Joining The Masses: Building My First Gaming PC, Part 1

[turkey3_scratch]

Nice article I notice you future-proofed a ton. Also, BTW I use 4GB RAM and play new games fine.

 

[MasterMace]

Power supplies take a long time to understand. The first thing to advancing your knowledge of power supplies - you don't use Wattage to decide your power supply.

 

[littleleo]

I would drop the i3, the R9-280, the Blu-ray Player and the SSD, and go with a i5, a standard DVDRW and a GTX 960, or R9-280X. You can always add a SSD later, you probably already have a Blu-ray player in your console.

 

[Wisecracker]

you should look into the issues radeon have with i3s. There is apparently a driver overhead for radeon cards. Your Radeon 280 will actually have a significant bottleneck (and thus perform like a lower-tiered card) when you pair it with the i3 ...

I'd love some follow-up linkage on this one

The 'Old School' rule of thumb used to be the exact opposite ... Toms even did an article on it, IIRC.

 

[mxpie6]

Perfectly adequate first gaming rig. I could make do with even less power. It all comes down to the needs/preferences of the individual gamer.
I am trying to sell a nearly new system almost identical to this. At least I know the i3 isn't a total "gaming" rig detractor to first time builders. (it really won't bottleneck much)

 

[TechyInAZ]

Nice rig! I would of ditched the SSD and got a i5 quad core (4430) instead. And also the Corsair LS isn't a great SSD, the Samsung 840 evo is way better for less than $80.

 

[salgado18]

I've been building my own pcs for almost 10 years, and your pc is better built than mine :/

Especially because of the motherboard. Nevermind those who tell you to get an H97, when you upgrade to an i5 or i7, especially a K series, you will be thankful you got the better mobo.

You could have taken a better SSD, but it would be hard to perceive the difference between the two, so yours is ok.

Overall, it's a great build, congrats!

 

[Olle P]

I think this seems like a great starter!
I don't know why Morbus (from the 2nd post) needs five computers?
I still use the same computer I got some 15 years ago, it's just seen some incremental upgrades along the way while part of it was five years old already at the start...

As others also pointed out:
* Leaving out the SSD would cut some cost at a minimal performance loss.

* The CPU chosen is a great little ah heck. I bought one of those for my daughter's first computer this X-mas, and it performs well beyond my expectations. (My daughter built the computer herself with me just telling her what and how to do.)

* Your motherboard is a great choice, allowing you to get a faster CPU (if so desired) within a year or two. (Expect the socket/chipset to be "dead" to Intel after that.)

* Graphics card should be chosen based on what games you want to play at what monitor resolution. I have an Asus R9 280 myself, and it runs for example Sniper Elite 3 at 1920x1200 with "Ultra" settings at acceptable frame rates while working really hard.

* The 500W PSU can be "sufficient" for a long time unless you add parts that draw much more power. Technology isn't really heading in that direction right now though, so you should be fine.

* Computer case is also a point where the options are to either do it your way and spend a little extra on getting it "right" directly or to go cheap to cut the starting cost, getting a new case later on. (My computer is now in its 4th case.)

 

[yhikum]

I would also recommend Mini-ITX due to amount of components you are using. Motherboard would need to be changed though since it would not fit into small case.

Also, SSD would become useful if you plan on using any other applications besides game.

 

[TeamColeINC]

You got an i3 instead of i5 but an SSD was in the budget? Well to each his own but I'd rather the extra performance. I do work with CAD and modeling software though so I guess that isnt really fair lol.

 

[de5_Roy]

nice build for a first timer, well-chosen parts for the budget and nice writeup. don't pay attention to detractors.
TH's systems section has some of the best pc build guides.

i don't know if toms has a video of assembling parts but techreport has one,
http://techreport.com/review/23624/how-to-build-a-pc-the-tech-report-guide


edit: err... about the motherboard...according to the specs it has one pcie x16 slot and the second one is x4 slot (likely off the z97 chipset instead of splitting the 16 gen 3.0 lanes off the cpu). so it'll support crossfirex(amd) modes at x16+x4 but no sli(nvidia). since you've already chosen a single powerful amd gfx card, this is a non-issue.

