New PC - Feedback - Help!
Hi people,
I am new here and would just like to say hello to you all. Just reaching out for some help on putting together a moderate gaming rig My absence from online pc gaming has lasted about 6 years as life has seen me become a workaholic, saying that it is helping as budget whilst not an issue is something I wish to balance between having a great gaming experience and actually being able to rationalise my spend. The games I am looking to get into include: - Arma 3 - CS Go - Battlefield As you can see, these are all FPS. Whilst I do have a PS4 and play some games from time to time on it - the frustration of the controller and constant monthly cost to play online in a less than 'intense' environment frustrates me. Technology has some so far and tomorrow my intention is to go out and buy my supplies tomorrow. Now, pretty much I have taken some specs from Scorptech on the pre-built rigs and applied some tweaks. When it comes to GPU's, quite simply I am out of the loop on the latest, greatest and best value. In my previous gaming life I have spent massive amounts on the high end and never been that blown away (DX9 X1950XTX, DX10 GTX570 Ti ... etc...). Proposed Specification CPU:Intel Core i5 6600 --> $304.00 Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H170-HD3 --> $155.00 Memory:Corsair Vengeance LPX Black 16GB (2x8GB) 2400MHz --> $119.00 GPU:Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1060 Windforce (3GB) --> $339.00 SSD:Samsung 750 EVO Series 120GB SSD --> $69.00 HDD: Seagate BarraCuda HDD 2TB, ST2000 --> $97.00 PSU: Corsair CX550M Bronze 550W --> $95.00 CASE: Corsair Carbide 200R Black --> $85.00 Price Point: $1,263.00 Price is quite cheap really, so looking to add in some upgrades / amendements based on advice from you! Proposed Upgrades: GPU: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1060 Windforce (6GB) --> $445.00 CPU: Intel Core i7 6700 --> $420.00 While it is tempting to go out and spend $3,000k on an awesome computer, I really am a weekend player who simply wants to get online and have a few games, beers and chill out as my 'BlackVelvit' time. Hope you guys can provide some advice for me. |
09:05pm 22/10/16 Permalink
Was gonna say go an i7 but thats already in your proposed upgrades. If you throw a few hundred more at the GPU you could step up to a 1070, not gonna make much difference for CS but Battlefield would eat that up.
What about a monitor? Something nice with Gsync built in would pair well with that GPU (gsync is nvidia tech thats built into the monitor and exactly syncs your monitor refresh with your fps so everything is silky smooth and no tears or stutters). And while its not the most glamorous place to spend money, I'd probably put a few more dollars into the power supply and get something thats a bit higher rated. Not so much more wattage, 550 - 600w should be fine, but instead of a Bronze rated one, maybe look for something silver or even gold. It'll be more efficient and consistent and personally I just like that extra bit of piece of mind after having a few bad experiences with power supplies going on me in the past and taking various components with them. |
09:36pm 22/10/16 Permalink
Was gonna say go an i7 but thats already in your proposed upgrades. If you throw a few hundred more at the GPU you could step up to a 1070, not gonna make much difference for CS but Battlefield would eat that up. Hey mate, yeah this is the trickiest part where my knowledge faces a big gap. I could go for a GTX 1070 @ about $650-700 (if you think the benefit is worth it, then taking advice of yours). What about a monitor? Something nice with Gsync built in would pair well with that GPU (gsync is nvidia tech thats built into the monitor and exactly syncs your monitor refresh with your fps so everything is silky smooth and no tears or stutters) Actually had not even gone through the monitors, I have two 24 in monitors from work at home (just your basics). Was quite shocked at the prices and might revisit this on it's own once I am up and running. Are you able to provide me an example of a 24" that would fill your requirement? And while its not the most glamorous place to spend money, I'd probably put a few more dollars into the power supply and get something thats a bit higher rated. Not so much more wattage, 550 - 600w should be fine, but instead of a Bronze rated one, maybe look for something silver or even gold. It'll be more efficient and consistent and personally I just like that extra bit of piece of mind after having a few bad experiences with power supplies going on me in the past and taking various components with them. Ditto to that, actually had issues back in the day with Antec PSU that I am sure destroyed my rig. The PSU I am looking at is a 'Bronze' rated one, could upgrade to a Corsair CS550M for about $40 more, which is gold rated. Should I at all be looking at ATi cards btw ? Cheers |
