Yup, that's the problem... the computer I want is going to cost more than I'd like to pay!!! :P
Having a hard time deciding where to stop in the spending... I want to buy something that does a REALLY good job now... so that I'm not already under where I want to be, while giving me options in the future for upgrades, etc without another huge investment, etc.
And at what point are we overspending to the point where the gains aren't worth the extra cash!?
Comment has been collapsed.
Well obviously if we want the ultimate build we gotta shell out like 2500$ but... I think we can make it work with an i5 and a GTX970 and maybe some Boxing Day Sales. I just wish I had a person who would say "ok this is what you have to buy cause I know this shit" and then just look out for the prices for that specific part. I'm not lazy to do the research just currently drunk. :(
Comment has been collapsed.
I hear you - we need someone to hold our hands :P
I certainly don't need (would like, but don't need) an ultimate build...
There's just SOOOOOOOOO many options... even when you'd assume a 970 is just a 970... pages and pages of the same card but with different manufacturers with different modifications, etc.
Comment has been collapsed.
You guys, I made a post several days ago in this thread that basically outlines a budget system with parts all sourced from Newegg Canada that is about the best you can do for a gaming system from a cost-performance perspective that includes a GTX970 ($1100 CAD not including monitor, keyboard, mouse, OS). You could also opt for a GTX750ti and get it down to $800 CAD, without monitor, keyboard, mouse, OS). Lastly, the most cost efficient way to purchase a gaming PC that will do 1080p 60fps with almost all current gen games would be to buy a used custom built (older i5 processor [3470, 3450, 2500K, 2400, 2300] 8GB RAM minimum) from a reliable source and upgrade the graphics card to a GTX970, either used or new. Scroll down a little to see it the post.
Comment has been collapsed.
Oh thanks man, yeah I've been looking for exact parts really. I get confused with all the options there are. So many processors, so many types of 970's. I don't want anything Uber since I know I can upgrade later. But I do want something powerful in say the Processor department where when I need to upgrade I can just swap out the GPU. Do you mind if I add you on steam?
Comment has been collapsed.
Feel free to add me! I don't often have chat up these days as I'm a bit preoccupied with some things at the moment, but you can always send me a Q or two even if I'm offline and I'll do my best to help when I get a chance.
One quick thing regarding processor: if you aren't using it for multithread applications like very heavy photoshop/video editing/3d rendering, you probably don't really need to spend the money on a top-tier processor right now if your primary usage is for gaming. The current generation of AAA games are mostly designed around consoles and the average consumer, and as a result still run very well on mid-tier CPUs released 5 years ago.
You can upgrade your CPU later as well, and CPU's tend to drop in price a lot after a few years. If you get an LGA1150 socket board right now with a lower-tier i5 CPU like 4460, it will run all current-gen games just fine and in a few years you could then upgrade to an LGA1150 i7 chip for a lot less if you actually need it.
Comment has been collapsed.
If you need ultra settings w/ 60+ frames/sec at 1920 by 1080p then the gpu is good.
gtx 970= 3.5 Gb, cool running
r9 390= 8 Gb, power hungry, needs good cooler
r9 290= 4gb, same as above, may be cheaper
Don't forget a good power supply, cpu cooler(if overclocking), storage, fans, and any accessory's
Comment has been collapsed.
I bought the same CPU this summer, i5-4690k and it cost me 222€ (240$ aprox). I bought it via Amazon, so, I think 310$ would be too much. You probably can get it for less, or at least that's what I think, I'm no expert sorry. I also bought some Kingston hyper X DDR3 RAM (2x4 GB) for 45€, but they were 1866Mhz. 110$ for those 16GB looks fine to me, at least no such a big difference as what I saw in that CPU. About the GPU, I always loved Radeon cards. I'm still using my old R9 270 Dual X 2GB DDR5, but this is my next hardware to update when I got some money.
Well, sorry for not being useful, but maybe you can use that information in some way. Good luck! I know how painful it can be to search for a new built.
Comment has been collapsed.
