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First Build - Gaming - Need Advice


trixter109

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So I've been wanting to build a PC for a long time and I just recently acquired the money for it. I'm really excited and I've watched and read all lots of reviews on parts and builds. But I need advice and on some important things about my build, which is why I'm here. I have a budget around $1,200 and that includes a monitor. I will this PC mostly for 1080p gaming and want something that can run the latest games on high to ultra settings. Anyway, lets get on to my part selection.

 

CPU- AMD FX 8350 or Intel i5 4690K. I haven't been able to choose between Intel and AMD. I know they both make good processors but I just don't know if the i5 is worth the extra 60 bucks and I'm trying to get the best value for my money. So my question is, is it worth spending the extra money on the 4690K?

 

Mobo- Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 or MSI Z97-G55 SLI. These are the motherboards I would with depending on which CPU I choose. I've read that they are very reliable and friendly to overclocking (which I want to do). If there are any problems with these choices please tell me.

 

CPU Cooler- Corsair H60 or Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO. I can't decide whether I want water cooling or not. If I go the AMD route I will get the H60 because the AMD chips run hot but if I go with Intel I don't know if I want to drop the extra money into water cooling. Please give me advice on this.

 

GPU- Sapphire Radeon R9 280X Dual-X. I was originally considering a 290 but I think the 280X will be good to run high to ultra settings at 1080p. I also plan on overclocking this card and it has unlocked core voltage so I can get the best performance out of it.

 

RAM- Kingston Blu 8GB. This is pretty self explanatory. I heard that 8GB is the sweet spot for gaming right now.

 

SSD- Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB. I really want an SSD in this build because they're a lot faster than mechanical hard drives. I just went with a 120 GB because I also have a 1TB hard drive to store the things i don't use everyday. 

 

HDD- Seagate Barracuda 1TB. I've read that this is a reliable hard drive that will last as long as I need it to. And it's only 50 bucks and fits into my budget perfectly. I don't think I will need anymore storage to start out but I can always add storage when I start to fill this and the SSD up.

 

PSU- EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze. I'm pretty sure that 600 watts will be able to power this even if I go the AMD route. I don't plan on going CFX as I would just upgrade to a better card and this is 80+ broze and fairly inexpensive. EVGA is also a good brand for power supplies as far as I'm aware of.

 

Case- Fractal Design Define R4 w/ Window. I've watched multiple unboxings and read lots of reviews on this and they all say that it is very quiet even when your system is under load. I also love the looks of it and it has plenty of space for all the hardware I want to put in it.

 

Monitor- BenQ GW245OHM. 

 

Well that's what I have so far. Please give me advice and constructive criticism. Remember that this will be my first time building a computer and please go easy on me if I made any stupid decisions in the parts I have so far.

 

Thanks in advance,

trixter109 

Edited by trixter109

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If this is primarily a gaming rig and you don't have an e-pen for benchmarks then go the AMD route.  No question that the 4690K is a better performing processor than the 8350 in almost every aspect, but you won't know the difference while gaming.

 

So considering your primary use and budget the AMD option makes the most sense to me.

 

The FX-8350 and Gigabyte UD3 board would make a nice combo.  Take the savings and invest in a 240 or 256Gb SSD (instead of the 120Gb).  If I were spending my own money I'd buy the Crucial MX100 256Gb SSD.  It was on sale at Newegg over the weekend for $102.99.  Just watch for sales.  This isn't the fastest SSD, but it is a solid and reliable choice.  If you find it on sale it is a value leader.

 

If you don't plan on overclocking the FX-8350 go with the 212 Evo.  If you plan on overclocking and want AIO water cooling, choose something more capable and robust than the H60.

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Although this is your first build, buying new might be the easiest sure bet if something goes wrong, and would go with wev's suggestion. However, if you want to venture out into buying used, you can find a lot of great deals (online and locally). You can buy a good overclocking i5-2500K locally for $110 on Craigslist, and usually around $120 on Overclock.net and [H]ard|Forum.com, and even i5-3570K and i5 4670K's for around $145 - $180 shipped.

 

You can usually find reliable overclocking motherboards from $45 to $70 shipped as well.

 

Then there's memory, you don't really need 8GB, unless you're running a lot of background apps while playing games, but you can find some good cheap 2x4GB 1600MHz memory used for $50 shipped.

 

Monitors are also great to find used, as there's a lot of upgrading frenzy over monitors lately, with people moving to IPS, or 120Hz/144Hz, or 1440P/1600P/4K monitors.

