Choices??
Well the thing is I really don't understand motherboards or what makes a good or bad one so I'm just trying to get as small a hassle as possible. but I didn't even know those cards existed so I'll keep them in mind if I can't find anything, thank you!
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if you don't understand motherboards then don't try to pick one yourself. onboard wifi is going to limit your options, so getting a pcie wifi card is the best option, so long as your motherboard has a spot for it (i checked -- it has 3). in fact if you order that MSI Z270 Gaming Pro Carbon motherboard from newegg you get this wifi card free with it. you push it into one of the shorter pcie slots much like you'll do with the video card, except it's smaller and doesn't have a clip to keep it tightly inserted or any extra power connections. the short pcie cards often also work fine in the longer pcie slots if that makes it a better fit for you somehow.
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How does buying a MB with Wifi limit you in any way?
Even if it goes bad you still have the option to buy a USB one or replace the on-board.I guess miss-leading advice is better then none?
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the limit is in the shopping if you only consider boards with wifi. sorry that wasn't clear the first time. the board in that build guide doesn't offer wifi and a significant percent of other good boards don't either. it might be cheaper to buy a board without wifi along with a separate wifi card than to buy a comparable board with onboard wifi, and also cards are often better quality than onboard.
you’re correct that if you get a board with wifi and the wifi goes bad it probably still supports the same wifi options as a board that doesn't have wifi: adding an internal card or an external (usb) adapter. if an onboard component goes bad you don't have the option of replacing it with a new onboard component.
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Well now that makes sense but the way you replied made it seem like they are limiting themselves if they picked a board with built-in Wi-Fi.
Which is an honest mistake that all make so no harm maybe went a little over with the miss-leading thing but when you see a lot of people do it it just a habit.
Thing is though it depends on what the board uses for Wi-fi if it can be replaced.My ITX wi-fi can be replace with any laptop wI-ifi card that uses that standard.So unless the motherboard uses some weird design which I doubt many if any designed there own wi-fi adapter for built in motherboard when you could just use laptop standard then replacing it is not a big issue.They would also still have the option to just by pas it and just get an add-in card.
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See for yourself: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157746
227 reviews, 74% gave 5 stars
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+1 for Asrock Z270 Killer linked in that part list. You get both AC wifi and bluetooth.
If your not mindset on intel you could also consider X370 Killer and Ryzen R5 1600 (6 core / 12 thread) for about same price as the Z270 Killer and 7600K. While most games might not take full advantage of it yet, its a little more future proof and gives you room for more background apps while gaming or multitasking (I like alot of chrome tabs open in background, music playlist, voice chat, IM, etc). Also the cooler included with the R5 1600 is decent enough up to 3.7~3.8ghz that you wouldnt need an aftermarket cooler unless you wanted to OC to 4ghz saving you a few dollars to put towards something else.
Edit: You dont mention what resolution you will be gaming at or if your goal is 144hz, if your not going to be gaming at 1440p, or aiming for extremely high refresh like 144hz, then save yourself a few dollars and just get a GTX1060 6GB as it is more than enough for 1080p gaming.
Other thoughts swap intel 600p for a samsung 960 evo. The evo might have a slightly higher price at $220 ($40 more than intel) but it has amazing performance.
Later add a seagate firecuda 3.5" 2TB hybrid sshd (7200rpm hdd with 8gb ssd cache) for games drive ($95 on amazon usually) if needed for extra storage. It wont match an ssd but it comes close for games/apps that you run frequently (after they have been loaded a few times).
Someone else already mentioned it below but skip the EVGA G1 in that pcgamer build and go for EVGA G3 psu, Its is on sale often, has a great warranty, and is very high quality.
Good luck with the build.
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I hate the idea of using wireless on anything that isn't mobile and I would always prefer to use a wired connection on a desktop if possible, even if that means drilling a hole in the wall or running a cable down the hallway if needed. I had to temporarily move my computer into a different room in the past so I didn't want to drill a hole in the wall. I pulled the cable tight down the hallway and used thumbtacks (didn't have staples) to hold the tension and make it tight around the corners. I used a screwdriver and forced the cable down into the carpet and then under the trim along the walls and in the closet in the bedroom to hide it.
