PC for gaming for my nephew

Badcop1124

Limp Gawd
Joined
Aug 28, 2008
Messages
164
1) gaming, BF5, FortNite, PubG, Rust
2) trying to stay at $1000 NOT including S&H or tax
3) Boston, MA, USA
4) CPU, MoBo, RAM, GPU
5) HDD, PSU (Corsair CX750M), case, Cooler (Hyper212), OS, optical drive
6) No
7) Not sure
8) soon/now
9) not sure
10) Yes, Win 64-bit

Haven't built anything since the rig in my sig.


Starting point:
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/4gyYtg

Thanks in advance!
 
Last edited:
Cool!
This will be a fun build.

#1 thing first:
You do not want to build a computer in this day and age without a SSD, period.
Any machine over $300, custom built or prebuilt from the store, should have a SSD.
I don't see one listed in the rigs in your sig, which makes me think you've possibly never used a machine with one, but they are life changing.

If you aren't overclocking, you may not need the "K" version of the 8700, and can save $50.
Will also generate less heat, which, with your "basic" air cooler, will be a good thing.
The 8th gen i7 generates a ton of heat.

We really need to know what sort of monitor:
Does he have one already?
A nice, properly specced monitor will make a ton of difference.

What about something like this, for less than $1,000 and a monitor?
It includes a SSD that will make the machine wicked fast, and you can still re-use the power supply, a HDD for game storage, and case.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/sQB2fH
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus - ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($117.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: MSI - Radeon RX 580 8 GB ARMOR OC Video Card ($204.99 @ B&H)
Monitor: Acer - GN246HL 24.0" 1920x1080 144 Hz Monitor ($192.64 @ B&H)
Total: $920.59
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-30 21:55 EST-0500
 
Do you need a monitor as well? OS? Optical drive?

If so, are these needing to come in under $1000 too?
 
Do you need a monitor as well? OS? Optical drive?

If so, are these needing to come in under $1000 too?

There's a guy that sells OS in the For sale section for very reasonable.

Ickywu, I think.
 
Do you need a monitor as well? OS? Optical drive?

If so, are these needing to come in under $1000 too?

I have to find out which monitor he has. OS and optical drive will be re-used. Updating original post.
 
You'll see some similarities with others here.
Some of them are neglecting things (like a power supply) because they weren't thinking of it.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/4RPbZR


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($174.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI - B450 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($99.99 @ Newegg Business)
Storage: Samsung - 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($117.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Western Digital - BLACK SERIES 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($119.19 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI - Radeon RX 580 8 GB ARMOR OC Video Card ($204.99 @ B&H)
Case: NZXT - H500 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($65.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $961.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-12-02 02:40 EST-0500
 
His monitor will probably have to be included in my budget. He has the Aoc E2243fwk.


Cool!
This will be a fun build.

#1 thing first:
You do not want to build a computer in this day and age without a SSD, period.
Any machine over $300, custom built or prebuilt from the store, should have a SSD.
I don't see one listed in the rigs in your sig, which makes me think you've possibly never used a machine with one, but they are life changing.

If you aren't overclocking, you may not need the "K" version of the 8700, and can save $50.
Will also generate less heat, which, with your "basic" air cooler, will be a good thing.
The 8th gen i7 generates a ton of heat.

We really need to know what sort of monitor:
Does he have one already?
A nice, properly specced monitor will make a ton of difference.

What about something like this, for less than $1,000 and a monitor?
It includes a SSD that will make the machine wicked fast, and you can still re-use the power supply, a HDD for game storage, and case.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/sQB2fH
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus - ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($117.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: MSI - Radeon RX 580 8 GB ARMOR OC Video Card ($204.99 @ B&H)
Monitor: Acer - GN246HL 24.0" 1920x1080 144 Hz Monitor ($192.64 @ B&H)
Total: $920.59
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-30 21:55 EST-0500
 
You'll see some similarities with others here.
Some of them are neglecting things (like a power supply) because they weren't thinking of it.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/4RPbZR


