So, you should probably just stick with what Amy Vaughn12 put together for you—it’s a solid setup and gives you plenty of room to grow later if you want to upgrade. But, if you’re really feeling the itch for a beefier CPU like the FX 6300, just swap out the GPU in my previous post for the MSI R7 265 and bump that RAM up to 4GB, and then that Samsung monitor you want will fit right in.
There are already plenty of solid ways to go, but here’s one build where I think we’re getting the absolute most bang for our buck across the board:
FX 6300 LC CC 95 GIGABYTE 970A-DS3P KINGSTON 2+4 GB 1600 MHZ (6GB) SEGATE 3,5 BARR. 1TB SATA 3 XFX R9 270X 2GB BLACK EDITION LITE ON DVD-RW SATA SILVERSTONE STRIDER 500W MS PHOENIX MIDI ATX + 80 MM FAN
ACER 22" VA LED FHD
= $1707 - Futura it.
Honestly, a VA panel is the real sweet spot for budgets like this—you aren't really missing out on much. And hey, if you’re dead set on an IPS, just grab something with good optics that's easy to upgrade later, like that AOC we talked about.
Looking at the specs, 😉 the R9 270 is basically just an R7 265 in disguise. That XFX card being suggested actually keeps pace with the base Sapphire R9 280 because its clock speeds are noticeably higher—so we're talking about a tiny difference, maybe just a few FPS, which you won't even notice. Plus, if he's aiming for the R9 280, he'd need to jump to an H81 or B85 chipset, which honestly makes zero sense to me. Why deal with that when the H97 gives him way better build quality, more features, and support for newer CPUs for basically the same price?
He also mentioned he doesn't plan on overclocking, but—let's be real—that’s usually assumed with any GPU, and that’s exactly where the R9 280 really shines. The only real perk there is the 3GB of VRAM, but even that isn't going to matter much unless he's pushing past 1200p resolution. Honestly, 2GB is still plenty for most modern and upcoming titles.
If he's really trying to cut corners and save cash, I'm on board with the FX 6300 route, but here's how I'd actually build it:
FX 6300 SPIRE KEPLER R2.0 GIGABYTE 970A-DS3P KINGSTON 2+4 GB 1600 MHZ (6GB) / 1X8 GB 1866 MHZ SEAGATE BARR. 3,5 1TB SATA 3 XFX R9 270X 2GB BLACK EDITION LITE ON DVD-RW SATA XFX PRO 450W 80+ BRONZE AEROCOOL GT BLACK MIDI ATX
Total comes to about 4520/$1532.
There's really no reason to overspend on an Asus board, especially that Le model which skips out on heatsinks for the power phases. A Gigabyte board will be more than enough to handle an FX 6300 or even an FX 83xx if he decides to run Turbo. If he does end up wanting that R9 280, he should probably switch to an AMD board and grab the Sapphire version. Though, in that case, the pricier XFX model would actually be the smarter move since it has better overclocking potential and a much quieter, more efficient cooler.
i5-4460 ASUS B85 Pro4-M Kingston Fury 8GB @ 1866 MHz Seagate Barracuda, 3.5" 1TB SATA 3 XFX AMD Radeon R9 270X 2GB Black Edition Lite-On DVD-RW SATA XFX PRO 450W 80+ BRONZE Aerocool GT Black Midi ATX
= $1685 Futura it.
If you want a solid, well-balanced build around an i5, this is exactly how you should set it up. Since you aren't really worried about overclocking, you might be tempted to cut corners, but honestly—stick with the Intel H97 Chipset. It’s worth it just because it gives you way more breathing room for future upgrades—you'll be able to swap in anything from the current Intel Haswell / Devil's Canyon chips to the upcoming Intel Broadwell stuff later on.
