New pc gaming system - where to go?

ElusiveHaggis

Hi,

I've done some googling, I'm looking for a good gaming system to get. I'm trying to decide to build it myself (not my first choice but cheaper) or does anyone know of a website or place that does a good system - with upgrade options?

As a good benchmark, lets say I want to run the new Witcher at max...and then medium settings? I would prefer Nvidia gfx cards as they seem to be compatible with everything and Intel systems seem to be good...AMD went downhill a few years ago I think? But if they've improved, I'd go for them.

My price rance would be from 500-1k. I have been hovering over the idea of an Alienware (Dell) system...

Thanks for any help
EH

muffler

I'll move this to the PC Building & Upgrading forum where the regulars there will be able to help and advise.

ElusiveHaggis

Ok, ty

Digital Solitude

I can Max the Witcher on a fairly basic system.

AMD GPUs are fine, its their CPUs that lag.

If you want I can give a part list and where to buy from, its just a matter of sticking them together, which is the easiest part.z

ElusiveHaggis

I've looked at various places like Komplett, overclockers, scan, etc...to save time I'd get a complete system but then it's over priced.

So, yes, absolutely yes - if u can can give me that part list it would be great. I'll just have to research what plug and plays...

Thanks Digital,
EH

ps My old system...an Acer 6935G is a bit old now, but it has done its job valiantly for 5 years or so, a superb system

Digital Solitude

Sound job

i5 4460 €175
H81M board €50
8gb DDR3 €40
GTX 970 €350
1tb HDD €50
500w PSU €60
mATX case €50
250gb SSD €90
Total €865

All components are plug and play. You can have a look for stuff if you want, if not, I can provide links whenever I'm on the PC.

Prices are from mindfactory.de

Any questions ask away

ElusiveHaggis

Thanks, I'll check them out

323

Hi ElusiveHaggis, just stumbled on this when looking at the Donegal page.

Don't know about AMD processors in the past. May be of interest for the budget you mentioned. I built a gaming/multimedia PC for the kids last year based on the Athlon II X4 760K CPU. Well, my 9 year old daughter actually assembled most of it.

Has played everything they have wanted to run on it. I fitted a liquid cooler on the CPU with the idea of overclocking but have not got round to it yet.

Had just put this spec together for a friends kids. Was planning to build it in a couple of weeks. Newer version of the CPU the 860K, Different Case, Instead of an SSD, I've found these Hybrid Drives from Seagate to be fantastic value, very, very quick. Upgraded a couple of friends PC's with them over the last year.

Complete system plus a tube of extra thermal paste (just in case). Just over €800

Gigabyte F2A88XM-HD3 AMD FM2+ A88X DDR3 mATX €53.77
AMD Athlon II X4 860K FM2+ 3.7GHz 4MB Black Edition €77.87
CoolerMaster Seidon 120V R2 CPU Liquid Cooler Kit €52.15
Corsair 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600Mhz CL9 Vengeance Black Kit €50.58
MSI Radeon R7 360 2GB DDR5 Sleeva Fan DX12 PCI-E 3.0 €127.07
Seagate 2TB Desktop SSHD SATA 6GB/s 64MB 3.5" 8GB SSD €99.63
Zalman Z11 Plus High Performance Mid Tower Case €73.98
CoolerMaster SickleFlow 120 Green LED Fan - 120mm, 2000RPM €10.09
EVGA 500W White 80PLUS Certified PSU €46.81
Samsung 24x DVD Writer SATA Retail - 2 x bezels €15.86
Asus VE247H 23.6" 1920x1080 2ms VGA DVI-D HDMI Monitor/Speakers €154.24
Gigabyte KM7600 Wireless Keyboard & Mouse Set €35.38
CoolerMaster High Performance Thermal Paste 2g €4.93

Total €802.36

All parts/prices from dabs.ie

OK. Some seem to have issues with them. I've had no problems yet, and everything's done and dusted with one order.

Recently seen a similar spec system, same CPU, GPU, memory and Case, without the monitor, Keyboard/Mouse & liquid cooler in one of the high street electronics stores for over €1200

BTW. Where in Donegal are you?

TerrorFirmer

Loose the liquid cooler and 860K, it's not a very good processor and light years behind an i3-4160, which is actually cheaper than the 860K and the liquid cooler. No amount of overclocking will bring it remotely close to the €120 i3-4160.

Personally I would take the GTX750Ti over the R9 360, they're similar in speed but Nvidia have better driver support and the 750Ti uses less power as well.

Power supply is overkill but the price isn't so bad so if you wanted to save a tenner you could and go with a 350w or 400w unit, but no big deal. You also don't need thermal paste, that will come with the CPU cooler already.

Digital Solitude

Second build isn't a patch on mine for €60 more

TerrorFirmer

Digital Solitude wrote: »

Second build isn't a patch on mine for €60 more

He has a monitor and wireless keyboard and mouse set in there so the real cost is 600. But on that budget there should be an i3-4160 in there, 860K + liquid cooling is a waste.