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I have never owned an expensive Wifi router and have always noticed a slower connection on my wireless devices. The connections also sometimes get dropped and needs to be reset. Also, if you get too many people watching HD Netflix or something similar, it can slow down.
I just never liked it because it seems to have higher latency and just more trouble in general, maybe it would be as big of a deal if I bought a better quality router. Being wired, you just know it is going to work and you know you have the fastest speed and lowest latency, especially if playing an online competitive game, I was addicted to Counter Strike for a long time :)
I also hate wireless keyboards, mice, headphones or anything else you have to put batteries in when you leave it on a desk and could easily plug it in.
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+1 except I use powerline adapters rather than running cable.
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pcie and m2 are much closer to the motherboard’s systems than usb is, and for your network connection you might get extra latency or even a slower connection. i back up nobodymk saying the difference between onboard and pcie / m2 is barely noticeable, plus onboard components are usually lower quality than a dedicated card.
a usb adapter isn't terrible, but when you aren't trying to avoid opening up the case it makes a lot more sense to put a card inside the case than plug something in outside of it. i leave the usb adapters to computers whose warranty would be voided if you open the case to install a card, and laptops that somehow didn't come with wifi or their wifi broke.
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Well, don't buy that PSU. You can go for GQ, GS, G2, G3 but don't buy G1.
Another thing; If you won't do overclocking then you are paying some components redundantly.
Lastly what monitor you will be using? If it's something 1080p 60Hz, GTX 1070 (and I won't recommend Gigabyte one, you can check reviews on Youtube for material quality of that card) will be kinda overkill for that monitor.
P.S I'd say go for cable but If you really have to use Wi-Fi then get a PCI-E card for that functionality
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I'll keep that in mind for the PSU.
And I did notice in the description that they mentioned that a lot of things are apparently good for overclocking which I don't do, but I didn't really know how to replace them or want to mess around too much.
Haven't decided on a monitor yet but it'll likely be 1440p if I can help it. Wanted to go 1080 and 4k but that turned out to be way over what I can afford right now.
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If you won't do overclocking; go for i5-7500/7600 and you can buy almost cheapest mobo (I'm serious, just pick cheapest 270/250 chipset one with 4 ram slots and atx factor) and PCI-E card for Wi-Fi. Change rams to 2400mhz.
1070 is favourable for 1440p. 1080 is not good for 4k, one would need 1080 ti for that
Btw do you really need 512gb ssd?
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Well, I can recommend this one: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/kcpB6X
Instead of i5 you could also use i7. I replaced 512gb ssd with 1tb hdd + 250gb ssd
Also added a decent network adapter for you <3
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Hmm, I might just get this one! I'll let you know. Most of my storage is taken up by games so I sort of did want all of them to go into the SSD, but maybe the ones that don't have as long loading times can live on the hdd just as well then. I did sort of worry that 512GB only would never be enough.
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Interesting that they have chosen DDR4-2666. My MSI Z270 Gaming Pro Carbon came in the mail today, and it supports DDR4-2333/DDR4-2400 only - even in XMP mode.
I bought the Kingston Hyper FuryX 2400 - 2x8 (16GB) - for $40 less.
As for the GPU - They state that this isn't a 4K gaming PC.... I'm running an RX480 8GB I bought for $400 (thats $230 less then they are paying for that 1070) the day they were released.. I play Styx - Master of Shadows, Fallout 4, Skyrim LE, Doom 2016, Ashes of the Singularity all at 4K and 60fps - 75fps, I can get Ark Survival Evolved on epic settings & 1080p to run at 36-60fps - most 1080's can't handle that. I don't know about the 1070's...
