Advice for buying a gaming PC!

Dennis Carter3 said:Make sure you grab a high-quality power supply, something pretty solid like this
It’ll run any game on that Intel build without breaking a sweat, even at max settings!

That XFX unit is total overkill; there’s really no point picking that for a rig with a 4460 and an HD 5770. A Fortron Hexa will handle them easily while saving you some $53. If you're planning on upgrading later, just go with the 500 W Fortron and save some $33...

Adam Moore3 said:That XFX unit is complete overkill—there’s really no point in grabbing that for a build running a 4460 and an HD 5770. A Fortron Hexa would handle those components without breaking a sweat while saving $53. If he's thinking about future upgrades, he should probably just go for a 500 W Fortron and save $33...

Well, he did mention he plans on picking up a beefier graphics card later, so the power supply isn't actually overkill. Besides, it's significantly higher quality than the Fortron option, and it'll serve him well when he eventually upgrades to a more powerful i5 or i7 series processor. It’s priced at $157, which isn't much, making it a total best buy
.

I won't even get into how much this whole setup is going to drain my bank account.🙂 Dennis Carter3, why don't you just suggest a graphics card then? That way I can see exactly how much extra I'll need to shell out and figure out how long I have to wait before I can pull the trigger on that too. My plan is to grab the motherboard and processor first, get everything seated, and then slot the GPU in later.

William Smith10 said:I won't even mention the total cost to my wife—that's a conversation I'd rather avoid.🙂 Dennis Carter3, why don't you just suggest a GPU? Then I can see how much extra it adds and figure out how long it'll take me to save up for that, too. My plan is to grab the motherboard and processor first, get everything set up, and then slot the card in later.

Here are two different directions you could take—just look at your budget and decide when you're ready to pull the trigger:

Option 1—with this setup, you'll be playing everything on max settings for quite a while.

Option 2—this will handle most games at high settings, though for the big upcoming titles, you might need to dial back the details or drop the resolution a bit.

If it’s within reach, honestly, it would be awesome to go with the more expensive one; that card is an absolute beast, and it'll give you some serious peace of mind for a long time before you even think about upgrading. The second option is a solid "best buy" right now—it'll run everything well, just maybe not everything on Ultra.
Just a heads-up, though—maybe check back in with me a couple of days before you actually head out to buy it, since prices seem to shift constantly.

If you're working with a tighter budget, you might consider grabbing a bundle like this instead—it gets everything you need upfront so you can just sit back and relax:

1 x AMD FX X6 6300 3.5Ghz (4.1GHz) box
1 x Gigabyte 970A DS3P, AM3+
1 x LC POWER LC-CC-95, socket 775/1155/1156/AMD
1 x SAPPHIRE Radeon R7 265 2G GDDR5/256-bit
1 x Fortron Hexa+ 500W, 80+

Total: $999 Best Buy, includes free assembly and shipping!
With this configuration, you should be able to run most modern games on medium to high settings without much trouble.

Dennis Carter3, you really went above and beyond by laying out all those different options for me. I truly appreciate it. That first graphics card is completely out of my league because it would push the total cost way past my $1667. Now, this last configuration? That’s the one that actually catches my eye. My only question is whether you're suggesting a complete pre-built system here, or if you're thinking of just swapping those specific parts into my current rig. Honestly, I might just sell my old setup. I'm just stuck on what kind of asking price makes sense. I've already had two people sniffing around because they know I'm a pushover, and whenever I try to sell something, I always end up lowballing myself and leaving money on the table.🙂

William Smith10 said:Dennis Carter3, you really went above and beyond by laying out all those different options—I truly appreciate it. That first GPU option is unfortunately way out of my budget, as that would push the total up to $1667. However, I’m quite fond of that last suggestion. One thing I'm unclear on, though, is whether that's a complete build or if you'd just be slotting those specific parts into your own rig. I was thinking about potentially selling my current setup, but I'm honestly not sure what kind of asking price is reasonable. I've already had two people reach out because they know I tend to be a bit too generous when I'm selling things, so I usually end up letting them go for less than they're worth.🙂

That final option consists of the processor, motherboard, cooler, graphics card, and power supply—components you'd integrate into your existing PC.

