My cousin budget build

[Aeit]

Last time I have received great help from you guys and i become better human being thanks to your very detailed advice's. Im still a beginner but my cousin need help so i tried my best but ... budget isn't for me.

He isn't any advanced PC user, he plays decent games nothing really demanding. BUT what IF he would like to play lets say ... overwatch at high fps?

I wanted to build rig around GTX 970 Strix but ... BUT im nearly 100% sure that you will complain about how bad it is ...
So the basic arrangements are:
- budget 500$
- low cost gaming at 1080 (solely i think)
- mobo with uefi?

At this price range there's no option to include SSD but he dont need it at all.

This set-up is made by him

1. Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB DDR3-1600 UDIMM
2. Digital Caviar Blue, 3.5\'\', 1TB, SATA/600, 7200RPM, 64MB cache (WD10EZEX)
3. MSI H81-P33 s1150 H81 2DDR3 USB3/USB3/GLAN ATX - H81-P33
4. Zalman Z1 - USB 3.0
5. PSU Antec VP 500W
6. Asus GeForce GTX 750 Ti OC, 4GB GDDR5
7. Intel Core i3-4170, 3.7GHz, 3MB

Everything might be fine but i dont know what to think about 750 and that weird RAM.

 

[P4-630]

A GTX970 isn't a bad card, but it has only 3.5GB fast vram, better go for a AMD RX480 or wait for GTX1060.

 

[Aeit]

well im curious if the price in eu for 1060 will be promised 300$ ... then this would be worth trying since i own 1080 and its pure awesome.

 

[GreiverBlade]

Last time I have received great help from you guys and i become better human being thanks to your very detailed advice's. Im still a beginner but my nephew need help so i tried my best but ... budget isn't for me.

He isn't any advanced PC user, he plays decent games nothing really demanding. BUT what IF he would like to play lets say ... overwatch at high fps?

I wanted to build rig around GTX 970 Strix but ... BUT im nearly 100% sure that you will complain about how bad it is ...
So the basic arrangements are:
- budget 500$
- low cost gaming at 1080 (solely i think)
- mobo with uefi?

At this price range there's no option to include SSD but he dont need it at all.

This set-up is made by him

1. Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB DDR3-1600 UDIMM
2. Digital Caviar Blue, 3.5\'\', 1TB, SATA/600, 7200RPM, 64MB cache (WD10EZEX)
3. MSI H81-P33 s1150 H81 2DDR3 USB3/USB3/GLAN ATX - H81-P33
4. Zalman Z1 - USB 3.0
5. PSU Antec VP 500W
6. Asus GeForce GTX 750 Ti OC, 4GB GDDR5
7. Intel Core i3-4170, 3.7GHz, 3MB

Everything might be fine but i dont know what to think about 750 and that weird RAM.

for the 750Ti 4gb no worries at all it can handle 1080p easily, my second rig sports a GTX 860m 2gb which is basically a GTX 750Ti mobile version (once clocked back it's a fully fledged 750Ti ) and i can play all my STEAM or Origin library (which include BF 3/4 Witcher 2/3 and some other joyful one ) without too many compromises (with almost the same CPU, a i3-4130T which is a low power 4130, limited at 2.9ghz )

altho UDIMM is ... iirc server RAM (U stand for "Unregistered" if i am not mistaken)

for the 970 ... i would not even touch a 970 with a 40ft long pole ... 960 750Ti/ 480 (custom not reference ) 390 but no 970 specially with the new gen popping up right now.

well im curious if the price in eu for 1060 will be promised 300$ ... then this would be worth trying since i own 1080 and its pure awesome.

1080 is overpriced 1060 will probably be ... tho, who know, might get a good surprise ...


edit i forgot to say i do play Overwatch ... 60fps stable on the GTX 860m (when i am on holidays my only issue is the network and not the GPU ... )

 

[DeathtoGnomes]

With a $500 budget, I would look at getting some refurbished or secondhand parts, it could free up $$$ for things you have to buy new like a 480 or 1060 and a PSU.

