Opinions/Suggestions on a gaming pc build

[Joemez]

Hello all!

I bought myself a gaming laptop (quad-core 3rd gen i7, GTX 660m, 8 GB RAM) last year, and I'm really getting tired of playing with absolutely minimum quality settings just to get a playable (by my forced-low standards - I'm talking at most 30 fps, often dipping to around 24 or below) when playing games such as Borderlands 2, Tomb Raider, Bioshock Infinite; I had to give up entirely on Far Cry 3, 'cause I couldn't get a playable framerate even at 1600x900 with lowest possible settings. 1080p (or maybe higher, but I think that'd be out of my budget atm) is an absolute must. I mostly misunderstood the significant hardware power gap between laptops and desktops when I got this laptop, which is why I'm starting to plan about building my own more powerful desktop.

 

I'm going to set it as a goal for this computer to run Skyrim at 60 fps, 1080p, with various texture mods alongside other mods. Maybe for the game to be decently playable (I'll say 45+ fps always) with an ENB, if that's possible for my budget. A secondary goal is for it is to run Tomb Raider with higher settings. Maybe not all maxed, but with a couple maxed, and up to four settings turned down a notch or two.

 

As to a budget, I'm going to place my maximum at $1200 Canadian (preferably including tax + shipping). I am a university student though, so if I could get good gaming performance for $1000 or less that'd be tremendous.

I've been using the website pcpartpicker.com as my go-to for planning my build. My method so far has been to try to find the cheapest, yet decently powerful component, while referring to the site's rating scheme and looking up the part on newegg or another site for more in-depth reviews, opinions and detail.

 

My current plan (14/1/9) can be seen here: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/JoeMez/saved/3ogI

 

**EDIT: Updated plan (14/1/10) with Rennn's reccomendations: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/JoeMez/saved/3orH

Updated (14/1/10-2): http://pcpartpicker.com/user/JoeMez/saved/3oQm

I decided to cut a few corners, mostly around the motherboard and CPU. No point in getting a highly overclock-able CPU if I don't overclock it. I also switched out the SSD that'd go in my laptop, following advice that Kingston's dropped in quality. Still, to keep cost down I'll take the 240 GB Kingston SSD out of my laptop and put it in the PC, though.

 

Updated (14/1/11) I've made up two new plans - I felt like the previous one cut out too much performance. The second plan is using an AMD CPU.

Intel CPU: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/JoeMez/saved/3pde

AMD CPU: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/JoeMez/saved/3pff

The thing that bothers me the most about the AMD plan is that I can't find a compatible motherboard with PCIe 3.0. Would that cause a noticeable performance drop?

 

Updated (14/1/12) http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/JoeMez/saved/3pEk

With this plan, I'm sort of thinking, "If I'm going to do this, might as well to it right."

 

First off, I'd like to ask for an opinion as to if I need an aftermarket CPU cooler with this processor. I plan to do absolutely NO overclocking with this PC. The one I'm looking at isn't much, ~$35, and If it will add significant peace-of-mind that my cpu is in good condition, I'll get it. If it's a case of a cooler not adding much over the included cooler from Intel if I'm not overclocking, then I'd rather save my money.

 

Second- Is the motherboard I've selected decent for gaming? I'm rather new to the innards of a pc, so I'm going solely on reviews and the like. Is there one that's significantly better for only a few dollars more? or maybe one that's close enough for my needs that's a bit cheaper?

I'll say my basis is going to be enough PCIe slots to add another video card/swap one and have a phsyx-dedicated GPU or something (in a few years), front side USB 3.0 compatibility, at least 3 USB in any other position, and gigabit ethernet. And, of course, fitting the other parts - assuming they aren't changed around :smile:.

EDIT: Based on recommendations (and now understanding my chosen motherboard won't support it) the PCIe basis is irrelevant.

 

I think the memory I've chosen is at a good balance point for performance and cost - I was initially planning to get 16 GB, but I read that once you have 8 GB, there isn't a worthwhile performance gain to double the money spent onto another 8 GB.

 

On the build page, I've put in two ssd's - A ssd is a must-have, in my opinion- the 240 GB one is currently in my laptop. When I get the parts, I'll put this 240 GB into my PC, and put the new 120 GB into the laptop. The ssd will only hold the OS, whatever programs I need, and one or two games - Skyrim, Fallout NV. Maybe not at the same time, though, doubt they'd all fit. The terabyte (I was thinking ~500 GB, but for another $10, why not a TB?) will be for what ever games I don't expect to get significant performance gain from by shortened load times, and file storage - I'm thinking most significant will be mod archives for the games on the ssd.(Does anyone know if using the to-come hyperlinking in the current NMM alpha will cause a slowdown by mods not being on my ssd with the games?)

