601 replies to this topic

[Lord Letto]

Due to Goose always putting Builds over $500 in the under $500 thread and I have a hard time coming up with builds under $500 at times, I'm making this thread for builds between $500 and a Grand.

I'll start:

AMD Lower end of budget(3.0GHz+ Quadcore CPU, 2GB+ DDR5 GPU with better Price/Performance than a GTX 750TI/R7 260X, 8GB DDR3 RAM, 500W+ 80+ Bronze PSU):
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/QpxY23
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker....23/by_merchant/

CPU: *AMD FX-4130 3.8GHz Quad-Core OEM/Tray Processor ($68.94 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: *Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($108.00 @ Newegg)
Memory: *Mushkin Stealth 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($65.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: *Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.49 @ Amazon)
Video Card: *PowerColor Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Case: *Rosewill Galaxy-01 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: *Raidmax Cobra 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($102.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $588.35
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-05 21:45 EDT-0400

AMD Higher end Build (4GHz+ Quad Core, 4GB + DDR5 GPU on par or better than a GTX 770/R9 280X, 8GB+ 1600MHz+ CAS 7 RAM, 500GB+ WD HDD + 256 GB+ Samsung SSD, 700W+ 80+ Bronze Semi or fully modular PSU):

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

CPU: *AMD FX-4350 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($104.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: *Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($108.00 @ Newegg)
Memory: *G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($88.79 @ NCIX US)
Storage: *Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($157.99 @ Dell Small Business)
Storage: *Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.49 @ Amazon)
Video Card: *PNY GeForce GTX 770 4GB Video Card ($269.99 @ Newegg)
Case: *DIYPC Mirage-D1-Y ATX Mid Tower Case ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: *CoolMax 700W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($102.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $969.18
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-05 22:00 EDT-0400

Intel Low end (Same as AMD Low but intel CPU+MOBO):
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/CVnHnQ
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker....nQ/by_merchant/

CPU: *Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: *ECS H87H3-M(1.0) Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($68.89 @ Newegg)
Memory: *Mushkin Stealth 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($65.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: *Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($50.97 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: *PowerColor Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Case: *Rosewill Galaxy-01 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: *CoolMax 600W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $654.77
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-05 22:24 EDT-0400

Intel High end (Same as AMD High but CPU 3.5GHz+ for more variety and lower prices, added 80+ to the PSU Search):

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

CPU: *Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($223.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: *MSI Z87-G41 PC Mate ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($81.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: *G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($88.79 @ NCIX US)
Storage: *Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($157.99 @ Dell Small Business)
Storage: *Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($50.97 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: *PNY GeForce GTX 770 4GB Video Card ($269.99 @ Newegg)
Case: *DIYPC Mirage-D1-Y ATX Mid Tower Case ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: *CoolMax 700W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1071.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-05 22:16 EDT-0400

[ninjitsu]

Like the new thread!

On your first build, you've listed a first gen FX. I really can't recommend anybody ever buys one of those. They are flawed and have more real world performance issues than the more recent chips.

[cheapcamper]

why no GTX 970>?

better GPU over SSD anyday!

[Lord Letto]

for those first builds, I used the parametric filter that automatically chooses whatever's the cheapest of what's filtered.

using choice parts instead of the parametric filter, here''s a high end AMD and Intel build:

AMD:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/M7jyLk
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker....Lk/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD FX-8370 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($188.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Swiftech H320 55.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($150.89 @ NCIX US)
Thermal Compound: StarTech Metal Oxide 15g Thermal Paste ($2.09 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($108.00 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($88.79 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($87.89 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill RISE Glow ATX Full Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($102.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $999.60
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-06 10:31 EDT-0400

Intel:

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

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($225.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Swiftech H320 55.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($150.89 @ NCIX US)
Thermal Compound: StarTech Metal Oxide 15g Thermal Paste ($2.09 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus Z87M-Plus Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($93.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($88.79 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($87.89 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill RISE Glow ATX Full Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1029.57
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-06 10:34 EDT-0400

[Catamount]

I decided to chime in with a slightly different approach: Come in at around $600 (500 didn't come out very pretty) without relying in MiRs. I love MiRs, especially when people have the flexible budget to wait for money, but one thing I hate about PCPartpicker is that it acts as though they're typically claimed, or the same as getting a flat price. A tight $600 budget often means a $600 budget, not "I can spend $800 today and get $200 back in eight to ten weeks"

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

CPU: Intel Pentium G3420 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($67.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus H87M-E Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($92.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Merc Alpha (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($19.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Rosewill Green 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $594.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-06 11:49 EDT-0400

As an aside, it's really nice for budget builders that a few mobo makers allow OCing on non-Z chips now. That opens up so many more options for budget builders.

[Lord Letto]

Catamount, on 06 October 2014 - 07:52 AM, said:

I decided to chime in with a slightly different approach: Come in at around $600 (500 didn't come out very pretty) without relying in MiRs. I love MiRs, especially when people have the flexible budget to wait for money, but one thing I hate about PCPartpicker is that it acts as though they're typically claimed, or the same as getting a flat price. A tight $600 budget often means a $600 budget, not "I can spend $800 today and get $200 back in eight to ten weeks"

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

CPU: Intel Pentium G3420 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($67.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus H87M-E Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($92.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Merc Alpha (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($19.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Rosewill Green 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $594.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-06 11:49 EDT-0400

As an aside, it's really nice for budget builders that a few mobo makers allow OCing on non-Z chips now. That opens up so many more options for budget builders.

not bad, but how about this:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/KdZRqs
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker....qs/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($59.49 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PERFORMANCE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($90.91 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Raidmax ATX-249B (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Green 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $579.31
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-06 12:16 EDT-0400

only possible compatibility issue that shows up is space for the GPU, with your build it showed up that the H87 might need a BIOS Update to run Haswell and the MOBO had USB3 Headers but the case had no USB3 Ports.