Most games these days require 1,2 or at maximum 4 cores/threads - and can be easily handled by a CPU as old as a 2500 - I know this because before I upgraded mine for future proofing (5 Year) I was running almost all of the above games on the 2500K with an R9380... at 4K. To shell out an extra $150 to go from a say 6600K to a 7600K is overkill. You wouldn't even scratch the surface of the 6600K. -Oh and something that they failed to mention - The 7600K comes with no cooling(no intel fan/heatsink combo) - you did budget an extra $80-$140 for something decent right?
I don't like the PSU either - that price $AU150 would be better spent on say an XFX TS Series Gold 650W Power Supply for $20 less - and it's gold rated
just my 2c.
Oh and the Wifi - Pick up an M2 Wifi card - $39. Or run Ethernet over Power - Kits can cost as little as $35 - I got one for my kids machine from Dick Smith for $60 - it runs the same speed as my Cat5 direct to the Modem.
EDIT-
Here https://pcpartpicker.com/list/9ngB6X - adds your cooling and wifi is USB 3.0 so better then EoP.
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This is actually the first time I've heard someone suggest an AMD GPU instead of an nvidia one so that's interesting. Nvidia definitely has a sort of reputation for being the best but those stats you report are truly impressive! Also I play a lot of paradox games and those are really CPU intensive apparently? So I do like to get a good one. And I'll keep that in mind about the PSU, thank you!
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Honestly - nVidia cards are the better card - every one of them compared to the AMD card can produce a better frame rate per release - but at a cost. AMD is usually 1/2 to 3/4 the price and imho produces a better bang for buck ratio.
It took a lot of tweaking and driver testing to get these results, but for a budget friendly user like me it's well worth it. especially when I can get it to out perform my brothers nVidia that he paid 2x the price for. :P
As I said before about the CPU - the intel i5 2500 still plays every game released currently quite well when coupled with a decent GPU - You're looking at a 7600K that you have to buy a separate cooler for so total cost about AU$500 when you can save about AU$200 by dropping back to the 6600K and you still have way more power then you need - even with a cpu intensive game. Just trying to save you a few $$$ :)
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BTW - If you are going to go with that MSI H270 Gaming Pro Carbon Motherboard....
I installed mine yesterday. Windows 10 refused to install on it 3 times.
On the fourth it went fine.
I tried installing the motherboard drivers (Chipset and utils) from the DVD that came with it.
Windows 10 promptly decided to reboot in UEFI. Then every restart it booted alternating between windows 10 and the UEFI.
I searched the web, and tried the following fixes:
1) Resetting BIOS/UEFI to defaults - Didn't work
2) Clearing CMOS - Didn't Work
3) Changing CMOS Batteries - Didn't work
4) Installing different MSI App versions - Didn't work
5) Fdisking my SSD and doing yet another Windows 10 install.
Windows 10 refused to activate.
Spent an hour on the phone with Microsoft.
Reinstalled Windows 8.0.
Upgraded to Windows 8.1.
Spent 2 hours letting a M$ representative access my PC via the Web Help App. He downloaded another copy of windows 10 ISO that didn't work.
Upgraded to Windows 10 via a link that the rep accessed - Windows 10 finally working.
Installed ALL the MSI Apps EXCEPT their update program - Works fine.
I read a post this morning detailing that apparently there was 2 versions of the Update App that caused this issue.
So if you do go with this motherboard then don't install that app from the DVD.
Oh and I can confirm that the max XMP OC for the RAM is 2400Mhz unless you upgrade the BIOS/UEFI - buying that 2666Mhz that is listed on the PCGamer site is a waste - And upgrading that BIOS/UEFI is not to be done with the MSI BIOS App - it causes issues too.
EDIT
Oh.... and the LED's and LED App on and for the board - Pretty weak - and if you use an extra LED Strip, don't use it off the onboard LED Port - very poor colors, I think there may be a low voltage issue with the boards.
I opened it back up and used my original controller powered off the motherboard and it was pretty bad too.
In the end I installed an extra power cord and powered the controller with that and my LED's are back to "blinding" as my wife puts it :)
EDIT 2
Forgot - You also get a choice of either 2 months free of WTF Premium or Ubisoft's Ghost Recon 3 Wildlands when you register the motherboard. I got my code this morning.
