Building my son a Gaming Rig...

M

motolube

Gawd
Joined
Dec 18, 2006
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This is really exciting for me because it means, he will get into the action on a real rig and not old technology console. Now, the last time I built a gaming rig (so to speak) was a year or so ago and I figure technology has changed and I always end up buying incompatible components. :eek: :confused:

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming Mainly ... for the moment, he is only doing World of Warcraft. He says that eventually, in a few months from now, he would like to start playing the Campaigns and then online for the following games... Call of Duty Ghost, BF 4, GTA IV, Watchdogs, Crisis, Far Cry .

Web Browsing (Facebook, tweeter, youtube, etc), Music Studio Software.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$ 600.00 ... Tax & Shipping

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Miami, Florida

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.

PSU
Mobo
CPU
RAM
GPU
HDD
CD/DVD/r
Keyboard/Mouse Combo (nothing special, run of the mill is sufficient)

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

Medium Size Case


6) Will you be overclocking?
No.

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
Hanns-G Hi221D ... 1680 x 1050

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
As soon as I make a decision on the components from the advice given.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.

Perhaps HDMI for future option to play on a bigger screen HDTV... perhaps future SLI option if and when he does decides to buy games like GTA IV, etc.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?

Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit

Right now, I can't think of anything more at the moment. :D
 
Here is a go for $600, but note that while the mobo is SLI capable the GPU is not.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($99.99 @ Micro Center)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($41.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($149.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.13 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ OutletPC)
Keyboard: Logitech K120 Wired Standard Keyboard ($10.29 @ B&H)
Mouse: Microsoft Optical Mouse 200 for Business Wired Optical Mouse ($7.62 @ B&H)
Total: $569.97
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-24 14:38 EDT-0400)

Now if you can up your budget, then this GPU will be SLI capable but at your resolution or 1080p it won't be needed for any of the games he wants to play.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($99.99 @ Micro Center)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($41.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($249.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.13 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ OutletPC)
Keyboard: Logitech K120 Wired Standard Keyboard ($10.29 @ B&H)
Mouse: Microsoft Optical Mouse 200 for Business Wired Optical Mouse ($7.62 @ B&H)
Total: $669.97
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-24 14:41 EDT-0400)
 
I thought the i3s were only duo core and not good for gaming? what am I missing?

I just got this shell Shocker deal from Newegg... is this good?
http://www.newegg.com/Special/Shell..._-item-_-19-116-898&et_cid=6338&et_rid=104128

Also, I found that I had recently purchased a Rosewill Capstone Modular 450w for another build and I did not use it... would it be enough to power up the gaming rig and the GTX660 card?

Are we better off having a GTX760 and a i3 than having, say a GTX660 with an i5?
 
Yes, the i3 is dual core (4 threads) and for gaming at your price point it is better to splurge on a better GPU.

This might be a good article for you to read: http://techreport.com/review/26082/tr-february-2014-system-guide/2

The Core i3-4130 is the most affordable Core i3 chip based on Intel's latest Haswell architecture. It has two cores, four threads (thanks to Hyper-Threading), and a teeny 54W power envelope. This model should perform very well in both single- and dual-threaded workloads, and it should be easy to cool quietly, too. We recommending this processor over cheaper derivatives with fewer threads or lower clock speeds. Price differences are small in this range, and we don't want to sacrifice too much performance.

Some of you might still have reservations about buying a dual-core, quad-thread processor when the latest consoles feature eight-core chips. Won't the new breed of cross-platform games need just as many cores on the PC? Well, no. The processors inside the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are based on AMD's lightweight Jaguar architecture, which is far slower clock-for-clock than Haswell. Our Core i3 could easily do the same work with its two cores and four threads. Also, everything we know about game programming tells us that, at least on the PC, single-threaded performance remains very important. In the words of Jurjen Katsman, one of the guys behind the PC versions of Thief and Deus Ex: Human Revolution, most games "flatten off at one core."

In short, the Core i3-4130 is a fine choice for a budget gaming build. We'd certainly recommend it over similarly priced alternatives from AMD like the FX-6300, which is saddled with poor single-threaded performance, high power consumption, and an outdated platform. AMD's Kaveri APU might make a decent alternative, but alas, no variants of it are currently available at this price.

Oh, and for what it's worth, the Core i3-4130 is also a good choice for non-gamers. Like the rest of Intel's Haswell family, it has integrated graphics. No need to buy a discrete graphics card with this puppy.
Click to expand...

