Good for casual use?

[Novakane_]

im building a pc thats overall good for more than casual gaming, editing and regular use. I want a good video card thats at a fair price. suggestions?

this is my first times building a PC

 

[WildCard999]

Budget? Best bet will probably be a Intel i5 CPU and AMD GPU for price/performance.

 

[maxalge]

im building a pc thats overall good for more than casual gaming, editing and regular use. I want a good video card thats at a fair price. suggestions?

this is my first times building a PC

what do you consider fair?

editing what?

what do you use your computer for on a regular basis?


what games do you want to play?


what specs are you going with? Like make and model of the power supply? cpu?


hard to say, without actual information.

 

[smorizio]

look at nvidia 960 and in a few weeks there 960ti. right now also look online as nvidia cut the prices of some of there 900 cards.
https://www.techpowerup.com/217977/nvidia-prepares-new-pricing-for-geforce-gtx-900-series.html
the 960 ti when it drops in a few weeks should be at 245.00 price point. if you can get the 970 for under 300.00 that a good deal.

 

[Novakane_]

im building a pc thats overall good for more than casual gaming, editing and regular use. I want a good video card thats at a fair price. suggestions?

this is my first times building a PC

what do you consider fair?

editing what?

what do you use your computer for on a regular basis?


what games do you want to play?


what specs are you going with? Like make and model of the power supply? cpu?


hard to say, without actual information.

editing videos, pictures

I have an old XPS 400 right now. In its prime i used it for gaming, surfing, and a whole lot of editing. but as of late it cant handle any processing at all.

games like minecraft, counter strike, maybe star wars battlefront- but not too many, just a lot of each

thinking about i5 maybe,heres just a little idea i put together http://pcpartpicker.com/p/svCc8d

 

[Novakane_]

Budget? Best bet will probably be a Intel i5 CPU and AMD GPU for price/performance.

overall budget like $750

for the gpu itself like $150 price range give or take

cpu im willing to spend the largest chunk on, maybe i5 6600 ish

 

[maddogfargo]

Budget? Best bet will probably be a Intel i5 CPU and AMD GPU for price/performance.

overall budget like $750

for the gpu itself like $150 price range give or take

cpu im willing to spend the largest chunk on, maybe i5 6600 ish

Normally you should be spending more on your GPU than CPU. But depending on how much editing you plan to do, the extra CPU power makes sense. Other than the CX series power supply your build looks fine.

 

[maxalge]

im building a pc thats overall good for more than casual gaming, editing and regular use. I want a good video card thats at a fair price. suggestions?

this is my first times building a PC

what do you consider fair?

editing what?

what do you use your computer for on a regular basis?


what games do you want to play?


what specs are you going with? Like make and model of the power supply? cpu?


hard to say, without actual information.

editing videos, pictures

I have an old XPS 400 right now. In its prime i used it for gaming, surfing, and a whole lot of editing. but as of late it cant handle any processing at all.

games like minecraft, counter strike, maybe star wars battlefront- but not too many, just a lot of each

thinking about i5 maybe,heres just a little idea i put together http://pcpartpicker.com/p/svCc8d

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($70.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card ($189.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($55.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.88 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer G226HQLBbd 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $796.78
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-01 09:13 EST-0500

 

[Novakane_]

im building a pc thats overall good for more than casual gaming, editing and regular use. I want a good video card thats at a fair price. suggestions?

this is my first times building a PC

what do you consider fair?

editing what?

what do you use your computer for on a regular basis?


what games do you want to play?


what specs are you going with? Like make and model of the power supply? cpu?


hard to say, without actual information.

editing videos, pictures

I have an old XPS 400 right now. In its prime i used it for gaming, surfing, and a whole lot of editing. but as of late it cant handle any processing at all.

games like minecraft, counter strike, maybe star wars battlefront- but not too many, just a lot of each

thinking about i5 maybe,heres just a little idea i put together http://pcpartpicker.com/p/svCc8d

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($70.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card ($189.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($55.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.88 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer G226HQLBbd 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $796.78
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-01 09:13 EST-0500

i was recommended a ddr4 comparable motherboard. Do you think the one i have in mine is too over the top for my preferences?

 

[Novakane_]

Budget? Best bet will probably be a Intel i5 CPU and AMD GPU for price/performance.

overall budget like $750

for the gpu itself like $150 price range give or take

cpu im willing to spend the largest chunk on, maybe i5 6600 ish

Normally you should be spending more on your GPU than CPU. But depending on how much editing you plan to do, the extra CPU power makes sense. Other than the CX series power supply your build looks fine.

whats wrong with the power supply? should i go higher watts?

 

[WildCard999]

Editing (4C/8T CPU)/Gaming (R9 380 4gb) Build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($242.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($83.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.00 @ B&H)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 380 4GB PCS+ Video Card ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($55.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $741.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-01 09:26 EST-0500

The Xeon will outperform the Skylake/Haswell i5's in multithreaded apps and still works great in gaming paired with a dedicated GPU since this model Xeon has no iGPU, which is good since it consumes less power and stays cooler.

 

[affinitydesigns]

The CX series aren't the most reliable, so that's why it was suggested you replace it. A seasonic 520 should be fine for that build. One thing to consider is that the GPU only have 2GB of VRAM and as the industry moves more and more into higher res over the next few years, you might be bottlenecked by that. You might want to try to squeeze the 4GB 960 into budget if you can depending on your ability/intent to upgrade GPU down the road.

