~$1000 gaming build suggestions?

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bburk
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~$1000 gaming build suggestions?

Post by bburk » Sun Nov 08, 2015 5:07 pm

Looking to build a new system by xmas. One that will play current games at 1080p resolution with settings towards the high end and should be ready for the next few years games as well as practical. Needs to be quiet, but not silent. Already have monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, and will be sticking with Win7. I've been out of the build market a few years, so need to catch up. This will be only for gaming. Suggestions welcome.

CA_Steve
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Re: ~$1000 gaming build suggestions?

Post by CA_Steve » Sun Nov 08, 2015 9:20 pm

Cheapest path: just upgrade the gfx card in your signature rig to GTX 960 or 970..

If a new PC needed, here's a first cut: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/KKZnf7
High expectations for the next gen Nvidia cards coming out in 2016 as they are finally moving off of 28nm. Probably better off underspending on the gfx card now with a GTX 960 and upgrading it next year.

bburk
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Re: ~$1000 gaming build suggestions?

Post by bburk » Mon Nov 09, 2015 12:17 am

thanks. I've been thinking about upgrading the GPU in this system, but yes, I am building a new one for someone else...

bburk
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Re: ~$1000 gaming build suggestions?

Post by bburk » Mon Nov 09, 2015 12:51 am

Looked over those parts. Looks good mostly. I really like the idea of the 500GB SSD and no HD.

Is there some other MB you would suggest, the reviews on that one are kinda bad, maybe one for a few less $ too?

Is that much power needed? I've built 4 systems with a Nexus VALUE 430W w/o problem (though I see it is no longer sold).

If planning on a GPU upgrade next year, is there an even lower card that would get the job done for now at lower settings?

thanks!

quest_for_silence
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Re: ~$1000 gaming build suggestions?

Post by quest_for_silence » Mon Nov 09, 2015 1:11 am

bburk wrote:Is there some other MB you would suggest, the reviews on that one are kinda bad, maybe one for a few less $ too?

Which reviews? And do you plan overclocking?

bburk wrote:Is that much power needed?

It depends of the GPU of choice, but I suspect Steve picked it because it's the current king of the hill offered at a good price there, but local pricing really matters: where are you from (country) or where will you source the parts?

bburk wrote:If planning on a GPU upgrade next year, is there an even lower card that would get the job done for now at lower settings?

A GTX 750Ti would run lots of FullHD games at some decent settings for just 60-70W and some money less.

Abula
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Re: ~$1000 gaming build suggestions?

Post by Abula » Mon Nov 09, 2015 7:34 am

If you still own your current build on your signature, i would suggest you keep it, the 3570 is still a very good CPU, i would just recommend to buy a GPU according to what you want to play and the resolution/quality you wish to play those games.

Personally i would wait two more gens to upgrade the CPU+Motherboard+Memory, and i would spend the $1k into something that gives you a better gaming experience, atm one of the best monitors for gaming in the market is the Acer XB270HU (27'' 2560x1440 144hz Gsync IPS) + GPU to drive it, MSI GTX970.

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Re: ~$1000 gaming build suggestions?

Post by CA_Steve » Mon Nov 09, 2015 7:47 am

mobo: Amazon customer feedback has way fewer bad experiences than the NewEgg customers. How odd. Another board I like costs a little more: Asus Z170 Pro Gaming. Same feature set as the Z170A with better audio chain. Most of it's customer downvotes are BIOS/driver problems..and many of those are from people trying to get DDR4 3000+ RAM sticks to work. As I've said before in other threads, the downside to early builds is you get to be the beta tester for drivers/BIOS. This usually settles down 2-3 months after launch.

SSD: A roomier path for a similar price would be to go with 250GB class SSD + 2TB WD Red or similar. I ended up with two 250GB SSDs and just use the HDD for backup / old game storage.

gfx card: Here's the range of candidates from $105 to $212. It really depends on the games you play whether or not they'll provide decent fps and gfx quality @ 1080p. In the long term, textures are getting more complex and sucking up VRAM and will require 4GB @ 1080p for the AAA games at ultra levels. For now, 2GB will do. If you play Blizzard's games like WoW, the 750 Ti will do at decent quality levels.

bburk
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Re: ~$1000 gaming build suggestions?

Post by bburk » Mon Nov 09, 2015 8:29 am

I am keeping my signature build, this is a build for someone else.

I will show that selection of GPU's to them & see what they think.

The reviews on Newegg are the bad ones I saw on that mobo, I'll look at the Amazon ones now too though.

I have no plans of overclocking.

thanks for the help!