 

[GreiverBlade]

With a $500 budget, I would look at getting some refurbished or secondhand parts, it could free up $$$ for things you have to buy new like a 480 or 1060 and a PSU.

the PSU is fine altho, even for a new GPU (480 custom or 1060)

if i did read correctly the 500$ part is GPU only and probably RAM, altho if it works ... no fret to use 8gb UDIMM, unless adding a second 8gb of the same type (if it's 1x8 atm )
(or mobo but a H81 is fine nonetheless for that setup ... my second rig, the one i mentioned previously, use a H81 )

 

[P4-630]

GTX 860m 2gb which is basically a GTX 750Ti mobile version

I do not not agree with you on this one, my GTX770M would come closer, but still a GTX750Ti is better,
but yeah a GTX750Ti would be able to run all games @1080p,
just some lower settings but it runs.
At how many fps, not sure about that though.

 

[GreiverBlade]

I do not not agree with you on this one, my GTX770M would come closer, but still a GTX750Ti is better,
but yeah a GTX750Ti would be able to run all games @1080p,
just some lower settings but it runs.
At how many fps, not sure about that though.

nope.

GTX 860m is a 750Ti same siilicon lower frequencies

ofc ... 2 revision 1 GK104 (that one is the one you thought of ) 1 GM107 (i have the later )

 

[silentbogo]

At this price range there's no option to include SSD but he dont need it at all.

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/ZbhtgL
$533 with SSD and fresh selection of parts. The only reason you want to go Haswell route, is if you are planning on buying used parts.
If your nephew is into MMO/MOBA games, then don't bother with anything higher than GTX950. BTW, a new GTX950 costs about the same as a GTX750Ti, but it is much faster.
I just bought one to replace my 750Ti (got a deal that actually broke it even, making it a free upgrade). Tested with Alien Isolation yesterday, and it actually pulls up to 100FPS on max settings (@1080p, no config modifications).
Things like Dota 2, CS:GO, LoL, WoT are nothing to this little card.

 

[P4-630]

nope.

GTX 860m is a 750Ti same siilicon lower frequencies

But my GTX770M would beat your 860M

 

[Aeit]

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/ZbhtgL
$533 with SSD and fresh selection of parts. The only reason you want to go Haswell route, is if you are planning on buying used parts.
If your nephew is into MMO/MOBA games, then don't bother with anything higher than GTX950. BTW, a new GTX950 costs about the same as a GTX750Ti, but it is much faster.
I just bought one to replace my 750Ti (got a deal that actually broke it even, making it a free upgrade). Tested with Alien Isolation yesterday, and it actually pulls up to 100FPS on max settings (@1080p, no config modifications).
Things like Dota 2, CS:GO, LoL, WoT are nothing to this little card.

Would be nice but prices in europe are much higher so upgrading to 960 isnt an option. But RAM should be changed for dominator or gskill for sure.

 

[silentbogo]

That's just an example. I live in Eastern Europe, so my prices are pretty much as bad as they can possibly get. Still. GTX960 with 4 GB VRAM can be purchased in $220 range, and GTX950 goes for ~$160 (New).

 

[thebluebumblebee]

I wanted to build rig around GTX 970 Strix but ... BUT im nearly 100% sure that you will complain about how bad it is ...

If you can find a used one for the same price as one of these lesser new GPU's that have been recommended, go for it.

Everything might be fine but i dont know what to think about 750 and that weird RAM.

UDIMM is for laptops.

But RAM should be changed for dominator or gskill for sure.

Paying extra for "gaming" RAM is foolish, especially at this price point. Some of the very plain looking DIMM's will do just fine.

The only reason you want to go Haswell route, is if you are planning on buying used parts.

Saving a couple of (insert money term here) to go for the previous platform is also foolish. If he later really gets into gaming and want to upgrade further, he'll have to start over.

