Noob to PC gaming/building. Advice needed please.

readyletsgo

Hi all! I'm completely new to PC gaming here as in I only have consoles. After Microsoft xbox e3 and them saying all Xbox games will be playable on PC it got me thinking maybe it's time I took the plunge and invested in a gaming PC/tower to go alongside all my new and retro systems. And I could start using Steam finally.

Im not too well up on all the hardware lingo, but any links or advice you could recommend to me would be great. Best places to look? Prices? Try and build it myself? Do I need to upgrade hardware every year or two?

Sorry, I'm sure you guys get asked these questions every day, but any advice is very much appreciated!

the_syco

Fill out the below, and please include a budget;

1. What is your budget? [€xxx]

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? [Gaming/Video editing/3D Modelling/HTPC/Internet] (If gaming include which games)

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? [Yes/No]

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? [Hard drive/DVD Drive/Case/PSU/etc.] (If possible state brand and model of the parts to ensure compatibility)

5. Do you need a monitor? [Yes/No]

5a. If yes, what size do you need. [19'/20'/22'/24'/etc.]

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? [Keyboard/Mouse/Wireless Card/Card Reader/Speakers/etc.]

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

8. How can you pay? [Bank Transfer/Credit Card/Laser]

9. When are you purchasing? [In x days]

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? [South Dublin City/Cork City/Kerry/etc.]

Others with more knowledge will answer your questions

readyletsgo

Thanks for this!



1. What is your budget? Between €1000 to €1500 I'd say.

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? Gaming, I guess all new games coming over the next year or two to Xbox and 3rd party stuff too. Maybe use Kodi too. Internet.

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? Yes

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer?
No, I don't have any parts to spare.

5. Do you need a monitor? No


5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future? 1920x1080. Probably will upgrade in a year or two

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? Keyboard, Mouse, Wireless Card, Card Reader, controller, Xbox 360 one would do? Or the One controller?

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? No

8. How can you pay? Anyway is fine, online or in Dublin.

9. When are you purchasing? In the next couple weeks?

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? North County Dublin.


Thanks guys!!

MarkAnthony

That's a top end rig just so you're aware. PC gaming is now cheaper than consoles.

I take it this is going to be used on a TV? If so you probably don't need to spend even that. PC's are currently entering a new gen for graphics so it's worth holding out a while (only a couple of weeks now) to finalise the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) which will be your main focus in a gaming rig. Also you may want to consider a smaller than average rig - I prefer them so I'll do a build based on that size (Micro ATX, normal PCs are ATX).

I'll post a build for you shortly. We tend to use German sites as they offer better prices. Everyone seems pretty happy with mindfactory.

readyletsgo

MarkAnthony wrote: »

That's a top end rig just so you're aware. PC gaming is now cheaper than consoles.

I take it this is going to be used on a TV? If so you probably don't need to spend even that. PC's are currently entering a new gen for graphics so it's worth holding out a while (only a couple of weeks now) to finalise the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) which will be your main focus in a gaming rig. Also you may want to consider a smaller than average rig - I prefer them so I'll do a build based on that size (Micro ATX, normal PCs are ATX).

I'll post a build for you shortly. We tend to use German sites as they offer better prices. Everyone seems pretty happy with mindfactory.

Thanks for all that information!

So you're saying I'm looking into this at the right time? New GPU's in development atm and being released in a couple weeks? Will the prices of these be expensive?

Yeah I was thinking a mini tower or Base, not a massive 'alienware' tower or anything. But would the smaller PC's leave enough space to keep everything cool or add storage to them? That's one of my concerns, storage, games are huge in size now, so would I be looking at like a minimum of 4TB or more to future proof myself?

Thanks very much for your reply, need the help and guidance as none of my friends are gamers, let alone PC gamers

Digital Solitude

l recommend building it yourself, and you only have to upgrade it when you want to. The budget you've set will allow you to the latest games at max settings for quite a while, it'll be several years (5+) before a game comes along that you can't play at Medium-High settings unless graphics go completely nuts.

