1000$ budget build for a friend. Any suggestions?

[TheDarkIce]

Hello there user, i see that i've seeked your attention.

So, there is this one friend I have and he wants to get into pc gaming and has 1000$ to spend on his brand new rig and i would love to hear suggestions from someone who has a clue at what he / she is doing. He had gone on pcpartpicker.com and came up with a build on his own (He has no clue what hes doing).

I don't know how well the pc would perform in this generation but i know for sure its going to be weak. I'm not a genius or very tech savy so i really could just be wrong and thats why i have visited the forums for help and suggestions. I dont even know if the build is compatible or not, mainly because i haven't given it a good look yet. I have built my own budget gaming pc but that too i went on the forums for help for. I dont think anyone would want to hear my story ;-;

Well, here is his build anyways. As I said earlier, he does not know what hes doing. By the looks of things, he has gone for an AMD system and if an intel system would perform better then i would like to know with a reply.


P.s He would be using the pc for gaming at general 1080p gaming. I'm going to have to assume its 1080 because thats the monitor he owns at the moment.

The build he came up with

Processor - AMD FX-4300 - 97$
Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3 - 104$
RAM - Kingston KTA-MB1600L/8G 8 GB DDR3 - 50$
PSU - Cooler Master Thunder 500 500W - 50$
Cabinet - Cooler Master HAF 912 Combat - 100$
Hard Drive - WD Caviar Green WD10EZRX 1 TB - 60$
Optical Drive - Samsung SH-224BB - 20$
SSD - Kingston SSDNow V100 SV100S2/64G 64 GB - 60$
Graphic Card - ZOTAC GTX660 2 GB DDR5 - 221$
Sound Card - Zebronics SC-6CH - 7$
Cabinet Cooler - Cooler Master XtraFlo Cooler - 10$
Processor Cooler - Cooler Master Vortex 211P Cooler - 10$

Total rounds about to 1000$

If anyone knows what they are doing then please leave suggestions on how this build could improve. If an intel system is better then please let me know.

The forums have helped me complete my build and leave me satisfied. I hope the same is done to my friend. thank you for reading if not helping.

 

[TheDarkIce]

Here is a 1k build worth the price
PCPartPicker part list /
CPU: Intel - Core i5-7600K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($220.49 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master - Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-Z270P-D3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($98.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Patriot - Viper Elite 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($149.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB OCV1 Video Card ($259.99 @ B&H)
Case: Fractal Design - Define R5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Platinum 550W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($88.89 @ Newegg)
Total: $978.22

Wouldn't the other ryzen system perform better than this because of that 1070?

A 1070 system will out preform a 1060 based system in FPS. However this system is otherwise constructed of better parts. Better CPU, a motherboard which is overclocking friendly, faster ram, a better case, power supply, and across the board better parts. In my opinion a better computer which will put up nearly the same performance from its video card so long as the gaming is 1080p/60hz. Also it will probably remain fairly relevant in a year or two when the video card is replaced.

So, if I were to suggest him this build, what would he be able to upgrade in the future? i mean beside the basic ram, video card and storage

Yes. It is an upgrade-able build, which is built out of slightly better than standard parts. His first upgrade is likely to be a second HD to backup stuff to. Everything in that build is upgrade-able. But other than adding a low-cost disk down the road, he is not going to need much in the near term to play at a standard 1080p 60fps.

Hey, sorry for the late reply. i was busy with some stuffs. I have decided to go with your build that you suggested with that i5 and im gonna make sure that i make the best out of it. thank you for helping me out and being a great sport.

 

[Bungle11]

This is a spam joke thread. A gtx660 for over $200. Really. people gettind sucked it to giving advice.

 

[TheDarkIce]

This is a spam joke thread. A gtx660 for over $200. Really. people gettind sucked it to giving advice.

No it's not. My friend had no clue what he was doing. I don't know what part of that you don't understand. He is new to the gaming community and the pc master race. He does not know what a good graphics card in this gen is or whatever. All I'm trying to say is this post that I made is 100% legitimate and genuine.

 

[g-unit1111]

This is a spam joke thread. A gtx660 for over $200. Really. people gettind sucked it to giving advice.

Hey look, if you don't have anything constructive to add, don't add it. A post like this makes us look elitist. Keep the negativity to yourself.

No it's not. My friend had no clue what he was doing. I don't know what part of that you don't understand. He is new to the gaming community and the pc master race. He does not know what a good graphics card in this gen is or whatever. All I'm trying to say is this post that I made is 100% legitimate and genuine.