Digital Solitude

That's true sorry. Even still, can do better for €600

323

Thanks for the advice TerrorFirmer/Digital Solitude.
Will defiantly look at that for next one. Built tons of industrial machines years ago but only started mucking around with and odd budget home/game for the kids and friends system using webs like www.gamersnexus.net as a guide.

True. Liquid cooler not needed, was on offer at a little more than the price of a good air cooler. Same with the paste, clumsy fingers, I like to have spare.

Also True, PSU is a wee bit much, but as you said good value. It's the only thing that's connected to everything. Had too many PSU's die and take other components with them in work machines over the years, so like a bit of surplus capability. Plus, stick it in a decent case and you have a base to upgrade in future.

No Digital Solitude, agree, its not a patch on your suggestion. But the OP expressed an interest in AMD's and quite a tight budget. Then mentioned his Asus (a laptop I believe) at present so guessing, needs the Monitor, DVD, Keyboard & Mouse, forgot to put in a DVI monitor cable ~ €20 extra too.

grindle

PSU that's a tiny bit cheaper & better.

PSU that's a tiny bit more expensive & much better.

ElusiveHaggis

Lots of good advice and links, thanks guys. I'd just be looking at a desktop, I've got all peripherals - my laptop screen is cracked so I use 2 external monitors (hdmi and vga) and I got myself a nice Corsair Raptor K50 keyboard.

Ideally I would want a good cooling system, there's nothing worse than an overheating system and the laptop I have suffers from that (I quite often have to open it up and clean the vents)...I also have it on a cooling 'bed'.

I'm also concerned about power consumption (anything to cut down the elec bills ;P). The nVidia cards tend to be more power efficient as far as I can see and as TerrorFirmer says the driver support has always been very good. The AMD cards seem to be better performers but I've read that they require a lot more power/cooling. What about a SLI motherboard, are 2 cards worth the extra cost?

The only complete build online is Alienware's X51 that seems to be ok-ish. But from past experience these pc's are not easily upgraded. It's €850...

A build seems like a more viable option.

Digital Solitude

I've that i5, idles at 28°C, and my 290 which is overclocked and overvolted idled at 35°c . 290 is a very hot card so even then its not bad.

Case is the most important thing for cooling to be honest, get a good, spacious Corsair or Nanoxia with a few fans if you want it really cool.

And with regards SLI, it'll make it much hotter with an air cooler, and make for way more power draw

TerrorFirmer

Here's a good example of a pre-built system for a good price.

i3-4170 - 8GB - GTX950 - Win10

ElusiveHaggis

Ok, I've been browsing the place, this for 700e...

Hdd: 1TB Western digital 7200rpm
Gpu: Msi Radeon HD7950 3gb TwinFrozr Edition
Cpu: Intel core i5 2400s 2.5ghz
Ram: 8gb DDR3 1333mhz Ram
Case: Zalman ZM-T4 Mini ATX Case
Psu: EVGA 500W Psu
Corsair CMStorm Gaming Blue Led Keyboard and mouse
Monitor: None

The cpu seems nae bad...not sure about the gpu and ram. I'll be honest - I have an average idea on components, nowhere close to u guys. I built a decent pc about a decade ago and I'm outta touch.

TerrorFirmer

The PC I linked to above is much better all around. And is brand new.

323

Looks like your getting there.

Like the case, got good reviews, as good quality and very cheap!

OK aesthetics, but tis a games system you're going to build so nice if it looks the part too:).

Where did you find this?

ElusiveHaggis

On the local website where ppl buy 2nd hand malarkies...

TerrorFirmer, aye it's a good looking system...I'm tempted by it, but the 2nd hand pc (build by a gamer I'm guessing) has that i5 processor and the card seems fairly good...the motherboard is a MSI b75ma (lga155 motherboard with 4 ram slots ). I'm not worried about the software installed I can easily do a fresh install.

TerrorFirmer

The 7950 and GTX950 are about the same, and that's an S model i5 so it's considerably slower than regular i5's and would be slower than the i3-4170 in games too.

It's also socket 1155, whereas that new one is the newer socket 1150 and will take newer and faster 4th generation i5's down the line.

It's not to say it's outright bad, it would be fine for all the latest games, but it is bad at 700 and it would be madness to take it over the brand new machine.

Lu Tze

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

The 7950 and GTX950 are about the same, and that's an S model i5 so it's considerably slower than regular i5's and would be slower than the i3-4170 in games too.

It's also socket 1155, whereas that new one is the newer socket 1150 and will take newer and faster 4th generation i5's down the line.

It's not to say it's outright bad, it would be fine for all the latest games, but it is bad at 700 and it would be madness to take it over the brand new machine.

Is that true? Going to have to look up some reviews, didnt think the GTX950 was that powerful - especially seeing as it is likely draws half the power!

Yeah the only thing wrong really with the second hand machine is the price, given what you get new for the same price, including warranties etc.

ElusiveHaggis

Aye there are the disadvantages of buying 2nd hand...if only pc's required a nct

The Zoostorm is looking favourable...

ok, another one for u...

Intel Core i5-4670 processor, Intel H81 Chipset, 8GB DDR3 1600MHz, Silverstone 300W PSU, Nvidia GTX960, 7.1 HD Audio, 2TB Seagate Barracuda 7200rpm. Just a case.