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($174.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI - B450 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($99.99 @ Newegg Business)
Storage: Samsung - 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($117.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Western Digital - BLACK SERIES 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($119.19 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI - Radeon RX 580 8 GB ARMOR OC Video Card ($204.99 @ B&H)
Case: NZXT - H500 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($65.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $961.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-12-02 02:40 EST-0500
Well he did say he was reusing the power supply, case, and HDD. :p
 
PC Hound Part List

CPU: AMD AMD Ryzen 5 2600X ($238.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK ($118.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.SKILL 16GB (2 x 8GB) Ripjaws V Series ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: GIGABYTE Radeon RX 580 Gigabyte Radeon RX 580 GV-RX580GAMING-8GD ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: SAMSUNG 500GB 860 EVO Series MZ-76E500B/AM ($72.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: ASUS VC239H ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $900.92
Price may include shipping, rebates, promotions, and tax
Generated by PC Hound


*includes IPS monitor*

Reusing your CM212 will allow the 2600X to really stretch it's legs in regards to Precision Boost.
 
What's fascinating to me is all these builds feature mostly the same basic parts.

AMD is such good value right now.

And what we've seen here today is you can build an awesome rig for less than $1k easy.
 
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/28P6dX

[PCPartPicker part list](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/28P6dX) / [Price breakdown by merchant](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/28P6dX/by_merchant/)
Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel - Core i5-8400 2.8 GHz 6-Core Processor](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/LHYWGX/intel-core-i5-8400-28ghz-6-core-processor-bx80684i58400) | $219.99 @ Amazon
**CPU Cooler** | [Cooler Master - Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/hmtCmG/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2) | $26.45 @ Amazon
**Motherboard** | [Gigabyte - B360 AORUS Gaming 3 WIFI ATX LGA1151 Motherboard](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Ny...-lga1151-motherboard-b360-aorus-gaming-3-wifi) | $116.48 @ SuperBiiz
**Memory** | [ADATA - XPG GAMMIX D10 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/jF...gb-2-x-8gb-ddr4-2666-memory-ax4u266638g16-drg) | $97.99 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Samsung - 860 Evo 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/6yKcCJ/samsung-860-evo-500gb-25-solid-state-drive-mz-76e500bam) | $72.99 @ Amazon
**Video Card** | [Zotac - GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8 GB AMP Extreme Video Card](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Ns...-ti-8gb-amp-extreme-video-card-zt-p10710b-10p) | $379.99 @ Newegg
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| **Total** | **$913.89**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](https://pcpartpicker.com) 2018-12-02 20:39 EST-0500 |
 
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/28P6dX

[PCPartPicker part list](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/28P6dX) / [Price breakdown by merchant](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/28P6dX/by_merchant/)
Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel - Core i5-8400 2.8 GHz 6-Core Processor](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/LHYWGX/intel-core-i5-8400-28ghz-6-core-processor-bx80684i58400) | $219.99 @ Amazon
**CPU Cooler** | [Cooler Master - Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/hmtCmG/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2) | $26.45 @ Amazon
**Motherboard** | [Gigabyte - B360 AORUS Gaming 3 WIFI ATX LGA1151 Motherboard](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Ny...-lga1151-motherboard-b360-aorus-gaming-3-wifi) | $116.48 @ SuperBiiz
**Memory** | [ADATA - XPG GAMMIX D10 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/jF...gb-2-x-8gb-ddr4-2666-memory-ax4u266638g16-drg) | $97.99 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Samsung - 860 Evo 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/6yKcCJ/samsung-860-evo-500gb-25-solid-state-drive-mz-76e500bam) | $72.99 @ Amazon
**Video Card** | [Zotac - GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8 GB AMP Extreme Video Card](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Ns...-ti-8gb-amp-extreme-video-card-zt-p10710b-10p) | $379.99 @ Newegg
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| **Total** | **$913.89**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](https://pcpartpicker.com) 2018-12-02 20:39 EST-0500 |

Dude needs a monitor. We could save him some $ by going with the 2600 instead of the 8400 (and get similar/better performance) and use the stock cooler.

