If you’re big on warranty coverage, just go with Crucial and get that lifetime guarantee. I’d personally steer clear of Vengeance—I’ve had them fail on me way too many times, leaving me staring at nothing but blue screens.
- you get a weaker CPU here, but the GPU actually packs more punch. - way more options for beefier processors later on if you decide to upgrade. - the stock cooler does the job just fine—and honestly, it's the same deal with the AMD build since that APU is 65W (plus there's a 45W TDP option if you want to keep things cool).
I’m definitely throwing a +1 in for Z323 too—I actually own all five of them. Honestly, most of the other brands just aren't playing in the same league—maybe if you're looking at used gear for a steal, but otherwise? Not really. If I were picking up anything from Google, I’d probably only look at something from their 2.0 wood series, provided you don't care *too* much about the bass.
There’s absolutely nothing mentioned about a monitor, and there's no way it comes with that setup. Honestly, the guy is just talking nonsense and exaggerating half the stuff he says. He posts a screenshot of his idle temps, but you can bet he was running Prime95 for two days straight on a 760K using a stock cooler inside a case like that with the turbo cranked up—I mean, 99% of the time those things hit over 70C while the fan is screaming. I've put together enough of these FM2 builds, dealing with all sorts of APA and Athlon setups, to know exactly what I'm talking about.
Google is a solid entry-level mid-tower case, but honestly, it’s really meant for builds with more modest components. It’s hard to even put it in the same league as the Z4—that thing comes loaded with 3x120mm fans, a built-in potentiometer, dust filters, and just much better overall dimensions. You get way more room for longer GPUs or beefier coolers, plus the cable management is actually decent, the build quality feels higher (sturdier panels, less vibration), and you get USB 3.0...
Basically, here’s a side-by-side comparison (keeping in mind we're using a Mini-ITX case inside the Google one):
The selection is a bit better here—though honestly, when it comes to pricing and service, they're pretty much identical.
Robert Rodriguez2
The FX 6300 holds its own even with stock cooling—I actually mentioned this after testing it in the Z1/Z3. Just a heads up though: you gotta disable the turbo, turn on those safety features, and swap in some high-quality thermal paste. It’s nothing to them, but for the chip, it's a lifesaver. Under full load, it doesn't even cross 65c, and the fan stays under 3500 RPM (anything higher gets annoyingly loud). Since I've already blown my budget, I'll have to save that upgrade for another time. Plus, you might want to consider doing that with your build anyway, because the Phoenix just isn't really meant for an AMD FX 8300 once you factor in the kind of GPUs it can actually handle.
Honestly, just stretch yourself a little and go for a cheaper, comparable AMD build—it’s way more important to you that you can pull a stronger GPU out of the gate:
AMD FX 6300 GIGABYTE 970A-DS3P CRUCIAL 4GB 1600 MHZ TOSHIBA 3,5 500GB SATA 3 SAPPHIRE R9 280 3GB DDR5 DUAL-X FORTRON HYPER 500W 80+ ZALMAN Z3 MIDI ATX USB 3.0
= $1542.
Robert Rodriguez2
That HDS board is light years away from being some "budget motherboard." Seriously, you won't find a better H81 board in the States, and even some of the B85 models can't really compete with it.
Why would you even bother swapping out the PSU and the RAM?
Those Crucial sticks are super reliable and come with a solid warranty—plus, that Razer gear is more than enough for this kind of setup. Honestly, efficiency-wise, it can probably hold its own against some entry-level Gold power supplies.
And on top of all that, the V300 is totally trashed—it’s basically sitting right there in the same tier as an SSHD or those Western Digital Blue drives. Honestly, I wouldn't recommend anything from Linkworld to anyone; sure, the cases are fine, but those power supplies are ticking time bombs regardless of how much juice your rig actually pulls. To be blunt—and I hate to even say this—I'd say even MS Industrial makes better stuff.
I'm actually using that exact same setup for my home media center. I might swap in a slightly pricier, faster drive though—maybe a Western Digital Blue. Just a heads-up: that Corsair case won't fit a 5.25" drive, so you'd need an external optical drive instead.
You could also go even smaller with an ATX build—well, technically a mini build—but just keep in mind you'll want to stick to HDMI since the VGA output on these tends to be pretty subpar. You could look into some Spire cases like the 210, which handles a 5.25" drive, or the 502. Also, whatever you do, make sure you grab DDR3-L RAM with the lower voltage for both setups. And if you go the smaller route, don't forget you'll specifically need SO-DIMM RAM.
Look, if you've got the chance to upgrade to an SSD, it's a total no-brainer—I didn't mention adding one earlier just because you were asking where else we could squeeze out some extra performance.
You're spot on, and honestly, right now the Intel 520 is a solid pick.