Yeah I do agree with the sentiment here that that's an extremely terirble build. You don't want someone who doesn't know what they are doing to get suckered into buying several generation old parts on a dead platform at that. You always want the best you can afford. I would go with an Intel 8000 series or a Ryzen.

 

[TheDarkIce]

This is a spam joke thread. A gtx660 for over $200. Really. people gettind sucked it to giving advice.

Hey look, if you don't have anything constructive to add, don't add it. A post like this makes us look elitist. Keep the negativity to yourself.

No it's not. My friend had no clue what he was doing. I don't know what part of that you don't understand. He is new to the gaming community and the pc master race. He does not know what a good graphics card in this gen is or whatever. All I'm trying to say is this post that I made is 100% legitimate and genuine.

Yeah I do agree with the sentiment here that that's an extremely terirble build. You don't want someone who doesn't know what they are doing to get suckered into buying several generation old parts on a dead platform at that. You always want the best you can afford. I would go with an Intel 8000 series or a Ryzen.

But is coffee lake even worth going for at the moment?? I'm not a "computer master" or anything but I know that there is less support for coffee lake at the moment.

 

[bjornl]

Here is a 1k build worth the price
PCPartPicker part list /
CPU: Intel - Core i5-7600K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($220.49 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master - Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-Z270P-D3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($98.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Patriot - Viper Elite 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($149.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB OCV1 Video Card ($259.99 @ B&H)
Case: Fractal Design - Define R5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Platinum 550W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($88.89 @ Newegg)
Total: $978.22

Wouldn't the other ryzen system perform better than this because of that 1070?

A 1070 system will out preform a 1060 based system in FPS. However this system is otherwise constructed of better parts. Better CPU, a motherboard which is overclocking friendly, faster ram, a better case, power supply, and across the board better parts. In my opinion a better computer which will put up nearly the same performance from its video card so long as the gaming is 1080p/60hz. Also it will probably remain fairly relevant in a year or two when the video card is replaced.

So, if I were to suggest him this build, what would he be able to upgrade in the future? i mean beside the basic ram, video card and storage

Yes. It is an upgrade-able build, which is built out of slightly better than standard parts. His first upgrade is likely to be a second HD to backup stuff to. Everything in that build is upgrade-able. But other than adding a low-cost disk down the road, he is not going to need much in the near term to play at a standard 1080p 60fps.

Hey, sorry for the late reply. i was busy with some stuffs. I have decided to go with your build that you suggested with that i5 and im gonna make sure that i make the best out of it. thank you for helping me out and being a great sport.

I would suggest a change Delete the CPU, cooler and motherboard from my previous recommendation and go with:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel - Core i5-8400 2.8GHz 6-Core Processor ($199.89 @ B&H)
Motherboard: MSI - Z370-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($109.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $309.78

Or this:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel - Core i5-8600K 3.6GHz 6-Core Processor ($279.89 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master - Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI - Z370-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($109.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $409.77

When I wrote the above a couple of weeks ago the coffeelake items were hard to find and inflated in price. Since then, the price and availability is much better.

The top one will be faster than what I originally suggested and cost less. The lower one will be a lot faster and a little more money.

 

[g-unit1111]

But is coffee lake even worth going for at the moment?? I'm not a "computer master" or anything but I know that there is less support for coffee lake at the moment.

Yes it is. *ALWAYS* buy the latest platform you can afford - in this case it would be Coffee Lake or Ryzen. You do not want to buy a six year old system - you're obsolete already.

 

[TheDarkIce]

Here is a 1k build worth the price
PCPartPicker part list /
CPU: Intel - Core i5-7600K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($220.49 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master - Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-Z270P-D3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($98.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Patriot - Viper Elite 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($149.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB OCV1 Video Card ($259.99 @ B&H)
Case: Fractal Design - Define R5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Platinum 550W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($88.89 @ Newegg)
Total: $978.22

Wouldn't the other ryzen system perform better than this because of that 1070?

A 1070 system will out preform a 1060 based system in FPS. However this system is otherwise constructed of better parts. Better CPU, a motherboard which is overclocking friendly, faster ram, a better case, power supply, and across the board better parts. In my opinion a better computer which will put up nearly the same performance from its video card so long as the gaming is 1080p/60hz. Also it will probably remain fairly relevant in a year or two when the video card is replaced.

