$520 build, included monitor & OS.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Z6pN

CPU
AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core
$122.22 Amazon

Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2 Micro ATX AM3+
$49.98 Outlet PC

Memory
Patriot Viper 3 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600
$23.99 Newegg

Storage
Western Digital Caviar Blue 250GB 3.5" 7200RPM
$39.00 Compuvest

Case
Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower
$29.99 Newegg

Power Supply
Corsair 430W ATX12V
$39.99 Newegg

Optical Drive
Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer
$17.99 Newegg

Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)
$89.94 Outlet PC

Monitor
Acer G226HQLBbd 21.5"
$109.99 Newegg

Total: $523.09



Changed out the CPU with Dolar's advice, removed GPU, only 4gb RAM, you can upgrade this at a later point for ~$25...

21.5" 1080p monitor
Win7 64-bit

Only thing that makes me cringe is the micro-ATX

This post was edited by Mitchymo on May 22 2013 11:18am

How is the cooling in that case? IT looks like the 6300 puts off considerably more heat than the i3.

Sufficient. You can add more fans if you want

Top ventilation, plenty of spaces for additional fans.

FX-6300 > i3 3225





The below chart is kind of disconcerting though...



It seems to vary by game, but in Skyrim the 3225 won out. The 3225 has a locked multiplier though, whereas you're almost encouraged to OC the 6300.

Just some food for thought.

I can try to put together a 3225 / LGA 1156 build for you, but it will probably be more expensive..

This post was edited by Mitchymo on May 22 2013 11:39am

Seems like the 6300 will cut me a little more slack down the road. I'm pretty much set on everything but the cpu.

Thank you everyone for the ideas.

This post was edited by NEEDdemRARES on May 22 2013 11:37am

Id avoid the cx430. Huge coil whine issue

FX-6300 seems to win out in DX11 for some reason, may seriously just be game-specific though haha.

After taxes, the 6300 comes out to $135. 15$+ more nets you an i3 ivy on newegg. After some simple google searches, I'm really liking the i3 for simple tasks/gaming and a lot lower power suckage. Wtf.

6300 is comparable to a 2500k stock and when ocd it is comparable to a stock 3570k


I have done two builds with the 6300

Actually the ivy i3 is 120$ at microcenter. About 25 minutes drive.