601 replies to this topic

[DocBach]

For $600, I'd probably try to make an i5 or an FX 83 series build, an i3 is pretty low end for gaming. If you can knock some money off by buying in person from microcenter, then something like this would be a little better:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI H97 Guard-Pro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($67.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 270X 2GB PCS+ Video Card ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Commander G41 ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $641.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-07 21:23 EST-0500

[Goose]

Woot: I saved $2 on RAM.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Rosewill RCX-ZAIO-92 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($18.00 @ Newegg)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($6.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G41 PC Mate ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Redline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($82.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Toshiba Product Series:DT01ACA 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 270 2GB TurboDuo Video Card ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair SPEC-03 Red ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($25.00 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $602.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-07 21:45 EST-0500

Base Total: $689.89
Promo Discounts: -$11.98
Mail-in Rebates: -$75.00
Total: $602.91

Spoiler

[Lord Letto]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($69.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($6.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($74.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($78.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.97 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($203.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill Galaxy-01 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $598.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-08 02:15 EST-0500

here's one someone else came up with on PCPartPicker:
http://pcpartpicker....00-gaming-build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: *VisionTek 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: *Seagate Barracuda ES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: *XFX Radeon R9 280X 3GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($194.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.22 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($25.00 @ Newegg)
Total: $544.17
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-08 02:12 EST-0500

Edited by Lord Letto, 07 November 2014 - 11:15 PM.

[Skexy]

The thing is Doc, its not primarily a gaming machine and I'm more likely to figure out how to step down the processor and pare the price down rather than up. I'd like to ensure he can get four or so years out of the machine for the minimal amount he actually needs and get a taste of what it can do for games. Technically, my brother needs something to access the internet and run office and what not but will occasionally try other games.....though maybe more if he knows he can run them. But mostly they're replacing a beat to hell laptop which is over 5 years old.

-skexy

DocBach, on 07 November 2014 - 06:24 PM, said:

For $600, I'd probably try to make an i5 or an FX 83 series build, an i3 is pretty low end for gaming. If you can knock some money off by buying in person from microcenter, then something like this would be a little better:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI H97 Guard-Pro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($67.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 270X 2GB PCS+ Video Card ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Commander G41 ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $641.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-07 21:23 EST-0500

[Goose]

Intel ZOMGwatTIMEisIT

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z97 U3 Plus ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($86.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Toshiba 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 285 2GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($174.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Antec Three Hundred ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Green 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($79.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $795.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-16 20:05 EST-0500

Base Total: $871.89
Promo Discounts: -$8.00
Mail-in Rebates: -$70.00
Shipping: $1.99
Total: $795.88

New card, but I didn't spring an extra $20 for a K processor to go with it.

Turns out that Antec will flow 48A across it's two +12V rails, but it was reviews well somewhere on the planet.

Spoiler

[Goose]

Annnd it AMDs' turn

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8370E 3.3GHz 8-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Seidon 120V 86.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($86.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Toshiba 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 285 2GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($174.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Antec Three Hundred ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $773.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-16 20:27 EST-0500

Base Total: $903.91
Promo Discounts: -$2.00
Combo Discounts: -$28.00
Mail-in Rebates: -$100.00
Total: $773.91

So right away I found the R9 285 cheaper then 20 minutes ago. :-]

A +12V rail(s) worth 61A total leaves plenty of space.

Spoiler

[Lord Letto]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($289.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master RR-T4-18PK-R1 70.0 CFM Rifle Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Micro Center)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver Ceramique 2 Tri-Linear 2.7g Thermal Paste ($4.39 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ECS B85H3-M(1.0) Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($39.49 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($82.97 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 290 4GB TurboDuo Video Card ($240.00 @ Newegg)
Case: Inwin G7 ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($88.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $998.74
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-16 23:11 EST-0500

Edited by Lord Letto, 16 November 2014 - 08:12 PM.

