Hardware & Technical Rate my budget PC.

Zazzilas Arden

Zazzilas Arden
So after seeing a few threads similar to this, I started to wonder what you guys would think of the budget PC build that I threw together for Elite Dangerous and Fallout 4.

Just remember that this is a budget build, and not meant to be top of the line!


CASE: (Rosewill Micro ATX mini tower, TWO 80mm fans in the back as I threw on an extra one, one 120mm fan in the front)
http://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-Micr...ef=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1452733128&sr=1-4&
keywords=micro+atx+case

PSU: (Rosewill Stallion 600W)
http://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-Stal...2734477&sr=1-7&keywords=600w+amd+power+supply

MOBA: (Asus Micro ATX)
http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Micro-Mo...29&sr=1-1&keywords=am3++micro+atx+motherboard

CPU: (AMD FX 8320 - 8 cores, overclocked to 4.5ghz, 8mb cache)
http://www.amazon.com/AMD-FD8320FRH...452733200&sr=1-1&keywords=amd+vishera+fx+8320

GPU: (EVGA Overclocked GTX 950)
http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-...qid=1452733299&sr=1-2&keywords=nvidia+gtx+950

RAM: (Kingston HyperX FURY 8GB Kit)
http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-HyperX-FURY-2x4GB-1600MHz/dp/B00J8E8ZLK/ref=sr_1_7?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1452734166&sr=1-7&keywords=8gb+ddr3+1600mhz

HDD: (1TB WD 7200 RPM 3Gb/s 64MB Cache)
http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digit..._UL160_SR120,160_&refRID=142MYWZBBDK9FC50FDBB

COOLER: (ARCTIC Freezer 7 Pro Rev 2)
http://www.amazon.com/ARCTIC-Freeze...2734786&sr=1-3&keywords=arctic+amd+cpu+cooler


So what do you guys think?


EDIT: I'd like to mention that form factor is rather important, as I live in a small dorm.
 
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Windscreen Smudge

W
Unless you specifically need a small PC, don't use Micro-ATX parts. They cost a premium for the performance you're getting due to the size.

Edit: Oh, and for all that you love and/or find holy don't buy that PSU. It's pretty much guaranteed to burn up before reaching the two year mark, possibly taking out other parts of your PC with it. The PSU is something that you can't skimp on without risking ruining other components in your PC.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1161878-REG/sea_sonic_electronics_g_550_ssr_550rm_g_series_550w_modular_cable.html
 
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Deleted member 38366

D
Looking very good, although I don't think you're doing yourself a favor overclocking an FX-8000 Series to a whopping 4.5GHz.
Motherboards and their VRMs hate that in the long run, as the resulting dynamic power draw ventures into the area of the dreaded FX-9000 series.
4GHz should be plenty if you want the Motherboard to live a long life.
 

Lane1572

Lane1572
50/69
As noted you need a hard drive and as your budgeting don't forget the OS as that's not cheap.

also the microatx might not offer lots of room to expand in the future and can be harder to work with than bigger cases/boards
 

Zazzilas Arden

Zazzilas Arden
Lane1572 said:
50/69
As noted you need a hard drive and as your budgeting don't forget the OS as that's not cheap.

also the microatx might not offer lots of room to expand in the future and can be harder to work with than bigger cases/boards
Click to expand...

I already had a copy of Win7 available. :D The free win10 upgrade is still available until July, too, if I choose to use it. I will probably will for the better benchmarks.

I also have very little actual room in my Dorm, so a small case was a must.

- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -

Windscreen Smudge said:
Unless you specifically need a small PC, don't use Micro-ATX parts. They cost a premium for the performance you're getting due to the size.

Edit: Oh, and for all that you love and/or find holy don't buy that PSU. It's pretty much guaranteed to burn up before reaching the two year mark, possibly taking out other parts of your PC with it. The PSU is something that you can't skimp on without risking ruining other components in your PC.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...50_ssr_550rm_g_series_550w_modular_cable.html
Click to expand...

I'm one of the few oddballs that swears by Rosewill. My old PC build has been running for almost 6 years now without a hitch, and it also has a Rosewill PSU. Rosewill is one of the very few "cheapo" brands that actually doesn't skimp very much when it comes to important components.
 
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Windscreen Smudge

W
Oh, and your motherboard only has SATA 3 ports, so you can swap that Seagate SATA 6 drive out for a more reliable brand SATA 3 of the same price, should you find one.
 

Cowboy Bats

C
Sorry man, not digging it. All I see is a double-digit overclock in a micro case on air. I just can't see how this build is a good idea. Even in a full sized case, I'd be looking for a better cooling solution if I was doing a double digit overclock. Mico ATX cases are hot little suckers, because no matter how good your fans are, it's tight in there and airflow is going to be forced into narrow channels, with multiple dead zones where heat just builds up. Even without overclocking, heat reduces the longevity of micro builds. I'd rethink this from the bottom up.
 

MickyG1982

M
The only real problem I can see with it is that you are limiting your upgrade options. Yes it is a top of the line AM3 processors but it is also one of the last, and has been for some time. That is where the problem lies, if you choose to upgrade the processor there are no meaningful upgrades (processors that are significantly better) on its chipset. Essentially to get a better processor you'll have to change both the motherboard and memory too. Effectively you aren't future proofing it at all, wait for the AM4 line to come on stream (could be as early as march). While the new processors might not be the powerhouse you are used to (yet). Overall with better memory (DDR4) and various other technological improvements, you should be able to match the performance you are looking to get. Plus, you are left a lot of room to upgrade at a later date, AM4 is going to be around for a good few years.
 

Hell Razor5543

H
Possible trick that you might want to try out. Regardless of how much memory you have Windows will ALWAYS create a swap file (if you let it; by default the Swap File is enabled). I have, since Windows 95, been fitting an HDD dedicated to the swap file. What this does is to remove a major bottleneck, and stop the PC from slowing down (it does not make it go faster). Pop in an HDD that is (at least) twice the size of the maximum amount of memory the MoBo will support, name it "Swap File" (so that you know what it is for and don't use it for other purposes), and then go into Device Manager, find where Virtual Memory configuration is (varies depending on version of Windows), and then set it to the dedicated drive (while removing the option for it to use other drives). You may find that Windows wants to restart afterwards, so let it.
 

Surfinjo

Surfinjo
Starting with those specs it looks great.

Understand about the size, a huge box is not exactly everyone's preference.

But your PC looks fabulous.
 

Gameson

G
That HD is junk. Not only is it SATA II, an outdated interface, but it's second hand, according to some of the reviews, they have over 10,000 POH (power-on hours) and were 3 years into the manufacturers warranty. I wouldn't touch em.
 
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