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Building a new gaming PC
Pacificstar
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Hey all, I understand how to use tools like PC part picker without issue, but just the sheer number of options is super overwhelming to me. My budget is $1500 I have no particular attachment to AMD vs Intel.
I know that new video cards are supposed to announced on Monday, so hopefully that means last gen prices go down. My only real concern is that I want a low key case. No special lights or windows, it should just be a lowkey piece of hardware sitting around that is hopefully not super loud.
A friend of mine suggested something like this: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/FNpPQZ
On the other hand, I wonder if I shouldn't just use one of the suggested builds on PC Part Picker like this for AMD or this for Intel
Honestly, I just feel really overwhelmed. Once I know WHAT I'm buying, everything else will be easier and I can start deal hunting. Any help or advice is very much appreciated!
I know that new video cards are supposed to announced on Monday, so hopefully that means last gen prices go down. My only real concern is that I want a low key case. No special lights or windows, it should just be a lowkey piece of hardware sitting around that is hopefully not super loud.
A friend of mine suggested something like this: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/FNpPQZ
On the other hand, I wonder if I shouldn't just use one of the suggested builds on PC Part Picker like this for AMD or this for Intel
Honestly, I just feel really overwhelmed. Once I know WHAT I'm buying, everything else will be easier and I can start deal hunting. Any help or advice is very much appreciated!
Pacificstar on
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If it's a straight up gaming build, you may want to look at the i7-8700k as it has better single-thread performance than AMD, which is more relevant for gaming. If you do, you'll need a different motherboard. I generally recommend ASUS as I've had a good track record with them. It's not to say there's anything wrong with MSI or whatever, it's just anecdotal. In fact,
CPU - Intel for gaming, AMD for multithreaded tasks (streaming + gaming, video editing, etc). AMD is closing the distance as modern games get better about using multiple cores though. If you're on the fence, check out some gaming benchmarks. CPU isn't going to be a bottleneck with modern games anyway.
CPU Cooler - if you're not going to OC your CPU, just use the stock fan if the CPU has one (all AMD CPUs and non-K Intel CPUs).
RAM - I have had no issues with Corsair or G.Skill RAM, but like all RAM is made by 2 companies now anyway. Main thing to keep in mind here is that you want high speed memory (DDR4-2666 or higher) for AMD CPUs because it has a significant performance impact. It's not as big a deal for Intel.
Motherboard - Gotta do some research here. Motherboards can have all sorts of different features that you may or may not want to pay for. How many USB ports do you need in the back? Do you want built-in Wifi? Stuff like that. Also, if you're going to OC your CPU you need a mobo that will let you (this is tied to the chipset, like Z370, B450, etc)
Storage - Obviously you want an SSD as a boot drive. Samsung SSDs are sort of the gold standard for consumers. Due to the cost per GB, you'll probably need a second drive to hold your games. For an HDD, you want a 7200RPM HDD at least, the 5400s are a lot slower.
GPU - EVGA, ASUS, and Gigabyte are all fine card makers. The core of the cards will be the same within a slight margin for error, so you could honestly just pick whichever has the best looking cooler. At your budget, a 1080 is probably where you want to be, but waiting a few weeks might see as much as a triple digit price drop, so keep that in mind.
Case - This is really personal preference. In your shoes, I'd look on someplace like Newegg and see which cases interest you, then do a Youtube search for review videos of that case. If there's any dealbreaking flaws, hopefully those reviews will show them, and it'll give you a better look at the cases than whatever jpgs you'll see on store websites.
PSU - don't cheap out on your power supply: if a PSU goes bad, it can take multiple other parts with it. For a 1080 and an OC'd CPU, I'd suggest 550W as a minimum, but there are websites you can go that will tell you how much power you need. Again, EVGA and Corsair are reputable brands, as well as Seasonic.
This build comes in at about your budget and I'd say it's better just for gaming. https://pcpartpicker.com/list/yJRmmq
One thing to keep in mind with Intel is that, if you ever want to upgrade to a better CPU, you'll need a new mobo. Supposedly AMD has promised that current mobos will work with only BIOS updates with their CPUs for the next few years. But realistically, with an 8700k or a 2600X you shouldn't need to upgrade for at least 4 years anyway.
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/vxRqBb
It's a bit over your budget, but if you hunt for deals you should be able to make it work.
EDIT: Or just wait to drop $500 on the just-announced RTX 2070, which apparently outperforms the Titan Xp ($1,400 card, I think). Note: wait for benchmarks and tests, though.
Where I differ from the orthodoxy (probably) is that I don't place as much of a value on motherboards. As long as it has the ports and connectors you need you should be fine. I also think that instead of one 240mm AIO CPU cooler, you should get 2 120mm coolers for your CPU and your GPU. NZXT sells a bracket for your GPU to which you can mount a water cooler. My max temp for both the CPU and GPU never go over 60C while gaming. However, that depends on your comfort level with taking off the heatsink and shroud of your GPU. The next best thing is a graphics card that comes with a AIO cooler already attached. Upside for cooling both the CPU and GPU is that you have a lot of thermal headroom for overclocking.
My case is a NZXT S340 and I think it's a nice, modern-looking case that doesn't have weird angles. It's also cheap ($66 at its lowest), has great airflow, comes with removable air filters, and has plenty of space.
There's a lot of minutiae but I think this is a good start to see if you're interested in what I did.
Only real problem is it's pretty tall so it juuuust barely fits on the shelf under my desk (LOTTE from Ikea) with room to plug stuff in to the ports on top.
Because holy shit is that a nice gpu.
But is it? Or so I just get a deal 1080ti now instead?
Otherwise it's probably just a ~20% bump over the 1080ti for way more money. (3500 -> 4300 cudas)
An argument could be made that if you don't intend to buy another GPU for several years, it might be worth it to you to gamble on that little bit of bleeding edge tech.
But a good historical example seems like PhysX. I still couldn't give a shit if my card supports it, as a decade later it still isn't really something that impacts gameplay.
A lack of raytracing in 6 years will probably just mean your in-game lighting looks as good as it does today.
The time value of money makes me disagree. Anyway, I picked up a EVGA 1080ti for $599 which is the best price I've seen for one that isn't used.
1. If you're not planning on overclocking, you can save a few bucks sticking with the stock cooler. It's definitely not as good as an aftermarket one, but it gets the job done and it comes with the processor, so might as well.
2. I heartily recommend EVGA for any parts you can buy from them. Their customer service/tech support is absolutely fantastic.
3. I don't know the details of the Fractal Define C, but I bought the Define R4, and while I can't say it's a BAD case, the cable management options leave something to be desired. Again, I don't know how the C compares, but if it's anything like the R4, I'd recommend finding one with better options, especially if this is the first computer you're building.
Steam: pazython
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/hNYTZR (details in spoiler). I did about $120 better than the prices listed there, and didn't necessarily get everything from the sellers listed. Now I'm just waiting for parts to arrive...
CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600X 3.6GHz 6-Core Processor ($224.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - B450 Gaming Plus ATX AM4 Motherboard ($99.58 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($155.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: SanDisk - Ultra 3D 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($169.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB SC2 Video Card ($669.99 @ B&H)
Case: Fractal Design - Define S ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA - BQ 850W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($98.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1559.40
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-08-23 13:38 EDT-0400
I did thanks though! MSI published like 5 brands for which they've tested the mobo