 

[boytitan2]

First off to people saying the case is ugly I have a corsair spec 03 and it is a nice case specially for the price and cable management u get.
http://i38.servimg.com/u/f38/16/02/51/05/cam00514.jpg
http://i38.servimg.com/u/f38/16/02/51/05/10915210.jpg
http://i38.servimg.com/u/f38/16/02/51/05/cam00513.jpg
I know the good cheap mothers flew outa stock black friday such the z97 or h97 guard pro which I have but you you can get things like a MSI Z97 PC MATE for 50 bucks cheaper than the mother board you got which would have allowed you to get a much needed i5. Way I see it by time it comes for a new cpu it will be time for a motherboard no point in trying to just do a cpu upgrade. Every time I personally upgrade my cpu I get a new motherboard. Last time i didn't my motherboard just died on me later forcing me to rush out for a new motherboard.

 

[tniedoba]

Consider what it is you're trying to do... build a gaming computer on a budget. You should focus on the pretty games, not a pretty box sitting somewhere nearby. In fact, hide it by your desk and forget the pretty windows and lights till you have a better budget. Also, at this level leave the SSD and blue ray for a future birthday/christmas present and have some patience... maximize your game settings and fps as in the end you'll be looking at a monitor for hours and the world around you will cease to exist. You're building a workhorse here not a pretty pony!

 

[Wisecracker]

But ...
We like pretty ponies

And of all components, your cabinet will stick with you -- even after your first two wives.

 

[tniedoba]

Yes, yes we do Wisecracker, but when I can't have a Ferrari, I get a used Vette or Supra, if I can't have that I mod my Civic or something that gets me across the line. Besides, my wife doesn't care what I hide in "The Man Cave".... and everything goes with black

 

[gerr]

Couple suggestions from an experienced gaming PC builder...

1. A higher clocked i3 is fine and will be fine for several years. Ignore others who say you must have an i5 as they need to remember this is a budget gaming rig which will be GPU limited far before CPU limited.

2. I would suggest switch to a H97 micro-ATX mobo. They are cheaper, and from your build specs, you don't need the Z97 chipset nor do you need a full ATX mobo. If you must stick with a Z97 mobo, get faster RAM as it supports 1866 and higher memory.

3. Ditch the 120GB SSD and just buy a 32GB or 64GB one and setup SRT to do SSD caching. For everyday use, it's just as fast as a dedicated SSD boot drive, but no messing with multiple drives. If you can find a mobo with a msata or m2 slot, get the cache SSD in that format, makes things easier.

4. The R9 280 is nothing more than a rebadged 7950, so it's based on older tech. I would highly suggest the GTX 960 even if it does cost a little more as it's brand new tech.

 

[hydac8]

From my experience Seagate drives are junk, I would have bougt a WD blue , I have a different opinion about the other components as well

 

[sire_angelus]

i am building almost the excact same config, only i went 4690k, z87 msi gaming g65, 280x msi gaming

 

[sire_angelus]

for those that says that an i3 is "fine", no it's not, you can really feel the difference. I started with that and then swapped it for the i5(now i'm swapping towards i7 cause i got i for the same price) and many games got quite a spike in performance.

 

[disquietous]

I'll never use a conventional hard disk again. I'd rather go without data than wait on the disk. I would just start with a 250/500-ish SSD and buy another when I needed more space. To me, the SSD is the most "must have" piece. It is not something that even enters my mind when considering how to cut costs.

 

[Kenneth Hans]

Very cool write up. As you'll see in the other comments, opinions vary wildly. The more you get into building and upgrading the more knowledge you'll gain. You'll probably also experience heartache with this or that brand or piece of hardware, shaping your opinions on future use as well. Enjoy!

