I am going to be building my younger brother a $500 budget gaming computer and would like some feedback on these parts: 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($99.00) 

Motherboard:  Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($52.05 @ Newegg) 

Memory:  Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($64.99 @ Micro Center) 

Storage:  Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($54.44 @ Amazon) 

Video Card:  MSI Radeon R7 265 2GB Video Card  ($139.99 @ Amazon) 

Case:  Silverstone PS08B (Black) MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($36.99 @ Amazon) 

Power Supply:  EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($34.99 @ NCIX US) 

Optical Drive:  Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer  ($14.98 @ OutletPC) 

Other: RJ45 Cat5e Ethernet Cable 14 Feet  ($5.49)

Total: $502.92

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-29 21:40 EDT-0400) 

 

Also, for the build, I won't be overclocking his computer. I already have the OS, monitor, keyboard, & mouse. It will be used for internet use and gaming for games like Battlefield 4, GTA IV, Black Ops 2, etc... Any input is appreciated! 

i dont recommend I3 i would go with something a little better or amd

i dont recommend I3 i would go with something a little better or amd

Can you recommend something for the budget? 

 

-snip-

 

I have an AMD FX-6350 six-core CPU, however I don't know about the price, since the prices differ slightly between Sweden and the U.S.

Edited May 30, 201411 yr by Someone22

If you're going with 8GB of RAM, I recommend 2x 4GB Sticks instead of 1x 8GB stick. I can't really help you on the GPU, AMD is not my specialty. Usually people don't go with mATX, but if you'd like to I suppose that's ok. 

 

And of course as usual, the weak link is this build is the fact that there's a hard drive. If your budget allows it, try looking into a 120GB SSD for the entire system (if you don't use much space like recording, movies ect) or possibly buying both together and put the OS on the SSD and whatever else you can decide where to put it on. 

 

EDIT: The guy above is right, I'd recommend at least a 3rd or 4th gen i5 Quad Core processor, again, I can't help you with AMD, I never thought their products were any good. 

Edited May 30, 201411 yr by Mr.Quiggles

If you're going with 8GB of RAM, I recommend 2x 4GB Sticks instead of 1x 8GB stick. I can't really help you on the GPU, AMD is not my specialty. Usually people don't go with mATX, but if you'd like to I suppose that's ok. 

 

And of course as usual, the weak link is this build is the fact that there's a hard drive. If your budget allows it, try looking into a 120GB SSD for the entire system (if you don't use much space like recording, movies ect) or possibly buying both together and put the OS on the SSD and whatever else you can decide where to put it on. 

 

EDIT: The guy above is right, I'd recommend at least a 3rd or 4th gen i5 Quad Core processor, again, I can't help you with AMD, I never thought their products were any good. 

I've changed the RAM, how is this? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820313345. You said normally people don't go with mATX, although I disagree, this is a good motherboard for the price and I'm curious why you don't suggest an mATX? 

 

Also, I have considered an SSD for my younger brother, but honestly, I'd rather have him get better performance rather than faster boot times. I have an SSD on my computer and it's amazing, I just don't think he needs one right now on this tight of a budget. 

 

Can you recommend an i5 for the budget? 

 

Thanks for the help! 

 

EDIT: Changed GPU also 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($99.00) 

Motherboard:  Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($52.05 @ Newegg) 

Memory:  Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($64.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage:  Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($54.44 @ Amazon) 

Video Card:  XFX Radeon R9 270 2GB Double Dissipation Video Card  ($144.99 @ NCIX US) 

Case:  Silverstone PS08B (Black) MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($36.99 @ Amazon) 

Power Supply:  EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($34.99 @ NCIX US) 

Optical Drive:  Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer  ($14.98 @ OutletPC) 

Other: RJ45 Cat5e Ethernet Cable 14 Feet  ($5.49)

Total: $507.92

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-30 11:05 EDT-0400) 

Edited May 30, 201411 yr by Firefighter 5663

 

I've changed the RAM, how is this? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820313345. You said normally people don't go with mATX, although I disagree, this is a good motherboard for the price and I'm curious why you don't suggest an mATX? 

 

Also, I have considered an SSD for my younger brother, but honestly, I'd rather have him get better performance rather than faster boot times. I have an SSD on my computer and it's amazing, I just don't think he needs one right now on this tight of a budget. 

 

Can you recommend an i5 for the budget? 

 

Thanks for the help! 