On top of that, I bumped up the power supply—swapped out the old unit for a repackaged Seasonic, which actually puts out more juice than the Corsair CX and comes with a solid 5-year warranty. I also tossed in a faster, higher-capacity HDD, and right now, the best bang-for-your-buck move is grabbing an X model AMD Radeon R9 270. It’s got a quiet cooler and some decent overclocking headroom—honestly, there's really no point in stretching the budget for the pricier cards since they're sitting so close in price to the AMD Radeon R9 280 anyway.
Just toss in a 120 GB SSD later on—you'll be golden. 😉
He could probably offload his current CPU for about $50, and before doing that, he just needs to flash the BIOS so an upgrade to that suggested Athlon is actually possible (you can find the specific BIOS version here).
Then he'll have a pretty sweet, low-power quad-core setup—something he can easily overclock to 3GHz on that board without any real stress—plus it leaves some breathing room later if he wants to slap in a beefier GPU or needs more juice for CPU-heavy games.
Honestly, there are like a million different ways to go with a budget like this. I suggested this specific setup mainly because of what he's actually doing—gaming—where the performance gap won't even be that noticeable. Plus, with that Pentium and the other upgrades moving him onto the s1150 platform, it really puts that old s775 stuff into perspective... it feels like people might actually stick around on this socket for a bit longer than expected. Long term, he’s going to end up with a solid PC regardless of which path he takes—it just comes down to whether he wants more power right out of the gate. The rest of the parts in my suggestion pretty clearly show what he gets now versus what he can add later.
First off, stay away from those pre-built setups—honestly, 90% of them are just poorly put together, especially ones like this where you don't even get a real warranty on individual parts, just some measly 24-month blanket coverage.
So, if you want to hit your specific goals without breaking the bank, here’s what I’d actually suggest building:
Intel Core i7-4790 AS ROCK H97M PRO4 2X PATRIOT SIG 8GB 1333 MHZ (16GB) SanDisk 120 GB SSD Western Digital Blue 2TB SATA 3 GE FORCE GT 740 2GB DDR5 LITE ON DVD-RW SATA EVGA Core edition 80 450W FIREWIRE SHARKOON MA-A1000 USB 3.0 + 140/120 MM FAN
= $2355 including assembly and shipping - Best Buy.
I linked everything through a reliable retailer so you won't get lost, and they have all the specifics on components and warranties right there for you.
It’s totally your call, but if I were in your shoes, I’d probably go with the Pentium—especially since you mentioned you aren't planning any big upgrades anytime soon. You've already got that AMD Radeon R7 260X, which should carry you through about two years of decent gaming on higher settings without much trouble. After that, you'll definitely want to look at something new, and the Pentium actually gives you some breathing room to pair it with a beefier GPU later on thanks to its higher clock speeds. You won't feel forced to swap the CPU immediately, though after a couple of years, moving up to an i5 or maybe an FX 8320 paired with a GPU in the ballpark of an R9 290 or GTX 780—or even something a bit lighter like an R9 280X or GTX 770—would be the move. Plus, by then, power consumption will have dropped significantly, so you won't have to stress about whether your power supply can handle it.
Also, don't sleep on what you're getting here—the difference is actually pretty noticeable. As for RAM, honestly, the gap between single and dual channel is almost invisible in most cases—it's mostly just something to keep in mind for those APU setups, which aren't really your thing anyway.
If you're dead set on a more powerful CPU right out of the gate, aim for the i5 or FX 8320 and then upgrade the GPU later. Just a heads up though—if you go that route, ditch that tiny generic power supply and grab at least an XFX 450W unit.
