First Build Gaming PC - €750

tbukela

1. What is your budget? [€750]

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? [Gaming/Internet] (Skyrim, Far Cry 3)

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? [Yes]

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer?No

5. Do you need a monitor? [Yes]

5a. If yes, what size do you need. [22]

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future? [1920x1080/1440x900/etc.] [Yes/No]

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? [Wireless Card/Card Reader]

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? [No]

8. How can you pay? [Any]

9. When are you purchasing? [End July]

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? [Cork City]

Looking for advice on build for medium spec gaming PC, been using laptop for last couple of years with Intel integrated graphics so haven't played any game made later then 2008 on PC!
If budget is too low, could hold off for another month or so.

marco_polo

This would be a very good gaming PC and probaly worth saving an extra 75 for.

I have included a CPU cooler but if you really have no interest in ever overclocking (which has a small learning curve but is not that difficult) you could lose the CPU cooler, swap in this board, this PSU and you're back to 770 delivered or thereabouts.

Item|Price
LG 22EA53VQ-P|€126.26
MS Windows 8 64bit (SB-Version) Englisch|€84.71
Cooler Master K280, Midi-Tower - schwarz|€36.00
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 450W|€45.97
ASRock 970 Extreme3 R2.0, AM3+, ATX|€72.05
AMD FX-6300 Prozessor, Boxed, Sockel AM3+|€102.99
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - Intel/AMD|€28.78
2 x 4GB Corsair XMS3 DDR3-1333 CL9|€60.22
WD Caviar Blue 1TB 6Gb's|€56.22
PowerColor PCS+ HD7870 Myst. Edition 2GB GDDR5(UEFI READY)|€193.57
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€825.76

af_thefragile

This is best I could do (from scan.co.uk). I suppose someone else could do better. But €750 is a pretty tight budget for a good gaming pc if you wanna buy windows, monitor and peripherals as well within that budget...

tbukela

Thanks for the replies. Some great advice.
Should I hold off and wait till I have €1000 to spend. Would the extra €250 make a massive difference on quality.
Aslo with any self build is it hard to upgrade individual components or is it necessary to replace multiple components if upgrading one?
Would either of those rigs be noisey?
PC is going to be in the babies nursery and don't want to wake them!

Danger781

tbukela wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. Some great advice.
Should I hold off and wait till I have €1000 to spend. Would the extra €250 make a massive difference on quality.
Aslo with any self build is it hard to upgrade individual components or is it necessary to replace multiple components if upgrading one?
Would either of those rigs be noisey?
PC is going to be in the babies nursery and don't want to wake them!

1. If you're willing to hold off I probably would. A bigger budget is always better.

2. Self builds are generally easier to upgrade as you know exactly which components are in there, so you know what will need upgrading in the future. You don't necessarily need to upgrade multiple components. If you're upgrading your GPU and you have a strong enough CPU you're fine. If you need to upgrade the CPU it depends on what socket the new one is and if it will fit the mobo. Process of elimination really

3. Computers are rarely over noisy. People are too picky when it comes to that in my opinion.

SterlingArcher

Firstly Considering your on such a tight budget have you thought about getting second hand?

To answer your other question about upgrades, if your smart when buying your pc in the first place you won't need to worry about upgrades for a few years.

I'll list you particulars.

To upgrade a processor... you need to make sure it fits in your motherboard. The latest Intel processor needs a certain type of socket to fit that CPU in. So upgrading a CPU can sometimes mean a new motherboard.

To upgrade a graphics.... Firstly PCI express 2.0 and 3.0 are essentially the same and will fit either. upgrade a graphics card you need to look at your power supply. Some power supplies "cheaper ones" come with 2 six pin connectors others with 2 8 pin that can be used as six pin. Same with the graphics card some need the 2 six pin others need 1 6 and 8 this is why it is better to send a little extra on a good PSU.

SterlingArcher

marco_polo wrote: »

This would be a very good gaming PC and probaly worth saving an extra 75 for.

I have included a CPU cooler but if you really have no interest in ever overclocking (which has a small learning curve but is not that difficult) you could lose the CPU cooler, swap in this board, this PSU and you're back to 770 delivered or thereabouts.

Item|Price
LG 22EA53VQ-P|€126.26
MS Windows 8 64bit (SB-Version) Englisch|€84.71
Cooler Master K280, Midi-Tower - schwarz|€36.00
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 450W|€45.97
ASRock 970 Extreme3 R2.0, AM3+, ATX|€72.05
AMD FX-6300 Prozessor, Boxed, Sockel AM3+|€102.99
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - Intel/AMD|€28.78
2 x 4GB Corsair XMS3 DDR3-1333 CL9|€60.22
WD Caviar Blue 1TB 6Gb's|€56.22
PowerColor PCS+ HD7870 Myst. Edition 2GB GDDR5(UEFI READY)|€193.57
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€825.76

This is a good build, but in all honesty I can't see you fiddling around with overclocking. I get the feeling you just want to game.

