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[mkenyon]

Hi Gaf, a friend of mine is looking to build his first gaming PC and he is looking for something like this.

Budget: 1000€, Spain (I could ship from anywhere in Europe if the product is much cheaper).
Main Use: Gaming.
Monitor Resolution: He'll get it later.
Looking to reuse any parts?: No
When will you build?: February
Will you be overclocking?: No.

We're just looking for the computer now, no mouse, monitor or external components.

Thanks.

Go for the OP build that fits your budget. Hard to make specific recommendations without anything to go on.

So I could get a new CPU and GPU without having to replace the motherboard?

I'd really recommend not buying an AMD FX8350. He's saying just upgrade the GPU now and see how you like it. If you still want more, then look at replacing the CPU/Mobo.

I've wanted to build a PC for over a year, but my mate keeps insisting I wait for 6-12 months until I move to the UK, so I don't have to ship a whole PC there. Is it really the right decision to hold off getting a PC in the US for that reason? Parts are more expensive in the UK, and even with the price of shipping, I'd probably have spent less money buying here and sending it over there.

Kind of answered your own question.

 

[Chocobro]

Get something cheap and local. Which model exactly? Does it have FireWire? That would be your best bet as that year doesn't have thunderbolt or usb3.

Here's a picture of the HDD.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E362W9O/?tag=neogaf0e-20

$12.99 for USB 3.0, or $6.99 for 2.0. Seems to have good ratings.

Oh I can't read.
Yeah anything recent on USB 3 is fine really, even direct USBx2 power to SATA works fine.

That one looks good to me. Will the model I posted above be able to take advantage of the USB 3.0? I haven't read into things like SATA II etc transfer rate.

 

[Foxyone]

Kind of answered your own question.

Just wondering if my line of thinking as a reason to get a PC now, here in the US, sounds reasonable to others.

 

[Chris R]

That will be fine. Can I ask why, and what PSU you got? I bought a 600W Silverstone Strider that is SIlver/Gold rated and it runs the same thing almost with a MSI 770 Lightning that requires two 8pin adapters without a problem.

It was a Corsair CX 600W. I'm not ever going to run SLI, and wanted something modular to clean up my case. Performance isn't the best, but I wasn't going to spend $100 or more to replace something that is working fine right now (If I was I'd wait for the Superflower Leadex Platinum to show up in America, now those are sick looking and performing PSUs, and it matches my cases color scheme )

 

[NoRéN]

Just wondering if my line of thinking as a reason to get a PC now, here in the US, sounds reasonable to others.

Others are not going to pay for this PC. You are. Like mkenyon said, seems like you answered your own question. If saving money is the issue, do what is cheaper.

 

[kennah]

Here's a picture of the HDD.



That one looks good to me. Will the model I posted above be able to take advantage of the USB 3.0? I haven't read into things like SATA II etc transfer rate.

I mean model of MacBook. That year doesn't have USB3 and might not even have firewire. You don't need to worry about SATA II VS SATA3, etc. They're all backwards compatible and everything is faster than the USB2 you'd be using to transfer over anyway.

 

[Bboy AJ]

4670k never goes on sale, huh?

 

[mkenyon]

4670k never goes on sale, huh?

Only at Microcenter pretty much.

 

[CoG]

Just built a 4770K based system and went with a GTX 760 and can't help get the feeling I skimped on the GPU. Would a GTX 770 be a better option or is there anything else I should be looking at?

I dual boot into Linux so AMD is not an option. I also realize I could have went i5 but I do more than gaming.

 

[kennah]

Just built a 4770K based system and went with a GTX 760 and can't help get the feeling I skimped on the GPU. Would a GTX 770 be a better option or is there anything else I should be looking at?

I dual boot into Linux so AMD is not an option. I also realize I could have went i5 but I do more than gaming.

770 is only marginally better than a 760. 10-15% for $100 more in price (so 30% higher). A 780 would have been a better fit, but then you're getting into the $500 range.

 

[Bboy AJ]

Only at Microcenter pretty much.