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ahh okay, i understand. wired would be a better connection no matter how you want to slice it. but personally even if i were wired, i'd still like to have the option for wifi via an internal adapter. the internal pci-e or just regular pci either one are cheap anyways. =)
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I've been hearing that a lot but my router is in a very out of reach place and I'm living right now in a small apartment with not much place to move it to. Maybe later! For now the adapter may be the best solution. Thank you for the advice!
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Jesus hell, that build you linked in the OP is terrible. The RAM is unnecessarily expensive for giving no extra. That CPU cooler has been outdated for years now. That particular SSD is pointless for any home computer. That case is only worth anything if you buy parts with LED lights yet they never point that out in the final build. I would even argue that right now a decent AMD Ryzen CPU would be more beneficial in this price range and in the long run than any Intel. The only reason I cannot say anything about that GPU pick is that AMD stops before that performance line, so the 1070 is the only thing offered in that range right now.
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On the wire >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> wireless
This is true for gaming
EVERY
SINGLE
TIME
Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I was a supermod in a custom modding/game rig building forum for almost 10 years. I do stupidly custom things like take old, beige cases that people throw out and turn them into windowed, automotive paint inside-and-out, custom-logo-in-window, controlled-lighting, crazy works of art. I'm not saying that to brag (well, maybe just a little), but rather to establish that I actually know what I'm talking about. The first custom work I did myself was in 8th grade on an IBM PC jr (yeah, I'm gettin' old here), and believe me, it was NOT normal to work on your own PC then.
So yeah, please trust me...just get a good gaming-class router, hang it off of your cable modem, and run some CAT6 directly to that thing. It avoids SO many problems, especially in terms of upstream speed.
Also, I would buy the Ryzen. AMD generally gets you more bang for the buck in budget PC builds. If you're dropping 4K and want to get to the top of the heap, Intel wins every time. But in the middle tiers, AMD is usually a better deal per CPU cycle.
The point above about the EVO 212 being kind of old is accurate, but the reality is that this is why it's a good budget buy...it's 95% as fast as a newer model, but because it's not this year's model, you'll probably save 30% of the cost of the SSD. Everything technology-wise gets one-upped in about 6 months, so often buying something that is a year old in terms of design is your best bet value-wise, because upgrades are (usually, but not always) incremental.
As far as CPU coolers go, it's all about efficiency -- age of design doesn't mean jack, other that if the cooler provides the right attachments for your socket type. I'm using a Zalman (trying to remember model) in my gaming rig that is probably 6-7 years old, and it's a BEAST. I'm still sporting an 8350 (OC'd slightly to 4.3GHz X8 for the base, 4.5 in turbo), and this thing doesn't crack more than 49-50C under full load (~36C at idle). I bought it on sale because at the time, it was a model that was 1-2 years old. Did my research, found out that it's an incredible cooler and can handle the hotplate-like temps of the 8350 (great budget proc for the time, but dang, the HEAT), and nabbed it. Originally, it was a $75 cooler, got it on clearance for $30. Looks and works like the day I bought it (another hint: use Arctic Silver 5 for your thermal compound, not the free stuff that comes with the coolers...this will make between 2-5C difference by itself), and saved me a lot of money in my build.
So long as your parts are compatible, it's ok to mix some new stuff with older parts, as long as the older parts are good. This is my advice on power supplies as well: NEVER cheap out on your PSU. Get more power than you need right now, and get a PSU that is reliable and has a great warranty. Remember that EVERYTHING plugs into it, so if you get a cheap one and it dies, it often takes components with it, and that's really bad. But spend the money on a good one and it's likely to be something you can keep for 2-4 upgrade cycles (depending upon how often you do that).
Hope that helps!
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Also, to talgaby's point above...I went with the 1070 (8Gb) as well. Best crossroads between price and performance.
And just buy a long CAT6 cable. Go to monoprice.com...they have the best prices on good network cable. I've run 75-100ft cables from them and never had a signal problem.