Yes, you can go with the 450W PSU for now. But later on if you want to go SLI probably not.

Mind you I'd rather go with a GTX760 now and reuse that PSU of yours.

Also something to consider is to drop a SLI capable mobo and go for an i5:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B85M-G43 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($67.49 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($43.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($249.95 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ OutletPC)
Keyboard: Logitech K120 Wired Standard Keyboard ($10.29 @ B&H)
Mouse: Microsoft Optical Mouse 200 for Business Wired Optical Mouse ($7.62 @ B&H)
Total: $635.30
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-25 12:46 EDT-0400)

You can reuse your PSU, and have much better performance in games like BF4, faster overall, and a much more balanced system.
This is what I would get if he was my son ;)

BTW, do you really need to buy another DVD drive? I mean I bought a usb DVD drive a couple of years ago in case I needed it any of the computers in the house, but have never used it once.
Right now I lent it to my gf so she can rip her CD collection.
 
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New CD/DVD/r drive? No, not really, we barely use it now with all the usb devices... I could save those 15 to 20 bucks for something else really.

Now, I see that in both of the builds you have opted for only 4GBs of RAM, is that because of the tight budget or because there isn't much difference between 4 or 8 GBs of Ram?

BTW, thanks again for taking the time to explain... I am also sure that my son will want to spurge for the extra money, in the long run, it is better to have more now than major upgrade later but I am liking what I read about that i3.

Is there really a HUGE difference in performance between the GTX760 vs GTX750? there is a 100 price increase and I am wondering if it will be worth it... more so now that he is only playing WoW and he may get into Online shooting game. I have played all those other games that he says he would want to try playing (in Campaign Mode only of course) and even with my GTX660 2GB I have had zero problems.... perhaps not Maxed out or Super High settings but enough to enjoy the heck out of those games.

No, I am in Miami, last time I checked, Microcenters are no where near me... I wish they were though, deadbeat Best Buy or Tigerdirect is all we got
 
motolube said:
New CD/DVD/r drive? No, not really, we barely use it now with all the usb devices... I could save those 15 to 20 bucks for something else really.

Now, I see that in both of the builds you have opted for only 4GBs of RAM, is that because of the tight budget or because there isn't much difference between 4 or 8 GBs of Ram?

BTW, thanks again for taking the time to explain... I am also sure that my son will want to spurge for the extra money, in the long run, it is better to have more now than major upgrade later but I am liking what I read about that i3.

Is there really a HUGE difference in performance between the GTX760 vs GTX750? there is a 100 price increase and I am wondering if it will be worth it... more so now that he is only playing WoW and he may get into Online shooting game. I have played all those other games that he says he would want to try playing (in Campaign Mode only of course) and even with my GTX660 2GB I have had zero problems.... perhaps not Maxed out or Super High settings but enough to enjoy the heck out of those games.

No, I am in Miami, last time I checked, Microcenters are no where near me... I wish they were though, deadbeat Best Buy or Tigerdirect is all we got
Click to expand...
The GTX 760 is around 50% faster than the GTX 750 Ti at 1600x900, depending on the game.

I like the idea of having 8GB myself. But most games out now won't be using more than 2.0-2.5GB of system memory, even those compiled for x64. You could always add more memory at a later time if you want, though. But you would save money if you purchased a matched set of 4GB sticks now instead of separate 4GB sticks.
 
World of Warcraft usually uses more 3 gb of ram for me and that's not including OS usaged. So getting more than 4 gb ram isnt a bad idea.
 
motolube said:
New CD/DVD/r drive? No, not really, we barely use it now with all the usb devices... I could save those 15 to 20 bucks for something else really.

Now, I see that in both of the builds you have opted for only 4GBs of RAM, is that because of the tight budget or because there isn't much difference between 4 or 8 GBs of Ram?
Click to expand...
Yes, I tried to stay within your budget and eek out as much performance per what your were requesting.

2x4g is better, but it wont make a huge difference for what he wants the rig for. But if he were my son I would get 2x4gb ;)

BTW, thanks again for taking the time to explain... I am also sure that my son will want to spurge for the extra money, in the long run, it is better to have more now than major upgrade later but I am liking what I read about that i3.

