Gaming PC build under $450 on Facebook

graniteharbor85 said:Look, don't try to play the expert again with a fresh profile, because you clearly haven't spent any real time messing with these cases or SSDs—if you had, you’d be saying something totally different. The Arcadio Black Midi Tower has weaker build quality, less room to breathe, worse airflow, and a lower overall build standard, plus it's missing a fan right out of the box. Adding two fans on top later won't change much, unless you were planning on using an upward-facing cooler like a Raijintek. That might drop temps by maybe 2-3°C, and honestly, the only way to get better results is switching to high-efficiency fans that start at around $23 bucks, which is pointless since you should just buy a better cooler from the jump.

An Intel SSD is miles ahead of a Patriot one, and having a better warranty is just icing on the cake; even without it, the performance gap compared to a Samsung evo 840. would still be obvious. The stock cooler gets the job done and won't be loud; temps will probably peak around 60°C, and the fan hits about 3000 rpm (it only starts getting annoying once you pass 3400).

Here's a quick comparison for you: Arcadio Black Midi Tower vs Zalman Z1.

Personally, my stock Intel cooler is noisy enough, let alone an AMD one, but hey, everyone's sensitivity is different. The OP specifically mentioned wanting a quiet build. In my book, you should always pick a case with more room for coolers; everything else is just minor stuff that doesn't really move the needle.
It just hit me regarding your comment about the new profile—I've got this one, I don't need two.

For the last 8 or 9 years straight, I’ve always had at least one AMD 62/65W build in my rotation (ranging from old Athlons to today's Phenom II 910e running at 1.05v and ~2800rpm) using just a stock cooler, and they haven't been loud, nor have they ever overheated. I want to emphasize the word prebučni; obviously, you’ll hear them if you’re actively listening for it. It really comes down to the individual—not everyone has the same level of sensitivity to noise. For instance, if someone is a total silence fanatic, even the stock fans included with a chassis might get under their skin, much like a pricier (and likely a best-buy option) Zalman Z3. Just keep in mind that if the case is $100, it already comes equipped with three decent 12cm stock fans—but let's be real, decent 12cm fans usually run about $70-$$27, and getting three of them would cost over $67—which is practically the price of the entire case itself. Just to give you some perspective. Being a "silent ninja" is an expensive hobby, and looking at this build's specs, I highly doubt anyone here is trying to be a ninja
.

Timothy Kim60 said:The pics look good. Being a ninja isn't cheap, and based on those specs, I doubt this rig is a silent assassin.

👍👍

Yeah... I just wanted to point that out because my old setup was driving me crazy. Like, seriously, the old fans were so loud and running hot that they actually slapped a Katana on the CPU, a Zalman on the GPU, plus one for intake and one for exhaust... now it's totally fine. The other day I borrowed my little brother's PC to help him fix something, and man, it sounded like a freaking jet engine! It only had one fan on the CPU and one for exhaust. That’s why I emphasized quiet...

A good friend of mine actually uses a specialized silent case, lined with sound-dampening materials. They are significantly higher quality than standard ones, usually running around $100 or more.

When looking at CPU coolers, the noise levels are clearly listed; just pick the one with the lowest decibel rating. It is the same deal with graphics cards—you can check the specs for noise output or simply look for the various "silent" editions available.

Do a little digging online; it isn't much of a hurdle 🙂.
And I agree, having a quiet PC is wonderful. It provides a very pleasant sensation.

Also, don't bother stuffing two, three, or four fans into a case. If the chassis is high-quality, there is no need for that; two fans are plenty.

Silent cases come equipped with matching low-noise fans. Investing in a premium case is a smart move; you buy it once, and it will serve you through several different builds, giving you peace of mind for years.

