New PC build!

Hey everyone—so, I'm helping out a buddy by putting together a PC for him. It’s going to be $1067 housed in a case. I actually picked up these parts at a local shop downtown:

ASUS Motherboard (SFM2+,DDR3,SATA III,RAID,GLAN,USB2.0,USB3.0,VGA,HDMI, DVI) ATX

AMD CPU Kaveri A8-Series X4 7650K (3.3GHz,4MB,95W,FM2+) box, Black Edition, Radeon TM R7 Series

Patriot Sig. DDR3 1600Mhz, 8GB, HS, PSD34G160081H

Patriot SSD Blaze R555/W535, 60GB, 7mm, 2.5" PB60GS25SSDR

MS VOYAGER case without power supply

EVGA Power Supply, Builder Series CX 80+ Bronze, 500 Watt, ATX, EPS12V, PS/2, USA Version

LC Power CPU liquid cooling LC-CC-120-LiCo - 120mm Intel/AMD

$1047.

What I really wanted to ask is—do you think this setup will actually cut it for him? We aren't exactly working with a massive budget here, so he mentioned he'll likely add a dedicated graphics card sometime next year—which is why I opted for this specific power supply. Essentially, he needs something capable of handling video editing and maybe some newer, light gaming sessions!🙏🙏

A much better selection here:
1 x Athlon x4 840 (3.1GHz,4MB,65W,FM2+) box
1 x KINGSTON ValueRAM DDR3 (8GB,1600MHz(PC3-12800)) CL11, Retail
1 x Gigabyte GA-F2A68HM-S1 (SFM2+,DDR3/VGA,USB3.0,SATA III,) mATX
1 x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 ti 2GB GDDR5
1 x Toshiba HDD 1TB,7200rpm, 32MB
1 x EVGA Hexa plus 400W, 80+
1 x MS VOYAGER black case, no power supply included

Total: $1075

If you really want an SSD, I'd suggest grabbing a 120GB model instead of the hard drive. Honestly, 60GB is just way too small for anything these days.

He’s got a 1TB HDD, but honestly—if I were him, I’d grab an SSD for the OS without even thinking twice! Plus, he should just buy everything from Best Buy since that's where his setup is already centered.

Kingston DDR3 HyperX Fury, 1866MHz, 8GB Black HX318C10FB/8
Patriot SSD Blaze R545/W430, 120GB, 7mm, 2.5"
AMD CPU Kaveri Athlon x4 840 (3.1GHz,4MB,65W,FM2+) box
ASUS Motherboard AMD A68H (A68HM-P33_V2)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 ti 2GB/128bit
EVGA Hexa plus 400 w MS Knight
MS KNIGHT case without PSU

Total price: $1038 center

Hey guys, I need to pick your brains again. We headed down to Micro Center and my buddy ended up pulling together $1667 instead of the originally planned $1067. Now, the big question is—is this actually an upgrade? The guy he was working with put this together, and honestly, it’s running a little over budget $77, but my friend says it doesn't matter too much. Still, he wanted me to check in here and see if you all think this setup holds its own. Here is the breakdown of what he picked out:

1 x Asrock AM3+ 980DE3/U3S3, Supports AM3+ Processor, 8-Core CPU
1 x Processor AMD FX-Series X8 8300 3.3GHz,16MB,125W,AM3+, FD8300WMHK
2 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Corsair, 1600MHz, 9-9-9-24, Vengeance Heats.
1 x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 ti 2GB GDDR5, (GTX 950 2GD5 OC), 2xDVI,HDMI, 1xDP
1 x Kingston SSD 120GB V300, 2.5" 7mm, SATA 3 6G, 7mm to 9.5mm
1 x Corsair Hydro Series H90, liquid CPU cooling
1 x CORSAIR Power Supply VS Series, 450 Watt, ATX, ATX12V v2.31
1 x CoolerMaster Elite 430, black, window, (W)190 x (H)424 x (L)490

darkbadger12 said:Hey guys, I need to pick your brains again. We headed down to Micro Center and my buddy ended up pulling together $1667 instead of the originally planned $1067. Now, the big question is—is this actually an upgrade? The guy he was working with put this together, and honestly, it’s running a little over budget $77, but my friend says it doesn't matter too much. Still, he wanted me to check in here and see if you all think this setup holds its own. Here is the breakdown of what he picked out:

