Posts by swiftfalcon89

Just one Intel Pentium G3260.
I've got one MSI H81M-P33 motherboard up for grabs.
I've got one Palit GeForce GTX 750 Ti StormX Dual 2GB up for grabs.
Just one stick of Kingston DDR3 8GB at 1600MHz. Simple enough.
Just one Seagate BarraCuda 1TB 3.5'' drive on the list.
One Corsair VS400 power supply.
Just one Voyager case up for grabs. No power supply included.

TOTAL: $1001

If you find that you actually need a DVD drive, just toss an LG GH24NSD1 SATA Bulk Black 24x into the mix.
So, that’s basically the whole deal then. $1033

Assembly and delivery? That's on the house.

Andrew Morales39 said:I know I’m being a bit much. Just trying to figure out the best possible combo for my needs.

Is there any way to make an i3 and a GTX 960 work together? How well would that setup handle games if I stick to lower settings, like medium or low? I’ve got a 144 Hz monitor, but currently, my rig can't even push past 100 FPS. Plus, money is tight right now. 😵

Hold on, how much cash are we actually talking about here? 🤔

Does it really have to be a GTX 960? You could grab an AMD Radeon for less money, and honestly, it actually performs slightly better in games than the GTX 960.

1x Intel Core i5
1x Gigabyte
1x Kingston 8gb 1600Mhz DDR3
1x MSI AMD Radeon 2GB DDR5 256bit
1x Western Digital 500gb SATA 3.0
1x Corsair 500w
1x MS Monster Gaming Case

Total: $1678

EDIT: You could shell out about 25 bucks more$10 and upgrade to a Cooler Master case instead.

Andrew Morales39 said:Thanks for all the advice, everyone, and sorry if I've been a bit much 😁 But I was wondering what kind of budget I'd need to put together a build featuring
Intel Core i5
and
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 🙂

Roughly $50

If you aren't planning on upgrading anytime soon:

1x Intel Pentium
1x Gigabyte motherboard
1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950
1x 8GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1866MHz
1x 1TB Western Digital hard drive, 3.5", 7200RPM, 32MB Cache, USB 3.0
1x 450W 80+ Bronze power supply
1x Mid tower case

TOTAL: $1190

Now, if you actually intend to upgrade later (maybe move up to an Intel Core i5 or an AMD Radeon later on), go with this:

1x Intel Pentium
1x ASUS motherboard
1x 8GB Corsair DDR3 1600MHz
1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950
1x 500GB Western Digital hard drive, 3.5''
1x 500W Corsair power supply
1x Mid tower case (no power supply included)

Total: $1175

Honestly, either setup is more than enough to run Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

goldenpanther said:Hmm, alright, I guess I'll see. I'm actually sitting here waiting to see how much this speeding ticket ends up costing me. Depending on what the fine looks like, whatever cash I have left over is going straight toward a new GPU. 😁

You drove too fast, and now you're stuck "driving" a slower graphics card. 😁

1x Intel Core i3 Processor (4MB Cache, up to 3.80 GHz), sFM2+
1x Gigabyte GA-F2A68HM-S1 motherboard
1x Gigabyte GTX950 WF2 Overclocked 2GB GDDR5 graphics card
1x 8GB (1x8GB) Kingmax DDR3 1600MHz RAM
1x 500GB TOSHIBA Hard Drive, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB
1x FORTRON 400W HEXA Plus 80+ Power Supply
1x MS VOYAGER midi tower case (power supply not included)

TOTAL: $1166
Free assembly and shipping
Best Buy

I actually managed to clear things up over on another forum, but I appreciate you checking in 🙂

Hey, if anyone here happens to have a setup featuring this specific processor and GPU, could you give me a shout? I've got a few questions I'm trying to work through. Thanks.

So, I’ve got a bit of a dilemma regarding the R9 380. I'm looking to pick one up, but I’m stuck choosing between the 2GB and the 4GB models. I've been digging through countless forums and reviews, and honestly, everyone seems to have a different opinion on the matter. It's getting a little confusing. My main question is: is this card actually powerful enough to make use of more than 2GB of VRAM—say, at least 3GB? I really don't want to drop an extra $30 or $40 on the 4GB version if the hardware isn't going to actually utilize that extra headroom. I'm planning on playing everything at 1080p.

restlessorca14 said:We were originally aiming to spend somewhere around $4,000 or $4,500 total, including a decent monitor. Now that we’re actually pulling the trigger, I just want to make sure we aren't buying something that's going to sit in a closet after a year because it can't keep up. We need something that's actually going to last and won't feel obsolete before we even get used to it. 🙂

