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How to Make a Good Gaming PC Part List

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Woodilicious's Avatar Woodilicious
Level 36 : Artisan Blockhead
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This tutorial is for building a Gaming PC. If your intention is to build a Workstation, this blog is not for you. I might make a workstation building tutorial in the future, so if you would like to see that, make sure to subscribe to see future content of mine!

Disclaimer:
  
This is how I make part lists. There are other methods to making a part list, and other methods are most likely more efficient. Some previous knowledge about what parts are better than others is required to efficiently make a part list. A future blog will be created to tell what parts are better than others, in each category. The explanation on how to select specific parts in this blog is quite brief. 
Another thing I forgot to mention in this build are SSDs (Solid State Drives). Since I am still a little shaky on SSD knowledge, I will not be adding such information in the future. Also, for different PC uses, some parts are better than others. Since this blog is focused on making a gaming PC, I would advise not using some of this advice when putting together a build for a Workstation, Server, or Light-use PCs.

Hello everyone,
Recently I've seen a bunch of mediocre PC Part Lists on the forums, and as a member of the PC Group, I feel like it's my duty to help others put together PC Part Lists.

First of all, you're going to fail. Many times. You will not put together a good list on your very first attempt. However, do not let that stop you. Always have confidence when posting a build. Members of the PC Group will tear you apart when you post a bad build, but that will only make you better. Criticism from Killertoad, and Randomness3333, and other members of the PC Group are what made me a pretty good PC Part List maker.

Also, you must always remember that part prices change all the time. Odds are that you will never use the same build for the same budget two days in a row. Whenever you are faced with a new budget, always make a new build list.

When getting started on the part list, you must first identify the budget and identify what specific features the person wants with the build. For this tutorial, I will be putting together a list for a common gaming PC, one of the most-requested forms.

What is this computer going to be used for?
General Gaming/Some recording
What is your budget?
$800 USD
Where do you live? If in the US, do you have a nearby Microcenter?
USA, No Microcenter
What is included in the budget?
Just the tower
Will you be overclocking?
No.
Will you be reusing any parts?
No
What OS do you want?
Windows 8
Any specific case preferences?
None
Any other special features that you want in the build?
None


Okay, for this build, our budget will be $800. What I like to do first is add all the constant parts that do not affect performance. I start with the Operating System, Case, Storage, Optical Drive, and Storage. 

If the person wants Windows for their Operating System, always choose the cheapest version of the 64-bit version that they want. Never use a 32-bit Operating System in these days. Also, since its mainstream support has ended, Windows 7 is also out of the picture. Always choose between Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. Always go for the cheaper version, since Windows 8 gets a free upgrade to 8.1. However, as stated before, always make sure it's the 64-bit version.
For our build, we are going to use the OEM Version of Windows 8.1. 

For the case, it's always going to be difficult, since their prices are the most-changing, and there are so many cases. The brands that you want to avoid like the plague are Azza, Thermaltake, Logisys, Apex, Apevia, and most of the other cases that come with a pre-installed power supply, and the cases that have a bunch of colors ahd look like they're made primarily out of plastic. 
The best cases you can find are usually made by Corsair, CoolerMaster, NZXT, Phanteks, Fractal Design, EVGA, and Lian Li. In some cases (pun not intended), Bitfenix makes decent cases, but are not always the optimal choice. One of the best cases for a low budget is the NZXT Source 210. 
For our build, we are going to use the NZXT Source 210.

As far as the Optical Drive goes, they are really not necessary at all. However, I, as well as many other people, still think of them as a good thing to have, as there are still many disc games that many people still play. When choosing an Optical Drive, there is no real difference between them. Since most people use them only once (to install Windows), the most-commonly practice is to choose the cheapest Optical Drive on the market. 
For our build, we are going to use the Lite-On iHAS124-14.

