Advice for buying a gaming PC!

John Booth said:That makes sense, but do I have to be there in person to pick it up, or can someone else grab it for me?
I'm at work right now, and my old man is home alone. He's a bit worried about how he'll know if everything arrived correctly—basically, how he'll tell if what shows up is actually what we paid for. 😁

Just have them deliver it straight to your workplace.

Who cares who takes over the reins as long as the bills are being paid? You don't need to worry about the actual product quality; you aren't going to walk out of a store like Target with a literal brick instead of what you ordered 😁

Hey everyone, how’s it going? So, I actually came back to pick your brains again because, honestly, that last PC build we talked about turned out absolutely killer—I'm still loving every second of it. Now, I need a fresh recommendation for a new setup that covers both gaming and multimedia. It’s mostly for my parents to use around the house, but I’ll be jumping on it too to play some old-school classics like Most Wanted, Call of Duty, or Medal of Honor: Airborne. Since we aren't trying to run the latest AAA blockbusters, there's really no need for a massive, high-end rig, right? Just something solid that won't break the bank. Any ideas?
So, my budget is capped at Max 2200, though I’ve already got a monitor sitting right here... can I actually pull together something decent with that kind of cash, or am should I just save myself the headache and pick up a pre-built PC instead?

Futura IT Shopping Cart

1 x AMD Kaverin A8-Series, Radeon R7 Series
1 x ASRock FM2A68M HD+, FM2
1 x Kingston ValueRAM, 2400MHz, XMP, 4GB, CL11
1 x Toshiba P300 1TB, 64MB, 7200rpm, High-Performance
1 x NaviaTec Z1 black, mATX/ITX
1 x Fortron Hexa+ 400W, 80+

Total: $718

Should I include an optical drive?

Either grab this from Timothy Kim60, or just pick up some used gear for $567 and throw an SSD in there later.

Timothy Kim60 said:Futura IT Shopping Cart

1 x AMD Kaverin A8-Series, Radeon R7 Series
1 x ASRock FM2A68M HD+, FM2
1 x Kingston ValueRAM, 2400MHz, XMP, 4GB, CL11
1 x Toshiba P300 1TB, 64MB, 7200rpm, High-Performance
1 x NaviaTec Z1 black, mATX/ITX
1 x Fortron Hexa+ 400W, 80+

Total: $718

Do I really need an optical drive?

Well, if I want to actually install games from a disc, I guess I kind of have to, right?

Why not just download them online? If I swap in a dedicated GPU ($43), the whole build strategy shifts—we’d be looking at an H110 motherboard paired with a Skylake Celeron (like the G3900, which is currently seeing the best prices over at Micro Center, Newegg, or Amazon) and DDR4 RAM. The only real downside would be having much weaker integrated graphics for gaming if you stick with that setup.

Buying a used burner? You can find them on Craigslist everywhere you look.

Timothy Kim60 said:What if you just grabbed them online? If I toss an optical drive in there ($43), the whole build strategy shifts—we're talking an Intel B150 board paired with a Skylake Celeron, like the G3900 which is basically the best deal you'll find at Micro Center, Newegg, or Best Buy, plus some DDR4 RAM. The only real downside is you'd be stuck with a weaker integrated GPU for gaming, you know?

Look, I can definitely work with this setup, you were the one who told me to just add an optical drive in the first place.
$33Whether it's mounted on top or bottom doesn't really matter, right?

Sure link
You could also go with a standard case click, though you really should, since the Naviatec Z1 requires slimline optics similar to what you'd find in a laptop

Can someone take a look at this build?

LC Power Case-Gaming 976 $126

750W Power Supply, MODECOM Volcano 750, ATX v2.31, 120mm fan, PFC, 80 Plus Bronze, modular $208 750W Power Supply, MODECOM Volcano 750, ATX v2.31, 120mm fan, PFC, 80 Plus Bronze, modular

1000.0 GB Hard Drive SEAGATE ST1000DM003, SATA3, 64MB cache, 7200 RPM, 3.5" 1000.0 GB Hard Drive SEAGATE ST1000DM003, SATA3, 64MB cache, 7200 RPM, 3.5" $149

PCI-E Graphics Card XFX AMD Radeon RX 480, 8GB DDR5, HDMI, DVI, DP PCI-E Graphics Card XFX AMD Radeon RX 480, 8GB DDR5, HDMI, DVI, DP $791

PC-17000 Memory, 8 GB, Kingston ValueRAM, KVR21N15D8/8, DDR4 2133 MHz PC-17000 Memory, 8 GB, Kingston ValueRAM, KVR21N15D8/8, DDR4 2133 MHz $155 (two sticks)

INTEL Core i5-4460 BOX, socket 1150, 3.2GHz, 6MB cache, GPU, quad Core $553 INTEL Core i5-4460 BOX, socket 1150, 3.2GHz, 6MB cache, GPU, quad Core

MSI Z170M Mortar Motherboard, Intel Z170, DDR4, SATA, PCI-E, G-LAN, VGA, HDMI, DVI-D, audio, USB 3.1, mATX, socket 1151 $323

Best Buy $2460

I know this might be a bit much, I guess. I'm not the one picking out computers 🤣, but I'd like some advice before I head out to buy all this. 🙂

That CPU socket and motherboard won't match up (1150 vs 1151). Honestly, there's no point in grabbing a Z-series board if you aren't planning on overclocking. You could easily go with an Intel Core i5-6400 paired with a higher-end Intel B150 board instead.

