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Can I make this PC better?
What I've made:- (UPDATED AS OF 22nd DECEMBER)
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Phoenix_13/saved/3d26
So, I was making a PC and wanted some opinions.
My budget is USD 1600.
Any help/suggestions are welcome!
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Phoenix_13/saved/3d26
So, I was making a PC and wanted some opinions.
My budget is USD 1600.
Any help/suggestions are welcome!
Create an account or sign in to comment.
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http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2oJGs
This is what i would get for a $1600 budget. I left room for a keyboard and mouse.
the cpu i chose here is Insignificantly faster in all kinds of applications, Supports AVX2 / FMA3 instructions, Can be easily overclocked than the one you chose, and I am still in your budget by $200, with the same video card, better RAM, and I left you a power supply that gives room for future upgrades when and if you decide to do so. I also put a liquid cooler. You can just swap that out for a hyper 212 EVO if you need to make more budget room. You could also bump back up to a full tower case, but i dont see the reason for a full tower with this build, its just going to take up space. GOOD LUCK!
This is what i would get for a $1600 budget. I left room for a keyboard and mouse.
the cpu i chose here is Insignificantly faster in all kinds of applications, Supports AVX2 / FMA3 instructions, Can be easily overclocked than the one you chose, and I am still in your budget by $200, with the same video card, better RAM, and I left you a power supply that gives room for future upgrades when and if you decide to do so. I also put a liquid cooler. You can just swap that out for a hyper 212 EVO if you need to make more budget room. You could also bump back up to a full tower case, but i dont see the reason for a full tower with this build, its just going to take up space. GOOD LUCK!
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Since you aren't overclocking I'd go with the i5-3570. It will be a little more powerful than the i5-3450. Also, i'd try to get cheaper RAM. You can easily get a 8gb RAM kit for around 50-60 USD. I'd consider getting this motherboard because it offers sli and your current one does not. Other than that your new build is perfectly fine.
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First, for all your help, a huge THANKS
Secondly, should I wait for DDR4 ram or go with DDR3?
Secondly, should I wait for DDR4 ram or go with DDR3?
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Don't wait. DDR4 will be very expensive when it comes out plus you have to wait until new CPUs and motherboards to be DDR4 compatible.
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I think you should wait until they come out with DDR4 RAM.
It will have higher clocks and more memory, it also will not be compatible with any older RAM slots.
It will have higher clocks and more memory, it also will not be compatible with any older RAM slots.
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8 core AMD CPU, and a fancy AMD R9
Much cheaper and more powerful.
Much cheaper and more powerful.
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What do you mean?
Its at 8 already
Its at 8 already
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Lower your ram to 8-12gb, Its all you really need
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NEW BUILD:-
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Phoenix_13/saved/3dyI
Suggestions welcome!
And if you know a website where they can build this and send it to me, please let me know!
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Phoenix_13/saved/3dyI
Suggestions welcome!
And if you know a website where they can build this and send it to me, please let me know!
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I reckon it depends what you do. If you're a designer like myself, I go for the high end processor and at least 16gb ram. If you don't do a lot of big stuff and much heavy gaming, go for i5 processor and 8gb ram (possibly 4gb). If u play lots of games like battlefield 4, get i7 processor 8gb ram, and at least 3gb graphics card.
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It's going to be basically for school/homework and gaming so I reckon an i5 can handle it!
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Another problem, I can't get any of these parts because I live outside the US.
Help?
Aso,I will not overclock my CPU because I've had a bad experience with my brother's overclocked CPU....
Help?
Aso,I will not overclock my CPU because I've had a bad experience with my brother's overclocked CPU....
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The first thing i notice is that your CPU is not overclockable. I dont know if you want to do that, but it can increase the performance. Since you can not overclock your CPU, then Don't even bother with a CPU cooler cause the stock one they give you is fine. They wouldn't give you a cpu cooler that wouldnt work. Now if you do want to overclock, i would go with an i5-4670K, great CPU. If you do end up overclocking, i recommend a H100i liquid cooler to cool your CPU, it is quite, and works great!
The next thing i notice is that your RAM isn't running dual channel. Dual channel ram is much faster than single channel, so even though it might cost more, it is worth it. I actually have the same video card you do, but i have the overclocked edition with a core clock of 1.14Ghz, wont matter to much, i paid 399.99 for mine so i think you are getting a great deal.