09:55pm 22/10/16 Permalink
I am just attaching an image of my current working sheets for configuration & pricing. Funny how quickly costings escalate lol
https://s18.postimg.org/kboix3155/Device_Options.jpg |
10:29pm 22/10/16 Permalink
Hey mate, yeah this is the trickiest part where my knowledge faces a big gap. I could go for a GTX 1070 @ about $650-700 (if you think the benefit is worth it, then taking advice of yours). Pretty much just something you need to decide for yourself whether its worth it or not, I'm not an expert or anything so I don't know benchmark scores for the two cards off the top of my head, or which have a higher overhead for overclocking (if thats something you might want to do). Best bet would be to google up some real world benchmarks of the two cards accross different games and see what the difference is and decide whether its worth the extra for you. Actually had not even gone through the monitors, I have two 24 in monitors from work at home (just your basics). Was quite shocked at the prices and might revisit this on it's own once I am up and running. Are you able to provide me an example of a 24" that would fill your requirement? Theres not a tonne that use G-sync, its a bit of a niche thing, so choices are a little limited (and probably on the more expensive end). I just recommended it cos I use it and I love it, especially for gaming. Something like this Acer Predator monitor is probably one of the cheaper G-sync enabled options. http://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/predator-mode Also keep in mind its specifically an Nvidia technology, so if you get an Ati card, you'll want to look for monitors that support FreeSync, thats the Amd/ati equivalent. Should I at all be looking at ATi cards btw ? Well, personally I would say no cos I don't like ATI and I prefer Nvidia :p But theres probably other people here who'd say the exact opposite, so I think its something you just gotta decide from yourself by looking at a bit of a price/performance comparison between the options on offer and comparing benchmark figures and such. The new ATI cards do come in cheaper than the Nvidia cards, and in some DirectX 12 games, even outperform some of the newer Nvidia cards. There are still very, very few actual DirectX 12 games though, and outside of those the Nvidia cards will get you more performance (but, you'll pay more). So yeah, its just something you have to weigh up. Even though I personally am not a fan of them, they're not quite as bad as they used to be as far as driver support and stuff like that goes now (or so I'm told). I think Nvidia still has better drivers and software for their cards though, theres a thing on Nvidia cards called Shadowplay that lets you record and capture games and then upload them to youtube or wherever, or even stream straight to Twitch, and it uses the GPU to handle the load so it has zero impact on your game. Its a nice feature and afaik AMD/ATI cards have nothing comparable, so its worth weighing things like that up too if they're things you'll use. |
10:45pm 22/10/16 Permalink
This is my current system http://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/f8kvRG I didn't pay that much for it as I got a lot of parts through Ebay sales and shopped around on newegg and amazon buying pretty much only the cooler and case locally. I'd say I spent more like $1600.
Based on my experience I would not get a Gigabyte GPU or the same cooler as the GPU has noisy fans and the cooler has a noisy pump but performance wise I am very happy. In your case I wouldn't bother with a k version intel chip but would still consider upgrading the cooler to something made by Noctua just to reduce the noise. You'd also be fine with 16GB or ram but I got my 32GB cheap from Newegg for less than what local stores were selling 16GB at the time. I highly recommend shopping around and taking advantage of sales. The first thing you need to do tho it to match your GPU to your monitor. A 1060GTX is for 1080p gaming at ultra and 1440p medium and a 1070GTX is for 1440p ultra and 4k medium. You want to be able to push 60 fps at ultra settings on your chosen resolution so I would seriously look at what monitor you want to get before deciding on the GPU. |
11:03pm 22/10/16 Permalink
You sir have a great balance view thanks so much for helping me out, just bouncing things off another person helps arrive at a decision.
