Some help building a £800 gaming PC

[jbrannan]

Hi all,
I recently posted here but as some things have changed I decided to repost to make things a little less messy (my posts are messy enough anyway, a reflection of my current clarity over my build...). I've tried to highlight main points

With exchange rates I have around £800 for a gaming PC. I could pay more if it was going to offer much better value for money, however.

I'm currently playing on a Samsung 2333SW, so 1080p 60hz. I'd be fine with changing this if it would lead to a decent boost and could stretch my budget if needed.

I have a 64gb SSD and a 1TB HDD from my old PC.
I also have an oldish 850w PSU and my old Dragon Rider case which I could possibly use. It was suggested a newer PSU would be better but my case would be fine. If I were to use a microATX however, would a full case help at all, like would it help it run cooler? Or is it simply going to take up more room for the sake of saving a bit of cash for a new one?

My biggest source of confusion is around CPUs and GPUs. I've read a fair bit about the main options and from what I see (though this is likely oversimplified/ wrong )...

A Ryzen 1600 is better than an i5-7600 in all but gaming. But as games are likely to use more cores/ threads this may change in Ryzen's favour. So maybe both would be fine for games right now (with intel being a bit ahead) but a Ryzen 1600 would be a better choice long term?

And similar with GPUs? Something like a 1060 6gb seems to be generally a bit better right now, but maybe with DX12 something like a RX480 would be a better investment long term? And, if so, maybe a 8gb rather than 4gb? I also read a few places that a 580 isn't really worth it as a 480 can be perform pretty much equally for a lower price. I guess the choice of GPU might also affect the possibility of a monitor too (e.g. a freesync?)

Sooo... I was thinking a
Ryzen 1600 or i5-7600
1060 6gb or RX480 8gb
Plus (16gb?) RAM + Mobo + maybe 256gb SSD
With possibly a new monitor, PSU and case

Sorry for the long confused post, and thanks for any help/ advice

 

[LucoTF]

Ryzen vs intel - toss a coin, they're both great for gaming. Ryzen tends to cost a little more than a non-oc intel build though. If going intel you could consider the i5-7500 as it's only 0.1ghz les than the 7600 but usually a fair bit cheaper

1060 6gb vs rx 480/580 - Intel are working on DX12 optimisation, but it's true that AMD absolutely have the advantage here. 8gb card is in budget so go for it, the 480s & 580s are similar performing so get the cheaper of them on the day.

 

[maxalge]

Hi all,
I recently posted here but as some things have changed I decided to repost to make things a little less messy (my posts are messy enough anyway, a reflection of my current clarity over my build...). I've tried to highlight main points

With exchange rates I have around £800 for a gaming PC. I could pay more if it was going to offer much better value for money, however.

I'm currently playing on a Samsung 2333SW, so 1080p 60hz. I'd be fine with changing this if it would lead to a decent boost and could stretch my budget if needed.

I have a 64gb SSD and a 1TB HDD from my old PC.
I also have an oldish 850w PSU and my old Dragon Rider case which I could possibly use. It was suggested a newer PSU would be better but my case would be fine. If I were to use a microATX however, would a full case help at all, like would it help it run cooler? Or is it simply going to take up more room for the sake of saving a bit of cash for a new one?

My biggest source of confusion is around CPUs and GPUs. I've read a fair bit about the main options and from what I see (though this is likely oversimplified/ wrong )...

A Ryzen 1600 is better than an i5-7600 in all but gaming. But as games are likely to use more cores/ threads this may change in Ryzen's favour. So maybe both would be fine for games right now (with intel being a bit ahead) but a Ryzen 1600 would be a better choice long term?

And similar with GPUs? Something like a 1060 6gb seems to be generally a bit better right now, but maybe with DX12 something like a RX480 would be a better investment long term? And, if so, maybe a 8gb rather than 4gb? I also read a few places that a 580 isn't really worth it as a 480 can be perform pretty much equally for a lower price. I guess the choice of GPU might also affect the possibility of a monitor too (e.g. a freesync?)

Sooo... I was thinking a
Ryzen 1600 or i5-7600
1060 6gb or RX480 8gb
Plus (16gb?) RAM + Mobo + maybe 256gb SSD
With possibly a new monitor, PSU and case

Sorry for the long confused post, and thanks for any help/ advice

good power supply keep it, keep old case as well it can fit atx mobos

use your current drives as well

profit:




PCPartPicker part list: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/MJDyTH
Price breakdown by merchant: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/MJDyTH/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor (£262.74 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock B250 Pro4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£83.80 @ Alza)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws 4 Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2800 Memory (£111.60 @ Kustom PCs)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Xtreme Gaming Video Card (£317.99 @ Ebuyer)
Total: £776.13
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-04-27 10:32 BST+0100

 

[jbrannan]

@LucoTF: Keeping current monitor/ CPU/ PSU then yeah? Or worth getting a FreeSync if going 480/580? Also, I seem to see a lot more Nvidia builds around. If AMD have (or will have) the edge, how come everyone isn't using them? Is it a lack of confidence in the product or just a slow uptake maybe?

@maxalge: I'm happy to keep the case and PSU if they have decent lifespans and that leaves more cash free to spend elsewhere. My current ssd is too small really for OS and games. Would not including one in the build have much of an impact gaming, or just a bit more of a wait while booting? Also, with what is going to be a higher spec system, would I need a new monitor too?