The next thing is that you have such an expensive optical drive??? You can get other ones that run around $20 instead of 45. Especially if all you are going to use it for is to install drivers. If you watch videos on netflix and dont play games on disks which most people play on steam anyways, then dont pay that much for the optical drive.
The estimated wattage is 406W and you picked out a 520W power supply, the biggest mistake people make sometimes is picking a power supply that fits their budget, but doesnt fit their build. If you ever want to upgrade RAM, Your CPU, or your GPU, you do not have much room to do so. I would go with an 750W certified bronze semi-modular power supply.
Windows 8.1 has some conflicts with some drivers for peoples video cards where they get blue screens during some games. This probably wont be an issue for you though, but just a heads up.
Your monitor is 60Hz on the refresh rate, it used to be the monitor didn't matter, but now more and more people want better graphics, so you might want to get something a litter better. Mine is 75Hz and ran me about $130.
Buying a computer is half work, you really have to do your research especially if it is your first time, you dont want to bottleneck your build which makes it hard for people to budget their builds. I see with your keyboard that is on the cheap side, keyboards are 100% personal preference, so if you like the keyboard then get it. some people like mechanical keyboards, but they are quite loud, however they will last a lot longer and you will get a better feel while gaming.
after all this, if you have room in your budget, you can include things like an SSD where you can put your Operating system on and a few of your favorite games. This will make your computer boot super fast. You could also include another monitor so you dont have to exit full screen mode on a game if you needa look something up like an FAQ or guide.
The next thing i notice is that your RAM isn't running dual channel. Dual channel ram is much faster than single channel, so even though it might cost more, it is worth it. I actually have the same video card you do, but i have the overclocked edition with a core clock of 1.14Ghz, wont matter to much, i paid 399.99 for mine so i think you are getting a great deal.
The next thing is that you have such an expensive optical drive??? You can get other ones that run around $20 instead of 45. Especially if all you are going to use it for is to install drivers. If you watch videos on netflix and dont play games on disks which most people play on steam anyways, then dont pay that much for the optical drive.
The estimated wattage is 406W and you picked out a 520W power supply, the biggest mistake people make sometimes is picking a power supply that fits their budget, but doesnt fit their build. If you ever want to upgrade RAM, Your CPU, or your GPU, you do not have much room to do so. I would go with an 750W certified bronze semi-modular power supply.
Windows 8.1 has some conflicts with some drivers for peoples video cards where they get blue screens during some games. This probably wont be an issue for you though, but just a heads up.
Your monitor is 60Hz on the refresh rate, it used to be the monitor didn't matter, but now more and more people want better graphics, so you might want to get something a litter better. Mine is 75Hz and ran me about $130.
Buying a computer is half work, you really have to do your research especially if it is your first time, you dont want to bottleneck your build which makes it hard for people to budget their builds. I see with your keyboard that is on the cheap side, keyboards are 100% personal preference, so if you like the keyboard then get it. some people like mechanical keyboards, but they are quite loud, however they will last a lot longer and you will get a better feel while gaming.
after all this, if you have room in your budget, you can include things like an SSD where you can put your Operating system on and a few of your favorite games. This will make your computer boot super fast. You could also include another monitor so you dont have to exit full screen mode on a game if you needa look something up like an FAQ or guide.
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You don't need that CPU cooler. You don't have a overclockable processor so having a high end CPU cooler would be useless. Get a Cooler Master 212 evo and use the extra 60$ to get a overclockable CPU and a Z chipset motherboard.
Also, get the cheapest 8 gb RAM kit. You won't notice the difference between 1333 RAM and a higher RAM.
You don't need to pay extra for the Western Digital Black hard drive, A Caviar Blue or Seagate Barracuda will have about the same performance.
There are a few PSUs that are cheaper and better than the one you choose like this and this.
Just build it yourself. All you really need to do is put around ten parts together most of which just snap/lock in place.There is plenty of youtube video tutorials on building a computer like this one:
[yt]d_56kyib-Ls[/yt]
Also, get the cheapest 8 gb RAM kit. You won't notice the difference between 1333 RAM and a higher RAM.
You don't need to pay extra for the Western Digital Black hard drive, A Caviar Blue or Seagate Barracuda will have about the same performance.