After reading through bench mark articles on the three cards I am pulling back a bit. While I do not doubt at all that upgrading and spending $600+ on a GPU will give me more punch by a significant amount, I just can't see me wanting all the time to max out on every game given my time to game is all of 5 hours a week. My heart is set on Arma 3 for a bit and some Battlefield, the reading suggests on high that the 1060 should have no issue satisfying my gamer needs. Who knows, I might change my mind on the drive to the shop tomorrow or at the counter fall afoul of an up sell, alternatively maybe start gaming more and do something stupid later on in the year. That monitor does seem very swank, I can see why you would love to use it. I will keep that in mind for down the track or if my current one annoys me as you said it may - maybe next weekend that is something I can shop around for. So, thinking in my screenshot Option One - Moderate is where I feel most comfortable, especially given there is another $250 on top for peripherals. Thanks buddy! I shall post some pictures tomorrow and update on how it all went :) |
11:11pm 22/10/16 Permalink
This is my current system http://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/f8kvRG I didn't pay that much for it as I got a lot of parts through Ebay sales and shopped around on newegg and amazon buying pretty much only the cooler and case locally. I'd say I spent more like $1600. Shopping around definitely helps cut down the price and no doubt there is a lot of options to the components / manufacturers, making the choices quite overwhelming. Based on my experience I would not get a Gigabyte GPU or the same cooler as the GPU has noisy fans and the cooler has a noisy pump but performance wise I am very happy. In your case I wouldn't bother with a k version intel chip but would still consider upgrading the cooler to something made by Noctua just to reduce the noise. You'd also be fine with 16GB or ram but I got my 32GB cheap from Newegg for less than what local stores were selling 16GB at the time. I am not too worried about the noise to be honest, mostly the PC will only be on when gaming with headphones on. Having said that, previously I had an eVGA card and found that very nice and quiet. As for the 32GB of DRAM, can't see myself needing more than 16GB. Aside from games, I run development software such as Visual Studio & Jetbrains, nothing too scary. In terms of a cooler, are you referring to something like this? The first thing you need to do tho it to match your GPU to your monitor. A 1060GTX is for 1080p gaming at ultra and 1440p medium and a 1070GTX is for 1440p ultra and 4k medium. You want to be able to push 60 fps at ultra settings on your chosen resolution so I would seriously look at what monitor you want to get before deciding on the GPU. Realistically 1080p should be fine for the next year or so. I did read that the 1070 is better for 1440p, however as in my previous post - not really that keen to spend large sums on a monitor at this stage. I guess this has decided the GPU. My rational is - if it isn't cutting the mustard upgrade next year. Thinking this is where the system is at now. Thanks,https://s11.postimg.org/sd5l93flf/Device_Options_2.jpg |
11:25pm 22/10/16 Permalink
CPU: Intel Core i5 6600 ($305)
Stick with an i5. While an i7 will theoretically run faster, this is due to hyper-threading technology which games need to be programmed to make use of. Battlefield is one of them but it still runs fine on an i5 computer. That ~$100 or so would be better put towards a better GFX card. MOBO: Gigabyte GA-H170-HD3 Motherboard ($159) Seems like a solid choice RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX CMK16GX4M2A2400C14 16GB (2x8GB) 2400MHz DDR4 ($129) Solid choice, although if the PC is strictly for gaming you could save $50 by going with 8GB instead. GFX: These days the nVidia GTX 1060 6GB or AMD RX 480 4GB are at the sweet spot for price/performance at Full HD resolutions. Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1060 Windforce OC, 6GB ($419) or Gigabyte Radeon RX 480 G1 Gaming, 4GB ($355) Since this is a gaming PC, I suggest you get the 1060 and cut costs elsewhere. PSU: Corsair CX550M Bronze 550W Power Supply ($99) Once again, solid choice with the semi-modular design. CASE: Corsair Carbide 200R Compact Black ATX Case, No PSU ($85) Nice case with good airflow, although be wary of dust flowing in through the top. It won't be a silent case, but should be mostly quiet if the graphics and CPU can suck in enough cool air through the side. STORAGE: I'd say go with a 250GB SSD, since Arma 3 and Battlefield can be sizeable games. You want to keep about 10% of your drive spare. If you don't need 2TB of storage, don't get the HDD