Help needed choosing budget gaming PC

[karthik.gems]

Here's the list which I got after discussing my requirements with a store manager here.
I mostly do 1080p gaming and won't overclock anyhow. Let me know your thoughts on this and suggest me any modifications necessary,

# Intel Core i5-8400 2.80 GHz Processor
# Asus ROG STRIX H370-F GAMING
# G.skill Ripjaws V 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4 3000MHz (Will add one more 1x8GB few months later)
# Western Digital Blue 1TB (WD10EZEX) Hard disk
# Cooler Master Masterlite 5 RGB Case
# Gigabyte Geforce GTX 1060 WINDFORCE OC 6GB GDDR5 (GV-N1060WF2OC-6GD) - (Both OC and
non OC are almost same cost in our area, but non OC are currently out of stock here)
# Corsair CX Series CX550 550 Watt 80 Plus Bronze Certified ATX PSU
# Cooler Master - Hyper H410R CPU Cooler
# SSD - Samsung - 250 GB (860 EVO)


My typical usage is for gaming and occasional (somewhat rare) photoshop, video editing and conversion

 

[Barty1884]

What kind of budget are you working with?

Typically, a Ryzen5 1600/2600 (6c/12t) will cost in the same general ballpark as an i5-8400. Slight tradeoff in gaming performance, but would be beneficial for editing/rendering etc.

Dual channel memory would be a good addition, ideally from the outset. Personally, I'd forgo the aftermarket cooler in favour of the 2x8GB kit initially - Intel isn't going to benefit much from the 3000MHz, so 2x8GB 2666MHz would be what I'd look towards.

Beyond that, solid enough build for 1080p gaming.

 

[ishaan.iks]

Hi,

Get a decent psu like corsair rm650x.It will cost you a little more but getting 80+ gold psu is very good.

Beyond that,this rig is solid build for 1080p gaming.

Thank you,
Ishaan

 

[LordVile]

Would go Ryzen for a budget build. Take off the cooler and get a 2x8 3000 kit of ram. 1060 6GB might not be the best budget card around either I’d look at RX 4/580s and 2nd hand 980/980Ti/1070 cards where you might find a good deal.

 

[karthik.gems]

What kind of budget are you working with?

Typically, a Ryzen5 1600/2600 (6c/12t) will cost in the same general ballpark as an i5-8400. Slight tradeoff in gaming performance, but would be beneficial for editing/rendering etc.

Dual channel memory would be a good addition, ideally from the outset. Personally, I'd forgo the aftermarket cooler in favour of the 2x8GB kit initially - Intel isn't going to benefit much from the 3000MHz, so 2x8GB 2666MHz would be what I'd look towards.

Beyond that, solid enough build for 1080p gaming.

#Typically want to keep the cost around $900 - $1200 (based on our currency). But component prices are higher in our country compared to US.

# I have heard some bad things from few friends about Ryzen, like too high temps and high CPU usage. Climate is typically hot in our region so I am worried about Ryzen here. Besides most stores here scream "Intel is better", so went with i5-8400, could have also gone for i5-8600K, which is around 18$ more.

# I've heard and read a lot that stock cooler which comes with Intel is bad, so just choosing that H410R which have rave reviews. I thought I could add another 8GB after 3 or 4 months anyhow.

 

[karthik.gems]

Hi,

Get a decent psu like corsair rm650x.It will cost you a little more but getting 80+ gold psu is very good.

Beyond that,this rig is solid build for 1080p gaming.

Thank you,
Ishaan

I was really searching for RM650x here, but mostly it is either out of stock or double the price here. So, trying for alternatives, and the store guy suggested CX550. Would it hold up well?

 

[Barty1884]

Get a decent psu like corsair rm650x.It will cost you a little more but getting 80+ gold psu is very good.

The CX550 is perfectly adequate. 80+ Gold is not inherently 'better'* than Bronze. It's an efficiency rating, not quality.
Yes, the RM650X is a quality unit.... but there's nothing wrong with the CX550.

