Advice needed for getting back to PC gaming

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Jakes

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#251194 12-Jun-2019 19:02

Hi Guys

I'm just getting back into PC gaming after a very long hiatus. I'm doing research in terms of building an upper mid range desktop. I haven't kept up with all the hardware developments so some pointers would great. What would I be looking at in terms of a video card ( I was last up to date in the 3DFX Voodoo era..) My aim would be to have smooth gameplay at 1080p. What other components would be preferred? I just want to buy the right stuff first time round.

Then secondly a few game recommendations to buy first, preferably games with some depth to them.

Thank you for any advice!

cheers

Jase2985

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#2256996 12-Jun-2019 20:01

biggest question is budget?

second question is have you looked at the many other gaming pc threads on here for examples of what people are recommending/going for?

lNomNoml

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#2257025 12-Jun-2019 20:31

Something like a i5 or Ryzen 5 CPU, minimum 8GB of RAM, GTX1660TI, it loading times are important to you get a SSD to put everything on, or do the tried and tested SSD and HDD method where you put the programs and operating system on the SD and the media and games on the hard drive.

But yeah as above, you need to give us more information otherwise it's a shot in the dark really.

SpartanVXL

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#2257082 12-Jun-2019 22:40

If you are only going to stay at 1080p 60Hz then you have a plethora of options if you stick with high settings in most games. An AMD RX 570 would be your lowest choice, followed by RX 580, then up to mid-range Vega 56 or nvidia 1660ti, rtx 2060 or 2070.

1080p 60Hz is now considered low end, mid range is expecting either 1440p or higher refresh rates (120-240Hz).

Please post a budget to target as this will help set a realistic build for you.

I would advise at the very least postponing the build until the new Ryzen 3000 series CPU’s are out from AMD, they should be in stock in NZ a bit after 7th July. They’re expected at least match Intel core-to-core in performance.

xpd

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#2257131 13-Jun-2019 07:26

Ive got an aging i5 with RX580 4GB, and that ticks along fine for everything Ive thrown at it so far, however Ive not tried the latest titles such as Assassins Creed etc.

Games wise, depends what you prefer.... RTS, sim, FPS etc.

I enjoy a variety of games, mainly play Overwatch (team based, so need some co-ordination), Unturned (light RPG tones with zombie survival) and also playing Civilization 5 with a bunch of mates (takes almost a year per game).

What games did you play back in the day - would give an idea of modern alternatives.

Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

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Jakes

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#2257274 13-Jun-2019 10:58

Thanks guys, I appreciate the feedback. Budget is around the 2.5K mark, would like that to include some games and a monitor though.

I'll go through all the previous gaming threads as suggested.

"1080p 60Hz is now considered low end, mid range is expecting either 1440p or higher refresh rates (120-240Hz).

Please post a budget to target as this will help set a realistic build for you.

I would advise at the very least postponing the build until the new Ryzen 3000 series CPU’s are out from AMD, they should be in stock in NZ a bit after 7th July. They’re expected at least match Intel core-to-core in performance"

Thanks for this, I'll hang around until Ryzen's are released. I have read good things about them.

Amazing that 1080 is now low end, crazy!

Dial111

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#2257280 13-Jun-2019 11:12

$2.5k will get you a very decent setup. I wouldn’t worry too much.

Should be some cheap cards on the market once the new Ryzens launch

xpd

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#2257281 13-Jun-2019 11:13

Yup, when I got my 24" LED screen a little while ago I was like "wow".... now everyone I know is sitting on 4k 28"+ screens. :D

Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

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SpartanVXL

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#2257301 13-Jun-2019 11:34

I suppose I should rephrase, 1080p60 is not so much “low-end” in that its just the standard now. The majority of hardware aside from budget tier can easily attain that level of quality. Meanwhile hardware considered “mid-range” has enough grunt to attain the higher res/refresh and so are recommended to pair with a better monitor.

Jakes

13 posts

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#2257377 13-Jun-2019 12:49

Ah yeah, I understand. I'm glad you mentioned it - I have upped my monitor requirements now. Will be looking at 1440p now! 4K will have to wait for now..

ShinyChrome

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#2257412 13-Jun-2019 14:02

2.5K will get you something decent, certainly enough to satisfy your requirements.

When it comes to getting inspiration and pricing for a DIY PC build, PC Partpicker is your friend here. I also spent a lot of time reading reviews from Techpowerup, GamersNexus etc last time I built a PC to get a feel for finding your performance vs price point sweet spot.

Here is something I quickly mangled together that roughly fits your requirements to get you started

With both Navi and Zen 2 imminent, you may get a bit of price movement on the older Ryzen 2000 series stuff, and maybe even a little bit of movement from Nvidia's product stack. As @SpartanVXL said, I would probably wait until they have dropped to see how the landscape looks. Hopefully reviews should be coming in soon.

Jakes

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#2257451 13-Jun-2019 15:09

Wow thanks for that partpicker and the example build! I'll give it a go :)

I'll check out the other links thanks! Part of the fun is doing the right research.