Have a look at a few YouTube videos on how to build a PC, it's very easy.

i5 6500 €200
B150 board €60
250gb SSD €60
2tb HDD €90
GTX1070 €500
Nanoxia DS1 €100
CPU cooler €50
600w PSU €90
8gb DDR4 €40
Total €1200

I wouldn't go any higher than this for 1080p, you'll be cruising for a long while.

The SSD is for the OS and games for speed, HDD for general storage. There's a flash sale on 1tb SSDs if you wanted to pick one up soon to keep for games.

As per the 4tb, it's hardly going to be a requirement to have all your games installed? With bundles and low prices I doubt that's feasible, I'm fairly stuck for cash to spend on games and have only been a PC gamer for about a year and have over 250 games. It doesn't take long to build a huge collection.

Check isthereanydeal.com and set up a Wish list for games. It'll allow you to set a price you're willing to pay for a game and then email you when the game is on sale somewhere. All the sites it uses are legitimate and 90% are Steam keys. Leftover, you have GOG (DRM free), UPlay which is where a lot of new Ubisoft games are and Origin, which is the same but with EA.

*Nope the SSD sale is over. You could alternatively get a 500gb one now just to have, it'd be handy for games.

MarkAnthony

The new range of GPUs should all be out by the end of the month a price to suit all wallets you'd be nearer the top end.

+1 on DS's comments about HDDs 4TB is huge, that said divide the cost by the size and see what works out cheapest, if this is going under the telly you might want to stick a load of films on it or whatever. There will be a sweet spot on size v cost.

Another thing to consider if this is going to be a living room PC is how quiet does it need to be?

On size are you looking for console sized or can you go for something this size?

readyletsgo

OK, so say I wanted to order everything over the weekend for the perfect smallish PC for gaming what would be the best bits to order as of now?

I'm presuming everything slots it a casing now? No soldering needed.

MarkAnthony

Absolutely no soldering required. The most painful bit is plugging in the case switches but the motherboard manual will tell you how to do that.

I'll do a build for you, but there will be a two week or so wait for the GPU. If you must, must get it sooner, substitute the GPU I link for a 980ti.

MarkAnthony

I wouldn't rush into buying this as others will have significantly different views and it's well worth weighing up their suggestions. It's also very easy to overlook things!

Case - Corsair Air 240 - €91.32 - Very easy to build in for a beginner, pretty compact. On special.

PSU - XFX TS 550W - €78.21 - You might need to go up to a 650W if you're going for a 980ti, not 100% sure.

Mainboard - Gigabyte GA-B150M - €69.58 - All the features none of the sill Z170 pricing. mATX form factor, M.2 slot.

CPU - i5 6500 3.2Ghz - €196.45 i5 nuff said. There is some argument to be made for the i7 in very demanding strategy games like Totalwar.

RAM - 16GB Crucial CT2K8G4DFS8213 - €53.45 - If you want faster or better looking RAM go for any 8GB kit. 8GB/16GB makes almost no odds but at this price you might as well get 16GB.

SSD - 256GB Samsung Pro 950 - €178.06 - controversial choice and you can get bigger for less. This one is stupidly fast as a system drive and will happily go in the next system you build, weigh up the pros and cons this is very much a personal choice thing.

HDD - 3TB Intenso - €80.85 - cheapest I could find, probably not a good sign but then you should always backup important stuff.

GPU - 8GB Inno3D GTX 1070 - €489.00 - Not expected until end of the month.

Cooler - Noctua NH-9US - €56.09 - As with the above GPU you have to be careful what size you buy with this form factor. Keep the cooler and GPU below 130mm in height.

Total 1293.01 + small increase in VAT from German and UK rates, deliver and enough leftover to buy decent peripherals (Keyboard, mouse, controller).

Germany for the innards - cheaper
Amazon for the bigger stuff - better service - parcel motel it to get around the UK only delivery nonsense.

readyletsgo

MarkAnthony wrote: »

Absolutely no soldering required. The most painful bit is plugging in the case switches but the motherboard manual will tell you how to do that.