 

[mjslakeridge]

The CX series of power supplies are low quality. It is not so much about the wattage, but the quality of the components. Here is a link to the PSU Tier List. Try to select the highest quality PSU you can afford. http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

 

[Novakane_]

Editing (4C/8T CPU)/Gaming (R9 380 4gb) Build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($242.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($83.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.00 @ B&H)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 380 4GB PCS+ Video Card ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($55.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $741.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-01 09:26 EST-0500

The Xeon will outperform the Skylake/Haswell i5's in multithreaded apps and still works great in gaming paired with a dedicated GPU since this model Xeon has no iGPU, which is good since it consumes less power and stays cooler.

never seen that cpu before, how is it compared to the i5s? thanks for the input

 

[affinitydesigns]

The Xeon series are the server grade equivalents of the i5s/i7s.

 

[WildCard999]

The Xeon's are pretty much i7's without the iGPU (onboard graphics) which you don't need since you have a dedicated graphics card. Xeon's & i7's the gaming will be pretty much around the same as the i5, maybe better if the game can utilize the extra threads (as of now most don't). The reason I chose the Xeon over the i5 is because editing software (from what i've read) will benefit from the extra threads the Xeon's/i7 have. Price-wise the Xeon is also a much better pick over the i7, the only disadvantage of the Xeon is that they cant be overclocked unlike the i5/i7 K series. I did notice that you picked a monitor for your build so to get to that budget you may need to swap the Xeon for the i5-4590.

 

[maxalge]

i was recommended a ddr4 comparable motherboard. Do you think the one i have in mine is too over the top for my preferences?

right now they are not worth the price premium.


that xeon build is super nice, an i7 basically it just doesnt have a built in gpu inside the cpu.

 

[con635]

Another vote for wildcard999's build, nice work.

 

[Novakane_]

i was recommended a ddr4 comparable motherboard. Do you think the one i have in mine is too over the top for my preferences?

right now they are not worth the price premium.


that xeon build is super nice, an i7 basically it just doesnt have a built in gpu inside the cpu.

Thing is, im not hardcore gaming. I still think this card i have in this build is too strong for what i intend to use it for. Not gonna go crazy on the editing either, and a Xeon is out of my budget. Does the GPU seem okay? Im only playing csgo and minecraft really.

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6DpvXL) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6DpvXL/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54590) | $179.99 @ NCIX US
**Motherboard** | [ASRock Z97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-z97pro4) | $79.99 @ Micro Center
**Memory** | [G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f312800cl10d16gbxl) | $74.99 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [AMD 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-internal-hard-drive-radeonr7ssd120g) | $86.30 @ Amazon
**Storage** | [Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st1000dm003) | $45.99 @ SuperBiiz
**Video Card** | [EVGA GeForce GTX 950 2GB Superclocked Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-02gp42951kr) | $149.99 @ Micro Center
**Case** | [NZXT Phantom 240 ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-caph240w1) | $64.99 @ SuperBiiz
**Power Supply** | [SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-s12ii520bronze) | $55.99 @ SuperBiiz
**Optical Drive** | [Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-optical-drive-drw24b1stblkbas) | $18.88 @ OutletPC
**Keyboard** | [Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-keyboard-sgb3012kkmf1us) | $21.98 @ Newegg
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $814.09
| Mail-in rebates | -$35.00
| **Total** | **$779.09**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2015-12-02 09:25 EST-0500 |

 

[WildCard999]

For the budget you have I would pass on the SSD as its not necessary for the build and can always be added in later. I did change the HDD to the WD Black since its a fairly quick and reliable drive over the Seagate. I also swapped the Z97 MB to a H97 which is cheaper and the CPU is not unlocked so its a better combo.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.00 @ B&H)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 950 2GB Superclocked Video Card ($149.99 @ Micro Center)
Case: NZXT Phantom 240 ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($55.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.88 @ OutletPC)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($21.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $710.70
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-03 07:49 EST-0500

The 4590/GTX 950 are good for CSGO/Minecraft.

 

[Novakane_]

For the budget you have I would pass on the SSD as its not necessary for the build and can always be added in later. I did change the HDD to the WD Black since its a fairly quick and reliable drive over the Seagate. I also swapped the Z97 MB to a H97 which is cheaper and the CPU is not unlocked so its a better combo.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.00 @ B&H)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 950 2GB Superclocked Video Card ($149.99 @ Micro Center)
Case: NZXT Phantom 240 ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($55.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.88 @ OutletPC)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($21.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $710.70
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-03 07:49 EST-0500

The 4590/GTX 950 are good for CSGO/Minecraft.

Theyre beyond good for those games. With this one I was able to fit everything in:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/pFqZNG
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/pFqZNG/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($56.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($77.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 950 2GB Superclocked Video Card ($149.99 @ Micro Center)
Case: NZXT Phantom 240 ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Cougar 500W ATX Power Supply ($44.88 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.88 @ OutletPC)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($21.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $735.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-03 09:50 EST-0500

 

[WildCard999]

^^^ Are the Cougar PSU's any good? It's good to save money in areas that you can but you typically don't want to cheap out on the PSU since if its crap quality it could ruin your system or worse like start a fire in your house.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

Other then the PSU everything else looks good.

 

[Novakane_]

Found this one but it doesnt seem to be on pcpartpicker as an option. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151080&ignorebbr=1&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-_-pla-_-Power+Supplies-_-N82E16817151080&gclid=CP72gq_9v8kCFYX2HwodKSMHXA&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[WildCard999]

Any Seasonic that the OP chooses will be fine, there an excellent company with quality PSU's. They just need to make sure its powerful enough for the build (500W+ to be safe). I would just go with whichever model is on sale, preferably semi or fully modular as it makes cable management so much easier.

 

[Novakane_]

Any Seasonic that the OP chooses will be fine, there an excellent company with quality PSU's. They just need to make sure its powerful enough for the build (500W+ to be safe). I would just go with whichever model is on sale, preferably semi or fully modular as it makes cable management so much easier.

Think i'm gonna go with that one ^^ its at a good price from newegg and has good reviews. Thanks for the help