With the release of next gen consoles I have decide rather than get a ps4 I want to build a gaming pc. The problem is that I have no clue what to get, I have looked at different items, combinations and prices but nothing has really stuck as it usually gets scraped when I find items are out of stock or very expensive. I have had a guts full of searching over this past month and have decided to leave it to the people who know best, you guys.
I live in New Zealand so some items are unavailable to me and I wont buy the parts from New Zealand store because pc parts are extremely overpriced over here. I was thinking of getting all my parts from Amazon but if you can recommended any other site that can ship parts to me it would be much apreciated. The computer that I want would be solely for gaming, no video eaditing or office work just games. I dont need a maxed out PC and have a budget of 1000nzd (819usd or 500gbp) due to the exchange rate nzd doesnt go far in the USA or UK. I play a wide range of games such as first person shooters, platform games, open world games like GTA and play games on a daily basis. I would like to achieve good fps such as 40 and above on multiplayer and sinleplayer games across the genres of games. I would also like to have a ssd and wireless adapter included in the computer.
I would also like to now what internet speed is best for multiplayer, my internet speed is 100mps at the moment but can be upgraded if needed. I would also like to know if I need a monitor as I was thinking of conecting the computer up to a 45inch hd led tv that i currently own, If it would be a bad idea to connect it to my TV then are there any monitors that you can suggest.
If you want to know anything more then please feel free to ask me and I will get back to you ASAP.
Many thanks for helping out as I am completly hopeless and realy wanting to get into PC gaming but am finding that with all the different parts and me being in a out of the way country if is to much for me to handle.
I created a list http://nz.pcpartpicker.com/p/2dmKU (pcpartpicker newzealand) which just about breaks the 1000 budget with an operating system included. It would be sufficient for gaming purposes for the time being. You could use your TV for gaming, but you'd need to get something like the Xbox 360 for Windows controller (or just use a normal wired Xbox 360 controller if you have one lying around) as sitting close to a 45 inch TV would make your eyes turn square.
Hope this helps somewhat, I'm sure other forum members could tweak that list further but that should give you a rough idea of what you can buy for your money.
The released prototype SteamBoxes seem to be well within your budget and also give room for little extras such as Windows, controllers and importantly a start on your PC library. SteamOS may be a bit limiting at first but Windows can be put on there and dual booted if desired. I believe it even uses the same graphics card as Paralell linked. You could be seeing them for $500 early next year and will make a great entry into PC gaming. The Steam controller will also hopefully make games like Civ or Total War or SimCity accessible to sofa gaming.
However, building your own is rewarding and comes with a lot of useful tuition. Paralells build seems ok. Basically you want as good a card as you can afford (without being overkill! You are only using a 1080p TV!) and skimp on the rest.
Your TV isn't ideal, but most PCs today can multi monitor no problem. Use your TV for now, and buy a little monitor for it later (even off a classified site) just for the games that don't really translate well to TVs. For example, more traditional PC games. Optional though.
However, this is what I often say to people on tricky budget. Spend that £400-500 on a pretty solid little PC (Core i5, maybe a heatsink, 8GBs RAM, SDD+HDD, decent power-supply, nicer case, etc). Maybe try to save a bit of your budget. Then in a few months time look at buying a decent, new graphics card (for example when the 800 series NVidia's are out). This will split the initial investment into two more manageable lumps. The SSD may be a bit of wasted money for now though.
Integrated graphics isn't going to play the big new AAAs, but its more than enough to see games like League of Legends to WoW, the indie support of Steam, all of Valves games and so on. There is a lot of great gaming on the PC that isn't demanding. Modern integrated chips will play AAAs from a few years old on lower settings quite comfortably though. It'd be a good lesson on graphics tweaking too.
I was thinking of an i5 build initially but it stretched the OPs budget. Would be a great idea though, they're cracking processors, and if the budget can be stretched or allow yourself more time to save then definitely go for a Haswell i5 (you get more performance per clock with Intel than you do with AMD).
Its just a way of splitting the cost of expensive PC builds. The i5 (maybe even the K version and a OC capable board) just flies. Amazing chips and just as good as i7's for the majority of users.
