1241Penguin's Potential Gaming PC Build... Advice Welcome

[1241Penguin]

Hello GTPlanet,

With the future of the GT series looking bleak (and thus my only incentive to game on consoles), I am looking to move onto PC gaming, mainly for pCARS and Assetto Corsa. Depending on my circumstances, I may or may not be able to do this, but that's another story. In any case, I would like some advice on building a gaming computer if I am able to.

I have a budget of $1000 CAD, including the monitor (I'll need advice on what sort of monitor I should get as well), leaving about $800 for the tower and OS. I am willing to go above or below if it's reasonable.

As per advice I received from @Brett, I went onto http://www.logicalincrements.com/ to find a build based on my budget. Under Canada and "Great," this is what was listed:

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 ($160 at Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ($110 at Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB ($63 at Newegg)
GPU: GIGABYTE GV-N960WF2OC-2GD GeForce GTX 960 ($250 at Newegg)
HDD: Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB ($65 at Newegg)
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 200R ($80 at Newegg)
Power: Seasonic S12II-620 ($80 at Direct Canada)

Total: $808 (without OS)

Since I know just about squat about computers, I'm looking for advice from you experienced computer people. Is this a good build? What are better parts that I can use? Can I get the cost down for similar performance? How well can it run games like pCARS and AC? 60fps?

My main purposes for this build is first and foremost for gaming, and then to gain experience with computers. I already have a MacBook for day to day use (e.g. Facebook, YouTube, etc.).

Thank you!

 

[Grayfox]

CPU: i3 is not the best for gaming, try to find an i5.
Mainboard: I do not like AsRock as a motherboard brand.
RAM: RAM is a decent brand
GPU: GPU is a typical reference nvidia deisgn so you can save money if you see another GTX960 from another brand if you want.
HDD/SSD: HDD is good, see if you can get a 120GB SSD for the OS, it will make booting much better and make the system feel faster overall.
Case: Many people do not take the case into consideration, make sure it is large enough not only for the things you want to install, but any possible upgrades, but most importantly.
Make sure it has good airflow gaming will work the GPU, and CPU hard with RAM getting worked a little as well.
All this means you will be making some heat in the case so make sure it has good air flow to remove this heat and provide cool air from the outside of the case.
PSU: 620w PSU looks fine.

Notes:
Also take additional fans into your budget, most budget cases you get only come with a few and their basic ones at that.
If you want good airflow and a quite PC those fans are more pricy.

 

[1241Penguin]

@Grayfox

Thanks for the response, here is my updated parts list:

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($225)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($104)
RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63)
GPU: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card ($257) Cheapest I could find...
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($60)
SSD: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($64)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($60) Looks decent for cooling
Power: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($80)

Total: $933

I've checked with PC Parts Picker, and these components are compatible with each other, so I think the case is fine to use. As for cooling, perhaps I can cannibalize a fan from one of my dead PCs.

I do hope that I can run games like pCARS at a decently high setting. Also, which OS should I use? 8 or 10? And which version of either?

Looking at what's here I'm gonna estimate the cost to be around $1150 including a monitor and OS.

 

[Techy]

I would go for Samsung 850 Evo 120GB. Think they're around the same price as that Kingston but it's a tad better.

You should be good with a 960. Might have to drop a few settings but the game will still look good. I would also look at what AMD's offering, even though PCARS is bias towards NVIDIA cards with Gameworks.

As for OS, you probably need to get W8 first so you can reserve for a W10 copy.

 

[suv139]

I would go for Samsung 850 Evo 120GB. Think they're around the same price as that Kingston but it's a tad better.

You should be good with a 960. Might have to drop a few settings but the game will still look good.

As for OS, you probably need to get W8 first so you can reserve for a W10 copy.

It being a tad bit better is a understatement the V300 is one of the slowest SSD's you can buy currently while the Evo 850 is one of the best.

 

[suv139]

@Grayfox

Thanks for the response, here is my updated parts list:

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($225)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($104)
RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63)
GPU: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card ($257) Cheapest I could find...
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($60)
SSD: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($64)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($60) Looks decent for cooling
Power: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($80)

Total: $933

I've checked with PC Parts Picker, and these components are compatible with each other, so I think the case is fine to use. As for cooling, perhaps I can cannibalize a fan from one of my dead PCs.

