Building a Gaming PC - Let me know if I picked the right parts
- Thread starter Pimppeter2
- Start date
The nice thing about a desktop is you have two extra RAM slots that you can use when you decide you need more. So if later down the line 8GB isn't enough, you can just add another 8GB if things start to choke.
And if you plan to downsize the SSD, I'd check the benchmarks for the model you plan on getting. As you go higher in capacity you also tend to get better speeds. The 256GB models tend to be in the sweet spot of value and speed, being reasonably priced and super fast. Taking the 840 Evo specifically, moving to the 250GB from the 120GB model can nearly double your write performance, though your read performance will be pretty much the same. Now that probably won't matter too much if all you're doing is gaming (which is very read-heavy), so I guess a better metric would be how many games you keep installed at once.
And if you plan to downsize the SSD, I'd check the benchmarks for the model you plan on getting. As you go higher in capacity you also tend to get better speeds. The 256GB models tend to be in the sweet spot of value and speed, being reasonably priced and super fast. Taking the 840 Evo specifically, moving to the 250GB from the 120GB model can nearly double your write performance, though your read performance will be pretty much the same. Now that probably won't matter too much if all you're doing is gaming (which is very read-heavy), so I guess a better metric would be how many games you keep installed at once.
Looks like you've got a good system for CPU-heavy multi-threaded games, not the greatest for pretty corridor shooters. My kind of build.
That said... that motherboard, video card and those RAM sticks appear to have some fairly widespread manufacturing defects and are from companies that apparently have little to no customer service. Of course, I'm a snob who sticks to 3-4 manufacturers for any one type of part, and even widespread manufacturing defects tend to be under 10%. Those lower prices are a gamble, but not a huge one.
Also, I hope you don't plan on storing much music or video on that thing. 250GB of storage is pretty small for a primary system... unless you keep everything on an external drive. In which case, disregard this bit.
That said... that motherboard, video card and those RAM sticks appear to have some fairly widespread manufacturing defects and are from companies that apparently have little to no customer service. Of course, I'm a snob who sticks to 3-4 manufacturers for any one type of part, and even widespread manufacturing defects tend to be under 10%. Those lower prices are a gamble, but not a huge one.
Also, I hope you don't plan on storing much music or video on that thing. 250GB of storage is pretty small for a primary system... unless you keep everything on an external drive. In which case, disregard this bit.
Assuming you're just using this for gaming maybe look at the 8320 instead of the 8350 (cpu), or even the 6350/6300 Hex-cores. Then put that into a 7870 or R9 270X if you can balance it that way. The 7850 is decent but for 1080p and pushing high settings for AAA it's gonna start losing pace soon, and the video card should be the primary thing in your system. A 78709/R9 270 X will last a bit longer, or if you can squeeze a bit more an R9 280X is a beast that will last a good few years.Pimppeter2 said:
Prefer Gigabyte for motherboards to ASRock but from what I hear ASRock are aight, RAM doesn't matter much most RAM producers are fine but my experiences with G Skill and Corsair are entirely positive.
Oh and hope you have a Hard drive lying around for more storage, and invest in a 64 bit OS like Win 7 64 or Windows 8 so you can actually adress all the memory.
Ignore whoever is telling you you need a bigger PSU, they're wrong, unless you plan to crossfire in future, then you probably do need a goods 800W. Seasonic are an excellent brand though, make sure the equivelant Corsair isn't cheaper though as it's the same PSU rebranded
Your choice of Motherboard and PSU are excellent. ASROCK can make some damn good boards, and Seasonic pretty much make the best PSUs on the market. However, I would make a few alterations.
For one, your getting a Motherboard that's basically made to overclock CPU's, so I would recommend the FX-8320, as it's exactly the same as the 8350, just with a lower factory clock. So save $40, and overclock instead. They behave exactly the same.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113285
Also, as The White Hunter said, if your not going to be using up all 8 threads on the 8320, you may want to consider the FX-6300. Since it uses quite a bit less power, and in turn creates less heat, you can usually overclock it higher than the 8320, which will give slightly better performance in games. It's also quite a bit cheaper. I'd say give it some thought, you can always resell it and upgrade to the 8320 if you ever need to.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113286
The RAM you chose is a bit expensive, you could pick up this stuff here for a decent amount less. It'll act the same, and be just as reliable.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231546
As others have said, I'd get a smaller SSD and supplement it with a traditional drive. Unless of course you already have some.
I'd also get a cheaper case, I personally recommend the Coolermaster HAF 912, it's the best bang for your buck when it comes to cases. Excellent cooling, good cable management, and it doesn't look too bad, either. A big feature I always look for in a case is the ability to run the PSU upside down, so it draws air from below the case. This means it wont interfere with the flow inside the case, such as fighting with your GPU's fans. I can also verify that they do infact honor their mail in rebates.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233
Now, with the money saved on those parts, I'd invest more into your GPU. The 7850 is a good card, but another step up, and you reach the sweet spot of price to performance. I recommend this card here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202049
Lastly, you'll need a CPU cooler, the stock ones are pathetic. As others have said, the Coolermaster 212 Evo is the best cooler for the money.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099
So yeah, with that build, you'll have one hell of rig.