I'd initially planned to get a 120 GB ssd as the os and programs, nothing more, then another ~480 GB ssd solely for games, but I can't justify spending that kind of money. I'll likely upgrade to something like that in a few years.

 

As to the chosen case, I'm open for suggestion. I chose this one as it should fit the other parts I've selected, and got decent reviews. I'm calling out on inexperience here - any suggestions? USB 3.0 on the front is a must, everything else I'm more-or-less impartial to.

 

The power supply is another area where I'd like input. I hear it's the component most newbie PC builders (e.g. me) unintentionally skimp out on, so any advice will be appreciated.

 

A note on the Windows 8.1 OS, there's a student version for ~$70, so that'd save another couple of bucks. (Does anyone know if it's actually Win 8.1? I read somewhere that it needs to install on top of Win 7.)

 

For the monitor, I'm again open to opinions. The monitor I put in more-or-less solely to get a sense of what my budget is. I think that when I build the PC, I'll buy the monitor retail so I have a better sense of what I'm getting, some hands-on. I'd like to keep the monitor under $150.

Still, for any suggestions, my minimums are 1920x1080, and at least 19" screen size. For my first build, I'll be okay with 60Hz. I like the 16:9 screen on my laptop, but if the right price was available for a 16:10 (and therefore it'd have to have at least 1920x1200) screen I'll go for it.

EDIT: I managed to see the monitor on the plan in person. I like the look of it - unless something better comes along, I think it'd be the one I go with.

 

 

 

For the keyboard, does anyone know of a decently priced one similar to this one?

http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/steelseries-steelseries-merc-stealth-gaming-keyboard-marc-stealth/10133039.aspx?path=9247512623d49946149dfa8d6c35b4f7en02

I was prepared to go with this one - I like the look of the gaming side of the keyboard - then I saw a review that pointed out the annoying lack of 'z' and 'x' keys. Barring that, the logitech one seems suitable. I'd like my keyboard to have the extra macro keys, they're useful for lesser-used hotkeys in some games. Keyboard must have a num pad.

 

Now for the video card- Right now, based on price I have it between two cards:

EVGA GTX 760- http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-02gp42763kr

Asus GTX 760 -http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-gtx760dc2oc2gd5

**EDIT: currently the one I prefer, a different EVGA GTX 760: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-02gp42765kr

As far as I can tell, they're nearly identical. I've read only good things about EVGA, but my current laptop is Asus (G75, if anyone's interested) , and I have nothing but praise for its quality. If these are the best two choices for my budget, I think, barring some really good reason, I'll go with the Asus. As far as I understand, 2GB of VRAM should be enough for today's games, is that not so?

 

Another question around GPU's - do they not need their own cooler? Before I started looking into it seriously, whenever I heard "aftermarket cooler" I thought it was for the GPU. I was rather surprised to learn they're for the CPU. Is it that the highest-end cards need extra cooling? I'd rather avoid having to deal with that.

 

Also, there is this card: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-02gp42662kr

It's a 660, AND the memory interface is 192-bit, as opposed to 256-bit with the 760's. Would the performance hit from that and going back a "generation" balance the money saved (~$50)?

 

For any suggestions, I don't particularly want to spend a whole lot more- but I'll bite if ~$50-70 will net me a huge performance gain. Really, that'd apply to all of the components (but not all at the same time).

 

 

Right now, I'm just in my budget (technically), and I'm hoping that someone more knowledgeable and experienced will have a tip, or maybe offer a suggestion to lower my current cost. Or how to get more bang for my buck.

The lower I can get the cost, the more likely I'll dish out the money - if it stays high-ish, I can't really justify it to myself to spend the money and time that really could be going to my schooling.

 

Thanks to anyone who's read this far, and to anyone who has advice to offer!

 

~Joemez

[Rennn]

Not a full analysis, but I have a few recommendations.

 

I would recommend Windows 7 instead of Windows 8 or 8.1, but that's just my preference.

 

I'd recommend this card instead. Mid-range Nvidia cards are aimed at efficiency and cooling right now, it's a bit of a waste not to get an overclocked card if you can find one the same price as stock. It won't noticeably shorten the lifespan.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130932

 

You heard correctly, 8GB is the best balance of RAM performance and cost. Higher than that won't improve performance noticeably for a few years yet, and the RAM you've chosen is very good.

 

I'd recommend this monitor. It might be the best you can get for less than $150. http://www.amazon.com/VS228H-P-22-Inch-Full-HD-LED-Lit-Monitor/dp/B005BZNDOO/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1389341443&sr=1-2&keywords=monitor

 

You don't replace coolers on video cards. :smile: That's only CPUs. And to be fair, even most CPUs are fine without a new cooler. I'm not sure whether the CPU you've chosen would need a different cooler, but if you're struggling for money I'd test it with the default cooler first.

 

That power supply seems fine. You have to be wary of 500w PSUs from worse companies, but Corsair is considered to be very reliable, so it should be a good match for your other components.

 

Just so you know, your motherboard does not support two video cards. I don't consider that a problem, but it sounds like you might.

Edited January 10, 2014 by Rennn

[Joemez]

Thanks for the recommendations Rennn! I've altered the plan to reflect your input.

Personally, I'd rather stick with Windows 7 as well, but I don't believe I can get a student price on 7 anymore, so I'm going to let the money make that decision.

Thank you for bringing up that the motherboard is single-GPU. I must have misread or misunderstood when I first looked at it. Dual-GPU compatibility isn't something I desperately need, anyway.

 

~Joemez

[FMod]

Usually people are too brief, but there is such a thing as being too verbose... At least when asking questions.

**EDIT: Updated plan (14/1/10) with Rennn's reccomendations: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/JoeMez/saved/3orH

This Asus costs the same and it's a better card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121775

 

Kingston brand SSDs [used to be] mostly junk, I don't follow them anymore though.

 

Second- Is the motherboard I've selected decent for gaming?

All mobos are ~same and mostly only differ in features. Check the list to see which you need.

 

E.g. my list includes 12+ SATA ports, 14+ USB ports (8 permanent attachments, 2 MicroUSB, 1 MiniUSB, 1 drive box, 2 to have available), 5+ PCI-E ports (2xGPU, 2xSSD, audio), other things that limit the selection severely.

 

For new users it's a non-issue. Pro3 is OK.

 

and have a phsyx-dedicated GPU or something

Useless.

And "something" is just waste of power and airflow unless you need 6+ monitors.

 

I'd initially planned to get a 120 GB ssd as the os and programs, nothing more, then another ~480 GB ssd solely for games, but I can't justify spending that kind of money.

1) There is no reason, ever, to split OS and games between different SSD.

2) You either have the money or not. Pick what you want to spend and arrange spending it in the best way possible. Never try to "justify" individual components, only the system as a whole.

 

 

For the monitor, I'm again open to opinions. The monitor I put in more-or-less solely to get a sense of what my budget is. I think that when I build the PC, I'll buy the monitor retail so I have a better sense of what I'm getting, some hands-on. I'd like to keep the monitor under $150.

Still, for any suggestions, my minimums are 1920x1080, and at least 19" screen size. For my first build, I'll be okay with 60Hz.

Why is everyone trying to skimp on the display like it's something they'll just use to check if the PC is working and otherwise not bother with?

 

"Hands on" is rarely helpful, and if you want a monitor under $150, all you're getting is something that works, so you can as well just take that one.

 

That said, if you do want a hands on... I guess go check that it lights up when you plug it in - would be unpleasant if it doesn't.

 

 

For the keyboard, does anyone know of a decently priced one similar to this one?

It's a gimmick. The side keys are uncomfortable to use, lack tactile feedback, and you'll go back to WASD in no time.

Or maybe not, I guess it's love/hate, some people may like them.

[kalikka]

I wouldn't recommend the v300 SSD. They used to be good but the production was moved to a different factory which also dropped the performance ratings.

[Joemez]

FMod and kalikka, thanks for the input on the Kingston SSD, I've changed that out.

FMod, thank you for the helpful comments towards motherboards - also, that link in your post for an Asus GPU doesn't lead to anything when I try to follow it. Did the link get copied wrong? Frankly, I'd like to support Asus, so a same-price similar performance card from them would be great.

 

~Joemez

[Thor.]

I recommend the Samsung ssd's, they are the fastest. If you want reliable Intel is the way to go.

 

They have the cheapest 1tb SSD on the market, and the fastest as well.

 

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147251

 

Edited January 11, 2014 by Thor.

[Joemez]

A 1 TB SSD.... I'd love to, but there's no room for that in my budget. Also, the SSD I'll buy won't be for my PC, it'll be for my laptop - so great performance isn't of huge importance.

 

~Joemez

[FMod]

I recommend the Samsung ssd's, they are the fastest. If you want reliable Intel is the way to go.

It's really not, obsolete info. Intel was reliable when it was a choice of Intel vs Cheap Crap, and then when it was slow Intel X25-M and 320 vs bugged Sandforce. That was years go.

 

Now it's Intel who use bugged Sandforces (less buggy than last time), while everyone else has moved on to better controllers, so it's not for reliability for sure.

Speed-wise, all are pretty much the same. Differences are pretty negligible.

[Thor.]

I have a Samsung on top of my Crucial m5, i bought one over boxing day this Christmas, and comparing the two, Samsung wins by 100%. Skyrim does not lagg or microstutter while loading textures at all, seamless fps. Loads it in 2 seconds, so fast in fact i see the texture pop ins. :blink:

Edited January 11, 2014 by Thor.