Asus GeForce GTX 750 Ti OC, 4GB GDDR5

I don't have any concrete evidence, but 4 GB on a GTX 750 Ti is .

It's really hard to build a worthwhile system at this price point, especially in the EU. This is what I came up with. I went for 16 GB of RAM since a SSD will not be used. Had to drop to a GTX 750 Ti.(I'd really, really, really try to find some more money to get into a GTX 950 instead) I also added an OS. £514.82: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/pft8Yr

Edit: "budget 500$" which is actually £386, so it looks like I'm way over.

 

[NdMk2o1o]

If you can find a used one for the same price as one of these lesser new GPU's that have been recommended, go for it.

UDIMM is for laptops.

Paying extra for "gaming" RAM is foolish, especially at this price point. Some of the very plain looking DIMM's will do just fine.

Saving a couple of (insert money term here) to go for the previous platform is also foolish. If he later really gets into gaming and want to upgrade further, he'll have to start over.

I don't have any concrete evidence, but 4 GB on a GTX 750 Ti is .

It's really hard to build a worthwhile system at this price point, especially in the EU. This is what I came up with. I went for 16 GB of RAM since a SSD will not be used. Had to drop to a GTX 750 Ti.(I'd really, really, really try to find some more money to get into a GTX 950 instead) I also added an OS. £514.82: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/pft8Yr

Edit: "budget 500$" which is actually £386, so it looks like I'm way over.

£500 would equate to a $500 build anyway cause of the price differences in the UK and US so that build would probably be doable with his budget

 

[Aeit]

If you can find a used one for the same price as one of these lesser new GPU's that have been recommended, go for it.

UDIMM is for laptops.

Paying extra for "gaming" RAM is foolish, especially at this price point. Some of the very plain looking DIMM's will do just fine.

Saving a couple of (insert money term here) to go for the previous platform is also foolish. If he later really gets into gaming and want to upgrade further, he'll have to start over.

I don't have any concrete evidence, but 4 GB on a GTX 750 Ti is .

It's really hard to build a worthwhile system at this price point, especially in the EU. This is what I came up with. I went for 16 GB of RAM since a SSD will not be used. Had to drop to a GTX 750 Ti.(I'd really, really, really try to find some more money to get into a GTX 950 instead) I also added an OS. £514.82: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/pft8Yr

Edit: "budget 500$" which is actually £386, so it looks like I'm way over.

Just bad copy paste, its Crucial Ballistix 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600MHz CL9 Unbuffered NON-ECC 1.5V

Mobo is fine but XFX XT for psu? I heard many bad stories about it.
Well another person that is against 750 ... maybe he should save up a bit more for that 950,

 

[thebluebumblebee]

but XFX XT for psu? I heard many bad stories about it.

All XFX PSU's are made by Seasonic, one of the premier PSU makers.

 

[silentbogo]

Mobo is fine but XFX XT for psu? I heard many bad stories about it.
Well another person that is against 750 ... maybe he should save up a bit more for that 950,

PSU is OK. But if you are on a budget, you might want to consider smaller/cheaper equivalents from EVGA or the actual SeaSonic.
This one is only 350W, but it will be more than enough for your system (realistically you will need only half of that power):
http://pcpartpicker.com/product/QD8H99/seasonic-power-supply-ssp350se
Another thing, is you should switch the RAM to a single 8GB stick, because this way you can add the second one later without a hassle of selling your depreciated 2x4GB set.
About that GPU: 750Ti was cool last year. Today with a price drop on 900-series and R9 300-series it is simply not competitive anymore and only makes sense when you are desperately cut on your budget (I'm talking a $300-$350 gaming rig).
Last one I used for a small gaming PC, built for web, office work, and most importantly, World of Tanks: Pentium G3260 / MSI H81M-P33 / 8GB DDR3 / GTX750Ti(low-profile) / 120GB SSD + 1TB HDD
Almost everything, except SSD and GPU, was scraps and leftovers from my office closet, so the total budget came up to $280-ish including an optical drive (needed for guy's work) and a decent wireless KB/mouse combo.

