Putting a gaming PC together from scratch

Forums › Desktop computing › Putting a gaming PC together from scratch

Mocambo

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#142825 25-Mar-2014 21:11

I'm looking to build it specifically for gaming.

My budget sits at about $1200-1500, not too eager to spend too much over that.

Ideally i'd like to run most games with med-high end graphics with good FPS.

I don't have much experience with computers at all, but do have a buddy who's happy to help me put it together.

I'll manage finding appropriate mouse, screen and keyboard just really need an idea of what hardware i should buy

1 | 2

8279 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 585

Trusted

#1012837 26-Mar-2014 04:40

For $1500 I'd be looking along these lines:

CPU: i5 4440 ~$250
MOBO: Gigagbyte/Asus/Asrock Socket 1150 ~$200
RAM: 8GB DDR3 ~$150
GPU: AMD Radeon 280X or Geforce GTX 760 ~$450
SSD: Samsung 840 Evo 120GB or Intel 530 ~$130
HDD: Seagate or WD 1TB ~$80-120
PSU: Seasonic 520W ~$120
CASE: Antec 100 ~$100

For $1200 you pretty much have to cut CPU and GPU down and for gaming on 1920x1080 resolution I wouldn't bother - better off saving for a few more months.

I'd also recommend adding a after market cooler eg: Cooler Master Hyper 212 is a bang for buck champ, will be much better and quieter than the stock cooler.

Mocambo

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1012865 26-Mar-2014 08:12

Hey cheers.

What would you suggest to be a better CPU and Graphics card that would handle most games?

Mocambo

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1012924 26-Mar-2014 09:41

I've thought about the i5 4670k and seems like R9 290 should be able to handle just about anything?
I'll just have to save for a month

Lyderies

266 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 67

#1013591 27-Mar-2014 08:05

Something like this

I'm going to noob myself past judgement

Buzz Bumble

332 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 56
Inactive user

#1013640 27-Mar-2014 09:12

Mocambo: My budget sits at about $1200-1500, not too eager to spend too much over that.

I guess that rules out this new graphics card:
Nvidia's new Titan Z graphics card is a 12GB US$3000 beast
;-)

Mocambo

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1013705 27-Mar-2014 10:14

Lyderies: Something like this

Damn that's cheap.
ok in fairly set on the R9 290 card and i5 4670k .... I don't think that set up trumps it? Or does it llol. Ill compare when i get home.

also yup a 3k gpu is kinda ridiculous

another thing, if i use the 4670k and r9 290 card instead of what Ragnor suggested, what wattage would i need? Is it a bad idea to get a 700W psu if my system only runs at about 600W?

Dyson

Shop now for Dyson appliances (affiliate link).

BigRat

64 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 3

#1013884 27-Mar-2014 14:25

Mocambo: another thing, if i use the 4670k and r9 290 card instead of what Ragnor suggested, what wattage would i need? Is it a bad idea to get a 700W psu if my system only runs at about 600W?

Something that's just above the recommended requirement wouldn't hurt that much. Considering that the 290 consumes at least 300W when playing games at 2560x1600. Budget/power wise, a 600W PSU would be fine if you'll never do any OCing.

Ragnor

8279 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 585

Trusted

#1013976 27-Mar-2014 16:44

Mocambo:
Lyderies: Something like this

Damn that's cheap.
ok in fairly set on the R9 290 card and i5 4670k .... I don't think that set up trumps it? Or does it llol. Ill compare when i get home.

also yup a 3k gpu is kinda ridiculous

another thing, if i use the 4670k and r9 290 card instead of what Ragnor suggested, what wattage would i need? Is it a bad idea to get a 700W psu if my system only runs at about 600W?

That pbtech system is cheap because of the old/weak GPU. It's best to spend slightly more on the GPU than the CPU for gaming currently.

I don't believe you can fit a Radeon 290x and i5 4670k in your original budget (<$1500), what's your new budget max?

Don't get the K version of the i5 if you're not actually going to overclock it. If you're going to overclock you need to allow $50-100 for cooling.

290x is fine on a decent 600-650w PSU like the Seasonic, build quality of the brand and amp ratings on the rails matter more than the marketing wattage listed.

Shindig

1621 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 362

Trusted

#1013986 27-Mar-2014 16:49

You say gaming, I say Xbox One.

The little things make the biggest difference.

BigRat

64 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 3

#1014000 27-Mar-2014 17:02

Shindig: You say gaming, I say Xbox One.

Providing that you could tolerate with the limitations of it. Even just upgrading the storage voids the warranty and aside from that, isn't that easy to do so.

