[SOLVED] Which computer best for gaming (low budget build)

[Yurimio]

Hello all,
Hope ya'll staying safe and healthy - as always.
I just wanted the expertise and opinion of this forum. I have the chance to build a budget gaming PC and wanted to see which system would be the best for gaming overall. Below are my choices.

Dell
Optiplex 9010 Tower
Intel I5 3rd Gen @ 3.40GHz
8GB
500GB Hard Drive

Dell
Optiplex 7010 Tower
Intel I5 3rd Gen @ 3.20GHz
8GB
500GB Hard Drive

Levovo
ThinkStation E30
Intel I5 2nd Gen @ 3.30GHz
8GB
500GB Hard Drive

HP
Z800 WorkStation
Xeon E5645 @2.40GHz
8GB
500 GB Hard Drive

HP
Z200 WorkStation
Intel I7 1st Gen @ 2.93GHz
Ram: 8GB
Storage: 500GB Hard Drive
OS: Windows 10 or Zorin (Linux)

Brand: HP
Model: Z230 WorkStation
Processor: Intel I5 4th Gen @ 3.20GHz
Ram: 8GB
Storage: 500GB Hard Drive

They are all pretty much the same price. Thanks for your help!!

 

[SATADATA]

Are you planning to add a gpu to the system? Because none of them will game well at all without one. Or, maybe they already have GPUs installed in which case you would need to list the GPUs that they have for me to help.

 

[GorillaMonsoon]

What is the price? They all look like the lack the most important part, the GPU so you'll have to tack another $150 give or take to have a good experience.

I just went through the same thing and was looking at some of the same systems. In the end I went ahead and built my own from scratch. It has mostly last gen components not 6 or 7 generations ago. I think you would be much happier with something a little more current unless your just looking to play Roblox and Minecraft then those systems would be fine.

 

[Yurimio]

Yes, I plan to pop in a GPU (anything from a 1650 super to a 2060). I also plan to get a PSU of around 500w.

 

[SATADATA]

A little more info on the systems would be nice, but one thing to check for is if they have slim chassis. If they do, the most powerful ca4rd you will be able to fit in there is the the msi 1650 low profile. If you have the $$ I would highly recommend adding in a boot ssd, although the benefits of this will depend heavily on the sata revision of the board. If you are looking online could you provide links so I could have a closer look at the systems.

 

[Yurimio]

? These are all MTs. So they are more than capable of using mid to full size GPUs. SSD would obv be a luxury for booting the WIN os. Looking at Linus tips and some other channels, they were able to fit in a 1660 ti in it just fine.

 

[Yurimio]

These are pretty much stocky OEM MT work computers. As for the mobo, its just as it is. OEM boards.

 

[Phaaze88]

It may just be me, but your options are largely identical, give or take a few things...
-The i5s are basically the same, with minor frequency bumps between each gen.
-The i7 and the Xeon are hyperthreaded, but clock for clock are slower than the i5s.

But, since I believe purchasing a quad core cpu for gaming is a shot in the foot in 2020, I'd say either the i7 or Xeon builds - perhaps more so for the i7 one.

 

[GorillaMonsoon]

So what is your actual budget? I'm sure we could throw together something heaps better for pretty close to what you want to spend, probably be a little more but waaaaaaaaaaay better than those ancient workstations.

 

[GorillaMonsoon]

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/6ChWCL

Something like this would at least get you gaming with a much better upgrade path in the future. Also be good to know what games you want to play. If your want the latest AAA games then a GPU is kind of a must, but if there a bit older then you'll be fine.

 

[SATADATA]

? These are all MTs. So they are more than capable of using mid to full size GPUs. SSD would obv be a luxury for booting the WIN os. Looking at Linus tips and some other channels, they were able to fit in a 1660 ti in it just fine.

Alright, as long as you are sure they are not slim

 

[Yurimio]

Alright, as long as you are sure they are not slim

Thanks! Definitely something to be mindful about.

 

[Yurimio]

So what is your actual budget? I'm sure we could throw together something heaps better for pretty close to what you want to spend, probably be a little more but waaaaaaaaaaay better than those ancient workstations.

I know but with the rising cost of parts in general now, I think I'll go for the easy route.
And that's why right now im looking at more so of the OEMs by itself. I know theres a good optiplex following for turning good ol otiplexs into decent gaming machines. Ive also heard good things about the Z HP series workstations. Not the most tech savy meself, so thought it would be valuable to ask you guys

 

[Yurimio]

It may just be me, but your options are largely identical, give or take a few things...
-The i5s are basically the same, with minor frequency bumps between each gen.
-The i7 and the Xeon are hyperthreaded, but clock for clock are slower than the i5s.

