Review my casual gaming build

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Pwigy4

Commendable
Apr 21, 2016
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This is a casual gaming PC meant for modern gaming at a max of 1080p and 60fps, I don't expect anything more and I would be fine with a little less in either quality for some more demanding games.

http://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/Hvbwhq

The parts that aren't listed as purchased I have yet to purchase [duh?]. Please review the overall system plan and give any comments or suggestions on my choices and other options as far as the components go.

Parts I Need:
~ motherboard
~ memory [does a CS latency of 14 vs 15 make a difference at 2133mhz?] [and to a smaller extent 16gb vs 8gb]
~ SSD [bootdrive]
~ HDD [storage - plan right now is RAID 0 - 2TB is more than enough really]
~ Graphics Card [greater than 720p 30fps potential and less than or equal to 1080p 60fps potential]

Current budget is 764 AUD or about 570 USD - if need be I can wait for more money for higher quality components [I'd rather have a functioning system later rather than an underachiever sooner]

Thanks

 
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Chugalug_
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Chugalug_

Chugalug_

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Jan 28, 2016
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CAS latency doesn't really matter, as the timings will grow as the frequency increases.
14 vs 15 will make practically 0 difference, don't worry.
In relation to HDD don't RAID 0 them unless they are good quality drives. With stuff like Seagate Barracudas this is risky business, as they have a high failure rate, and if one drive fails, the entirety of the data is caput.
I live in AUS, and here is a build that i've put together which should suit your needs, maxing most stuff at 1080p.
That power supply is WAY too underpowered for what you need.
Do you need the ITX form factor specifically? Because a lot of money could be saved going for ATX or mATX and simply grabbing a wireless card.
mATX is not much bigger, but allows for significantly more features, and SLI compatibility on specific boards.
The SSD you've listed isn't great, i've replaced it with a 250GB 850 Evo, same with the hard drives which have been replaced by WD Caviar Blue 1TBs.
Edit: Gone for the 960 given budget constraints regarding the need for a new power supply.
 
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Chugalug_

Chugalug_

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Jan 28, 2016
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I've decided to take your suggestion to heart in saving more for better value parts, as you can see I was struggling to fit in everything above! xD
Note that the RX480 give significant gains over the 960 for only $30 AUD more at $310 at PCCG for the 4GB model.
Most places are out of stock at the moment, but if you wait a bit it will be well worth it. I've gone for a cheaper ITX motherboard with two RAM slots, meaning you can upgrade to 16GB of RAM in the future with the same model.
Do you need wireless by the way?
PCPartPicker part list: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/LLprVY
Price breakdown by merchant: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/LLprVY/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor (Purchased For $0.00)
Motherboard: ASRock B150M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($129.00 @ CPL Online)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($55.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($125.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($68.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($68.00 @ CPL Online)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 480 4GB Video Card ($310.00)
Case: Lian-Li PC-TU200B Mini ITX Tower Case (Purchased For $0.00)
Power Supply: XFX TS Series 550W Power Supply ($79.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $834.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-27 23:27 AEST+1000
 
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Chugalug_

Chugalug_

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Jan 28, 2016
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Annoyed because most of my 1k AUD builds revolve around the Micro ATX form factor due to the H110 motherboards! xD
Frustrating that I could have gotten 16GB of RAM and a better power supply in there for a bit more money.
[strike]Really, the limiting factor is that in AUS, you can't get a really good quality power supply unless you go around the $120 mark or higher.
For a 750w G2 it's $159. :([/strike]
EDIT: IGNORE THE EVGA 500B POWER SUPPLY. I've edited in the XFX TS 550w PSU, a good quality unit for a killer price.
Ask PCCG to get stock in of this, and buy it. Good quality, and very good value as far as Aussie prices go.
https://www.pccasegear.com/products/33118/xfx-ts-series-550w-power-supply/
 
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Pwigy4

Commendable
Apr 21, 2016
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1,510


Thanks for the help man, I have a few questions regarding the decisions:
~ The speed of that memory is 2400 and the motherboard is listed as 2133, is this something worth noting?
~ I would like the motherboard to have wireless as wired connection wont really be an option for me for a while however I have been wondering about the drawbacks of usb wireless vs inbuilt, would the speed difference be terrible and the money not worth it?
~ Mini ITX is quite small so should I consider a fully or semi modular power supply?
~ Is the RX 480 the perfect graphics card? I checked PCCG and the lowest listing was about 380

If it is worth getting a few major upgrades I have no issues in investing more money into this for the greater components if need be.

http://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/fM227h

~ Is this memory appropriate? CS 15 and I've heard heat spreaders are useless especially in my sort of system
~ I used the filter to find a low cost modular PSU with a wattage > 350, good choice?
~ motherboard with wifi VS motherboard + usb wifi
~ still a bit confused as far as graphics cards
 
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Chugalug_

Chugalug_

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1. With the RAM i've chosen, 2133 and 2400 were the same price, so its a no brainer. Note that 2133 is the native speed RAM runs at, and it will not run at 2400MHz unless you instruct it to in the BIOS. You will not be able to in this case, so it will run at 2133MHz regardless. Think of it as a higher binned RAM kit, meaning it can 'overclock' further, but it doesn't have to.
2. I find that with AU internet, it doesn't really matter since we're pretty much a first world country with third world internet, xD. USB is the way to go in your case since this ITX motherboard doesn't have a second PCIE slot.
Get this: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/product/wQmLrH/tp-link-wireless-network-card-tlwn725n
$11, and good performance for the price.
Mini ITX is small, but it still supports ATX power supplies a modular PSU is typically what I go for purely for convenience and cleaner cable management.

The RX 480 is pretty much the sweet spot for mid range builds at the moment, yes. It is not on the PCCG website because they recently removed it due to too many orders coming in. Should be 2-3 weeks before a store gets restocked. Check Centre Com and CPL as well.
What would your absolute max budget be, and what would you like to stick to?
 
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Pwigy4

Commendable
Apr 21, 2016
21
0
1,510



http://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/gVHRkT

How's this?

And my budget at the moment is about 760 and it can go up to quite a large amount really, considering I'd be waiting up to 3 weeks for the GPU it could work out nicely

http://au.pcpartpicker.com/product/NnkD4D/edimax-wireless-network-card-ew7811uac

Will that usb wireless adapter do online gaming well?
 
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Chugalug_

Chugalug_

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Jan 28, 2016
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Decent.
The only two things I would change are the power supply, and the RAM as you get much better value with the XFX TS 550w I mentioned above, and its the same price.
Also spend that extra $6 to get Corsair Vengeance LPX or G.Skill Ripjaws V RAM. If you want to save a bit get the 2133 Ripjaws 4 kit.
 
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Pwigy4

Commendable
Apr 21, 2016
21
0
1,510



http://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/CfgQqk

This plus the RX 480

~ So 550 is the recommended PSU
~ IS there a better wifi usb?
 
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Chugalug_

Chugalug_

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Jan 28, 2016
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The one you've selected is good if you have 802.11ac internet, which is essentially what is known as a fast, dual band connection.
If not, it's probably not worth the money, but can be a good investment for the future if you do get faster internet.
Apart from that, all good.
 
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