[Razor Ramon HG]

Originally Posted by pinn3r

changed things up... hopefully this'll suffice for a first-time builder?
not looking to run anything crazy... prob CS:GO, Outlast, and maaaybe DayZ

CPU (in this case, APU): AMD A10-7850K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor
Motherboard: MSI A88XM GAMING Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory
Storage: Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer

total is about 550, which is well within my budget

I don't recommend getting APUs since you can usually get a processor and a video card for roughly the equivalent amount that will offer much better performance. APUs will never match a dedicated video card, ever. Not to mention that there's basically no upgrade path for the FM2 socket.. least if you go with Intel, you can upgrade to an i5 down the road.

G3258 ($70) + HD7850 ($90) + MSI Z87-G41 ($60) = $246.4 after taxes

A10-7850 + A88XM Gaming = $281.34 after taxes and MIR.

You could shell out an extra $45 for the i3 4150 if you don't want to overclock the G3258 and you'll still end up with roughly about the same cost but with gaming performance that's many times better.

You can get the HD7850 and Z87-G41 from NCIX's warehouse open-box. They come with warranty from NCIX for 7 days instead of 2 weeks and then it's the manufacturer. Good savings can be found there.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...xvWvvnxZY/edit