This is a semi-budget friendly build that will replace my laptop for gaming. I play a few games, but haven't tried anything after realizing how bad my laptop is for most modern games. So, here I am with a few hours of research and a (probably not recommended) list of parts. I considered an i5, but for a decent one (4690k or slightly lower) I ended up with exponential compromises on everything else. I can hold off on the monitor for a little while, using my TV, and the network card is a must, as a wired internet connection isn't possible in my apartment. I don't have a list of games that I want to play offhand, other than World of Tanks, The Witcher 3, Borderlands Pre-Sequel (all I can think of atm). I'm hoping (and, with research, expecting to be able to play on high to ultra settings with these and other games)
The basics:
CPU: AMD FX-6350 3.9GHz
MoBo: ASRock 970 Extreme3 R2.0 ATX
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 2x4GB to be upgraded in the future
HDD: Seagate 1TB 7200rpm
GPU: MSI R9 270X 2gb
PSU: Corsair CX 500W
You got it. Going with an intel drops the budget for the graphics card, as I am trying to stay around $750 USD. I am open to hardware suggestions and would prefer not to overclock right away, but I do want the ability to in the future.
Hopefully my lack of knowledge doesn't end up in me posting a bunch of builds, as I do want to build a PC, and would like the ability to upgrade, but I also want to be able to overclock a little before needing to upgrade.
The budget is based off of lack of patience more than anything. I would prefer an Intel CPU. And from what I've read comparable Nvidia GPU's don't outperform Radeons at the same price range. If I were to buy things piece by piece (which I will probably end up doing) this would be the base of the build (*note the rather substantial difference in price, meaning a longer time before I could get it done):
And, once I had it running, I would add RAM, SSD, and possibly another HDD or an external later on. The main difference (besides price) is going to be time spent searching for deals and buying the parts.
Never get a single stick of RAM. You would be stuck with Single bonded RAM with zero additional read/write/copy speeds.
I always recommend at least 2 sticks of a type. 2 x 4GB ram is more than enough for a cheap PC. You would get faster speeds from 2 x 4 (Dual Channel) than 1 x 8 (Single Channel)
This is because it is writing to 2 Sticks of RAM at the same time rather than just 1.
Why are you planning to do with 32GB RAM in the future? Unless you are planning on using something that requires that amount of RAM I would not recommend it.
4 x 4GB = 16GB of RAM (Dual Channel) More than enough for Today and the next few years.
Next Power Supply. While your PC will run off a 500W power supply, it wont be stable. Spend a few bucks more and get a 650W, then you get some stability.
1TB HDD is fine. If you need more you should be using external hard drives. We all know what happens when HDD's fail. You don't require more space, but if you need it use external HDD's much better when you format your PC and when HDD's die.
Next Power Supply. While your PC will run off a 500W power supply, it wont be stable. Spend a few bucks more and get a 650W, then you get some stability.
Take out the graphics card (which is the best bang for buck by a large margin now), use integrated graphics until you can afford it, and you're onto a very good (potential) build for just a touch under 800. Some parts could probably be improved a bit - motherboard, case and maybe a couple of extra case fans. And of course, I'm sure you could find a good Linux based OS that's free on the internet somewhere...
If you really need that $750 hard mark, cut it down to a 500GB WD Blue until you can afford an upgrade. Should put total cost at just a touch under $750, I think, with huge potential for upgrading with minimal losses.
Nice build and I wholeheartedly support rocking the integrated graphics until you can afford a GPU, but that's probably because that's how I did it when I built mine.
Your monitor doesnt have built in speakers. Not sure if you have your own speakers or dont care for built in speakers. Just something I thought you should be aware of.