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Re: ~$1000 gaming build suggestions?

Post by quest_for_silence » Mon Nov 09, 2015 8:41 am

bburk wrote:The reviews on Newegg are the bad ones I saw on that mobo, I'll look at the Amazon ones now too though.

I gave a quick scan to NewEgg's 16 user feedbacks, personally I didn't find anything serious: at any rate, do what you think best.
Usual alternatives (fan control wise) to ASUS are ASRock and MSI.

bburk wrote:I have no plans of overclocking.

Then you may spare some money looking at H170 mobos.

Last but not least, whether there were a huge markup for the new Skylake DDR4 platform, consider also a DDR3 Haswell/Broadwell, which performs pretty much the same for such a rig.

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Re: ~$1000 gaming build suggestions?

Post by CA_Steve » Mon Nov 09, 2015 8:42 am

If no OC, there's also the Asus H170 Pro Gaming for $130.

As far as the PSU goes, I usually recommend a 500W class fanned PSU for gaming builds so the fan profile doesn't affect noise levels while gaming. The actual power use is much lower (~220W while gaming with the GTX 960). I chose the EVGA P2 because it provides an awesome level of performance for the price. It's been on sale for as low as $80.

nster
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Re: ~$1000 gaming build suggestions?

Post by nster » Mon Nov 09, 2015 10:55 am

Define S could save you a few bucks.

Look around at what price you can get the P2 650W vs the G2 or even the G2 550W. P2 650W will run fanless longer though. Hey Steve, would a Be Quiet! 500W or 600W Straight Power 10 PSU be a good option otherwise?

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Re: ~$1000 gaming build suggestions?

Post by quest_for_silence » Mon Nov 09, 2015 11:30 am

nster wrote:or even the G2 550W.

The G2 550W is not that quiet: not obtrusive, but noticeable.

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Re: ~$1000 gaming build suggestions?

Post by CA_Steve » Mon Nov 09, 2015 11:52 am

nster wrote:Hey Steve, would a Be Quiet! 500W or 600W Straight Power 10 PSU be a good option otherwise?
Sure. Be Quiet! sells the 500W (model BN634) for $100 on Newegg (marketplace). Always on (but inaudible) fan. However, it's also Newegg that throws the EVGA P2 on sale for $80-90.

nster
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Re: ~$1000 gaming build suggestions?

Post by nster » Mon Nov 09, 2015 1:35 pm

CA_Steve wrote:
nster wrote:Hey Steve, would a Be Quiet! 500W or 600W Straight Power 10 PSU be a good option otherwise?
Sure. Be Quiet! sells the 500W (model BN634) for $100 on Newegg (marketplace). Always on (but inaudible) fan. However, it's also Newegg that throws the EVGA P2 on sale for $80-90.
I ask because I have the P2 750W, and it runs great and fanless for most of the time. However, if I flip the ECO switch it is noticeably the loudest thing in my system on idle. Not a big deal because I will keep it on ECO anyways, but I was just a little surprised.

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Re: ~$1000 gaming build suggestions?

Post by quest_for_silence » Mon Nov 09, 2015 1:47 pm

nster wrote:However, if I flip the ECO switch it is noticeably the loudest thing in my system on idle. Not a big deal because I will keep it on ECO anyways, but I was just a little surprised.

It would be the same for a similar Seasonic Platinum, it's how those start/stop things works.

bburk
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Re: ~$1000 gaming build suggestions?

Post by bburk » Tue Dec 01, 2015 3:53 pm

So, most of the parts are here and I have run in to an assembly question. With the R5 case the PSU is at the bottom and can be mounted fan up, pulling air from in the case, or fan down, pulling air from outside. Other sites suggest fan down, unless the case in going to be put on a carpet, the fan up. I was just wondering if you all agree? thanks

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Re: ~$1000 gaming build suggestions?

Post by CA_Steve » Tue Dec 01, 2015 5:30 pm

First, don't place a PC with a bottom venting PSU on carpet, regardless of orientation. If you have carpeting, place the PC on a board down so it can breathe.

Beyond that, it doesn't matter that much for your particular build (assuming an i5 and a mid range GPU). The PSU won't generate that much waste heat and the heat rise from the components isn't huge.

If you bought a PSU with a semipassive fan, and if your heat load was near the turn on point, then you might get a few more watts of passive fan if the fan is intake from the outside (cooler air). If the fan is always on, then (assuming 1 front and 1 rear fan) you get a little positive pressure in the case. So, I lean toward this orientation.

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Re: ~$1000 gaming build suggestions?