On the efficiency front, a system drawing ~400W consistently, 24/7 for a year would result in about 500kWh more usage, annually.

$0.08 (equivalent) is about the lowest charge worldwide, $0.40 (equivalent) is about the highest.
So the electricity cost could be anywhere from $40-$200 more (annually) going with Bronze over Gold....... but that's on the basis of 100% usage, 24/7, 365.

Given even a power user would run 75% load/power draw for maybe 10hours/day average, that puts it more in the $12.50 - $62.50 annual difference (or $1-$5/month).

 

[karthik.gems]

Would go Ryzen for a budget build. Take off the cooler and get a 2x8 3000 kit of ram. 1060 6GB might not be the best budget card around either I’d look at RX 4/580s and 2nd hand 980/980Ti/1070 cards where you might find a good deal.

You mean 1060 6GB not enough for 1080p monitor or just for gaming?

 

[karthik.gems]

Just wondering, if at all I have to go with Ryzen, would that be Ryzen 7 1800x (almost same cost here as i5-8600K) or any other Ryzen model?

 

[Barty1884]

#Typically want to keep the cost around $900 - $1200 (based on our currency). But component prices are higher in our country compared to US.

# I have heard some bad things from few friends about Ryzen, like too high temps and high CPU usage. Climate is typically hot in our region so I am worried about Ryzen here. Besides most stores here scream "Intel is better", so went with i5-8400, could have also gone for i5-8600K, which is around 18$ more.

# I've heard and read a lot that stock cooler which comes with Intel is bad, so just choosing that H410R which have rave reviews. I thought I could add another 8GB after 3 or 4 months anyhow.

What is your currency? The USD equivalent doesn't matter at all.
Where are you located?

High temps, nor high CPU usage would be commonplace with Ryzen (for a consistent task vs Intel), so your friends feedback doesn't make sense.

Intel "was" better, from a gaming perspective.... for a long time. They're still a little "better" in raw gaming performance, but Ryzen offers a 'value' proposition, and will be beneficial for your other tasks, with only a minor tradeoff in gaming performance.

Neither Intel, nor AMD's "stock" cooler are particularly great...... but they're adequate.
Personally, I'd focus more on getting your RAM initially, and you could always replace the CPU cooler in time.

Just wondering, if at all I have to go with Ryzen, would that be Ryzen 7 1800x (almost same cost here as i5-8600K) or any other Ryzen model?

The R7 1800X is a nice chip, but for your needs, I'd focus more on 2nd Gen (depending on pricing). A Ryzen5 2600 offers nice balance of cores/threads + clock speed/IPC.

 

[karthik.gems]

#Typically want to keep the cost around $900 - $1200 (based on our currency). But component prices are higher in our country compared to US.

# I have heard some bad things from few friends about Ryzen, like too high temps and high CPU usage. Climate is typically hot in our region so I am worried about Ryzen here. Besides most stores here scream "Intel is better", so went with i5-8400, could have also gone for i5-8600K, which is around 18$ more.

# I've heard and read a lot that stock cooler which comes with Intel is bad, so just choosing that H410R which have rave reviews. I thought I could add another 8GB after 3 or 4 months anyhow.

What is your currency? The USD equivalent doesn't matter at all.
Where are you located?

High temps, nor high CPU usage would be commonplace with Ryzen (for a consistent task vs Intel), so your friends feedback doesn't make sense.

Intel "was" better, from a gaming perspective.... for a long time. They're still a little "better" in raw gaming performance, but Ryzen offers a 'value' proposition, and will be beneficial for your other tasks, with only a minor tradeoff in gaming performance.

Neither Intel, nor AMD's "stock" cooler are particularly great...... but they're adequate.
Personally, I'd focus more on getting your RAM initially, and you could always replace the CPU cooler in time.

Just wondering, if at all I have to go with Ryzen, would that be Ryzen 7 1800x (almost same cost here as i5-8600K) or any other Ryzen model?

The R7 1800X is a nice chip, but for your needs, I'd focus more on 2nd Gen (depending on pricing). A Ryzen5 2600 offers nice balance of cores/threads + clock speed/IPC.