I'll do a build for you, but there will be a two week or so wait for the GPU. If you must, must get it sooner, substitute the GPU I link for a 980ti.

You do PC builds people on here?what kinda pricing would something I'm looking for come to?

MarkAnthony

If you want to get it nearer the €1000 drop the SSD and go for a cheaper one for about €60, drop the GPU down to an AMD Rx480 or buy a secondhand Geforce GTX 970 or 980 for about €200 or €275 respectively. You'll be very hard pushed to notice the difference on a TV.

MarkAnthony

readyletsgo wrote: »

You do PC builds people on here?what kinda pricing would something I'm looking for come to?

I meant like the list above. I'm very happy to do physical builds for people once they get all the stuff first.

Here's my build log btw.

Brian 2016

Case - Corsair Air 240 - €91.32 - Very easy to build in for a beginner, pretty compact. On special.

Don't think they can deliver that to Ireland.Have seen this warning pop up a few time when browsing computer parts.

Digital Solitude

Definitely change the HDD, a 2tb WD Red is about €90, so I wouldn't pay less for an extra TB

MarkAnthony

Brian 2016 wrote: »

Case - Corsair Air 240 - €91.32 - Very easy to build in for a beginner, pretty compact. On special.

Don't think they can deliver that to Ireland.Have seen this warning pop up a few time when browsing computer parts.

Parcel Motel ftw. It's also only that stupid Maplin deal there are other retailers albeit £10 more expensive.

MarkAnthony

Digital Solitude wrote: »

Definitely change the HDD, a 2tb WD Red is about €90, so I wouldn't pay less for an extra TB

Meh on HDDs I'd always take the risk but to be honest reliability is probably more important to most. So I'd heed this advice OP. Also you probably do want to swap out that SSD for something more sensible. You should be able to get a 500GB for cheaper than that M.2. You can always add in a superfast system drive later if you really want.

Yeah go for this SSD and the HDD DS mentions - you'll probably need to order the HDD from amazon, I don't see it on mind factory.

Digital Solitude

MarkAnthony wrote: »

Meh on HDDs I'd always take the risk but to be honest reliability is probably more important to most. So I'd heed this advice OP.

And this is why you have two HDDs that click when they're idle :pac:

I wouldn't bother with an M.2, way too expensive for a starting build, start with a solid SATA SSD and add a M.2 when there's sale on one if you want. I would think they're trivial enough though no, like in real world performance how much faster are they that a solid Sammy SSD?

MarkAnthony

Digital Solitude wrote: »

And this is why you have two HDDs that click when they're idle :pac:

I wouldn't bother with an M.2, way too expensive for a starting build, start with a solid SATA SSD and add a M.2 when there's sale on one if you want. I would think they're trivial enough though no, like in real world performance how much faster are they that a solid Sammy SSD?

Ah come on! One is from 2006 both out of laptops the wife broke. :pac:

I did lol.

readyletsgo

Wow there is a lot of information here fir me to understand lol.

Thank you so much for all the advice on hard drives and the other faster ones too.

I realise I need to take my time at this and not just through money at something here.

MarkAnthony

Definitely worth holding on, and I don't say that lightly as there is always something better down the road, but we really are having a PS3 to PS4 (more like PS8 to PS9 but I digress) moment.

There's nothing to stop you buying all the other bits and waiting on the GPU you'll still get a picture without one.

readyletsgo

MarkAnthony wrote: »

Definitely worth holding on, and I don't say that lightly as there is always something better down the road, but we really are having a PS3 to PS4 (more like PS8 to PS9 but I digress) moment.

There's nothing to stop you buying all the other bits and waiting on the GPU you'll still get a picture without one.

OK so I could order all the bits I need from the above list, along with that small case from Amazon and wait until the new GPU are released next month? It would definitely fit right?
Sounds like a decent plan to me

Edit: sorry for all the stupid questions

MarkAnthony

readyletsgo wrote: »

OK so I could order all the bits I need from the above list, along with that small case from Amazon and wait until the new GPU are released next month? It would definitely fit right?
Sounds like a decent plan to me

Edit: sorry for all the stupid questions

Ask a way we all started somewhere!