But graphics cards are often the core focus of a PC. Even if you go budget PC route, taking the time to save extra for a really good card (that isn't overkill!) is what will make your PC last years. Any decent build now will go 5/6 years and an upper midrange card would be replaced around 3 years later if you want to stay at the top. It is just whether or not you want your PC to be capable overall.
By all means OP, consider a budget build AMD system. I was throwing options. Chances are the only noticeable affects you'll ever have is games taking a few seconds more to load. The GPU is the decider. Budgeting for at a nvidia 760 graphics card will play all demanding games at ultra (or near enough) at 1080p at 30-40 fps. Tone down a few settings and you'll even have 60fps without a real hitch and probably still a noticeable amount better graphically than the consoles.
The next option is to "flash sale" and buy you PC piece by piece when good deals fly by on any site you can use. Bundled CPU+Mobo+ram and that sort of thing. Even a 2nd hand PC. Doing this could almost squeeze a R9 290 into you build, and you'll be fine for 3 years before you really feel your card is even being pushed and could game on it for up to 5 before you would need to consider an upgrade.
In fact... Close. Look for these parts or similar on Amazon. Flash sales on sites and alternatives could well have you a R9 290 build (With a free copy of BF4!) for around £500. Remember that VAT is included in the overall price for UK people. Although I would recommend dropping the tiny SSD and getting a normal 500GB drive to start with.
* Windows not included in price though. Nor is a controller, headset or keyboard and mouse.
This is so great, you guys really take a load off my mind. I think I ill go with waht you are saying and save a little bit more for some better parts such as the graphics card. This is what I have put together after looking at your design: http://nz.pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/ This goes a little over my budget and the reason It doesnt have a OS is because I found out I can get windows 8 from school.
It has a ssd as I would really like one so that it can load up the OS and such faster but is it realy needed?
Is this a good design? Could somethings be cut out to make it cheaper but not sacrificing lots of performance? Along the lines of a xbox controler can you use a dualshock 3?
Thanks alot you guys I would be ramming my head into a wall if it wasnt for you guys.
Unfortunately I can't see your list... maybe try again? I've never really used the site so don't know how to actually post the build.
SSDs are great, but mostly novelty for loading performance in a gaming PC. I personally think its always best to RAID 0 two of them, but you do have to take into account that if one fails you lose everything and have to reformat your good drive. If you don't know what RAID 0 is, Google will tell you in no time.
Its basically do you want a faster loading computer, or a computer than can store more stuff? With the obvious being both will cost a lot more money. SSDs are also completely quite and aren't suspect to little knock damage.
You can use a DS3, but you need a little program to emulate it as an Xbox controller. Its a bit fiddly and probably worth investing in a wired 360 controller. Or learn about the DS3 till the Xbone controller is supported.
Keep in mind that whilst controllers are good for some things, most PC games are better with keyboard and mouse, or outright need them. You may want to invest in a reasonable K+M combo. Ebay could see some bargains. A cheap mechanical keyboard of almost any description and something like a Steelseries mouse.
You may think that you'll mostly be playing games similar to the consoles, but soon enough you'll find DotA/LoL or TF2.
Case: Fractal Design ARC XL ATX Mid Tower Case $53.36
Power Supply: Raidmax 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply $89
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer $40
Total: $1102.58 nzd (901 usd) (551 gbp)
I decided to not use a ssd because it cost alot and if I ever want to get it later in life I can. I will get a keyboard and mouse but that is just a matter of seeing what is comfortable for me.
For CPU would you go for a AMD FX 6-Core Black Edition FX-6300 or a AMD FX 6-Core Black Edition FX-6100. I won't be overclocking untill I need to and will be using the stock fan untill I can afford a good cooling system.
This build is $980 before rebate's which would probably change in New Zealand but you could just chop the SSD and then you get the $900 usd http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2dURN I'd really recommend then SSD, its a lot easier to get it when you build your PC than to upgrade to one later.
The build that you have looks realy good but I have to decide if I can get the parts to New Zealand because if I buy them from america I would cost me 1055nzd which is good but if I get them from New Zealand then it would cost me 1620nzd because New Zealand stores are so overpriced. If I could get them to New Zealand and at a reasonable shipping price then I would, but I dont know if I can. My budget is 1000-1200nzd (818-981usd)
Your build looks good to me. I also do like the FX-6300. Its not going to fly, but it'll be snappy on a clean PC and do perfectly well for gaming. Remember to always make a point about keeping a clean and organised PC! You'll thank yourself for it 3 years down the line when you want to do something and don't have to spend hours trawling folders to find stuff you need to keep.