Forget the cooler and use that money towards a better power supply. the 450 w one is already less than recommended for that graphics card. And should you upgrade your graphics card in the future any card better than in that budget will have problems running on that 450w power supply

canyoudigit

SterlingArcher wrote: »

This is a good build, but in all honesty I can't see you fiddling around with overclocking. I get the feeling you just want to game.

Forget the cooler and use that money towards a better power supply. the 450 w one is already less than recommended for that graphics card. And should you upgrade your graphics card in the future any card better than in that budget will have problems running on that 450w power supply

450 WATT plenty and more than enough

af_thefragile

canyoudigit wrote: »

450 WATT plenty and more than enough

Not if he wants to sli in the future...

tbukela

This is a good build, but in all honesty I can't see you fiddling around with overclocking. I get the feeling you just want to game

True, as mentioned previously haven't been able to play any new games on PC in years. Managed to run Dishonoured at the lowest spec and it was painful. As long as I can play new games at medium plus setting I'd be more then happy.

Looking at the spec kindly posted by marco_polo earlier, is that everything that I would need to get the PC up and running? Any additional cables, wiring etc needed?

Altheus

marco_polo's spec is a great option - and the motherboard has a plethora of auto-overclocking which will make things much easier to start.

I'd make a few suggestions:

1. Definitely go with a higher spec PSU - more power, better stability, and most importantly less variation in voltage. Given the spec of your machine, I'm guessing you'll be experimenting with overclocking, so spend the extra now and you won't need to replace it in the future.

2. The heatsink/fan combo looks good, but if you want to reduce noise and maximize OC potential without breaking the bank, you'll get your extra 18 euro worth of performance go with something like this which is consistent at low RPM speeds

http://www.hardwareversand.de/Intel+AMD/49515/Antec+K%C3%BChler+H2O+620.article

3. Don't skimp on thermal paste, this stuff will take several degrees off the temps of the machine, allowing more OC overhead and lower fan speeds.

http://www.hardwareversand.de/Heatsink+Paste/49232/ARCTIC+COOLING+W%C3%A4rmeleitpaste+MX-2+30g.article

4. You're missing 120MM case fans - again, low RPM 120MM fans will keep the machine cooler, and reduce the the need for the smaller fans on you GFX from going kerazy. The box you've picked has room for 3 of them. 2 is plenty, one sucking in, one pushing out. My preference is to have a voltage control so during a heavy gaming session I can turn up to tornado speeds to maintain cool temps.

5. You might pick up a copy of Windows 7 for cheaper than 80 euro. Keep an eye on HotUKDeals.com

tbukela

Ok, I've had a chat with a mate and going to take his monitor. Think it's a 22" LG of some kind.
That would take €126 off marco_polo's spec.
Any advice on where to reinvest say €150, bring the budget up to €850?
Is the consensus that a better PSU is worth the money?

Altheus

For your gaming machine - I think the best investment at this stage would be the graphics:

http://www.hardwareversand.de/2048+MB/80493/Gigabyte+GeForce+GTX+770+Windforce+3X+OC%2C+2GB+DDR5%2C+2x+DVI%2C+HDMI%2C+DisplayPort.article

GTX770 is brand spanking new, and should keep you going for some time.

The only other thing would be a good SSD Hard drive for your installs, faster loading times etc.

Danger781

Altheus wrote: »

For your gaming machine - I think the best investment at this stage would be the graphics:

http://www.hardwareversand.de/2048+MB/80493/Gigabyte+GeForce+GTX+770+Windforce+3X+OC%2C+2GB+DDR5%2C+2x+DVI%2C+HDMI%2C+DisplayPort.article

GTX770 is brand spanking new, and should keep you going for some time.

The only other thing would be a good SSD Hard drive for your installs, faster loading times etc.

You do realise his budget..

Best value for money at the moment is the Sapphire Dual-X from Amazon at £208..

Alternatively the never settle bundle on OCUK

Altheus

I do the previous card was 193.57, the new 369, so it's a 25e over budget, but the latest GTX series have a lot of advantages over the the previous ATI generation. The 1GB RAM may also be limiting in the future.

The GTX 770 would give the machine enough horsepower to see through any modern titles at optimal settings/1080p. GeForce Experience really takes the pain away from optimization. Also, the first gen drivers are kicking ATI's butt - nVidia are great for driver optimizations, so I'd expect that gap to continue to grow.

