New to gaming. Opinions on 3 builds to choose from.

[ANunez]

Hello everyone, I am new to this forum and PC gaming. Been a console player all my life.
I am upgrading my PC to start gaming, and I have created 3 scenarios of builds for me to choose from. I would like your input on which might be the better choice given my needs. To make things easy I created a layout of each setup to lay out pros and cons. (refer to link)
Background:
-EVEGA GTX 1050 Ti SC
-8GB Ram
-I do not care too too much about super quality graphics.
-I want a PC that will run most games smooth enough to have fun.
-Down the road I might upgrade again so these are the 3 for now.
-Budget build in mind.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1OFyXa6Lr2tPFh9LU-WRQ7AqQxB8opj6uK1hcPCNLL1w

 

[Rawlucidity]

I am liking the newer socket on the Kaby Lake builds. I had an fx-8350 from that same chipset and it gets really hot and I could only recommend it if you already had an AM3+ board. Stick to current gen stuff. I like the both of the i3 builds.

 

[ANunez]

I am liking the newer socket on the Kaby Lake builds. I had an fx-8350 from that same chipset and it gets really hot and I could only recommend it if you already had an AM3+ board. Stick to current gen stuff. I like the both of the i3 builds.

The build is fresh so I'd be buying a new mobo for either one I pick. I also will be using a Evo Hyper 212. Do you think that would suffice for all 3 (especially the amd since you said it gets hot)?

 

[MrN1ce9uy]

Hmmm.. I'd recommend using https://pcpartpicker.com/

About your choice of parts, I'd choose Ryzen 5 or Core i5... or Pentium G4560. The Pentium G4560 is basically an i3 @ 3.5GHz. The i3 is decent, but it's just not at a good price point considering the Pentium.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1400 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($156.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($77.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $234.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-07-22 21:50 EDT-0400

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-7500 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($187.69 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - B250M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($74.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $262.68
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-07-22 21:51 EDT-0400

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($78.89 @ B&H)
Motherboard: ASRock - B250M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($74.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $153.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-07-22 21:51 EDT-0400

 

[ANunez]

Hmmm.. I'd recommend using https://pcpartpicker.com/

About your choice of parts, I'd choose Ryzen 5 or Core i5... or Pentium G4560. The Pentium G4560 is basically an i3 @ 3.5GHz. The i3 is decent, but it's just not at a good price point considering the Pentium.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1400 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($156.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($77.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $234.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-07-22 21:50 EDT-0400

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-7500 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($187.69 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - B250M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($74.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $262.68
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-07-22 21:51 EDT-0400

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($78.89 @ B&H)
Motherboard: ASRock - B250M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($74.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $153.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-07-22 21:51 EDT-0400

I am using pcpartpicker. It's great, and thanks for your input. I'll look into your advice.

 

[aquielisunari]

Agreed. I was going to offer the R5 1400 as well.

With your upgrade plans in mind the 7500 i5 or 1500X would be your sweet spot. That way you won't have to upgrade your CPU and GPU . A simple upgrade to the 580 or 1060 would be a serious upgrade.

I also agree with the partpicker.com suggestion.

In short? Ditto.

 

[MrN1ce9uy]

The i3-7350K was never a good choice for budget minded performance because it requires a more expensive Z-series motherboard and aftermarket cooler to take advantage of the overclocking capability. Even heavily overclocked it can still get beat by an i5-7400 or 7500 in CPU intensive games.

Unless you already have the CM Hyper 212 Evo there's no need to buy it with the CPUs we're recommending.

 

[aquielisunari]

I am liking the newer socket on the Kaby Lake builds. I had an fx-8350 from that same chipset and it gets really hot and I could only recommend it if you already had an AM3+ board. Stick to current gen stuff. I like the both of the i3 builds.

The build is fresh so I'd be buying a new mobo for either one I pick. I also will be using a Evo Hyper 212. Do you think that would suffice for all 3 (especially the amd since you said it gets hot)?

Stay as far as possible away from the FX processors. You were a console gamer. You don't want a downgrade and the shortest upgrade path ever. That's the plus side of PCs. You want to upgrade a part, you can. A part fails. A simple RMA usually corrects that in under a week. But when you pick an FX foundation without that upgrade path(aside from the 8350 which is already outdated) you're killing its value even before your PC is born. .

 

[MrN1ce9uy]

^Agreed.