I figured I’d throw something interesting into the mix too 😁
G3258 PROLIMATECH BASIC 65 ASUS Z97-K PATRIOT SIG 8GB 1333 MHZ Seagate BarraCuda 3.5 1TB SATA 3 SSHD LITE ON DVD-RW SATA XFX Core edition 80 450W 80+ BRONZE ZALMAN Z3+ USB 3.0 MIDI ATX
= $1200including assembly and shipping from Micro Center
The short version: - Intel is finally bringing some glory back to the Pentium name—this G3258 comes with an unlocked multiplier, making it a killer little chip for overclocking, especially since it stays pretty cool and doesn't gulp power. - Since you're looking at this for gaming, where it's shown more than decent performance, I think this is your sweet spot. Plus, your GPU is a perfect match for it—honestly, an i5 & FX 8320 would be kind of overkill for an AMD Radeon R7 260X, though that's not a huge deal. - On top of that, you've got a motherboard that's packed with features, solid build quality, and plenty of room to overclock or upgrade later—you could jump from Haswell to Devil's Canyon or even move up to Broadwell down the road. - You also get that SSHD, which gives you massive storage without the lag—it's way faster than a standard old-school HDD, meaning much quicker game loading times. - Then there's the high-quality Seasonic unit with a 5-year warranty—totally enough juice for everything listed here, including your GPU and any future upgrades you might throw at it. - You've got a solid aftermarket cooler ready to go to keep things quiet, cool, and stable during those overclocking sessions. - And finally, the Z3+ is a total best buy—it's got everything you actually need: great airflow (4x120mm fans), a voltage knob, dust filters, decent cable management, room for GPUs up to 30cm+, and USB 3.0...
AMD Phenom X4 945 Cooler Master CC 95 GIGABYTE 970A-DS3P PATRIOT SIG 8GB 1333 MHZ Seagate 1 TB 3.5 MSI Radeon R7 265 2GB DDR5 OC LITE ON DVD-RW SATA CHICONY HPC 600W 80+ ACTIVE MS MINOTAUR MIDI ATX + 80 MM FAN
= $1333 including shipping and setup costs.
In my opinion, this is easily the best bang-for-your-buck deal for this budget—especially since it leaves plenty of room to upgrade to beefier processors or better graphics cards down the road.
So, what card are you using, and how many installments can you stretch it over? I'm just asking because—honestly—Dell shouldn't be your only option just because of the financing.
Man, that LG 22 M35A-B 21.5 monitor just isn't worth it for this kind of budget—especially since it doesn't even have a DVI port. You really need at least a VA or IPS panel for this setup.
Seriously, dude, get it together—you’re just jumping from thread to thread making random claims, and you keep insisting things are true when they're straight-up wrong.
You clearly don't have a clue how the IT industry actually works here in the States, especially since those processors are coming from Asbis and Futurica has them sitting in stock. If you still don't get it, I'll say it one more time: go ahead, ask around, grab a screenshot, and prove me wrong instead of just spinning tall tales.
And regarding that build? Honestly, I could laugh at that too. I looked over all those parts for a reason when I wrote that out for you—I mean, you pick up components one day, start a whole new thread asking if they're good, and then the very next day you're trying to push them onto someone else like it's some brand-new setup. Realize that you're doing way more harm than good, and trust me, I'm not the only one getting fed up with you acting like a know-it-all and pushing this nonsense.
Fosna will see this soon enough, so there's no point in me bothering them in a DM—they've already noticed what you're up to.
End of discussion from my side. Since you're so damn confident, post a screenshot of the actual inquiry and the answer!
Look, why don't you just send an actual inquiry to the shop and drop a screenshot? Honestly, if you actually knew how Futurica operates, you’d realize they don't keep everything on their site like other places—they're constantly refreshing the inventory and pulling stuff off the web the second it's gone. Plus, it literally says right there on the site under all the Phenom gear **bolded** that they've got them in stock at the store.
Hey Fosna, seriously, give the kids a break. This constant trolling and jumping from thread to thread is getting way out of hand.
Yeah, I just realized they pulled them. If it’s not the BE model, then we're looking at the 95W version.
Amy Vaughn12, it's really not that noticeable—especially now that we know it isn't the BE. Your power draw is basically the same since things have shifted a bit; the i3 only wins in those specific games that don't really use extra cores. You've also got the option to upgrade to AM3+ processors later, which will definitely be cheaper than going the Intel route. Honestly, just make a call. No need to overthink this when all the suggestions are hovering around the same performance levels and the pros are already laid out for you.