I’m looking to make a gaming rig in the budget/mid-range realm and have a few questions about my builds and using older components from my current PC.
I’m still working on the parts list but below are two variants that I’ve cobbled together so far. I’m new to this but if I understand correctly, both builds would have comparable performance but build B would be more upgradeable (1151 socket for skylake) whereas build A is more last gen (1150 socket). I don’t upgrade my PC often (this one is from ~2009) but I would like to play current generation games and be ready for some upcoming ones (Civ 6, DoW 3, etc.). Any opinions on these builds given the above?
As for my older components…
Is there any reason not to use my old case (Cooler Master Elite 310). I’ve had no problems with it and it’s in good condition. It seems the MOBOs and video card will fit. The only problem I’ve identified is that an aftermarket fan (like the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO) might not fit. Its system fan is still going strong
(http://www.avadirect.com/A12025-120mm-Black-Case-Fan-3-Pin-Power/Product/1891958)
Also, I have an optical drive and an internal hard drive (1 TB Hitachi HDS7210101CLA332 ATA device) that I would use alongside the new SSD. I assume I’d have no problems using these?
I’m a little weary of using an older power supply as I’ve read that this is one area that going cheap is a bad idea. My current rig has an old (2009ish?) Xtreme Gear 700W ATX power supply (model PSAZ-CP700 http://www.terapeak.com/worth/9pa3508809-700w-atx-power-supply-psaz-cp700/281816183941/). Should I just get a new one? If so any advice? Would love to not spend much on it but will play it safe if needed.
BUILD A
PCPartPicker part list: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/rKgZLD
Price breakdown by merchant: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/rKgZLD/by_merchant/
CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($226.25 @ Vuugo)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($78.50 @ Vuugo)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.08 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($69.99 @ Canada Computers)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 380 4GB Video Card ($239.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $651.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-13 09:24 EDT-0400
BUILD B
PCPartPicker part list: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/YzZqsJ
Price breakdown by merchant: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/YzZqsJ/by_merchant/
CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($253.98 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: MSI B150M BAZOOKA Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($94.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($39.52 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($69.99 @ Canada Computers)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 380 4GB Video Card ($239.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $698.47
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-13 09:25 EDT-0400
I’m still working on the parts list but below are two variants that I’ve cobbled together so far. I’m new to this but if I understand correctly, both builds would have comparable performance but build B would be more upgradeable (1151 socket for skylake) whereas build A is more last gen (1150 socket). I don’t upgrade my PC often (this one is from ~2009) but I would like to play current generation games and be ready for some upcoming ones (Civ 6, DoW 3, etc.). Any opinions on these builds given the above?
As for my older components…
Is there any reason not to use my old case (Cooler Master Elite 310). I’ve had no problems with it and it’s in good condition. It seems the MOBOs and video card will fit. The only problem I’ve identified is that an aftermarket fan (like the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO) might not fit. Its system fan is still going strong
(http://www.avadirect.com/A12025-120mm-Black-Case-Fan-3-Pin-Power/Product/1891958)
Also, I have an optical drive and an internal hard drive (1 TB Hitachi HDS7210101CLA332 ATA device) that I would use alongside the new SSD. I assume I’d have no problems using these?
I’m a little weary of using an older power supply as I’ve read that this is one area that going cheap is a bad idea. My current rig has an old (2009ish?) Xtreme Gear 700W ATX power supply (model PSAZ-CP700 http://www.terapeak.com/worth/9pa3508809-700w-atx-power-supply-psaz-cp700/281816183941/). Should I just get a new one? If so any advice? Would love to not spend much on it but will play it safe if needed.
BUILD A
PCPartPicker part list: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/rKgZLD
Price breakdown by merchant: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/rKgZLD/by_merchant/
CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($226.25 @ Vuugo)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($78.50 @ Vuugo)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.08 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($69.99 @ Canada Computers)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 380 4GB Video Card ($239.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $651.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-13 09:24 EDT-0400
BUILD B
PCPartPicker part list: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/YzZqsJ
Price breakdown by merchant: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/YzZqsJ/by_merchant/
CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($253.98 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: MSI B150M BAZOOKA Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($94.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($39.52 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($69.99 @ Canada Computers)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 380 4GB Video Card ($239.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $698.47
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-13 09:25 EDT-0400
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