Need help with the best PC build [$2100-1800 budget]

Hardware Build a PC
1

I'm not very knowledgeable about PC's in terms of specific speeds and terms especially with GPU's but I understand how they are put together and what each part does, so please bear with me if I say something incorrectly.

I've been using iBuyPower's website to figure out a build, I feel that I'm putting together something that isn't gonna satisfy the bang for buck. I usually play on my laptop that's hitting about 4 years now, and I need a nice PC. I do want to include a monitor within the budget as well as a keyboard and decent gaming mouse.

I don't want to build the PC myself, I could put it together but I think the BIOS portion is gonna freak me out. So that's why I headed on with iBuyPower's website. If you can recommend a better solution like with newegg website (I don't know if they build the PC then ship it like iBP's), any suggestions would be appreciated. I say 2100 budget because that's about the absolute limit, however I'm buying a couple games listed at the bottom of this post, so I want about a $200-300 buffer which means I have 1800-1900 left for the PC. If you can suggest something below that would be awesome.

Current iBuyPower build ($1730 grand total including shipping)

NZXT Source 210 Mid Tower Case Red
AMD FX-8350 CPU (8x 4.00GHz/8MB L3 Cache)
Asetek 510LC Liquid CPU Cooling System
8 GB [4 GB x2] DDR3-1600 Memory Module
AMD Radeon R9 FURY X - 4GB
MSI 970A-G43 -- AMD 970 w/ 2x PCI-E 2.0 x16, 2x USB 3.0
PSU: 600 Watt - Standard 80 PLUS Bronze
1 TB Western Digital Caviar Blue Hard Drive -- 64MB Cache, 7200RPM, 6.0Gb/s
24x Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW

Windows 10 Home ($60)
iBUYPOWER Standard Gaming Keyboard (FREE from iBP)
iBUYPOWER Standard Gaming Mouse (FREE from iBP)
iBUYPOWER High Performance Gaming Mouse Pad ($9)
22" [1920 x 1080] Sceptre E225W-1920 LED Monitor ($139)

OTHER NOTES----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So I want a machine to game on, that's what it revolves around to but I will be doing a bit of work with Blender and Unreal Engine and maybe some more modelling/render related programs so I may need a hefty GPU (I don't want a workstation GPU, I even thought about leaping for a Firepro). I did consider slapping on a whopping Titan X and that got me up to 2225 grand total. I'm still considering it but if the R9 Fury X can run the games I listed below at fps above 40 preferably as close to 60, then Titan X probably out of the equation. I do want a machine that can handle anything, if not; handle a lot of things graphics related. My build is completely flexible for you just make sure you include:

-PC tower/desktop.
-Monitor (NOT 4K, 1080p is just fine) w/ keyboard and mouse.
-Runs above 40fps but would like it to get as close to 60 as possible
-$200-300 of Steam/Origin credits to buy games.
-Make sure the PC has wireless connection for internet.
-If using a website like iBuyPower, make sure they can build it and ship it to me.
-Grand total (including 200-300 for games) is less than or equal to $2100 (if more, than I may have some exceptions).

WISHLIST GAMES:

The Forest - $15
CS:GO - $15
DBZ XU- $50
Mad Max- $60
Shadow of Mordor - $50
GTA V - $60
Watch Dogs - $40
Battlefield Hardline (via ORIGIN) - $30
Need for Speed Rivals (via ORIGIN) - $10-20
The Witcher 3 -$60

2

Well you could consider starting here

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/txzVVn
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/txzVVn/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($339.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.59 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus H170M-PLUS Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($103.75 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($48.65 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 390 8GB SOC Video Card ($319.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Deepcool TESSERACT BF ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill HIVE 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($70.72 @ Amazon)
Monitor: LG 29UM67 60Hz 29.0" Monitor ($249.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $1248.55
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-20 20:15 EST-0500

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If you went with a firepro you wouldn't be able to game on it very well

1 Like
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I would recommend building your computer there are a tone of resources online to help you build and then you have the added benefit of knowing everything in your computer so if something dose break you can fix it in a day or two rather that waiting upwards of two weeks to get it fixed by the company. For the most part you wont really need to touch the bios unless your overclocking or tweaking. And UFIE bios are much easier to use than the older bios.

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I forgot to mention, I'll edit the post. 4k monitors are out the equation for me, I'm used to playing 720p (yes I know I'm playing games in the dinosaur age) and the my laptop screen is like 17" so 1080p and about 22-24" display is gorgeous to me. 4K monitor sounds nice, but I'll be going to college next year plus I don't have the right desk space for it even now. And yeah I agree, GTA V and CS:GO are starters for me but I just want to keep the credit in my accounts to buy games later on. But thanks for the suggestion.

5

Then I switched out the display for a 21:9 freesync display, now while 1440p is a bit better for productivity over 21:9 1080p, as far as gaming goes free-sync will have the edge

there's also the option for 144hz TN 1080p displays at that price point, but those an TN panels, they'll make your eyes bleed

6

I have no idea what "freesync" "144hz TN" means xD lol. I do favor a wide monitor, and the LG is looking nice, thanks.

