How much ram and which type? 2x4 or 1x8?

[KevinNYC]

So I want to build a gaming pc, but I don't know how much ram to get and which type please help me. I don't know which mobo I'm gonna get yet depends on which ram to pick.

 

[Herc08]

Well it depends how much money you are going to spend. The type or RAM depend son the motherboard, so picking DDR3 and DDR4 is dependent on the motherboard (physically). If money is an issue, I would recommend 4GBx2, to get that dual channel performance. However, if you can, I would really recommend 16GB (8GBx2). Yesterday, I was playing Watch Dogs 2 on max settings on 1080p, and 9GB of RAM was used. Just something for reference.

 

[KevinNYC]

My budget is around $700-800, as cpu I want Intel i5 6500, gpu AMD RX480. Which ram should I choose then? And any recommendations for the rest? Is i5 6500 good enough? And the RX480? I want to play 1080p with ultra settings at least. Also recommendations on mobo?

 

[Herc08]

My budget is around $700-800, as cpu I want Intel i5 6500, gpu AMD RX480. Which ram should I choose then? And any recommendations for the rest? Is i5 6500 good enough? And the RX480? I want to play 1080p with ultra settings at least. Also recommendations on mobo?

For that, I would go with 16GB. Ultra settings can use a lot of ram. But it's not going to fit int hat budget. You may have to buy parts down the line, or one by one. Do you plan on streaming too? Or is it just for gaming and light computing?

 

[Paul NZ]

You'll also need 64 bit. Since 32 bit only supports up to 4 GB

 

[KevinNYC]

I want to game, probably not stream and don't know what computing is could you please explain?

 

[Herc08]

I want to game, probably not stream and don't know what computing is could you please explain?

Light computing as in web broswer, Microsoft Word, etc...

 

[KevinNYC]

Yes I'll be doing some light computing, school stuff mostly, like word, Internet, PowerPoint, mail those stuff because I'm still in school.

 

[Herc08]

Ok, so the i5-6500 should be good for what you need, especailly since you aren't streaming.

 

[KevinNYC]

Ok, so the i5-6500 should be good for what you need, especailly since you aren't streaming.

But can I record gameplay with the i5 6500? Just wondering

 

[Herc08]

Ok, so the i5-6500 should be good for what you need, especailly since you aren't streaming.

But can I record gameplay with the i5 6500? Just wondering

You can record, but do you plan on editing? You can still edit, but it will not be as fast as an i7 since it has more cores. I have a 6600K and I edit 1080p videos with rendering times just about as long as the video itself, which is tolerable to me.

 

[KevinNYC]

Ok, so the i5-6500 should be good for what you need, especailly since you aren't streaming.

But can I record gameplay with the i5 6500? Just wondering

You can record, but do you plan on editing? You can still edit, but it will not be as fast as an i7 since it has more cores. I have a 6600K and I edit 1080p videos with rendering times just about as long as the video itself, which is tolerable to me.

Maybe I'll edit some videos, nut not sure yet. Is it okay for photo editing? And if I do plan on editing videos, will the i5 6500 be enough? Or do I need better cpu then?

 

[Herc08]

The i5 will be enough. It depends how patience you are. It won't be super slow, but it could be faster just know that. However, if you will be doing all of that, then definitely 16GB of RAM is needed to be able to handle all of that processing.

 

[KevinNYC]

The i5 will be enough. It depends how patience you are. It won't be super slow, but it could be faster just know that. However, if you will be doing all of that, then definitely 16GB of RAM is needed to be able to handle all of that processing.

Okay, any recommendations for my mobo and some ram sticks which are well-priced for performance?

 

[Herc08]

The i5 will be enough. It depends how patience you are. It won't be super slow, but it could be faster just know that. However, if you will be doing all of that, then definitely 16GB of RAM is needed to be able to handle all of that processing.

Okay, any recommendations for my mobo and some ram sticks which are well-priced for performance?

Brands can range, from Corsair, Kingston, G Skill, etc. Whaever is cheaper. RAM prices changes all the time, so you are going to have to catch it when you can. Just last month, I grabed 16GB for $65, but now it's jumped to $79. So it just depends. If you go on PCPartPicker and read the reviews on any 8GBx2 set, you should be okay. Whatever is cheaper is good. People are going to tell you to look at 2133/2400/2666/3000mhz, but for you, I wouldn't recommend it. If you plan on upgrading, I would get a B150 motherboard. If not, and two slots is ok, then an H110 (microATX) will do.

 

[KevinNYC]

I also have some more questions about ram, mobo and also about graphics card.
1. DDR3 or DDR4? What's the difference and which is better?
2. What about H170?
3. Is the RX480 good enough for 1080p ultra settings and 1440p high/mid settings?

 

[bahnstormer]

1. DDR3 / DDR4 are different generations of memory - DDR3 for older motherboards.... but you're saying that you want a i5-6500.. so that's 6th gen.... pretty sure they're all DDR4. You'll have to buy whatever is suited to your motherboard.

2. H170 might be a good option for you given budget constraints - they're not slow motherboards at all - they just won't have a few extras (e.g. support for extra PCIe lanes - in particular 3x PCIe x16 channels, etc).... only normally required for extreme gaming / video rendering for $2k+ systems. They are normally more limited on overclocking options, so you're likely to be runinng your memory well within spec - like HErc saidL DO NOT overpay for enthusiast spec memory - just buy whichever speed your CPU+motherboard is rated for.

3. I'd have to defer to the THG October'16 roundup... RX480 is rated "Best @ 1080P, Good @ 1440P" (for the price).
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/best-gpus,review-33382.html

The first PC is always a huge outlay.... why not pick up and older system.... keep some cash in reserve and then upgrade components when you're identified what you actually need....

How about this ex-demo model? It's 4th gen i5 and with an older GPU.... but you're saving SEVERAL HUNDRED dollars and will be able to make a more informed decision with your next upgrade (plus you'll have a re-usbale case, cooling, PSU as a minimum.... plus the experience!)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ASRock-H97M-LGA1150-Intel-i5-Full-System-i5-CPU-R9-GPU-750W-500GB-16GB-RAM-/201753871611?hash=item2ef977c4fb:g:FuoAAOSwB09YOzQE

The only real downside of that system is that it is still DDR3.... so you next upgrade would probably be GPU (keeping that CPU).... and then after that the step would be another big one (CPU, motherboard and RAM would have to be done together as it is a new generation of CPU sockets, etc).

Comparisons of the CPU's:
http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i5-6500-vs-Intel-Core-i5-4460

And the GPU's:
http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/AMD-RX-480-vs-AMD-R9-270X/3634vs2188