There are a few PSUs that are cheaper and better than the one you choose like this and this.
Just build it yourself. All you really need to do is put around ten parts together most of which just snap/lock in place.There is plenty of youtube video tutorials on building a computer like this one:
[yt]d_56kyib-Ls[/yt]
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The PC build has been updated. I shelled out quite a bit for a better video card and CPU cooler like you guys suggested so I hope it's better now. Storage has been updated as well.
Also, does anyone know a website where they can build this PC for me and send it?
I'm never made a PC before.
Note:- I do not live in the US.
Also, does anyone know a website where they can build this PC for me and send it?
I'm never made a PC before.
Note:- I do not live in the US.
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If you want to do that, i am sure there is a website that will do that for you, but it will cost a bunch of extra money. Better to just watcha bunch of youtube tutorials(This is what i did) and figure it out yourself. The parts come with manuals!!! its basically plugging everything into your motherboard.
Other than that, just ask a friend or neighbor who is more experienced with computers if you know any
Other than that, just ask a friend or neighbor who is more experienced with computers if you know any
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Do you know a website like that?
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Get an even better graphics card than the GTX 650, that card is a good one, but I would probably go with something better than if.
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Also, if I were you, I'd get a much better SSD, 60 GB is NOT enough. You should also consider getting one of those 4 GHz 8-core AMD's.
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You should keep the RAM for sure.
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Thank you all for the suggestions and will post a new build soon.
Till then, more suggestions about this one are welcome!
Till then, more suggestions about this one are welcome!
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Here you go.
Changes:
-better CPU, haswell instead of ivy bridge plus overclockable
-better motherboard, higher chipset(Z instead of B) lets you overclock the CPU plus crossfire and SLI support
-cheaper CPU cooler that will still be great
-2X bigger SSD for only 5$ more
-added 2 tb hardrive
-decreased to 8 gb of RAM, don't really need 16
-much much better GPU, 770 will pretty much handle anything at 1080p on one monitor can fit a 780 in if you plan on 1440p or a tri-monitor set-up
-cheaper PSU + 80 more watts
-dropped the blu-ray drive for a plain CD drive, add it back if you need it
-went with standard Windows 8.1 instead of pro
Click to reveal
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($74.95 @ Adorama)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.48 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($329.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: BitFenix Colossus Venom Window (Black) ATX Full Tower Case ($140.18 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Microcenter)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - OEM (64-bit) ($94.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Samsung S20B300B 60Hz 20.0" Monitor ($128.90 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: A4Tech G800V Wired Gaming Keyboard ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder 2013 Wired Optical Mouse ($52.49 @ Amazon)
Total: $1415.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-20 16:27 EST-0500)
CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($74.95 @ Adorama)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.48 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($329.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: BitFenix Colossus Venom Window (Black) ATX Full Tower Case ($140.18 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Microcenter)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - OEM (64-bit) ($94.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Samsung S20B300B 60Hz 20.0" Monitor ($128.90 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: A4Tech G800V Wired Gaming Keyboard ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder 2013 Wired Optical Mouse ($52.49 @ Amazon)
Total: $1415.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-20 16:27 EST-0500)
Changes:
-better CPU, haswell instead of ivy bridge plus overclockable
-better motherboard, higher chipset(Z instead of B) lets you overclock the CPU plus crossfire and SLI support
-cheaper CPU cooler that will still be great
-2X bigger SSD for only 5$ more
-added 2 tb hardrive
-decreased to 8 gb of RAM, don't really need 16
-much much better GPU, 770 will pretty much handle anything at 1080p on one monitor can fit a 780 in if you plan on 1440p or a tri-monitor set-up
-cheaper PSU + 80 more watts
-dropped the blu-ray drive for a plain CD drive, add it back if you need it
-went with standard Windows 8.1 instead of pro
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server075:idea: Get a closed water system like the Corsair Hydro H110
and for your ddr 8 gig is fine for all the big games do look if its CL9 if its CL10-11 it will be slower and 2100mhz would be even more awesome.