I'm not sure if it translates to Canada, but in the U.S., There are huge sales on "Black Friday". I purchased all of my parts then and build my rig for about $900. I5 4690K for $200 from newegg around that time. Saved hundreds of dollars doing it that way. You might be able to buy from a U.S. retailer even if Canada doesn't have an equivalent, but you may pay for shipping through the nose if you dont have the same sale in your area i guess.
Comment has been collapsed.
First thought, you probably don't need an i5 4690k, you can save some money with a 4460 or 4590 as the difference in processing power for gaming would basically be negligible. Since you are getting an LGA1150 motherboard, when prices go down you could always upgrade to an i7 4790k or somesuch down the line if necessary. GPU is much more important strictly speaking for gaming.
Secondly, what games are you planning on running? Ask yourself if you really need 100+ fps at ultra settings in 4k resolution with all the newest $60+ games, or if you are actually going to be pretty pleased with an upgrade to 1080p, 60 fps constant smoothness with highest settings in the best AAA bundled games this year over your aging laptop. This question is paramount to the suggestions and cost performance of your machine and any recommendations for parts.
Comment has been collapsed.
My laptop can't play any of the new AAA games...
Can't see me playing 4K anytime soon... also 100+ fps isn't required... Happy with 1080p at 60FPS while being able to upgrade graphics when wanted (Fallout 4 mods, etc).
Basically looking to be able to play Fallout 4 (I pre-ordered, lol), Dying Light, Shadows of Mordor, Mad Max... all sound good.
Comment has been collapsed.
There's quite a tendency for people to overpurchase when thinking about a mid-range gaming machine. There's really no need to waste money on a top-of-the-line CPU & mobo if your primary purpose is gaming. After a certain point, there are serious diminishing returns on cost performance when you get into the best-of-the-best components. Given your stated requirements, the following will kick major butt with almost every current-gen game and leave you plenty of room for future upgradability:
CPU: Intel i5 4460 ($250 CAD)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117302&cm_re=i5_4460-_-19-117-302-_-Product
Mobo: MSI Z97 PC Mate LGA 1150 Intel Z97 ($125 CAD)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130779
RAM: 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 Gskill Ripjaws X-series ($58 CAD)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428
GPU: GTX 970 ($430 CAD after rebate)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487088
HDD (OS/High Performance): Kingston 120GB SSD ($62 CAD)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820721107
HDD (Storage): WD Blue 1TB HDD ($65 CAD)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236339
PSU: 500w 80+ Bronze Power Supply ($65 CAD)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438012
Case: Zalman Z5 Black Steel Case ($50 CAD)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811235037
Also factor in some cost for mouse/keyboard/monitor/OS if you need them.
Even without those, the above already specs out to $1105 CAD.
If you are cool with maybe 40-45 fps from Fallout 4, you could save $300 and get a GTX 750ti for the time being. It will still outperform PS4/Xbone (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iipDWbd6HNg), and be leagues beyond your current laptop while coming in at around your $800 CAD budget limit. When prices come down or the GTX750ti starts not being able to handle newer games, you can just upgrade the GPU at that time and your system will probably last you 5-10 years.
Honestly though, since you are coming from an old laptop, I think you could actually look around for used parts or an old system built by a custom system builder (ebay/hardware forums/craigslist)... something like an i5 2500k w/ 8GB RAM, decent power supply, case, HDD, and windows license included which you can upgrade to Win10 for free currently. You could probably find something like this for $300-400. If its from a system builder, you might even get a half-decent graphics card with it and be pretty much good to go for a lot less than purchasing new. Or if no graphics card, you could just add your own 750ti or go high-spec with a GTX970 and then be getting pretty good performance with almost all modern games. This would be by far the best value for your money.
Comment has been collapsed.
It's rather unnecessary (K cpu) in my opinion for the OP's requirement of the machine as a gaming rig. Why waste $65 on something that will essentially be useless? Also overclocking often requires cooling solutions beyond stock fans which can add extra cost and headaches for a first-time builder.
Comment has been collapsed.