Picked it up on NCIX. Slightly cheaper than usual from my experience.

NCIX looks like a crappy retailer. I hope they come through.

 

[Chocobro]

I mean model of MacBook. That year doesn't have USB3 and might not even have firewire. You don't need to worry about SATA II VS SATA3, etc. They're all backwards compatible and everything is faster than the USB2 you'd be using to transfer over anyway.

Alright. Thanks kennah, DarkFlow, and Hazaro!

 

[mkenyon]

Picked it up on NCIX. Slightly cheaper than usual from my experience.

NCIX looks like a crappy retailer. I hope they come through.

They're solid, and replaced Newegg as my go-to retailer.

 

[CoG]

770 is only marginally better than a 760. 10-15% for $100 more in price (so 30% higher). A 780 would have been a better fit, but then you're getting into the $500 range.

That was the thought going in and I guess it was the right call. I guess I can sell it in 1 - 1.5 years at 1/2 what I paid and trade up for a card with 2x the perf.

Not complaining. Getting 60fps on ultra for almost all the games I play, just trying to future proof.

 

[kennah]

That was the thought going in and I guess it was the right call. I guess I can sell it in 1 - 1.5 years at 1/2 what I paid and trade up for a card with 2x the perf.

Not complaining. Getting 60fps on ultra for almost all the games I play, just trying to future proof.

Don't ever try to future proof. You'll just waste money and be unhappy/force yourself to hang onto things longer than you need to. $250 now and then $250 in a couple years when it starts to feel slow is way better than spending $500 now.

 

[Megasoum]

Picked it up on NCIX. Slightly cheaper than usual from my experience.

NCIX looks like a crappy retailer. I hope they come through.

NCIX has been my go to retail for everything computer related for over 5 years now. They are amazing. Great prices, fast pricematch and no provincial taxes for me since they are on the other side of the country lol.

 

[Bboy AJ]

Good to hear about NCIX. Though they make you sign your life away before you can make a purchase. That was my distaste.

 

[Danj]

I guess this thread moves too fast for tech support questions, is there a tech support thread I should be asking in?

 

[Sajjaja]

I guess this thread moves too fast for tech support questions, is there a tech support thread I should be asking in?

It's in the OP.

 

[Danj]

It's in the OP.

Oh, duh, sorry! My bad.

 

[Adry9]

Go for the OP build that fits your budget. Hard to make specific recommendations without anything to go on.

Ok, here's what I got so far.

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (192€ @ AmazonES)
CPU Heatsink: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO (28€ @ PC Componentes)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H (138.55€ @ AmazonES)
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws 8GB DDR3-1600 (74.20€ @ AmazonES)
SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 120Gb (82.12€ @ AmazonES)
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (53.95€ @ PC Componentes)
Case: Cooler Master K280 (33€ @ AmazonES)
Second Fan: Tacens 3 Aura12 (9.85€ @ AmazonES)
DVD Burner: LG GH24NS95 (15.74€ @ AmazonES)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600M 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular (68.21€ @ AmazonES)
Total (without graphics card)= 695.62€ + Shipping.

So, I got around 300€ left to spend on a graphics card. And here is where I get lost, I don't know which one should I pick:

AMD:
- Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 With Boost 3GB GDDR5 (229€ @ PC Componentes)
- Sapphire R9 280X OC Dual-X 3GB GDDR5 (269€ @ PC Componentes)
- Sapphire R9 280X Vapor-X OC 3GB GDDR5 (282€ @ PC Componentes)

Nvidia: (All of these include ACIV).
- Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760 OC 2GB GDDR5 (230€ @ PC Componentes)
- Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760 OC 4GB GDDR5 (275€ @ PC Componentes)
- Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 OC 2GB GDDR5 (299€ @ PC Componentes)

 

[bro1]

Good to hear about NCIX. Though they make you sign your life away before you can make a purchase. That was my distaste.

I always buy from Amazon if I can. Their service and return policy are amazing.

 

[furrygiblets]

Hey guys could you have a look at my build. Around £1300 budget. Any alterations suggestions you could make. Rig mainly used for gaming and 3d design. Cheers

http://www.ebuyer.com/lists/list/295449

 

[Addnan]

Hey guys could you have a look at my build. Around £1300 budget. Any alterations suggestions you could make. Rig mainly used for gaming and 3d design. Cheers

http://www.ebuyer.com/lists/list/295449

A bit. £1300 is a big budget. 4770K is a must at that. I stuck a GTX 780 in there, you can change that to 290 if you don't mind having jet engine running in your room. Added a real SSD and separate HDD. Case is a personal choice, I couldn't find it on pc partpicker so just went for the default thread case. That should leave with you enough to change that cooler I picked to the H80 and get Windows 8 from reddit, I'm sure someone will link you to it.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£236.34 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£23.90 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£121.00 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£130.65 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£124.50 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£43.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card (£379.99 @ Novatech)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case (£77.98 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£91.98 @ Scan.co.uk)
Total: £1230.33
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-20 20:46 GMT+0000)

 

[scogoth]

Good to hear about NCIX. Though they make you sign your life away before you can make a purchase. That was my distaste.

Yeah there is a LOT of "I agree" before they let you purchase. They are a good retailer despite their website looking 10 years old.

 

[BoosterDuck]

Are there GPU manufacturers that have easily replaceable gpu fans or are they all specific models?

Depends on a lot of factors. What kind of case, where the intakes are, how dusty your house is, if you have pets, what kind of floor it is, if you have filters or not.

Basically - sure as long as your intakes aren't blocked by carpet. If it's carpet put the computer on a board or something.

No I mean by the vibrations caused by people walking on the floor.

And it's a hardwood floor.

 

[furrygiblets]

So what's this about windows?

 

[mrklaw]

Hey guys could you have a look at my build. Around £1300 budget. Any alterations suggestions you could make. Rig mainly used for gaming and 3d design. Cheers

http://www.ebuyer.com/lists/list/295449

PSU seems overkill. Also no SSD? You should definitely look to have an SSD at least for your OS and a few apps. 128/256GB Samsung evo is a good investment IMO.

 

[scogoth]

Are there GPU manufacturers that have easily replaceable gpu fans or are they all specific models?

Mostly model specific. If you need to replace a fan because it is broken then you have to get the exact same size and hole pattern which can be difficult depending on your GPU. If it is a noise thing then you can easily replace the whole cooler with an aftermarket cooler. Are you looking to buy a new GPU? If so just get one that meets your performance and noise requirements as is.

 

[BoosterDuck]

If so just get one that meets your performance and noise requirements as is.

I'm just asking the question because the fans are usually inexpensive moving parts attached to expensive video cards.

Why don't GPU makers use easily replaceable fans so we don't have to contact their support?

 

[mkenyon]

Hey guys could you have a look at my build. Around £1300 budget. Any alterations suggestions you could make. Rig mainly used for gaming and 3d design. Cheers

http://www.ebuyer.com/lists/list/295449

The H80 is very pricey and not really worth it on Haswell. I'd suggest the CM Seidon 120 or Corsair H60 if you want a basic AIO system. Both are a bit less expensive and will do everything you need out of them.

You want to swap the processor for a 4770K, and if you don't want to overclock (but you should, it's easy and safe), then downgrade the motherboard to a B75/H77 chipset.

Swap out the PSU for a Seasonic G-Series 650W. If you plan to go crossfire in the future, then think about the Coolermaster V700, Seasonic X760, or Corsair AX760 (all the same PSU).

Get a Windows key from reddit.com/r/softwareswap.

I don't really like In Win's products outside of their really unique stuff, and would recommend a case in the OP instead.

Ok, here's what I got so far.