I do hope that I can run games like pCARS at a decently high setting. Also, which OS should I use? 8 or 10? And which version of either?

Looking at what's here I'm gonna estimate the cost to be around $1150 including a monitor and OS.

You will want to avoid the CX series, they aren't good despite it being popular and same for the V300 SSD. I would go for Windows 10 and you will want 64 bit home.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1431436/why-you-should-not-buy-a-corsair-cx

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7763/an-update-to-kingston-ssdnow-v300-a-switch-to-slower-micron-nand

 

[Grayfox]

I would recommend the 400R case over the 200R if you want to stay with corsair.
And get 2x4GB modules so you can dual channel the RAM over single channeling with a single module.

 

[1241Penguin]

I would go for Samsung 850 Evo 120GB. Think they're around the same price as that Kingston but it's a tad better.

You should be good with a 960. Might have to drop a few settings but the game will still look good. I would also look at what AMD's offering, even though PCARS is bias towards NVIDIA cards with Gameworks.

As for OS, you probably need to get W8 first so you can reserve for a W10 copy.

I'd assume that the video card can be upgraded in the future if so desired right? Sadly, the Evo you suggested cost $22 more, but by the looks of it seems like a worthy cost.

You will want to avoid the CX series, they aren't good despite it being popular and same for the V300 SSD. I would go for Windows 10 and you will want 64 bit home.

Alright, W10 it is.

I would recommend the 400R case over the 200R if you want to stay with corsair.

Would it be worth the $40 to upgrade?


Here's the updated list (without new case):

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($225)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($104)
RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($67)
GPU: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card ($257)
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($60)
SSD: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($86)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($60)
Power: Thermaltake TR2 500W ATX Power Supply ($43)

Sub-Total: $974

Adding in Windows 10 Home Edition at $125 brings the total to $1070 CAD. Damn. And still no monitor yet.

Would it be worth using the i5 4690K CPU?

In any case, thank you all for the help so far!

 

[Grayfox]

I'd assume that the video card can be upgraded in the future if so desired right? Sadly, the Evo you suggested cost $22 more, but by the looks of it seems like a worthy cost.

Alright, W10 it is.

Would it be worth the $40 to upgrade?


Here's the updated list (without new case):

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($225)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($104)
RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($67)
GPU: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card ($257)
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($60)
SSD: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($86)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($60)
Power: Thermaltake TR2 500W ATX Power Supply ($43)

Sub-Total: $974

Adding in Windows 10 Home Edition at $125 brings the total to $1070 CAD. Damn. And still no monitor yet.

Would it be worth using the i5 4690K CPU?

In any case, thank you all for the help so far!

Good airflow is everything in a PC.

Look at the OEM ones, they fail a quite alot as they only have 1 in them, so they overheat and fail.
Having a meshed front allows air to get inside more easily even with a single fan which is an exhaust which will cause negative pressure inside the case drawing more air in,
But if you have 3 or 4 fans inside a case you create more airflow to keep things cool.

Note: too many fans can cause turbulence which is just as worse a single fan.

Do not get the K CPU.

It is like putting E10 petrol in a ferrari 458.

Since the K CPUs have an unlocked overclocking multiplier you need a motherboard that has good overclocking functions to make the most of it.
So it is a high end CPU in its own right.

I have a i5 3570K 3.4Ghz(3.8GHz stock turbo) and have overclocked it to 4.3Ghz


Look for older copies of windows like Windows 7 or Windows 8 that might be cheaper and can still get the free upgrade.

 

[1241Penguin]

@Grayfox

Thanks for the information! Here's my list updated as per your suggestions:

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($225)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($104)
RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($67)
GPU: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card ($257)
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($60)
SSD: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($86)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($105)
Power: Thermaltake TR2 500W ATX Power Supply ($43)
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 OEM (64-bit) ($110)

Sub-Total: $1129

Potentially a dumb question, but I suppose I'll be needing an optical drive for installation of the OS?

I'm hoping to be ready to order everything within the next couple of days.

 

[Grayfox]

@Grayfox

Thanks for the information! Here's my list updated as per your suggestions:

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($225)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($104)
RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($67)
GPU: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card ($257)
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($60)
SSD: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($86)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($105)
Power: Thermaltake TR2 500W ATX Power Supply ($43)
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 OEM (64-bit) ($110)

Sub-Total: $1129

Potentially a dumb question, but I suppose I'll be needing an optical drive for installation of the OS?

