What's Good For Me?

Atomicdonut17

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Feb 4, 2017
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I've run myself bloody ragged trying to figure out a good combination for me.

I don' want an enthusiast build, and I don't plan to spend anything over 800 on new system parts, given I've already got the most basic things, and some of the things I want to replace, I might just keep for a time.

What I currently have:

CPU: Pentium G4560 @ 3.5 GHz (Locked)
MOBO: ASRock B250M Pro4 mATX
RAM: G.Skill NT Series 1x8GB DDR4 @ 2400MHz XMP
Cooler: id-Cooling 120mm Spiral (Cheap aftermarket, don't ask)
GPU: Zotac Mini GTX 1050Ti, 4GB GDDR5
PSU: I don't even know the brand name. Ark Technologies? It's awful. Has to go.
HDD: 1TB WD Blue 7200RPM Drive, 500GB Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM Drive
SSD: 60GB OCZ Agility III (Just a boot drive, no storage besides maybe one game)

I'm keeping peripherals,case, the like. HDD and SSD, I'm keeping, PSU is entirely junk and is crucial to dump, RAM and CPU being next (and the MOBO will only change if I go to Ryzen, which I'm heavily considering as of the moment) with smallest priority being GPU, due to being 'restricted' to 1080p. Which, I'm entirely fine with.


As far as things go, and to give you an idea of what I do, I pretty much just run moderate gaming. Some AAA titles here and there, but most of them aren't particularly high-res or demanding. Here's the most common ones:

TF2 (a potato could run this)
WoW
BF1
GTA V
FO4
Rust
(future) Overwatch (Easy E-Sports game, I know a GPU change doesn't make sense for this one)
Etc, etc...

I don't *currently* do video or photo editing, but in the future, such might be the case. I'm trying to boot up a science channel, and as it stands, using screen capture and Google Slides kinda feels rudimentary. So, I'm gonna go ahead and set four cores, 4 threads as the *minimum* standard, with 8+ threads being optimal, and with the best chance being a 6-core processor, if it's so required. ("so Ryzen right?")

CPU Cooler. I don't care for an AIO, namely because I'm not going to be running the threads off my CPU and thus I won't be pushing temperature limits like your average benchmark test. So, air cooling is fine by me. I'll include a link to my current case to provide you with an idea of clearance.

Case: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811235062

RAM. I want 16GB, because frankly, while 8 isn't as offensively low as 4, it's not enough to make me breathe easy at night as I dust myself with Doritos and praise GabeN's double-chin. If, and if somehow this comes to be the more legitimate choice, IF I go with Intel, high clock speeds aren't an issue for me. Sticking to 2400 will do. But, of course, Ryzen does love it sum high clocks. So, you get the drill.

PSU: I've already got the one I want in mind, actually. But, suggest as you want. 550 is the maximum, 450 minimum. try to keep prices reasonable.

GPU: Really, I'd be content with my current one- but a 1060, if you can fit it in there (thatwhatshesaid), it'd be nice. I can toss off these "old" components to my stepmom, who'll greatly appreciate them.

SSD, if you can somehow, after all that, fit a 128/256 M.2 / 2.5-inch drive into there and give me some breathing room, that'd be nice. But it isn't required, frankly. I'm not a speed maniac, and my little Agility III does fine for me. Really, it works for my boot and WoW.


A final, and probably the most stupid to some, stipulation. I'd *really* appreciate if these were all kept to either the same site or two. Preferably NewEgg and Amazon. I understand PCPartPicker (which I take it is what most of you will use) is the go-to, and it automatically suggest the cheapest from all legitimate sites, I'm a stickler for brand loyalty. And, as well, I like to have everything ship consecutively, given when this stuff is ordered, I'm also ordering/building my sister's PC.

That's really it. Sorry for dragging out this whole thing, but I want to be as bloody precise as possible. Thanks for all the help.