In that case, you’re probably better off grabbing a beefier Intel Core i5 with integrated graphics—especially if you're mostly grinding through 2D work with just some light 3D stuff thrown in. Honestly, a dedicated GPU isn't even the priority for video editing right away since it's so easy to just pop one in later... though if you do, try to stick with Nvidia because of CUDA support—maybe something like a GTX 740 or a GTX 750.
Also, definitely make sure you go with a fast HDD, because a Toshiba drive is noticeably slower than a Seagate Barracuda—you really can't trust those Toshibas unless you're looking at 2TB capacities or higher.
Here's an example:
Intel Core i5 4460 MSI H81M P33 KINGSTON 8GB 1866 MHZ SEAGATE 3,5 1TB SATA 3 BARRACUDA FORTRON HEXA 400W 80+ ACTIVE PFC power supply MS PHOENIX MIDI ATX
I mean, cheaper cards would definitely do the trick, but if you’re already dropping that kind of cash—it’d be a total waste not to just grab an R9 280 so it stays relevant for a longer stretch.
Just take this setup, swap out that R9 290 for an R9 280 and an XFX TS/Hyper 600, and you'll end up with a solid 5930/$1970.
So, he mentioned wanting something solid—basically looking for that sweet spot where quality meets performance—and honestly, I didn't feel like overcomplicating things for him.
Here’s one setup featuring the R9 290 plus an SSD, and if we skip the extra optics so he can have the GTX 970 too:
Intel Core i5-4460 AS ROCK B85M HDS KINGSTON 8GB 1600 MHZ INTEL 520 120 GB SSD SATA 3 TOSHIBA 3,5 1TB SATA 3 SAPPHIRE R9 290 TRI-X 4GB DDR5 FORTRON HYPER 700W 80+ ZALMAN Z3 MIDI ATX USB 3.0
= 6535 -II-.
He could also go with the Hyper 600 w + R1 R1 if he likes the look better—it really lets that TRI-X design pop.
Personally, I think this is actually slightly better since the R9 290 and the GTX 970 are pretty neck-and-neck in terms of power, plus you get the SSD in there and way better cooling than that Inno card. All in all, just based on what he asked for...👍
= $2017 - Futura IT (includes assembly and shipping)
Just a really solid, well-rounded Intel build here—it even has support for Broadwell. You've got plenty of RAM, and that SSHD is definitely going to feel snappier than your standard old-school hard drive. The R9 280 is a great card too, easily handling most modern games at 1080p on high or ultra settings. Plus, it comes with a reliable power supply (basically a repackaged Seasonic SII platform) and a case with decent airflow, enough room to breathe, and some extra features to play with.
If that's the case, then awesome—but honestly, there’s zero point in keeping it next to the + model. I could knock out that update in a heartbeat, but hey, they're probably busy prepping the new site and just don't feel like messing with little things like this right now.
This isn't even really a new APU series anymore—I mean, since Richland and Kaveri already dropped, we’re basically just seeing slightly better integrated graphics on certain Kaveria chips now.
If they're looking at medium or high settings, they can pretty much forget about playing most modern titles—especially if they're aiming for a demanding 1080p resolution. Plus, without dual-channel memory and 8GB of RAM (keep in mind the integrated graphics hogs some for itself; it's best to allocate maybe 1-2GB), it's going to struggle. They should probably specify which exact games they're actually trying to play.
Regarding the build itself—that Intel Core i3-4130 definitely needs an aftermarket cooler; there's no way around it. And honestly, grabbing a TN monitor in 2015? No thanks. You really want a VA or IPS panel for a decent picture. Also, this is that old Hexi case with those super short cables, so decent cable management is going to be a total nightmare—if they ever swap the case, they'll definitely need extension cables. I wouldn't pair a Low end A58/68/78 ASRock board with an APU- either; those things are just too noisy.
All in all, it’d be way smarter to dump that $3k entirely into the PC build first, then pick up a proper monitor later down the road. Tell him to weigh his options and let me know. And does he even need an optical drive? It's so easy to grab one later, and using that money to beef up the specs instead would be a huge win. As for Windows, he can just run it from a USB stick anyway.
It’s honestly not worth it—you’re basically just looking at an R9 270 with a slight overclock. That’s why I suggested the EVGA card instead; it’s got a much better cooler, so you can actually push the OC without worrying about everything melting.
That’s a solid way to look at it, though I’m not sure if it’s worth obsessing over every single detail if we're talking about a gaming build—especially since an SSD isn't a massive dealbreaker right away and it’s super easy to swap in later. Plus, let's be real, a Seagate drive isn't exactly crawling.
He’ll definitely need to swap out the case for a Z4, because that Z2 is totally closed off at the top. Also, if he sticks with Intel, that Corsair cooler is oriented upwards, which is going to be a nightmare for temps since there's nowhere for the hot air to actually escape.
