I live in Australia and these prices are all in AUD.
I will explain what i am looking for with my computer.
1. I am building a Gaming pc with the ability to store media (music and video) for personal use.
2. What i had in mind for this pc before building it was to play CS:GO with at least 250-300 fps in frame intensive situations and play newer games such as Witcher, Dark Souls 3 and Overwatch on High 60 FPS.
3. For my PC to be relevant in the near future. (5 years maybe)
4. No overclocking.
But as i was doing my research, i realized that CS:GO was a cpu intensive game and wasn't particularly reliant on the GPU. The parts i then picked were mainly aimed towards games other than cs:go, as i assume getting stable 250-300 fps would be achieved easily.
Initial budget: Around $1200
CPU: Intel Core i5-6600 - $309
GPU: 4GB GTX 960 Asus STRIX - $305
(With the above GPU and CPU, benchmark videos on youtube showed i would get around 50 FPS on Ultra on Dark Souls 3)
RAM: 1x 8GB Single 2133 Kingston - $47
MOBO: Undecided. I will pick my motherboard based off the discussion here. http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-3068378/b150m-motherboard-100.html
SSD: Samsung 850 EVO SSD 250G - $122
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive - $129
(I recently came across articles stating that drives with an odd number of storage units is more prone to failure. http://lifehacker.com/why-you-should-buy-4-tb-hard-drives-and-skip-the-3-tb-o-1680887763 Note that the Seagate 3TB was extremely likely to fail compared to drives with an even amount of storage)
Monitor: BenQ XL2411Z 24in LED 144Hz Gaming Monitor - $439
PSU: Undecided. Probably a 80+ Gold
Case: Undecided
Total: $1351
Although slightly over budget, $1351 is still acceptable. However,
(The three mobos i am considering are all priced at around $130.)
After the additional costs of a PSU (Gold 80+) and Case, it would be over $1600.
I am not entirely sure where i should be cutting the costs to meet my requirements posted earlier
I will also explain some of the reasons behind these particular picks.
1. CPU: A choice between the i5-6500 and the i5-6600. With a difference of $40, i really didn't see the need to get the i6500. If i need to save some money, i will consider changing it to the i5-6500. If there are processors from older generations that would suit my needs better, i'm all for it.
2. GPU: The 1070 or 1080 cards are too expensive and powerful for what i want. For me, the choice was between the 960 and 970. The 970 offered more stable fps while the 960 fluctuated around 60, but not by far. (Ultra on Dark Souls 3). The 960 is more than enough for what i initially wanted.
3. RAM: I can install more RAM if i want, depending on how many RAM slots there are on the motherboard, i will consider getting 2x4GB.
4. SSD: There was the option to change the Samsung 850 EVO SSD 250G to a Sandisk for $45 cheaper. However, all of the reviews i have read all agree on the fact that a Samsung SSD is worth the investment in the long term.
5. Monitor: I forgot to consider the fact that the monitor would be another crucial component of the setup apart from the CPU and GPU which puts me over the budget.
6. As for the PSU, i think i wouldn't settle for anything below a 80+Gold, but depending on the price at the end, this might change.
7. I'm not too picky about the case. If i need to save money, this would be where i will start cutting.
Any and all sorts of input ranging from personal experience and preference to informed technical knowledge are welcome!
I will explain what i am looking for with my computer.
1. I am building a Gaming pc with the ability to store media (music and video) for personal use.
2. What i had in mind for this pc before building it was to play CS:GO with at least 250-300 fps in frame intensive situations and play newer games such as Witcher, Dark Souls 3 and Overwatch on High 60 FPS.
3. For my PC to be relevant in the near future. (5 years maybe)
4. No overclocking.
But as i was doing my research, i realized that CS:GO was a cpu intensive game and wasn't particularly reliant on the GPU. The parts i then picked were mainly aimed towards games other than cs:go, as i assume getting stable 250-300 fps would be achieved easily.
Initial budget: Around $1200
CPU: Intel Core i5-6600 - $309
GPU: 4GB GTX 960 Asus STRIX - $305
(With the above GPU and CPU, benchmark videos on youtube showed i would get around 50 FPS on Ultra on Dark Souls 3)
RAM: 1x 8GB Single 2133 Kingston - $47
MOBO: Undecided. I will pick my motherboard based off the discussion here. http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-3068378/b150m-motherboard-100.html
SSD: Samsung 850 EVO SSD 250G - $122
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive - $129
(I recently came across articles stating that drives with an odd number of storage units is more prone to failure. http://lifehacker.com/why-you-should-buy-4-tb-hard-drives-and-skip-the-3-tb-o-1680887763 Note that the Seagate 3TB was extremely likely to fail compared to drives with an even amount of storage)
Monitor: BenQ XL2411Z 24in LED 144Hz Gaming Monitor - $439
PSU: Undecided. Probably a 80+ Gold
Case: Undecided
Total: $1351
Although slightly over budget, $1351 is still acceptable. However,
(The three mobos i am considering are all priced at around $130.)
After the additional costs of a PSU (Gold 80+) and Case, it would be over $1600.
I am not entirely sure where i should be cutting the costs to meet my requirements posted earlier
I will also explain some of the reasons behind these particular picks.
1. CPU: A choice between the i5-6500 and the i5-6600. With a difference of $40, i really didn't see the need to get the i6500. If i need to save some money, i will consider changing it to the i5-6500. If there are processors from older generations that would suit my needs better, i'm all for it.
2. GPU: The 1070 or 1080 cards are too expensive and powerful for what i want. For me, the choice was between the 960 and 970. The 970 offered more stable fps while the 960 fluctuated around 60, but not by far. (Ultra on Dark Souls 3). The 960 is more than enough for what i initially wanted.
3. RAM: I can install more RAM if i want, depending on how many RAM slots there are on the motherboard, i will consider getting 2x4GB.
4. SSD: There was the option to change the Samsung 850 EVO SSD 250G to a Sandisk for $45 cheaper. However, all of the reviews i have read all agree on the fact that a Samsung SSD is worth the investment in the long term.
5. Monitor: I forgot to consider the fact that the monitor would be another crucial component of the setup apart from the CPU and GPU which puts me over the budget.
6. As for the PSU, i think i wouldn't settle for anything below a 80+Gold, but depending on the price at the end, this might change.
7. I'm not too picky about the case. If i need to save money, this would be where i will start cutting.
Any and all sorts of input ranging from personal experience and preference to informed technical knowledge are welcome!
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