Probably have to drop the 1070ti, even though it will provide better frame rates.
Nvidia is just really expensive right now :hungover:

Maybe get away with 8GB?
 
Subtracting memory won't really gain you much.
Sure, it'll save $50. But you're going single-channel memory then (performance loss). And 8GB really isn't a hell of a lot on a 64-bit machine these days.


16GB Machine
Subtracted PSU, added a monitor, came in $5 over $1K.
Add has Freesync!

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Wv7h8Y


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($170.98 @ Newegg Business)
Motherboard: MSI - B450 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.99 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($119.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Western Digital - BLACK SERIES 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($119.19 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte - Radeon RX 580 8 GB Gaming 8G Video Card ($199.89 @ OutletPC)
Case: NZXT - H500 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Other: AOC 22V2H 22” Frameless Slim LED Monitor, IPS Panel, Free Sync 1920 x 1080, 75Hz, VGA, HDMI ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1005.01
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-12-03 02:23 EST-0500




8GB Machine with a slightly different monitor.
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/hGgLnH


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($170.98 @ Newegg Business)
Motherboard: MSI - B450 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.99 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($69.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung - 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($119.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Western Digital - BLACK SERIES 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($119.19 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte - Radeon RX 580 8 GB Gaming 8G Video Card ($199.89 @ OutletPC)
Case: NZXT - H500 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Other: Philips 246E9QDSB 23.8" monitor, Full HD 1920x1080 IPS panel, Ultra Wide-Color 129% sRGB & 108% NTSC coverage, AMD FreeSync, HDMI/DVI-D/VGA, Audio out, Flicker- ($119.99 @ B&H)
Total: $979.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-12-03 02:30 EST-0500
 
But, if you can spare about $50, this'd be a slightly bigger, nicer monitor:

Philips 276E9QDSB
 
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It really doesn't make since to go with the 970 Evo.... Let alone pony up the cash for a WD Black.

Make these changes to save $110

PC Hound Part List

Storage: SAMSUNG 500GB 860 EVO Series MZ-76E500B/AM ($72.99 @ Amazon)
Storage #2: Seagate 2TB BarraCuda ST2000DM006 ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $132.98
Price may include shipping, rebates, promotions, and tax
Generated by PC Hound


Both choices are personal preference.
I know that you're not going to see performance differences outside of benchmarks for the SSDs. Doesn't stop me from preferring the M.2 PCI-E for overall better max bandwidth.

As for Seagate. No. Uh uh. No way. Not a chance in Hell.

I've had too many Seagate drives crap the bed on me in 3rd party boxes over the years to consider buying them new. And they kept absorbing other manufacturers with high drive death-rates, turning the brand into a simmering pool of Bad.

I know, "They've gotten better recently". And I've seen the Backblaze reports. It's just not enough to get the bad taste outta my mouth...

I've had exactly TWO WDs die (both after extraordinarily long uptimes) since the mid-80's.

Now, perhaps my experience is an outlier. But I'm going to continue buying (and recommending) what's worked well for me.
 
What's fascinating to me is all these builds feature mostly the same basic parts.

AMD is such good value right now.

And what we've seen here today is you can build an awesome rig for less than $1k easy.

PLUS... when you build using AMD.. you can give a big "F U" to Nvidia and Intel
 
As for Seagate. No. Uh uh. No way. Not a chance in Hell.

I've had too many Seagate drives crap the bed on me in 3rd party boxes over the years to consider buying them new. And they kept absorbing other manufacturers with high drive death-rates, turning the brand into a simmering pool of Bad.

I know, "They've gotten better recently". And I've seen the Backblaze reports. It's just not enough to get the bad taste outta my mouth...

Well, I think we can both at least agree that $120 for a 2TB spinner drive in 2018 is completely retarded.

Personally, I was going to recommend the Toshiba P300 2TB, but people hate on that too so *shrugs*

OP, just buy a 2TB 7200rpm hard drive for under $70....
 
Maybe go for less cpu and more gpu for a gaming machine? Maybe an i3 8100, cheap mobo and ram and a 1070ti would be better?
 
