Looking for advice

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1

Hi people, so here's the deal, by november I'd like to buy a PC, I'd like to build it myself to avoid the extra cost of having it built for me, however, I'm not a hardware expert or anything, I'm actually pretty noobish at this so excuse my ignorance, I'm looking for a 1000-1300 (dollars) gaming desktop (can't go above 1300), I'm from South America but I still can get components from the US (I'm getting the case on my country so don't worry about that).

Peripherals: I'd be needing a decent "gaming mouse" since I can stick with my old keyboard for a while, or can a new one dirt cheap

Future uses: Mainly gaming, but I'm not sure what else I could do with it in the future

Overclocking: No interest

Watercooling: No interest

OS: Not sure which one to get so any suggestions would be appreciated, I DON'T want Linux so take that off the table

Games:

- FPS: I like 50-60 FPS, but can deal with 30 FPS since I'm playing on a console at the moment anyway

-Resolution: If possible 1080p

-Game tastes: I like many genres: FPS, TPS, I'd like to try Mobas, RPGs, JRPGs, Stealth, Adventure, Action, the list goes on...

 

-Keyboard: I currently have a mechanical one and don't intent to change it for a while, unless it gives any kind of advantage or help in games

-Mouse-grip: Mostly finger grip (It's sort of a palm-claw combination)

-Games I prefer: I'd rather play FPSs games than MMOs, but as I said earlier, I'm planning on playing many games, and install emulators and such.

 

Also, I'd like an SSD since I heard it really speeds up the OS.

Also, do you suggest Nvidia or AMD? AMDs infamous high temperatures worry me (that's what pretty much everyone I know complains about) so I'm more towards Nvidia and I'm willing to spend a bit more for quality

 

 

 

2

Hello and welcome to the PC community, you'll like it here, just a question before i go research;

would the monitor and mouse be included in the 1300 you are willing to pay?

 

3

Thank you! The mouse is included in the 1300, the monitor isn't.

4

Try this on for size   ...  $1304.99

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/WzTvD3

  • AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor
  • Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
  • Asus Crosshair V Formula-Z ATX AM3+ Motherboard
  • Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive

  • Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

  • Gigabyte GeForce GTX 780 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card

  • SeaSonic 750W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply

  • Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer

  • EVGA TORQ X10 Wired Laser Mouse

I feel funny recommending mice ... so I picked one that is fully adjustable to fit almost anyone. there are cheaper mice so you stay under budget ...

 

5

Ehh. If he has no interest in OCing that motherboard is way overkill. The PSU is overkill too. 

Get an Asus M5A99FX Pro instead. Change the HDD to a 1TB WD Blue, much more reliable. Change the 780 to an R9 290. Better performing and cheaper. With an aftermarket cooler temps aren't an issue. Change the PSU to something around 600W. Ditch the optical drive. 

6

Snake97_ ...  I'm more towards Nvidia 

Snake97 ... try this one ...

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mw4XVn

Changed things up a little  ... left the optical if you don't want it  ... ignore it.

Stayed with Nvidia because you said you prefer it over AMD

dropped the PSU to 650w Gold Cert.

upped the size of SSD to 250GB  ... I prefer a larger C: drive personally ...but if you need an OS I can drop it back down and add the OS to the build

dropped the size of storage drive to 1TB WD Blue

Upped the speed of the ram to  DDR3-1866 Mhz  for the same price .. why not?

changed mobo like DeKrieger said

$1298.13

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I'm not familiar with the rules as far as import duties.  Is that going to affect the price?  Do we need to take that into account if your buying from other countries?  My only subtraction from Ratzzz build would be the optical drive.  Delete if you plan on going all digital distro and save the cash.  You can always upgrade later.

8

He said he prefered nVidia because people complain about the heat. However, if you get an aftermarket cooler then heat isn't an issue.

9

he also said he was kinda noobish and replacing GPU coolers is not for most noobs IMO

but here is a R9 280X Vapor   $345  it is the queitest & coolest stock cooler IMO

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/sapphire-video-card-100363vx2sr

and a R9 270   ........   $150

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-r9270acdfc

 DerKrieger ... which after market coolers do you recommend?

10

I was never implying he replace the cooler himself.

By "aftermarket" I mean non-reference. The R9 280X Vapor is a very good card but the other 280Xs and 290s are very good as well. 

I'd recommend an R9 290. Cheaper and faster than a 780 and with more VRAM. There are several options depending on how cool you want it to run and how much noise you are willing to tolerate.

The Windforce, IceQ2 and DirectCUII coolers are very good. I'd go with the Asus DirectCUII R9 290. It is slightly more than some of the other 290s out there but it is a great card, I just bought one actually, and it is still cheaper than a 780.

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If I had one piece of advice to give you, don't listen to my advice. 