$35 cost for a quite good air cooler, cpu model cost depends on store (should be comparing direct models like 4690 vs 4690k... although sometimes the clocks dont even match: 4790 = 3.6-4ghz, 4790k = 4-4.4ghz, that's quite a difference at stock clocks alone before even utilizing the k's overclocking)
it's not useless when i am directly suggesting to overclock as part of the hobby (as opposed to saying it's a feature OP might use in a couple years), it's not that hard & you get to learn more about your computer
to put a more interesting perspective on general tweaking, auto settings are almost always needlessly high voltage, manual settings can reduce voltages at stock clocks resulting in lower temperature or noise
also, what if OP gets into live streaming or encoding game footage, not that your 4460 choice is that bad, it's still 4 physical cores
i also dont want some grossly overpriced system either, it's just that there are a lot of choices between $200-400 that arent THAT big of a deal in price if it's going to last years, the difference between socket2011 costs or a $1,000 cpu are much greater than 4460 vs 4670 as an example
Comment has been collapsed.
I do appreciate the discussion around overclocking. This is the type of thing I would like to be able to consider, ie: Am I better off buying a slightly cheaper CPU now or paying some extra money and getting one that can overclock in the future when paired with a cooling system to extend the life of the rig, etc.
Comment has been collapsed.
Speaking strictly of pre-Skylake, and in USD:
It cost about $10 more to get a cheap Z97 motherboard than a H97 motherboard.
It costs about $30 more to get an unlocked K processor.
It'll cost about $20 to get a decently chunky air cooler that'll handle the extra heat.
So that's about 60 USD more to get an extra 20-30% performance. You could spend a hundred more and get an i7 and keep that at stock with a stock cooler, which would be overall faster, but the overclocked i5 would be faster on a per-thread basis (which matters for games that only utilize 1 or 2 cores and most apps). That may or may not extend the useful life of your processor for gaming if the not-optimized-for-many-threads trend continues and processors later down the road get faster cores.
If you're going to be running many multi-threaded apps (video editing/encoding, databases, etc.) then you're likely better off getting a better CPU than overclocking.
Comment has been collapsed.
With your budget, you need to make sacrifices somewhere because $800 CAD isn't enough to get you a top of the line system, and it seems you also need to spend some money on a monitor, keyboard, mouse, OS, etc. The graphics cards (GPU) is by far the most important component in a rig focused on gaming, so long as minimum specs in CPU and RAM are met (which is basically any i5 chip or better made within the last 5 years and 8GB DDR3 RAM). My advice to you is to scrimp and save on CPU/RAM/Other components and try to put that money into a GTX970 if it will fit your budget, as that will give you the best cost-performance ratio for a gaming rig. For now, a lower-end LGA1150 stock i5 will be all you need to run games like Fallout 4 and GTA V at 1080p/60fps/Ultra if you have a GTX970, and 1080p/30fps/Medium if you have a GTX750ti.
You will be able to upgrade your CPU at a later time to something like an i7 4790k a few years down the line, where they will likely be maybe a third or less of the price of what they are now. If you need a little more processor umph at that time, a cheap, used i7 4790k will trounce an overclocked i5 by far.
Comment has been collapsed.
Please check my reply to you a few posts up -- I bascially outlined a system that will run you close to your budget. You DON'T need a high power / expensive CPU to run current-gen games. If you are OK with 1080p 30fps or 720p 60fps in the newest graphics-hungry games like Fallout 4 and GTA V, you can go with a GTX750ti instead of a GTX970 and save $300 with the thought of upgrading to a GTX970 or whatever new card is the best cost-performance value at that time.
Comment has been collapsed.
I have 980Ti, 1080p and there are games that i can't play on High (there is Very High) with 60FPS.
So, your whole story goes down the drain about wasting money on GPU...
What about greater resolutions (4K for example), multi monitor support etc.
Comment has been collapsed.
Edit: I never said investing in GPU was a waste of money, GPU is the most important factor when talking about a computer built for gaming. It is a waste, however, to spend an additional $65-100 on a faster or overclockable CPU + aftermarket cooling + energy usage for basically negligible gains in current-gen gaming performance.
Comment has been collapsed.
I just want to say that "1080p 60FPS" is not a thing anymore with single GPU.
You basically need multi GPU system to reach that goal these days. Hope you getting what i want to say.
CPU is important too, aftermarket cooler for CPU is plus in most cases (without any overclock).
16GB of RAM is minimum.
Comment has been collapsed.