But, since I believe purchasing a quad core cpu for gaming is a shot in the foot in 2020, I'd say either the i7 or Xeon builds - perhaps more so for the i7 one.

Would the i7 first gen be inferior to the i5 3rd or 4th gens?
I plan to play the more recent games.

 

[SATADATA]

I would go with one of these two:
Brand: HP
Model: Z230 WorkStation
Processor: Intel I5 4th Gen @ 3.20GHz
Ram: 8GB
Storage: 500GB Hard Drive
because it is the newest and decently fast, or
HP
Z800 WorkStation
Xeon E5645 @2.40GHz
8GB
500 GB Hard Drive
because of the high core count.

 

[SATADATA]

If you want to go this route I would choose either
Brand: HP
Model: Z230 WorkStation
Processor: Intel I5 4th Gen @ 3.20GHz
Ram: 8GB
Storage: 500GB Hard Drive
because of its newness and decent speed, or
HP
Z800 WorkStation
Xeon E5645 @2.40GHz
8GB
500 GB Hard Drive
due to its relatively high core count

 

[Yurimio]

If you want to go this route I would choose either
Brand: HP
Model: Z230 WorkStation
Processor: Intel I5 4th Gen @ 3.20GHz
Ram: 8GB
Storage: 500GB Hard Drive
because of its newness and decent speed, or
HP
Z800 WorkStation
Xeon E5645 @2.40GHz
8GB
500 GB Hard Drive
due to its relatively high core count

Would the Xeon CPU be lacking in speed? at only 2.40ghz? For gaming?

 

[Phaaze88]

Would the i7 first gen be inferior to the i5 3rd or 4th gens?
I plan to play the more recent games.

In older titles, the hyperthreading of the i7s and the Xeons was hit and miss; sometimes the i5s would perform better, and at the time, they were the primary recommendation...
But the i7s and Xeons ended up aging better and pulling ahead.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPWEdbfJ0oE

 

[Yurimio]

In older titles, the hyperthreading of the i7s and the Xeons was hit and miss; sometimes the i5s would perform better, and at the time, they were the primary recommendation...
But the i7s and Xeons ended up aging better and pulling ahead.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPWEdbfJ0oE

Woahs, did not know that. Always thought the i5 newer gens would out perform the older i7s.!
What's your take on the choice to pick? z230?

 

[Phaaze88]

Woahs, did not know that. Always thought the i5 newer gens would out perform the older i7s.!

I was referring to the older cpus - the i5s and i7s back then were neck and neck, with more titles in favor of the i5.
Today's games are more in favor of i7s, but with Intel's 10 gen launching at the end of this month, that may change, since the i5s and i3s are getting hyperthreading back.

 

[jwcrellin]

For pure gaming, cpu should be intel with hyperthreading. Look for a unit with 16gb ddr4 ram. SSD or hard drive doesn't improve fps but will affect load times. Gpu is purely based on your budget but i'd shoot for the 2060 super if you can, its a nice piece.

 

[Yurimio]

For pure gaming, cpu should be intel with hyperthreading. Look for a unit with 16gb ddr4 ram. SSD or hard drive doesn't improve fps but will affect load times. Gpu is purely based on your budget but i'd shoot for the 2060 super if you can, its a nice piece.

So based on your idea of hyperthreading, which MT model would be ideal? would this be the i7 first gen , i5s of the xeons?

 

[lga1156_ftw]

I guess that 1st gen i7 2.93ghz means i7-870 which is decent but usually needs to be overclocked to 4ghz, your motherboard wont allow it.

If you dont plan to change the motherboard theres only one choice : Xeon E5645 it has 6 cores 12 threads.

 

[Yurimio]

Thanks all! I'll be going with the hyperthreading xeon!

 

[Karadjgne]

i5-3570k and i7-3770k were the exact same cpu. except for a 100MHz bump and hyperthreading. You can still game realistically on the i7, but the i5 is obsolete. IPC has made it so with newer titles.

It's a dance. CSGO will game successfully on a core2duo, the higher the MHz, the higher the fps. Switch to modded Skyrim, and (I had both the 3570k and 3770k) the i5 I was stuck at 70 simpler mods, the i7 is at 170 of even the most complex mods. I got over 60fps easily with either, but somethings simply require pure thread count. Its a Dance.

The Xeon will be more viable longer, even with its lower IPC and MHz, just purely based on the lack of, and disappearance of, most 4 thread or less titles.

The pc's you are looking at are in the PS3-PS4 range. If you can live with that, you can call it a gaming pc. Otherwise none of them are upgradable, only replaceable.