12

Again, excuse my ignorance for the following questions:

1) Is the AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor better than the core i5 4670k?

2) I heard somewhere a GPU above 300 dollars is a little bit overkill due to diminishing returns in terms of price/performance, is this true?

3) Shouldn't I get a less large (128gb-ish) SSD if all I'm going to do with it is install the OS, Steam and MAYBE a few games here and there?

4) Isn't Intel a little bit more reliable than AMD? I don't care if I need to waste a few bucks more and a little bit less of performance for more stability and reliability

5) I've looked at this Mobo: MSI ATX DDR3 2600 LGA 1500 Z97 G45 at Amazon, it's from Intel, how does it stand against Ratzzz's mobo suggestion

Thanks in advance, and thanks for the suggestions guys! :)

13

Thank you DerKrieger ... I now know what you meant

Okay Snake97 ... here is some cards to consider ...

Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card ..... $369

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvr929oc4gd

HIS Radeon R9 290 4GB IceQ X² Video Card ....................... $389

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/his-video-card-h290qmc4gd

Asus Radeon R9 290 4GB DirectCU II Video Card ................  $410

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-r9290dc2oc4gd5

Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Vapor-X Video Card ............... $448

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/sapphire-video-card-100362vxsr

14

Acturisme, there's no need to worry about shipping

15

Snake I have to go to the store ... I will be back in an hour or so ... will put together an Intell build for you then  ...

If I could get some more details it would help ...

  1. do you need an OS ? if yes which one?
  2. does international shipping  ... import fees or other unforseen costs figure in the $1300 budget?
  3. have a look at the vid cards we've mentioned above to see which one you prefer. (Keep in mind the Nvida line up is spendy like DerKrieger said))
  4. list any preferences you may have  (SSD & HDD sizes - OS - Optical drive- ect.?)

Thanks ... back in a bit ... ratzzz

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Oh and the coolers are supposed to come with the case I want to buy, I don't think I should worry about buying them separately, I think

17

1) Ehh. It is a wash and this has been debated back and forth on this forum for quite some time. Many people get their vision clouded by fanboyism so lets try to avoid that. The AMD and i5 are both good processors for gaming and general computing. The AMD will do better in some games while the Intel will exceed in others. However the differences in FPS are usually quite slim. The i5 has better per core performance so less well optomized games or tasks that only use one or two cores will perform better than they would with the AMD. However, well optomized games and tasks that take advantage of more cores and threads will do better on the AMD. Rendering and video editing, for example, as well as running virtual machines will be smoother and faster with the AMD. The AMD also is cheaper as are AM3+ motherboards and the AMD will usually overclock better but you said you weren't interested in that. 

2) Yes and no. It really depends. As you spend more the price/performance ratio goes down. For most people something like a 280X should be about perfect. Should max pretty much every game on 1080p. The 290 though will be even faster, max every game on 1080p (usually), and do very well with 1440p gaming and with the extra VRAM do better in some games. It is really up to you.

3) Yes. Personally I would go with a 128GB SSD. That is the perfect size for the OS, a few frequently used programs and maybe some games with long loading times. 

4) No. Both platforms are pretty much the same reliability wise. 

5) Both are good motherboards. The MSI has a few more features but they are both pretty packed. Should both be reliable and excellent overclockers. Of course the Z97 is for Intel while the 990FX is for AMD. You couldn't put the i5 into the Asus motherboard and you couldn't put the 8350 into the MSI board. 

No problem. Glad to help!

18

The diference of FPS between games is minimal between AMD and Intel GPUs isn't it? I watched one of Tek Syndicate's videos where Logan compared his Intel build to Pistol's build and they were pretty much about the same in those terms.

Is the difference between a r9 280 and a r9 290 or a gtx 770 and a gtx 780 huge? Or just a few bucks? They're like 200 dollars of difference in price, and I CAN upgrade them later (I'm expecting to change some of my components each year, or year and a half, tops 2 years)

19

Intel doesn't make dedicated GPUs. They make CPUs. Logan's build has an Intel 4930k and a nVidia 780 Ti. Pistol has an AMD FX-9590 and an AMD R9 290X. 

Personally I wouldn't get a nVidia card. They are slower and more expensive than the equivalent AMD card. So I would look at the R9 280, 280X and R9 290. Look at how much they cost and benchmarks and decide if it is worth it to you to get that extra FPS

R9 280 V. R9 290.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1332?vs=1068

R9 280X V. R9 290 

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1041?vs=1068

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Alright, I already compared the 780 vs the 290, the 290 performs better in most games, is there any reason why Intel is much more expensive than AMD or not? Take in mind that I COULD be using the PC for more than just gaming in the future. I think at the moment I'm going with AMD.

By the way, if I don't overclock, does it still heat a lot? (AMD GPU)