You could do that certainly. Plugging the GPU in is a piece of cake. If you order everything there except the GPU it'll all fit. When you order the GPU you're looking at 'height'. That needs to be under 130mm. The vast majority are, some of the really fancy coolers might be a problem... let me get pics actually!



Above will fit. Do you see the far edge is flat against the rest of the card?



Above see the way that card is wider than the back panel with all the connectors (HDMI etc.) on it?]

We're looking at the top left hand corner of each image.

readyletsgo

MarkAnthony wrote: »

I wouldn't rush into buying this as others will have significantly different views and it's well worth weighing up their suggestions. It's also very easy to overlook things!

Case - Corsair Air 240 - €91.32 - Very easy to build in for a beginner, pretty compact. On special.

PSU - XFX TS 550W - €78.21 - You might need to go up to a 650W if you're going for a 980ti, not 100% sure.

Mainboard - Gigabyte GA-B150M - €69.58 - All the features none of the sill Z170 pricing. mATX form factor, M.2 slot.

CPU - i5 6500 3.2Ghz - €196.45 i5 nuff said. There is some argument to be made for the i7 in very demanding strategy games like Totalwar.

RAM - 16GB Crucial CT2K8G4DFS8213 - €53.45 - If you want faster or better looking RAM go for any 8GB kit. 8GB/16GB makes almost no odds but at this price you might as well get 16GB.

SSD - 256GB Samsung Pro 950 - €178.06 - controversial choice and you can get bigger for less. This one is stupidly fast as a system drive and will happily go in the next system you build, weigh up the pros and cons this is very much a personal choice thing.

HDD - 3TB Intenso - €80.85 - cheapest I could find, probably not a good sign but then you should always backup important stuff.

GPU - 8GB Inno3D GTX 1070 - €489.00 - Not expected until end of the month.

Cooler - Noctua NH-9US - €56.09 - As with the above GPU you have to be careful what size you buy with this form factor. Keep the cooler and GPU below 130mm in height.

Total 1293.01 + small increase in VAT from German and UK rates, deliver and enough leftover to buy decent peripherals (Keyboard, mouse, controller).

Germany for the innards - cheaper
Amazon for the bigger stuff - better service - parcel motel it to get around the UK only delivery nonsense.

Ok, I added everything above to my basket on Amazon an on mindfactory.de except the GPU and SSD. €500 is pretty high right? If I was to go with a 'current gen' GPU would the price be much lower?

Thanks again for doing out this very detailed list for me

enya kenny

you could drop the cooler and just use the stock one. Not a big deal since your not overclocking. Save 50 quid right there.

MarkAnthony

enya kenny wrote: »

you could drop the cooler and just use the stock one. Not a big deal since your not overclocking. Save 50 quid right there.

I'm not sure I agree there tbh and initially I was going to suggest that. I'm on Devil's Canyon and I wasn't happy with temps while I was on the stock cooler recently, even on an open air 'test bench' (read motherboard box :pac: ). Maybe Skylake (the family of processors the OP is thinking about) is a bit cooler?

OP make sure to go for a BOX CPU rather than a TRAY CPU otherwise you won't get the bundled cooler. The prices are pretty close so if you wanted to try it there's not harm as most stuff is free delivery off Amazon.

readyletsgo wrote: »

Ok, I added everything above to my basket on Amazon an on mindfactory.de except the GPU and SSD. €500 is pretty high right? If I was to go with a 'current gen' GPU would the price be much lower?

Thanks again for doing out this very detailed list for me

Yes and tbh for a TV build - I'd say a GTX 970 off adverts for c.€200 would be grand. There are a load of cards coming out at the end of the month from AMD which look pretty good and will be around €200-€300. I'd wait for them and see what happens to prices.

MarkAnthony

Also don;t leave out the SSD just go for a cheaper one, let me give you some links...

Boxed CPU same as the other one just retail boxed with a cooler.

Samsung 850 Evo SSD for your windows install and newer games.

Hmmm just a thought, you'll need Windows, no clue where to get that tbh.