 

[Hood]

UDIMM is for laptops.

UDIMM stands for Unregistered Dual In-line Memory Module - this is the standard desktop RAM, as opposed to RDIMM (Registered, usually EEC server RAM). Laptop RAM is called SODIMM (Small Outline Dual In-line Memory Module). Just thought I'd clear that up, since nobody else noticed.

 

[ASOT]

Why not get a R9 280X/290/X or a GTX 970/980 wich are good card's for 1080p

That 750 Ti isn't as good on high details ..

 

[thebluebumblebee]

PSU is OK. But if you are on a budget, you might want to consider smaller/cheaper equivalents from EVGA or the actual SeaSonic.
This one is only 350W, but it will be more than enough for your system (realistically you will need only half of that power):
http://pcpartpicker.com/product/QD8H99/seasonic-power-supply-ssp350se
Another thing, is you should switch the RAM to a single 8GB stick, because this way you can add the second one later without a hassle of selling your depreciated 2x4GB set.
About that GPU: 750Ti was cool last year. Today with a price drop on 900-series and R9 300-series it is simply not competitive anymore and only makes sense when you are desperately cut on your budget (I'm talking a $300-$350 gaming rig).
Last one I used for a small gaming PC, built for web, office work, and most importantly, World of Tanks: Pentium G3260 / MSI H81M-P33 / 8GB DDR3 / GTX750Ti(low-profile) / 120GB SSD + 1TB HDD
Almost everything, except SSD and GPU, was scraps and leftovers from my office closet, so the total budget came up to $280-ish including an optical drive (needed for guy's work) and a decent wireless KB/mouse combo.

Why do you keep using the USA site for PCPartpicker? That PSU does not appear to be available in the EU. And that XFX PSU that I choose is cheaper than the Seasonic SSR-350ST (closest I can find to your choice) and it has future expandability. The prices for good PSU's really flatten out below 550 watts.

 

[NdMk2o1o]

Core i3 6100
any lower-end 1151 motherboard
8GB RAM (single stick)
R9 380
120GB SSD
1TB HDD
450-500w Corsair/evga PSU
Budget case

Something along those lines should build you a tidy little gaming rig for >$500

 

[Caring1]

UDIMM stands for Unregistered Dual In-line Memory Module - this is the standard desktop RAM, as opposed to RDIMM (Registered, usually EEC server RAM). Laptop RAM is called SODIMM (Small Outline Dual In-line Memory Module). Just thought I'd clear that up, since nobody else noticed.

SODIMM while commonly used in Laptops can also be found in Desktop systems which require a smaller footprint.

 

[wolar]

You can get a 960 for that build, similar specs ( i3 , h110 mobo, 1x 8gb ram, cheap case-i choose the bitfenix neos, evga 500b)
960 2gb model is around 180 euro and the 4gb one around 210. With the 2gb one and a 2tb HDD i made the build at around 540 euro.
I think the 960 will serve better for 1080p.

From computeruniverse (german site), shipping at around 20 euro extra.

Edit: I did not include OS , also you can choose any motherboard you like , i did not look at all of them , just picked something to fit in budget with ddr4 memory.
Also you can get seasonic 520w at around 50euro if you prefer.

 

[DeathtoGnomes]

I disagree with a lot of choices for graphics. If your gonna pay abover $175 for a graphics card, you are better off buying a 480 now for less than $100 more. That or wait for 1060 pricing, which should be in the $250-300 range.

Not buying either card now, for a brand new system, is foolish and a waste of $$$.

Plan for future upgrades now, not after you already wasted $500.

 

[wolar]

Well, he said 500 euro, to fit a rx 480 you will need 100 euro more than the build i posted above, that will put him at 640-660 + 20 shipping.
I agree that it's foolish but for 1080p with a budget of 500 , a 960 or 380 will do just fine, definitely better than a 750 ti anw.