Tech Help Need help choosing parts ($500-600)

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ButterKing

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I've been saving money for a while now, I'm looking at a budget of about 500-600 dollars. I still haven't decided whether I want a prebuilt or I want to build it myself. Any suggestions?
Specs I'm looking for:
3.5 GHz processor
8g memory
Windows 10
AMD or Intel?
(I'll be using this PC for mostly minecraft, TF2, and GMOD)
 
Looks good, but if you're willing to cough up a few more dollars I would suggest buying a cheap 250/256GB SSD for your OS drive.
 
You could save a few extra bucks by downgrading your PSU (Power Supply). It's good to have some extra wattage, but the "625W Gold" that you have equipped might be a little overkill here, considering that the current configuration only needs 350-450 watts (wouldn't recommend going any lower than 300W).
Also, you could nix the $9.99 CPU cooler because the stock cooler that comes with the CPU is usually enough to keep it cool (unless you plan on overclocking).

As for Intel vs. AMD processors, I prefer Intel, unless your pinched for cash (which might be the case here). Intel CPU's are usually pricier, but in my experience they're more reliable, and frequently out-perform AMD cards of their grade or higher. (Example: An Intel Quad-core i5 4460 3.2 GHz outperforms AMD's comparable FX 6300 3.5 GHz Hexa-core in almost every aspect.)
 
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You can save a bit by just using the stock cooler included with the CPU instead of buying the really cheap one you picked out. Just by looking at it, I would say the stock AMD cooler for FM2+ would perform better...

You can save a few bucks on the disk drive too by dropping it, Hell I don't even think windows ships CD's anymore with the OS. I think it's all on a thumb drive now or even just a code for windows.

The last thing is defiantly drop the Nvidia 730 GT. You would literally be throwing money away with that purchase. The iGPU on the AMD A10 6800 is more powerful then the 730. Hell I bet the phone in your pocket is more powerful then the 730.

To tell the truth I would change a lot with your build. I was going to make a list using an APU but with the games you listed playing I would really look for at getting a better CPU and a dedicated GPU.

This is the build I would look at getting if you can save up just a little bit more.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sc8GvK

The build would be head, shoulders, arms, legs, hell add another person above the aforementioned build :P

But if you are dead set on the APU build this is what I would change.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/f6JKFT

A better APU (iGPU wise) with A better aftermarket cooler that is almost on par with the tired and over used EVO 212. Also cheaper to boot :D
And some fast ram which your APU will love.
 
Thanks, as you can tell, I'm pretty new to this whole concept of building a computer... haha
 
I agree with ChocolateVillain on several points.

I skipped the CD drive on my most recent build to save cash, and I haven't regretted it once. As long as you have an internet connection, basically everything that could come on a CD is downloadable online (drivers, manuals, etc.) He also mentioned the CPU cooler, which, like I said, is unnecessary unless you're planning on overclocking.

Regarding the GPU, I can't say much, since I don't have much experience with the 700 series. However I will say that when you combine a powerful 3.5+ GHz CPU with a not-so-powerful GPU, you may have bottle-necking issues. Essentially, that means that while gaming, your GPU might be limiting your CPU's power.

And yes, a SSD will give your PC a massive performance boost on everything, not just boot up times. Your PC will boot MUCH faster (usually under 5 seconds), programs launch MUCH faster, games load MUCH faster. Fragmentation doesn't affect SSD's, so you can disable that resource-consuming Windows service. Once you get an SSD, there's no going back. If you can stretch it, it's really worth the money.
 
When getting an SSD, would I drop the hard drive? or just get a cheaper one with 500 MB instead of 1TB?
 
ButterKing said:
When getting an SSD, would I drop the hard drive? or just get a cheaper one with 500 MB instead of 1TB?
Click to expand...

SSD is not needed especially when you are short on money. Just go with standard hard drive. You can better spend your money on ram or maybe better cpu/gpu. Also 500MB storage...good luck install your OS :P
 
If you want to go SSD, you could drop the HDD drive and just get a decent sized SSD, or you could get a small SSD to install your OS on (which will only help with boot times) and get a large HDD to install programs/games on. The last option would be cheaper, but the first option would perform better.

Don't be too worried about the SSD. Like Wize said, if you're short on money, there are other things that should come first.
 
600 dollars isn't going to get you the gaming pc you're imagining imo.

just save up 400 more dollars and drop a 1000 on a PC that'll last for the next few years.
you'll learn that after your initial build, you'll end up upgrading your parts constantly anyways.
 
Ric said:
600 dollars isn't going to get you the gaming pc you're imagining imo.

just save up 400 more dollars and drop a 1000 on a PC that'll last for the next few years.
you'll learn that after your initial build, you'll end up upgrading your parts constantly anyways.
Click to expand...

This. It's a lot easier to save up a bit more and do it right the first time and not spend extra upgrading later. I highly suggest this.

Some things in life are best not cheaping out on.
 
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