So, if I were to suggest him this build, what would he be able to upgrade in the future? i mean beside the basic ram, video card and storage

Yes. It is an upgrade-able build, which is built out of slightly better than standard parts. His first upgrade is likely to be a second HD to backup stuff to. Everything in that build is upgrade-able. But other than adding a low-cost disk down the road, he is not going to need much in the near term to play at a standard 1080p 60fps.

Hey, sorry for the late reply. i was busy with some stuffs. I have decided to go with your build that you suggested with that i5 and im gonna make sure that i make the best out of it. thank you for helping me out and being a great sport.

I would suggest a change Delete the CPU, cooler and motherboard from my previous recommendation and go with:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel - Core i5-8400 2.8GHz 6-Core Processor ($199.89 @ B&H)
Motherboard: MSI - Z370-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($109.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $309.78

Or this:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel - Core i5-8600K 3.6GHz 6-Core Processor ($279.89 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master - Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI - Z370-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($109.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $409.77

When I wrote the above a couple of weeks ago the coffeelake items were hard to find and inflated in price. Since then, the price and availability is much better.

The top one will be faster than what I originally suggested and cost less. The lower one will be a lot faster and a little more money.

But would it still be in the 1000$ budget? bec hes still going to need to buy extra peripherals. sry im too lazy to do the maths. And also, is that 8400 worth going for? bec i see its 2.8 ghz. i know you could overclock it and all but is it really worth going for?

 

[TheDarkIce]

But is coffee lake even worth going for at the moment?? I'm not a "computer master" or anything but I know that there is less support for coffee lake at the moment.

Yes it is. *ALWAYS* buy the latest platform you can afford - in this case it would be Coffee Lake or Ryzen. You do not want to buy a six year old system - you're obsolete already.

But the coffee lake has less support at the moment right? so i just thought to myself it just wouldnt be something to look at right now. i guess i was wrong, thank you for correcting me.

 

[Vic 40]

is that 8400 worth going for? bec i see its 2.8 ghz. i know you could overclock it and all but is it really worth going for?

It can do 3.8 on all cores if enough power is available and more important if the temps aren't too high. On a "Z" board would it even be possible to run all cores at max turbo which is 4ghz,but a decent cooler would be needed since a kind of overclocking. A decent cooler can already be gotten for about $20 so not a huge investment.

 

[TheDarkIce]

is that 8400 worth going for? bec i see its 2.8 ghz. i know you could overclock it and all but is it really worth going for?

It can do 3.8 on all cores if enough power is available and more important if the temps aren't too high. On a "Z" board would it even be possible to run all cores at max turbo which is 4ghz,but a decent cooler would be needed since a kind of overclocking. A decent cooler can already be gotten for about $20 so not a huge investment.

Okay, i see. But im not too familiar with overclocking and stuff.. would you be able to explain how its done and / or what software is used?

 

[g-unit1111]

Okay, i see. But im not too familiar with overclocking and stuff.. would you be able to explain how its done and / or what software is used?

Overclocking is all done through the motherboard's BIOS and/or software that's included with your motherboard. It's a lot of trial and error though but when you get right down to it it's really basic math. You change your BCLK (base clock) speed to one setting, your voltage to one setting, and your RAM speeds and timings to one setting and that's it. Now the thing is all systems are different which is why you don't see people giving out a lot of advice on how to fine tune your exact build, but most components are generally the same in how you overclock them, but getting one component to a particular speed is where it carries a bit of skill.

 

[Vic 40]

Looked into the manual and it seems that all settings are configured to make the cpu run at max turbo by default.So you won't have to change a thing afaik.

 

[TheDarkIce]

Okay, i see. But im not too familiar with overclocking and stuff.. would you be able to explain how its done and / or what software is used?

Overclocking is all done through the motherboard's BIOS and/or software that's included with your motherboard. It's a lot of trial and error though but when you get right down to it it's really basic math. You change your BCLK (base clock) speed to one setting, your voltage to one setting, and your RAM speeds and timings to one setting and that's it. Now the thing is all systems are different which is why you don't see people giving out a lot of advice on how to fine tune your exact build, but most components are generally the same in how you overclock them, but getting one component to a particular speed is where it carries a bit of skill.

So basicly, i could buy that i5 8400 @ 2.8 ghz and overclock it. would it be better than that other 8600k? also, sorry for the late reply... im really busy with studies these days..