Is there really a HUGE difference in performance between the GTX760 vs GTX750? there is a 100 price increase and I am wondering if it will be worth it... more so now that he is only playing WoW and he may get into Online shooting game. I have played all those other games that he says he would want to try playing (in Campaign Mode only of course) and even with my GTX660 2GB I have had zero problems.... perhaps not Maxed out or
Super High settings but enough to enjoy the heck out of those games.
Click to expand...

GTX750ti is more than enough for Wow, but not for the other titles he wants to play down the road.

I also took into consideration the fact that you might plug this thing to a 1080p TV, so GTX760 would be a sweet spot.

What I am saying is that i5+GTX760 is really in the sweet spot of the price performance ratio, it is balanced, and it is within spitting distance of you budget.
 
Well, I guess it is decision time... I still have a few days to decide so I am hoping someone will start a promo or sale on components right about now and I can get everything just slightly cheaper still :D
 
How old is your son?

If he is young, let him do the build with you supervising.

Did this with my 9 and 11 year olds. Now they are 16 and 18, and they still tell their friends about it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2XVeEDqGUc

Do let us know what your build ends up being.

Have fun.
 
He is 19 and yes, hindsight is 20/20... I should have taught them but I will now and hopefully he will enjoy it as much as I will.

Thanks for all your help.
 
oh and get a basic gaming mouse like steelseries kinzu/kana or just old gen microsoft intellimouse explorer 1.1 or logitech g100s, they all cheap like around 20 dollar
I dont want to see your son swing his mouse and lose mouse track.
I m suggesting this because I was suffering a lot when I was a kid...
 
Suffering, Struggling is what gives us character... it also helps to build Humility!!! :p :D :D :D


One last question... It just dawned on me that I have a used EVGA GTX260 that I recently took out from a build. Lets be honest, for WoW and a few other DX9/DX10 games (except for Crisis 3), it this card still doable? I also checked some sites and they all say that a 450w with 30a is more than adequate for the GPU.

What am I thinking this for? well, easy and simple... we can build/upgrade GPU/PSU later but wouldn't be better to start with a more higher grade Mobo/Ram combo? I am thinking that the i5 is good enough for a few years to come.
 
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I hate to point this out but a 260? kind of odd you started this thread with

"This is really exciting for me because it means, he will get into the action on a real rig and not old technology console"

And you're giving him a card that is 6 years old and considerably worse then the GPU on a PS4 .Perhaps not even par with a Xbox One graphics wise. This is hardly an upgrade over a console, it's more like a downgrade.
 
Sixthsense said:
I hate to point this out but a 260? kind of odd you started this thread with

"This is really exciting for me because it means, he will get into the action on a real rig and not old technology console"

And you're giving him a card that is 6 years old and considerably worse then the GPU on a PS4 .Perhaps not even par with a Xbox One graphics wise. This is hardly an upgrade over a console, more like a downgrade.
Click to expand...

Well, to be fair, his budget is really not enough to produce a "real rig" capable of gaming, so his options are severely limited. Personally, I'd save the GPU upgrade for later. It will allow for better core components in the build and give higher end Maxwell cards some time to release.
 
CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($139.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Respire T20 68.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Biostar TA970 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 270 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Micro Center)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $591.91

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81-D3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($62.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 270 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Micro Center)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $604.92
 
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In some countries "giving" your son a gtx260 would be considered child abuse.

Wait, he is 19 right? Yeah give him the 260 for payback for all the pain he made you suffer through his life.
 
Bwahahahahahaha, Tough Crowd... but I like the comic relief retort though LOL

Ok, so he plays online WOW with an old E8300 that has a GT9500 card and although he has been complaining that he needs more, I figured jumping from that old relic to an i5 8GB Rams + GTX260 would be a huge improvement over his old rig... I guess I was wrong. I had also thought that to start he didn't need to spend more money, get used to the games (shooters) that I already have and then, if he wants to play online and needs the extra hump, he could have saved more money for a better GPU.

I am old school, nothing was given to me and re-using or hand-me-downs were part of growing up... you tend to appreciate more those better things LOL

Look at my rig, nothing big or huge but I have spent hours on end playing all those shooters he wants to play, perhaps not with Max settings but enough to enjoy the crap out of them... I know, I am old :D
 
Sixthsense said:
CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($139.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Respire T20 68.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Biostar TA970 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 270 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Micro Center)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $591.91

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81-D3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($62.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 270 2GB Video Card ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Micro Center)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $604.92
Click to expand...

Both of those are very capable rigs for the price point, nice finds.
 
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