The first one is geared more toward gaming. The second option doesn't have quite as much punch in the graphics department, though it does include an SSD if you were looking for one. I suppose all the components are pretty decent quality overall.
1 x AMD FX-Series X8 8320 3.5GHz,16MB,125W,AM3+, FD8320FRHK 1 x ASUS M5A97 R2.0, AM3,AM3+, AMD 970, SB950, BUS 5200 MHz, DDR3 1 x Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1 x XFX TS Series 550W PSU -P1550S-XXB9 1 x ZALMAN CNPS 5X, socket 775/1155/1156/AM2/AM2/AM3 1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL9 Ballistix Sport, 1.35V, bl 1 x ASUS R9280-DC2T-3GD5, NVIDIA GeForce, R9280, PCIe 3.0, 3072 MB, DDR5
$1659 Craigslist
1 x AMD FX-Series X8 8320 3.5GHz,16MB,125W,AM3+, FD8320FRHK 1 x ASUS M5A97 R2.0, AM3,AM3+, AMD 970, SB950, BUS 5200 MHz, DDR3 1 x Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1 x XFX TS Series 550W PSU -P1550S-XXB9 1 x ZALMAN CNPS 5X, socket 775/1155/1156/AM2/AM2/AM3 1 x Sapphire R7 265 2GB GDDR5 Dual-X, 2GB GDDR5 256bit, 28nm 1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL9 Ballistix Sport, 1.35V, bl 1 x Kingston Fury SSD 120GB, 2.5", SATA 3 6G
So, I was looking at this Intel Core i5 3350, which is a socket 1155 chip running at 3.10GHz with a 7MB cache, and it’s a Quad-Core setup. I guess it's just one of those standard options you see floating around. I guess you're looking at a 1TB Western Digital Blue hard drive. So, I was looking at this PCI-E XFX AMD Radeon HD 7850 graphics card with 2GB of DDR5 memory. It's an interesting little piece of hardware, I guess. I suppose there’s some discussion regarding the ECS H77H2-M3 motherboard. I'm looking at some RAM—specifically an 8 GB G.SKILL Ares kit running at 1866MHz, configured as a 2x4GB set. I guess I should probably mention the Aerocool GT White Edition case. I've got this 460W power supply, specifically the LC POWER Silent Giant GREEN POWER LC6460GP3 V2.3. I suppose I should probably mention the LG GH24NSB0 DVD±RW drive. It’s just one of those components you might find lying around if you're looking at older setups.
What happened to that thread about staying under $600? Are you still just staring at those pre-built configurations? I mean, this one actually looks pretty solid, so you might as well just grab ☕ .
I didn't realize you already had an SSD in the mix. If that's the case, maybe just grab a setup like this and you'll have a solid foundation for at least the next five years.
1 x AMD Ryzen 5 3600X Processor (3.60GHz,1MB,6MB,95 W,AM4) Box 1 x MSI Z97-G43 Gaming, s1150 1 x DDR3 8GB (2x4GB) Kingston, 1866MHz, CL10, Kingston Fury 1 x EVGA SuperNOVA, 450 W, active PFC 1 x Samsung DVD Writer, DVD±RW, 24x DVD±R ,8x DL , 40x CD-R 1 x Coolermaster K280, MIDI, black, USB 3.0, without PSU
$1414 techcrunch.com
And honestly, if anyone tries to tell you the power supply is insufficient, they probably don't have a clue what they're talking about.
There isn't an SSD or even an SSHD available here. The 280x is only maybe 10% faster than the standard 280, so I guess it makes more sense to just grab a faster drive instead. And if you aren't planning on overclocking, you might as well just go with Intel
And honestly, when you're putting together a build that includes a monitor, I feel like you shouldn't skimp on the screen. It’ll most likely outlast the actual PC anyway, and having those extra couple of inches makes a massive difference when you're gaming or just settling in to watch a movie.