For RAM especially DDR3 Mhz will not improve performance a lot compared to say 1600Mhz or 1866Mhz due to the fact that latency a.k.a CL increases as the Mhz increase. This basically nulls the higher frequency. If you are going to buy RAM with a higher frequency than 1600MHz you need to have the extra cash to get sticks with lower CL latencies as well. Linus Tech Tips on youtube recently had a great video about this with benchmarks in real games to prove it. The good median without lowering the CL for performance was the 1600Mhz sticks
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Here are my recommendations. The big one to upgrade that video card to at least a GTX 660Ti, these days all the GPU power you can get the better especially with newer games.
You should get Windows 8.1 pro if you are going with a 16GB RAM setup. Pro is designed to handle 16GB and above better than a Windows 8.1 BUT regular will do fine.
16GB of RAM could be overkill tho too. I have 12GB of RAM in my desktop but only maxed at 10GB (running a ton of windows, games, and other programs )
A Core i5 will run just fine especially a Ivy Bridge i5. 3.1Ghz is plenty. Core i7 will boost performance but not as much as you would think.
I would look at more storage too. 60GB is not good enough. I had a 64GB ssd once and it got filled 90% with Windows, 4 games, and a couple of music files. I recommended buying the ssd but also buying a hard drive as a data drive. So when you build your machine just connect the ssd first... install windows.... then install the hard drive.
If you have extra money in the end a nice sound card does not hurt either. I can not stand on board sound anymore its just not as clear as internal sound card can be. I have a Asus Xonar DX and I love it!
It also may be a good idea to invest in a additional cooling fan or two. Heat is a big enemy of a computer. Good air is a priority.
Otherwise everything else looks good to me. Just a few things to consider, and all this comes from my experience building my desktop and others for other people.
You should get Windows 8.1 pro if you are going with a 16GB RAM setup. Pro is designed to handle 16GB and above better than a Windows 8.1 BUT regular will do fine.
16GB of RAM could be overkill tho too. I have 12GB of RAM in my desktop but only maxed at 10GB (running a ton of windows, games, and other programs )
A Core i5 will run just fine especially a Ivy Bridge i5. 3.1Ghz is plenty. Core i7 will boost performance but not as much as you would think.
I would look at more storage too. 60GB is not good enough. I had a 64GB ssd once and it got filled 90% with Windows, 4 games, and a couple of music files. I recommended buying the ssd but also buying a hard drive as a data drive. So when you build your machine just connect the ssd first... install windows.... then install the hard drive.
If you have extra money in the end a nice sound card does not hurt either. I can not stand on board sound anymore its just not as clear as internal sound card can be. I have a Asus Xonar DX and I love it!
It also may be a good idea to invest in a additional cooling fan or two. Heat is a big enemy of a computer. Good air is a priority.
Otherwise everything else looks good to me. Just a few things to consider, and all this comes from my experience building my desktop and others for other people.
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You should get something higher than a 1gb GPU. It's a good card, however try keep it at 2gb minimum.
If it's for gaming, you don't really need windows 8.1 professional, regular 8.1 would do fine.
Perhaps a faster processor, up to a 3.4ghz / 3.5ghz, maybe even get an overclocking one. Ignore the people that say to get i7, you really don't need it if it's just for gaming. Though it would help on Minecraft quite a bit.
And if you are getting a fan cooled CPU, make sure it's a decent one. I also would recommend watercooling, but if fan cooling is what you want then fair play.
If it's for gaming, you don't really need windows 8.1 professional, regular 8.1 would do fine.
Perhaps a faster processor, up to a 3.4ghz / 3.5ghz, maybe even get an overclocking one. Ignore the people that say to get i7, you really don't need it if it's just for gaming. Though it would help on Minecraft quite a bit.
And if you are getting a fan cooled CPU, make sure it's a decent one. I also would recommend watercooling, but if fan cooling is what you want then fair play.
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Get a closed water system like the Corsair Hydro H110
and for your ddr 8 gig is fine for all the big games do look if its CL9 if its CL10-11 it will be slower and 2100mhz would be even more awesome.
and for your ddr 8 gig is fine for all the big games do look if its CL9 if its CL10-11 it will be slower and 2100mhz would be even more awesome.
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I'd recommend water cooling and an i7 CPU, also I have 16gb ram (memory) and It's over kill and in a way a waste of money so lower it to 8gb,
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Thanks, will lower the ram.
I would like avoid water cooling because I'm scared of it leaking and ruining my setup...
I would like avoid water cooling because I'm scared of it leaking and ruining my setup...