Entry Level Gaming

Briggzee1

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Dec 16, 2016
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Hi Everyone,

Most of our gaming in our household is done on the PS4 but my son is a huge minecraft fan and wants to play it on the PC to get more out of the game ( mods, packs etc...) Our current PC will not run Minecraft because of the video card/processor. Not much other gaming will be done from the PC, if anything it will be low level stuff. Any suggestions on video card and processor that will be good for this type of gaming.

Thanks
 
Solution
This build blows the best buy one out of the water, allow you to play almost ANY game at 1080p on max settings, and it's on the high end of the budget

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($139.99 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($59.75 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($109.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Memory Express)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB Mini Video Card ($308.99 @ PC Canada)
Case:...

Jeff Kaos

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I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark and say that unless you have pretty old system a GTX 750 video card will most likely get your system running Minecraft with minimal fuss. Just plug it in and connect your display to the card instead of the mother board, install the drivers and you should be good to But keep in mind that unless you get the Minecraft beta through the Windows 10 store your kid is going to have to play it with a mouse and keyboard. This might not be a problem but mouse and keyboard is a big change in game play; especially for younger gamers.
 

Briggzee1

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Dec 16, 2016
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Sorry that I wasn't very clear. I'm not looking to upgrade my current system. I'm looking to get something new. I'm not at home right now so I can't run Speccy. I will do that for sure later. My current setup is 5 years old, I know the processor is an i3 and it has Intel Graphics. Budget would be in the $600-$800 range. Display not necessary.
 


Five years? I feel like either a i3-2xxx or 3xxx, you may be able to get away with more RAM, GPU, and a new CPU. And save on the board. Also would need a new PSU. Don't think building a new PC for $600 JUST for Minecraft will be beneficial.
 

Briggzee1

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Dec 16, 2016
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Summary
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64-bit
CPU
Intel Core i3 540 @ 3.07GHz 31 °C
Clarkdale 32nm Technology
RAM
8.00GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 532MHz (8-8-8-20)
Motherboard
MSI 2A9C (CPU 1) 34 °C
Graphics
HP 2010 (1600x900@60Hz)
DELL P1913 (1440x900@60Hz)
Intel HD Graphics (HP)
Storage
931GB Hitachi HDS721010CLA332 (SATA) 31 °C
Optical Drives
hp CDDVDW TS-H653R
Audio
Realtek High Definition Audio

No idea how to post the actual speccy. Hope this helps.

 
So before we begin, is this computer going to be strictly for Mnecraft, or do you plan on using something else? If it is strictly for Minecraft, then finding an older GPU will be your best bet. If you are need to upgrade for modern games, then a refresh made be needed, including a new CPU.
 

Briggzee1

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Dec 16, 2016
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Thanks again Herc, I would like to say it will only be for Minecraft but I want to have something good enough so that if he decided he wants to play some other games he will be able to do that also. My machine is old and I'm in the market to buy something new rather than upgrade.

 


Well, we can get a decent build with a $600 budget. It will have to be built, if that is ok with you. The follow build should be able to handle newer games at low to medium quality. It does have a decent upgrade path up to 32GB, and i7-6700, and GTX 1080 (which is more than this build). If you have any questions, let me know.

P.S. Do you have Windows 7 or 10?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI H110M Gaming Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($69.99 @ B&H)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($49.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.78 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon RX 470 4GB Triple X Video Card ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Deepcool TESSERACT SW ATX Mid Tower Case ($38.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $548.71
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-23 11:40 EST-0500
 

Briggzee1

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Dec 16, 2016
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Building it is not an option for me but I may be able to find someone who could do it. I do have a good idea what components will get me what I'm looking for. I appreciate your help everyrone. Happy Holidays !
 

Briggzee1

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Dec 16, 2016
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I know the USD conversation is different, but I wouldn't pay $1000 for a machine that only has a GTX 950. If it was a 970 or 980, then maybe a yes...but 950M? No way. So is a grand our budget now? If so, you can get the same specs with a better GPU. Again, building is not that hard. There is this one Newegg video that is REALLY helpful, and it helped PLENTY of people.

I can make you a list with CAD dollars, it's jsut up to you if you want to build or not
 


The build I posted earlier, as far as gaming, will blow that best buy one out of the water. However, that is not in CAD dollars, so I would have to re-do it. You strictly, want to game right? Not do much us, right?
 
This build blows the best buy one out of the water, allow you to play almost ANY game at 1080p on max settings, and it's on the high end of the budget

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($139.99 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($59.75 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($109.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Memory Express)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB Mini Video Card ($308.99 @ PC Canada)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ Memory Express)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.98 @ NCIX)
Total: $813.68
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-26 13:59 EST-0500

This one is a bit low-ended, but I had to push out $50 (from your $600) budget to get the 470 to fit. This will still blow best buy build out of the water

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($139.99 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($59.75 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Memory Express)
Video Card: Asus Radeon RX 470 4GB STRIX Video Card ($220.98 @ NCIX)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ Memory Express)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($48.98 @ NCIX)
Total: $654.67
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-26 14:02 EST-0500

 
Solution

Briggzee1

Honorable
Dec 16, 2016
41
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10,530
Once again thanks Herc, I'm usually a really bad impulse buyer and I'm glad I have taken the time to get some really good advice so that I can get something of better quality and specs for a good price.
 


No problem. Glad I could help. I hope it works for you in the end. Have a happy new year