 

EDIT: Changed GPU also 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($99.00) 

Motherboard:  Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($52.05 @ Newegg) 

Memory:  Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($64.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage:  Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($54.44 @ Amazon) 

Video Card:  XFX Radeon R9 270 2GB Double Dissipation Video Card  ($144.99 @ NCIX US) 

Case:  Silverstone PS08B (Black) MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($36.99 @ Amazon) 

Power Supply:  EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($34.99 @ NCIX US) 

Optical Drive:  Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer  ($14.98 @ OutletPC) 

Other: RJ45 Cat5e Ethernet Cable 14 Feet  ($5.49)

Total: $507.92

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-30 11:05 EDT-0400)

 

 

The RAM is much better now. In computers, 2 is always better than 1, even if the 2 are worse than the 1. 

 

The reason I say mATX is unpopular is because it's quite limited on what it can do, because it is so small. It's really designed for people who bring their computers to and from places, and doesn't have too much upgradable space.

 

However, it you think it suits what you need, then I don't really see an issue with it. 

 

An SSD does lot more than improve boot times, the SSD would make everything you put on it faster, depending on your download speeds, you could download things faster for example. Games would run at a higher FPS, more programs could be running, everything would be snappier ect ect. I highly recommend one, but it is up to you. 

 

Also, what OS are you intending on using? I saw you already have it but I'm just curious. Hardware can vary depending on the OS. 

 

And what is your budget? Like what's the max you're willing to spend on a CPU? I don't recall it being ever mentioned.

The RAM is much better now. In computers, 2 is always better than 1, even if the 2 are worse than the 1. 

 

The reason I say mATX is unpopular is because it's quite limited on what it can do, because it is so small. It's really designed for people who bring their computers to and from places, and doesn't have too much upgradable space.

 

However, it you think it suits what you need, then I don't really see an issue with it. 

 

An SSD does lot more than improve boot times, the SSD would make everything you put on it faster, depending on your download speeds, you could download things faster for example. Games would run at a higher FPS, more programs could be running, everything would be snappier ect ect. I highly recommend one, but it is up to you. 

 

Also, what OS are you intending on using? I saw you already have it but I'm just curious. Hardware can vary depending on the OS. 

 

And what is your budget? Like what's the max you're willing to spend on a CPU? I don't recall it being ever mentioned.

I think mATX is fine, I mine, he's not going to really be upgrading so I don't see it a huge issue. 

 

Also, I have to disagree with you that an SSD increases download speeds, that depends on your internet provider and router etc.. But, obviously if he had the budget for an SSD then I would get him one. Since his budget isn't big, why spend money on something that is just extra and not needed? 

 

OS is Windows 8.1 Pro 64-Bit

 

Budget was in original post, $500, a little over is fine but I want to keep it close to $500 for my brother. 

I think mATX is fine, I mine, he's not going to really be upgrading so I don't see it a huge issue. 

 

Also, I have to disagree with you that an SSD increases download speeds, that depends on your internet provider and router etc.. But, obviously if he had the budget for an SSD then I would get him one. Since his budget isn't big, why spend money on something that is just extra and not needed? 

 

OS is Windows 8.1 Pro 64-Bit

 

Budget was in original post, $500, a little over is fine but I want to keep it close to $500 for my brother. 

 

I did mention depending on your internet speeds, but for a lot of people especially in my area, downloads often max out on a traditional 5400-7600 RPM HDD (100% utilization versus an SSD 20% or so utilization). 

 

I do honestly think an SSD is an essential piece of hardware for any new computer, as of right now in the computer world, Hard Drives are the bottleneck of systems (there's always a bottleneck) but that is your decision. 

 

OS is OK.

 

I can't really find an 3rd or 4th gen i5 with the $100 pricetag, so I guess you'll have to go with the i3. 

Definitely go with a at minimum, i5. Plus I wouldn't recommend a mATX, like others have said. At least give him something he can build into. When I first built mine, I was one a tight budget. One thing I regret, is a case. There's a lot of things that a small case will not let you do (also will an r7 fit in there?) You'll get bad air flow, overheating problems, no fans, no room for bigger gfx cards, etc. I spent less than $100 on a Corsair 500r mid tower (although seems like a full tower), and I have A TON of expansion, LOTS of vents for air flow, 4 fans preinstalled, and a vented side for cable management. 

 

Side note, on my old case, when I was playing watch dogs, I could never play for more than 25 min, without my temps pushing 70C. Since I migrated to this new case, with just the fans on low, I'm sub-40C. 

 

 

I have an i3 and trust me, it's not worth the price. You should probably aim for an I5, very good processor and it is one of those ones that were the processor won't break on you. Couple of my friends' i7's broke down so that's why I recommend an i5. Go for it, bro.

-AJ