Advice for buying a gaming PC!

Zalman R1 🙂

Both the B85M-D3H and the B85-HD3 come with four RAM slots, so I guess you might as well go with the B85-HD3 for the extra room.

Adam Moore3 said:With a Micro-ATX board you only get 2 RAM slots, but this one has 4. As for cases, just go with the Zalman Z3 or Z3 Plus; you can't really go wrong there.

Are you sure about that?

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/pro...px?pid=4567#sp

I guess I'm curious about the Z3, but are the fans actually loud? I know I'm 🥱, but still.😁

crimsonstag84 said:Zalman R1 🙂

Both the Intel ® B85 and the B85-HD3 have 4 RAM slots, so feel free to grab the B85-HD3; it gives you more room.

👍 I have to admit, the R1 looks better, honestly.

Hmm, you know, I’m not entirely sure. I didn't look at a specific model, just noticed it was Micro-ATX, and most of those only have two RAM slots. Regardless, if your case isn't going to hold you back—and since you're just picking one up now, it shouldn't—I'd say go with the ATX version. 🙂

1 x Intel Core i5-4460 (3.20GHz,1MB,6MB,84 W,1150) Box
1 x MSI R9 280 3GB GAMING 3GB GDDR5 384bit, R9 280 GAMING, TF4
1 x Gigabyte GA-B85-HD3, Socket : 1150, Intel ® B85, 4xDDR3 1333/1600
1 x HDD SATA3 7200 500, Serial ATA III, 7200 rpm, ST1000DM003
2 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Kingston, 1600MHz, Silicon Power CL11, Value
1 x Fortron 600W Hyper Power Supply, PPA6003302, 12cm fan
1 x Zalman R1 mid tower case. 192(W) x 465(H) x 450(D)mm.

$1936

Is this okay? I guess I haven't asked about the memory yet?😁

http://www.amazon.com/product-info/details/14992

$1.00 It’s actually cheaper, 1866MHz 😁

Everything else seems fine, I guess.

How would an Intel Core i3-4150 hold up for gaming alongside an AMD Radeon R7 260X?
I'm looking at an H81M-K motherboard.
It’s a pretty decent deal for me, so I'd love to get some thoughts on this setup!

Hey there. We already covered the whole i3 situation about two pages back.

Timothy Kim60 said:Morning! We actually covered that i3 discussion about two pages back.

$1000, would you say this is a fair price for an H81M-K,
an Intel Core i3-4150,
an AMD Radeon R7 260X
, 4GB of RAM
, a 250GB HDD
, a random generic 560W power supply
and Windows 8?

The price isn't bad for the US market, but I’m really not a fan of that garbage power supply. Plus, they're stuffing it with an old, tiny hard drive—you can barely find 250GB HDDs in any US shop anymore, and if you do, they cost just as much as a 500GB or even a 1TB drive.

Timothy Kim60 said:The price isn't bad for the US market, though I'm not a fan of that junk power supply. Also, stuffing it with an old, small HDD is a pain since you can barely find 250GB drives in stores anymore—they usually cost the same as 500GB or even 1TB ones!

I actually have another 300GB drive, so that 250GB one won't bother me at all.
I'll probably swap out that power supply as soon as I save up a little cash. A 400W Hexa unit should be plenty, right?
I once built a rig with an FX 6300 and an AMD Radeon R7 260X, $1067...
But I'm thinking the 960GM-V3 might not be the best match for that CPU??

Of course it isn't good; if they leave that stock cooler on, it’s basically a death sentence.

Don't you have some local shop where you can just walk in with a list and say, "I want this and that"?

I guess I'd go with an i3 build first and then just drop in a Hex later—400W should be plenty—plus you could always swap in an i5 and a better GPU down the road...

Roger Mitchell4 said:$1000,is this a fair price for an H81M-K,
an Intel Core i3-4150,
an AMD Radeon R7 260X
, 4GB of RAM
, a 250GB HDD
, some random 560W power supply
and Windows 8?

Check out some local computer shops in places like Pittsburgh, for example.

Intel Core i5-4460 $453/211 miles
msi h81m-p33 v2 $127/59 miles
Chieftec 500W Power Supply $117/54 miles
Raidmax Super Viper 321WB Case $107/50 miles
GoodRam 4GB 1600MHz DDR3 $100/47 miles

Once you save up enough, just pick up a dedicated graphics card later on. Honestly, the i5 is a much better choice than the i3 right out of the gate. The integrated HD 4600 graphics on the i5 should handle some light gaming just fine to start with.

fadedorca66 said:Of course it's not good; if you leave that stock cooler on, it's basically a death sentence.

Don't you have a local shop where you can just walk in with a list of parts and say, "I want this and that"?

Personally, I’d go with an i3 build first and then drop in a Hex later (a 400W PSU should cut it), plus you can always upgrade to an i5 and a beefier GPU down the road...

The closest one to me is in Mostar, but the prices there are absolutely brutal... an FX 6300 that goes for $267 in the States, they charge $400 👎 here.
Honestly, I’d opt for the i3 too, but that dual-core setup really bugs me—I know it has HT, but it's still just not quite there.

Honestly, that i3 is solid enough and will definitely hold its own for gaming. Go ahead and grab it; maybe in a couple of years you'll just swap in an i5 and be back in the game.

With that second one, you’re probably looking at either a dead motherboard, overheating issues, or just both.

Roger Mitchell4 said:The closest shop to me is in Mostar, and their prices are just a total disaster. An FX 6300 would probably cost me around $150 here. $267It’s like this here in America. $400 👎 .
I’d probably make the jump to an i3 too. That dual-core setup just really struggles sometimes. I know it has HT, but honestly, it still doesn't quite cut it.

Ten thousand dollars is basically overnight shipping; what are you even talking about regarding Mostar?

Alexander Moore67 said:check out these local shops selling parts in places like Austin, for example.

I already know that shop; they have the best prices in the US.
What's their selection of pre-built rigs like regarding 497 miles?

Roger Mitchell4 said:I already know that shop; they're the cheapest one in the US.
What kind of pre-built bundles do they have up to 497 miles?

Pre-built rigs are usually garbage. If you've been reading this forum, you know building your own is the way to go. If an i5-4440 isn't enough for you, then grab an FX-6300 and a GPU like an AMD Radeon R7 260x. But honestly, what I suggested earlier is a solid five-year build. If you go with a weak GPU, you won't get very far in just two years.

Alexander Moore67 said:An Intel Core i5-4440! $453/211 miles
The MSI H81M-P33 V2 is a solid little board! It gets the job done perfectly for my needs. $127/59 miles
The Chieftec GPS-500A8 power supply delivers 500W! $117/54 miles
Raidmax Super Viper 321WB case! $107/50 miles
I've picked up some GoodRam 4GB 1600MHz DDR3! Happy days! $100/47 miles

Once you've saved up enough, just grab a dedicated graphics card separately. Honestly, the i5 is such a massive step up from the i3 right at the start! Plus, the integrated HD 4600 on that i5 is actually pretty decent for some lighter gaming.

I picked up a graphics card from Canada right at the beginning! Does anyone know if I could put together something similar with a budget of $3,300?

Alexander Moore67 said:There aren't any perfect pre-built options out there. If you've been reading these forums, you know building it yourself is the way to go! If you're not feeling the i5 4440, then just grab an FX6300 and a card like an R7 260X. But honestly, what I suggested earlier is built to last five years. You won't have much fun with a weak GPU after just two.

I really like the build you put together! But does it actually matter which CPU I pick if I'm just pairing it with a budget card like an R7 260X or a GTX 750? 🤔