I live in India, here components cost is typically higher. I am sure my friends feedback hasn't made sense to me either, but it's the store sellers that give such impression mostly; they even say ryzen doesn't have inbuilt graphics so whatever we are doing, there is always pressure on the graphic card.

Meanwhile I am looking at 2nd gen Ryzens as you suggested and Ryzen 5 2600X cost nearly $30 less.

 

[Barty1884]

..... Unless you're connected to the CPU/iGP of an Intel CPU, the GPU does all the work anyway :lol:

2600X costs nearly $30 less than?

 

[LordVile]

@karthik

I mean in terms of Value. You might get more performance for around the same price by dipping into the used market or from looking at AMDs options. Espeqvilly when you can cross fire 4/580s and can’t SLI 1060s. Plus crossfire is on a lot more boards than SLI mainly because SLI is only on upper end boards.

 

[karthik.gems]

..... Unless you're connected to the CPU/iGP of an Intel CPU, the GPU does all the work anyway :lol:

2600X costs nearly $30 less than?

I mean in most stores here, 2600X costs almost 30 - 40$ less than i5-8600K. Now I am really stuck with the typical Ryzen or Intel dilemma.

 

[karthik.gems]

I've changed the specs based on Ryzen 5 2600X suggestion. Also removed the Hyper H410R CPU Cooler from the list as I heard stock cooler of 2600X is better.

# Ryzen 5 2600X upto 4.2Ghz (6 Cores)
# MSI - B450 A Pro
# G.skill Ripjaws V 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4 3000MHz (Will add one more 1x8GB few months later)
# Western Digital Blue 1TB (WD10EZEX) Hard disk
# Cooler Master Masterlite 5 RGB Case
# Gigabyte Geforce GTX 1060 WINDFORCE OC 6GB GDDR5 (GV-N1060WF2OC-6GD) - (Both OC and
non OC are almost same cost in our area, but non OC are currently out of stock here)
# Corsair CX Series CX550 550 Watt 80 Plus Bronze Certified ATX PSU
# SSD - Samsung - 250 GB (860 EVO)

Let me know your thoughts on this vs the Intel i5-8400 config I posted in the first post.

 

[Barty1884]

The 1x8GB is going to hurt performance, Ryzen really benefits from dual channel memory (so 2x4GB or 2x8GB), and faster speeds.
If you plan to add another 8GB soon enough, you'd probably be ok....

The 2600 might be a decent margin cheaper than the 2600X?
The stock cooler is surprisingly decent, so good choice to run with it vs an aftermarket.


What kind of prices are these two systems coming in at, overall?

 

[ishaan.iks]

Hi

I suggest you to change 2 things:
1.CPU- Go for Ryzen 7 2700(8core,16 thread processor)-NON"X"version.Stock clocks will be very stable.

This build is equivalent to i5-8400 build.With 10-15% variable performance in games.
https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-8700-vs-AMD-Ryzen-7-2700/3940vs3957

I5-8400 build is faster in games while ryzen 7 2700 or ryzen 7 2600x based build is considerable faster in apps like streaming and content creation.There will be little difference when compared to gaming.

ASUS ROG STRIX GTX1060 6GB is a beast.IT costs around 27,000 INR in India.

If u live in india,I suggest you to go with primeabgb.com or mdcomputers.in.They both sell quailty computer components for a decent price.

Thank you,
Ishaan

 

[karthik.gems]

The 1x8GB is going to hurt performance, Ryzen really benefits from dual channel memory (so 2x4GB or 2x8GB), and faster speeds.
If you plan to add another 8GB soon enough, you'd probably be ok....

The 2600 might be a decent margin cheaper than the 2600X?
The stock cooler is surprisingly decent, so good choice to run with it vs an aftermarket.


What kind of prices are these two systems coming in at, overall?

