Low Budget Gaming PC Build - Need suggestions

[Yerfdog]

I've been thinking of building a gaming PC for a while now, making lists of possible builds that wouldn't cost a lot, but would have plenty of power.
I've talked to my brother about several things about building computers, and games on PC, and the Steam sales, and he said for me to make a list of the parts I'd need/want. I think I've done a pretty good job of putting together a list of parts for a low budget build, but I want to know if there's a way I could make it cheaper while retaining the same performance, or if there was a way to make it a little more powerful for about the same price.

AMD A8-3870K, XFX Radeon HD 6670, Apex SK-393-C - System Build - PCPartPicker This is what I currently have in mind (I'd crossfire the APU with the 6670). Someone told me that the A8-3870K performs much better when you have RAM that's at least DDR3-1866 over 1600 or below.

Any suggestions? It totals about $525 before rebates (this is including the cost of the OS). Once again, I'd like to keep it around that price or lower while keeping or improving the performance.

 

[-RockMan-]

I've been thinking of building a gaming PC for a while now, making lists of possible builds that wouldn't cost a lot, but would have plenty of power.
I've talked to my brother about several things about building computers, and games on PC, and the Steam sales, and he said for me to make a list of the parts I'd need/want. I think I've done a pretty good job of putting together a list of parts for a low budget build, but I want to know if there's a way I could make it cheaper while retaining the same performance, or if there was a way to make it a little more powerful for about the same price.

AMD A8-3870K, XFX Radeon HD 6670, Apex SK-393-C - System Build - PCPartPicker This is what I currently have in mind (I'd crossfire the APU with the 6670). Someone told me that the A8-3870K performs much better when you have RAM that's at least DDR3-1866 over 1600 or below.

Any suggestions? It totals about $525 before rebates (this is including the cost of the OS). Once again, I'd like to keep it around that price or lower while keeping or improving the performance.

Newegg.com - AMD FX-4170 Zambezi 4.2GHz (4.3GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 125W Quad-Core Desktop Processor FD4170FRGUBOX
129.99 code until 7/18/2012

Newegg.com - MSI 970A-G46 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
89.99

Newegg.com - Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
64.99

Newegg.com - Galaxy 63TGS8HX3XXZ GeForce GT 630 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
64.99

Newegg.com - Kingston HyperX 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 Desktop Memory Model KHX1600C9D3/4G
25.99 each for 2 its 52.00 with free shipping

Newegg.com - XCLIO Nighthawk Color Black 0.6mm SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
75.00

450.00 total, you have enough to get a monitor or whatever else you want.

I'm not for the apu build your considering, yes its epic at gaming but when the show is over with its not that speedy and you'll feel like you bought a cheap intel pentium d chip somewhere.

 

[Yerfdog]

Why would I use a GT 630 for a gaming PC? It doesn't even match the minimum requirements for a lot of games.

 

[-RockMan-]

Why would I use a GT 630 for a gaming PC? It doesn't even match the minimum requirements for a lot of games.

, let me ask you something look here at this page:
Choose a Video Card - PCPartPicker
I see quite a few cards that match or out class the ATI hd 6670 ?
What kind of price do you want to pay total for a card ?
I admit I don't own the "GT630" card right now, but from owning the GT430 and my current GT520..
Couple this with the cpu I picked out for you and it will do far more better than AMD's current apu lineup.


The GT card is like a little baby brother to its GTX lineup, the ones you see on the market holding a steady 4.5 or even 5.0 rating look at those and choose.
I can just about run any game on the market, I dont choose to run at maximized specs because its not worth it.
It has good speed and more to boot, the cudacores come in handy when dealing with larger games.
96 cudacores, try thinking like your dealing a with a GTX 500 series, thats what it feels like or more.

If you want the ATI HD series, I'm for it, but get something from AMD's GPU lineup that will be worth keeping for a year or two.
Thats why I gave you that card and see where you wanted to head from there.

 

[Yerfdog]

Crossfiring the 6550D that's on the A8-3870K would bring the power up to just about equal with a 6770 (the highest you can crossfire with the A8-3870K is a 6670).

This is the closest I can get to my goal price while having the power of a 6770 (because there's a 6770 in it) and having a faster CPU (3.6GHz).

That's $512.89 after rebates (that price includes the cost of the OS).

 

[-RockMan-]

Alright, go on get the parts and build it.

 

[Yerfdog]

Would one case fan be enough, or would I need to add more?

 

[-RockMan-]

Would one case fan be enough, or would I need to add more?

None for now see:
Model
Brand
XCLIO
Model
Nighthawk Color

Spec
Type
ATX Mid Tower
Color
Black
Case Material
0.6mm SECC/ ABS Plastic
With Power Supply
No
Power Supply Mounted
Bottom
Motherboard Compatibility
Flex ATX, Micro ATX & ATX
With Side Panel Window
Yes

Expansion
External 5.25" Drive Bays
6 or 9 bays (Smart HDD Modular System)
Internal 3.5" Drive Bays
0 or 4 bays (Smart HDD Modular System)
Expansion Slots
7

Front Ports
Front Ports
USB2.0 x 2, Audio (AC97+HD Audio), E-SATA

Cooling System
120mm Fans
1 x 120mm Front Fan (Black frame & blade)
1 x 120mm Front Fan (Transparent frame & blade + 256 Color LED + VR fan speed control, ON/OFF Switch)
2 x 120mm Top Fan (Black frame & blade)
1 x 120mm Rear Fan (Transparent frame & blade + 256 Color LED + VR fan speed control, ON/OFF Switch)

Physical Spec
Dimensions
18.98" x 7.48" x 17.24"
Weight
16.53 lbs

Features
Features
Unique & emotional design

Solid & versatile case chassis

Excellent cooling solution

256 color cooling fan system

Smart fan controller

Smart HDD modular system

Support e-SATA

Manufacturer Warranty
Parts
1 year limited
Labor
1 year limited

Newegg.com - XCLIO Nighthawk Color Black 0.6mm SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

I have heard the front 120mm case fans do have problems at times, if that does happen email exclio technical support and they'll ship out a replacement from china in 7 days.
I recommend you change the stock thermal grease upon receiving it, so it will have a better time to cool off.
Yes those apu units work very hard and they will get hot in a low mild or semi hot-room reminds of me of how hot my celeron d use to get into the summer, it would burn up the whole house if it could. *_*