New build under $1,250?

Hey there!
So, I'm thinking about picking up a new PC at Micro Center for around $1,300, and this is the build they suggested to me:

-processor: FX 8320
-CPU cooler: Zalman CNPS10X OPTIMA
-motherboard: ASUS M5A97 R2.0
-RAM: KINGSTON H-X 2X4 GB 1600 MHZ
-SSHD: SEAGATE 3.5 1TB SATA 3 SSHD
-graphics card: VTX r9 280 x 3GB UEFI V2
-optical drive: LITE ON DVD-RW SATA
-PSU: FORTRON FSP RAIDER 650W 80+ SILVER
-case: Zalman Z9 U3 Midi tower, black
-monitor: Acer 23" IPS FHD
-keyboard: Zalman keyboard K400G, black
-mouse: Genius X-G500 gaming mouse, macro, 2000dpi
-speakers: Logitech Z313 2.1 speakers

Basically, that's the total $2833 if I buy everything through Micro Center... The computer will be used mainly for gaming, movies, schoolwork, and other basic stuff. If anyone knows where I can get something cheaper or a better build for the same amount of money, please let me know. This Micro Center might be a bit of a drive for me, but if the quality is good, why not? Also, I need to use a credit card since I don't have the cash on hand. Thanks!! 😍

One Samsung 23" Wide LED Monitor.
One Logitech K120 keyboard, USB, black OEM. Simple enough.
Just one MS Labirinth 6D wired mouse.
One GIGABYTE ATX motherboard, Intel 990 x chipset. Comes in the box with SATA III, LAN, USB 2.0/3.0, and Firewire. Standard setup.
Just grabbed an AMD X8 8320—3.5GHz, 16MB, 125W, AM3+ boxed up.
Just two sticks of Kingston ValueRAM DDR3. 4GB each, 1600MHz, non-ECC. Standard single rank, unbuffered stuff. CL11.
Just one 1TB Toshiba hard drive, 7200rpm, 32MB cache. Simple enough.
One LG GH24NS sat Bulk Black 24x optical drive.
Just one Zalman Z3, black USB3.0.
One XFX 550W Pro Series Core Edition 80 Plus PSU.
One Gigabyte NVIDIA RADEON R9 280 x OC, 3GB GDDR5, HDMI, DVI. Comes with a game.
One Raijintek Ereboss CPU cooler, 140mm, PWM.
Just one Logitech LS21 2.1 speaker setup.
Total: $2727

briskmason6 said:Hey there!
So, I'm thinking about picking up a computer from Best Buy for around $1,300, and this is the build they suggested:

-processor : FX 8320
-CPU cooler : Zalman CNPS10X OPTIMA
-motherboard : ASUS M5A97 R2.0
-RAM: KINGSTON H-X 2X4 GB 1600 MHZ
-SSHD: SEAGATE 3.5 1TB SATA 3 SSHD
-graphics card: VTX R9 280X 3GB UEFI V2
-optical drive: LITE ON DVD-RW SATA
-psu: FORTRON FSP RAIDER 650W 80+ SILVER
-case: Zalman Z9 U3 Midi tower, black
-monitor : Acer 23" IPS FHD
-keyboard: Zalman keyboard K400G, black
-mouse: Genius X-G500 gaming mouse, macro, 2000dpi
-speakers : Logitech Z313 2.1 system

This comes out to roughly $2833 if I use a credit card at Best Buy... the PC will mainly be for gaming, movies, schoolwork, and other basic stuff... if anyone knows where I can get something cheaper or better for the same money, please let me know... I mean, this Best Buy might be a bit far, but if the quality of the shop is good, why not? And yeah, I need to use a card since I don't have the cash on hand. Thanks!! 😍

Check out this option instead—it features a powerful i5 processor, a solid graphics card, and a fast SSD for snappy performance in Windows and various apps, plus quick game loading times!