[Goose]

http://www.silentpcr...1420-page1.html

[Goose]

I've had schedules before, and this is getting a jump on Intel Friday

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.97 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Rosewill RCX-ZAIO-92 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($15.99 @ Amazon)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($6.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z97 U3 Plus ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($86.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Toshiba Product Series:DT01ACA 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($72.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280 3GB TurboDuo Video Card ($141.00 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair SPEC-03 White ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $657.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-21 03:17 EST-0500

Base Total: $757.86
Promo Discounts: -$24.99
Mail-in Rebates: -$75.00
Total: $657.87

Was supposed to be a cheap week, but I can't turn down that R9 280 …

Spoiler

[Lord Letto]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($99.93 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($93.00 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280 3GB TurboDuo Video Card ($141.00 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Micro Center)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($88.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $646.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-21 15:26 EST-0500

Came up with this one for someone Playing War Thunder with a ~$600-650 Budget, While it won't be the greatest for MWO, it should still be playable and there's a lot of Discounts, MIR's Mainly, $120 Worth + $25 Combo Discount for RAM+MOBO and $18.99 Promo Discount on the GPU

Edited by Lord Letto, 21 November 2014 - 12:30 PM.

[Goose]

AMD Saturday

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8370E 3.3GHz 8-Core Processor ($155.99 @ Directron)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright TS-120M 53.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($38.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI 990FXA-GD65V2 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Toshiba Product Series:DT01ACA 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($72.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280 3GB TurboDuo Video Card ($141.00 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill Challenger-U3 ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 750W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $628.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-22 02:42 EST-0500

Base Total: $751.90
Promo Discounts: -$38.99
Mail-in Rebates: -$90.00
Shipping: $5.99
Total: $628.90

How badly did you want to shave $11 off the video card, for an R9 270X? Maybe $29, and down to a R9 270?

No? Alright, then.

Spoiler

[Goose]

D'oh: $7 for some Arctic Silver 5, then $15 for that Antec Spotcool …

Edited by Goose, 29 November 2014 - 10:15 PM.

[Goose]

Sorry, folks: Technical issues are keeping me from doing fun stuff, so here I am, late, again. :-(

Intel

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Scythe Mugen 4 79.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($41.44 @ SuperBiiz)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($3.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($80.79 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($87.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Toshiba 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($88.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($125.32 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill Challenger-U3 ATX Mid Tower Case ($53.48 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0B DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $749.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-30 00:00 EST-0500

Base Total: $766.70
Promo Discounts: -$19.63
Combo Discounts: -$10.00
Shipping: $12.86
Total: $749.93

I believe a 161mm Mugen will fit in that case, but I wouldn't risk S&H on a door fan to fit around it; I was thinking of going steep, dollar-wise, before I saw that vido card; Without my normal resources, I picked the PSU out'a my ****** …

[Goose]

So about that AMD

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8370E 3.3GHz 8-Core Processor ($159.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($3.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI 990FXA-GD65V2 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($84.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Toshiba 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($88.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($125.32 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($46.92 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($68.04 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0B DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $756.18
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-30 00:38 EST-0500

Base Total: $760.14
Promo Discounts: -$10.94
Shipping: $6.98
Total: $756.18

Not only did I pick that PSU out'a my hoop, but I got drunk to pick the cooler: No debating that thing is big enough.

Interesting how little the USB 3.0 port cost me on the Intel build: $6~8 isn't life-or-death, and whom's to say how much easier life is with a thumb drive so fast?

You might want to spring another $15 for an Antec Spotcool: The mobo will have a heat sink on it getting lonely …

Edited by Goose, 29 November 2014 - 10:15 PM.

[Goose]

Goose, on 10 October 2014 - 12:10 PM, said:

Do remember any AMD build requires overclocking and a good-sized set of tweaks to settings and the user.cfg.

You've Been Warned.