Well, I think we can both at least agree that $120 for a 2TB spinner drive in 2018 is completely retarded.

Personally, I was going to recommend the Toshiba P300 2TB, but people hate on that too so *shrugs*

OP, just buy a 2TB 7200rpm hard drive for under $70....

No. Have problems with Toshi(t)ba as well.

I look at it thusly.

"You get what you pay for."

Maybe it's irrational. But I'm willing to pay a lot for peace of mind...
 
PC Hound Part List
CPU: AMD AMD Ryzen 5 2600 ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B450M PRO4 ($79.72 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.SKILL 16GB (2 x 8GB) Ripjaws V Series ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1070 Ti MSI Gaming GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 256-Bit GTX 1070 Ti GAMING 8G ($434.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: SAMSUNG 500GB 860 EVO Series MZ-76E500B/AM ($72.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 88R CC-9011086-WW ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: AOC 22V2H ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1,027.66
Price may include shipping, rebates, promotions, and tax
Generated by PC Hound
 
So I'm a little confused with the monitors that were suggested. And the difference with the one he has already. (Other than size of course.)

His has 5ms response time, 1920x1080 @60htz.
I see one has 144Hz and 1 ms, some have FreeSync or are TN panels or IPS panels.

Could you put this group monitors in order of which to buy?

Thank you again for all your time and help!
 
So I bought all the parts the other day. Went over budget by a few bucks.

Here is what I ended up with via my local MicroCenter:

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor $149.99
Motherboard: Asus - ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard $91.99
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory $139.99
Storage: Samsung - 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive $119.99
Storage: Western Digital - BLACK SERIES 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive $114.99
Monitor: ASUS MG248QR $199.99
Sub-Total: $816.94

And then From Amazon:
Video Card: XFX Radeon RX 580 GTS Black Edition 1405MHz $259.99
Total: $1076.93


Also added replacement plans on the MoBo, Proc and monitor, all for $50. Since he is a teenager and might OC now.

Then added a new Hyper 212 Black at $34.99 from Amazon, since I could not find the AM4 mount for his EVO.

It will be a day or so before I assemble this rig.

Let me know if I made any mistakes. I hemmed and hawed about getting the AMD Ryzen 1700 for the 8 cores after watching a video on Youtube. It was the same price as the Ryzen 5 2600.


Thanks again for all the assistance!
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
I don't see any mistakes per say.

That 212 should allow you to OC the 2600 to 4.1 Ghz with a hand-clap.

Now, if you have the opportunity, I'd go back to Microcenter and swap out the 2600 for the 1700. (Then OC it to 3.8-3.9 in like 10 mins).

Regardless, that's gonna be one happy nephew (y)
 
I don't see any mistakes per say.

That 212 should allow you to OC the 2600 to 4.1 Ghz with a hand-clap.

Now, if you have the opportunity, I'd go back to Microcenter and swap out the 2600 for the 1700. (Then OC it to 3.8-3.9 in like 10 mins).

Regardless, that's gonna be one happy nephew (y)

It would be an additional $40. Is it worth doing at that price?
 
It would be an additional $40. Is it worth doing at that price?

I mean, I would.... 20 bucks a core etc.

But only if you plan to overclock it. (3.8 for sure, after that it's silicon lottery)

- It would only be a 7% decrease in speed, but you gain 2 cores / 4 threads.
 
I mean, I would.... 20 bucks a core etc.

But only if you plan to overclock it. (3.8 for sure, after that it's silicon lottery)

- It would only be a 7% decrease in speed, but you gain 2 cores / 4 threads.

Not sure if he is going to overclock it. I've never done it. I think I'll stick with the Ryzen 5.
 
Not sure if he is going to overclock it. I've never done it. I think I'll stick with the Ryzen 5.

Just fyi, for 3.8Ghz on a 1700 all you'd need to do is set the multiplier to 38x and the vcore to 1.3v....

But I understand that overclocking is not for everybody.

Enjoy the system!
 
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