Buying a New Pc

Hey guys I am currently interested in purchasing a new PC, however I am quite the newbie when it comes to all of this. I am looking for a mediocre gaming pc for around the $500-600 budget area. I could possibly build a computer with the help from a friend, as I know this is more cost efficient. Also I have found some computers on craigslist near me, however I am wary of that, as I could get jipped pretty easily as I know very little about computers.

here is a craigslist computer that i found:
http://fortsmith.craigslist.org/sys/4567478147.html

and another:
http://fortsmith.craigslist.org/sys/4550472392.html

What are your thoughts on it? Also if someone would mind taking the time, what would be the computer you would build with the $500-$600 budget?

I really appreciate any help you guys can offer.

 

Second build is DEFINITELY a much better build. Everything is several generations old, but still sufficient for today's gaming...except for the GPU that is(its far too weak, the other build has a much better GPU) so you'd definitely want to upgrade the GPU on it. 140 can get you a 750 ti...and they are pretty stout cards from the reviews.

Everything in that second listing will provide you a great foundation to build on. If you wanted to modernize youd only have to upgrade GPU, mobo and CPU to a haswell setup, and you've got a modern beast. Its already got good ram, a well vented case, HDD, psu, and even a decent disc drive

 

Great response SASRT8 i really appreciate your input. Would you reccomend just growing a pair and buying the parts to build a computer? I have noticed several people using http://pcpartpicker.com/ to build their own pc's...if you would take the time to build me a solid gaming computer with the parts on that site for around $600, i will throw a few bucks your way for taking the time to do so.

Also I dont need an OS as i will just buy a windows key for cheap on sythe.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883258086&leaderboard=1

579.99 currently. Normally 789.99.

IMO, power supply is a little lacking but those aren't expensive to upgrade.

GPU seems to be Ok. Not the best but still ok.

 

here is what i put together after some searching...suggestions?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($118.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($74.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.70 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 270 2GB DirectCU II Video Card ($151.00 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT H230 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $556.62
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

 

I'm not too keen on the case. No side ventilation is a bad thing imo.

But that is my opinion.

Everything else looks pretty ok. Not a fan of AMD but that's just me. So I can't really comment on the CPU as I don't really know how well it compares to Intel ones without researching.

 

Yes, I would certainly always recommend building before buying. Not only is it cheaper, its a fun experience.
The build you have posted is a pretty nice build. It should do well for gaming at 1080p with pretty high details. It looks to be a solid foundation aswell. That power supply can handle 40A/480w on the 12v rail, which is great for future gpu upgrades down the road.

Amd is not popular amongst a lot of people, but don't let that change your mind. Sure, clock for clock Intel is usually more powerful, but this is not usually anything that will hold your performance back during gaming. I've built several AMD builds, and while I prefer Intel for the raw power(I do a lot of f@h) I would never hesitate to recommend an AMD build to someone who wants to play games and save a little cash. I'm only saying this because the fanboys will soon follow with their pitchforks screaming "no AMD, INTEL IS THE ONLY WAY!!" but this way you can be prepared for their ignorance.

 

If you're in the Arkansas area then I totally can sell you my pc I've had listed on cl for quite a while. I go through ft smith quite often. I live in the Russellville area.

My computer is -much- better than those two.

 

Yes I do live in Fort smith...send me a link and I'll gladly check it out bud.

 

I pmed you the link. Also forgot to mention that it has a wireless network card in it also.

 

Just remember to consult with someone you trust before you purchase! It sounds like you are going about this the right way! Good luck with your purchase

 

Build your own PC. It may seem very overwhelming at first, but I guarantee if you took the time to research, make a decision on what you want, and then to finally build your own computer - you will not regret it. Not only will you have more knowledge regarding computer parts, what they do, what's good, what's not etc... You'll also have more of an insight into fixing your own computer if problems ever start to arise. Start with a few google searches and just read. You've mentioned you have a friend who can help build your computer, use him and make the most out of it, learn something new!

 

Recommendations:
1. Just go with the eight-core AMD. It's only a little bit more.
2. Overpriced motherboard. Buy the cheapest one. Motherboards don't really matter. It's just there to hold everything together nicely. Don't believe the myths that spending more on one will make it any better. I've had a $300 motherboard, $100 motherboard, and a $30 motherboard and they all perform the same. Obviously more expensive ones have more features, but if you're not using the features there's no point. Since you're only going with one video card and 2 RAM sticks, then no need for the one you linked.
3. RAM you picked is fine
4. For the love of god don't get an HDD. Get an SSD. They're becoming more affordable now so there's no excuse. Unless you're filling the 1TB drive to the brim, and don't have any other hard drives, then just get a 250GB~ SSD for about $100-140.
5. Video card is fine. Better than mediocre gaming. However if you're not too specific a $100 R7 will do the job. You can run most games on recommended settings with that.
6. Case is whatever. Don't listen to people that say you have to have good cooling. Your parts aren't going to make it that hot.
7. I don't like going with certified power supplies. It just increases the price, but that's not too expensive. Just make sure it can comfortably support the parts you use. You might cut it close with 500W.
8. Optical drive is fine. I don't personally use one but they're cheap.



Here's my recommended build:
Motherboard: This or this - $40~
Processor: This - $160
Case: This or this - $40~
Memory: This - On sale $67.99 - or this
Power Supply: This or this - $30~
Storage: This - $111
Video card: This or this - $150~
DVD Drive: This - $18

Comes out to $600~

 

Just make sure with your build that you base it around your GPU. Obviously making sure that everything doesn't bottleneck of course. But because your build is roughly $500-600 you're really going to want to get a medium class card, whether you go for AMD chip or Nvidia that's entirely up to you.

As Grave said above, choosing parts shouldn't be a problem, just know a $100 motherboard isn't needed. A good i5 will cream your build, going with a K series is up to you, but you really need to ask the question; are you going to overclock you CPU? If not, save some dollars and stick without an overclockable CPU.

As I said, because because your build is only $500-600 and you're wanting a gaming PC. Choose a good mid level card.

Always remember you can expand on your cheap parts down the track.

Good luck with your build.

 

This is the final build I ended up going with...Thank you all so much for your help.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($144.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Biostar A960D+ Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($36.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($71.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 270 2GB Dual-X Video Card ($152.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case ($33.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: HEC 485W ATX Power Supply ($24.98 @ OutletPC)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($15.00 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN725N 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($8.88 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $569.77
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

 

Goodluck with the build!