Gaming PC Build Advice

cwithey87

Commendable
Feb 6, 2017
4
0
1,510
Approximate Purchase Date: March 1st, 2017

Budget Range: $1000-$1200 Before rebates, after shipping

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming.

Are you buying a monitor: No

Parts to Upgrade: Buying a new build, but I would like to keep future upgrading in mind

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: I do not have a preferred site, this is only the second time I have purchased a gaming PC.

Location: Ashland, Oregon, United States

Parts Preferences: Intel CPU, Nvidia GPU - I am not well-versed in PC hardware, but I have read that Intel and Nvidia are the way to go. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution: 1900x1200

Additional Comments: Anything from X-COM 2 to Overwatch to Total War to The Witcher 3. My gaming taste is eclectic, I would like a build that can run a range of titles.


And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I bought a custom gaming pc, with the help of a friend, about 5 years ago. The first year was great, after that it has been one problem after another - replaced CPU under warranty, replaced RAM out of pocket, numerous fresh installs of Windows. It has been a hassle. Now I have a small amount of money to invest in a new build.



 
Solution


1. That's mainly a preference thing. Some times...
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($309.33 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.88 @ OutletPC)
Thermal Compound: ARCTIC MX4 4g Thermal Paste ($6.79 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus PRIME B250M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($84.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($124.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($97.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.00 @ B&H)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC GAMING ACX 3.0 Black Edition Video Card ($395.00 @ B&H)
Case: Thermaltake Core V21 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($57.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($92.99 @ B&H)
Sound Card: Asus Xonar DSX 24-bit 192 KHz Sound Card ($58.44 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Thermaltake Pure 20 LED 129.6 CFM 200mm Fan ($15.75 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-R8 redux-1800 PWM 31.4 CFM 80mm Fan ($13.88 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-R8 redux-1800 PWM 31.4 CFM 80mm Fan ($13.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1455.17
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-06 11:15 EST-0500
 
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-7600K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($232.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H5 Universal 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($46.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus PRIME Z270-AR ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($159.95 @ B&H)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($90.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX300 275GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.33 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC GAMING ACX 3.0 Black Edition Video Card ($379.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 530 ATX Full Tower Case ($76.97 @ NCIX US)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN881ND PCI-Express x1 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter ($16.75 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-P14 FLX 65.0 CFM 140mm Fan ($19.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1163.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-06 11:54 EST-0500
 

cwithey87

Commendable
Feb 6, 2017
4
0
1,510
Thank you for the recommendations!

Some questions:

The first suggestion comes with a micro MB and a Mini tower - is this just to shave a little off of the overall cost, or is there another reason?

The first build includes three case fans whereas the second only includes one. Is this because of the case size, or is there another reason?

The first build includes a sound card - is this necessary? As in, will there be problems with audio if I do not include a sound card? Do motherboards typically come with integrated sound?

Lastly, I have read some things about monitors bottle-necking performance. Is this something that happens and is it recommended that I buy a 'gaming' monitor?

 

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator


1. That's mainly a preference thing. Some times mATX components are cheaper than ATX components but really you can go either way.

2. That honestly doesn't matter. I'm not someone who likes to spend tons of money on cooling, and as long as you have your air flow setup to move air through your case as opposed to recirculating it, you won't have a problem. You can always add more fans as you need them, but don't buy more fans than your case has the mounts for.

3. No, sound cards are not necessary to purchase, that is one thing you do not need.

4. No that's completely false. Sure monitors can lag, but the word "bottleneck" gets thrown around a lot and the meaning of what actually bottlenecks your system gets distorted a lot.

5. Doesn't really matter - people can argue refresh rates all you want, but in the end paying an extra $500 for a monitor really won't make that much of a difference. With ultra high end gaming monitors - all you're really paying for is the brand, whether it's Asus ROG or Acer Predator. But the brand is not worth a 200% markup.

I would do something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-7600K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($44.47 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z270 Extreme4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($153.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($113.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC GAMING ACX 3.0 Black Edition Video Card ($379.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12G 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($73.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1226.37
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-06 18:17 EST-0500
 
Solution

cwithey87

Commendable
Feb 6, 2017
4
0
1,510
Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to answer all of my questions. As a rookie on a budget, I really appreciate it. Now to summon up the courage to actually assemble my PC for the first time.
 

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator


Sure! Once you get over the first hurdle it gets much easier and you want to do more.