When selecting the Hard Drive, there are usually only two options. Since most people only need 1tb of storage, the Western Digital Caviar Blue and the Seagate Barracuda are the two optimal decisions. There is evidence that Western Digital is superior to Seagate, because "Seagate is more prone to failure", but I've had Seagate Hard Drives on every computer I've ever owned, and none of them have lost any data. Only under certain circumstances will Seagate be more prone to failure, and there is a 99.9% chance that a person requesting a PC build on Planet Minecraft will not be amongst the 0.1% of people who will be using the Hard Drive under those circumstances. 
For our build, we are going to use the Seagate Barracuda 1tb 7200RPM hard drive. 

When selecting the Power Supply, NEVER choose the highest wattage for the lowest price. Also, ALWAYS look at reviews before choosing one. Select nothing that has below a 4.5/5 rating with more than 20 reviews. In most cases, the only brands that you should even consider selecting for a Power Supply are Seasonic, Corsair, EVGA, and XFX. Around 80% of the time, if a person is not overclocking, then 600W should be enough for a budget under $1000. Also, never select anything below an 80+ Bronze rated PSU. Modularness is a privilege, and not a necessary feature. However, on high-budget builds it is often something that most people highly prefer. 
For our build we are going to use a Corsair CX600W (Semi-Modular) PSU. 

At this point, we are at about $230 of our $800 budget. That leaves us $570 to the performance parts of the PC. With that $570, we need a CPU, RAM, a Motherboard, and a Video Card. 
We're going to have to allot estimations on what we're going to spend on each part. RAM is the easiest to estimate the price of. For an $800 budget, the person will only need 8gb of it. A good 8gb stick will cost around $60.
Now we have about $510 for the CPU, Motherboard, and Video Card. This part is where it gets a little difficult to estimate. A decent motherboard will cost about $80, so that leaves us $430 for the CPU and Video Card. At this point, beginners to PC Part Making should look up price/performance of CPUs and GPUs in the price range, trying to find a good balance between the two. 

As for me, I know that the $200 range is a mid/high-end Intel Core i5 range. However, since there's a minimal gaming performance difference between the i5-4590 (I assume that's about $200) and the i5-4460 (about $175), we should go with the 4460. 
But in general terms, selecting a CPU is quite easy. Find the best one for price/performace that offers the best performance for a reasonable price that is below the CPU budget. 
For our build, we are going to use an Intel Core i5-4460. 

For the motherboard, we had a $80 budget for. Therefore, we must find the best motherboard for under $80. In certain circumstances, one that is very possible, it might be beneficial for a person to swap out the motherboad on the list after the video card is chosen. Just make a mental note of the specs of the motherboard that you currently have on the list. 
If a person is not going to overclock, a motherboard with an H97 chipset should be beneficial, but a Z97 will sometimes be more beneficial under circumstances that might apply to the build you're making. That circumstance will be determined later on. 
Currently, for our build we will be using an ASRock H97 Anniversary motherboard. (This will most likely be changed later on)

For RAM, we're going to have to find the highest speed with the lowest CAS latency for the lowest price. Unless you have an APU in your list (If you followed this guide, you will noy have one), RAM speed will have a very minimal difference. However, Anything below 1600 should not be looked upon with any consideration. In this PC List we're making, 1600 should suffice for a $800 budget. The Team Zeus Blue 8gb stick of RAM fits the $60 RAM budget, and has the lowest CAS latency for the lowest price. 
For our build, we will be using the Team Zeus Blue 8GB (2x4gb) DDR3-1600 Memory (CAS 9).

Finally, to select the video card, you basically just find all the GPUs that fit the remaining money in the budget, and find the best out of them. 
Currently, the price of the PC list we're making is $540. That leaves about $240 to the GPU. The best Nvidia GPU for under $240 is the GTX 960, whereas the best AMD GPU for under $240 is the 290. It's a no-brainer to select the 290 over the 960. 
For our build, we will be using the XFX Double Disspiation Radeon R9 290.

At this point, it is wise to go back and check the estimated wattage, to make sure it's lower than the Power Supply's wattage output. In this case, it is, so that's good. 
It's also wise to check the motherboard again. The total price of our build at this point is about $780, so we have about $20 to put into other places. Since the motherboard I chose for this build is a bit low-balled, we can get a better one for some extra features. 

