$800 PC Build Help

[Kalem]

EDIT: I'll spend $1000 USD (approx) on the rig alone

Hi, any computer guys out there want to help me with a good tower build.

I want to spend about $800 $950 US, or for me $1100 Australian (parts are cheaper in the US) on the tower alone.

My main use for the PC will be gaming things like BF4, assetto corsa and maybe iRacing.

I'm looking for good value, good performance and preferably good longevity (somewhat 'future-proof)

oh and my main aim is good graphics and FPS of course

Thanks !

 

[Ameer67]

It's nearly impossible to future-proof your machine. Things change.

About your build, I'm gonna let the computer guys on the forums help you. Don't know a huge amount about PC builds yet.

 

[TB]

A few questions before we start slinging options at you.

Any preference between AMD or Intel for the CPU?
Same question for the GPU - AMD or Nvidia based?
Will you be doing anything else that would require more horsepower than what an i5 equivalent would provide?
Do you need an OS?

 

[Kalem]

A few questions before we start slinging options at you.

Any preference between AMD or Intel for the CPU?
Same question for the GPU - AMD or Nvidia based?
Will you be doing anything else that would require more horsepower than what an i5 equivalent would provide?
Do you need an OS?

No, I have no preference, I'm purely after performance, value and if possible a bit of longevity.

I will only be doing gaming, web browsing and running some basic software for my uni course

And yes I would need an OS

Thanks for the replies

edit: also I'm after a build that would allow for upgrades in the future

 

[ImmalovemaGTR]

No, I have no preference, I'm purely after performance, value and if possible a bit of longevity.

I will only be doing gaming, web browsing and running some basic software for my uni course

And yes I would need an OS

Thanks for the replies

edit: also I'm after a build that would allow for upgrades in the future

Upgrades are always possible, but it could happen that e.g. if you want to change the video card in the future, the Processor is too weak.
But that would require a really bad processor

800 USD = 590€...

Something like this could work:

CPU: AMD FX-6300
GPU: R9-270X
8GB RAM DDR3-1600
Corsair 600CX power supply
ASRock Extreme 3+ Motherboard with the AMD 970 chipset
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo CPUcooler
Some 1TB hard drive, maybe from Western Digital
And finally sone case and DVD drive of your choice.

I am not that much of a computer guy, but I am looking for a PC in the same price range and I got these specs recommended by some GTPers (@TB and @Tesla)

Tree'd, Mr. Armeer

Edit: Damn, I forgot about the OS, which would add about 70 USD, I think

 

[Ameer67]

What are 800 USD in Euros?

$800 is €587.67 according to Google.

 

[Kalem]

Ok thanks, I'm looking to spend 1000 Australian which is almost 900 US, however i'm taking into account that parts are a lot cheaper in the US

 

[Kalem]

any thoughts on the:

GPU: GTX 770
CPU: i5 4670

That is what one of my friends did
good??

 

[ImmalovemaGTR]

any thoughts on the:

GPU: GTX 770
CPU: i5 4670

That is what one of my friends did
good??

Too expensive??

 

[BHRxRacer]

any thoughts on the:

GPU: GTX 770
CPU: i5 4670

That is what one of my friends did
good??

If you add decent RAM, motherboard and cooling to that, you'll probably double the budget.

 

[Kalem]

If you add decent RAM, motherboard and cooling to that, you'll probably double the budget.

really?

I've found the i5 4670 for $250 Australian

and the GTX 770 for $400

so far that is $650

How much can I expect to pay for the rest?

EDIT: my friend just did a build with the AMD 280x (same price as gtx770) and an i5 4670 for $1150 Australian

I'm happy to spend that much (well not 'happy' but you get the idea ahah)

 

[JerseyDriverSS]

I would stick with a Nvidia gpu. I've had bot AMD and Nvidia and the Nvidia has better support in many games and It just plain plays better with Assetto Corsa wich is in my opinion gonna be the benchmark in simracing once its completely finished.

Plus Nvidia offers the awesome shadow play feature.

 

[TB]

I've found the i5 4670 for $250 Australian

and the GTX 770 for $400

so far that is $650

How much can I expect to pay for the rest?

You would be surprised how quickly everything adds up. With an i5 and the 770, you'll be mimicking my build from last year. It got way more expensive than I was planning but it will do anything I throw at it.

You could easily drop the price a bit by not getting the SSD or the network adapter or picking less expensive parts, naturally. Use it as a starting point, if you will. 👍

 

[Kalem]

Yeah, I think I'm going to have to up my budget a bit, cause I have my heart set on either a 280x or a 770 so I don't have to upgrade for a while.

I read on some PC forums that the 280x has the slight edge as its a touch cheaper and has an extra gb of vRam which makes it more 'future proof'

Also anyone know a good motherboard to use with the 4670k

Thanks

 

[TB]

My Asrock has been great so far. You would need a different model for the 4th gen processor but I'd imagine it would be just as good, if not better.

Also, if money up front is an issue, buy everything but the GPU now and wait for a few months for the 770.

 

[Kalem]

I have about 2200 saved up at the moment but dont want to spend all of that. By the time I get a 27 inch monitor for about $250 it will add up pretty quickly I imagine.

With all my reading so far I'm leaning towards the 280x and the 4670k, just need to find some good ram, M/b, power supply, case and whatever else

any thoughts on

I'll add an SSD later on down the track

 

[phillgt2002]

I have about 2200 saved up at the moment but dont want to spend all of that. By the time I get a 27 inch monitor for about $250 it will add up pretty quickly I imagine.

With all my reading so far I'm leaning towards the 280x and the 4670k, just need to find some good ram, M/b, power supply, case and whatever else

any thoughts on

I'll add an SSD later on down the track

Does it have to be a 27"? Monitor prices scale weird when it comes to size. You could save some by going down a bit.