I haven't actually seen this monitor in person yet, but Linus claims it outperforms LCD Panel Technology. I tend to respect his testing methodology, and for the most part, I find myself agreeing with him
Eh, honestly, an IPS panel just isn't going to cut it if you're looking at a larger monitor. And while you could swap that i3 out for an AMD FX 6300, I guess if there isn't any overclocking potential involved, it might actually be better to stick with the Intel setup, since that has its own set of advantages too. The NVIDIA GTX 750 is maybe about 15% weaker than a 270, but the power draw is significantly lower; once you factor in that efficient i3, you're looking at a difference of at least 100W.
1 x Samsung 23.6" LS24D390HL, VGA, HDMI 1 x INTEL Core i3-4150 (3.50GHz,512KB,3MB,54 W,1150) Box, INTEL HD Graphics 4000 1 x Asrock s1150 H97M PRO4 1 x Inno3D Geforce GTX750Ti 2GB GDDR5 1 x 4GB 1866MHz DDR3 CL10 DIMM HyperX FURY Black Series 1 x XFX Pro 450W, 80+ 1 x Seagate HDD, 1TB, 7200rpm, SATA 6, 64M 1 x LITE ON IHAS122 DVD-RW 22x Super Multi, SATA, Black, Bulk 1 x Zalman T1 PLUS, USB3.0 black
$1669 futura-it
I'm looking for a large, high-quality monitor—something that seems like such a good deal I'd be crazy not to grab it, I guess.
It’s sitting just north of $400, featuring an i5 processor—which I'd say edges out the FX 6300—plus a solid cooling setup and a three-year warranty on the Asus 265 graphics card.
1 x Intel Core i5-4440 Processor (3.10GHz, 1MB, 6MB, 84 W, Socket 1150) Box 1 x ASUS H81M-K, 1150, Intel ® H81 express chipset, DDR3 1 x ASUS R7265-DC2-2GD5, AMD Radeon R7 265, PCIe 3.0, 2GB DDR5 1 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11 1 x XFX Core edition 80 + 450 w pas - EasyRail Technology 1 x Thermaltake Versa ii 1 x TOSHIBA 1TB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA100 1 x Zalman ZM-T1 PLUS micro tower case. 189(W) x 427,5(H) x 364(D)mm 1 x Samsung SH-224DB sat Bulk Black, SATA
If you can swing a Pentium instead of an i5 while staying within your budget, I guess there isn't much else to look for, IMO. Even if we're talking about a really solid unlocked version, maybe the i5 is still the smarter play. With an i5, you'll probably be set for years without any headaches, and it gives you enough breathing room to drop in a much beefier graphics card later on.
1 x Acer V226HQLAbd 21.5" LED Monitor 1 x MS ACROBAT wireless gaming keyboard and mouse combo 1 x AMD Phenom II x4 945, 3GHz, 8MB, AM3 1 x Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P, AM3 1 x Inno3D Geforce GTX 750 Ti 2GB GDDR5 1 x Patriot Sig. DDR3 1600Mhz, 4GB 1 x HDD Desktop Toshiba DT01ACA050 (3.5", 500GB, 32MB, SATA III-600) 1 x SILVERSTONE Strider ST50F-230, 500W, Retail, 1x120, Black 1 x MS PHOENIX case without power supply
1 x AMD Trinity Athlon ii x4 750 3.40GHz 4 cores 1 x Asrock FM2A78M-DG3+, AMD FM2+ Socket A78 Chipset MB 1 x Sapphire R7 250 1GB GDDR5 Boost, 1GB GDDR5 128bit, 28nm 1 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11 1 x TOSHIBA 500GB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA050 1 x Fosna 400W, HEXA 400, 12cm fan, Active PFC 1 x MS LOGIC A33 without PSU, Midi tower, ATX, 5.25" external bay
$834 adm.hr
I don't think you really need an optical drive, I guess. If there is any way to swing it, maybe grab a separate cooler, though if not, just do it whenever you can scrape some extra cash together, because the stock one that comes with the processor tends to be pretty loud.