-Monitor 23'' LED PHILIPS 233V5LSB, 5ms, 250 cd/m2, 10.000.000:1, D-SUB, DVI, black
-Keyboard + mouse COOLERMASTER Devastator, US layout, USB
-Speakers LOGITECH S120, 2.0, black, OEM

-Graphics card PCI-E XFX NVIDIA RADEON R9 280 x, 3GB DDR5, DualDVI, HDMI, 2x miniDP
-Processor INTEL Core i5 4460 BOX, s. 1150, 3.2GHz, 6MB cache, GPU, quad Core
-Motherboard ASUS H97 Pro4, Intel H97, DDR3, sound, G-LAN, S-ATA, PCI-E 3.0, USB 3.0, D-SUB, DVI, HDMI, ATX, s. 1150
-Power supply 550W, XFX Core edition P1-550S-XXB9, ATX, 120mm vent, PFC
-Memory PC-10666, 8 GB, G.SKILL Ripjaws X series, F3-10666CL9D-8GBXL, DDR3 1333MHz, kit 2x4GB
-SSD 120.0 GB Samsung 840 evo Basic, MZ-7TE120BW, SATA, 540/410 MB/s
-Hard drive 1000.0 GB SEAGATE ST1000DM003, SATA3, 64MB cache, 7200 rpm, for desktop
-DVD±RW LG GH24NSB0, 24x, SATA, Dual layer, black, bulk
-Case CHIEFTEC Libra Series LG-01B, MIDI, black, no PSU

total:$2871 BestBuy.com
Everything is available right now in Washington, D.C., and the price is the same whether you pay by card or cash!

I mean, seriously, what kind of i5 are we even talking about in an $1,300 build... it’s gotta be an i7, right?
And besides, you actually went ahead and paired it with integrated graphics too? 🤦

Yeah, I mean, he definitely needs an i7 for gaming; those games are probably going to eat up that processing power anyway 🙄

Compared to Robert Rodriguez2, it’s way better. He even threw in some speakers 😁
.

Roger Gray8 said:I mean, what kind of i5 are we talking about in a build priced at $1,300? It has to be an i7.
and you even paired it with integrated graphics? 🤦

First off, spending extra on an i7 for gaming is basically just throwing money down the drain. And regarding the i5, almost all of them come with integrated graphics anyway. Honestly, stop commenting because you clearly have no idea what you're talking about. You’d be better off heading over to some casual gaming forums to post your opinions—that seems to be the only thing you're actually capable of!

Larry Ortiz5 said:It’s way better than what Robert Rodriguez2 has. Plus, he even added speakers 😁

I mean, based on what? He hasn't even given me a reason why it's better... honestly, I'd love to see the cuts. He didn't even include an SSD, by the way. And for the record, I put speakers in mine too.

Keith Wright2 said:I'd love to hear why he thinks it's better... he didn't even throw an SSD in there, and I added speakers too.

Other than the fact this build $167 costs less than yours,
An SSD doesn't matter for gaming. It won't bump his FPS or do anything useful in-game besides faster loading screens...

If he really needs it, let him grab an SSHD like I mentioned earlier. He doesn't need anything more than that.

Why all the arguing, guys? Both setups are solid enough, though I don't quite get the obsession with that generic Chiftec Libra case. For heaven's sake, just pick him a decent gaming chassis to stay within the budget.

And honestly, what's with the FX 8 series? An i5 would eat it for breakfast. It runs cooler, draws half the power, and so on and so forth.

Thanks for the suggestions 😉 just keep them coming

Robert Rodriguez2 said:aside from the fact that this build $167 is cheaper than yours
, an SSD won't change much for gaming; it won't boost his FPS at all, nor will it provide any actual benefit during gameplay other than faster loading times...

If he really needs that extra speed, he can just grab an SSHD like I mentioned earlier in my post. He doesn't need anything more than that.

But look, if he actually has $2833 available, I don't see any reason to settle for a budget build, or why we shouldn't just put in a decent SSD 🤷though, honestly, does he even know how to overclock? It makes me wonder if your configuration is even worth it at this point...

Personally, I don't see the point in dropping the extra cash on an SSD right now. According to some videos on YouTube, it’s only about 0.30 faster than an SSHD. I’m planning on overclocking eventually, so I'll probably need the upgrade then... I know the i5 is the superior choice, and if I could just move everything over to the 4670k, I would, but I'd have to sacrifice my graphics card performance in the process. And yeah, regarding the keyboard, mouse, and case—I'd really prefer to stick with what I've already picked out. I just like them, so thanks. 😁

Roger Gray8 said:I mean, what kind of i5 are we even talking about in an $1,300 build? It’s gotta be an i7
and you even threw in integrated graphics too? 🤦

Honestly, an i7 is totally overkill for just gaming. It’s like buying a Ferrari when you live in a neighborhood with nothing but school zones—you've basically just thrown money away on raw power you can't actually use.

You need an SSD, and if you have enough room in your budget for an extra HDD, go that route; buying a single hybrid drive is just a more expensive way to get the same result.