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2013/06/17/asus_geforce_gtx_770_directcu_ii_video_card_review/7#.UdQqgvm1HP8

This is always a battle, value vs. performance vs. longevity.

My thoughts are that the GTX 770 should hold it's value longer, be supported longer by nVidia and while it might be a larger outlay now, upgrading later will be more expensive.

SterlingArcher

tbukela wrote: »

Ok, I've had a chat with a mate and going to take his monitor. Think it's a 22" LG of some kind.
That would take €126 off marco_polo's spec.
Any advice on where to reinvest say €150, bring the budget up to €850?
Is the consensus that a better PSU is worth the money?

Me personally would drop the cooler , get a bigger PSU I know lad said don't need it just so you're future proofed for sli should you find you wanted. It'd only extra 20 euro or so.

Then speaking as someone who had the 7870 graphics card. I would with the 150 invest in a better graphics card. a gtx 770 twin frozen oc think it 370 euro?. I know a little pricey but a lot less than last year's gtx680 and better. Look it will mean no more settling for eyesore graphics or always poor frame rates. And no upgrade for awhile. And if you do want to use two cards the 770 is great option.

Altheus

SterlingArcher wrote: »

Me personally would drop the cooler , get a bigger PSU I know lad said don't need it just so you're future proofed for sli should you find you wanted. It'd only extra 20 euro or so.

Agreed, so maybe just bump up to 550w, as max load on the 770 can hit 370w, and the AMD CPU also has a big draw.

SterlingArcher

Altheus wrote: »

Agreed, so maybe just bump up to 550w, as max load on the 770 can hit 370w, and the AMD CPU also has a big draw.

Yep I agree fully with Altheus. Better power supply. you can get a be quiet 7 600w 80+silver power supply for 67 euro on the same site. That is bang on 20 euro more. "good German manufacturer look up reviews quiet and efficient"

Coupled with the 770 you will be much happier playing games. Skyrim will look amazing.
And you will not always be thinking damn if I got the better card I wouldn't be lowering down settings.

BloodBath

770's are not good value at all. A 760 or 7950 would be the card to get.

The psu marco polo recommended is more than enough. He would only need more power if going crossfire/sli buit then he needs a board capable of that as well.

If you wanted to go dual gpu then you want the system power 7 700w, the 600w does not have the connections for 2 cards.

Considering his budget neither of these should be an option imo. The money could be spent better elsewhere.

SterlingArcher

BloodBath wrote: »

770's are not good value at all. A 760 or 7950 would be the card to get.

The psu marco polo recommended is more than enough. He would only need more power if going crossfire/sli buit then he needs a board capable of that as well.

If you wanted to go dual gpu then you want the system power 7 700w, the 600w does not have the connections for 2 cards.

Considering his budget neither of these should be an option imo. The money could be spent better elsewhere.

Bloodbath is right, I overlooked this with the 600 model as I was on the go, my bad and you could use the 450 one polo mentioned.

But I would still go with 770 just on personal preference not value for money.

beno619

SterlingArcher wrote: »

But I would still go with 770 just on personal preference not value for money.

Given the OP's budget the 770 makes zero sense.
At 1080p these cards play everything at 60fps Crysis 3 is the only game where the 770 has an advantage still only get 45fps so its not worth the ridiculous premium.

760 or 7950 would compliment this build nicely.

tbukela

Thanks everyone for the replies. Got a bit technical there for me but checked out the components there. I'll put together a spec and post it to see if any other obs.
Thanks again.

Danger781

Altheus wrote: »

I do the previous card was 193.57, the new 369, so it's a 25e over budget, but the latest GTX series have a lot of advantages over the the previous ATI generation. The 1GB RAM may also be limiting in the future.

The GTX 770 would give the machine enough horsepower to see through any modern titles at optimal settings/1080p. GeForce Experience really takes the pain away from optimization. Also, the first gen drivers are kicking ATI's butt - nVidia are great for driver optimizations, so I'd expect that gap to continue to grow.

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2013/06/17/asus_geforce_gtx_770_directcu_ii_video_card_review/7#.UdQqgvm1HP8

This is always a battle, value vs. performance vs. longevity.

My thoughts are that the GTX 770 should hold it's value longer, be supported longer by nVidia and while it might be a larger outlay now, upgrading later will be more expensive.

The 7950 is £208 and has 3GB of RAM. It has more than enough power to handle 1080p and fantastic frame rates. If you overclock it even better. At a fraction of the price of the 770 for a card that isn't much below it in terms of performance it makes the most sense.

I don't see your point.