Mocambo

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1014041 27-Mar-2014 17:48

Ragnor:
Mocambo:
Lyderies: Something like this

Damn that's cheap.
ok in fairly set on the R9 290 card and i5 4670k .... I don't think that set up trumps it? Or does it llol. Ill compare when i get home.

also yup a 3k gpu is kinda ridiculous

another thing, if i use the 4670k and r9 290 card instead of what Ragnor suggested, what wattage would i need? Is it a bad idea to get a 700W psu if my system only runs at about 600W?

That pbtech system is cheap because of the old/weak GPU. It's best to spend slightly more on the GPU than the CPU for gaming currently.

I don't believe you can fit a Radeon 290x and i5 4670k in your original budget (<$1500), what's your new budget max?

Don't get the K version of the i5 if you're not actually going to overclock it. If you're going to overclock you need to allow $50-100 for cooling.

290x is fine on a decent 600-650w PSU like the Seasonic, build quality of the brand and amp ratings on the rails matter more than the marketing wattage listed.

i think right now i have about $1700; on pricespy all the parts add up to about that. Good news is that payday is actually this Friday :D so lets say budget is <$1800? At absolute most. I want to put some cash aside for a screen and mouse

what would you recommend to be a good cpu to go with? Also ive been advised to invest in at least 2 fans as the r9 290 gets hot ( so im told)

pardon the grammar as im on my phone :/

Geekzone

Want to support Geekzone and browse the site without the ads? Subscribe to Geekzone now (monthly, annual and lifetime options).

Ragnor

8279 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 585

Trusted

#1014078 27-Mar-2014 18:50

Here's a list I was playing with on Pricespy, duplicate/copy the list and have a play:
http://pricespy.co.nz/list.php?l=121785&view=l

You can see you'll have to downgrade GPU and/or CPU to meet your budget.

If you downgrade GPU to 280x you can probably downgrade the PSU to 550W too. Change the case to your taste but Antec One seems like good bang for buck to me. If you want to go mATX case instead of ATX, change the mobo to mATX like Asus Z87M.

Note: I would get quotes from PBTech, Playtech, Computer Lounge, XPComputers etc for supplying all the parts too. It can be cheaper sometimes and it's definitely far easier than buying the parts from multiple different "cheapest on pricespy e-tailers" that don't have physical stores.

Buzz Bumble

332 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 56
Inactive user

#1014084 27-Mar-2014 18:58

BigRat:
Shindig: You say gaming, I say Xbox One.

Providing that you could tolerate with the limitations of it. Even just upgrading the storage voids the warranty and aside from that, isn't that easy to do so.

Not to mention, from what I've read, that the Xbox One and PS4 seem to be fairly sub-standard compared to a proper gaming PC ... but they do get all the games (unfortunately, thanks to silly "exclusives", if you want to be able to play ALL the games you need to buy both, plus a Wii, a PC, the handhelds, and an iOS and Android device).

Mocambo

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1014102 27-Mar-2014 19:20

Ragnor: Here's a list I was playing with on Pricespy, duplicate/copy the list and have a play:
http://pricespy.co.nz/list.php?l=121785&view=l

You can see you'll have to downgrade GPU and/or CPU to meet your budget.

If you downgrade GPU to 280x you can probably downgrade the PSU to 550W too. Change the case to your taste but Antec One seems like good bang for buck to me. If you want to go mATX case instead of ATX, change the mobo to mATX like Asus Z87M.

Note: I would get quotes from PBTech, Playtech, Computer Lounge, XPComputers etc for supplying all the parts too. It can be cheaper sometimes and it's definitely far easier than buying the parts from multiple different "cheapest on pricespy e-tailers" that don't have physical stores.

That looks like a solid set up. I'll stick to it.

I'll definitely get a quote from PBTech. I live 10 minutes away from Computer Lounge's store so i'll most likely pick up a bunch of stuff from them anyways (and ask about a combined order)

Thank you so much!

Ragnor

8279 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 585

Trusted

#1014105 27-Mar-2014 19:23

Shindig: You say gaming, I say Xbox One.

You say xbox one I say: previous generation graphics, low resolution, overpriced games.

The consoles lost their major advantage which was "lounge gaming" ages ago with PC games having controller support and steam having big screen gaming mode and so on.

If you want console quality graphics (720p lol) you can build a gaming pc for <$1000 with AMD APU or Geforce 750 but most PC builds like this $1800 one are aiming at >1080p with better textures and full quality settings and future 4k screen gaming.

1 | 2