Building custom PC

[kelvinkoh]

hi guys, looking to hoot new PC for x'mas but unsure what's the best value for $ after not being in touch after gtx 970 and 980 were released.

Listing the common questions to give you guys a better idea of what I need.

What is your budget?
1200-1500 would be best.

What is your monitor's native resolution?


What games do you intend to play on this computer? What settings?
Huge football nerd so I would be happy if it can run latest football manager 2015, any other intensive games is a bonus.

What do you intend to use the computer for besides gaming?

would be installing statistical software (work purposes), microsoft applications and to watch movies.

Do you intend to overclock?
No

Do you intend to do SLI / Crossfire?
No

Do you need an operating system?
No, I can use the windows keys from existing laptops.

Do you need a monitor or any other peripherals and is this part of your budget?
Yes, I need a monitor and it's not part of my budget. I have allocated separate funds just for the monitor.

If you have any requirements or brand preferences, please specify.
No but I heard ASUS GFX chop carrot one though..


If you have any retailer preferences, please specify.
Amazon, newegg, or local SLS are all viable options.

thanks in advance.
Kelvin

 

[shadow84]

Existing OS frm laptops cannot be transfered to new desktops as they are for OEM.

 

[Jian19]

$1.5k ~

i5-4460 + Msi b85m g43 ~ $355
G.skill 8gb ddr3 ~ $100
Plextor m6s 128gb ssd ~ $99
Wd blue 1tb ~ $72
Zotac gtx750ti ~ $219 / Zotac gtx970 twin fan ~ $448
Superflower hx 600 ~ $99
Lg dvd rom ~ $21
CM n200 ~ $55 / Fractal design arc midi r2 ~ $139
Dell s2340l ~ $198

$1208 / 1531 buy and assemble @ pctheme ask for discount.

If u not going to play AAA titles often u can just use a gtx750ti, good for light gaming and decent to try out latest games @ med/high settings @ 1080p.

If u do wan to try play latest or next gen games u might wan to consider getting the gtx970 instead.

I dun think u can reuse ur win7 , do check whether if its 32 or 64 bit version, only 64 bit can support more then 4gb ram on ur pc.

Win7 64 oem priced @ $120 and Win8.1 64 oem is priced @ roughly $130

 

[kelvinkoh]

oh, the other time i DIY, i used the windows key off my laptop. Now cannot already?

 

[kelvinkoh]

bumps, where are the other usuals like roy, alternativex, ark law, yureak?

 

[Alternative X]

1) Name this statistical software that you are using. State approx RAM usage of this software and whether this software supports hyperthreading or not.

2) Name other 'intensive games' that you have.

3) You want OS to be included in budget in case things go south with your laptop OS recycling?

 

[kelvinkoh]

1) Name this statistical software that you are using. State approx RAM usage of this software and whether this software supports hyperthreading or not.

2) Name other 'intensive games' that you have.

3) You want OS to be included in budget in case things go south with your laptop OS recycling?

Just Football manager and be able to watch movies will do. 16:9, 1080P should be sufficient.

Thanks

 

[Alternative X]

Just Football manager and be able to watch movies will do. 16:9, 1080P should be sufficient.

Thanks

It shall be assumed that this rig is used for playing Football Manager 2015.

Basic FM/office/movie rig

CPU+ Mobo: MSI B85-G41 PC MATE + i3 4160 (267)
RAM: G.SKILL/KINGSTON PC 12800/1600MHZ DDR3 CL11 VALUE RAM (8GB) (100)
GPU: POWERCOLOR R7 260X 2GB O.C (179)
SSD: CRUCIAL MX100 256GB (160)
HDD: TOSHIBA 1TB 7200RPM (69)
DVD-RW: LG 24X DVD-RW SATA OEM (25)
PSU: SUPERFLOWER HX 600M (99)
Case: DEEPCOOL TESSERACT (65)
OS: WINDOWS 7 HOME PREM (120)
Monitor: DELL S2340L (199)

Total cost: $1283

Rig optimized for data crunching with statistical software:

