[Build Help] Mid-level gaming rig for my brother
My brother is starting to get into PC gaming, but being 13 he doesn't have a lot of money saved up. Here's the build I'm thinking of for him. I think it looks good, but just wanted to check with people here. This budget is pretty rigid, so I can't really go any higher than this.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
| Type | Item | Price |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i3-2100 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor | $119.99 @ Newegg |
| Motherboard | ASRock H61M-DGS Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard | $51.97 @ Newegg |
| Memory | G.Skill Value Series 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory | $20.49 @ Newegg |
| Hard Drive | Samsung Spinpoint F3 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $69.99 @ Newegg |
| Video Card | Gigabyte Radeon HD 6850 1GB Video Card | $139.99 @ Newegg |
| Case | Rosewill R101-P-BK MicroATX Mid Tower Case | $25.50 @ Newegg |
| Power Supply | Corsair 430W ATX12V Power Supply | $21.99 @ Newegg |
| Total | ||
| Prices include shipping and discounts when available. | $449.92 | |
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-07-22 15:10 EDT-0400 |
Posted Jul 22, 2012, 4:01 AM UTC · edited
13
Avoid that CPU if you can possibly help it. I think you can shave enough off else where to get an i3 and it will be worth it.
Try getting the uATX version of that motherboard so you can get a smaller case.
That will lete you get something like this and save you buying the power supply. If that doesn't save enough it would still be better getting something like this so you can get the better CPU.
Also you can probably get away without a DVD drive for some time so I would suggest putting that money towards the CPU as well.
If you do that you should be able to afford an i3 and it will be worth it.
I've dropped the optical drive and moved to a cheaper case and mobo. If there was a microcenter near me I could have save $30 on the CPU which would cover the optical drive, but there's not one close enough to make it worth it. Your second PSU/Case combo is cheap, but I don't feel comfortable with a $27 dollar PSU of unknown origin. Also, a lot of the feedback says that the PSU is kind of sketchy and probably not what it's rated at.
Fair enough on the PSU, I wouldn't myself. I would really suggest trying for that i3 and not the Pentium.