1 x Asrock AM3+ 980DE3/U3S3, Supports AM3+ Processor, 8-Core CPU
1 x Processor AMD FX-Series X8 8300 3.3GHz,16MB,125W,AM3+, FD8300WMHK
2 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Corsair, 1600MHz, 9-9-9-24, Vengeance Heats.
1 x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 ti 2GB GDDR5, (GTX 950 2GD5 OC), 2xDVI,HDMI, 1xDP
1 x Kingston SSD 120GB V300, 2.5" 7mm, SATA 3 6G, 7mm to 9.5mm
1 x Corsair Hydro Series H90, liquid CPU cooling
1 x CORSAIR Power Supply VS Series, 450 Watt, ATX, ATX12V v2.31
1 x CoolerMaster Elite 430, black, window, (W)190 x (H)424 x (L)490

Did they really build that at Micro Center? 😲 No way, that configuration is a disaster.
For that kind of money, try this instead:

1 x Gigabyte 970A-DS3P, AM3+, AMD 970 SB950, 4x DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1866
1 x Procesor AMD FX-Series X8 8300 3.3GHz,16MB,125W,AM3+, FD8300WMHK
1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Kingston, HyperX Fury, 1866MHz, CL10
1 x HDD Seagate 1TB, Serial ATA III, 7200 rpm, ST1000DM003
1 x Spire Kepler Rev.2 ,hladnjak, 1156/775/FM1, 96.5×51×125 mm ,92mm
1 x Zalman Z1 mid tower case. 199(W)x432(H)x457(D)mm. MB standard
1 x XFX R9 380 2GB, XFX-R9-380P-2DF5, 03.09.2015.!!!
1 x EVGA 500w, Hyper, PPA5005003, 12cm ventilator
1 x Kingston SSD 120GB HyperX Fury, 2.5", SATA 3 6G

$1764MicroCenter.com

The build you suggested makes zero sense. From a random case to a cheap power supply, pointless liquid cooling, a terrible SSD, a bottom-tier motherboard, and a GPU that's way too weak for this budget. This other config is about $100 more expensive but you get a much stronger graphics card, a decent power supply, a better SSD, a far more worthwhile case, and a solid motherboard.

Well, we actually just swung by there to ask in person—they told us they could put it all together for us—but you know how retail shops can be sometimes, right? They always have their own way of doing things. Anyway, thanks for the help; we're definitely going to pull the trigger on this build based on your recommendations!

darkbadger12 said:Well, we actually just swung by there to ask in person—they told us they could put it all together for us—but you know how retail shops can be sometimes, right? They always have their own way of doing things. Anyway, thanks for the help; we're definitely going to pull the trigger on this build based on your recommendations!

Of course, it just surprises me that the guys over at Best Buy would intentionally put together such a senseless, low-quality, and unbalanced rig. 🕺

If they went with liquid cooling, someone was clearly tripping on mushrooms 🤣

PC build from Micro Center for $1667

1 x Gigabyte 970A-DS3P, AM3+, AMD 970 SB950, 4x DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1866
1 x Processor AMD FX-Series X8 8300 3.3GHz,16MB,125W,AM3+, FD8300WMHK
1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Kingston, Value, 1600MHz, CL11, KVR16N11/8
1 x Zalman Z1 mid tower case. 199(W)x432(H)x457(D)mm. MB standard
1 x Samsung 870 EVO SSD 120GB, 2.5", SATA 3 6G
1 x Power Supply FORTRON 550W Raider, RA550, 12cm fan
1 x Gigabyte GTX960 OC, 4GB GDDR5 128bit, GV-N960OC-4GD
1 x LC Power Cosmo Cool, 92 mm, Hydraulic bearing, 800-2200 rpm,
$1686
www.microcenter.com

That’s just how it works. It doesn't mean they don't know which parts are better; they just prioritize whatever moves the most inventory. It’s pure retail logic. For example, they might pair an elite case from $117 with a cheap motherboard and some liquid cooling just to pad the margins.

I once saw a guy reach out to all the big-name retailers asking them to build a custom rig for a specific budget. Every single one of them tried to push useless stuff—old processors and outdated tech—just to make a buck. The only ones who actually put together a decent build were the guys over at Micro Center and a local specialty shop.

It’s like they just threw in whatever components they had the most trouble moving. An Intel Core i3 motherboard, a liquid cooler that’s a complete waste of money, the cheapest possible SSD, plus a case and power supply that nobody would ever actually buy because they make zero sense. You'd be way better off building a custom rig than buying this mess 🙂

I once saw a guy trying to order a coffee setup based on my recommendation—specifically looking for an HD 7750 DDR5 right when stock was drying up. Instead of helping him out, they just told him they didn't have it and tried to push a GT 640 on him. I can't recall if that one was the DDR3 or DDR5 version, but either way, it was a downgrade. They didn't even think to suggest an R7 250 DDR5 at a better price point, so naturally, I just switched the order elsewhere.

The shop is decent enough, but you shouldn't let them dictate your specs. You never know how much they'll try to steer you wrong.