I'm hoping to be ready to order everything within the next couple of days.

No not really.

If you have a laptop just insert the windows 7 DVD into the drive, make an iso image of it and then use microsofts ISO to USB tool to write the iso to a USB flash drive, then boot of the flash drive on the new PC you made.
Building is another step that is more complicated than buying the needed parts.

 

[1241Penguin]

No not really.

If you have a laptop just insert the windows 7 DVD into the drive, make an iso image of it and then use microsofts ISO to USB tool to write the iso to a USB flash drive, then boot of the flash drive on the new PC you made.

Ah okay. Just took a quick glance at how to do that and it seems simple enough.

Building is another step that is more complicated than buying the needed parts.

I'm looking forward to that actually. I've watched a few tutorials on building the PC and it seems fairly straightforward. I've always thought that picking the parts was the hard part. I mean, as long as you've got the correct pieces, with a bit a guidance, everything should fit like LEGO blocks right? In any case, I'm most worried about after assembling the computer i.e. setting the damn thing up.

 

[Grayfox]

I'm looking forward to that actually. I've watched a few tutorials on building the PC and it seems fairly straightforward. I've always thought that picking the parts was the hard part. I mean, as long as you've got the correct pieces, with a bit a guidance, everything should fit like LEGO blocks right? In any case, I'm most worried about after assembling the computer i.e. setting the damn thing up.

What they dont mention is the little issue that can prevent it from working as they assume everything is 100% fine from the start.

 

[Saidur_Ali]

I would recommend waiting for Intel Skylake which may be a few days away from being available at the earliest. Current build though I would recommend getting a Z97 chipset motherboard and also biggest upgrade would be getting a GTX 970 instead of the 960.

 

[TB]

Current build though I would recommend getting a Z97 chipset motherboard and also biggest upgrade would be getting a GTX 970 instead of the 960.

I swear every time you recommend a build, you ignore their budget. @1241Penguin said he has $1000 with a monitor, his build is at $1129 without a monitor but you're recommending he spend more.

I understand that the upgrades from the Z87 to the Z97 and the 960 to the 970 might be worth it, but not if it completely blows the budget.

 

[Saidur_Ali]

I swear every time you recommend a build, you ignore their budget. @1241Penguin said he has $1000 with a monitor, his build is at $1129 without a monitor but you're recommending he spend more.

I understand that the upgrades from the Z87 to the Z97 and the 960 to the 970 might be worth it, but not if it completely blows the budget.

I always try and recommend the best value and usually at lower budget. For example $1000 budget and OP got a system for somewhere around $550 IIRC from my recommendation: Link.

Z97 might be cheaper to get. 970 is much better value and takes into account his gaming requirements better for AC and pCARS.

Anyway here is build after rebates with GTX 970 and Z97 motherboard for $968.80: Link (Without OS and Monitor). Can be still made cheaper with B85 motherboard and a cheaper GTX 970. Also getting rid of SSD should help get closer to budget with monitor and getting a cheap Windows 7 License off eBay: Link

 

[1241Penguin]

The reason I listed the $1000 is just to narrow down my choices and get a feel for what sort of performance I can expect from that price. As I've said, I know just about squat about computers and this will provide a bit of guidance to me. I wouldn't mind raising the budget a bit more but I do hope that we won't deviate from it too much.

Anyway, the parts that @Saidur_Ali listed would mean that I'll have to change the parts from the list that @Grayfox and I already have. I wouldn't know what the best choice would be, so again I ask for everyone's assistance.


Thank you all for your time so far.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

I would go with the SMART series power supply. A power supply for $29.99 after rebate raises red flags. A thing to consider is the orientation of the PSU when it will be mounted in the case. I had a power supply designed to be at the top of the case, and the power supply was mounted at the bottom. I found it pretty inconvenient for cable management and plug orientation.

Stick with the 2x4GB of RAM, so you take advantage of dual channel.

Personally, I wouldn't be too concerned with getting the fastest SSD. A decrease from 22 seconds to 20 for boot time is not all that noticeable. The drop from 50-60 with an HDD to 22 with an SSD will be noticeable.