If you want an idea of what you could get for the parts you're planning to sell, feel free to post them here; the guys should be able to give you a pretty precise estimate of their value

Hey there!
Could someone help me out with a build recommendation? I'm looking at a budget of around $3,500—mostly for gaming and watching movies.
Ideally, I'd love to pick everything up from Micro Center if possible.

I have one AMD FX X6 6300 processor available, clocked at 3.5GHz with a boost up to 4.1GHz. This is the boxed version.
I have one Gigabyte 970A DS3P, AM3+ available.
I have one LC POWER LC-CC-95 available, compatible with socket 775/1155/1156 and various AMD platforms.
I have one Toshiba DT01ACA050 500GB 3.5" hard drive available.
I have one single stick of Crucial 4GB DDR3 RAM, running at 1600 MT/s (PC3-12800) with a latency of CL11.
I have one MSI R7 260 OC available for sale. It features 1GB of GDDR5 memory and comes equipped with VGA, DVI, and HDMI outputs.
One LG GH24NS sat Bulk Black 24x optical drive.
One Zalman Z1, featuring a sleek black USB 3.0 finish and equipped with two 120mm fans.
I have one Fortron Hexa plus 400 w power supply available. It features an 80+ rating, utilizes an active PFC, and comes equipped with a 12 cm fan.

Total: $1154 Plus, we offer free assembly and shipping.

The AMD Athlon ii x4 860 k processor... quite an interesting choice...
Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 3 hard drive...
The Spire Kepler Rev.2 cooler...
Adata DDR3 4GB 1600MHz memory...
The Zalman micro tower ZM-T2 plus... quite a compact little case.
The Fortron Hexa plus 400 w power supply... featuring an 80+ rating.
Sapphire Radeon R7 265 DP DUAL-X running at 900MHz...
The ASRock FM2A88M EXTREME 4 motherboard... truly impressive...

$1150+$27 Shipping status...

An enthusiast-grade gaming rig... 😁
An unlocked Pentium... 🙏 Add an SSD for lightning-fast loading times and snappy Windows performance...
I wanted to upload... Toshiba Hybrid SSHD, 8GB + 500GB...But it's unavailable right now... 😠

The Intel Pentium G3258... quite a little powerhouse for its class.
The Asus H81M-PLUS motherboard...
The Zalman micro tower ZM-T2 plus... truly a compact little case.
The Sapphire Radeon R9 270 2G DUAL-X features both Boost and OC versions... truly impressive performance...
SanDisk Ultra Plus 128GB SSD, 2.5”...
Adata DDR3 4GB 1600MHz memory...
The Spire Kepler Rev...
The Fortron Hexa plus 400 w power supply... it carries an 80+ rating... solid enough for the job...

$1164+$27 Shipping...

Centro.hrFree assembly service included...

Intel and all those enthusiasts.🤣😵

feralcanyon73 said:Intel enthusiasts.🤣😵

If you're struggling to overclock this processor on a motherboard where you're basically gambling on whether a BIOS flash will even allow it, I don't see that as enthusiasm—it just looks like being cheap.

Alexander Moore67 said:If you're struggling just to overclock a processor on a board where you aren't even sure if a BIOS flash will actually make it work, then I don't see the "enthusiast" part in that—it's just wasting time for pennies.

I was speaking more broadly here; Intel and true enthusiasm are basically two different planets.

Don't get me wrong, I've got nothing against Intel personally. I'm running two Intel rigs and just one AMD. It’s just that Intel chips feel destined for server racks and HTPCs. That's where they belong.😛

Hey everyone, I have a quick favor to ask—I’m looking for some upgrade advice. My current rig is getting pretty old, and I’ve basically had to stop playing modern games altogether. I’m planning to drop about $1333, and if luck is on my side, maybe even $1667—though I'm hoping to recoup that thousand by selling off my old parts.
Current specs:
MS PRO 550w atx p4
ASROCK H55m-LE PCI EXPRESS 2.0
Intel i5 CPU 650
AMD RADEON HD 5670 1GB DDR5
2x APACER 2GB UNB PC3.10600 CL9
thermaltake v3 case
I’ll most likely be ordering through centro.hr and paying via COD. Don't worry about suggesting an SSD just yet—I'll pick one up later once I've saved up more cash. Thanks!

Here’s what I’m thinking.