Here's an i5 4460, 8GB RAM, GTX970 (single) running Fallout 4 in 1080p @ Ultra settings. Never dips below 57fps or so: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhdqxbtELcI
And another i5 4460, 8GB RAM, GTX970 (single) doing pretty solid 60fps Fallout 4 in 1080p @ Ultra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ-VlkxNkns
Here's an i5 4460, 8GB RAM, GTX970 (single) with solid 60fps GTA V in 1080p: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sitgXB1tFg
Also keep in mind, these are being recorded with software that runs at the same time as the game, so performance would improve a little if running the game without recording software going at the same time.
Comment has been collapsed.
Hey hey i get it. Try playing some early access games e.g. Ark Survival Evolved, Rust...
I know they are Early Access games, but still there will be more and more that kind of games, console ports etc. etc.
Hate to see when people get disappointed about their 1200$ or so builds...
Comment has been collapsed.
My advice would be to go with a Skylake Mobo + CPU, rather than Devil's Canyon, and then go with DDR4 RAM instead of the DDR3.
My reasoning for this isn't necessarily that the performance is going to be much better really, but rather this:
If you're going to build now, with the new generation of hardware already out and a somewhat major transition occurring (DDR3 to 4 switch) it is somewhat foolish to build with the older hardware, which will prevent a fair amount of future upgradability. It would only make sense if the price difference is significant, and really there's not enough difference in price imo to justify not going with the newer hardware options.
That said, I will note that from what I've read so far, the Devil's Canyon i5 actually performs basically just as well as the new Skylake, so if the cost savings are significant to you, what you have there is absolutely a good machine. It just will limit your upgrade options in the future since there will be no more CPUs on that pin type and the RAM will switch over to DDR4 mainstream so it may become harder (and more expensive) to find DDR3 upgrades in a couple years.
Comment has been collapsed.
Make sure to pick a motherboard that uses the higher end chipset that can overclock. That processor should go to about 4.4-4.5GHz with a decent air cooler. I squeeze about 30% extra performance out of my aging (but sadly still not worth upgrading - desktop processor performance stagnation :( ) Sandy Bridge i5-2500k.
Comment has been collapsed.
dont forget other stores like ncix, canadacomputers, & maybe memoryexpress
price check on ca.pcpartpicker.com but there are times where stores are missing from a product entry (also you may notice how prices jumped after new year 2015 due to the currency failure)
the newegg shellshockers have had 970s for ~$400
yes blackfriday & xmas is coming... are you sure it's a good time right now in mid november?
Comment has been collapsed.
the other thing is you need to test everything in case something is DOA, so i dont like buying things in pieces
you have almost no choice in the cpu so that's easy
for sales, if it's a big or featured one, you decide then if you want the item or not
Comment has been collapsed.
this is the rig I just built
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.2464948
out of stock tho, parts should still be available, runs great, quiet, running 1080p thru tv, haven't checked framerate, but it's up there ^^
Comment has been collapsed.
That HDD will limit its performance greatly and that 750 W PSU was a serious overkill, especially since the non-modular one of the exact same supply costs twenty bucks less. But get an SSD and another of that 8 GB RAM stick in a year, and it'll be a great little rig.
Comment has been collapsed.
yeah I already have a pcix ssd upgrade in mind, and the excess power is for a future upgrade of adding a 2nd gpu and bridging them, or at least making sure I can replace with a more powerful gpu later, I went with that base model considering longevity, better and better gpus ask for more and more power, so i can do a gpu revival somewhere down the line without needing a new psu on top of it, also planning to max the memory (32gb) when I upgrade that
Comment has been collapsed.
That was something I had mulled over, in the end it really depends how regal i feel like being with tax refund lol, having a tough time finding the right pcie SSD tho, the the 1x slot on motherboard is blocked by the double size gpu, could move to a different slot, but would reduce speed slightly, but all the other slots are either x16 or non express, so without moving gpu, not sure what other SSD to get. can only find x1-x8 cards, and also heard x16s are suppose to be or gpu's only...
