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New build for grandson - Starting with case/form factor

W

weaslefluff

Member
So my 12 year old grandson wants a computer and I told him we could build one together. I've been building my own for a couple decades, but I'm not 12 anymore. He's going to use it for gaming and loves FPS games. My total budget is about $1000 (without a monitor). He's going to want it to look cool and be relatively easy to move. I am not sure if he's going to be all geeky like me and take to things like overclocking or if he'll just be happy with be blingy thing to kill things with.

So what are your thoughts on form factor and potential interesting cases to start the build with?
 
SFF = terrible for gaming pc's + new builders because of the room constraints.

If your an experienced builder, then yes, however again room constraints.
Gaming PC's typically are worked as hard as enterprise class machines in the fact they are pumping at near full throttle for many hours on either GPU + CPU or Both.

So again, unless your a experienced builder, i would try to avoid SFF (small form factor) PC's as gaming pc's unless the games are very limited to things like DOTA, and Counter Strike:GO.

But for games like Battlefield / most "AAA" titles, i would go with nothing smaller then a mid tower, that way you have room and a lot of leway when building, especially in the aspect of heat sinks, and long video cards.

Also Gaming PC first rule.
1. Set a Budget on the PC
2. Dedicate Half the budget to the Video Card.
3. Try to get no less then a i5 + 8gb of Ram...
4. Dont SKIMP OUT ON THE VIDEO CARD!
5. Dont cheap out on the power supply.
 
scannall said:
Well, here's a build that is $996.05, including Windows 10.

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/cZWFtJ
Click to expand...

Thanks for the build - I really thought $1,000 would go further. Like the CPU, but almost everything else I'd like to get a little better (don't know anything about the MOBO - it may be fine).

I may have to up the budget a bit. I'd be way more comfortable with a better PSU, Video Card and case.

How does the Sandisk SSD compare to the Samsungs?

I may ditch the optical drive.

Also, I see there is nothing extra for decent fans.

This is going to get interesting.
 
do your grandson a favor and get at least a Nvidia 1070.

Although AMD is known for there price / value point, a Nvidia 1070 will bring him bigger smiles when he finds out he can crank everything to ultra on a 1080p monitor and have extremely good frame rates.
 
aigomorla said:
a Nvidia 1070 will bring him bigger smiles when he finds out he can crank everything to ultra on a 1080p monitor and have extremely good frame rates.
Click to expand...

No to go too far off-topic, but have you seen the performance increases that the RX480, as well as even the older 7950/7970 got, in Doom using the Vulkan API? NV gained far less, if anything.

NV may have more grunt, for older DX11 titles, but it's clear that with the new APIs, and console ports favoring AMD, along with NV's quick obsolescence, that getting a higher-end AMD card may be the wisest choice.

Unfortunately, AMD's "big GPU" 14nm family, code-named "Vega", isn't going to be on the market for a while yet.
 
aigomorla said:
do your grandson a favor and get at least a Nvidia 1070.

Although AMD is known for there price / value point, a Nvidia 1070 will bring him bigger smiles when he finds out he can crank everything to ultra on a 1080p monitor and have extremely good frame rates.
Click to expand...

For a budget system, telling him to go with a 1070 is a rather poor piece of advice. If it must be nVidia, go with a 1060 (Although they are nearly impossible to buy right now), otherwise an RX 480 is a far better deal.
 
I'll just throw these cases out there:

The Corsair Vengence C70(Black $110/Military Green $130) and the CoolerMaster Storm Scout 2 (Black $100). You can check prices on PcPartPicker.com

They are a few years old now and a bit pricey for a budget build but sturdy cases with unique looks and built in handles for moving.
 
weaslefluff said:
Thanks for the build - I really thought $1,000 would go further. Like the CPU, but almost everything else I'd like to get a little better (don't know anything about the MOBO - it may be fine).

I may have to up the budget a bit. I'd be way more comfortable with a better PSU, Video Card and case.

How does the Sandisk SSD compare to the Samsungs?

I may ditch the optical drive.

Also, I see there is nothing extra for decent fans.

This is going to get interesting.
Click to expand...

The Sandisk is fine. Samsung is probably a bit better, but I was trying to stay with your target price. The 1070 is better than the 480, but also blew the $1000 budget. Bang for the buck though, the 480 is the winner there.

As far as extra fans go, I doubt they will be needed. Current CPU's run quite a bit cooler than even 6 years ago. Won't make it run appreciably cooler, just make more noise.
 
So I decided to see what I could do for $1,200 and came up with this build: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/Q3FfPs

Thoughts on this one? I still have to consider a more mobile case like the Vengence mentioned above, but I really like the R4 for the price. I don't see being able to save enough on parts to jump up to the 1070.

Should be good for gaming, provide some decent overclocking fun (if he really gets into it, we can upgrade the cooler later), and has room for upgrades (memory, HDD).
 
I originally posted this in cases in cooling for suggestions on cases, but I think I'm getting closer to finalizing the build and thought I would post it here for thoughts/suggestions. This is for my grandson and will be mostly used for gaming at 1080 or 1440. It's an experiment to see how much he gets into building a rig and showing him how the pieces work. I want some ability to overclock but don't know how much he will want to play with that. I wanted room to upgrade as needed (memory, HDD). My budget was originally $1,000 but I couldn't get the quality I wanted so the budget is now $1,200 (without OS).

Please comment on this build.
 
Since this has become a general build topic, i will move this to general hardware.

I have also merged your other thread in general hardware because its against TOS to cross post.

Next time please ask a Moderator to move your original post.

Moderator Aigo.
 
aigomorla said:
Since this has become a general build topic, i will move this to general hardware.

I have also merged your other thread in general hardware because its against TOS to cross post.

Next time please ask a Moderator to move your original post.

Moderator Aigo.
Click to expand...
Understood and will do. Thanks for merging them.
 
weaslefluff said:
I originally posted this in cases in cooling for suggestions on cases, but I think I'm getting closer to finalizing the build and thought I would post it here for thoughts/suggestions. This is for my grandson and will be mostly used for gaming at 1080 or 1440. It's an experiment to see how much he gets into building a rig and showing him how the pieces work. I want some ability to overclock but don't know how much he will want to play with that. I wanted room to upgrade as needed (memory, HDD). My budget was originally $1,000 but I couldn't get the quality I wanted so the budget is now $1,200 (without OS).

Please comment on this build.

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VIII HERO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($199.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($67.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($169.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1060 6GB G1 Gaming Video Card ($289.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($77.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1140.81
Click to expand...

Everything looks ok. You could save $50 and get a motherboard like the Asus z170 Pro Gaming. You don't need a $200 board for it to overclock. Outside of that, just make sure to go to G Skill's website and enter the model of whatever motherboard you go with, and make sure the RAM is compatible with your selection. Plus, since there isn't much price difference between the speeds right now, you might want to go with DDR4-3000. Also, you don't need a 650w power supply. A quality 550w like the EVGA SuperNova G2 will be plenty, plus JonnyGuru rated the G2 higher than the G1 in your list.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438053

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&file=print&reid=442

The NEX650G strikes me as a very bland but still capable little unit. It does a lot right, but it also does a lot to bring a yawn out of me. Voltage regulation was nothing special. Efficiency was barely a pass for Gold. Ripple suppression is nothing special. But when that's the worst thing you can say about a unit, you're not doing too bad at all. This is by no means a junk unit. It's just a little too close in price to the real good stuff for me to recommend, is all. Taking ten bucks off the price, or bringing performance up a bit, would do a whole lot for this model. As it sits right now, if you skip lunch at McDonalds today you've already more than made up the difference between this unit and the Seasonic unit or even the EVGA GS model I mentioned. Heck, skip the fast food two days in a row and you can get the G2 instead, along with all the awesomeness that comes with it.
Click to expand...

http://www.gskill.com/en/configurator
 
Stuka87 said:
For a budget system, telling him to go with a 1070 is a rather poor piece of advice. If it must be nVidia, go with a 1060 (Although they are nearly impossible to buy right now), otherwise an RX 480 is a far better deal.
Click to expand...

Yea, for a 12 year old, a 480 or 1060 is plenty of power for the video card. Availability is still tight for both models though. 1060 uses less power and is slightly faster in today's games, while the 480 *may* be faster in the future. But both are fine cards, I would just go with which ever one is available at a decent price.


Edit: build looks fine overall. My only suggestion would be to perhaps go with 2 x 8 gb of ram, since it is pretty cheap these days.
 
weaslefluff said:
I originally posted this in cases in cooling for suggestions on cases, but I think I'm getting closer to finalizing the build and thought I would post it here for thoughts/suggestions. This is for my grandson and will be mostly used for gaming at 1080 or 1440. It's an experiment to see how much he gets into building a rig and showing him how the pieces work. I want some ability to overclock but don't know how much he will want to play with that. I wanted room to upgrade as needed (memory, HDD). My budget was originally $1,000 but I couldn't get the quality I wanted so the budget is now $1,200 (without OS).

Please comment on this build.
Click to expand...

Seems a little pricey. For 1200.00 I would try to move up to a 6700k. PSU seem more than is needed and kind of expensive, as is the motherboard. Maybe try to save a bit on the PSU, motherboard, and find a better deal on a 1060 or 480 and put the savings toward a 6700k.
 
Based on comments, I backed down on the MOBO and PS. I also reduced the size of the SSD to 250GB. I really like the idea of an M.2 drive and would like to stick with that. I also like the idea of a window on his rig. I was able to fit a 1070 instead of 1060 based on those changes. Still have a 650 watt PS in case he ever wants to add a video card or do some extreme overclocking. I have no idea if the NEX is a substantial downgrade or a good PS - it get's good reviews.

Is 250GB big enough? How many good games can he fit on that after loading Windows 10? Basically it comes down to 500GB and a 1060 or 250GB and a 1070. Seems like the more powerful video card would serve him better than more space, but I'm open to suggestions.

I'm not sure why he would need a 6700k over a 6600k for gaming and experimenting with OC. If I'm wrong there, let me know.

Anyway - here is the current build - would appreciate comments.
 
So I took a look at your build and I've made some changes, here's the build and I'll list why I made the changes:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($233.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170 Pro4S ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($59.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($97.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon RX 480 8GB Video Card ($239.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 650W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($103.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1001.29
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-10 23:16 EDT-0400


CPU: Stayed the same
CPU Cooler: Stayed the same
Motherboard: You're overspending here, especially since you're not sure if he'll overclock. Even this board will be able to overclock without issue. ASRock makes solid boards with good feature sets. The onboard audio is solid and the rest of the feature set is fine.
RAM: I've added a bit more and went with Crucial. RAM is a commodity nowadays so really just about any brand should be fine but Crucial tends to be more reliable.
Storage: Stuck with the same SSD (although in all honesty he would never see a difference in speed between it and a SATA SSD for the intended workloads) and added a mechanical HDD since it's always good to have one for bulk storage.
GPU: Went with an RX480 to stay closer to your budget (went all of a bit more than $1) and it will perform just fine in games at 1080p. The GTX 1070 is currently overpriced and not worth the extra IMO.
PSU: Upgraded the PSU since this is such a good PSU for the price, feel free to swap for the one that is currently in your build
Case: Stuck with the same one
 
OK - It's time to start buying this build. My budget is less than $1200 without an OS, monitor, keyboard or mouse. He picked the case, so please don't change that.

In summary: Build for my grandson who likes to game. Budget <$1200. Overclocking available but not a big priority. Probably 1080 or 1440 monitor. Best possible gaming system without spending more than $1200. Don't care about extra storage (for those who have suggested adding a HDD). I definitely plan to wait for the Samsung 960 EVO but have the 950 as a place holder. Again, he picked the case and it will work so unless there is something else as blingy, let's leave that.

What parts could be better?

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/DWMzPs
 
weaslefluff said:
What parts could be better?

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/DWMzPs
Click to expand...

It looks fine to me. However, I'd suggest spending about $20 or so more on the motherboard, and getting one that has ALC1150 audio. It is a BIG step-up over the ALC887 on the board you selected.

These three are the next step up in Gigabyte's line-up with the better audio:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128837&ignorebbr=1

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128840&ignorebbr=1

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128841&ignorebbr=1
 
weaslefluff said:
OK - It's time to start buying this build. My budget is less than $1200 without an OS, monitor, keyboard or mouse. He picked the case, so please don't change that.

In summary: Build for my grandson who likes to game. Budget <$1200. Overclocking available but not a big priority. Probably 1080 or 1440 monitor. Best possible gaming system without spending more than $1200. Don't care about extra storage (for those who have suggested adding a HDD). I definitely plan to wait for the Samsung 960 EVO but have the 950 as a place holder. Again, he picked the case and it will work so unless there is something else as blingy, let's leave that.

What parts could be better?

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/DWMzPs
Click to expand...
I tend to agree with nsafreak that you need more storage. If your grandson wants to play AAA FPS games, a lot of games are now in the range of 50 gb for a single game, and some upcoming games are rumored to be 80 gb or more.
 
frozentundra123456 said:
I tend to agree with nsafreak that you need more storage. If your grandson wants to play AAA FPS games, a lot of games are now in the range of 50 gb for a single game, and some upcoming games are rumored to be 80 gb or more.
Click to expand...
I will also recommend getting more storage then a single ~256 GB SSD. Games do take up a lot of space these days and it is going to get worse. Besides 1 TB HDDs are dirt cheap.
 
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