Hi, sorry for the delayed reply. These are coming at almost 1200$ (based on US currency) meaning 90,000 Rupees. Bit costly. I would be able to save almost 5 - 8 thousand rupees if I buy online and build it myself, but I never did, so don't wanna get into trouble. As said earlier, prices are slightly higher in this store and sadly it's the only store in our city where everything is available.

 

[karthik.gems]

Hi

I suggest you to change 2 things:
1.CPU- Go for Ryzen 7 2700(8core,16 thread processor)-NON"X"version.Stock clocks will be very stable.

This build is equivalent to i5-8400 build.With 10-15% variable performance in games.
https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-8700-vs-AMD-Ryzen-7-2700/3940vs3957

I5-8400 build is faster in games while ryzen 7 2700 or ryzen 7 2600x based build is considerable faster in apps like streaming and content creation.There will be little difference when compared to gaming.

ASUS ROG STRIX GTX1060 6GB is a beast.IT costs around 27,000 INR in India.

If u live in india,I suggest you to go with primeabgb.com or mdcomputers.in.They both sell quailty computer components for a decent price.

Thank you,
Ishaan

Hi Ishaan, I live in Hyderabad, and there is only 1 store here where all parts are available and they would assemble it free of cost. They have a website https://themvp.in/. You may check the prices here, slightly higher prices than online. Sadly, I do not know how to build and don't wanna get troubled, otherwise if i knew, it would save almost Rs. 8k - 10k by buying everything online.

 

[SgtScream]

Is 90,000 Rupees your budget or is that too expensive? If so what is your budget?

 

[karthik.gems]

Is 90,000 Rupees your budget or is that too expensive? If so what is your budget?

I thought it would come under Rs.80,000 but prices have increased and after few recommendations and modifications, it has become around 90,000.
Would have been happier if it was under 80k though.

 

[SgtScream]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor (₹20499.00 @ Amazon India)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - B450 AORUS ELITE ATX AM4 Motherboard (₹10599.00 @ Amazon India)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory (₹12062.83 @ Amazon India)
Storage: PNY - CS1311 480 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (₹6599.00 @ Amazon India)
Video Card: Gigabyte - Radeon RX 580 8 GB AORUS 8G Video Card (₹27506.20 @ Amazon India)
Case: Corsair - 100R ATX Mid Tower Case (₹3249.00 @ Amazon India)
Power Supply: Corsair - Builder 500 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (₹7738.00 @ Amazon India)
Case Fan: Corsair - SP120 57.24 CFM 120mm Fan (₹1099.00 @ Amazon India)
Total: ₹89352.03
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-13 07:09 IST+0530

 

[karthik.gems]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor (₹20499.00 @ Amazon India)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - B450 AORUS ELITE ATX AM4 Motherboard (₹10599.00 @ Amazon India)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory (₹12062.83 @ Amazon India)
Storage: PNY - CS1311 480 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (₹6599.00 @ Amazon India)
Video Card: Gigabyte - Radeon RX 580 8 GB AORUS 8G Video Card (₹27506.20 @ Amazon India)
Case: Corsair - 100R ATX Mid Tower Case (₹3249.00 @ Amazon India)
Power Supply: Corsair - Builder 500 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (₹7738.00 @ Amazon India)
Case Fan: Corsair - SP120 57.24 CFM 120mm Fan (₹1099.00 @ Amazon India)
Total: ₹89352.03
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-13 07:09 IST+0530

Thanks for generating the list, appreciate your help. Few things though:
1.Is this psu better than CX550?
2. Big thing here - I heard GTX 1060 is a lot better than RX 580? (including few benchmarks)

 

[SgtScream]

I suspect the CX is better and I heard the RX 580 does better in some DX12 titles but don't quote me on that. If you want to favor that psu and gpu that is fine with me.

 

[Barty1884]

1. The "Builder" CX units are not great at all, the CX550 is a substantial improvement over the prior series.
2. 1060 vs 580 will trade blows, depending on the title(s). I'd suggest looking up benchmarks for the games YOU play, and see which one wins out more on average. Generally speaking, it's DX11 = 1060, DX12 = 580, but there are some titles that don't quite follow that definitively.