So as we look back at the motherboard, we can spend up to $90. Since we have an AMD GPU, we can get a motherboard that supports Crossfire, which allows a person to add another GPU in the future. If we had a Nvidia GPU, we could also probably find a motherboard that supports SLI, which allows the person to add another Nvidia GPU in the future. However, in order for a motherboard to support SLI, it has to have a Z97 chipset, which is often much more expensive than a Crossfire supporting motherboard. 
Luckily for us in this build the Gigabyte GA-Z97-HD3 motherboard, an amazing motherboard that supports Crossfire, and also happens to be a Z97 board (which supports overclocking), is only $1 more than the previously selected motherboard. Therefore, we still have an extra $20 to reach the $800 budget. 

So at this point, it's good to take a look back at the CPU, to see if there's a CPU that also supports Overclocking, just to give the person the option to overclock in the future. Unfortunately, though, there is not a CPU that is overclockable for under $20 more than the 4460, so at this point, the PC is complete. However, it is beneficial to the person building the PC if you suggest uses for the extra $20. They can put it toward a better case (a $60 case is better than a $40 one), they can put it on Steam, they can get a decent pair of headphones on Amazon, they can get some peripherals, or they can save it toward a future upgrade.

Anyway, in the end, this is the PC we built:


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($176.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97-HD3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($72.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Team Zeus Blue 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.30 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($37.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($51.49 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.79 @ OutletPC)
Total: $782.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-22 15:38 EDT-0400

--------------------Below are some recommended brands for parts--------------------

CPU: Intel 100% of the time
Motherboard: Gigabyte, ASUS, MSI
Memory: Crucial, Corsair, Kingston
Storage: Seagate, Western Digital
Video Card: ASUS, EVGA, Gigabyte, Sapphire
Case: NZXT, Corsair, other things mentioned previously in the blog
Power Supply: Corsair, EVGA, XFX, Seasonic
Optical Drive: Cheapest One you can find
Operating System: Windows 8.1

(Thanks to serdarminecraft for reminding me to add the fact that some PC parts are better for other uses than others)
Creditserdarminecraft
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2 Update Logs

Update #2 : by Woodilicious 04/29/2015 6:54:41 pmApr 29th, 2015

-Added "Gaming" part to blog title
-Added more content to disclaimer
-Added note regarding non-gaming PCs
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1
12/25/2015 3:24 pm
Level 1 : New Miner
UseMinecraftForum
UseMinecraftForum's Avatar
Better recommended brands:

CPU: Intel for higher budget PCs, AMD for iGPU builds and low budget PCs
Motherboard: ASRock, GIGABYTE, MSI, ASUS, EVGA
Memory: Crucial, Kingston, Avexir, G.Skill, Corsair (best to worst)
SSDs: Samsung, Crucial, SanDisk, AMD, Zotac, Intel, Corsair, Kingston (kind of best to worst, Samsung is the best)
HDDs: Western Digital, Seagate, Hitachi
AMD GPUs: Sapphire, MSI, Club3D, PowerColor, XFX, GIGABYTE and ASUS (best to worst, GIGABYTE and ASUS are absolute garbage)
NVIDIA GPUs: EVGA... I don't use NVIDIA so I don't know.
Cases: Cooler Master, Fractal Design, NZXT, be quiet!, Phanteks, Silverstone, Corsair (best to worst)
PSUs: Seasonic, XFX, Sparkle, Cyonic, EVGA, Cooler Master, Silverstone, be quiet!, Corsair, Thermaltake (best to worst)

CPU coolers:

Air coolers: Noctua, Cooler Master, CRYORIG, be quiet!, Scythe, Phanteks, Thermaltake, Thermalright
Liquid coolers: don't focking use them, use an air cooler.

