Fool-proof build for computer novice

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primaltickler

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Sep 11, 2014
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Hello,

My experience: I have done a handful of builds in the past, but they have all been budget gamers for myself (usually with recycled parts from friends), or low-end builds for older relatives who do not game.

The job: My brother has asked me to build him a reliable computer that will be relevant to gaming for the next several years. I say relevant because he just wants them to run smoothly without hangups. He does not even know what "fps" is. I started on an $800 budget. I talked him into $1000.

The challenges: As you may have gleaned from above, my brother has no interest in computers beyond whether they work or not. There will be no overclocking, tweaking, or even maintenance done (other than me checking on it every few months). He is the type who goes to Best Buy, buys a pre-built system for $1000, complains that it doesn't run current games, then does the same thing every 2-3 years. He wants the functionality of a computer with the effort of an x-box. My goal is to build him an easy to use, stable system. Future upgrades are expected, but they are better than ditching a pre-built and buying all new.

The build ("?" = "I'm not married to it"):
cpu - i5 4590
mobo - Asus H97 Plus ?
Memory - Corsair Vengeance 2x4 GB DDR3 1600 MHz (doesn't matter dependent on mobo)
GPU - Gigabyte r9 270x ?
SSD - samsung 250GB (he has external HDD for media, this will be for OS and gaming only)
power - corsair cx750 80+ bronze cert ?
optical drive - Asus 24x drwb1st ?
tower - rosewell challenger-u3 mid-atx ? (so long as it all fits - low priority on aesthetics)
OS - currently has Vista, but considering upgrading to 7. Not sure he will be comfortable with 8.1. Support for Vista ends 2017, and 7 in 2020. Rumor is Windows 9 will be coming in a year or so... I'm a bit flummoxed here. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Any suggestions anywhere will be appreciated - trying to discuss this with my brother is futile.

Almost forgot - the current build is hovering right at $1000, so any significant upgrades (r9 280 for example) mean cutting costs elsewhere (keeping vista - yuck - for example).


 
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primaltickler

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Sep 11, 2014
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In USA.

Why not 750w? It should handle that build, and I was under the impression that it is always better to go too high when selecting psu wattage.
Are there problems with Corsair psu? Can you suggest a better brand?



 
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jerryvaberry

jerryvaberry

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Jun 24, 2014
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I mean you can if you want, but you do not need a 750 w. Also, if you are in the us, how are your prices so high. Do you have a pcpartpicker build that you could provide a link. Or are you buying all of your parts at some local store. I feel like there is about $150 that is poorly allocated and that could be put towards a better gpu (r9 280x maybe). And lower wattage better quality psu. You can go 750w, but that doesnt change the fact the cx series is of poor quality.
 
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jerryvaberry

jerryvaberry

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Jun 24, 2014
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus H97-PLUS ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($105.24 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($83.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($118.99 @ Best Buy)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($249.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill Challenger-U3 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($19.94 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($86.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $970.10
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-11 14:29 EDT-0400

This is what I put together using mostly your parts. That is a better psu and a better gpu. Everything else is the same.
 
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primaltickler

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Sep 11, 2014
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I see, well, I was going with 750w just to provide wiggle-room in case it is needed later. I had not heard the cx's were poor, I will look into that. Thank you.

So far as the budget goes, there is around $100 of items I failed to list: wireless card, and a specifically requested keyboard. Seemed like overkill to list them. I could have found better prices for a few items, but shopping with brother's Amazon account. Keeping it there for simplicity's sake. If I were building (and paying) for myself, I would shop around more.



 
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jasonite

jasonite

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Apr 2, 2012
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jerryvaberry's build is a good one, the only tweaks I'd consider would be an i5-4690, saving a few bucks by getting G.Skill Ripjaw X ram, and getting WD Caviar Black 1 tb HDD instead of an SSD. SSD's help out a lot with load times, but that's not the highest priority on a $1000 build.

For wireless networking I'd recommend the D-Link DWA-180 or 182. As for the CX series of PSU's, they aren't bad, they just aren't good for overclocking. Here's a list of multiple tiers of PSU's, take a look for yourself: http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1804779/power-supply-unit-tier-list.html

Hopefully that's helpful to you.

J
 
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primaltickler

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Sep 11, 2014
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The goal of this topic was to receive constructive advice on the selections made with the goal in mind. Why my brother or I chooses this route doesn't really matter, and I am not going to explain all the minutia that went into this decision. FYI, he has an x-box one. He prefers some games on PC. He also needs a PC, he just doesn't have the interest or knowledge to keep it up to gaming standards. On the other hand, I do and I am available, but I am used to holding my rig together with the frantic tenacity of a Star Trek engineer. I would prefer to not have to do that, but situations beyond my control have put me here - and that has nothing to do with this topic.
When I wrote, "... the effort of an x-box," I meant that it would not involve having to tweak his system. I apologize if that was unclear. He should be able to install and play.
So, if you can make a suggestion like, "XXX gpu is great for overclocking, but if you're not overclocking you get the same performance with the more affordable XXX gpu," Great. I appreciate the input. If all you can offer is general criticism, please don't respond.

That being said, thank you for the suggestions jerryvaberry and jasonite (I agree on the HDD, but he wants fast boot and load times, and, as mentioned in original post, he keeps his bulk memory in a large external HDD - mostly used for photography).
 
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primaltickler

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Sep 11, 2014
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Thank you for the suggestions, but this topic is done. I did look into psu's, and decided on a cooler master v650 - plenty of power and a much higher rating. I am also going with windows 7. I reconsidered cpu and gpu, but, in the end, the literature available provided much more convincing evidence.

thank you to responders, and I apologize to those who read with a furrowed brow and moved on.
 
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