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (192€ @ AmazonES)
CPU Heatsink: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO (28€ @ PC Componentes)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H (138.55€ @ AmazonES)
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws 8GB DDR3-1600 (74.20€ @ AmazonES)
SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 120Gb (82.12€ @ AmazonES)
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (53.95€ @ PC Componentes)
Case: Cooler Master K280 (33€ @ AmazonES)
Second Fan: Tacens 3 Aura12 (9.85€ @ AmazonES)
DVD Burner: LG GH24NS95 (15.74€ @ AmazonES)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600M 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular (68.21€ @ AmazonES)
Total (without graphics card)= 695.62€ + Shipping.

So, I got around 300€ left to spend on a graphics card. And here is where I get lost, I don't know which one should I pick:

AMD:
- Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 With Boost 3GB GDDR5 (229€ @ PC Componentes)
- Sapphire R9 280X OC Dual-X 3GB GDDR5 (269€ @ PC Componentes)
- Sapphire R9 280X Vapor-X OC 3GB GDDR5 (282€ @ PC Componentes)

Nvidia: (All of these include ACIV).
- Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760 OC 2GB GDDR5 (230€ @ PC Componentes)
- Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760 OC 4GB GDDR5 (275€ @ PC Componentes)
- Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 OC 2GB GDDR5 (299€ @ PC Componentes)

Looks solid. I'd go for one of the 280X's unless stuff like Shadowplay or G-Sync is of interest. You'd lose some performance, but gain more features going to the GTX 760.

 

[OminoMichelin]

Alright! I put the rig together! I was worried at first because it wasn't turning on, but it turned out that I forgot the cpu cable

However, my BIOS can't see my SSD for some reason, I'll check if I plugged it correctly tomorrow. Plugging the SATA cables was very fiddly, but at least my old HDD is recognized-

 

[Adry9]

Looks solid. I'd go for one of the 280X's unless stuff like Shadowplay or G-Sync is of interest. You'd lose some performance, but gain more features going to the GTX 760.

¿And what about the 770? ¿Is it worth spending 20-30€ more than with the 280X?

 

[mkenyon]

I'd feel more comfortable with a 4GB 760 than a 2GB 770, looking out 3-4 years.

 

[Adry9]

I'd feel more comfortable with a 4GB 760 than a 2GB 770, looking out 3-4 years.

Then I guess I'll get this one:
- Sapphire R9 280X Vapor-X OC 3GB GDDR5 (282€ @ PC Componentes)

Thanks!

 

[DarkFlow]

Picked it up on NCIX. Slightly cheaper than usual from my experience.

NCIX looks like a crappy retailer. I hope they come through.

The Website is kinda crappy looking, but they are great.

I'd feel more comfortable with a 4GB 760 than a 2GB 770, looking out 3-4 years.

in 3-4 years both cards would be total crap anyway so the RAM won't matter one bit. 770 is only a tad faster then a 760, so price to performance wise, it's not really worth it. AMD on the other hand is seeing it's pricing jacked way the hell up because of Bitcoin mining, and they sound like Jet engines.

 

[mkenyon]

Non reference cards, like the one he linked, are fine. The price was right too.

 

[Dr Dogg]

I'd feel more comfortable with a 4GB 760 than a 2GB 770, looking out 3-4 years.

That's the only thing stoping me pulling the trigger on a second 780 at the moment. Most stuff I've ran at 4k and higher has been under 3gb but then BF4 and ACIV pushed right up to the limit and where not really living in an adopted 4k era yet. Kind of wish I went for a couple of 4gb 770's now unless there's a blessing around the corner come ohhhh about March time.

 

[DarkFlow]

That's the only thing stoping me pulling the trigger on a second 780 at the moment. Most stuff I've ran at 4k and higher has been under 3gb but then BF4 and ACIV pushed right up to the limit and where not really living in an adopted 4k era yet. Kind of wish I went for a couple of 4gb 770's now unless there's a blessing around the corner come ohhhh about March time.

If you're talking about Maxwell, I would look more towards the end of the year, maybe even next. You won't be seeing a 800 series for awhile.

 

[Dr Dogg]

If you're talking about Maxwell, I would look more towards the end of the year, maybe even next. You won't be seeing a 800 series for awhile.

