turn the textures above Normal quality with that GTX 950 with 2G.... It limits you based on VRAM.

I can say however, playing with a GTX 760 and FX 8350, GTA V is playable for sure on Medium detail, with textures set to normal.

This is definitely true... I noticed my FPS is much more stable using an i5 over an FX 8350, and average fps is usually 55-60FPS on my i5.
Click to expand...

FX-8350 + GTX 760 = 125W + 170W = 295W max TDP
FX-6300 + GTX 950 = 95W + 90W = 185W max TDP

The rest of the components cannot consume more than 100W combined, so I am guessing that your 500W unit was faulty or something. I currently have a EVGA 500W (80+ White, not even bronze), powering my current rig (<< specs in sig)

It is also worth mentioning that not all power phases are created equal, but I would definitely put more trust into Gigabyte over MSI, AsRock or ECS with 3+1 or 4+1 design.
 
Sorry ill just stop talking I guess. I don't know shit.
 
OhhYeyo said:
I'm a student and am on a 500$ budget but am willing to go 600$ if its really worth it. I've done a bit of research since this is my very first build I don't know much. But after reading some forums on 500$ budgets I've found these two. Are there any parts I should replace if so with what? Or suggest me a altogether? I appreciate any help I get.
Computer case – Thermaltake Versa H22

Motherboard – Gigabyte AM3+ AMD DDR3 1333 760G Micro ATX GA-78LMT

Video Card – EVGA GeForce GTX 950 2GB SSC

Processor – AMD FX-6300 6-Core Processor Black Edition

RAM – Crucial 8GB Single DDR3

Hard Drive – Seagate 1TB Desktop HDD SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache

CD Drive – Asus 24x DVD-RW

Power supply – EVGA 500w W1 80+
Or
Computer case - Thermaltake Versa H22 Window CA-1B3-00M1WN-00 Mid-tower Computer Chassis
Processor – AMD FX-8350 8-Core Black Edition

Motherboard – Gigabyte AM3+ AMD Micro ATX GA-78LMT-USB3

Video Card – ASUS STRIX GeForce GTX 960 Overclocked 4 GB

RAM – Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB Single

Power Supply – EVGA 500W

Hard Drive – Seagate 1TB

CD Drive – Asus 24x DVD-RW
Click to expand...
Well those are ok but I can give you a few other suggestions to help maximize the rig at the 500-600mark.

~$600

i5 4460
Asus B85 R2.0
8gb Gskill 1600 (2x4gb)
Western Digital 1tb 7200RPM
Deepool Tesseract Case
EVGA 600B PSU
PowerColor R9 380
Asus DVD

With this build, the total is $607.92 before shipping (Before rebates) and comes with a free game. That will be a much better overall performing system than the others with the CPU delivering more than enough for GTA 5 and others and the GPU being enough to deliver 1080p 60hz on high settings with most games.

If you want to save money, you can swap out a few parts (Motherboard and CPU) and do the following:
i3 4170
Gigabyte B85

That would drop the total down to ~$542.92 (Before rebates)

If you want to get closer to $500, try this swap.
Athlon 870K With AMD Cool and Quiet Cooler
Gigabyte A88X D3HP

That would drop the total down to ~$529.92 (Before rebates)

Much lower or going with the older AM3+ revisions might not be the best idea in this case mostly because they are getting quite old and the newer FM2+ lineup has better single threaded performance which is going to benefit a bit more in games. If I was you, I would definitely consider the top option ($600) because that will give you a very solid gaming PC that will last you quite a few years. If your having trouble deciding to spend that much just move down a notch or two. Those parts are good quality in each build so they will last you awhile.
 
GhostRyder said:
Well those are ok but I can give you a few other suggestions to help maximize the rig at the 500-600mark.

~$600

i5 4460
Asus B85 R2.0
8gb Gskill 1600 (2x4gb)
Western Digital 1tb 7200RPM
Deepool Tesseract Case
EVGA 600B PSU
PowerColor R9 380
Asus DVD

With this build, the total is $607.92 before shipping (Before rebates) and comes with a free game. That will be a much better overall performing system than the others with the CPU delivering more than enough for GTA 5 and others and the GPU being enough to deliver 1080p 60hz on high settings with most games.

If you want to save money, you can swap out a few parts (Motherboard and CPU) and do the following:
i3 4170
Gigabyte B85

That would drop the total down to ~$542.92 (Before rebates)

If you want to get closer to $500, try this swap.
Athlon 870K With AMD Cool and Quiet Cooler
Gigabyte A88X D3HP

That would drop the total down to ~$529.92 (Before rebates)

Much lower or going with the older AM3+ revisions might not be the best idea in this case mostly because they are getting quite old and the newer FM2+ lineup has better single threaded performance which is going to benefit a bit more in games. If I was you, I would definitely consider the top option ($600) because that will give you a very solid gaming PC that will last you quite a few years. If your having trouble deciding to spend that much just move down a notch or two. Those parts are good quality in each build so they will last you awhile.
Click to expand...
Thanks a lot
 