Alright, I finally scraped the cash together... or, more accurately... I made my decision! 👍
I'm heading into Washington, D.C. this Monday, so I can swing by and pay for/pick up the rig...
So, my budget is capped at $1333...
Not trying to harp on it again, but I really want a PC that isn't a jet engine... just thinking ahead in case I need to swap out the stock coolers later...
The kid is already dreaming about playing GTA 5 😁
So, if someone could give me one final recommendation since it's been two whole weeks...
Thanks in advance!
As far as shops go... honestly, I don't care which one in Washington, D.C. I hit, as long as they're open early Monday morning...
That SSD idea sounds awesome though... I don't know why, but I'm feeling it.

Maybe it’s the AMD X6 FX-6300.
The Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P motherboard.
Maybe the Raijintek Arcadio Black Midi Tower case (without the power supply, P/N: GERT-003) could work for some builds.
I guess the Spire Kepler Rev.2 cooler might be worth a look.
Maybe some Transcend 4GB DDR3 1333MHz bulk memory?
The XFX AMD Radeon R7 265A 2GB DDR5, XFX-R7-265A-CNF4 graphics card.
Toshiba DT01ACA050 500
Zalman 500 w GLX Series Retail, ZAL-ZM500-GLX

Overall: $1353 Downtown

I was playing around with some parts, and I guess you could actually put together a build with an UziShop FX 4300 and a GTX 960. $1333 It looks like the processor is going to have to be overclocked, I guess.

crimsonstag84 said:AMD X6 FX-6300 processor
Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P motherboard
Raijintek Arcadio Black Midi Tower case, no PSU included, P/N: GERT-003
Spire Kepler Rev.2 cooler
Transcend 4GB DDR3 1333MHz bulk memory
XFX AMD Radeon R7 265A 2GB DDR5 graphics card, XFX-R7-265A-CNF4
Toshiba DT01ACA050 500GB 3.5'' drive
Zalman 500W GLX Series Retail, ZAL-ZM500-GLX

Total cost: $1353 downtown

I also checked out a combo you could put together at UziShop FX 4300 and GTX 960 for $1333, though you'd definitely need to overclock that CPU to make it work.

Honestly, overclocking isn't really my thing...
We were talking about cases earlier... what's your take on the Zalman? And do you think grabbing an SSD is actually worth the money?

If you're working with that kind of budget and hoping to play modern titles, an SSD isn't really an option unless you already have an HDD lying around. I guess it's just tough to squeeze both in.

You could probably grab a Z1 Zalman for $5.25 more...

crimsonstag84 said:If you're trying to play the latest AAA games on that budget, you can't skimp on an SSD. That only works if you already have an HDD sitting around somewhere.

You could even grab a Z1 Zalman for $5.25 more...

all that stuff together shouldn't be super loud... right?

It won't be loud

coastaltiger2 said:Well... let's just say... I've made my decision... 👍
I'm heading into New York City this Monday, so I can pay for and pick up the PC then...

By the way, are you aware they actually have to build that PC for you? It isn't a pre-built configuration.
Why even make the trip for that? You could just order it online and pay via cash on delivery...

If they're planning on ordering online, I'd probably go this route since delivery costs in Downtown can be a total rip-off $27.

1 x XFX R9 270A 2GB DDR5
1 x AMD FX X6 6300 3.5Ghz (4.1GHz) box
1 x GIGABYTE GA-970A-DS3P, AM3+
1 x LC Power Office Series, socket 775/1155/1156/AMD
1 x Crucial 4GB DDR3 1600 Mhz (PC3-12800) CL11
1 x XFX TS 450W, 80+ Bronze
1 x HDD SEAGATE Barracuda (3.5",1TB,64MB,SATA III)
1 x MS PHOENIX case without PSU

Total:$1378 futur , plus free assembly and shipping!

crimsonstag84 said:Intel Core i5-4670K
ASUS ROG Maximus motherboard
Corsair Carbide Series case without power supply P/N: GERT-003
Spire Kepler Rev.2 cooler
SanDisk Ultra 4GB DDR3 1333MHz bulk
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB DDR5, XFX-R7-265A-CNF4
Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5''
EVGA 500 W1, ZAL-ZM500-GLX

Total: $1353 centro

I looked into a different combo—you could put together a Newegg FX 4300 and a GTX 960 for $1333, though you'll definitely need to overclock the CPU to make it work.

