Questions about CPU/GPU/Motherboards

[Nebraska]

Hello, I'm going to be building a PC over the summer, I think I'm going to buy it from DinoPC. I'm going for a PC that can run the Witcher 3 very well. I've got a few questions that I would like answered before buying the PC I've built as I'm not expert but come from a PS4.

1). I chose i5 6500 and a GPU called GTX 950 2GB. Now, I was wondering if I would change the CPU to for example i3 6320 but changed to a GPU MSI GTX 960 4GB OC would I get a better performance? The reason I'm picking one or the other is because of my budget, its not all great.

2). Is the Asus H110i-Plus a good motherboard? Could I upgrade easily if I wanted for example an i7 model and possible a better GPU than GTX 960 4GB OC? Or would I have to switch the motherboard?

3). Would 450W Corsair PSU do the job for i3/15/i7 with GTX 960 4GB OC?

4). Is an optical drive needed? I would have to pay £30 extra which I could direct to my CPU/GPU but I feel like it could come in useful.

5) Would a CPU cooler, a 12cm fan in the case, and the fan in the PSU be enough for starters? or would it overheat too much in the first three months for example when I would install new fans?

I think that's it, I would really appreciate if someone could answer. Thank you.

 

[DonQuixoteMC]

Any chance you could give us the total budget of your build? I like the way you're thinking about this build, but it would really help me visualize the build and where you should put your money with a rough budget.

Are there any other games you plan on playing? I'm glad you mentioned the Witcher 3, it really helps focus the build when you have an idea of its use.

Finally, would you be willing to wait for the upcoming GPU releases? I'm especially looking at the RX 480 for example. It's supposedly releasing with an MSRP of ~$200 (so the same as the 960 in the states) but will undoubtedly offer an incredible performance leap. I'd say these new GPUs are critical to getting a build that could rock the Witcher, not your wallet.

 

[Nebraska]

I don't want to go over £650/$937 with my desktop only. I'm also planning to play Fallout 4, Some Steam free to play games, going to mainly play RPGs really, maybe GTA V, and possible Battlefield 1 when it comes out, really like the WW1 style
I have not kept an eye on any upcoming GPU releases, the whole PC thing came out like a month ago for me and since then I've been researching different parts etc. When is the RX 480 coming out exactly? I'm finishing my exams on the 17th so by that time I'm planning to buy it sometime in July (hopefully). Thanks for the hasty response.

 

[gonf]

The Rx 480 is coming out 29June. so end of this month. it should be 200 USD.

 

[Nebraska]

Is this a good build if I pay £600?
AMD FX 8320 CPU
◾Cooler Master Hyper 103 Cooler
◾16GB 1600Mhz DDR3
◾GeForce® GTX 960 4GB
◾1TB HDD
◾Gigabyte 78LMT-USB3 Motherboard
◾Windows 10
◾300Mbps PCI-E Wifi
◾Corsair 550W PSU
Would it be able to run Battlefield 1? And would the motherboard be compatible with new AMD processors coming out? like the Zen thing?

 

[DonQuixoteMC]

I strongly recommend you wait for the end of June GPU releases. You will undoubtedly find $200 GPUs that will outperform a 970. If not, then look for something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£164.28 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: Asus B150M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£54.85 @ CCL Computers)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory (£26.04 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£39.43 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card (£239.99 @ Amazon UK)
Case: BitFenix Nova ATX Mid Tower Case (£23.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Power Supply: XFX XT 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£36.98 @ Novatech)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM 64-bit (£55.00 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £640.56
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-03 18:00 BST+0100

 

[Nebraska]

Is that case you provided good enough? I won't be changing the case one I get my computer so i need to get it spot on the first time. Does it have good cooling/enough space for all parts and parts to come?

 

[DonQuixoteMC]

Sorry for the late reply. Hectic weekend.

The BitFenix Midi Nova looks like a great case. I don't have personal experience with it, but from the product specs, and user testimonials, it looks like the case should house any full sized graphics card. It certainly shouldn't have any problems with the RX 480.

Come back to this thread in July if you're planning on getting an RX 480 (strongly recommended) when you're ready to finalize the build, prices may change, so we can mix and match the parts accordingly.

Best of luck!

 

[Nebraska]

Okay I know what I'm going to do now. This is the build here:
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/
I will start buying the parts from 17th and will wait until 30th to get a closer look at how RX 480 performs before buying the GPU. If it doesn't deliver, then ill settle for the R9 380 as I heard its not a bad card either, ill have to see at the end of the month to make decision. But as far as I'm concerned with the other parts, I think I'm set. Do you think its good?

 

[DonQuixoteMC]

Woah. If that's your build, then good stuff! Didn't know you upgraded the budget!

Yeah, other parts look great. I especially love your peripherals choice. Best for the money, IMO.