Few things. Really google and check reviews on Wifi cards. I avoid them like the plague and have never had a good experience with one. Every one I own just doesn't really work! For the price, compare it to a standard Belkin wireless b/g/n usb dongle for $30. The benefits of dongles also mean if the signal is a bit bad, the extension cable can come in handy, or you can buy a USB lead to extend it however far you need. PCI cards often struggle when the signal is low as you'll be moving your whole PC.
I also haven't used a CD drive in years. If you can find one for the same price, a USB external will do the job... but most people now will make bootable USB sticks. If you have even a crappy old laptop, getting an ISO, making a bootable stick isn't hard. But its just my preference. Maybe I'm too much of a nerd that I'll go to certain lengths to keep things clean and simple.
PSU's are important. I have no idea what that one is like, but strong and steady performance is desirable... If in the future you ever make another build, overkill to some degree is fine here. Better to have a 1000w running at 40% than a 500w running at 80%+. I think yours will be fine for now.
I have no idea with 760's at the moment, but others may elaborate. Is there a 3/4GB version for not much more? 2GBs is good, but it may begging to struggle quicker.
Saying that I have a 570, similar powerish. However only 1280mb RAM. The only real game I play that kills it is maxed out, high-res texture pack + tonnes of mods and enb lighting Skyrim. And Crysis, but I don't play that.
As for the gtx760 that is what i would recommend for the price your going for, however if you went with this wireless card instead and didn't get the optical drive i think you could shoot for a gtx770. I have one and the thing is amazing i would recommend the msi lighting edition or the asus version. Both of those are going for about $360 on amzon.
I did not check the pricing in New Zealand for which i am sorry but thats my 2 cents. Hope this helps.
After looking at all this I have decide to get rid of the optical drive and wireless adapter. I should be alble to get the windows 7 or 8 copy from my school in a usb. I will have to talk to a famly friend of ours about the internet side as I wanted wireless because the router is in another room across the other side of house so I will have to talk to him about wired options.
I upgraded the graphics card with the saved money from the wireless and optical drive and got a Asus Radeon R9 280X 3GB I got it because it was well priced and has gb of video memory, the gtx770 that we have in New Zealand only have 2gb and the ones with 4gb are $600-$700 whereas the radeon r9 280x was $499
Thanks for your help you guys I have finaly got my final design, one last question, would you buy bit by bit or in bulk, I can afford all the part except the cpu and graphics card, should I wait awhile long so i can buy it all in one go or should I buy what I can now?
Your computer will run fine without a graphics card. It has integrated graphics on the mobo. Plug a HDMI/DVI/VGA cable into the back and your sorted. Also allow you to mess around, learn your PC a bit, and if by unfortunate chance... deal with replacing a faulty part. It does happen once in a while.
When you buy a new GPU later on, you plug it in, plug the power leads into it, swap your HDMI lead into that instead and boot up. It'll want a driver, do that. And within 10 minutes your PC will have changed from a sweet little rig to a real gaming PC.
If you have patience to deal with piece by piece, you can browse different sites daily/every three days/weekly to see if a compatible equivalent appears at a low price. Happens regularly on many sites and probably a lot after Christmas. Thrift your way through and basically bargain hunt it. May even save $50-100 with the right deals.
I wouldn't have the patience though. I'm older so I'd be stupid and take out a bank loan, crippling myself in the long run.
But my first PC build was a budget machine. Then I got two sweet graphics cards after a year to SLI (8800GTX FTW!). Ended up not SLI'ing because they made each other overheat. But that was my early days.
Short of reading reviews, I can't say. Chances are all R280s will be similar.
If its any concellation, the guys at Tek did a video with a triple fan GPU which was very, very similar (or the same as) the Gigabyte card. They said it was great and also very quite...
It was recent on their channel, so maybe see if you can find it.
Otherwise, I've used all 3 brands before and have no issues with any. But reviews might state that one runs a little hot, or a little loud (headphones help there!) and so on. Performance wise will most likely be a few frames at best between them.