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You really do not need one with Wi-fi built in unless you want to go for the simple of not mucking about with add-on cards or USB cards.If you are going for say an ITX build then I would say you are better off with one built-in for the sake of saving space which is the whole point of ITX.
The choice is really up to you,one with built-in is a nice option and still leaves you with other options if it ever fails like a USB Wifi or Add-in card.If you want less clutter and less wires to deal with then built in might be the better option.
As far as what would work if you decide not to go the built in route well it really depends on the speed you need and so on.As different specs offer different speeds.What are you willing to spend on this if you do use external?As they have cheaper models that will work just fine they might not offer the speed and flexibility you are looking for.What is your speed for internet and what are you looking to use it for?Will it only be you or other's using the internet.
If you are close to the router then placement really should not be an issue for it but if you are quiet far external might be the better option since it will give you more choices of placement if you go USB route so there is also that to keep in mind.Though from what I gather you are not to far from it.
If you do not mind running cat5 cable then plugging directly into the router might be the better option.Just remember the longer the run on the cable the more the signal will degrade.
Really how and what you will use Wi-Fi for is the most important aspect in deciding the best route to take.
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plus side on a usb based wlan stick is that you can place it anywhere on your desk to get the best performance.
i bought mine for less than 15 bucks years ago and it comes along nicely with my 25mbit fiber glass connection.
a receiver inside your pc gets hidden under your desk and being inside a metal case wont help with performance either.
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well well i cant give u any advice, since im follow the $750 build XD. its not yet completed tho.
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You could buy a network Wifi card, or pick a Z270 board with wifi that you like (bear in mind that this chipset is meant for overclocking CPUs):
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/motherboard/#xcx=0&c=119&e=31&sort=price&page=1
This AsRock looks sexy AF and is even cheaper than the MSI from PC Gamer:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157746&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker,%20LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=
If you want to go with an MSI then this board comes with a network card already:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813144033&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker,%20LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=
And finally, if you want an Asus mobo with incorporated wifi:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132928&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker,%20LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=
Those are my 3 picks for you, hope any of them are helpful.
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Personally i don't have really like WIFI especially over longer ranges or through tick walls it could be bad thats why I'm currently using a powerline adapter for me the speed is the same as a cable straight from the router to the PC and its double the WIFI speed.
They are really easy to setup and also usually allow more then 1 device to be connected so it could be usefull if you have a console or something that needs acces to the internet aswell.
Powerline adapters are basically 2 adapters you plug in a socket anywhere in the house and you it basically makes your power a ethernet cable :)
Also that build seems a bit overpriced. A $50 Motherboard is fine if you don't plan on overclocking, same goes for the CPU fan you wont need one if you don't want to overclock the stock one is fine. For the extra $150 you could easily get a 1080 or a better CPU.
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Oh I've just seen you're following PC Gamer's build blindly... you should be more thoughtful on how you spend your hard earned cash, ask yourself these fundamental questions:
After answering these 4 questions I realized I just wanted to play demanding games like Witcher 3 or GTA V on High on 1080p60 since I would either game on my TV or buy a monitor with a 60Hz refresh rate, then I realized I would just game 4 to 10h weekly and I would mainly use it for gaming and light Internet browsing, knowing all that I decided to go for a budget build similar to a console with a budget of $600-800.
Having decided all that I begun part hunting! Answer this 4 things and I can help you out with suggestions :] I'm sure others in the community would be eager to help too.
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So I finally got around to building my own PC after years of messing around with annoying sub-par laptops. I spent all of last year saving money so I could afford to get something at least a bit nicer-than-average but am still not exactly rich, so I'm following PC Gamer's ~1250$ build and have not actually changed anything and wasn't planning to until I noticed a thing. The motherboard doesn't have built in wifi capability. As my router won't be in the same room as my computer this is sort of a big deal for me. I could buy a usb wifi adapter but I sort of just want a motherboard with built in wifi if at all possible. So um, any suggestions for something that would work with the rest of the build?
Obligatory thread creation tax
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