Building a computer for the first time

[esserin]

My computer died on me during the summer and I've decided to build myself a new PC. Something that can play video games well. It's something I've been wanting to do for a while. While building it, I was trying to aim for 1000cad$ (Fell short by a bit :/). But I'm still not 100% of the parts that I've picked and I'd appreciate it if somebody gave it a look over.

PCPartPicker part list [http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/MFdQbv] / Price breakdown by merchant [http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/MFdQbv/by_merchant/]

CPU: *AMD FX-6350 3.9GHz 6-Core Processor [http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-fd6350frhkbox] ($150.50 @ Vuugo)
Motherboard: MSI 970 GAMING ATX AM3+ Motherboard [http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-970gaming] ($124.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: *Kingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory [http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/kingston-memory-kvr16n11s8k28] ($57.21 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: *Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive [http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st1000dm003] ($58.74 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: *Gigabyte Radeon R9 380 4GB SOC Video Card [http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvr938g1gaming4gd] ($279.99 @ NCIX)
Case: *Fractal Design Define S ATX Mid Tower Case [http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcadefsbk] ($89.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: *EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply [http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-220gs0650v1] ($114.99 @ Memory Express)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter [http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/tp-link-wireless-network-card-tlwdn4800] ($39.98 @ NCIX)
Monitor: Acer H236HLbid 60Hz 23.0" Monitor [http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/acer-monitor-umvh6aa003] ($179.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $1096.36
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-18 11:31 EDT-0400

I don't need to buy an OS but my old monitor is a piece of junk at this point. I also need a wireless network adapter because my router is at the opposite side of my house. I don't mind though. It's not like I play a lot of multiplayer.

 

[Foolery]

Pretty solid build. That's more or less what I'm running now, same graphics card, with the exception of an Intel cpu, and a second hard-drive.

 

[Albino Boo]

The r9 380 will bottleneck on the the fx 6350, you will not get the power of the card. The r9 290 is about the maximum that cpu will take.

http://www.logicalincrements.com/ is good place for a guide at each price point

 

[mad825]

If you're willing to send an extra ~$30 on storage then you could get an SSHD

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produc...soild_state_hard_drive-_-22-178-381-_-Product

While it doesn't provide ultimate speed like SSDs it does however provide mush faster speeds than a traditional HDD after using the application a few time there will be an improvement on booting/loading times especially the OS. This is a luxury item so don't feel too pressed for not getting it.

 

[Mouri Kogoro]

Personally I wouldn't use AMD unless I was doing a build without a GPU. G3258 overclocked does just as good of a job as any AMD for gaming, and I've seen motherboard combos for about $70. Even though I prefer AMD as a company I would have to choose the g3258,an i3 or and i5.

I don't think you need to spend that much on a motherboard. It looks cool but it's gonna be in the case. I would only spend that much if it had something like a USB type-C connector or something like that. Or if it had a built in wireless adapter in your situation.

A single stick of 8gb RAM would mean easier upgrade potential. Really only useful if you want to get into video editing or something like that. Dual channel doesn't add that much to real world performance.

Maybe not now, but get an SSD as a boot drive eventually, maybe during a black friday sale. Although it won't improve gaming performance, but it's the single biggest upgrade you can do.

Take a peek at slickdeals.net before you buy anything. That's where I've seen the $70 G3258 combos I mentioned earlier. Also check out this combo from NewEgg. The case is kinda ugly, but it has a better processor, and includes an SSD and HDD. It comes in at a lower price than your build when you take off the wireless adapter and monitor. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.2406037

 

[BrokenTinker]

albino boo already pointed out the major choke. Another I'd like to point out is the PSU, I'd push it to 750W to make it future proof and in case you want to do some upgrades further down the line. If you are willing to shell out a bit extra, get a corsair full modular (semi is still acceptable). I guess I'd just add a warning as well, seagate, especially barracuda is a crapshoot at time, be ready for RMA. Secondly, the monitor you MIGHT be able to get it cheaper on promos, I got a nice 21 inch for $100+tax, so keep an eye out for your local parts stores. If you are in GTA, there's canada computers (just check their site for specials, if there isn't one, get it online), there's another place if you are in alberta, but I can't remember the name of their store xD

 

[1981]

Personally I wouldn't use AMD unless I was doing a build without a GPU.

Me neither. I have an AMD APU in my HTPC, but their high-performance components generally have a high TDP (i.e. use a lot of power and run hot). GTX 960 2GB seems to be cheaper than R9 380. There's also a 4GB version, but from what I've read, the extra 2GB doesn't necessarily do as much good because of the lower memory bus width.

The power supply seems solid, so no need for more watts unless maybe you plan on a Crossfire/SLI build with two exceptionally demanding cards.

Why would the FX-6350 bottleneck? It has an unlocked multiplier? That means it will overclock better than locked ones. I have an i5 4670k overclocked to 4,2Ghz, and so far only two games have pushed it: Crysis 2 and 7 Days to Die.

 

[Mouri Kogoro]

The AMD vs Nvidia is complex. I think DX12 is going to make a huge difference. Right now AMD give better performance per dollar, but at higher heat and wattage. If lower power, heat, and noise are a priority then Nvidia would be better.

However DX12 might change things. The AMD cards supposedly have a huge performance boost with DX12, but Nvidia doesn't. I don't understand exactly why and I would wait for DX12 games to be released to see what that means for real world performance. Personally if 1080p gaming is the goal I would go with a 270x (which I have, got for $100 on ebay), but if 1440p gaming or and Oculus ready rig then I would go with the 290x (sometimes on sale for close to $200).

 

[leberkaese]

I'm using an AMD right now, but the next GPU (I'm gonna buy soonish) most certainly will be Nvidia. AMD isn't doing too good right now. Also, their GPUs eat a lot more power.

Also, you should get yourself an SSD. At least a small one with 120GB for your OS and most used programs. It's much faster