[Catamount]

Does Asrock specifically state that they allow multiplier overclocking on that board? I picked up an Asus board because they specifically state that they allow OCing on H87 and B85 boards, and that's new (as of June or July). The board I picked is good to go. All revisions support all Pentiums, including the G32XX and G34XX chips.

Edited by Catamount, 06 October 2014 - 10:16 AM.

[Lord Letto]

Catamount, on 06 October 2014 - 10:08 AM, said:

Does Asrock specifically state that they allow multiplier overclocking on that board? I picked up an Asus board because they specifically state that they allow OCing on H87 and B85 boards, and that's new (as of June or July). The board I picked is good to go. All revisions support all Pentiums, including the G32XX and G34XX chips.

not sure if multiplier overclock but it does support overclocking from what I could tell, it got a disclaimer for overclocking and 2 of the awards it got mention overclocking:
http://www.asrock.co...=Specifications

Quote

Caution:
Please realize that there is a certain risk involved with overclocking, including adjusting the setting in the BIOS or using the third-party overclocking tools. Overclocking may affect your system stability, or even cause damage to the components and devices of your system. It should be done at your own risk and expense. We are not responsible for possible damage caused by overclocking.

http://www.eteknix.c...erboard-review/
http://www.hwbox.gr/...nce-review.html

[Catamount]

Yeah Hxx/Bxx chips don't naturally support multiplier overclocking, either because it's just not specifically intended to be there or Intel intends for it not to be there. It was only a few months ago that Asus, Gigabyte and I think Biostar (of all companies) announced that they would release bios updates to allow multiplier overclocking on these boards, and there was a fair bit of press over it in the computing world, so generally I'm cautious about companies that don't mention it. Still, the reviews you posted do mention adjustable multipliers.

I'm also leery about Asrock, having an Asrock motherboard myself, a board that refuses to POST and returns a SCSI error if I plug the monitor into the wrong DVI port on my graphics card. I regret not going Asus. Still, being able to step up to ATX is a big deal, and the board doesn't lose you the UEFI bios, so I with some reluctance, I do agree with the recommendation for that change.

[Lord Letto]

and incase you never noticed, I swapped the G3420 for the G3258, the 3258 is unlocked therefore can be overclocked and cost's less than the locked 3420.

[Flapdrol]

List of non z overclocking boards

http://forums.anandt...d.php?t=2389948

[Goose]

But you can't mount good memory on those things, right?

[Catamount]

At $500 (or $600 with OS), you can't mount good anything in anything. You can definitely get by enough to play games though.

Edited by Catamount, 09 October 2014 - 08:53 AM.

[Flapdrol]

Goose, on 09 October 2014 - 08:46 AM, said:

But you can't mount good memory on those things, right?

If it's about price/performance you shouldn't even look at fancy memory. Memory speed has very little impact on performance, especially if the dualchannel only has to feed a pentium. And you can still do low timings if you want to milk every benchmarkpoint.

[Goose]

Flapdrol, on 09 October 2014 - 09:21 AM, said:

Memory speed has very little impact on performance …

We've heard otherwise, once or twice.

Edited by Goose, 09 October 2014 - 10:22 AM.

[Flapdrol]

With intel cpu's + dedicated gpu's I've not seen it do much. Only game it seems to do something is arma 3, but even there an i5 at very high clockspeed doesn't get that much benefit from running over 1600.

Edited by Flapdrol, 09 October 2014 - 09:56 AM.

[Goose]

Annnnd it's Intel Friday … Somewhere in the Pacific.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Arctic Cooling Alpine 11 Pro Rev. 2 36.7 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($11.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G41 PC Mate ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-2000 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Micro Center)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 270X 2GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($144.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair SPEC-03 White ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($28.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $639.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-09 13:39 EDT-0400

Base Total: $703.91
Promo Discounts: -$14.00
Mail-in Rebates: -$50.00
Total: $639.91

Lower in the budget spectrum: Right.

There are a few good $40 case at the moment, and I picked the one I knew had an USB 3.0 patch on it.

The HDD is still not down in the "skimp" range, but the memory is.

You could up the CPU for ~$25, for a i5-4690, worth 200MHz …

Having said that, there's $12 in a more pleasant-sounding cooler, $35 extra in the video card (over a R7 265,) and $14 worth of DVD/ CD writer: Tinker with the last two, and you might, just might, be able to shrink the PSU; As it stands now, you have 5.5A on the 12V rail to spare.

Spoiler

Edited by Goose, 15 October 2014 - 09:21 PM.

[Catamount]

There is the rare case where memory speed matters, enough that it's worth getting it if there's nothing stopping one from doing so. That's just not happening on a $500 pile of hardware.

[Flapdrol]

watch out combining z87 with 4590's, if there's an old bios on the board you will need another older cpu to update the bios to make the system work, which would suck.

Edited by Flapdrol, 09 October 2014 - 10:32 AM.

[Goose]

The stock at NewEeg would seem to have rolled over by 25SEP2014, at the latest, thus addressing the issue …