or wait until you need extra storage before you buy the drive. Try and get a Samsung 850 if you can. PERIPHERALS: Looks like you're missing a headset. Voice chat is great on PC. The Kingston HyperX Cloud II Headset ($139) has been very popular. However if you don't want to spend that much the Logitech G430 Headset ($85) has also been popular. The Deathadder is a pretty reliable mouse although there are plenty of options for keyboards. If you need to cut a few dollars to meet a budget, a basic keyboard will be fine or even a Logitech G105 Gaming Keyboard ($60). I would suggest you grab a hard gaming mouse pad while you're at it. Logitech G440 Hard Gaming Mouse Pad ($25) - It'll make your mouse glide and perform better in FPS than a cloth mouse mat and will not collect dust/crumbs/etc and increase the longevity of your mouse feet. OS: Since you're playing Arma 3 and Battlefield you'll also need Windows 10 Home ($145) If you add the headset and windows to your peripherals, your moderate specced setup ends up just shy of $2k. |
12:20am 23/10/16 Permalink
Nah I meant an after market CPU cooler like this, but as noise isn't a concern for you then I wouldn't bother. Thanks mate, thought this is what you may have meant. Used to have coolers galore - might see how it goes and fit later on if necessary. Ahhh awesome, appreciate the reminder about the operating system! You're right on trimming some fat here and there on this package to focus on the important parts. CPU You made me think about the CPU, sitting here on my Dell XPS notebook with an SSD I have not once worried about CPU performance whilst working in some solid applications, so have revised my package back to the i5 6600K version, saves about $100.00 all up and thinking it should more than suffice. RAM I think for the cost I will keep the 16GB of Ram, just in case I get down the track and kick myself for lowering the spec back to 8GB. GPU Thanks for confirming the GTX 1060 (6P) as a solid choice, good to know this is where I am at and looks a good choice for value + performance balance. CASE Ditto to the case, any gaming case unless you want to go to the high end is going to provide some rumbles - might add to the enjoyment of being back in the driving seat! STORAGE As for the storage, indeed Arma 3 has a lot of downloaded content and this may double for some development work so I will also include the 250GB SSD version. I think I will drop the SATA drive as I stream music via Google Music & Spotify, watch movies on Google Play too so there is not a dire need for large storage volumes. This also saves some coin as most of my resources are hosted in the cloud or on mapped drives. PERIPHERALS As for the mouse and keyboard combinations, I have changed to something basic and a bit crude here, bit of colour splashed about lolhere, this saves some money on the peripherals front and ads some spice into life. As for headset, I already have a set of Sennheiser HD 471 which I use when working away on my laptop late at night - they seem pretty good and pump out my tunes enough! OK, so the final parts run list is as below. I am comfortable with it - seems generally quite a moderate rig. https://s11.postimg.org/875g6jd83/Device_Options_Final_Trim.jpg Happy days, hope they have all the parts tomorrow and there are no road blocks to me being online gaming tomorrow evening! |
12:55am 23/10/16 Permalink
Yeah the key starting point is to pick your desired gaming resolution, quality settings and resulting FPS - then work backwards from that really. Aiming for whatever at 1080p or 1440p makes a big difference in what hardware you need. |
06:44am 23/10/16 Permalink
Hey guys,
I am back with my supplies! Next week maybe the GSync monitor, time to kick the ball rolling xD At the counter I nearly went for the 1070 however simply can't rationalise the spend - if I am disappointed I will cop the loss an upgrade at my own cost in a couple of months. This should be enough to get me going! Some small changes had to be made: - Cooler for the 6600K as no default cooler - Geforce changed to MSI (stock out) - DRAM changed to Kingston Hyper X https://s21.postimg.org/5ufwh7ssn/IMG_20161023_170016.jpg Thanks for the help guys, if I could buy you a beer I would. Exciting evening for me ahead! |
05:06pm 23/10/16 Permalink
nah the build is part of the fun. (If it goes smoothly and no DOA parts)
GL with the build mate. Also here's a video you may or may not find useful for when you complete the build. Alot of whats shown you probably already know but it might serve as a handy memory refresher at the very least. |
07:21pm 23/10/16 Permalink
Yay it booted, finally going through the windows / driver installs. Took my time with a nice glass of whiskey this afternoon - quite relaxing actually.