Comment has been collapsed.
gpu doesnt cover ram, it covers the pcie 1x port, from top to bottom its pcie x16, pcie x1, pcie x16, pcie x16, pci, gpu is double hieght, so when its in the top pcie x16 slot (closest to processor), it covers the pcie x1 slot, which seems to be the going standard slot type for SSD cards.
Comment has been collapsed.
where are you anyway? it's nice here in toronto... you can pick up orders from newegg, ncix, canadacomputers in person very easily instead of paying or worrying about shipping (for example, i refuse to order a hard drive online, a little ups truck is not the same as bulk shipping that goes to the stores)
Comment has been collapsed.
For all the games you mentioned GTX 970 would be the perfect fit for 1080p gaming. Moreover you can get AAA game free with the card as well,Giving you a saving of another $30-$50. If I am not wrong current promotion will give you the option between Assassin Creed Syndicate and Rainbow siege six
Comment has been collapsed.
http://www.build-gaming-computers.com/gaming-desktop-computer.html
best builds ever. After you chose the components, you can buy them at your favorite shop...
Comment has been collapsed.
Yeah, I know, but I managed to make builds for 450 USD that could run anything (in 720p). (Heck, I built a mini-PC desktop for 300 USD that is good for anything but 3D gaming/design and can run more than one program without issues, unlike most budget computers.) This is what I usually mean as budget. 560 for me would be "entry" level or "basic" level gaming PC.
It's just semantics, really, but after delving into the really cheap end, when 20 USD can matter to the person you build for, it can make differences in phrasings. :)
Comment has been collapsed.
Dunno if someone already mentioned this to you but here's a good site to help you out finding the best deals on the parts you want.. pcpartpicker
Also I normally use NCIX because they offer good prices and if something is cheaper somewhere else they'll price match it (most of the time).
Good Luck and Happy PC Building !!
Comment has been collapsed.
Anyone have any thoughts on this Motherboard? I have been considering going the Skylake route... but this is a good price, no?
$120 after MIR: ASUS Z87-PRO ATX LGA1150 Z87 DDR3 3PCI-E16 4PCI-E1 CROSSFIREX/SLI SATA3 USB3.0 DVI HDMI Motherboard
http://www.ncix.com/detail/asus-z87-pro-atx-lga1150-z87-e2-84506-1293.htm
Comment has been collapsed.
9 Comments - Last post 16 minutes ago by BloodyRo
2 Comments - Last post 2 hours ago by Berion83
43 Comments - Last post 3 hours ago by Krizader
14 Comments - Last post 3 hours ago by IronKnightAquila
15,461 Comments - Last post 5 hours ago by Channel28
8 Comments - Last post 6 hours ago by Axelflox
19 Comments - Last post 7 hours ago by Foxhack
129 Comments - Last post 14 minutes ago by Aydaylin
1,201 Comments - Last post 31 minutes ago by Gelweo
20 Comments - Last post 47 minutes ago by matsalkoshek
2,321 Comments - Last post 54 minutes ago by ZYrushforce
847 Comments - Last post 59 minutes ago by BroilKing
254 Comments - Last post 1 hour ago by matsalkoshek
134 Comments - Last post 1 hour ago by ZPE
My laptop can't handle these big games any more... looking to build a desktop with some power but not break the bank... would like to spend up to $800... but might be open to spending up to $1200 all in... but I'm not sure if it makes sense to spend less now and consider upgrades later...
I've never built a computer before so I'm a little lost... was looking at the parts below:
Processor: $310 Intel Core i5-4690K Devil's Canyon Quad-Core 3.5 GHz
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117372&_ga=1.84444447.74481257.1446852843
Case: $70 w/ promo NZXT Crafted Series 921RB-001-BL Black SECC Steel
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146070&_ga=1.43025699.74481257.1446852843
RAM: $110 G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231568&_ga=1.243894531.74481257.1446852843
I wasn't planning on going with Radeon but this is a beast of a card @ 8GB...thoughts?
GPU: $420 w/ promo MSI Radeon R9 390 R9 390 GAMING 8G 8GB 512-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127874&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL110915CA
Anyone have any reasons to go with a GTX 970 over the above card?
Can anyone help me out with some Canadian links to some other parts that make sense or even some insight if I'm spending too much/too little/advice, etc? :)
Comment has been collapsed.