First Build, looking for RAM + GPU help.

[calpagnotta]

So I'm in the middle of building a new PC(my first build), everything working out great so far, building on a budget, since i have 3 kids and Christmas coming up. I've never had a super amazing gaming rig, I've had an off the shelf HP ENVY h8-1409 and this has been my go to rig for the longest time. (Like 2012, before that i had a laptop.)

My friends whom build PC's and upgrade fairly often are pushing me to get a GTX 1060 or 1070, I'm personally feeling like this is a little overkill...

Games that I'd like to be able to play at decent fps are games like ARMA 3, Rust... Nothing too crazy at the moment. (May change, when i get a taste of the good life?)

I'd like to future proof... but I've never been too crazy about VERY HIGH graphics settings 60FPS, as long as i'm able to run most games at med 60fps I'm a happy guy.


The Question: Should i be looking at maybe a 1060 3GB, 1050, maybe 1050ti? would i even be able to use a ti card? i heard they need a certain BIOS? or should i just stick with the 1060 my friends have been suggesting? I'd like to save the $100+ if at all possible, however i dont want to shoot myself in the foot long term.

General feedback appreciated, Please keep in mind 90% of this is purchased, only need the RAM, and GPU atm.

My Current setup, and what I'm upgrading to:

CPU: Intel I7 3770 > Intel i5 8400
Motherboard: IPMMB-FM (Formosa) > Gigabyte - H310M A Micro ATX
Memory: 10GB DDR3-1600 > 16GB DDR4 - 2400
GPU: AMD Radeon HD 7570 (2GB DDR3) > Asus - GeForce GTX 1060 (6GB DDR5)
HDD: 1TB Seagate 7200 rpm > 1TB Seagate 7200 rpm
PSU: Stock 460W HP PSU > Deepcool 700w Bronze 80+
Case: HP ENVY h8-1409 Desktop > Rosewill - Stryker M ATX Mid Tower Case

 

[richiestang_78]

So for your GPU if you do go with he 1060 get the 6GB version. Or you could get a RX 580 which have been on sale lately pretty cheap, it is comparable. Another step up instead of the 1070 would be a Vega 56 which again can be cheaper and is comparable.

For your RAM I would suggest buying 2666 speed RAM which is usually the same or fractionally more expensive and always in dual channel (meaning the kit sold as 2 8GB sticks). And speaking of your motherboard I would suggest getting a B360 instead, they are usually high quality and offer more features for the same or little extra cost.

For your PSU, 700 watts will be overkill and I would suggest a Corsair CX550 (one with grey and black text not green) or CX550M, or spend a little more and get a Gold rated unit like the Seasonic FOCUS Gold 550.

 

[Flyfisherman]

How about a SSD instead of a HDD?
You will regret a big amount later on, if You're spending a lot of money on a new build, just to end up with a slow HDD for gaming in particular.
Believe me.

I Would recommend Samsung EVO 860 SSD 250 or even 500 GB with 5-years warranty and a very good performance, then You can always add a HDD now or later to store your personal files, photos, films, music, but only have O/S, programs and games installed on Your SSD.
Newegg Samsung SSD EVO 860 500 GB

Or
2.5" Samsung 850 EVO 500GB https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147373
Best regards from Sweden

You will of course need a suitable mounting bracket from 2.5" to 3.5" to fit the SSD in your drive cage:
Newegg mounting brackets 2.5 to 3.5"

 

[SgtScream]

Your monitor's resolution and refresh rate should be what determines which graphics card you purchase. Can you share the specifications with us please?

 

[calpagnotta]

Your monitor's resolution and refresh rate should be what determines which graphics card you purchase. Can you share the specifications with us please?

I think its 60hz but the size is 1920x1080, this will be my main gaming monitor, i have another off to right side at the moment thats running at 1600 x 900 idk the hz, but i also have another one the exact same lying around, maybe ill stick another one on the left? 😀

How about a SSD instead of a HDD?
You will regret a big amount later on, if You're spending a lot of money on a new build, just to end up with a slow HDD for gaming in particular.
Believe me.