 

[ANunez]

Thanks for all the help guys

 

[geofelt]

FX-6350 is definitely out. The cores are slow, and it is an obsolete platform.
I think I3-7350K is a bit expensive even now since the price has been reduced.
And, if you want to overclock(5.0 is possible) you would need a Z270 based motherboard and a good cooler like the scythe kotetsu.

A decent rule of thumb for a balanced gamer is to budget about 2x the cost of the cpu for the graphics card.
If you will be using a GTX1050ti, a $150 card, a $75 cpu would be appropriate.
I suggest the $87 G4600.
I might have suggested the less expensive G4560, but the word is out that it is a very good budget gaming processor. Prices have been bid up.
G4600@3.6 has the same 4 threads as the I3-7100@3.9 which is also excellent.

I also suggest that you build using the very good integrated HD630 graphics.
That gives you a chance to assess just how strong you might want your discrete graphics card to be.
If you want discrete graphics, EVGA is excellent.
Be sure to register the card promptly for warranty with EVGA and to be eligible for their 90 day free step up program. That gives you what you paid towards a stronger card.
G4600 comes with a stock cooler that will do the job, no need for an aftermarket cooler.

Buy your ram in 2 stick kits so you can run in faster dual channel mode.
This is particularly important if you will try integrated graphics.
2 x 4gb ddr4 2400 speed is fine.

Lastly...

I will never again build without a ssd for the "C" drive. It makes everything you do much quicker.
120gb is minimum, it will hold the os and a handful of games.
But, many things default to the "C" drive.
When a SSD nears full, it will lose performance and endurance.
240gb is the recommended minimum.

If you can go 240gb, or 500gb you may never need a hard drive.

You can defer on the hard drive unless you need to store large files such as video's.
It is easy to add a hard drive later.

Samsung EVO is a good choice for performance and reliability.

 

[aquielisunari]

FX-6350 is definitely out. The cores are slow, and it is an obsolete platform.

A decent rule of thumb for a balanced gamer is to budget about 2x the cost of the cpu for the graphics card.
If you will be using a GTX1050ti, a $150 card, a $75 cpu would be appropriate.
I suggest the $87 G4600.
I might have suggested the less expensive G4560, but the word is out that it is a very good budget gaming processor. Prices have been bid up.
G4600 has the same 4 threads as the I3-7100 which is also excellent.

I also suggest that you build using the very good integrated HD630 graphics.
That gives you a chance to assess just how strong you might want your discrete graphics card to be.
G4600 comes with a stock cooler that will do the job, no need for an aftermarket cooler.

Buy your ram in 2 stick kits so you can run in faster dual channel mode.
This is particularly important if you will try integrated graphics.
2 x 4gb ddr4 2400 speed is fine.

Lastly...

I will never again build without a ssd for the "C" drive. It makes everything you do much quicker.
120gb is minimum, it will hold the os and a handful of games.
But, many things default to the "C" drive.
When a SSD nears full, it will lose performance and endurance.
240gb is the recommended minimum.

If you can go 240gb, or 500gb you may never need a hard drive.

You can defer on the hard drive unless you need to store large files such as video's.
It is easy to add a hard drive later.

Samsung EVO is a good choice for performance and reliability.

Should you not plan on having that much on your drive(some PC games are 50GB+) then https://www.amazon.com/ADATA-SU800-128GB-3D-NAND-ASU800SS-128GT-C/dp/B01K8A29BE is a good option. If however you do plan on having a fair amount before you can upgrade I recommend the WD Blue 1TB HDD. Sure, the SSD makes so many things quicker but if I want a 1TB drive I certainly can't afford a 1TB SSD. When I am building a gaming rig on a budget the extra money I would have to invest in a 500GB SSD is better spent with the GFX card or the CPU. This way I am not stuck in a closet until I upgrade. When I do upgrade I can use the included software to easily clone my OS disk or use something like Macrium Reflect which is also free. The SSD does NOTHING for my gaming performance. It loads my games quicker. I did by a little 120GB SSD and a 1TB drive when I built my PC. But initially for those on an even tighter budget I recommend the 1TB HDD first and then a respectable 256GB or larger(Samsung Evo?) SSD later.

That's the thing with PCs and those who build them. We have different opinions. Geofelt isn't wrong. We only have differing opinions regarding SSDs and when they should be purchased if the budget is tight. It's ultimately up to the user to get second and third opinions and KNOW why they purchased what they purchased.

 

[MrN1ce9uy]

And it's true the G4560 has gone up in price. I bought one about 3 months ago for $59.99, now they are $79.