[MEGATHREAD] Personal Computer - Updated builds thanks to Logical Increments

[Pecon]

i have 3 gb of ddr3 ram currently.

Then swap the ram in that build for a case.

[Ad Bot]

[hillkill]

Then swap the ram in that build for a case.

isn't it a bit odd to have 3 gigs? dedicating is going to be harder.

[Pecon]

isn't it a bit odd to have 3 gigs? dedicating is going to be harder.

3 GB is an odd amount of RAM to have, but there is nothing actually wrong about it. You'll be fine with that amount.

[hillkill]

3 GB is an odd amount of RAM to have, but there is nothing actually wrong about it.

alright. will this get me to play left 4 dead 2? your build?

[Pentium]

Here is an alternative build that could actually work. (Considering your build didn't have memory or a storage drive)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138373 - Mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113327 - CPU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817148027 - PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231393 - RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211718 - SSD

He's going to re-use his old RAM and hard drive, so he's got that covered. Aside from that, your build is even worse than his.
1. Biostar is a very questionable motherboard vendor, and the chipset is extremely limited. Also, AM3+ is a dead-end socket.
2. Buying a hexa-core for gaming is pointless for gaming since most games don't utilize more than two cores.
3. The EVGA PSU in his build may be of somewhat questionable quality, but I wouldn't touch that Apevia with a 30-foot pole. It's going to go out in a shower of sparks in three months while taking the rest of the computer with it.
4. 2 gigs of RAM is barely enough to run Windows, let alone any games.
5. Buying an SSD for a budget build is a waste of money, not to mention it's absolutely tiny; at best it can take the OS and myabe 2-3 small games.
6. Where's the video card? He'd need that even if he wasn't going to do gaming since the FX processors don't have IGP's.

[SquartleTurtle]

im tired of not being able to play richard with my friends. (that was entirely for humor, don't take that intentionally.)

yeah sure

[hillkill]

yeah sure

shh

[Pecon]

He's going to re-use his old RAM and hard drive, so he's got that covered. Aside from that, your build is even worse than his.
1. Biostar is a very questionable motherboard vendor, and the chipset is extremely limited. Also, AM3+ is a dead-end socket.
2. Buying a hexa-core for gaming is pointless for gaming since most games don't utilize more than two cores.
3. The EVGA PSU in his build may be of somewhat questionable quality, but I wouldn't touch that Apevia with a 30-foot pole. It's going to go out in a shower of sparks in three months while taking the rest of the computer with it.
4. 2 gigs of RAM is barely enough to run Windows, let alone any games.
5. Buying an SSD for a budget build is a waste of money, not to mention it's absolutely tiny; at best it can take the OS and myabe 2-3 small games.
6. Where's the video card? He'd need that even if he wasn't going to do gaming since the FX processors don't have IGP's.

The idea was to make a build with a stronger processor as the base, and use the integrated graphics until he could get some sort of graphics card. 2GB of memory is fine for running Windows 8. The small SSD is cheaper than the cheapest hard disk drives, and has the huge advantage of it's speed.

[hillkill]

i'm not a huge amd fan. and plus dont you think a g3258 and gtx 750 ti and then upgrading processor and ram a few months later is better than those untrustworthy parts.

[Pecon]

i'm not a huge amd fan. and plus dont you think a g3258 and gtx 750 ti and then upgrading processor and ram a few months later is better than those untrustworthy parts.

The only part that I'd consider questionable is the PSU. You could use the same one you had before. The motherboard's reviews on Newegg don't point to any significant issues with the board.

Upgrading the processor is a poor direction to take. It's better to invest in the CPU you want for the build as a baseline beforehand.

[Treynolds416]

I'm now rolling with an i5-4690K, I've noticed massive decreases in game loading times over my old FX-4350. Feels good to have finally made the jump to Intel, up next is the jump from ATI to Nvidia as soon as I get the money for a GTX 780 (or 880 depending on whether or not it's out and how much it costs when I have the money).

I don't think that's true. The only modern games with a measurable difference that I know of are watch dogs and apparently blockland w/ shaders. Aka games that were poorly optimized in the first place, so I don't agree with a general blanket statement like that. I'm not necessarily trying to dissuade you from the 780 because it's a good card, but it's important to know the facts before you make a major purchase.

i'm not a huge amd fan. and plus dont you think a g3258 and gtx 750 ti and then upgrading processor and ram a few months later is better than those untrustworthy parts.

I don't think you or pecon are right. On one hand, your current partslist is bad (and really, don't get the g3258 unless you're going to overclock) but on the other hand his makes just as many compromises. I would say keep your current motherboard, gpu and the other stuff except for making the cpu an i3-4130. It's so much better at stock than any pentium for a great value

[Tokthree]

I don't think that's true. The only modern games with a measurable difference that I know of are watch dogs and apparently blockland w/ shaders. Aka games that were poorly optimized in the first place, so I don't agree with a general blanket statement like that. I'm not necessarily trying to dissuade you from the 780 because it's a good card, but it's important to know the facts before you make a major purchase.

I spend at least a week researching any part I'm going to buy before I buy it.

[Daswiruch]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus H81M-D PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($62.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($71.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280 3GB TurboDuo Video Card  ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer  ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: Rosewill RNX-N250PCe 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter  ($18.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $713.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

I know I keep changing builds, but I'm gonna stick by this one.
Thanks to u/MisterTactful for this.

[Treynolds416]

Pretty good build. My only criticism is that you could probably get a cheaper psu without sacrificing quality, 500W would be more than enough for your build (maybe 550W for peace of mind) and you could get a higher efficiency rating for around $50

[Tokthree]

Wouldn't it be better to cut back on some of the other parts so he can get an i5-series CPU? I've heard that the i3 is really not suited for gaming.