 

[Techy]

Personally, I wouldn't be too concerned with getting the fastest SSD. A decrease from 22 seconds to 20 for boot time is not all that noticeable. The drop from 50-60 with an HDD to 22 with an SSD will be noticeable.

But the 850 Evo is literally one of the best SSDs around for the price.

 

[Saidur_Ali]

The reason I listed the $1000 is just to narrow down my choices and get a feel for what sort of performance I can expect from that price. As I've said, I know just about squat about computers and this will provide a bit of guidance to me. I wouldn't mind raising the budget a bit more but I do hope that we won't deviate from it too much.

Anyway, the parts that @Saidur_Ali listed would mean that I'll have to change the parts from the list that @Grayfox and I already have. I wouldn't know what the best choice would be, so again I ask for everyone's assistance.


Thank you all for your time so far.

I think whatever you do, should aim to get the GTX 970 which is possible in your budget. Makes a huge difference in performance for all games.

More changes can be made on the 5th if Intel release Skylake, shouldn't be much more expensive than Haswell and well worth getting.

But the 850 Evo is literally one of the best SSDs around for the price.

Better off getting higher capacity at that price, something like this: Link

 

[Brett]

Personally, I wouldn't be too concerned with getting the fastest SSD. A decrease from 22 seconds to 20 for boot time is not all that noticeable. The drop from 50-60 with an HDD to 22 with an SSD will be noticeable.

Speak for yourself. Those two seconds of boot time are two seconds I am not playing Battlefield. And not playing Battlefield = minus kills.

 

[dr_slump]

Current build though I would recommend getting a Z97 chipset motherboard.

And why exactly should he get a z97 board for a 4460? Please, don't say for overclocking.

 

[Grayfox]

And why exactly should he get a z97 board for a 4460? Please, don't say for overclocking.

Overclocking for a newbie PC builder is a no no.
People need to realize overclocking is not easy and can cost you alot of money if you do one small mistake.

 

[dr_slump]

@Grayfox
Well, not only that, but it's also pretty much pointless in combination with a CPU like the 4460. The pre-Sandy Bridge days are long gone...

Hopefully the reason is not "in case of later upgrades", because this platform isn't going to see any further upgrades and waiting a decade for a K CPU to drop in price, just to barely hit the difference in price compared to directly buying K instead of standard... no.
Maybe memory clock...

 

[1241Penguin]

Guess I'll continue researching about the different GPUs and Motherboards then...

 

[Techy]

Guess I'll continue researching about the different GPUs and Motherboards then...

If you're not in a rush you could follow what @Saidur_Ali said and wait for the Skylake chips to become available, which is very soon. Though I'm thinking that Skylake might run over your budget. In whatever case Haswell chips are still very good.

As for the GPU, the 960 may be an iffy deal. It's a pretty good GPU, but the R9 380 is around the same price and has a ~10% advantage. In the end it depends whether you want NVIDIA features or AMD features.

 

[Johnnypenso]

Guess I'll continue researching about the different GPUs and Motherboards then...

If you're on a tight budget as it seems you are, I'd recommend dropping the SSD and either saving the money, or putting it towards a better GPU like the 970. SSD's are not necessary for gaming, all they do is decrease loading times, they have no effect on gameplay.

There is no more bang for the buck than in the GPU. Spending money on anything else will not increase your FPS by any significant amount but upgrading from a GTX960 to a GTX970 will see a nearly 50% increase in performance without changing any other components. If it's out of your budget that's fine, a 960 will still serve you well and you can always upgrade later if you want to, but an SSD seems an unnecessary luxury in a budget build.

 

[1241Penguin]

@Techny, @Johnnypenso

I wouldn't mind dropping the SSD initially. If I really need it I can get it in the future. Alternatively, I can drop the HDD for the SSD as for the moment I've only got two games which totals 55 GB total. I'd think that is enough, no?

I think future proofing my computer would be nice too even if it means spending a bit more. I wouldn't mind going with the 970 in this case.

 

[Grayfox]

Save a little more and get the 970 and keep the SSD and HDD.

 

[1241Penguin]

Well in that case, taking into account the PSU and GPU suggestions, here's the updated list:

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($225)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($104)
RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($67)
GPU: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($439)
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($60)
SSD: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($86)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($105)
Power: Thermaltake SMART 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59)
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 OEM (64-bit) ($110)

Sub-Total: $1266

Good God...