Like this Asus

I would stick with a Nvidia gpu. I've had bot AMD and Nvidia and the Nvidia has better support in many games and It just plain plays better with Assetto Corsa wich is in my opinion gonna be the benchmark in simracing once its completely finished.

Plus Nvidia offers the awesome shadow play feature.

Yeah, I was going to get a Nvidia GPU and the reason why was because of shadowplay. You may not have a reason to record video of your games but if you do then that could be a plus.

 

[Kalem]

@phillkillv2 , I'm happy to pay the extra $75 or so to get the 27 inch as I really like bigger monitors.

So far my build is this

CPU: i5 4670k
GPU: AMD 280x 3GB (maybe the overclocked edition, but not sure?)
Case: Prodigy by Betfenix
Motherboard: z87 ??? (not too sure)
Powersupply:
RAM: 8GB -
OS:
Cooling:

Fill in the blanks computer genius's, its just like a puzzle

 

[Ameer67]

OS:

Probably Windows 7 for compatibility with games. You can go with Windows 8, but some games may not work.

 

[phillgt2002]

@phillkillv2 , I'm happy to pay the extra $75 or so to get the 27 inch as I really like bigger monitors.

So far my build is this.

Ah, okay.

If you plan to upgrade or add more just get a slightly bigger PSU. I'm not too sure but look into it but a 750w Corsair might work?

Messed that post up. Oops, fixed it though.

 

[TB]

Fill in the blanks computer genius's, its just like a puzzle

Puzzle completed.

 

[Bram Turismo]

I read on some PC forums that the 280x has the slight edge as its a touch cheaper and has an extra gb of vRam which makes it more 'future proof'

A 280X vs a GTX770 all comes down to screen resolution. If you stick to 1080p, a GTX770 should do fine for a good period of time to come. But any resolution higher and a GTX770 just won't cut it due to a lack of memory.

Personally I think a 280X is the best choice as a budget gaming card. But check for 7970 "Ghz" cards. The Ghz being the important bit. These versions were the faster versions of the original 7970 card. A 280X is a rebranded 7970 Ghz card. If you find a 7970 Ghz card for cheaper, go for that since they are exactly the same cards.

If you're going with 1080p gaming, I think a 24" monitor would be the maximum screen size I'd go with. As you are keeping a resolution, but placing it on a bigger screen size, you are sort of stretching the image, and it'll kind of downgrade image quality and overall sharpness.

If you are going with a 1440p 27" monitor, I suggest reviewing your budget. At this resolution you'd want an AMD R9 290 or an nVidia GTX780 as a bare minimum for this resolution to keep the framerate up.

SSD disks are not necessary in my opinion, and thus an easy way to shave money off of your build. With a GTX770 or 280X card, you don't need a PSU more than 600-650W. Hell, 600W is even enough for a GTX780.

 

[Kalem]

@Bram Turismo, thanks for the detailed response, the reason I want a bigger monitor is because I wont be able to sit as close to it as most people do, and I just generally like larger screen size even if it is slightly at the expense of pixel density. Definitely not going for 1440p.

Would I have to add extra power supply to allow for the fact I'll be using my wheel, pedals and shifter through the PC too, or does it not work that way

 

[Ameer67]

Would I have to add extra power supply to allow for the fact I'll be using my wheel, pedals and shifter through the PC too, or does it not work that way

Doesn't the wheel have it's own power supply that you plug into a power outlet?

 

[Bram Turismo]

@Bram Turismo, thanks for the detailed response, the reason I want a bigger monitor is because I wont be able to sit as close to it as most people do, and I just generally like larger screen size even if it is slightly at the expense of pixel density. Definitely not going for 1440p.

Would I have to add extra power supply to allow for the fact I'll be using my wheel, pedals and shifter through the PC too, or does it not work that way

The wheel itself won't use power from your PC because it has its own power supply. The motherboard will increase power usage with every application you plug into it, but it's going to be ever such a tiny difference that you can say "No".

How far from your screen will you be sitting? Because if this is your first ever build and you've never had a large monitor before, believe me, 27" is big.

I mean, I come from a 16" laptop and currently using a 24" ASUS monitor and it is huge for every day applications like simply browsing the web. Gaming is where all the fun is, but every day I'm using my computer I think "Damn, 24" really is big."

Technically I'd never need anything larger than 22", but oh what the hell. YOLO.

 

[ProjectWHaT]

logicalincrements.com
best website out there

 

[Kalem]

@Bram Turismo, this is my first ever build however my home computer is a 22inch monitor and I'd definately want something bigger than that.

I'm going to slide a desk up infront of my PVC racing rig (<-- in the photo) so it will be a bit further back from me compared to sitting at a desk

I've kind of decided to go 'all out' now, well for me anyway, and just drop like $1000 US / $1300 AUD (accounting for parts difference). As you say, yolo hahah

logicalincrements.com
best website out there

Thanks man! that's actually really helpful
edit: this is my new favourite website

 

[ProjectWHaT]

Thanks man! that's actually really helpful

Also note that that website doesn't include any CD drives or OS. Also don't need to buy a new HSF (Heat Sink Fan), unless you're planning on overclocking the CPU. You also only need one of each item (when there's more than one item per section, you only need to pick that you like, not both of them).

edit: once you start building, check out this guy's videos
youtube.com/user/CareyHolzman

 

[Kalem]

Ok will do, I'm thinking of doing my build very similar to the 'outstanding' 2nd line, but use the 280x instead and overclocking the 4670k

I'm not going to overclock right away, as I'm just getting into PC's so the Heat sink wont be necessary yet

 

[JerseyDriverSS]

Another good site to check out is elitegamingcomputers.com

They post many builds from mild to wild. Its a great site especially for the first time builder.