First build advice for gaming (Skyrim intensive)

GoldenSilver · Apr 7, 2014

Approximate Purchase Date: ASAP

Budget Range: I would like to stay around $1,200 not including monitor and such.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming (Skyrim and future releases) with mods.

Are you buying a monitor: Most likely

Parts to Upgrade: New Build

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: No preference

Location: New Jersey

Parts Preferences: No preference really, but I hear Intel is slightly preferred by Skyrim.

Overclocking: Sure

SLI or Crossfire: No idea...

Your Monitor Resolution: Best the is reasonable for Skyrim

Additional Comments: I was looking at buying a new laptop for gaming but after reading everything I could before making a decision, everyone said just build a PC instead. I had no idea what I was doing when I started looking but I think I am starting to get the hang of some of this stuff. There are a few things that I have seen that are pretty common between all the threads that say what to get, but I want to know if anything has been changed since those threads were made. This is going to be my only computer I can buy for quite some time so I not only want one that is good for current games, but also for what is coming in the future.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: New build because I am sick of the BS that is console gaming and not being able to expand a game through modding.

Thanks for any help you can give.

barto · Apr 7, 2014

Skyrim mods can use up quite a bit of system memory and VRAM.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ 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 ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 4GB Video Card ($408.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ TigerDirect)
Total: $1053.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-07 10:47 EDT-0400)

Now I left room for a case (lots of room) and saying that, if you are willing to go a little higher in your budget, I would highly suggest buying an SSD. The Samsung EVO is awesome. SSDs don't add frames but they help out a lot with boots and load times. If you are willing, I suggest the 250GB EVO for $140.

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7te250bw

vincent5253 · Apr 7, 2014

Ok here is my suggestion as a experience builder..:

If your looking for intense skyrim here is what i suggest man.:

1. cpu - either a i5k or a i7k I suggest for your build a i5k because its cheaper then i7 and has the overclocking feature for a great price! All i7's are overkill. For Skyrim the i5k will do you perfectly fine. (saves you money also)

2. Cpu cooler- If your going to do overclocking your going to need a cpu water cooler. I recommend this, the thermal take water 3.0 single raidiator. I have it on my rig and it is the best water cooler I have. Temps keep below 30c on mine.

3. Graphics Card- I recommend a Gtx660. Its perfect for your price.

4. Memory.- i would get a minimum of 16gb of memory.

5. OS - Windows 7 i always recommend going with a 64bit OS,

6. hard drive- I recommend either a 1tb or 2tb hard drive.

7. SSD (this you don't need but it would be alot faster on your end for what your going to do) I recommend trying a 120gb SSD and putting it to your boot drive so your pc can boot up fast.

I do all my shopping at newegg.com they got great prices and good service.

GoldenSilver · Apr 7, 2014

barto :

Skyrim mods can use up quite a bit of system memory and VRAM.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ 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 ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 4GB Video Card ($408.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ TigerDirect)
Total: $1053.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-07 10:47 EDT-0400)

Now I left room for a case (lots of room) and saying that, if you are willing to go a little higher in your budget, I would highly suggest buying an SSD. The Samsung EVO is awesome. SSDs don't add frames but they help out a lot with boots and load times. If you are willing, I suggest the 250GB EVO for $140.

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7te250bw

Wow, that was incredibly fast! Thank you very much for your input. I will be looking through this for the next while!

barto · Apr 7, 2014

GoldenSilver :

I've got some quick saves.

GoldenSilver · Apr 7, 2014

barto :

As for the SSD, I was looking at Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk. A friend at work said Crucial is a good company. Is the 250 GB really that much more important than 120 GB or would that be enough? Also, what would you recommend to look for in a monitor? I have a 55 inch smart TV and I was wondering if I can hook it up to the computer through HDMI or do I NEED a separate monitor? Thanks again!

GoldenSilver · Apr 7, 2014

vincent5253 :

Ok here is my suggestion as a experience builder..:

If your looking for intense skyrim here is what i suggest man.:

1. cpu - either a i5k or a i7k I suggest for your build a i5k because its cheaper then i7 and has the overclocking feature for a great price! All i7's are overkill. For Skyrim the i5k will do you perfectly fine. (saves you money also)

2. Cpu cooler- If your going to do overclocking your going to need a cpu water cooler. I recommend this, the thermal take water 3.0 single raidiator. I have it on my rig and it is the best water cooler I have. Temps keep below 30c on mine.

3. Graphics Card- I recommend a Gtx660. Its perfect for your price.

4. Memory.- i would get a minimum of 16gb of memory.

5. OS - Windows 7 i always recommend going with a 64bit OS,

6. hard drive- I recommend either a 1tb or 2tb hard drive.

7. SSD (this you don't need but it would be alot faster on your end for what your going to do) I recommend trying a 120gb SSD and putting it to your boot drive so your pc can boot up fast.

I do all my shopping at newegg.com they got great prices and good service.

Thanks for the input! I appreciate the general input as well as the specifics!

barto · Apr 7, 2014

GoldenSilver :

Personally, I own the Samsung EVO 250GB and I've already put 120 GB of programs on it. So there are a couple things to know about SSDs. First, do not defrag them. HDDs write data in a sequential order (one file after another). SSDs write in specific sectors on the drive. So, if you perform a Defrag, you will actually scramble the data on the drive. Secondly, use the SSD for the OS and a few games. Use the secondary HDD for primary data storage and secondary games. Additionally, you need to reserve about 20-25% of the space on a SSD for normal operation. If you fill up this reserved space, the SSD will slow down drastically.

Now, I suggested a 250GB SSD for multiple games. I've already put 130GB on my SSD and that's 5 games. But if you can only afford a 120 GB, that will be good too. Just monitor the used space.

Crucial is a good brand. It's a little cheaper than the EVO and a little slower but I doubt you'd be able to tell unless moving large files.

Edit: Monitor, yes you can hook that massive TV up if you would like.

GoldenSilver · Apr 7, 2014

barto :

GoldenSilver :

Personally, I own the Samsung EVO 250GB and I've already put 120 GB of programs on it. So there are a couple things to know about SSDs. First, do not defrag them. HDDs write data in a sequential order (one file after another). SSDs write in specific sectors on the drive. So, if you perform a Defrag, you will actually scramble the data on the drive. Secondly, use the SSD for the OS and a few games. Use the secondary HDD for primary data storage and secondary games. Additionally, you need to reserve about 20-25% of the space on a SSD for normal operation. If you fill up this reserved space, the SSD will slow down drastically.

Now, I suggested a 250GB SSD for multiple games. I've already put 130GB on my SSD and that's 5 games. But if you can only afford a 120 GB, that will be good too. Just monitor the used space.

Crucial is a good brand. It's a little cheaper than the EVO and a little slower but I doubt you'd be able to tell unless moving large files.

Edit: Monitor, yes you can hook that massive TV up if you would like.

Awesome dude! Just as one last thing to pick your brain about, and that is I still want to get a separate monitor so I could play while having the TV on. Where should I start as far as monitors go? While doing all of this I actually got my Federal tax refund check so I am now feeling a *little* more open with my spending. Just looking for a starting point for a monitor.

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