About to pull the trigger on this $900 w/ monitor build, thoughts?

[Typical_Chinese]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($136.50 @ shopRBC)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-E34 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($67.00 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.99 @ Canada Computers)
Storage: Kingston HyperX Fury 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($67.99 @ Canada Computers)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($60.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB DUAL-X Video Card ($261.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1500 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($39.99 @ Canada Computers)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Memory Express)
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($39.99 @ Canada Computers)
Monitor: LG 22MP55HQ-P 60Hz 22.0" Monitor ($118.88 @ Canada Computers)
Total: $906.29
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-13 17:27 EDT-0400



Just want to play low-end games like CS:GO and League of Legends perfectly on highest settings, and for newer games I'm content with medium settings/low settings. Want to play H1Z1, GW2, Insurgency, Battlefront 3 when it comes, GTAV.


I just picked a random wireless network card, and I'm also worried that my computer case might be too small.



Any thoughts? Thank you so, so much everyone!!

[Xaroxantu Zero]

You can get better performance for the same price with the GTX 960. http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX55553

EDIT: Just realized you're building a microATX rig. In that case, this card should do, and it's even cheaper: http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX56222

[Typical_Chinese]

Does it matter regarding the microatx case? Like is it a bad rig cuz if so I can look for a bigger case!

[Xaroxantu Zero]

I had assumed you went for a microATX build to save space. The smaller GTX 960 card I linked will do just fine. Just make sure your case has decent airflow with fans and whatnot.

[revelations]

Id avoid the WD BLUE and GREEN from personal experience. Get an enterprise-level drive.

http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX50455

[Typical_Chinese]

Originally posted by Xaroxantu Zero
I had assumed you went for a microATX build to save space. The smaller GTX 960 card I linked will do just fine. Just make sure your case has decent airflow with fans and whatnot.

Ah I didn't know about that! I just chose the most favorited option as well as compared it to the price.

Would I benefit from a Full ATX build and like a mid tower? Just for better cable management and air flow?

Originally posted by revelations
Id avoid the WD BLUE and GREEN from personal experience. Get an enterprise-level drive.

http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX50455

Great to know this, thanks for your help!

[jacky4566]

For ~$900 here would be my recommendation:
http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/CZvM7P

Some personal points:
-Better bang for buck low end CPUs with AMD. Get an AM3+.
-Get a proper CPU cooler. You will not regret the quiet. Hyper 212 EVO is $40
-remember a mini-atx motherboard doesn't have to go in a mini-atx case.
-For sub $1000 skip the SSD and get a 2TB WD Black. Unless you really need the quick load times cheap SSD arnt worth it. There is always someone slower in LOL.
-Cases are preferential
-Make SURE to read loads of reviews for wireless cards because they are always tricky. And remember you might need another pc to load wireless drivers.

I would suggest getting everything at Memx. So many reduced headaches with shipping and returns. They will even warranty the CPU if you let them mount it.

Good luck! and feel free to PM for any questions.

[Typical_Chinese]

Originally posted by jacky4566
For ~$900 here would be my recommendation:
http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/CZvM7P

Some personal points:
-Better bang for buck low end CPUs with AMD. Get an AM3+.
-Get a proper CPU cooler. You will not regret the quiet. Hyper 212 EVO is $40
-remember a mini-atx motherboard doesn't have to go in a mini-atx case.
-For sub $1000 skip the SSD and get a 2TB WD Black. Unless you really need the quick load times cheap SSD arnt worth it. There is always someone slower in LOL.
-Cases are preferential
-Make SURE to read loads of reviews for wireless cards because they are always tricky. And remember you might need another pc to load wireless drivers.

I would suggest getting everything at Memx. So many reduced headaches with shipping and returns. They will even warranty the CPU if you let them mount it.

Good luck! and feel free to PM for any questions.

That looks like a really solid build. And yes I would LOVE to go with Memory Express, I just don't know if they have these parts available. Also, unfortunately the case and monitor can't be shipped from Canada Computers as it's pick-up only or shipped only for Ontario/Quebec residents...

Well the SSD I was thinking of putting Windows and like Steam and stuff on there, my friend takes under a minute to restart his computer and re-join me when D/Cs from League or CS and I was just really impressed haha!

And yea I don't really care about what case I get, I don't need it to look flashy or nice!

Regarding Memory Express, what do you think about taking this list to them and seeing how close they can get it?

[Typical_Chinese]

Originally posted by Xaroxantu Zero
You can get better performance for the same price with the GTX 960. http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX55553

EDIT: Just realized you're building a microATX rig. In that case, this card should do, and it's even cheaper: http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX56222

Originally posted by jacky4566
For ~$900 here would be my recommendation:
http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/CZvM7P

Some personal points:
-Better bang for buck low end CPUs with AMD. Get an AM3+.
-Get a proper CPU cooler. You will not regret the quiet. Hyper 212 EVO is $40
-remember a mini-atx motherboard doesn't have to go in a mini-atx case.
-For sub $1000 skip the SSD and get a 2TB WD Black. Unless you really need the quick load times cheap SSD arnt worth it. There is always someone slower in LOL.
-Cases are preferential
-Make SURE to read loads of reviews for wireless cards because they are always tricky. And remember you might need another pc to load wireless drivers.

I would suggest getting everything at Memx. So many reduced headaches with shipping and returns. They will even warranty the CPU if you let them mount it.

Good luck! and feel free to PM for any questions.

Also, I thought the R9 280 would be better than the GTX 960 just based on really surface-level skimming and because it has 3GB and not 2GB.

I'm not well versed in computers hahaha!

[jacky4566]

Originally posted by Typical_Chinese

Regarding Memory Express, what do you think about taking this list to them and seeing how close they can get it?

Memx usually have awesome support and will spend some time with you to help you figure it out.

I just built my build (http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/CZvM7P) quickly on the website and everything is in stock at all locations.

Also the new R9 380 2GB is probably the card you want right now.

[PeterGTiR]

... for newer games I'm content with medium settings/low settings. Want to play H1Z1, GW2, Insurgency, Battlefront 3 when it comes, GTAV.

I'm not a computer wizard but would a less expensive GPU meet his needs?

I bought similar specs motherboard, processor and RAM and bought a GTX 670 used and it plays Dead Rising 3, Bioshock Infinite, The Witcher 3, Metro Last Light on high/ultra settings.

$120 vs. $260.

Here's a plug for a guy selling a GTX 670:

http://forums.beyond.ca/st/392872/fs-evga-gtx-670/

[Typical_Chinese]

This shipping thing is frustrating me to no end. At this point I rather spend more money at MemExpress but have a good trouble-free experience and warranty instead of buying stuff from everywhere...

Also, I did some research and apparently i3 is better than the F6400 because of something about threading and how games work better with the threading on Intel.

No idea what they mean at all, I'm paraphrasing so what I typed above might not even make sense..


Between the GTX 960, R9 280, R9 380 and GTX 670, what would you folks recommend?

I think I'll go for the SSD just because it's and extra $60ish bucks that I'm willing to spend for the next couple of years maybe even longer, but my build is beginning to get expensive, I started off with a $800 budget including a monitor but it's now $900 haha!

[Xaroxantu Zero]

The R9 380 is a rebrand of the R9 280, which is a rebrand of the HD7950. I'm not even joking.

The 380 is tweaked to perform slightly better than the GTX 960, but it uses way more power (it's pretty much 3 year-old tech at this point). The prices are more or less the same, so you can decide if power consumption is a factor for you.

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages...review,10.html

As for the VRAM - if you plan to play games above 1080p, then you will want to consider getting a more powerful card altogether. Otherwise, the 380/960 will do just fine.

I personally try to price-match everything with Memory Express so I don't have to deal with shipping, unless there's some special sale going on.

[samo147]

u can just price match everything with memory express and still get the same price and buying it locally.

http://www.memoryexpress.com/Policie...ection.cm.aspx

thanks for the tread. I've been wanting to upgrade my computer as well I'm still gaming on an overclocked Intel E6400 and feel its time to upgrade.