Help/advice on building first PC system

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
T

thrax_of_order

Honorable
Feb 3, 2014
8
0
10,510
So after decades of playing games on a console, I have decided to take the plunge and build a gaming rig. I’m trying to build a PC to play Borderlands 2 at 50-60 fps with max quality settings (including Phys X at high if possible) at 1080p resolution. I’m trying to take into account the following considerations to meet this objective:
1. Avoiding overclocking
2. Trying to keep noise of the machine low (wife will be using the machine as well for general Internet, photos, and MS Office activities)
3. Trying to reduce power consumption if it’s feasible but would trade off for a lower price point

I’ve created the following draft build as a starting point:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2MJAo
I really don’t have a clue about the motherboard choice and probably chose the wrong power supply to take advantage of the low voltage mode (C6?) with Haswell systems, but I would like to do so if possible.
My preference is to use Intel chips and Nvidia graphics cards but could go with AMD if they would be a better fit based on my considerations. I went with a Haswell chip to try to keep the power draw low and the Nvidia graphics card because I’ve heard that offloading Phys X onto the CPU is a big performance issue with using non-Nvidia cards. I also have an existing Intel 520 series 120 GB SSD that I plan on using for my OS Drive, along with some Steam games and VM or Virtual Box Ubuntu image (for relatively “safe” browsing).
Could you please let me know your thoughts on this build or suggestions for other parts/builds that would be more effective in meeting my needs? I apologize if advance for any rookie comments made in this post but could really use some help from people who have built systems before.

Thank you
 
Solution
barto
I completely 100% disagree with joeman001. I would completely avoid the 8150. It's a power hog and an under performer. The 4770k will completely destroy it in every scenario.

Since you don't care to overclock, you can get the 4770 or a 4670. For games, the performance difference is minimal. Then, take the saved money and get a 770 or 280x. Those will max out any game on the market.

You don't need 16 GB of RAM, get 8.

The best PSU brands are Corsair, Seasonic, Antec and XFX. If you upgrade to a 770 or 280x, you'll need a 600+ PSU.

Just to give you an idea of what I'm pointing at, here is a build that you can overclock if wanted. If you are completely sold on not OC, I can remove the 4670k and the Z87 motherboard.


PCPartPicker...
Sort by date Sort by votes
J

joeman001

Honorable
Jan 2, 2014
53
0
10,640

This is a very good pc but the only 3 things i would change are the processor, power supply, And motherboard
i recommend: CPU:http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-fd8150frgubox
Motherboard: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-960gmu3s3fx
Power: I recommend a different supply because your current one doesn't have enough power to power everything fully Recommendation: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/raidmax-power-supply-rx600af
That should boost your performance to its max and all other parts besides the ones i've changed should be fine
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
barto

barto

Expert
Ambassador
Apr 20, 2009
5,465
0
27,960
I completely 100% disagree with joeman001. I would completely avoid the 8150. It's a power hog and an under performer. The 4770k will completely destroy it in every scenario.

Since you don't care to overclock, you can get the 4770 or a 4670. For games, the performance difference is minimal. Then, take the saved money and get a 770 or 280x. Those will max out any game on the market.

You don't need 16 GB of RAM, get 8.

The best PSU brands are Corsair, Seasonic, Antec and XFX. If you upgrade to a 770 or 280x, you'll need a 600+ PSU.

Just to give you an idea of what I'm pointing at, here is a build that you can overclock if wanted. If you are completely sold on not OC, I can remove the 4670k and the Z87 motherboard.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($81.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($349.49 @ B&H)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($149.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1001.40
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-03 20:32 EST-0500)

Edit: I don't pick cases. DVD drives are only $20. I don't pick OS systems. You can add the Wifi card.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
J

joeman001

Honorable
Jan 2, 2014
53
0
10,640


I dont 100% agree with you either yes you dont need 16GBs of ram but also the difference between the two processors is that the 4770k comes with Intel HD graphics 4600 which means its an APU plus the only speed difference you get is when using the processor is running single core tasks. The only reason to buy the intel one is if your going to ever run the HD 4600 graphics which you wont since you have the GTX 770 Plus the 8150 has 8-cores and the Intel 4770k has 4-cores. The 8150 is about a 10% better price for performance difference.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
barto

barto

Expert
Ambassador
Apr 20, 2009
5,465
0
27,960


No, there is a big difference between processors. First the HD graphics is irrelevant when you have a dedicated GPU. The shear power from a 4770k is substantially greater than a 8150.

4770k vs 8150:
http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i7-4770K-vs-AMD-FX-8150
http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/449/AMD_FX-Series_FX-8150_vs_Intel_Core_i7_i7-4770K.html

4670k vs 8150:
http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i5-4670K-vs-AMD-FX-8150

There's a reason no one suggested the BullDozer chips. They had similar performance to the previous Phenom II chips. Just check out the review on the 8150.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/fx-8150-zambezi-bulldozer-990fx,3043-12.html
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4955/the-bulldozer-review-amd-fx8150-tested


Also, you cannot compare cores between the two. They aren't equal. They are completely different.
http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/48571-intel-amd-architectural-discussion-how-far-ahead-is-intel/

Future games are taking advantage of more cores. Even so, very few games actually do. BF4 is really one that truly uses more cores. But even than, the 8350 (newest AMD Gen) only matches the i5 in terms of performance. As for price/performance, yes the i7 cost more simply for HyperThreading. But that's why there is the i5. When it comes to price/performance, nothing matches the i5.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/battlefield-4-graphics-card-performance,3634-10.html

And the power consumption of the 8150 is pretty bad too. It will easily consume 100+ watts more than an i7.

If the OP would to go AMD, the 8350 stock is where it is. For overclocking, the 8320 is best.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
J

joeman001

Honorable
Jan 2, 2014
53
0
10,640


I realize its been a while since our last argument but the 4770k you were talking about i built two systems from my custom built pc company and they all have the same parts but the processor is different one a 4770k and one had a FX-8150 i asked the person who bought them for his children which was more powerful and he said the FX-8150 wasn't great at running smaller tasks but at larger games there was a 10-12 FPS difference. the graphics card was a GTX-770 TI
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
barto

barto

Expert
Ambassador
Apr 20, 2009
5,465
0
27,960


Forgive me, but I don't believe you. First, both systems would need to be listed. How do I know that both systems are the same? Same GPU? RAM? What game? Where's the proof?

Second, the 770 TI doesn't exist. There is a 780 TI, 780, 770, 760 TI, 760, 750 TI and a 750. That's the list of 700 series cards. Again, I could sit here and find dozens of reviews that show you how bad the 8150 is but I don't feel like doing that. Please don't take this as I'm a snob, but the information your provided was very inaccurate. In the end you will have to discover this for yourself.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/fx-8350-vishera-review,3328-17.html
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6396/the-vishera-review-amd-fx8350-fx8320-fx6300-and-fx4300-tested
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
J

joeman001

Honorable
Jan 2, 2014
53
0
10,640


Game= GTA IV
Ram: 8 Gb DDR3-1600
Graphics Card: Geforce GTX 770 OC edition 2048MB
Processor: FX 8150
Motherboard: AsRock 970 extreme4
Excuse me for calling it a TI not OC
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
barto

barto

Expert
Ambassador
Apr 20, 2009
5,465
0
27,960


See, this is what I'm talking about. GTA IV is a horribly optimized game. You could build the exact same computer, install the exact same software, and get a completely different results with that game. You can search and find hundreds of complaints about how random the game can be and what people have to do in order to improve performance.

Please, take some time and do research about hardware and software. Have a good one.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom