Need to build a system specifically for DayZ/Skyrim - GTX 670 ?

[Annisman*]

The brother of a good friend wants me to build him a PC. It's been a few years since I've built a system for anybody so I am kind of out of the loop when it comes to where the value is these days.

This is what he wants it for: Skyrim, and DayZ. Of course he'll probably play a bunch of other stuff but I want to build this PC making sure that he can run those two games great.

His budget is about 600$-700$.

Now, I have an old GTX 670 4GB sitting around collecting dust so my first question is will this card suffice or is it too long in the tooth by now ?

We're probably talking about 1080p gaming at the most.

I don't play either of these games so I don't have first hand experience in what is needed to run them well. I'm guessing CPU is pretty important for the ARMA engine ? Skyrim, I never really got to run well for the few hours I've tinkered with it.

Thanks for the halp ^_^

 

[Elixer]

His budget is about 600$-700$.

Now, I have an old GTX 670 4GB sitting around collecting dust so my first question is will this card suffice or is it too long in the tooth by now ?

Is that $600-700 for a gfx card, or total system?
670 would be OK for those games @1080.

 

[Annisman*]

Is that $600-700 for a gfx card, or total system?
670 would be OK for those games @1080.

Total system, I was hoping to defray some of the cost with a part or two of my own such as the GTX 670.

'OK' doesn't sound too optimistic :\

 

[ZGR]

ARMA is very CPU dependent. What is the CPU being used for the build? A GTX 670 will run ARMA fine, but not at max settings.

 

[Leyawiin]

A GTX 670 4GB will do absolutely fine for Skyrim @ 1080p. Plenty of VRAM for texture mods.

 

[Annisman*]

The CPU has not been decided yet, I am trying to decide if the GTX 670 is good enough first, if it is I can spend more on the CPU.

 

[Majcric]

The 670 should be good enough. He may have to dial back a few settings on some games here and there. But overall the 670 should be a fine starter card especially it being 4gb. Hopefully you can squeeze an i7 in the budget.

 

[Flapdrol1337]

The CPU has not been decided yet, I am trying to decide if the GTX 670 is good enough first, if it is I can spend more on the CPU.

A 4GB 670 will run dayz quite well, and if you're spending $700 max on an entire system there's no budget for a faster card.

 

[Annisman*]

A 4GB 670 will run dayz quite well, and if you're spending $700 max on an entire system there's no budget for a faster card.

Yeah good point man, I guess it will have to do. CPU recommendations anyone ?

Even with my overclocked 3930K I was never happy with the performance on the Arma engine, I hate that engine.

 

[Flapdrol1337]

4690K is probably the best cpu that still fits the budget.

 

[DooKey]

I second the 4690K recommendation.

 

[shady28]

Yeah good point man, I guess it will have to do. CPU recommendations anyone ?

Even with my overclocked 3930K I was never happy with the performance on the Arma engine, I hate that engine.

He probably doesn't have more than a 60hz refresh monitor, and the 670 does > 60fps min (~107 fps max) in Skyrim w/texture pack at 1080p.

4690K if he plans to overclock his CPU. Otherwise save the $40-$50 and get a 4590. It's 5% slower clock, but the $ is better spent on other components (SSD, case, PSU, RAM). Very few games will make a 4590 break a sweat.

 

[Tapoer]

The 670 should be fine, but keep in mind that performance in DayZ is heavily affected by the servers (dayz net code) and not just your PC. There are streamers in twitch with high end PC and performance is still crap in DayZ.

Also agree if you are interested in OC, the 4690K is ideal.

 

[el etro]

Used Core i5 plus GTX670.

 

[Stuka87]

I third the recommendation for a 4690K. Mine @4.5GHz runs everything perfectly, never have a CPU bottleneck.

 

[Headfoot]

Both Skyrim and DayZ stutter due to their engines, so even high end hardware will have dramatic drops in FPS just due to the game itself. Skyrim has as no stutter mod I think though which helps.

 

[stockwiz]

Build based on above recommended processor:

Processor $236 -
http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Core-i5...?ie=UTF8&qid=1436202941&sr=8-1&keywords=4690k

Motherboard $70 AR -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128715

Memory $48
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428

Power Supply $65 AR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438048

Case $50 AR (wider case designed for specified heatsink)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233&ignorebbr=1

Heatsink $47
http://www.amazon.com/Scythe-SCKTT-...ie=UTF8&filterBy=addFiveStar&showViewpoints=0

Thermal Paste $9
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA6J332N5272&cm_re=mx4-_-35-186-038-_-Product

Solid State Drive $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...4339&cm_re=crucial_ssd-_-20-148-945-_-Product

Windows 10 staying in the beta program - $0 Maybe troll slickdeals for a cheap windows 7/8 key or wait for a deal..
I got my windows 8 keys for $15 each by trolling slickdeals shortly after release.

