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Building a new machine.

Saighdiuir de na Capall
Chernabog
Saighdiuir de na Capall
  • GW2: Abastian.4536
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Posted On: 07/03/2014 at 02:34 PM
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I've been kicking around the idea of putting together a new gaming computer.  Unfortunately I haven't kept up to date on what components I should be putting into it.  I've built many machines in the past and was hoping for some help on the list of what I should be looking to put into it.  Any responses would be greatly appreciated.

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Ban Curadh de na Fhiaigh
Mystriss Freya
Ban Curadh de na Fhiaigh
Replied On: 07/03/2014 at 08:29 PM PDT
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Are you thinking about going Intel or AMD?  I can help with AMD stuff :P

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Curadh de na Fhiaigh Donn
Aalwein
Curadh de na Fhiaigh Donn
  • ESO: @Aalwein
Replied On: 07/03/2014 at 09:37 PM PDT
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What kind of budget are you looking at? If you've got a big budget, go with an Intel Core i7 (cpu) and a nVidia GTX-780 (gpu). I'd go with an ASUS motherboard but I'm sure you've got your own preference there. I'd say 16GB of RAM, an 800-900W power supply. Everything else hasn't really changed much over the years. Get a 250+ GB solid state drive to complement a 1 or 2 TB platter drive and you're good to go.

If you've want to pare it down a bit, grab an i5 instead of i7 with a GTX-770 instead of 780. Or mix and match to your budget. Amazon, Newegg, and Tiger Direct should help you collect all the pieces at a good price.

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Saighdiuir de na Faolchu
Zemustat
Saighdiuir de na Faolchu
Replied On: 07/04/2014 at 07:47 AM PDT
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Great topic, as I too have been thinking about finally upgrading from this laptop (4 years ago it was a top-of-the-line laptop...these days, yeah, it'll run GW2, but not in WvW and certainly not at max graphics...at least not with out enough frame skippage that it's too annoying to bother)

So, if I'm thinking of spending around $1000 (plus or minus a couple hundred if it'd be worth it) what would you guys suggest?

Desktop will probably be what I shoot for this time (I definitely need a new desktop since I have a passable laptop, but my desktop is around 9+ years old and sitting in my empty back-room...yeah, the one that no one has been in for a year or so)

Beyond those restrictions (APPROXIMATELY $1000, and must be a desktop) and have no other guidelines...

Suggestions? (and yes, it will be primarily used for gaming)

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Tiarna de na Ulchabhan Dearg
Booie
Tiarna de na Ulchabhan Dearg
  • GW2: Booie.9567
Replied On: 07/04/2014 at 08:30 AM PDT
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PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ydRmFT

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Amazon)

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($69.99 @ Newegg)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($109.99 @ NCIX US)

Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($77.99 @ Amazon)

Storage: Seagate 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($114.67 @ Amazon)

Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270X 4GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($252.98 @ Newegg)

Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)

Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $910.59 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

 

I haven't had it critiqued yet, this is what I'm working on for myself.

"A delayed game is eventually good, a bad game is bad forever" - Shigeru Miyamoto
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Curadh de na Fhiaigh Donn
Aalwein
Curadh de na Fhiaigh Donn
  • ESO: @Aalwein
Replied On: 07/04/2014 at 10:10 AM PDT
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Intel will outperform AMD without breaking a sweat - I will never recommend it over a Core i5/i7. Unfortunately reality for the last couple generations of AMD chips now. Between the R9 and GTX770 its pretty much a wash, so that's a good part, although I prefer nVidia driver support over Catalyst. Otherwise the only thing you're really hurting for is a solid state drive. Never underestimate how much the SSD can super-drive your system. They aren't very expensive anymore and they make a HUGE difference in load and boot times. 600W power supply might be a bit underpowered for the R9/GTX770 especially if you plan to overclock but it being a bronze certified Corsair should keep your system going.

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Ridire de na Ulchabhan
Kalec
Ridire de na Ulchabhan
  • ESO: @Kalec-Stromhir
Replied On: 07/04/2014 at 10:32 AM PDT
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If you want to play ESO, right now AMD is not a good choice. Already did upgrades on a few systems, going from 8350 to 4670k, and all have shown a big improvement. Anywhere from 12-28 fps increase.

Many MMO will want to be on SSD, this is not to gain more FPS. But to maintain a constant stable middle, helps with transition between loading.

Many companies or people over state how much you need in a PSU. An example, GTX 780 or R9 290x + 4770k only needs 500w total.

My 3770k @ 4.2Ghz OC, GTX 670 4GB OC 12%, 7 Fans, Watercooling, 2x HDD, 2x SSD,  6 USB used and 2 LED strips. Under 100% stress to CPU, GPU, Fans, HDD and SSD I use only 320w. I use a AX650. Under normal play in ESO I max out 235w.

I try not too add taxes and shipping to my budget. If budget is $900 it should be before all those. You have to pay for that anyway. I would gladly help in any way to build an optimized system to game with.



» Edited on: 2014-07-04 10:34:12

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Tiarna de na Ulchabhan Dearg
Booie
Tiarna de na Ulchabhan Dearg
  • GW2: Booie.9567
Replied On: 07/04/2014 at 11:32 AM PDT
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If I got that system, then it would be my first AMD ever.  But I'm working on two different builds depending on what my max budget ends up with and I do include everything as part of the budget.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xRTkgs

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($218.98 @ SuperBiiz)

CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Amazon)

Motherboard: ASRock Z87E-ITX Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)

Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($82.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Micro Center)

Storage: Western Digital Red 1TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.04 @ B&H)

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Dual Superclocked ACX Video Card ($324.99 @ Micro Center)

Case: Corsair 250D Mini ITX Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)

Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $1111.95 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available



» Edited on: 2014-07-04 11:34:16

"A delayed game is eventually good, a bad game is bad forever" - Shigeru Miyamoto
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Ban Curadh de na Fhiaigh
Mystriss Freya
Ban Curadh de na Fhiaigh
Replied On: 07/04/2014 at 11:39 AM PDT
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This is the rig I built (except with more Audiophile stuff and two SilverStone HTPC cases)  http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PY7cRB  (It's spendy in the total there, but I just wanted to list some parts that are tried n true/stood out for me)

I have the Gen3 Sabertooth MB (for some reason I couldn't find that one) but I absolutely love it: It handles the heat of being in a HTPC case and it's even got some static protection. I'll admit the colors are a bit bland, but the board itself is probably the best I've worked with as far as the layout and stuff (I've been building rigs since the 90s heh) 

The SilverStone CPU cooler I listed does not cease to amaze me with its ability to cool my 8350FX in a tiny HTPC case.  I previously had a Cooler Master V6GT (which is HUGE) and it only ran about 3c cooler.  I also tried the Arctic Cooling CPU cooler with less than pleasing results in my HTPC case (unimpressed honestly, which is a shame as Arctic Cooling usually has quiet high CFM fans.)  That said though, Corsair's new line of fans take the cake imo.  I have at least 15 of the SP120's and they're perfect for Radiators - so throw one of those puppies on the SilverStone CPU Radiator and it's silent plus easily cool enough for pretty much anything (I sit idle at 43c and the highest I've seen from it was 60c which is well and good for an HTPC case anyway)

So SSD, I personally think it's well worth getting an SSD, at least for your OS.  I've actually got a couple in my rig - a 128g for my OS and a second 256g for games.  Honestly I wouldn't buy anything but Crucial SSD's and memory because over all the years they seem to hold up the best (Crucial memory has been a favorite of mine for compatibility over the years and honestly I've NEVER had a stick from them go bad.  So it was an easy choice for me to go with them for SSD's.)  As far as standard drives go, I'm a Western Digital fanboy[girl?] every time I've bought something other than WD it's failed on me, but I'm STILL running a 1tb WD I've had for probably over 10 years now.  (I have 3 WD standard drives in my rig and about 5 in storage that I can use a hotswapy like thingy to get into - they all still work heh)  I'll not buy anything else.

mmk power supplies.  Ya know I've had at least five Corsair PSU's and I absolutely hate them, which is a shame cause I like a LOT of their other products.  Anyway I'd ended up getting a SilverStone PSU with one of my HTPC cases and I've never looked back.  Upgraded from the 400w that came with it to my present 1200w modular and I'm so in love with it - especially as a modder cause it's so easy to work on the cableing.  Even if you are not a modder though, it's solid quality construction and very quiet to boot.

Ah and GPU.  Ya know I really love the new R9 series, I've got the 290x from Asus (beautiful) and my buddy has an Asus 280x.  The leap in quality and speed, even from my old HIS Radeon 6950HD (which isn't a bad card either) is amazing.  Ya know the entire reason I started modding was because I wanted a PowerColor Devil 13 in my HTPC case, but then they announced the "Volcanic Island" series so I waited, for almost a year, was torture!  Still I'm very happy I waited, the 290x was well worth it.  Now to be completely fair, some 6-7 years ago I had a Nvidia card and they put out an absolutely horrid driver (went from a fine card to absolute garbage over night and I wasn't able to game for at least two months when I finally bought a new card,) and I've not forgiven them.  So I'll admit that I don't really give Nvidia a fair chance cause I can't trust them again.  Their Titan 'is' cooler and supposedly only a hair slower (or faster depending on what fan boy you talk to heh)  I will admit the new TitanX or whatever is a sexy beast (but ya know it's like what 2k or something lol) 

Anyway, on the keyboard, if you can swing for one of Corsair's mechanicals it's well worth the money.  I had the K90 (which isn't quite fully mechanical the F and G keys are standard, and I believe the number pad as well) then I upgraded to the K95 which is fully mechanical.  Honestly I can't say enough about this keyboard, it's beautiful, well constructed, and it types like a dream; it's very sensitive and responsive.  Yes it does clicky when you type, of course, but I put on O-rings before and it was nearly as quiet as a standard keyboard.  They've got a whole line of these aluminum mechanicals if you don't like the gkey's, I highly recommend them.