 

[D-7 BATTLECRUISER]

I'll never use a conventional hard disk again. I'd rather go without data than wait on the disk. I would just start with a 250/500-ish SSD and buy another when I needed more space. To me, the SSD is the most "must have" piece. It is not something that even enters my mind when considering how to cut costs.

That would never work in my world. I have a few TBs of USB storage, and on my 3rd generation of SSD. The SSD is the only thing I have installed inside though. That and my 32GB or RAM for my Ram Drive

 

[D-7 BATTLECRUISER]

At such a low budget, you probably would have been better served going for an AMD CPU. The FX-6300 is a steal, and the AM3+ motherboard is low cost as well. You could then put those savings towards a better graphics card, like a GTX 960, or R9 290. But it's not a bad build as is, very good for a first go.

For just a shade over $1k I went with 32GB RAM, a 1kw power supply, AM3+ MOBO, an FX 8350, and a GTX970, and a Samsung 250GB SSD. If he skimped on the HD, and the silly dual core intel he could have gotten a much better monster system for just over $600. I don't understand gamers who will drop down $600 on a rig but wont hold off until they have another $200 or $400 to get the best bang for the buck.

Mine Renders video as fast an i7, plays games a few fps under an i5 while staying over 60fps constantly, the load times are phenomenal. My maximum ram usage so far is only 5GB lol. Running Win 7, and loving it. Oh yeah, I used OBS to stream and to actually record FD video 1920x1080 at without a dropped frame in 3 hours of gamin, while running Malware bytes in the background and downloading. All while my one half of my GTX970 was out having a smoke while I was trying to not die in TLD.

 

[mctylr]

Ignore the comment about getting a 700W PSU; it obviously isn't the most efficient when you only have a small load of ~368W. That 500W hits the sweet spot of efficiency.

Actually the power supply sweet spot is 50% of its load. Ideal is around 40% idle and 50% at load.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/343495-28-power-supply-efficiency-myths

Actually the graph you linked to distorts what is actually shown. To understand the apparent sweet spot of 50%, you first need to know that 80+ Certification starts load testing at 20% load, then again at 50%, and 100%. So a designer looking to optimize their rating would focus on the 50% load test, as it is the one which is easiest to make gains, because very light loads are harder so optimize the efficient while maintaining voltage regulation, without using larger more expensive components (i.e. large inductors and capacitors), and improvements at 100% typically involves using higher rated components which tend to be more expensive, if not larger.

Second the graph you linked to masks the poor performance of poor supplies. While good supplies are very good now (>=90% for 20-100% load for most better PSU), poor supplies drop their efficiency notably as the load decreases, but the purple on beige in the graph obscures that. The graph also only samples 'good' or better brands, it includes none of the uglies, giving an optimistic view of the performance of all power supplies found in the marketplace today.

As power consumption trends are actually decreasing at the present time, it makes little sense to over-size a power supply more than adding a single video card (the Nvidia 980 is rated 165W, and the latest Intel extreme edition, i7-5960X is 140W).

With desktop system (not just CPU or GPU) idle loads being around 100-150W, having a massively oversized supply wastes money as the supplies' efficiency can drop quickly on loads below 20% on the supply's rating.

So you can end up consuming more power (higher operating cost) to keep the voltage within tolerate in 1000W supply that is idling at ~100W or less, than you would for a more reasonably sized 700 or 650W supply (combined with a cheaper purchase price).

 

[mctylr]

For just a shade over $1k I went with 32GB RAM, a 1kw power supply, AM3+ MOBO, an FX 8350, and a GTX970, and a Samsung 250GB SSD. If he skimped on the HD, and the silly dual core intel he could have gotten a much better monster system for just over $600. I don't understand gamers who will drop down $600 on a rig but wont hold off until they have another $200 or $400 to get the best bang for the buck.

Your processor is rated at 125W at stock frequencies, and the 970 @ 145W (reference design) and ~2W for the SSD, ~12W for 4 modules of DDR3 RAM. So where is the rest of your power supply's load?

Even wildly overclocking things can't use anywhere near 1000W with a single CPU and single video card in that system.