PC Build

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PC Build

Postby Stickid » Fri Jun 03, 2016 1:17 am

Hey guys, been working on a list of parts for my upcoming build:

Case: Cooler Master ATCS 840 (Massive case I got for free, only downside is no USB 3.0 on the front panel, I might install one later.)
PSU: Ultra X4 1050W (Another freebie. With 1050 watts I'm not worried about power at all.)
MOBO: MSI 970 Gaming (Should be fine for a 6-core processor, will I have to upgrade if I go with 8-cores?)
CPU: AMD FX-6300 (An 8-core would be like $50 more, worth it?)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO (If I decided to overclock, this would be better than stock?)
GPU: EVGA GTX 950 2gb (A 960 with 4gb would only be like $60 more, worth it?)
RAM: Crucial Elite 16gb (This should be enough, no plans of going higher.)

FULL List: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/QwmMnn

I have a few of the parts already (case, psu, ram, hdd, sound card) but I've been waiting to pull the trigger. I'm wondering if it'd be worth it to get an 8-core CPU (FX-8320 or 8350), which also means I'll need a beefier motherboard. And maybe a GTX 960 because it's not much more expensive than the 950. So it's basically like $100 more total, I'm just not sure I'll need the extra power.

I definitely want some solid multitasking abilities and encoding times, and although I don't play on PC often, I'd like to be ABLE to play high-end games at decent framerates. (Fallout 4, Battlefield 1, DOOM, etc...)

How does my build look? What do you think?
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Re: PC Build

Postby Gifgiff » Sat Jun 04, 2016 7:53 pm

Heyyy! Been a while. Hope you're doing well!

I've been trying to cobble together a list of parts for a computer too, and that build is pretty similar to one I was considering. I'm new to this and don't know enough about most of these parts to help, but here are some GPU-related things I've learned over the last couple of weeks.

If you don't mind waiting a month to buy your GPU, AMD is about to release the r10 480, which supposedly will perform somewhere between the GTX 970 and 980 for $200 USD. I'm a bit skeptical, but it sounds like it will be a much better bargain than the GTX 960 once it comes out.

I was having trouble deciding between the GTX 950 and 960 too. They're surprisingly close in performance, so it's strange that the 960 costs as much as it does. I guess I can't help much here, except to say that the 950 seems to be a fine deal. Personally, I've been eyeing the GTX 960 because I'm going to be using Blender's Cycles rendering engine, which benefits from the extra VRAM and runs best on NVIDIA GPUs. But if you don't have any reason to choose NVIDIA over AMD and can wait for the r10 480, I'd say that's the best course of action.

A note about VRAM: The GTX 960 can come with either 2GB or 4GB of VRAM, but according to all the benchmarks I've looked at (here's a few), the 4GB variety is only advantageous in a handful of games. A lot of the time they seem to perform identically, and when there is a difference, it tends to be pretty insignificant. That said, the price difference between the two can be pretty small (as little as $10, in some cases), so it's kind of a toss-up.

By the way, check out EVGA's B-Stock, where they sell discounted scratch and dent or lightly used GPUs. It seems safe enough; all of them come with a 1-year warranty. There's currently a GTX 960 2GB for $160 USD on there, and a 4GB version for $170.
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Re: PC Build

Postby Raymond » Sat Jun 04, 2016 9:38 pm

I built my own budget rig a few years ago which I'm still using.

Gifgiff has a good point about the r10 480. I was reading about it the other day and it's benchmark tests are comparable with a GTX 970. So if you plan to go with AMD, then it's probably best to wait for that. My cousin recently bought a GTX 950, which seems to run any game he throws at it with reasonable settings turned up. Honestly a 960 runs just a little faster, but it's nothing significant. You wouldn't even tell the difference.

Gifgiff is also right about the difference between 2GB and 4GB. It really depends on the game. More games are coming out which require 4GB, but there really isn't that many. You might be able to run GTA 5 on maxed out settings with 4GB, compared to very high settings with 2GB. So it sounds like double the GPU power, but it's really not, it just gives you more video ram to work with.

Personally I'm an intel fan, I don't like AMD chips so I can't give you much advice on your AMD FX-6300. I know most processors that are 8 cores, really only run 4 cores with 4 virtual cores that mimic the first 4 cores. There is still a significant performance difference between the two, but just be weary when selecting an 8 core processor. I purchased the Intel i5-3570K. It's had no problems running any games or video editing software. If you plan to overclock your CPU, definitely buy an after market cooler. The stock cooler is not going to do well keeping the temps down. I mean it depends where you live and if your computer will be in an air conditioned room all the time, but for $40 it's best to buy an aftermarket cooler. I have the one your thinking about getting and it works great!

