Advice for a newbie? Also, linux game suggestions

brndn2k

Commendable
Nov 21, 2016
4
0
1,510
I'm building a gaming PC, but it's my first time and I want some feedback. My main concerns are that I want it to play games at high enough settings (30-60 fps, 1080p) mostly csgo, maybe deus ex. I also want it to be future-proof, enough that it'll be serviceable going forward (and of course as it wears out I can replace parts) The parts are here, http://pcpartpicker.com/list/MVwyqk, but I'm wondering if it's good enough, or if there are places I should scale back. In addition, is Windows worth the investment since most games seem to be there, and do you have any suggestions for good linux games in the meantime
 
Solution
Build looks good. I would suggest going with a 6500 instead of what you had, and then you would have to change out the mobo as well. I also am suggesting to go with a higher quality power supply, as that one you had isnt very good. So below is my revision. As for linux, Valve is pushing for devs to support Linux, barbecue they want steamos to be popular, and some games have been ported over, but there is still a long way to come. I would do some research and see if the games you play and plan to play are native on linux. Otherwise if they are not, look towards play on linux. This uses wine to run windows games, however only supports a selection of games, and some of those dont even work so well depending on your system. I would say...
Build looks good. I would suggest going with a 6500 instead of what you had, and then you would have to change out the mobo as well. I also am suggesting to go with a higher quality power supply, as that one you had isnt very good. So below is my revision. As for linux, Valve is pushing for devs to support Linux, barbecue they want steamos to be popular, and some games have been ported over, but there is still a long way to come. I would do some research and see if the games you play and plan to play are native on linux. Otherwise if they are not, look towards play on linux. This uses wine to run windows games, however only supports a selection of games, and some of those dont even work so well depending on your system. I would say maybe dont get a windows license, and try to only use a linux distro, and if you cannot play all the games you want, then buy a copy of windows.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($190.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Motherboard: Asus B150-PLUS D3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($90.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($89.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($42.03)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Mini Video Card ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Deepcool TESSERACT SW ATX Mid Tower Case ($37.99)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($36.97 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($19.89 @ OutletPC)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN725N USB 2.0 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter ($7.99 @ Newegg)
Other: Plugable USB Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy Micro Adapter (Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Raspberry Pi, Linux Compatible; Classic Bluetooth, and Stereo Headset Compatible) ($22.06 @ Amazon)
Total: $753.17
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-11-21 19:59 EST-0500
 
Solution
Here's a few thoughts for you:

First, don't aim for future proof. Just get the best performance that is within your budget.

Second, only buy an aftermarket CPU cooler if you intend to overclock. The CPU you have listed isn't overclockable. You would be better off spending that $35 on either a better GPU or CPU. The stock cooler is good enough. Most games will be limited more by the GPU you have selected than the CPU.

Third, the Corsair CX series of PSUs have some very poor reviews that should give you pause. Take a look at the Tom's PSU tier list: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

Fourth, you can see what Linux games are available by looking through the Steam catalog for linux support. If you want to play the big-name AAA games, you should invest in a copy of Windows. If you are a student you might be able to get a copy for very little or even free.
 


Is there any reason to go with a different cpu? The specs look nearly identical. Is there something that I'm missing?
 


Is this message important?
"The Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory operating voltage of 1.5V exceeds the Intel Skylake CPU recommended maximum of 1.35V+5% (1.417V). This memory module may run at a reduced clock rate to meet the 1.35V voltage recommendation, or may require running at a voltage greater than the Intel recommended maximum."
 


That's a nice theory not borne out by benchmarks. The 6500 is newer. It will use less power. Benchmarks show it with basically identical performance to the 4590. If you can get it (and the motherboard and the different RAM) for the same or less, then go for it by all means, but don't expect better performance.
 


I think it is. Skylake CPUs only support low voltage DDR3. If you go with the skylake platform, get a motherboard that supports DDR4 and use DDR4. If you already have the DDR3, then stick with that Haswell platform that supports it.
 
Oh yeah sorry I forgot to change out the ram when i changed the mobo and cpu. That then messed up the compatibility filter and made it so the board only supported ddr3, so we want to change the board as well, so here are the new parts. Sorry about that.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($190.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Motherboard: ASRock H170 Pro4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($77.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($42.03)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Mini Video Card ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Deepcool TESSERACT SW ATX Mid Tower Case ($37.99)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($36.97 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($19.89 @ OutletPC)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN725N USB 2.0 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter ($7.99 @ Newegg)
Other: Plugable USB Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy Micro Adapter (Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Raspberry Pi, Linux Compatible; Classic Bluetooth, and Stereo Headset Compatible) ($22.06 @ Amazon)
Total: $740.77
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-11-21 20:47 EST-0500