1 x AMD FX-Series X6 6300 3.5GHz,14MB,95W,AM3+, FD6300WMHK
1 x Gigabyte 970A-DS3P, AM3+, AMD 970 SB950, 4x DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1866
2 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11
1 x TOSHIBA 1TB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA100
1 x Spire Kepler Rev.2 ,hladnjak, 1156/775/FM1, 96.5×51×125 mm ,92mm
1 x Zalman ZM600-LX, 600W
1 x Sapphire R9 270X 4GB, OC Boost, 2GB GDDR5 256bit, 28nm

$1380

You can definitely hang onto the case; that V3 is still more than solid. As for the rest, you've got a six-core here that you can even overclock a bit on that small Kepler cooler. If you're looking to push some serious overclocks, though, you'll definitely need a beefier cooler—not that I maxed out my budget anyway. If you manage to sell your old gear and scrape together about $500, I'd aim for an FX 8320 and an XFXov 280; that should fit right in your budget. 🙂

EDIT: This list is from Micro Center; it's the same kid I usually deal with there. 🙂 One of the guys at the local shop could probably put something similar together for you, so just compare them and see which looks better to you.

AMD CPU desktop FX-Series X8 8320
Asus M5A97 R2
Spire Kepler Rev.2 cooler
Patriot Signature, 1333Mhz, 8GB (1x8GB)
Fortron Raider sa pas 550 w, 80+
WD Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 3 hard drive
Gigabyte Radeon R9 280 WF3 OC

4,878.98 centro.hr

Keep your current case, but sell everything else. This build I put together for you will last for years... Plus, this CPU and motherboard combo gives you the freedom to upgrade to beefier graphics later, and even handle some solid overclocking if you ever feel like diving into that...😉

dustyskipper77 said:AMD CPU desktop FX-Series X8 8320
Asus M5A97 R2 motherboard
Spire Kepler Rev.2 cooler
Patriot Signature, 1333Mhz, 8GB (1x8GB)
Fortron Raider sa pas 550 w PSU, 80+
WD Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 3 Hard Drive
Gigabyte Radeon R9 280 WF3 OC graphics card

4,878.98 via Centro.hr

Just keep your current case. If you sell everything else and go with this build I put together, it'll last you years. Plus, this CPU and motherboard combo gives you enough headroom to upgrade to a beefier GPU later or even try some stable overclocking if you're feeling adventurous....😉

Exactly.
If you can manage to hit this budget, then definitely... 👍 🙂

Option one: pull out that current GPU and swap it for a GTX 750 Ti, or potentially upgrade to an R7 265/R9 270 if you also swap the power supply (something like a Corsair CX430 or better).

Another option is to hang onto the case, the HDD, and the DVD-RW drive—just sell off everything else and use that cash to cover the rest of the build. It really just comes down to deciding what parts you actually want to keep.

edit

And naturally, you could keep the DDR3 RAM too.

Paul Perez87

What resolution are you running on your monitor?

Honestly... R7 260 Honestly, that GPU would be such a massive mismatch for this setup—we're talking about an HD 5670, which is pretty weak compared to what you've got. The rest of the rig is actually super solid for gaming, so there's really no need to scrap the whole thing right now. If I were you, I’d just hold onto it through the end of next year, save up some extra cash, and wait for those big holiday sales around Christmas and New Year's. Once you grab an i5 paired with a GTX 960/970, you'll be set for a good few years—you'll finally be able to crank everything up to max settings without a sweat.

The monitor is a Dell UltraSharp Monitor. Thanks for all the advice!

Intel Core i7 Processor
MSI Motherboard
Spire Kepler Rev.2 cooler
Corsair Vengeance, 1333MHz, 8GB (1x8GB)
EVGA Power Supply 550W, 80+
Seagate BarraCuda 1TB SATA 3
EVGA Radeon GPU

$4,878.98 Newegg listing for Gigabyte Radeon

Regarding the hard drive—I've got a Seagate BarraCuda 1TB 5400 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5", so there's really no need to swap that out—which means the total price drops by about $143. As for the RAM, is it better to go with a single 8GB stick or should I grab 2x4GB? I recall reading somewhere that dual-channel setup (2x4GB) offers better performance—if anyone could give me a quick breakdown on why that is, I'd appreciate it.

P.S. I finally decided to pull the trigger on this upgrade because honestly, the way modern games demand such insane minimum specs is just disappointing—my current rig just can't keep up anymore. I think I'll hold off for maybe another year, though, hoping prices drop even further.