1.5k budget gaming rig

[freshcigar]

hi all, first time posting here. always gaming on laptop and now switching to desktop. Only have a few peripheral devices to reuse.

Planned on playing any newly/to-be released PC games like GTA V, ACU, and WoW

Things I have:
ssd,os, mouse, keyboard, headset

Things I want:
gtx970 (SGD 449 on lazada)or r9 290x (USD 339 on amazon<gigabyte>)(SGD 449 lazada<Sapphire>)
soundcard if required

Question:
I have a sound blaster x-fi surround 5.1 pro external sound card. should get the internal one for a better quality or just go with what i have? The reason is because there's is always a milisec sound delay. Not sure if it's an issue from my laptop mobo/soundcard/headset.

pls suggest
p.s willing to increase budge to 300 more sgd

 

[Alternative X]

CPU+ Mobo: MSI B85-G41 PC MATE + i5 4460 (357)
RAM: G.SKILL RIPJAWS-X 1600MHZ ( 4GBx2pcs ) CL9 (115)
GPU: ZOTAC GTX 970 4GB TWIN FAN (469) (lazada.com)
HDD: TOSHIBA 1TB 7200RPM (69)
DVD-RW: LG 24X DVD-RW SATA OEM (25)
PSU: SUPERFLOWER HX 600M GOLD MODULAR (109)
Case: CORSAIR 200R (85)
Monitor: Dell S2340L (199) (SITEX)

Total cost: $1428

Unless otherwise stated, buy at PC Themes, #04-15, and ask for discounts. DIY yourself. If you can't into DIY, get PC Themes to assemble for you for a fee.

Notes:

1) This rig should be able to play the latest games at max settings in 1080p. However, due to bad coding in AC:U, you may experience gameplay issues with this rig and no amount of atas hardware is going to fix this issue unless Ubisoft issues a game patch that fixes this issue.

2) Got Mastercard? Consider buying the GPU and the PSU from lazada.com on a Monday and enjoy 10% discounts when you pay with a credit card. Do note that discounts are capped at $50 per transaction and you should buy these items seperately.

3) When you got your rig, try plugging in the USB soundcard directly into the motherboard USB port and test out the soundcard with as many headphones/earbuds as possible. If problems still persists, can then consider a PCI-E X1/PCI soundcard. (The B85-G41 PC Mate has lots of PCI-E and PCI slots for expansion purposes.)

 

[freshcigar]

thanks for the swift reply.

Questions

1. currently at lazada, R9 290x and G970 price are almost equal. should i get the slightly better card of 290x? The gigabyte 290x comes with 3 gpu fans. Is 3fans really necessary coz I don't want to play beside a loud fan.

TY

 

[Alternative X]

thanks for the swift reply.

Questions

1. currently at lazada, R9 290x and G970 price are almost equal. should i get the slightly better card of 290x? The gigabyte 290x comes with 3 gpu fans. Is 3 fans really necessary coz I don't want to play beside a loud fan.

TY

Well, you see, the R9 290X is infamously known for being very hot and the R9 290X being sold on Lazada comes with a reference cooler.

Unfortunately, the reference cooler is not very good at cooling the R9 290X at stock fan settings and the R9 290X will throttle at load due to the heat. The only solution to this is to turn up the fan, but then the GPU will end up sounding like a turbojet.

However, the Gigabyte Windforce GPU cooler (the one with 3 fans) is quite capable of containing the heat and does it while being reasonably quiet.

Hence, if you do not mind the lack of local warranty from buying from Amazon, then you may consider getting the Gigabyte R9 290X from Amazon. Do also remember to also buy more case fans to help channel out the heat in the case that is caused by the R9 290X.