 

Anyway, so if ya have any questions about any of the parts I listed I'm more than happy to answer them with my first hand experiences :)  Also, if your curious ( cause I like showing my builds off :} )  This is my previous... uhm... incarnation and the one I'm building right now Consummation - I'll be liquid cooling her eventually, but I'll skip getting into that web of details unless you're planning to WC anyway heh



» Edited on: 2014-07-04 11:43:31

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Ridire de na Ulchabhan
Kalec
Ridire de na Ulchabhan
  • ESO: @Kalec-Stromhir
Replied On: 07/04/2014 at 03:27 PM PDT
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Booie If you are getting a GTX 770, then you are better off with the R9 290. it is a faster card over the 770.

KIngston SSD Now 120GB is quit slow and will fill up quit faster.

Look at the Crucial MX100 256GB.

Plus 600w is overkill for an ITX build all you need 450w.

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Tiarna de na Ulchabhan Dearg
Booie
Tiarna de na Ulchabhan Dearg
  • GW2: Booie.9567
Replied On: 07/04/2014 at 04:29 PM PDT
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I was going with a smaller SSD to utilize the "Intel Smart Response Technology" and only use the SSD as a cache drive, it won't give the full speed enhancement, but still a boost on often used files. Will probably look a faster drive than the Kingston.

Thanks for the pointers on graphic card, I updated the build with that.

The estimated wattage on this is 408w and I plan to overclock, so I would probably be sticking with the 600 for $15 more.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RXgDkL

 

"A delayed game is eventually good, a bad game is bad forever" - Shigeru Miyamoto
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Ridire de na Ulchabhan
Kalec
Ridire de na Ulchabhan
  • ESO: @Kalec-Stromhir
Replied On: 07/04/2014 at 05:02 PM PDT
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If you are going to do that, then do not get the red drive. it is not made to be used for any installs. Design was for NAS usage.

Also go with the Z97 board and i5-4690k

Most of the PSU calc is very inaccurate to most, as the settings put in is off. Your average load would be around 260w, extreme load bench cpu/gpu is about 385w.

Gigabyte 4gb R9 290 at newegg for $360

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125500&cm_re=gigabyte_r9_290-_-14-125-500-_-Product



» Edited on: 2014-07-04 17:18:15

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Caomhnoir de na Ulchabhan Gorm
Doreth
Caomhnoir de na Ulchabhan Gorm
Replied On: 07/05/2014 at 05:47 AM PDT

well I have to say, after reading this post, I wil most likely never build my own machine, you all lost me :)

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Tiarna de na Ulchabhan Dearg
Booie
Tiarna de na Ulchabhan Dearg
  • GW2: Booie.9567
Replied On: 07/05/2014 at 06:51 AM PDT
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Building a budget gaming PC can be a pain to get everyone to agree on and will generate a lot of replies, but it is necessary to iron out things and in my case, I was being cheap with things that would probably annoy me later.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/TWs6qs

I updated the parts list to reflect the latest suggestion, couldn't find the graphics card, so I left it with the ASUS.

Thank you for your help Kalec and I hope Samhain got something out of it.



» Edited on: 2014-07-05 07:06:32

"A delayed game is eventually good, a bad game is bad forever" - Shigeru Miyamoto
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Ridire de na Ulchabhan
Kalec
Ridire de na Ulchabhan
  • ESO: @Kalec-Stromhir
Replied On: 07/05/2014 at 10:06 AM PDT
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Booie that looks great. SSD with OS Plus any game you play the most. MMO games take advantage being on SSD.

The rest can be put on the HDD. Plenty of power throughout that will be good going.

Have fun with your system.

Doreth you want to build your own system, as you know exactly what parts you are getting.Getting a system like a HP, Acer or Dell is a bad way to start. In the long run will end up costing more than building.

Start with a good budget, ask questions. If you do not want to assemble yourself, friends or companies like NCIX (Canada and US) will built it for you. (have to buy all there)

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Ban Curadh de na Fhiaigh
Mystriss Freya
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Replied On: 07/05/2014 at 12:12 PM PDT
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Yea it can be confusing cause everyone has their own opinions and their brand favoritism.  Kinda like the argument between PC and mac back in my day heh

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