7

TN is the type of panel a display has, TN has lower response time in how fast the pixels will change, but has generally poorer color reproduction and viewing angles compared to IPS displays, so it's a bit better for gaming at higher refresh rates, but for daily use, probably not worth it overall

8

Interesting, oh what about my wireless internet connection, I'm a little confused how that's put into the PC. I see USB something something something network adapter. what would be the best one under $50 via PC part picker?

9

This would get you way more performance for your money http://pcpartpicker.com/p/cRDRcf and leaves you plenty to spend on some super nice peripherals and games (Fallout 4 bruh), the 980ti is a very powerful card, identical to the Titan X in every respect with the exception of the number of CUDA cores and the frame buffer (12 gb on the Titan as opposed to 6gb on the 980ti). This configuration will get you well above 60fps in just about any game you throw it at especially at 1080p. And if you need a boost for your rendering and such you could drop a second one in there a little later on. Modern BIOS are very very easy to use, and I'm sure you could youtube a tutorial on setting one up if you needed to. But it's seriously worth it to build your own. Price and performance are way better. Hope that helps!

10

You'd want a PCI-e adapter, most USB adapters can't handle gaming well

https://pcpartpicker.com/part/rosewill-wireless-network-card-n900pce

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11

I dunno about exactly how much better it would be though, certainly it has more performance, but a 390 is already pretty capable, and with a free-sync display gameplay is smoother overall

Plus at most he's going to game at 1440p if that, 980ti is a bit overkill

12

It really depends on if he wants to go team red or green haha :) And oh yeah! The 980 ti is overkill, but I was just thinking with his budget he'd be spending enough to justify the extra performance. But it's all really in what brand he'd rather have. They're both really good builds for sure.

13

Well keeping in mind that after get it built together, I'm not planning on buying any more parts, mainly GPU's so I want to be safe for the next few years. I can see the 390 being capable now but my head is in what's coming in the next few years. I still keep getting the urge to slap on a Titan X for the hell of it. I don't have many games in mind now, but I'm sure that list is gonna grow... a lot.

14

Given that it has 8gbs of VRAM, and should support DX12 well, a 390 should be solid for a number of years, especially if you end up with the 1080p 21:9 display

If you still wanted adaptive sync there's plenty of room left in the budget to go with a Fury

Also for the next month or so you get SW battlefront free with a Fury $499
https://pcpartpicker.com/part/sapphire-video-card-100379sr

980, $450
https://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-gtx980gaming4g

You could also go with an Nvidia card, but it's unknown how well maxwell will support DX12, and G-sync adds a pretty hefty cost for what is essentially the same tech as free-sync

A 980ti is going to be the fastest card right now, but, performance per dollar starts to really tank there, either a 980 or Fury is plenty capable for 1440p or especially 1080p

15

One thing I'm confused by is, how come there's like butt loads of different Fury X gpu's on the pc part picker. I thought it was just one card, or are there like different versions of the Radeon R9 Fury X.

16

The Fury X is a different card, it has more cores, and runs faster, and has the 120mm radiator with it,

The Fury has less cores, runs a bit slower, but has better performance per dollar overall,

You can also if you're feeling brave try to unlock cores on your Fury to get more performance

The Fury X isn't worth it over a 980ti unless you wanted a really compact ITX build possibly since it comes watercooled

But the Non X Fury is probably worth it over the 980 given the money saved on free-sync vs G-sync

17

Ok I've been editing the part list you suggested before. I kept most of it and added some things. Also, I barely know anything about V-sync or G-sync. Again my knowledge about PC's would be a decent 3 or 4 on a scale of 1-10.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sVnDYJ

18

You can't use free-sync with an nvidia GPU, which is why I suggested the non X Fury,

probably worth it to drop down and get the free-sync display with it, otherwise I'd suggest you get a 980 with a G-sync display like

16:9 1080p TN, at 144hz $339, for some reason there aren't any IPS G-sync displays until the high end
https://pcpartpicker.com/part/acer-monitor-umfb0aaa01

Free-sync/G-sync make gameplay much smoother, which is why you want it for gaming

That keyboard is going to suck a bit for gaming since it has chiclet keys it'll be gaming on a laptop though if you're used to a laptop I guess you might want that,but if you were going to spend that much on it get a mechanical keyboard, otherwise buy the devastator combo, and use some tape to fix the lift off distance on the mouse

Comes in a few colors, is 30 for a keyboard/mouse
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823129030

19

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PQZYsY

Okay so price goes down to $1569 including the keyboard and mouse combo you mentioned. I'm officially ordering the PC in 3 months because that's when I'll get the money, so Star Wars BF isn't too appealing right now. But when I officially choose the parts for my PC, how can I get them all mailed in a shipping, or are the parts gonna be sent individually? I know enough to put PC together.

20

As far as ordering goes when you hit the buy button you'll be taken to their website, so you'll want to just remake the list on another website, probably amazon or newegg if you're in the US, and I'd suggest just ordering one big package from either of them unless a part listed on the PC part picker is significantly cheaper elsewhere

Also a review of the free-sync on the display
http://www.anandtech.com/show/9118/lg-34um67-ultrawide-freesync-review/2

Mostly just cap your frame rate at 60fps in games and you'll be golden

and some more free-sync vs G-sync stuff