Need advice on building a gaming rig

[mjabby15]

Hey All,

I hope im posting on the right forum, anyway, it has been quite some time since i have wanted to get a new rig for myself, so i am insanely outdated, everything looks almost gibberish to me.

I need advice on what to buy for a gaming rig (Budget w/o Monitor, Keyboard & Mouse: $1.2k). I usually play almost all types of games, FPS, RPG, etc, even football manager (which does not need such high specs) so your all your advice will be greatly appreciated! I would love to play games on their highest settings.

Do let me know what i can get for my budget and/or should i top up a few hundred more to get what i want...



Thanks in advance guys!

 

[mjabby15]

Up!

I almost forgot, please include OS in the budget....thanks guys!

 

[mjabby15]

Help?! Anyone?

 

[jtjt00]

You should state your budget first.

 

[mjabby15]

I did, "(Budget w/o Monitor, Keyboard & Mouse: $1.2k)"

 

[mjabby15]

Ok i did some checking, and the advice needed maybe narrowed down:

Case: Full tower if possible, i like those flashy ones, or unique looking ones, but can be dialled down if needed

Core: From what i gather, an i5 will be the core im getting, however exactly which model i dont know

MB: Im dead here, i suppose something that can support SLI or Crossfire would be good

CPU Cooler:Do i really need this?

RAM: I want 16gb, but is that too much? Also ive seen all the impressive RAM with their own cooling, are those worth it?

Graphics: I am still torn between GTXs and Radeons, but maybe around $300 to $400 could be spent on this?

PSU: Is 650W enuff?

HDD: a 1 or 2TB will be great, i dont need a SSD (Your advice?)

OS: i think windows 7 OEM should be fine, what do you think?

Help?

 

[Taveren]

Are you planning to Over Clock? This will determine your CPU and Mobo and if you need aftermarket cooling or not.

Give examples of games you play and plan to play not just the genre, this will gauge the specs you need. This will determine you GPU and in some extent your PSU.

For RAM, with your budget, value RAM should suffice 1600Mhz 4GB x 2.

As for the Case, this is very subjective. It is ok to ask for recommendations but in the end its up to your preferrence. Having said that, I would recommend a Phanteks Enthoo Pro or the newly released NZXT S340.

Also if your budget permits, I definitely recomnend you get an SSD.

 

[mjabby15]

Are you planning to Over Clock? This will determine your CPU and Mobo and if you need aftermarket cooling or not.

Give examples of games you play and plan to play not just the genre, this will gauge the specs you need. This will determine you GPU and in some extent your PSU.

For RAM, with your budget, value RAM should suffice 1600Mhz 4GB x 2.

As for the Case, this is very subjective. It is ok to ask for recommendations but in the end its up to your preferrence. Having said that, I would recommend a Phanteks Enthoo Pro or the newly released NZXT S340.

Also if your budget permits, I definitely recomnend you get an SSD.

Hey Taveren,

Thanks! so far this is what ive gathered: (No im not planning on overclocking, and for the mobo, a single PCI-e slot would be fine, but i think the one below has two; any suggestions?)

MSI B85M Gaming with core i5-4460 bundle - $316.00
Corsair Vengance 1866MHz 8gb kit - $125.00
MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4GB - $579.00
Plextor m6 PRO 128gb - $125.00
WD 1 TB Black - $101.00
Corsair RM650 Gold Modular 650W - $169.00
Samsung DVD Writer - $66.00
Windows 7 64-bit OEM - $135.00
MS Office Home & Student 2013 - $169.00
23" Phillips - $239.00
Razer Black Widow (The one with the orange backlight, i really like this keyboard, been wanting it since i dont know when?! ) - $150.00
I have a mouse so no need
Case - $200.00

This total comes up to $2,424.00 and all prices are approximate with the shops ive compared it with. In truth, my budget i wanted to stick to with everything, including monitor, keyboard and stuff is $2k. Am i doing anything wrong here? Is there anything i can scale down without putting a huge dent in performance?

 

[Taveren]

Dude, I think you have done your fair share of research and have a general understanding of what you need versus what you want right?

If so, my very biased advice to you is - go for what you want if budget permits and stick to what you need if you have extra.

Here are some of my opinions and suggestions in blue:

MSI B85M Gaming with core i5-4460 bundle - $316.00 - this is a M-ATX board, I but from your OP I got the impression you wanted a full tower build? for full tower might as well go for an ATX board if not then go for a mid tower case or smaller

Corsair Vengance 1866MHz 8gb kit - $125.00 - consider to go for the G.Skill 1600Mhz 4GBx2 value rams instead since you won't be able to utilize 1866Mhz, BUT if you like how Vengeance looks then go for its 1600Mhz version instead

MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4GB - $579.00 due to budget constraint you may want to consider the Zotac GTX 970 but If you really like the MSI (which I do) then consider to cut on other parts

Plextor m6 PRO 128gb - $125.00 - personally I would go for a Crucial MX100 128GB (103) or 256GB (155) or Samsung 840 EVO 120GB (107)

WD 1 TB Black - $101.00 - 98 at Tradepac

Corsair RM650 Gold Modular 650W - $169.00 - consider Seasonic G-series instead, 650W is around 145 but it is semi-modular

Samsung DVD Writer - $66.00 ?

