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Do not skimp on PSU wattage. There are obvious reasons, but one that people don't know (it may or may not be important to you):
PSUs have fan profiles that are based on load% and external temperature. These efficient low-wattage PSUs can handle these cards, yes, but the closer you are to that maximum, the louder your PSU fan gets.
NeoGAF has a pretty damn good post that gets refreshed with tiers of builds that I think are pretty spot on.Quote:
Originally Posted by Error
You get a real sense of ownership with a PC that you've built yourself. It's cool to look at that little box of power that you've built, knowing that yours is different than anyone else's rig. You know the quality of components you're getting, the specs that you want, the storage that you want and definitely the GPU that you want. Plus, you'll save a lot of money and have better hardware for the money that you've spent.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dolemite
I'm kind of sad that I had tear down my old Q9650 build from 2010, so I could replace it with the 2500k in the living room. It was my 1st true build, and I really enjoyed being able to expand and tweak the hardware.
Here are a few vids to show you the hardest part about putting your rig together. The rest should be fairly straight forward.
Installing a CPU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuGwPnWrpow
Installing a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo (You don't need to spread the thermal paste, like he did in this vid. A pea size drop in the middle will be enough.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_QVWBm4CI4
Installing an operating system.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v40cbYZ0E5M
Not only that, but you really don't want to have your load on the PSU to be over 80%, especially on an 80+ Bronze PSU. The lifetime of that PSU will be severely shortened if you are running it at 80% on a regular basis.Quote:
Originally Posted by Joust Williams
Actually, the fact that the consoles now have over 4 threads, makes it more of a reason for developers to start using more than 4 threads when making PC games. Games like Wolfenstein The New Order and The Witcher 3 recommend an i7, or 4 Ghz FX-8350, with an i5 as the minimum. There's certainly nothing wrong with an i5 build, but there are some games that will just be too much for an i5 with a high end GPU. Crysis 3 was th3 game that made me realize that my 2500K @ 4.7 Ghz wasn't even close enough to keeping up with a GTX 780.Quote:
Originally Posted by Frogacuda
I'm a firm believer in starting with a strong base (a high-end CPU and motherboard) and then worrying about a better GPU later on. I've certainly gone through more GPUs than I have CPUs over the years.
Explain this to me, pls.Quote:
Originally Posted by gamevet
There is a certification for PSU efficiency, basically a PSU has to draw more power than the components need. The higher the efficiency, the better the certification. There are 80 + Bronze, Silver, Gold, and I think Platinum and Titanium or something. The higher on the list, the closer to max theoretical efficiency. There just used to be 80+ where it was 80% but now something like the 80+ Titanium is like 92 or something like that.
Ex: a 50% efficient PSU will draw 600W to power 300W. So your bills are high, stuff's hot, etc. A perfectly efficient one (obiously non-existent) will draw 300W.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/80_Plus
So the bottom line is, you don't have to get a 1200W 80+ Titanium PSU for a normal PC, but just getting any old 500W (or even a good one) may not be ideal for a hardcore gaming machine.
Gotcha. Thanks!
I think building is the way to go for a gaming PC because you'll be able to squeeze out the best parts for your budget. Prebuilt machines are nice for their visual style and size. I tried building a PC in a slim HTPC case and it ended up being a big hassle trying to make sure everything fit, and it was loud and ugly at the end of it all. I just recently put it all in an NZXT S340, and now I have space for proper fans and some fan controllers it's completely silent during normal use and it sits next to my bed.
The hardest part for building is deciding on the parts due to the naming schemes and finding the best prices. https://pcpartpicker.com/ has good guides for types of build and what fits in your price range, as well as links to buy from. There are tons of YouTube videos that show how to plug everything together, you can search for building a PC in general or just your specific case or part name. It's very straightforward.
Just going from scratch, I'd start by finding a GPU and CPU, then looking for a motherboard that is compatible with both. Probably want to go NVidia and Intel for the most power. Get a PSU that can support the amount of stuff you are connecting, 500-550W should be fine for most, get the RAM that fits the motherboard (DDR3 or DDR4), an SSD, then a regular hard drive. An SSD is incredibly important these days for everyday performance, it'll make launching anything in the OS snappy and immediate. You click Chrome, Chrome is open, no looking at an hourglass. My bootup went from a couple minutes to 20 seconds, in Windows with everything in the taskbar loaded. I have an older PC that I added an SSD to last year and it doesn't have any of that sluggish feel I used to get when I knew I was using an aging computer.
That's actually super-helpful, thanks. I spent a good chunk of my work day leafing through that thread, and will be doing more research tonight.Quote:
Originally Posted by Joust Williams
I want to second Dunlap's suggestion to use https://pcpartpicker.com/
Create a profile and use the "Start A System Build" tab up at the top. Start picking the parts you are interested in and do whatever research you want to do outside of the site. The system builder will show potential compatibility issues, best prices, and bundle deals. Save the build and mess around with it whenever you feel like it. It is super useful, even to someone with a lot of experience building PCs.
I always build my own PCs and it has gotten way easier. It's going to take some work, and you might run into some frustrating situations, but in the end it's really satisfying. Any problem you run into can usually be solved by crowd-sourcing it or google. Here's the problem with my suggestions... I have never built budget PCs but I have a lot of suggestions... so:
Consider how you might want to upgrade in the future versus how much you want to spend now. I've been caught a few times where I've bought the older version of CPU-socket/RAM-type because it's been cheaper but instead of being able to just update those with better parts later, I'd have to scrap the whole PC and start fresh. This happens when the older motherboard doesn't support the new socket types. DDR3 RAM is probably way cheaper for the exact same output.... it's kind of a no win situation. I've almost always gone with the current stuff versus the "next-gen" products. Which brings me to a point that I always try to live by when putting together PCs... NEVER buy the highest end stuff. It's not really something you are going to have to deal with doing a budget PC but know that once you get past a certain price point on most components the diminishing returns really ramp up.
My suggestions for components:
- GPU: EVGA Nvidia
- CPU: Intel
- SSD Drive: yes... at least for your boot drive
- Case: 100% spend the extra $40 and get a Fractal case. I have the R4 Blackout and it's by far the best case I've ever used. I think a few other people here have them and love them.
- Monitor: I usually spend a lot for my monitor. They are going to make a lot of difference and you are looking at it the whole time you are gaming. You don't have to spend a lot, but I recommend doing some research here to get the most for what you are willing to spend.
I can go on and on... but it's just going to drive the price point up.
They also look at internal power delivery. You can buy any 500 watt PSU, but if it isn't properly certified, it could very well not deliver the claimed 500 watts.Quote:
Originally Posted by Joust Williams
I have a Thermaltake TR2 750 Watt 80+ Bronze PSU that failed to deliver adequate power beyond 650 watts. I've had it shut down on me several times, when I was running it with a couple of overclocked GTX 460s in sli. A site called Hardware Secrets revealed the problem with that PSU. I'd avoid buying any PSU sold buy Coolmax. I saw one review where they had several of the same PSU catch on fire when they pushed it to the supposed 600 Watts they were advertising.