For one, your getting a Motherboard that's basically made to overclock CPU's, so I would recommend the FX-8320, as it's exactly the same as the 8350, just with a lower factory clock. So save $40, and overclock instead. They behave exactly the same.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113285
Also, as The White Hunter said, if your not going to be using up all 8 threads on the 8320, you may want to consider the FX-6300. Since it uses quite a bit less power, and in turn creates less heat, you can usually overclock it higher than the 8320, which will give slightly better performance in games. It's also quite a bit cheaper. I'd say give it some thought, you can always resell it and upgrade to the 8320 if you ever need to.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113286
The RAM you chose is a bit expensive, you could pick up this stuff here for a decent amount less. It'll act the same, and be just as reliable.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231546
As others have said, I'd get a smaller SSD and supplement it with a traditional drive. Unless of course you already have some.
I'd also get a cheaper case, I personally recommend the Coolermaster HAF 912, it's the best bang for your buck when it comes to cases. Excellent cooling, good cable management, and it doesn't look too bad, either. A big feature I always look for in a case is the ability to run the PSU upside down, so it draws air from below the case. This means it wont interfere with the flow inside the case, such as fighting with your GPU's fans. I can also verify that they do infact honor their mail in rebates.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233
Now, with the money saved on those parts, I'd invest more into your GPU. The 7850 is a good card, but another step up, and you reach the sweet spot of price to performance. I recommend this card here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202049
Lastly, you'll need a CPU cooler, the stock ones are pathetic. As others have said, the Coolermaster 212 Evo is the best cooler for the money.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099
So yeah, with that build, you'll have one hell of rig.
I fail to see how I'm exaggerating my performance boost. I went from 40 fps even after turning up some settings. I went from decent frames (decent being 30-40) to rather nice fps (50+ with equal/greater settings) in games just from upgrading my cpu. Sure, I went from a Phenom II to a 4670k, but my friend who had an Ivy Bridge i5 and the same gpu was me was getting considerably better frames (20+) than me when we'd be playing the same game with identical settingsZac Jovanovic said:
I don't know how the new line of AMD cpus are because I stopped caring. After getting an Intel cpu I don't plan on ever getting another AMD processor. Sure, you spend a little bit more money, but the quality is much better.
Also, on the topic of multithreading, over 43% of users on steam are on using quadcore processors and developers are still hardly multithreading anything which makes AMD's recent tactic of "throw more cores" pretty invalidated for gaming. Of course, I hope to see greater multithreading with the new architecture of consoles being similar to computer, but I'm not holding my breath.
Sure, we could say the OP may be using programs that heavily benefit from having more cores, but I'm just offering my opinion based strictly my experience with gaming.
You got your performance boost because you replaced your CPU with a much stronger CPU, not because you replaced it with a different brand, is my point.Bravo Company said:
While it is true you will get a marginal performance boost in most current games between similar Intel and AMD CPUs, the pricing difference evens it out most of the time. That's why I said your example is exaggeration.
Personal experience, my investment in a Haswell i5 and a strong motherboard to support it would've been better spent on a 6350 and a superior GPU, the £80 more in GPU would've put me from a 670 to a 7970 GHz edition at the time. For gaming the 6300 and it's higher clocked sibling are perfectly adequete at 1080p with a 7870 XT or 270X. Hell with two 7870XT's my friend and I have been pushing 5120x1440 quite easily.Mr.Savage said:
Edit: Oh yeah and 8 cores (4 Piledriver modules) is totally uneeded for gaming, 3 modules/6 cores is fine and put the extra dosh into GPU. However if you're interested in an editing rig that 8 core chews through stoopid heavy multi-threaded tasks like a boss.
I would add a quality CPU cooler into your budget, the Cooler Master one in Savage's post would do nicely (and read up on how to install them).Pimppeter2 said:
Otherwise it looks pretty solid to me, if you can afford to spring for an Intel Mobo and CPU that will give you a faster PC for non-gaming tasks, but current games generally aren't CPU limited so it shouldn't be a problem. If you're planning to play ARMA or any big scale RTS games definitely find the money for a Core i5 processor.
The PSU looks absolutely fine, the HD7850 is one of the lowest drawing graphics cards ever made, my 7850 2GB/i53570k set up draws just over 200w at full load, that's with a bunch of other stuff (hdds, many fans) attached.
Thanks for all your help everyone, your friendliness and time to help a fellow user is why the Escapist is one of the best forums in the world.