If you're looking at something like an i5 4560 or a 4440, there’s really no reason to blow money on a high-end B85 board. An H81 is plenty. You still get your USB 3.0, you still get SATA 3.0, and the performance difference is non-existent. You want the K-series i5 specifically for the clock speeds, which means you'll need a decent cooler anyway. It's better to stick with a standard i5 and put that extra cash toward a better GPU.

Most cases out there just cram in cheap junk like those Zalman Z3 or ZM Mini series. Honestly, the build quality is terrible and they look ugly. I had a Z1 once and I'm never touching one again.

Avoid the AMD FX series entirely. An i5 will eat it for breakfast, and an i3 would handle it just as easily. Besides, that entire chipset is end-of-life and has been hitting its limit for ages.

By the way, if you're careful with the assembly, you can fit an r9 290 in a nice case.

Here is a quick list based on what Insight usually has in stock—they're pretty much always offering credit or installment plans on everything they carry.

i5 4440 quad Core s1150, 3.1GHz
ASUS H97 Pro4
8GB DDR3 1600MHz Crucial 1x8GB
Gigabyte Radeon r9 290
SanDisk 120GB SSD
1TB Western Digital Caviar Blue HDD
Corsair VS650W
Corsair Spec-01 Case

Dell 23 Monitor Full HD

And you'll still have $167 left over for peripherals.

mellowtiger83 I have to say, I really like your suggestion... the i5 costs about the same as an x8 but it's better and more powerful. Plus, I won't even need to overclock the CPU since I'll be pairing it with an r9 290, which is total overkill, along with an SSD that's basically a necessity. So, with this setup, would I be able to run everything on max settings at 60 fps? It seems like a much better move than going with the FX 8 and the r9 280 x.

briskmason6 said:mellowtiger83, I have to say, I’m liking your suggestion... the i5 costs about the same as an x8 but it's superior and more powerful. Honestly, I won't even need to overclock the CPU if I pair it with the r9 290—which is total overkill—plus an SSD is always a smart move. So, with this setup, should I be able to run everything on max settings at 60 fps? It definitely seems like a much better path than going with the FX 8 and the r9 280 x.

Absolutely for the next few years, and all the upcoming titles...

Which card are you picking up and what kind of financing are we looking at? Maybe I could put a build together for you over at my place near the IQ Center.

diners ...on top of everything else,

mellowtiger83 said:i5 4440 quad s1150, 3.1ghz
ASUS H97 Pro4
8gb ddr3 1600mhz crucial 1*8gb
Gigabyte radeon r9 290
Ssd sandisk 120gb
Hdd caviar blue 1tb
Corsair vs650w
Corsair spec-01 case

Monitor Dell 23

Just please don't go with that power supply... I wouldn't even put that in a $1000 basic build. As for everything else, I guess I'll just stay quiet.

mellowtiger83 said:You definitely need an SSD, and if you have enough room in your budget to add an HDD separately, go for it; getting a hybrid drive is always more expensive.

If you’re looking at something like an i5-4560 or an i5-4440, there really isn't any reason to blow your money on a high-end B85 motherboard. An H81 board will do just fine. You still get your USB 3.0 and SATA 3.0 speeds, so the performance remains identical. You want that i5 specifically for the clock speed, but you also need a solid cooler. Honestly? Stick with a standard i5 and put that extra cash toward a better graphics card instead.

As for cases, most of them are just stuffing low-quality junk from Sony—like their Z3 or ZM Mini series—into their builds. Those cases are honestly terrible quality and quite ugly, too. I owned a Z1 once and I am never touching one again.

Whatever you do, stay away from AMD's FX series. An i5 will absolutely eat it for breakfast, and an i3 would give it a run for its money. Besides, that entire platform is basically end-of-life and has been hitting its limits for ages.

By the way, if you assemble this carefully, you could even fit an R9 290 GPU inside a nice case.

Here is a quick build suggestion from Accenture, where they happen to offer financing and credit plans on pretty much everything they sell.

i5 4440 Quad Core LGA 1150, 3.1GHz
Asrock B85M
8GB DDR3 1600MHz Crucial (1x8GB)
Gigabyte Radeon R9 290
SanDisk 120GB SSD
Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB HDD
Corsair VS 650W
Corsair Spec-01 Case

Acer 23" LED Full HD Monitor

And you'll still have $167 left over for peripherals.

You're talking nonsense; he's going to regret this build once he gets past $3000 because at Accenture, they don't even stock GPUs more powerful than an R9 270X or a GTX 760.