Go for a Intel Rig , So many issue with AMD boards not having enough powers phases / vrms to power the cpu's properly
 
GhostRyder said:
Much lower or going with the older AM3+ revisions might not be the best idea in this case mostly because they are getting quite old and the newer FM2+ lineup has better single threaded performance which is going to benefit a bit more in games. If I was you, I would definitely consider the top option ($600) because that will give you a very solid gaming PC that will last you quite a few years. If your having trouble deciding to spend that much just move down a notch or two. Those parts are good quality in each build so they will last you awhile.
Click to expand...
Definitely. $600 can go a long way. I'd rather go with a much newer hardware, if my budget allows it.
With an additional investment of $50-60 you could even go as high as moderate Skylake build (i5-6500 + B150 board, GTX960 4G, 8GB DDR4-2133 and a 128GB SSD with 1TB HDD). It will pay off in the long run (will probably save more on electrical bill over 1 year).


EDIT:
Where are you located? If you are in US, then @EarthDog has some Skylake parts for sale in this thread. It may actually be a decent start for a good gaming/workstation build without breaking the wallet.
 
Last edited:
i like FX 6300 + GTX 960/950
RAM DDR 3 1600MHz Cl9 at least

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($105.39 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($66.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 960 4GB Video Card ($209.99 @ Micro Center)
Case: Deepcool TESSERACT BF ATX Mid Tower Case ($35.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($33.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $521.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-16 11:22 EDT-0400

or

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($98.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock 970M PRO3 Micro ATX AM3+/AM3 Motherboard ($51.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 950 2GB Superclocked Video Card ($149.99 @ B&H)
Case: Deepcool TESSERACT BF ATX Mid Tower Case ($35.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($33.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $454.71
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-16 11:32 EDT-0400
 
Last edited:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($62.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 950 2GB Superclocked Video Card ($149.99 @ B&H)
Case: Deepcool TESSERACT BF ATX Mid Tower Case ($35.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($33.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $556.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-16 12:13 EDT-0400
 
little cat said:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($62.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 950 2GB Superclocked Video Card ($149.99 @ B&H)
Case: Deepcool TESSERACT BF ATX Mid Tower Case ($35.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($33.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $556.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-16 12:13 EDT-0400
Click to expand...
This build will run games at HQ with good frame rate? Its in a really good price range
 
OhhYeyo said:
This build will run games at HQ with good frame rate? Its in a really good price range
Click to expand...
Not with a GTX 950, that card is meant for games like LoL or similar at 1080p. Its an ok gaming card but for that money you can do a lot better. Just spending an extra $20 on the video card will net you a good 10% performance or more depending on the game (Average is about 10%).

perfrel_1920_1080.png


When you get down to the range at this point of GTX 960 and R9 380, the performance values start to drop off which is why at these prices I would just get an R9 380 and call it a day as the video card I linked to earlier. Go for the most performance you can out of your GPU and you can keep better FPS and keep it longer.

If you want to look at specifically GTA 5, here is the result:
gtav_1920_1080.png
 
Last edited:
GhostRyder said:
Not with a GTX 950, that card is meant for games like LoL or similar at 1080p. Its an ok gaming card but for that money you can do a lot better. Just spending an extra $20 on the video card will net you a good 10% performance or more depending on the game (Average is about 10%).

perfrel_1920_1080.png


When you get down to the range at this point of GTX 960 and R9 380, the performance values start to drop off which is why at these prices I would just get an R9 380 and call it a day as the video card I linked to earlier. Go for the most performance you can out of your GPU and you can keep better FPS and keep it longer.
Click to expand...

Disagree , GTX 950 will beat Play Station 4

64K said:
You're comparing a factory overclocked 950 to a reference 960. A reference 960 is 18% faster than a reference 950. You would need to compare an OC 960 to the OC 950 in your link to be fair about the difference in performance.
Click to expand...

i edited my post
 
Last edited by a moderator:
little cat said:
Disagree , GTX 950 will beat Play Station 4
Click to expand...
First of all, those are two completely different things as consoles (Even PC based ones) are programmed with them specifically in mind and their specs versus a PC which is more generic. Second, not exactly as the PS4's hardware hint towards the performance and specs of an HD 7870~ which is above the GTX 950. Even saying they are close, Consoles and the games on consoles are setup completely different and programmed so they can run optimally on the system and even optimized specifically for the system.

The point is, either way to maximize the performance of the system and buying a 950 in this budget is not a smart move when the upper cards that have more performance and can overclock as well can be had for an extra ~$20.
 
GhostRyder said:
First of all, those are two completely different things as consoles (Even PC based ones) are programmed with them specifically in mind and their specs versus a PC which is more generic. Second, not exactly as the PS4's hardware hint towards the performance and specs of an HD 7870~ which is above the GTX 950. Even saying they are close, Consoles and the games on consoles are setup completely different and programmed so they can run optimally on the system and even optimized specifically for the system.

The point is, either way to maximize the performance of the system and buying a 950 in this budget is not a smart move when the upper cards that have more performance and can overclock as well can be had for an extra ~$20.
Click to expand...
Throw some of the 20$ more ones at me
 
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