Hahaha no no I got the feeling that's a long way off. But my end of year bonus will come through in March so might splurge more than I should if everything works out.

 

[DarkFlow]

Hahaha no no I got the feeling that's a long way off. But my end of year bonus will come through in March so might splurge more than I should if everything works out.

Get a Titan!

 

[mkenyon]

That's the only thing stoping me pulling the trigger on a second 780 at the moment. Most stuff I've ran at 4k and higher has been under 3gb but then BF4 and ACIV pushed right up to the limit and where not really living in an adopted 4k era yet. Kind of wish I went for a couple of 4gb 770's now unless there's a blessing around the corner come ohhhh about March time.

I wouldn't worry about 3GB at all.

 

[Dr Dogg]

Get a Titan!

Hahaha the thought had crossed my mind (despite Smokey telling me to get a 780). Though the way I see it is that a single Titan is going to run out of legs and decrease in frames ways before it uses anywhere near 4gb let alone 6gb. So really it would only be worth it to get a pair of Titans and I'm not that mad or going to get anywhere near the required display set up to use that. Maybe I should get over my AMD phobia?

I wouldn't worry about 3GB at all.

Yeah very true, I think it's my planning ahead for many years to come that has me pondering it. Truth be told by the time I'll probably need more than 3gb my 780 will be showing it's age anyway.

 

[mkenyon]

I really don't think we're going to be at a point where it's needed even at 1440p, unless you try to max it out for sake of doing so.

 

[scogoth]

I'm just asking the question because the fans are usually inexpensive moving parts attached to expensive video cards.

Why don't GPU makers use easily replaceable fans so we don't have to contact their support?

I'm going to reallllllly stretch my good faith and say the the fans have to fit very specific size and speed requirements which require custom or non-standard fans. Probably money though. Some GPUs use standard but not common fans (reference blower fans). Some, like ASUS's radial/blower fan, are custom.

Here is a site I've used in the past to get some hard to find parts. I got a replacement fan for my airport extreme from there.
http://www.newark.com

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

Not sure what you mean -- my motherboard has it built-in (ASUS Maximus VI Impact).

Personally, I'm quite happy to be done with expansion cards and USB dongles for simple things like wireless and bluetooth. It's ridiculous to have an entire slot dedicated to it, where you see this almost blank PCB with a chip on it and a few traces.

I'm not going to upgrade my motherboard for better Wifi.

 

[Dr Dogg]

I really don't think we're going to be at a point where it's needed even at 1440p, unless you try to max it out for sake of doing so.

Oh easily for the time being. From my faffing around with my new build I've noticed that incremental resolution increases about 1080/1200p aren't a drastic increase in VRAM usage. BF 4 for example with everything set to ultra I was get around 2gb at 1080p and increases at about 300mb with each step up in resolution, so 1440p is around 2.3gb, 1800p is around 2.6 and 4k at around 2.9gb.

Then again texture size is also a massive factor as Splinter Cell Blacklist. Which apparently has 4k ready textures was around 1.2gb at 1080p but when I cranked it up to 2700p it toped out at 2-2.1gb. Though downsampling to that crazy res really is just diminishing returns on a 1080p monitor so I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place with getting a second card to keep the 120hz magic alive or get a new monitor for a boost in resolution. Plus I can see it being quite some time before a 4k screen comes down to a price I'd be happy to part with at the spec I'd want.

 

[scogoth]

I'm not going to upgrade my motherboard for better Wifi.

CAT5E. Wires FTW

 

[mkenyon]

CAT5E. Wires FTW

Yup.

 

[brainzelda]

I've been thinking of building a new PC, but small form factor, and I glanced at the recommended builds in the OP and was shocked at the price ($900+) for builds labelled good to excellent. I want to stay away from the amd a10 builds since I already have a laptop with that. The higher prices builds look like their most expensive piece is the gfx card, so I was wondering how that new chibi r7 260 would work as an alternative since it's around $130 and has been getting good reviews. I play WoW regularly and have severe issues on my laptop in 25 man raids even on low settings/resolution. Thanks.