Windows 7 64-bit OEM - $135.00 home premium is 120

MS Office Home & Student 2013 - $169.00

23" Phillips - $239.00

Razer Black Widow (The one with the orange backlight, i really like this keyboard, been wanting it since i dont know when?! ) - $150.00

I have a mouse so no need

Case - $200.00 re-think if you want full tower, mid tower or M-atx case

 

[shadow84]

Wanna ask which pricelist you were refering to? The DVD drive is only $21-25 nia...

 

[mjabby15]

Dude, I think you have done your fair share of research and have a general understanding of what you need versus what you want right?

If so, my very biased advice to you is - go for what you want if budget permits and stick to what you need if you have extra.

Here are some of my opinions and suggestions in blue:

MSI B85M Gaming with core i5-4460 bundle - $316.00 - this is a M-ATX board, I but from your OP I got the impression you wanted a full tower build? for full tower might as well go for an ATX board if not then go for a mid tower case or smaller

Corsair Vengance 1866MHz 8gb kit - $125.00 - consider to go for the G.Skill 1600Mhz 4GBx2 value rams instead since you won't be able to utilize 1866Mhz, BUT if you like how Vengeance looks then go for its 1600Mhz version instead

MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4GB - $579.00 due to budget constraint you may want to consider the Zotac GTX 970 but If you really like the MSI (which I do) then consider to cut on other parts

Plextor m6 PRO 128gb - $125.00 - personally I would go for a Crucial MX100 128GB (103) or 256GB (155) or Samsung 840 EVO 120GB (107)

WD 1 TB Black - $101.00 - 98 at Tradepac

Corsair RM650 Gold Modular 650W - $169.00 - consider Seasonic G-series instead, 650W is around 145 but it is semi-modular

Samsung DVD Writer - $66.00 ?

Windows 7 64-bit OEM - $135.00 home premium is 120

MS Office Home & Student 2013 - $169.00

23" Phillips - $239.00

Razer Black Widow (The one with the orange backlight, i really like this keyboard, been wanting it since i dont know when?! ) - $150.00

I have a mouse so no need

Case - $200.00 re-think if you want full tower, mid tower or M-atx case

Damn, i did not know that my Mobo was an ATX (this is how out of touch i am). I would love a full tower, but if budget does not allow, i will go for a medium. But thanks for the suggestions! Also, do you have a suggestion for a mobo?

The DVD writer was from Bizgram i think. But i think there are cheaper options in the 20 to 30 range.

 

[halnala]

Wanna ask which pricelist you were refering to? The DVD drive is only $21-25 nia...

Haha. I had the same question in mind.

 

[Taveren]

Haha. I had the same question in mind.

he must have referred to an external DVD-RW, matches the price

 

[halnala]

TS may need to cut back on the graphics card to fit within budget or save up more or wait for AMD 300x series to see if better value for $$.

 

[Taveren]

Damn, i did not know that my Mobo was an ATX (this is how out of touch i am). I would love a full tower, but if budget does not allow, i will go for a medium. But thanks for the suggestions! Also, do you have a suggestion for a mobo?

The DVD writer was from Bizgram i think. But i think there are cheaper options in the 20 to 30 range.

IMO the biggest advantage of a full tower is the more spacious interior allows for better internal temps. the biggest consideration is if your components will fit or not. otherwise you will not loose out anything going for a mid tower.

I saw you have another thread, nippOn has some pretty good recommendations there.

 

[mjabby15]

IMO the biggest advantage of a full tower is the more spacious interior allows for better internal temps. the biggest consideration is if your components will fit or not. otherwise you will not loose out anything going for a mid tower.

I saw you have another thread, nippOn has some pretty good recommendations there.

I wanted to maximize my responses, thus the two threads on the same subject, hahaha, but i would love a full tower...the NZXT Phantom series looks ok, dont you think?

 

[Taveren]

I wanted to maximize my responses, thus the two threads on the same subject, hahaha, but i would love a full tower...the NZXT Phantom series looks ok, dont you think?

Maybe I am too old but I personally prefer the more contemporary minimalist design like Phanteks Enthoo Pro or the NZXT S340.

You may enjoy the reviews on this website: Chassis Reviews - YouTube