:clapping::clapping::clapping:

Timothy Kim60 said:It won't be loud

But hey, you realize they actually have to build that PC for you, right? It’s not just sitting there ready to go.
Why even trek all the way there? Just order it online and pay cash on delivery...

I dunno man... maybe if I see their financing terms in person I'll bite... honestly, I haven't even decided yet😁

Sean Garcia3 said:If you're gonna order it, I'd go this route because shipping to downtown will end up being a pain.$27.

1 x XFX R9 270A 2GB DDR5
1 x Intel Core i5 3.5Ghz (4.1GHz) box
1 x GIGABYTE GA-970A-DS3P, AM3+
1 x LC POWER LC-CC-95, socket 775/1155/1156/Intel
1 x Crucial 4GB DDR3 1600 Mhz (PC3-12800) CL11
1 x XFX TS 450W, 80+ Bronze
1 x HDD SEAGATE Barracuda (3.5",1TB,64MB,SATA III)
1 x MS PHOENIX case without PSU

Total:$1378 Best Buy ,free assembly and shipping!

This one and the card suggestion are different in the power supply and the GPU... or is it just the PSU? Is the first one weaker? And which one is quieter? Does a quiet power supply even exist?

coastaltiger2 said:I don't know... maybe I'll decide on some kind of payoff once I see the terms... actually, honestly, I have no clue. 😁

Wait, so the suggestion from Smartcard differs in the power supply and the GPU... or is it just the PSU? Is the first one weaker? And which one is quieter? Does a truly silent power supply even exist?

My build has a way beefier graphics card, double the storage speed, and a much higher quality power supply, though the case itself isn't top-tier. Don't sweat it—you won't hear a thing, all these components are pretty quiet.

Sean Garcia3 said:My rig actually has a way beefier GPU, a drive that's twice as fast, and a much better power supply, even if the case itself feels a bit cheap. Honestly, don't sweat it—none of those parts are going to be loud. Everything's pretty quiet.

I’m telling you now... if I were in your shoes, I'd grab an internal Bluetooth module and a dedicated Wi-Fi card to round it all out. I know Wi-Fi cards are easy to find, but I'm a little fuzzy on the Bluetooth side of things...

coastaltiger2 said:Look, I'm telling you... I'd just go with some built-in Bluetooth module and an internal Wi-Fi card... I know Wi-Fi cards are easy to find, but I'm not so sure about the Bluetooth side of things...

What exactly are you even planning to do with Bluetooth?
If you just need internet, just plug a USB dongle into a port, connect to your network, and boom—you're online.

Just call them up or shoot them an email to order it. Why bother wasting $167 on gas when they'll just drop everything right at your doorstep within 24 hours? You can just pay the delivery guy cash when he shows up.

Sean Garcia3 said:If he's planning on ordering online, I'd set it up like this since shipping to downtown might end up costing way more than expected.$27.

1 x XFX R9 270A 2GB DDR5
1 x Intel Core i5 3.5Ghz (4.1GHz) box
1 x GIGABYTE GA-970A-DS3P, AM3+
1 x LC POWER LC-CC-95, socket 775/1155/1156/Intel
1 x Crucial 4GB DDR3 1600 Mhz (PC3-12800) CL11
1 x XFX TS 450W, 80+ Bronze
1 x HDD SEAGATE Barracuda (3.5",1TB,64MB,SATA III)
1 x MS PHOENIX case without power supply

Total:$1378 Best Buy ,free assembly and delivery included!

Wait, there's no heatsink listed here... do we actually need one or what?

coastaltiger2 said:There's no cooler included... do I actually need one or what?

What do you mean there's no cooler? This is literally your fourth LC POWER LC-CC-95, socket 775/1155/1156/Intel

Sean Garcia3 said:Since I don't have a cooler, this is actually my fourth LC POWER LC-CC-95 for those old Intel/AMD sockets.

😵😵
my bad...