Post by Abula » Tue Dec 01, 2015 6:19 pm

bburk wrote:So, most of the parts are here and I have run in to an assembly question. With the R5 case the PSU is at the bottom and can be mounted fan up, pulling air from in the case, or fan down, pulling air from outside. Other sites suggest fan down, unless the case in going to be put on a carpet, the fan up. I was just wondering if you all agree? thanks
If the PSU is fanless, go with the manufacturers suggested orientation, if the PSU has a fan just go fan down, it will start when needed.

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Re: ~$1000 gaming build suggestions?

Post by bburk » Tue Dec 01, 2015 7:36 pm

The PSU has a fan and an 'eco' switch, so the fan is off until needed. Like I have said, I am building this for someone else. I will make of point of telling them what you said about carpet. thanks for the advice.

bburk
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Re: ~$1000 gaming build suggestions?

Post by bburk » Tue Dec 08, 2015 7:13 pm

Well it's all here, assembled, and not booting. The DRAM led is staying on. Pushing and holding the DRAM OK button is supposed to start the light flashing and then start it running test. Pushing the button shuts it down. It reboots and flashes a while when released running test, then goes back to solid red and stays that way. Are we sure the ram from that parts picker list is compatible? Is there something else to try? I already tried using the ram one stick at a time, no luck.

bburk
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Re: ~$1000 gaming build suggestions?

Post by bburk » Tue Dec 08, 2015 7:37 pm

Also, I am getting no output to the monitor at all. I have not installed the GPU yet, I have tried both the HDMI and DVI on the MB. Could this be a CPU problem? How to tell if so? The CPU light on the MB is not on is the only indication one way or the other.

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Re: ~$1000 gaming build suggestions?

Post by CA_Steve » Tue Dec 08, 2015 10:00 pm

Start with the basics..with the power off, unplug and replug the PSU connections. See if the other mobo connections are correct. Remove the battery, reset the bios, and replace the battery. See if it'll boot.

Do the case fans spin when you turn the PC on?

bburk
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Re: ~$1000 gaming build suggestions?

Post by bburk » Wed Dec 09, 2015 1:31 am

I can't believe I forgot the reset the bios check. It's been too long since I was keeping up with computer work, I think I've forgot as much as I used to know... The case and CPU fans all spin. I did test all the connections. If parts picker is right, that ram should work with the MB. So my best guess is the CPU was DOA. Amazon is being very helpful and cross shipping a replacement, so we will find out...

thanks again (even if you did make me feel dumb :? :) )

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Re: ~$1000 gaming build suggestions?

Post by CA_Steve » Wed Dec 09, 2015 8:29 am

You could also try a test build of the mobo outside of the case on your (hopefully wooden or otherwise insulated) desk...just to make sure there weren't any case and mobo fixturing issues.

Don't worry about the battery/reset thing. :)

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Re: ~$1000 gaming build suggestions?

Post by quest_for_silence » Wed Dec 09, 2015 10:49 am

CA_Steve wrote:You could also try a test build of the mobo outside of the case on your (hopefully wooden or otherwise insulated) desk

+1: NEVER test for the very first time your new hardware either inside an enclosure or all together.

bburk
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Re: ~$1000 gaming build suggestions?

Post by bburk » Mon Jan 04, 2016 1:41 am

Well, after some MAJOR hassles, the system is up and running.

My question at this point is, the guy I am building this for is adamant about having a HD in it for media files and such. What are the good 3TB+ drives to get atm? He tells me he'd prefer a 7200rpm, so suggestions for one of those please, and for something else too if none of those are reasonably quiet. I already tried one of the new 4TB Toshiba's, WOW that thing puts out a loud clank. I had a finger on the side of it for a couple seconds, you can feel the whole thing shake on each clank. Whomever on newegg called those quiet is insane. In any case they are giving me a full refund.

Something is wrong with the front fan, it's clattering on something rubbing against something, I e-mailed Fractal Designs about a replacement and hope to hear back soon.

thanks much

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Re: ~$1000 gaming build suggestions?

Post by Abula » Mon Jan 04, 2016 6:10 am

If the hdd are for media i would suggest WD Reds or Green, whatever size you find fits the storage needs and budget.

If its not for media, and you do want 7200rpms, i would go with Seagate Barracuda 3TB: 1TB Platter Behemoth, but i would recommend the reds/green over this.

bburk
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Re: ~$1000 gaming build suggestions?

Post by bburk » Mon Jan 04, 2016 8:49 pm

slight update. Nothing wrong w the fan itself, it's rubbing on the front filter. Moved the fan to the lower front mount, solved the problem. Still should not have happened in the 1st place...

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