I know it might be a little more expensive, but I would go with an intel processor. They are generally much better than their AMD counter part and will likely last you longer. In the end it's up to your preference though. I prefer intel, you might prefer AMD.

Also your rig will likely run Fallout 4, Battlefield 1, DOOM, but with a GTX 950 or GTX 960, you probably won't be able to max them out. Especially the new battle field. You would probably need something like a GTX 980 ti or crossfire GTX 970s (which your motherboard is capable of if you decide to buy another 950 or something in the future).
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Re: PC Build

Postby Stickid » Sun Jun 05, 2016 11:55 am

Gifgiff wrote:Heyyy! Been a while.

A while indeed! Really good to see you!

Gifgiff wrote:If you don't mind waiting a month to buy your GPU, AMD is about to release the r10 480, which supposedly will perform somewhere between the GTX 970 and 980 for $200 USD.

That almost sounds too good to be true. Thanks for the heads up, I'll definitely save the GPU for last just in case.

Gifgiff wrote:A note about VRAM: It tends to be pretty insignificant. That said, the price difference between the two can be pretty small (as little as $10, in some cases), so it's kind of a toss-up.

Agreed. It's hard to pass up seemingly higher-numbered specs for just a few dollars more. I think I'd be willing to pop a few extra bucks for the chance that developers make more use of VRAM in the future.

Gifgiff wrote:By the way, check out EVGA's B-Stock, where they sell discounted scratch and dent or lightly used GPUs.

I've got no problems with a few scratches and a warranty, thanks much!

Raymond wrote:I know most processors that are 8 cores, really only run 4 cores with 4 virtual cores that mimic the first 4 cores. There is still a significant performance difference between the two, but just be wary when selecting an 8 core processor.

Personally I'm an intel fan, I don't like AMD chips so I can't give you much advice on your AMD FX-6300. I purchased the Intel i5-3570K. It's had no problems running any games or video editing software.

I know it might be a little more expensive, but I would go with an intel processor. They are generally much better than their AMD counter part and will likely last you longer. In the end it's up to your preference though. I prefer intel, you might prefer AMD.

Well now I guess I have more homework to do! I have no desire to be replacing the CPU in the near future so I'll consider an Intel instead.

Raymond wrote:If you plan to overclock your CPU, definitely buy an after market cooler. The stock cooler is not going to do well keeping the temps down. For $40 it's best to buy an aftermarket cooler. I have the one your thinking about getting and it works great!

I have no experience with overclocking but I'm definitely for getting the most out of my hardware, I'll pop the extra cash for the cooler.


Thanks very much for the advice guys, you've given me more to think about before I just throw everything together. I'm going to save my money for now, I'll keep you updated on what happens!
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Re: PC Build

Postby Jojishi » Fri Jun 10, 2016 4:04 am

As far as I know, AMD CPUs are half price per core compared to their Intel counterparts, but they're half as efficient. AMD tend to chuck more cores in their processors and brute-force so to speak. My Mum's PC has an AMD in it and when I've checked the performance it would wildly fluctuate, but I haven't had the same thing with Intel. This AMD was low-end though so I don't know if that was the reason.

If you go with Intel you'd probably want an i5 quad core processor. This would be equivalent to the 8-core AMD. Any processor that has a "K" at the end of it can be overclocked.
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Re: PC Build

Postby Caleb » Mon Jun 13, 2016 12:52 pm

I'm personally not fond of getting the newest release for PC parts. Wouldn't be the first time it ends up not doing what it promised before release. If you can wait another week or so after the release of the r10 480 there'll be reviews though, so it mostly depends on your patience/how hard you really need it.
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Re: PC Build

Postby Stickid » Wed Jun 15, 2016 12:12 am

Jojishi wrote:As far as I know, AMD CPUs are half price per core compared to their Intel counterparts, but they're half as efficient. AMD tend to chuck more cores in their processors and brute-force so to speak.

Good to know. Intel CPU's aren't cheap, but reliable performance is hard to ignore.

Caleb wrote:I'm personally not fond of getting the newest release for PC parts. Wouldn't be the first time it ends up not doing what it promised before release.

Agreed. I'd like to get the best bang for my buck, but getting something that's consistently well-reviewed holds more weight with me.


In any case, I'm going to have to hold onto my money for the next couple months anyways. I'll be moving again soon and I need to pinch my pennies :P
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