[Lord Letto]

Intel:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.97 @ NCIX US)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver Ceramique 2 Tri-Linear 25g Thermal Paste ($6.24 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($80.79 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($57.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280 3GB TurboDuo Video Card ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($60.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0B DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($90.26 @ OutletPC)
Total: $795.17
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-30 13:58 EST-0500

AMD:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($139.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Enermax ELC-LM120S-HP 111.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($74.98 @ OutletPC)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver Ceramique 2 Tri-Linear 25g Thermal Paste ($6.24 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($108.00 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($57.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280 3GB TurboDuo Video Card ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($60.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0B DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($90.26 @ OutletPC)
Total: $789.39
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-30 14:11 EST-0500

[Goose]

Intel Friday

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($188.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Rosewill RCX-ZAIO-92 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.54 @ Amazon)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($4.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Pro3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Toshiba Product Series:DT01ACA 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($72.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 270X 2GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($137.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($9.75 @ Newegg)
Total: $644.20
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-06 00:52 EST-0500

Base Total: $722.44
Promo Discounts: -$3.24
Mail-in Rebates: -$75.00
Total: $644.20

'Tis teh Season: Just look at them prices. O_o I spent $5 more on the case 'cause I liked it: Hope you don't mind …

You've got ~6.4A left on the +12V rail. [I'll get to it, I promise]

[EXEOBUREC]

NEVER buy memory other than cheapest hynix/samsung modules - all this @mushkin@ is only marketing or in russian @naebalovo@)) Also buy the 2nd or 3rd after cheapest motherboard for your favorite chipset (+10% of price ) - cause the cheapest are worse and more expensive just dont cost its money. Power supply buy only for REAL WATTS not for @brand@ (all assembled in same factories in china) - you can see REAL WATTS in right or left side of PS under 12v line - you may have some surprizes when notice that 700 watt @brand@ ps in reality just 550 watts)) - also take the heavy ones))

Edited by EXEOBUREC, 06 December 2014 - 02:57 AM.

[Goose]

[Catamount]

Goose, I'm stealing that

but more seriously

EXEOBUREC, on 05 December 2014 - 10:26 PM, said:

NEVER buy memory other than cheapest hynix/samsung modules - all this @mushkin@ is only marketing or in russian @naebalovo@)) Also buy the 2nd or 3rd after cheapest motherboard for your favorite chipset (+10% of price ) - cause the cheapest are worse and more expensive just dont cost its money. Power supply buy only for REAL WATTS not for @brand@ (all assembled in same factories in china) - you can see REAL WATTS in right or left side of PS under 12v line - you may have some surprizes when notice that 700 watt @brand@ ps in reality just 550 watts)) - also take the heavy ones))

Some of what you're saying makes sense, but a lot of this a bit silly.

I have no idea where you're going with memory, plain and simple.

Motherboards vary in price because features vary in price. Boards have different numbers of power phases and quality of capacitors and VRMs that affect overclocks and long-term reliability, UEFI is still -somehow- not a universal feature, there are differences in the number of SATA III and USB 3 ports, and there are huge disparities in slot layout and bandwidth.

If all you want out of your 1150 or 1155 board is to put the processor in and have it boot with two budget sticks of DDR3-1333 and work, sure, get the 2nd cheapest motherboard, as long as the brand is reputable (probably Asrock when going cheap). If you want two full speed PCIE x16 slots, however, if you want more than maybe two USB 3.0 ports, or even more than zero, if you want to OC your CPU, you're going to pay to get these things.


And brand matters hugely for power supplies, because companies can put whatever they want on a PSU for sustained wattage (what you call "real watts"). Here's a Logisys "550W" unit. To their credit, they claim only 400W of sustained output. Can that PSU output 400W reliably? No. I know because it's $24 without any rebates, and I know because it's a Logisys unit.

Shopping with reputable brands, Corsair, Seasonic, Antec, Superflower, anything newer from Rosewill, etc etc, is one of the only ways, short of reading detailed reviews/tests to know if you're buying a workable unit (though anyone who really cares will still read reviews). There's more than wattage, too. There's efficiency, voltage regulation, ripple, behavior at high temperature, overcurrent protection, etc. And yes, usually good power supplies are heavy, and dismal ones not, but putting your unit on a scale is not a good way to measure its attributes.

Edited by Catamount, 06 December 2014 - 10:48 AM.