I Would recommend Samsung EVO 860 SSD 250 or even 500 GB with 5-years warranty and a very good performance, then You can always add a HDD now or later to store your personal files, photos, films, music, but only have O/S, programs and games installed on Your SSD.
Newegg Samsung SSD EVO 860 500 GB

Or
2.5" Samsung 850 EVO 500GB https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147373
Best regards from Sweden

You will of course need a suitable mounting bracket from 2.5" to 3.5" to fit the SSD in your drive cage:
Newegg mounting brackets 2.5 to 3.5"

That's probably going to be the plan down the road a bit, (a 500gb SDD for a few games i play often and windows.) Currently since i play with an HDD anyways, i planned on just using the same once i'm currently using get the new PC up and running then when i have some money around later, get a bigger HDD and an SSD.

It should be noticed while the topic of future plans came up though, that i'm on the fence about getting 1x16gb ram, or 2x8gb ram, my Mobo has two ram slots, so i'd like to leave room to upgrade... but honestly i cant see myself using more then 16gb of ram
:/ so i might just go Dual channel

So for your GPU if you do go with he 1060 get the 6GB version. Or you could get a RX 580 which have been on sale lately pretty cheap, it is comparable. Another step up instead of the 1070 would be a Vega 56 which again can be cheaper and is comparable.

For your RAM I would suggest buying 2666 speed RAM which is usually the same or fractionally more expensive and always in dual channel (meaning the kit sold as 2 8GB sticks). And speaking of your motherboard I would suggest getting a B360 instead, they are usually high quality and offer more features for the same or little extra cost.

For your PSU, 700 watts will be overkill and I would suggest a Corsair CX550 (one with grey and black text not green) or CX550M, or spend a little more and get a Gold rated unit like the Seasonic FOCUS Gold 550.

I shouldnt run into any compatibility issues with an AMD card? I'd love to just plug it in and work, i've heard a few things from friends who have been telling me to go GTX just because of that?

Good idea with the RAM, will 100% look into that, as for t he PSU, i got it for dirt cheap from a buddy brand new, so i had it lying around anyways, I've done some research and heard that it should be fine for what im doing if i'm going to have multi monitors and a Chroma keyboard? .... since i guess that draws more power? IDK lol im such a nub

 

[SgtScream]

If you're only gaming at 60hz, on a budget then you can save money going with a higher core count per dollar with AMD. This will save you money to be allocated in other areas of your build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI - B450M PRO-VDH Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team - Vulcan 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial - MX500 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($74.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1070 8 GB Windforce OC Video Card ($339.89 @ OutletPC)
Case: Fractal Design - Focus G Mini (Black) MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($55.71 @ Walmart)
Power Supply: Cooler Master - MasterWatt 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($48.59 @ Amazon)
Total: $839.05
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-17 08:37 EST-0500

You won't see any difference between AMD and Intel on a 60hz panel, the 2600 has six extra threads and costs significantly less. This will allow you to afford the GTX 1070, as well as a 2 x 8gb SSD which will make all the difference in games giving you additional performance overhead before an upgrade is necessary.

 

[richiestang_78]

As far as compatibility, not sure what your friends are feeding you but an AMD card is no more or less compatible then a Nvidia one. Maybe the default Windows display drivers are better with Nvidia, IDK, but you should always be downloading the latest drivers for AMD/Nvidia regardless once you get your system up and running along with any other system drivers.

 

[calpagnotta]

Thanks for all the replies everyone Kind of wish i went here and asked these questions before buying 90% of my build now haha... oh well.

I picked the answer that i felt was the best all rounder but i really did appreciate all the replies, and every single one helped me.

In the end, i feel i'm probably going to go with some 2x8GB of ram, I dont feel like i'll really need 32gb... and if and when im do i'm sure it wont be hard to upgrade later.

As for the GPU, I've been convinced to give the RX 580 8gb card a go, when it does come to dropping the cash on ether a 580 or 1060, Honestly i'd just go for the cheaper option.... and i'll keep an eye out for deals in the meantime.

The build:
CPU: Intel i5 8400
Motherboard: H310M A Micro ATX
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM 3000MHz
GPU: AMD RX 570/580 4GB/8GB or GTX 1060 6GB (whatever is cheaper when upgrading.)
HDD: 1TB Seagate 7200 rpm (adding a 500gb SSD later.)
PSU: Deepcool 700w Bronze 80+
Case: Rosewill - Stryker M ATX Mid Tower Case