~€810

Padovski

Hi,
Just few things that may help you when looking for gaming hardware:
1. SSD is essential! with good read/write ratio (avoid Kingstone, long story..just avoid) 120 gb is a standard now.
2. RAM speed, 8 gb of 1600mhz is your sweet spot for now, if you can go for 1833 but make sure that your mobo can handle that, bellow that set point(1600) is a waste of your money.
3. CPU vs GPU, people intend to save on cpu to buy better graphic card, that's fine but make sure that your processor want hold back(/bottleneck) your powerful graphic card.
4. Avoid everything with "gaming" tag:) usually it costs more than "normal" hardware but perform the same...
5. I am a AMD fan, but for gaming chose Intel and Nvidia, they simply perform better.
6. Power supply. Decent "gaming" rig need around 500W, invest in good solid psu!

Hope that help.

ElusiveHaggis

All advice helps Padovski Thanks

I'm just browsing a hell of a lot trying to find good deals, researching parts...while learning java - the brain cannie take much more cap'n

Padovski

ElusiveHaggis wrote: »

All advice helps Padovski Thanks

I'm just browsing a hell of a lot trying to find good deals, researching parts...while learning java - the brain cannie take much more cap'n

I'm in the same boat, bought my R9 and FX6350 second hand, saved over 180e, rest of the rig will be new, I would be to afraid to get them second hand.

P.S. Haa, java you say, in Itb maybe ??

ElusiveHaggis

Ok I have a board and cpu in mind (they're at decent prices atm), still looking for a midrange nvidia card. Everything is plug and plug nowadays, but I'm wondering about the psu - what wattage should I be aiming for that will be way than enough for everything.

The motherboard - Gigabyte Z97P-D3 LGA 1150

The cpu - Intel Core i7 4790 Quad Core Professional Processor (3.60 GHz, 8 MB, Haswell, 84 W, Graphics, Hyper Threading Technology, Socket 1150)

Around 400e for the two...

Thanks.

Digital Solitude

Budget? I'd drop to an i5 if it's not a serious price, no difference for gaming

ElusiveHaggis

the Intel Core i5 4690K Processor (3.5 GHz, 6 MB Cache, LGA1150 Socket) drops the price for the 2 to around 300e...I'm just wondering if it's worth stepping up to that i7 for longevity.

Digital Solitude

I'd Hooke that i5 over a non k i7. I've a 4460 and expect it to last 3-4 more years at least, 4690k will last longer again.

If you get a non k chip like a 4790, get a cheap h81 or b85 board, no real difference.

Graphics card budget?

ElusiveHaggis

Was thinking ~150-200e...whatever deal is best, but I'd like to stick to nVidia 'cos I trust them ;P

ElusiveHaggis

Hdd's and the others I have, but I can update them if required...except for ram. And the power supply, I'm a bit vague on what I might need.

Digital Solitude

You don't trust AMD? nVidia are a bag of dicks :pac:

A 950 is good there, or a cheaper 960. A 500w PSU is more than enough for either with room for upgrades.

A good GPU is better for gaming than a CPU tbh

ElusiveHaggis

True, just that most games are nVidia supported and I've had no probs with them over the decade...although I have absolutely no experience with AMD gfx cards, so I just might check them out. Ok 500w...I happen to have one lying about, might save me a bit

ElusiveHaggis

I'll have a look at gfx cards, tom's hardware is a good source of info when comparing them...thanks for the help so far DS:cool:

Padovski

1. AMD cards consume more power then Nvidia, there is also a ~5/10% performance(fps) difference, but, AMD is way more cheaper than Nvidia.
2. 500W will do fine for your Intel configuration.
3. Have a look on ASUS GeForce GTX 970 STRIX - very nice gtx for around 300-350e

ElusiveHaggis

The GTX970 Strix looks nice, well designed and efficient...the price is a bit out of my budget, but I'll keep my eye on deals. It is a good card from what the youtubers, links say. Def on my wishlist Padovski, thanks for the info.

Is there an equivelent AMD card? thus cheaper

Padovski

Now, I would say that R9 380 would be the equivalent that will perform even slightly better then 970 strix. I'm using Asus dc2 r9 270x- less performance then 970 but that price... cheap you can grab used Asus dc2 oc r9 270x 2bg ddr5 for a 150euro, would personally recommend that one.
The GPU is really a tailored choice.. Think first what you going to need it for and then buy accordingly.

Digital Solitude

380 =\= a 970, miles off it.

290/390 are AMDs closest cards

Padovski

Digital Solitude wrote: »

380 =\= a 970, miles off it.

290/390 are AMDs closest cards

On paper, yes, you are correct!

R9 380 is in a 2gb and 4gb version, the 2gb without OC falls behind gtx 970 by max 15fps on ultra/2160P(!) in gtaV, farcry4 and so on... and with 100$ price difference plus OC capabilities(stable 1135), I did put = mark between those two.

TerrorFirmer

It's not just paper. In any world the GTX970 is way, way faster than an R9 280. They are not comparable in any way.