 

[Vic 40]

I's not unlocked like the 8600K so won't go over 4ghz,but all cores should be able to run at that yes if cooling is appropriate. The 8600K should be able to go higher on all cores so no it won't be better,then again the 8400 will rock at 4ghz and i don't think you'll need more speed than that.
You have to consider your budget as well. With the 8400 could you spend the leftover money at something different like a better gpu or M.2 ssd.The 8600K is much more expensive than the 8600K.

 

[bjornl]

Okay, i see. But im not too familiar with overclocking and stuff.. would you be able to explain how its done and / or what software is used?

Overclocking is all done through the motherboard's BIOS and/or software that's included with your motherboard. It's a lot of trial and error though but when you get right down to it it's really basic math. You change your BCLK (base clock) speed to one setting, your voltage to one setting, and your RAM speeds and timings to one setting and that's it. Now the thing is all systems are different which is why you don't see people giving out a lot of advice on how to fine tune your exact build, but most components are generally the same in how you overclock them, but getting one component to a particular speed is where it carries a bit of skill.

So basicly, i could buy that i5 8400 @ 2.8 ghz and overclock it. would it be better than that other 8600k? also, sorry for the late reply... im really busy with studies these days..

The i5-8400 is surprisingly fast. Sneaky close to the more expensive models. But, it can not be overclocked. The unlocked Intel chips have a 'k' on the end.

 

[TheDarkIce]

Okay, i see. But im not too familiar with overclocking and stuff.. would you be able to explain how its done and / or what software is used?

Overclocking is all done through the motherboard's BIOS and/or software that's included with your motherboard. It's a lot of trial and error though but when you get right down to it it's really basic math. You change your BCLK (base clock) speed to one setting, your voltage to one setting, and your RAM speeds and timings to one setting and that's it. Now the thing is all systems are different which is why you don't see people giving out a lot of advice on how to fine tune your exact build, but most components are generally the same in how you overclock them, but getting one component to a particular speed is where it carries a bit of skill.

So basicly, i could buy that i5 8400 @ 2.8 ghz and overclock it. would it be better than that other 8600k? also, sorry for the late reply... im really busy with studies these days..

The i5-8400 is surprisingly fast. Sneaky close to the more expensive models. But, it can not be overclocked. The unlocked Intel chips have a 'k' on the end.

So I should go for the 8600k instead now?? I'm really confused xD. Let me know which would give me more value for my money. Thank you

 

[g-unit1111]

So basicly, i could buy that i5 8400 @ 2.8 ghz and overclock it. would it be better than that other 8600k? also, sorry for the late reply... im really busy with studies these days..

The i5-8400 is a locked CPU meaning that it can't be overclocked. The 8600K is an unlocked CPU meaning that if you pair it with an unlocked motherboard (Z370) you can overclock it. All Ryzen CPUs are unlocked which means that you can overclock them.

 

[bjornl]

Okay, i see. But im not too familiar with overclocking and stuff.. would you be able to explain how its done and / or what software is used?

Overclocking is all done through the motherboard's BIOS and/or software that's included with your motherboard. It's a lot of trial and error though but when you get right down to it it's really basic math. You change your BCLK (base clock) speed to one setting, your voltage to one setting, and your RAM speeds and timings to one setting and that's it. Now the thing is all systems are different which is why you don't see people giving out a lot of advice on how to fine tune your exact build, but most components are generally the same in how you overclock them, but getting one component to a particular speed is where it carries a bit of skill.

So basicly, i could buy that i5 8400 @ 2.8 ghz and overclock it. would it be better than that other 8600k? also, sorry for the late reply... im really busy with studies these days..

The i5-8400 is surprisingly fast. Sneaky close to the more expensive models. But, it can not be overclocked. The unlocked Intel chips have a 'k' on the end.

So I should go for the 8600k instead now?? I'm really confused xD. Let me know which would give me more value for my money. Thank you

If you want to go fast and save some money and you can live without overclocking, get the i5-8400. If you want to overclock, the 8600k is the best moderate cost choice. There is the i3-8350K as well (see review here on Tom's). The 'k' chips carry an additional cost of needing a CPU cooler.

 

[Vic 40]

What i meant with "Overclocking" is that the base speed of the 8400 is 2.8ghz ,but it can be set to run max turbo on all cores which is 4ghz,which in it's own right is a kind of overclocking since it "only" should do 3.8 at all cores. It also means the 8400 won't do higher than 4ghz,which the i5 8600K can,but at this speed it's very fast and an imo better value for mony since the leftover can be use for a better ssd,cpu cooler,psu,gpu or case,whatever better to you liking.