Edit: The GPU should always be the main focus of a gaming system. It's very easy to spend too much of course but don't worry if a GPU is c.50% of the overall system price, it should be!

Edit, Edit: I'm away the weekend and from thursday for a week so don't worry the offer still stands to help you with the build if you need it upon my return.

readyletsgo

MarkAnthony wrote: »

I'm not sure I agree there tbh and initially I was going to suggest that. I'm on Devil's Canyon and I wasn't happy with temps while I was on the stock cooler recently, even on an open air 'test bench' (read motherboard box :pac: ). Maybe Skylake (the family of processors the OP is thinking about) is a bit cooler?

OP make sure to go for a BOX CPU rather than a TRAY CPU otherwise you won't get the bundled cooler. The prices are pretty close so if you wanted to try it there's not harm as most stuff is free delivery off Amazon.

Yes and tbh for a TV build - I'd say a GTX 970 off adverts for c.€200 would be grand. There are a load of cards coming out at the end of the month from AMD which look pretty good and will be around €200-€300. I'd wait for them and see what happens to prices.

Im gonna see what you guys think of the AMD cards before I order one, dont want to feck up that part! lol. Gonna order the Boxed CPU, whats the difference between that and the Tray one?

MarkAnthony wrote: »

Also don;t leave out the SSD just go for a cheaper one, let me give you some links...

Boxed CPU same as the other one just retail boxed with a cooler.

Samsung 850 Evo SSD for your windows install and newer games.

Hmmm just a thought, you'll need Windows, no clue where to get that tbh.

Edit: The GPU should always be the main focus of a gaming system. It's very easy to spend too much of course but don't worry if a GPU is c.50% of the overall system price, it should be!

Edit, Edit: I'm away the weekend and from thursday for a week so don't worry the offer still stands to help you with the build if you need it upon my return.

No worries man, you've helped me out so much already! I'm sure I'll run into problems and be back on here annoying you :pac:

Heres the list of what I will order.....

From amazon

XFX ATX 550 Power Supply - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004RJ8EKI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3IRU7Q642HWMA

Carbide Series Air 240 - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00LA6WXEO/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2SWHHA0YH72X

Windows 10 on USB (thats right? as I wont have a disk drive...) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Windows-32-bit-64-bit-English-International/dp/B0111YEBY4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466115552&sr=8-1&keywords=windows+10+usb

Come to €280 on Amazon for those.

From Mindfactory

Gigabyte GA-B150M-DS3H - http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/Gigabyte-GA-B150M-DS3H-Intel-B150-So-1151-Dual-Channel-DDR4-mATX-Retail_1026654.html

16GB Crucial - http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/16GB-Crucial-CT2K8G4DFS8213-DDR4-2133-DIMM-CL15-Dual-Kit_1032615.html

That 3TB HDD from above - http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/3000GB-Intenso-Internal-Drive-6513113-64MB-3-5Zoll--8-9cm--SATA-6Gb-s_856661.html

The 250GB SSD from above - http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/250GB-Samsung-850-Evo-2-5Zoll--6-4cm--SATA-6Gb-s-TLC-Toggle--MZ-75E250B-E_987465.html

Intel Core i56500 Boxed - http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/Intel-Core-i5-6500-4x-3-20GHz-So-1151-BOX_1010023.html

Total comes to €568 before post and German VAT etc.

So all in all comes to around €900, before I invest in a GPU, maybe from AMD.

Am I missing anything here of importance before I go ahead a buy?

MarkAnthony

Looks good to me, but then it's easy to miss something!

Bloody hell windows is expensive!

Digital Solitude

Don't think Skylake does trays/boxes Mark, k chips are trays and non-ks are boxes.

I'd still change that HDD OP. WD Blue or Red

Definitely buy a new graphics card, which nothing has been proven, Nvidia cards have a nasty habit of slowing way down once a new generation comes out

You've got everything there yeah

readyletsgo

And all ordered!

Next up, is mouse keyboard controller etc.

What are the best and cheapest options you guys go with? Wireless would be the best of course.