Need to tidyup the cables a bit, first look below! https://s10.postimg.org/n05og4ti1/IMG_20161023_193944.jpg As for DOA - having some issue with the RAM. Can only get it to run with one slot on slot 3 (channel 1 / dimm 2). Upped the voltage to try for both, however to no avail. Will continue troubleshooting this - more than likely a BIOS tweak some super geek has one before :) Oh and funny story, I actually got annoyed because I couldn't find my windows key on the packaging - thinking they gave me some OEM crap... realised like a scratchy, the key must be revealed lol Yippie! |
08:11pm 23/10/16 Permalink
Noice! Enjoy dude.
Yeah that scary feeling when you first press the power button after assembling never goes away ;) If we're sharing build pics, here's the upgrade I did the other week: https://pcpartpicker.com/b/9XCypg Looking good. That's weird about the RAM, surely should pickup in default voltage and speed from the get go? Edit: Am I reading that right? Is your mobo DDR3 and that ram is DDR4? |
08:17pm 23/10/16 Permalink
Thanks mate! Planning on it.
I held my breath and waited for white smoke and something burning lol. Man I love that case - enough space for all that hardware ? As for the Ram, it kept power cycling on and off - let it go about 10 times then decided to pull back. Haha, hope not: just checked and it is DDR4 thanksfully... That would have been amateur! |
09:04pm 23/10/16 Permalink
http://i.imgur.com/Rykxkri.png
!>?? also have the same coasters as you last edited by reload! at 21:15:11 23/Oct/16 |
09:13pm 23/10/16 Permalink
https://i.imgur.com/Rykxkri.png Haha that is heat paste from years back. Oh man - great choice in coasters? Maybe you should get my Ikea rug to match :p |
09:26pm 23/10/16 Permalink
Yeah I have to say, it's a nice case. Small, portable, modular, real easy to use and it's been quality. It's a mini-itx build, so it is pretty small, everything fits rather snugly though, and the temps are all low.
Speaking of rookie mistakes, in my recent upgrade I got a bit excited and bought a new GPU without checking the dimensions, it was bigger than the case! lol. http://i63.tinypic.com/np53eh.jpg |
03:01am 25/10/16 Permalink
@ Viper - lol rekt. Measure before buying.
Corsair have nice cases. I got the 400R. I do miss having a clear side panel so I can see my mediocre hardware but having 2 fans is more beneficial though. |
04:12am 25/10/16 Permalink
Congrats on your new PC BlackVelvit!
Feel free to add me on Origin "Netrosis" if you want to squad up in BF1. Unrelated to your PC build, how are you finding the XPS13 for Dev work? |
02:01pm 25/10/16 Permalink
Hey guys,
Rooky mistake that one indeed Viper haha - hope they had a returns policy on the GPU. @Net - sure thing I have sent you a request for a game once I have downloaded BF1. As for the XPS, absolutely love it, increased the DPI and find it so versatile, reliable and fast. In all honesty I can't fault it after having it for over a year. Didn't go the touch version as I don't use. |
08:05pm 25/10/16 Permalink
Out lights just went dim, and then bright. Viper must have got his GPU working.
|
09:45pm 25/10/16 Permalink
your CPU won't have a front port dude
most likely you mean the LED or USB extender stuff on the front of your case. for that you'll have to check your motherboard's manual for the right pin assignments for the cables attached to the front of your case |
12:48am 11/12/16 Permalink