 

For SSD's, you don't really find great deals used, and you won't get the warranty. Best to buy new. Same with PSU's. You usually find great deals online, anyway. 128GB SSD's for probably $55, and great 750W Gold PSU's for $65 after MIR is what you might typically find at Amazon or Newegg.

 

Also, no need for anything more than a Hyper 212 EVO these days.

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Thank you for the advice guys. So I think I've decided on the AMD route because I simply can't justify spending the extra money on the i5 if I won't notice the difference in gaming. I do plan on venturing into overclocking the CPU so I want to invest in a good water cooler. Would the H80i work? If not, what would you suggest? Also I found a manufacturer refurbished Asus 228H-P for $99.99 with free shipping and it's sold by newegg. One more question, would it be worth it to upgrade to a 290 if I can fit it in my budget? 

 

Thanks,

trixter109

Edited by trixter109

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Then there's memory, you don't really need 8GB, unless you're running a lot of background apps while playing games, but you can find some good cheap 2x4GB 1600MHz memory used for $50 shipped.

 

Maybe, but just as you are saying that, some really cool game will come out requiring 8GB Ram. It is always good to be prepared for what is to come or may come. Of course you can always upgrade to more if needed. Just think to get 8GB just to be on the safe side, and personally I think its also good to have a little extra memory to be ready for anything. Guess that is why I have 16GB haha

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The H80i would be a solid choice over the H60.  In fact Newegg has refurbished H80i for $69.99 (you just missed a promo code that expired yesterday that would have made it $49.99 :()

 

I'm also a memory fanatic - so while 4Gb will certainly get you by, I would at least start with 8Gb that way you can get a 2x4Gb kit - and if you ever want to add another 8Gb all you need to do is buy another 2x4Gb of the same kit.

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The H80i would be a solid choice over the H60.  In fact Newegg has refurbished H80i for $69.99 (you just missed a promo code that expired yesterday that would have made it $49.99 :()

 

I'm also a memory fanatic - so while 4Gb will certainly get you by, I would at least start with 8Gb that way you can get a 2x4Gb kit - and if you ever want to add another 8Gb all you need to do is buy another 2x4Gb of the same kit.

Awesome, thanks for your help. So I think I've got the parts I want final. The AMD FX 8350, COrsair H80i, the Gigabyte UD3 mobo, Team Vulcan 8GB kit, Crucial MX100 258GB SSD, Seagate Barracuda 1TB, Sapphire 280X Dual-X, Fractal Design Define R4, Corsair CS650M, and the Asus VS228H-P. Thanks for all your help guys and I'm really excited to order these parts and start my build!

 

Thanks,

trixter109

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Looks like an awesome first build.  Bet that your grandparents didn't realize it was going to cost them $1200 to clean their garage  :)

Lol they said it was worth it. You should have seen the garage before I started cleaning it. You couldn't even walk through it.

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The H80i would be a solid choice over the H60.  In fact Newegg has refurbished H80i for $69.99 (you just missed a promo code that expired yesterday that would have made it $49.99 :()

 

I'm also a memory fanatic - so while 4Gb will certainly get you by, I would at least start with 8Gb that way you can get a 2x4Gb kit - and if you ever want to add another 8Gb all you need to do is buy another 2x4Gb of the same kit.

Awesome, thanks for your help. So I think I've got the parts I want final. The AMD FX 8350, COrsair H80i, the Gigabyte UD3 mobo, Team Vulcan 8GB kit, Crucial MX100 258GB SSD, Seagate Barracuda 1TB, Sapphire 280X Dual-X, Fractal Design Define R4, Corsair CS650M, and the Asus VS228H-P. Thanks for all your help guys and I'm really excited to order these parts and start my build!

 

Thanks,

trixter109

 

 

 

The H80i would be a solid choice over the H60.  In fact Newegg has refurbished H80i for $69.99 (you just missed a promo code that expired yesterday that would have made it $49.99 :()

 

I'm also a memory fanatic - so while 4Gb will certainly get you by, I would at least start with 8Gb that way you can get a 2x4Gb kit - and if you ever want to add another 8Gb all you need to do is buy another 2x4Gb of the same kit.

Awesome, thanks for your help. So I think I've got the parts I want final. The AMD FX 8350, COrsair H80i, the Gigabyte UD3 mobo, Team Vulcan 8GB kit, Crucial MX100 258GB SSD, Seagate Barracuda 1TB, Sapphire 280X Dual-X, Fractal Design Define R4, Corsair CS650M, and the Asus VS228H-P. Thanks for all your help guys and I'm really excited to order these parts and start my build!

 

Thanks,

trixter109

 

 

 

I would look at Sapphire Tri-X card as well. Lower noise and better cooling. 

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