I'm looking at this monitor for... $300 > Links <

I've got one Intel Core i3-4170 sitting here. It's running at 3.70GHz with 3MB of cache and a 54W TDP, all on a Socket 1150 setup.
I’ve got one Gigabyte GA-H81M-S2V on hand. It uses the Socket 1150 and runs on the Intel H81 Express chipset. It's set up with two slots for 1.5V DDR3 memory.
I’ve got one MSI R7 360 2GD5 OC on hand—it's the GDDR5 version with the 128-bit bus. Just putting that out there for anyone looking.
Just picked up a single 8GB stick of Kingston HyperX Fury DDR3. It’s running at 1866MHz with a CL10 latency. Still feels like a solid little upgrade for my current setup.
I've got one Forscan 400W 80+ power supply up for grabs.
Just one Toshiba 500GB drive—7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, with 32MB cache.
I've got one MS Voyager MIDI tower case up for grabs.

Total bundle (including the monitor): $400.$141

Just a quick heads-up: if you actually need a DVD drive, you'll have to add one to the build. Otherwise, you can just install Windows straight from a USB stick.

If you're looking to pick up a Gigabyte GIGABYTE GA-H81M-S2V, go for it.$117...or maybe go with the MSI MB H81M-P33.$123Honestly, they're pretty solid motherboards for that kind of price point.

Jesse Hughes said:One more thing:

I'm browsing some GPUs on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=gtx+950

Is there really any difference, or should I just grab the cheapest one since they're all technically the same card? Or is it better to stick with the big-name retailers?

Go with a reliable retailer. If you run into hardware issues, dealing with those random overseas webshops can be a total nightmare when you're trying to handle a warranty claim.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:nowadays, you end up with some cheap, bottom-of-the-barrel power supply 🤣

Some off-brand case that's basically the size of a matchbox😁

If you've already got a decent PSU, a solid case, and a SATA HDD, then just grab this:

1x Intel Core i5 4460 box
1x Intel Core i5 4460 with GIGABYTE Motherboard (S1150, DDR3, VGA, USB3.0/USB2.0, LAN, SATAIII/SATAII) mATX Retail
1x Kingston HyperX Fury DDR3, 1866MHz, 8GB Black
1x AMD Radeon R9 380 2GB, XFX-R9-380P-2DF5

TOTAL: $1262

Don't skimp on those $30 because of that i5 processor; you won't regret it. 👍

I wouldn't really suggest going with the NVIDIA model, especially if it's just a single-fan setup. Those things tend to run pretty hot and can get surprisingly loud, particularly if you're planning on stuffing it into a cramped case with poor airflow.

Matthew Alvarez said:I think those are the 2GB models going for around $1700-$600, but the cheapest 4GB versions usually start at $633.

As for the power supply, a hyper 600 w should be plenty for this setup. Honestly, I’d suggest grabbing a hyper 600 w just to give yourself some breathing room if you decide to swap in a beefier card down the road. 😉

And I'm talking about the 2GB models. 🙂There's really no point in stepping up since I don't plan on playing anything above 1080p.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:Don't sweat it, man. Ever since my very first build, I've stuck with EVGA power supplies. Honestly, I never had a single issue until one finally gave up the ghost. First one lasted about four years, the second went after five, and my most recent one hit five and a half 😁... I didn't pick up an EVGA this time simply because I couldn't find any in stock at the local Best Buy in Indianapolis, and I really didn't feel like paying for shipping $17... so I ended up grabbing an Antec instead. If they'd had an EVGA on the shelf, I would've grabbed it in a heartbeat.

So they weren't problematic, yet all three died on you 😁—or were you just running them into the ground? 😉

Timothy Kim60 said:Look, if you browse any of the big US hardware forums, people are constantly suggesting a 700-800W unit from brands like Corsair or Seasonic for a standard mainstream build.😬

Not everyone actually understands power draw, especially the average American user popping up in these threads. It might not be overkill for loads under 400W, but what you mentioned gets the job done reliably, stays reasonably priced, and comes with a 5-year warranty.

Some potential alternatives at that price point:

http://www.nabava.net/search.php?tp=0&q=lc6560gp3
http://www.nabava.net/search.php?tp=...EVGA 550W (not much feedback out there, but it should be fine—it'll hold up.)

Thanks. I think I'll go with the EVGA 500W, though if I can swing it, maybe I'll grab the EVGA 600W.👍

Timothy Kim60 said:Of course it can.

Thanks. I was browsing some overseas forums and they were all saying it wouldn't work—claiming it would be running right on the edge and probably unstable...