As always-

atomicdonut17
 
Solution
from your text, an upgrade of the CPU and RAM makes the most sense I think.
it's your CPU that's most likely the limiting factor in the games and tasks you've described.
since you already got a B250 board, I'd stay on that platform:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-7700 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($281.49 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - M9i 48.4 CFM CPU Cooler ($19.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Sport LT 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($143.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial - MX300 275GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($92.88 @ OutletPC)
Case: Zalman - Z11 NEO ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For $0.00)...
Not necessarily Ryzen. If gaming is main concern, Coffee Lake is better.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-8400 2.8GHz 6-Core Processor ($199.89 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - Z370-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($111.78 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($148.55 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Storage: Crucial - MX300 275GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($92.88 @ OutletPC)
Case: Zalman - Z11 NEO ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For $0.00)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.59 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $667.58
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-10-25 11:19 EDT-0400

Obviously, that 1050 ti will bottleneck the CPU. So another option would be drop SSD and cooler, and get gtx 1060 instead, although it would need a bit of work to fit this version in your budget, if you limit shipment to just one site.
 

johnnyq1233

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You've got a really decent motherboard! The sky(lake) is the limit pretty much...lol
Anything 1151 is in your support list including the i7-7700k!
And that case is a mid tower design, so a 1060 will fit. Just make sure you get the 6GB version.
Video card: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125901 (299.99)
Same as mine and doesn't even reach the edge of an ATX motherboard...Which you case supports.
CPU: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117728 (239.99)
More then enough power for the 1060.
CPU cooler: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186140 (29.49)
Memory: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233970 (174.99)
Per QVL.
Power supply: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139210 (69.99)
Plenty of juice to power this system...and all from the same place...Newegg.
So total is 814.45 less any discounts that may apply.
 

Atomicdonut17

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That makes sense, but there's a couple reasons I'd prefer to get away from Kabylake/Sky Lake

-EOL socket as of a LGA2066/Coffee Lake release
-I have a b250 motherboard, which will support the i7 7700k, but the K is explicitly made for overclocking, which B250 doesn't do.
-My board is only mATX, so I kinda want to go to a full-size ATX for obvious reasons. More PCIe, IO and RAM, etc etc.

Thanks for the suggestions tho. :)
 

Atomicdonut17

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A couple questions. I haven't been following LGA2066 to a tee, so are they still limiting OCing to just K/X based chips? As well, why such a low clock on that chip? 2.8? Jeez. Though, I don't suppose clock speed matters too much when it comes to Intel IPC.

And you don't suppose that you could come up with a subsequent setup that *does* suit the 1050Ti? While a 1060 is really nice to my ears, my heart (and alot of different people) tell me that the 1050Ti is all I'll need for 1080p, with a good paired CPU. Your opinion?
 


OC still limited to K CPUs.
Base clock is 2.8, but Turbo Boost kicks it to even 4.0 (3.8 if all cores used).
1050ti is enough for 1080p, at least now, IF you don't mind lessening graphical settings in some games. So if you don't want to change it, any true 4 core CPU would do. You could keep the mobo and swap to 7500 or 7600 (or even 7700 non-K), and that would be noticeable upgrade. If moving to Coffee lake, equivalent of those CPUs would be most likely i3-8100 (4 cores operating at 3.6 without Turbo Boost) , but I haven't see the reviews of it yet. Note however that while 8100 costs around 130, you still need Z370 board (cos there are no others yet), which would cost you around same money (although offers nice upgrade path to better 8th gen CPUs).
 
D

Deleted member 1560910

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just drop a 4790k and upgrade gpu. It would be alot less and same performance add another 8 gb stick of ram to 16
 
from your text, an upgrade of the CPU and RAM makes the most sense I think.
it's your CPU that's most likely the limiting factor in the games and tasks you've described.
since you already got a B250 board, I'd stay on that platform:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-7700 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($281.49 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - M9i 48.4 CFM CPU Cooler ($19.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Sport LT 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($143.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial - MX300 275GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($92.88 @ OutletPC)
Case: Zalman - Z11 NEO ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For $0.00)
Power Supply: BitFenix - Whisper M 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($78.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $617.24
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-10-25 13:37 EDT-0400

cooler is luxury for lower temps and lower noise levels, not 100% needed
added the 650W PSU not because you need it, but it's 4$ over the 550W so I though...wth...why not. if you were to upgrade to a very powerful GPU, it will still work with this PSU

 
Solution
D

Deleted member 1560910

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My mistake i saw the pentium and assumed it was 1150 what ever the best for that board either 6700k or 7700k