Keyboards: Das Keyboards, Ducky, IBM, Tesoro, Cooler Master, Thermaltake, Steelseries, Corsair (best to worst)
Absolute sh*t keyboards: Razer, Mad Catz, ROCCAT

Mice: Logitech, Steelseries, Cooler Master, Corsair (best to worst)
Absolute sh*t mice: Razer, MAD CATZ, ROCCAT

Headphones: Sennheiser, Koss, Audio-Technica, Sony, Kingston, Logitech, Steelseies, Corsair, Turtle Beach (best to worst)
Absolute sh*t headphones: Razer, MAD CATZ, G.Skill, Astro, Beats

Case Fans: Noctua, Thermaltake, be quiet!, CRYORIG, Phanteks, Scythe, Fractal Design
1
04/29/2015 4:04 am
Level 18 : Journeyman Warrior
serdarminecraft
serdarminecraft's Avatar
Well 100% intel cpus? Well yes, thats true for gaming. But what about for a workstation or for someone that does alot more than gaming (Like rendering highly realistic architectural visualization or rendering 4k animation moves)? The fx-8350 has lower single core performance. But when doing tasks like rendering, You need multi-core performance which the fx8350 gives you 8 cores, 8 threads and MUCH higher core clock. This means alot more multi-core performance and faster renders.

Sorry if this tutorial is only for gamers. But if your gonna do rendering and tasks that doesnt need much graphic performance and better cpu, This is going to be better.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
What is this computer going to be used for? 
General Gaming/Some recording 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Well im saying that its a great build for gaming. But you should mention in the tutorial that some parts may be better for other uses.
1
04/29/2015 6:47 pm
Level 36 : Artisan Blockhead
Woodilicious
Woodilicious's Avatar
Indeed, what you say is true. However, though, AMD runs much hotter, and without a proper cooling solution (AMD's stock cooler is absolute garbage lol) the cpu's lifespan will be severly shortened. Rendering at 4k will only stess it out even more and will make the lifespan even shorter. 
The cost of the 8350 on a motherboard good enough to run it without any problems and a decent cooling solution will have a similar cost of an i5-4690. Granted, that's still not the best workstation cpu in the world, but it has a much better quad-core speed. And unless you're doing extremely heavy processes, it will be very seldom that you use all eight cores. 

Regardless, if your plan is to build a workstation on a budget that cant afford an Intel-CPU route, and you want to render 4k animations, then I don't really think you'll have much success lol. 

However, I just want to acknowledge that you are, in fact, completely correct in the entirety of your comment. I just wanted to explain why I didn't mention AMD. (Also, as you did say, I did create this for the purpose of building gaming PCs, and not workstations. As I assume you know, they are very different hardware-choice-wise. But since the majority of people requesting PCs on PMC are looking for a gaming rig, I didn't feel it was necessary to go into detail about Workstations. But yeah, I'll add the fact that some parts may be better for other uses)
1
04/30/2015 1:36 am
Level 18 : Journeyman Warrior
serdarminecraft
serdarminecraft's Avatar
Yeah, I know amd cpus are ultra hot. But getting a good cooling system will make it better for some peapole and it still wont be expensive. I didnt know this tutorial was ONLY for gamers. Sorry for misunderstanding.
1
04/22/2015 6:20 pm
Level 37 : Artisan Button Pusher
SleepyDog
SleepyDog's Avatar
I will read this tomorrow
1
04/22/2015 6:11 pm
Level 44 : Master Electrician
Bob_In_Soup
Bob_In_Soup's Avatar
This is a wonderful tutorial! I have a $2,600 Alienware computer I'm using right now, but this tutorial might definately be useful in the future! I have always wanted to construct my own computer, building it JUST right for me :) Diamond for you!
1
04/23/2015 8:12 pm
Level 1 : New Miner
alexf145
alexf145's Avatar
Bro why would you pay 2600 dollars for a computer?
1
04/25/2015 3:32 pm
Level 36 : Artisan Taco
Rice
Rice's Avatar
That could be considered cheap in some cases haha
1
04/24/2015 5:46 pm
Level 44 : Master Electrician
Bob_In_Soup
Bob_In_Soup's Avatar
I only payed 150 for it. Th person thought it was broken, when really, 1 of the 2 graphics cards was broken, causing it to blue screen.
1
04/23/2015 8:37 pm
Level 38 : Artisan Pokemon
Jolteoon
Jolteoon's Avatar
lol ikr
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