And seriously, get rid of that Modecom power supply immediately; it’s just bad math to spend money via $200 on such a questionable unit. If you're looking for a modular setup, grab this, it's a much better power supply and comes with a 5-year warranty. Just a heads-up, Best Buy can be a bit pricey if you're paying cash. For instance, with the same budget as that 480, you could actually snag msi gaming which is a top-tier AMD Radeon RX 480 model.

Timothy Kim60 said:The processor socket and motherboard don't match (1150 vs 1151). And you don't need a Z series board if you aren't planning on overclocking. You could just grab an Intel Core i5-6400 paired with a decent B150 motherboard instead.

Get that Modecom power supply out of there immediately. It makes zero sense to spend extra money on $200 a questionable unit like that. If you want modularity, just get this; you'll get a better PSU and a 5-year warranty. Though, I guess Links is a bit pricey if you're paying cash. For the price of that 480, you could probably snag msi gaming which is a top-tier AMD Radeon RX 480 model
.

I definitely don't need overclocking. 😁 But then the question is, which B150 motherboard would actually be okay for this setup? As for Links, she picked them because it's her computer—she’s using her own cash, her own choice, so I guess I just have to deal with it and shut up. 😁

I agree regarding the power supply. I've looked at those Cooler Master units before. This one in the build was recommended to me, so I just went with it, I suppose. 🙂

So, I've got this AMD Kaverin A8-Series paired up with a Radeon R7 Series, just sitting there. Is it enough to get by? Who knows, but here we are.
Just one ASRock FM2A68M HD+ on the FM2 platform.
Just one stick of Kingston ValueRAM DDR3 HyperX Savage, clocked at 2400MHz with XMP support—it’s a 4GB module with CL11 latency. Simple enough, right?
Just grabbed a 1TB Toshiba P300 with 64MB cache spinning at 7200rpm—it's a solid High-Performance drive if you just need some extra breathing room for your files.
Just one NaviaTec Z1 black, mATX/ITX.
Just one Fortron Hexa+ 400W, 80+.

Total: $718

Wait, I didn't quite catch you there. Which coffee maker should I grab to go along with this setup?

Paul King7 I included the coffee maker and the case in my previous post, but if you strip out the Naviatec Z1 from that suggestion (since the case price remains identical), the total cost only jumps by the price of the coffee machine itself.

mistyhound94 Even a lower-tier option like an H110 would suffice, unless there are specific requirements we need to account for.

Here are the for my suggestion:



Something slightly cheaper $2333 to save some cash (based on web pricing).

The CPU is essentially the same beast as the Intel Core i5-4460, just more efficient—honestly, it’s actually a tiny bit faster if you're looking at synthetic benchmarks.

The power supply is noticeably cheaper than the Cooler Master one (about a third of the price); it offers the same quality and wattage, it just lacks modularity and that 5-year warranty. It's up to you what you prefer, but it will fit without any issues.

Just ditch the coffee maker if it's not necessary.

The case comes with two fans; you can set one as an exhaust to get decent airflow, so you won't need to buy anything extra. If the aesthetics of the other one caught your eye, go for it—it's a solid case and the price isn't bad.

You could take the extra budget and put it toward a premium model like the AMD Radeon RX 480 - MSI Gaming; the difference could mean better silence, better overclocking, and lower temperatures. For the $13 extra, you could upgrade to the MX300 275GB SSD—it's a superior drive, though the current one has a 5-year warranty, so weigh your options. In my opinion, the Samsung Evo 850 is overpriced (even if it is arguably the best consumer SATA SSD out there). As for the motherboard, if it becomes available, the MSI B150M Bazooka Plus is an option. Overall, the prices aren't bad at all (at least for the parts I picked), it's just that the GPU is a little pricier here than elsewhere.

*I hope her monitor has a digital output—either HDMI or DVI—so it's not strictly VGA-only.

AMD Kaverin A8-Series, Radeon R7 Series
1 x ASRock FM2A68M HD+, FM2
1 x Kingston ValueRAM, 2400MHz, XMP, 4GB, CL11
1 x MS Helios 3 Case, black
1 x nJoy 560W PSU, 12cm, bulk
1 x Toshiba P300 1TB, 64MB, 7200rpm, High-Performance
1 x LG GH24NSD1

Total: $725

Timothy Kim60, you think this setup actually holds up?

The New York Times just asked Future to put together a quote for those parts, and get this—instead of sticking to your suggestion of the Fortron Hexagon+ 400W 80+, they recommended some nJoy 560W 12cm bulk unit. So, which one of these two is actually any good?

It’s fine, just stay far away from that Njoy stuff, it's absolute garbage. Hexa is way more reliable, I guess.

Yup

I have no idea why they suggested that when Hexa is basically a rocket ship for this kind of setup. Maybe it’s just because they had it in stock and didn't have the other one, or perhaps they figured any basic part would cut it since your current build doesn't pull much power. Personally, I'd stick with Hexa; not only is it more reliable, but it’ll actually give you some breathing room later on if you decide to drop in a GPU or something similar.

1 x AMD Kaveri A8-Series X4 7600 (3.8GHz,4MB,65W,FM2+) box, Radeon R7 Series
1 x ASRock FM2A68M HD+, FM2
1 x Kingston DDR3 HyperX Savage,2400MHz, XMP, 4GB,CL11
1 x MS Helios 3 case, Black
1 x 1x Fortron Hexa+ 400W, 80+
1 x HDD Toshiba P300 1TB, 64MB, 7200rpm, High-Performance
1 x LG GH24NSD1 sat Bulk Black 24x

Total: $725

So, do you think I'll actually be able to upgrade this rig over the next year or two, or am I just hitting a dead end here?