Total so far: $605

Are you giving him the video card? 670 will work fine. If you sell it for $100 you're still within his budget. Want to spend a bit more? You could upgrade the RAM to 16GB, upgrade the solid state drive to 480GB, or buy a 3TB internal HDD for game storage, say the Toshiba PH3300U.

 

[bryanW1995]

What's up with that newegg pricing on the ssd? Are they selling paid advertising now to get people to pay more money on items?? I thought that it was $102 when I first looked at the link.

 

[Annisman*]

Hey thanks for all your great input guys, I'll be getting the 4960k for sure. And Stockwiz thanks for taking the time to recommend an entire build, I will have a look.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

Honestly, I'd be pissed to spend $600-$700 on a system and get a used GTX 670 in it. For that kind of money you can build an i5 + R9 290 system, though it needs some 120 mm case fans.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($166.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda ES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($43.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Tri-X OC Video Card ($263.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($32.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX TS 650W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $671.39
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-06 20:55 EDT-0400

 

[Annisman*]

Steve thanks for your input but in your build there is no ssd, or aftermarket cpu cooler not to mention a weaker cpu. I don't think those weaknesses make up for the 290x card.

 

[Majcric]

If you can swing for an i7, I'd recommend that. Some games are already utilizing extra threads/cores. Then when your friend wants an upgrade on the GPU he will be set.

 

[TemjinGold]

OP: There's a few things you can also try to maximize his budget.

1) Since you are giving him the 670, what about selling it and adding the proceeds to his budget?

2) Is he planning on OCing much? Because if he isn't (and I don't know that he necessarily needs to with a build in that budget), you can save money on the thermal paste and aftermarket cooler. The stock cooler is pretty capable these days and is a better idea when budget is tight.

3) I would take the XFX over the EVGA psu due to the cost (and smaller rebate). Do note EVGA's customer service is better if that makes a difference.

4) 2x4 memory is better than 1x8

5) Without the aftermarket cooler, that should allow you to use the cheaper recommended case.

If your 670 sells and you make these mods, you could very well end up with an i7 AND the 290. The recommended Sapphire one is a nice card but if Newegg still has the deal on the one I have (don't know if they do), I got mine for $240AR, which is better use of money.

 

[Gryz]

The 670 should be good enough. He may have to dial back a few settings on some games here and there. But overall the 670 should be a fine starter card especially it being 4gb.

Agreed.
When Skyrim was released, I had a gtx260 with 900MB videoram. I could play Skyrim fine, but fps was 30-40 only, and I think I had to turn down a little eyecandy (shadows). I then bought a gtx680. I could run with all settings high, a bunch of addons (high-res textures, etc) and got 50-60 fps. The 2GB on the gtx680 would be a limitation if I installed more addons. With the 4GB on the gtx670, that will not be a problem.

Hopefully you can squeeze an i7 in the budget.

An i7 is a waste of money for most games. An i5 will run most games just as well. The difference in fps would be 5% fps typically. Not worth the extra $100+. That $100 would be better invested in a faster graphics card. If not now, maybe later.

I would go for a i5-4690 cpu. Or i5-4460. With a cheap B85 motherboard from ASRock (good mobos, but cheaper than other brands. The H97M would be good too). And 8GB of RAM. That would be a pretty good backbone for the computer. And it would last quite a few years.

That should cost somewhere around $300. That leaves you $300-$400 for other components like: case, psu, ssd. Maybe monitor, keyboard and mouse. And Windows. If you buy a i7, you'll only have less budget left for those. Steve's suggestion above looks good too. Depending on whether you have keyboard/mouse/monitor/windows, etc. If you do, you can buy a new videocard. If you don't, then you probably have to use the gtx670 and spend the money on kb&mouse, etc.

In 2-3 years time, the i5-4690 will still be an excellent CPU. (Just like the i5-2500Ks from 2011 are still more than good enough for almost any game). By that time, if you friend has more budget, he can buy a faster videocard. In 12-18 months, the new generation videocard will be out, and that might be an excellent time to upgrade from the gtx670 to a 16nm card.

 

[TemjinGold]

An i7 is a waste of money for most games. An i5 will run most games just as well. The difference in fps would be 5% fps typically.

This used to be true. However, newer titles are increasingly actually making use of the extra HT threads.