CPU+ Mobo: MSI B85-G41 PC MATE + i5 4690 (408)
RAM: 2X G.SKILL/KINGSTON PC 12800/1600MHZ DDR3 CL11 VALUE RAM (8GB) (200)
GPU: POWERCOLOR R7 260X 2GB O.C (179)
SSD: SAMSUNG EVO 250GB (179)
HDD: TOSHIBA 1TB 7200RPM (69)
DVD-RW: LG 24X DVD-RW SATA OEM (25)
PSU: SUPERFLOWER HX 600M (99)
Case: DEEPCOOL TESSERACT (65)
OS: WINDOWS 7 HOME PREM (120)
Monitor: DELL S2340L (199)

Total cost: $1543

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) The R7 260X is good enough for playing Football Manager 2015 at max settings in 1080p and is going for a very cheap price.

2) If you want a more powerful GPU, can go for a Zotac GTX 660 Synergy Edition ($189, lazada.com), a Sapphire R9 280 Dual-X ($285, lazada.com) or a Zotac GTX 970 Twin Fan ($448)

Notes (Data crunching rig):

1) As data crunching using statistical software requires good CPU processing power for decent performance, the fastest i5, the i5 4690, is used.

2) 16GB RAMs are used as data crunching might need more RAM during its operations.

3) The Samsung 840 Evo is used in this variant as the fast read/write speeds of this SSD will allow you to open and save large data files faster.

 

[kelvinkoh]

It shall be assumed that this rig is used for playing Football Manager 2015.

Basic FM/office/movie rig

CPU+ Mobo: MSI B85-G41 PC MATE + i3 4160 (267)
RAM: G.SKILL/KINGSTON PC 12800/1600MHZ DDR3 CL11 VALUE RAM (8GB) (100)
GPU: POWERCOLOR R7 260X 2GB O.C (179)
SSD: CRUCIAL MX100 256GB (160)
HDD: TOSHIBA 1TB 7200RPM (69)
DVD-RW: LG 24X DVD-RW SATA OEM (25)
PSU: SUPERFLOWER HX 600M (99)
Case: DEEPCOOL TESSERACT (65)
OS: WINDOWS 7 HOME PREM (120)
Monitor: DELL S2340L (199)

Total cost: $1283

Rig optimized for data crunching with statistical software:

CPU+ Mobo: MSI B85-G41 PC MATE + i5 4690 (408)
RAM: 2X G.SKILL/KINGSTON PC 12800/1600MHZ DDR3 CL11 VALUE RAM (8GB) (200)
GPU: POWERCOLOR R7 260X 2GB O.C (179)
SSD: SAMSUNG EVO 250GB (179)
HDD: TOSHIBA 1TB 7200RPM (69)
DVD-RW: LG 24X DVD-RW SATA OEM (25)
PSU: SUPERFLOWER HX 600M (99)
Case: DEEPCOOL TESSERACT (65)
OS: WINDOWS 7 HOME PREM (120)
Monitor: DELL S2340L (199)

Total cost: $1543

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) The R7 260X is good enough for playing Football Manager 2015 at max settings in 1080p and is going for a very cheap price.

2) If you want a more powerful GPU, can go for a Zotac GTX 660 Synergy Edition ($189, lazada.com), a Sapphire R9 280 Dual-X ($285, lazada.com) or a Zotac GTX 970 Twin Fan ($448)

Notes (Data crunching rig):

1) As data crunching using statistical software requires good CPU processing power for decent performance, the fastest i5, the i5 4690, is used.

2) 16GB RAMs are used as data crunching might need more RAM during its operations.

3) The Samsung 840 Evo is used in this variant as the fast read/write speeds of this SSD will allow you to open and save large data files faster.

Thanks for the detailed response.
Also, the samsung 840 Evo has faster read write than the crucial mx 100?

 

[Alternative X]

Thanks for the detailed response.
Also, the samsung 840 Evo has faster read write than the crucial mx 100?

Slightly faster read, significantly faster write.