 

[LucoTF]

@LucoTF: Keeping current monitor/ CPU/ PSU then yeah? Or worth getting a FreeSync if going 480/580? Also, I seem to see a lot more Nvidia builds around. If AMD have (or will have) the edge, how come everyone isn't using them? Is it a lack of confidence in the product or just a slow uptake maybe?

AMD's ryzen is new. Like, brand new. The first ones came out in March.

They're the first competitive desktop cpus amd have released since about 2012, so yeah almost everyone here is on intel right now

Keep PSU, monitor is up to you. What is your current PSU?

 

[jbrannan]

PSU is https://pcpartpicker.com/product/qNrG3C/cooler-master-power-supply-rs850afbag1us

And my bad, meant keep my old case, not CPU (that's an i5-2500k, either that or/ and my mobo are shot though).

 

[LucoTF]

PSU is https://pcpartpicker.com/product/qNrG3C/cooler-master-power-supply-rs850afbag1us

And my bad, meant keep my old case, not CPU (that's an i5-2500k, either that or/ and my mobo are shot though).

That's a shame, the 2500k is still a solid gaming cpu

 

[jbrannan]

Then I'm thinking maybe as Lucky_SLS had suggested to me:
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/mVTnJV
One thing I'm not sure of is whether trying to stretch to a 1070 would be a good idea. It looks like it may be another £70 or so and then maybe the cost of a monitor too. Don't know a lot about screens so not sure how big an effect they have and whether I'd be better to maybe splash out a bit more on a GPU or a monitor.

Any suggestions as to what would pair well with a 1070 or with a 480/580?
Thanks again for your help

Edit: Also, what about the different gfx card manufacturers? Is there a big difference between them or are they much of a muchness and you pretty much pay for the name?

 

[maxalge]

Then I'm thinking maybe as Lucky_SLS had suggested to me:
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/mVTnJV
One thing I'm not sure of is whether trying to stretch to a 1070 would be a good idea. It looks like it may be another £70 or so and then maybe the cost of a monitor too. Don't know a lot about screens so not sure how big an effect they have and whether I'd be better to maybe splash out a bit more on a GPU or a monitor.

Any suggestions as to what would pair well with a 1070 or with a 480/580?
Thanks again for your help

Edit: Also, what about the different gfx card manufacturers? Is there a big difference between them or are they much of a muchness and you pretty much pay for the name?

if your aim is gaming, then the 7700 build wrecks that ryzen build easily


ssd only affect load times, they dont give fps


if you want to do work with some gaming then the ryzen is fine, dont pair it with anything higher than a 480/580 at 1080p though

 

[jbrannan]

Then I'm thinking maybe as Lucky_SLS had suggested to me:
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/mVTnJV
One thing I'm not sure of is whether trying to stretch to a 1070 would be a good idea. It looks like it may be another £70 or so and then maybe the cost of a monitor too. Don't know a lot about screens so not sure how big an effect they have and whether I'd be better to maybe splash out a bit more on a GPU or a monitor.

Any suggestions as to what would pair well with a 1070 or with a 480/580?
Thanks again for your help

Edit: Also, what about the different gfx card manufacturers? Is there a big difference between them or are they much of a muchness and you pretty much pay for the name?

if your aim is gaming, then the 7700 build wrecks that ryzen build easily


ssd only affect load times, they dont give fps


if you want to do work with some gaming then the ryzen is fine, dont pair it with anything higher than a 480/580 at 1080p though

I found the GTX 1070 you had linked via hotukdeals but it had expired. Apparently is was a mistake at the 318 price tag and ebuyer took it off. There are others, however (like http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/msi-geforce-gtx-1070-armor-335-99-amazon-2654632) which are not that much more expensive.

Again though, are all the 1070s pretty similar or is the manufacturer going to make a big difference. And any suggestions for a decent monitor for it?

 

[maxalge]

I found the GTX 1070 you had linked via hotukdeals but it had expired. Apparently is was a mistake at the 318 price tag and ebuyer took it off. There are others, however (like http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/msi-geforce-gtx-1070-armor-335-99-amazon-2654632) which are not that much more expensive.

Again though, are all the 1070s pretty similar or is the manufacturer going to make a big difference. And any suggestions for a decent monitor for it?

the armor 1070 is good


as long as they have a decent cooler on them they behave basically the same

what budget you want to stay under on the monitor?

 

[jbrannan]

I found the GTX 1070 you had linked via hotukdeals but it had expired. Apparently is was a mistake at the 318 price tag and ebuyer took it off. There are others, however (like http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/msi-geforce-gtx-1070-armor-335-99-amazon-2654632) which are not that much more expensive.

Again though, are all the 1070s pretty similar or is the manufacturer going to make a big difference. And any suggestions for a decent monitor for it?

the armor 1070 is good


as long as they have a decent cooler on them they behave basically the same

what budget you want to stay under on the monitor?

I don't know... which isn't much help for you trying to help me I know....

I suppose if the monitor cost more though, I may buy it later rather than sooner and I'd use my current monitor for now. So I guess it's less a strict budget, and more a case of wanting good value for money. I think this is the case with a monitor more than the other components as I guess my monitor is likely to outlive my build and be used into the future.

Since I've not used higher resolution or refresh rate monitors, or free-sync/ g-sync, I really don't know how much of a difference they make. If a monitor were 300 but would make a massive difference, I might go for it. If it made a modest difference, maybe 150. It's the old nutshell of 'bang for your buck' I guess...

p.s.
Another consideration is that my parents can bring smaller components when they come to visit next month but not a monitor. Buying in Turkey is usually more expensive unfortunately (though as above, if it is good value and a good investment then I can justify spending it).