Thoughts on parts picked for new gaming pc

Domy

Member
Sep 25, 2002
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I'm building a new pc for gaming and some video editing. I was hoping to get some feedback and help from you guys. I have a list of parts put together. I would like to stay around a $900.00 budget. Any and all help would be appreciated. Parts will be bought in USA, want to run 1080p.

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/domyoco/saved/zrvNGX
 
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Conroe

Senior member
Mar 12, 2006
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With a z270 motherboard you should get faster ram or you might as well save a little and get a B250 board.
 

UsandThem

Elite Member
May 4, 2000
16,068
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That PowerColor has some pretty rough user reviews. You might want to read through some of them

Some cards that you could look at (maybe catch them on sale and they would be closer to the price of the PowerColor card):

$30 more after rebate
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814137023&Tpk=N82E16814137023

$30 more after rebate
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150773&Tpk=N82E16814150773

$20 more after rebate
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814126117&Tpk=N82E16814126117

$15 more after rebate
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202223&Tpk=N82E16814202223
 
Aug 11, 2008
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Dont really need an aftermarket CPU cooler, do you? That cpu cannot be overclocked, and I think the stock cooler should be sufficient.
 

Valantar

Golden Member
Aug 26, 2014
1,792
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With a z270 motherboard you should get faster ram or you might as well save a little and get a B250 board.
Faster RAM is a good idea. More is better too. Like this: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/XTCrxr/patriot-memory-pv416g280c6k
No. Faster RAM is a waste of money on Intel platforms for 99% of consumer/prosumer workloads. In games there is hardly any measurable difference between low-end and top of the line RAM, let alone a noticeable one. For video work the main thing is to have enough of it, speed doesn't make a huge difference there either.

I support the notion of skipping the Z270 motherboard, though. Find the cheapest one from a reputable brand (last I heard, pretty much anything except Biostar) that has all the stuff you want/need. With a locked CPU, you're paying quite a bit for features you can't use.

Dont really need an aftermarket CPU cooler, do you? That cpu cannot be overclocked, and I think the stock cooler should be sufficient.
If you like tinnitus, sure. Video editing with a stock Intel cooler? Ugh. The Cryorig in the list should be much, much quieter, and would bring down temps under sustained loads too. Neither are bad things. And it's $20.


OP: if I were you, I'd find a cheaper motherboard, and put the difference into a better PSU. The BQ you have chosen isn't bad, it just isn't particularly good. It uses cheap-ish capacitors (mostly Teapo), which doesn't bode too well for longevity (neither does its 3-year warranty). If I were you, I'd get a Supernova G3 550W - it's $25 more (according to PCPartPicker, and possibly the best 550W PSU available (at least if the 750W and 1000W are anything to go by). That's a PSU you can keep for years and years and years (with a 7-year warranty included). It'll use less power, too, being Gold rated. Which is nice for the environment and all that.

As for the GPU, I'd second UsandThem's recommendations. They should all be good, and I don't think I've seen a negative review of any of those. The Nitro+ is my personal favourite (clean design and well-priced with good performance), but it isn't the highest end card out there.
 

Domy

Member
Sep 25, 2002
183
2
81
Thank You Very Much for your feedback! Not real sure about the motherboard, but I changed it to a Gigabyte GA-B250M-SS3H. Also changed the GPU to the Sapphire Radeon RX 480 8GB Nitro+ and the PSU to the EVGA SuperNova G3 550W 80+ Gold. I have one other question. Should I spend the money and up my memory to 16gb. I don't want it to be overkill if I can get away with 8gb for gaming and Video editing.
 

UsandThem

Elite Member
May 4, 2000
16,068
7,383
146
Thank You Very Much for your feedback! Not real sure about the motherboard, but I changed it to a Gigabyte GA-B250M-SS3H. Also changed the GPU to the Sapphire Radeon RX 480 8GB Nitro+ and the PSU to the EVGA SuperNova G3 550W 80+ Gold. I have one other question. Should I spend the money and up my memory to 16gb. I don't want it to be overkill if I can get away with 8gb for gaming and Video editing.

8 GB will be enough for most games for now, but if you do video editing or plan on playing newer demanding games over the next several years, 16 GB would be a good investment.
 

EliteRetard

Diamond Member
Mar 6, 2006
6,490
1,021
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I like your choice of cooler, it's uncommon for whatever reason...but it's cooler, quieter, and cheaper than the 212 EVO that everybody recommends.

Looks like decent suggestions here. I'd also vote for 16GB RAM, and decided to tweak your build list for it. To keep it at a similar price as it is now, I changed the PSU as well. I chose the SeaSonic G series SSR-550RM, it's 80+ gold rated and semi modular...if not as good as the EVGA, it's very very close.
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story6&reid=323


PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/7wxmRG
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/7wxmRG/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-7500 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($204.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG M9i 48.4 CFM CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B250M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($73.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($75.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 480 8GB NITRO+ Video Card ($234.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Deepcool DUKASE WHV2 ATX Mid Tower Case ($52.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: be quiet! Pure Wings 2 51.4 CFM 120mm Fan ($10.90 @ Newegg Marketplace)

Total: $833.78
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-21 15:27 EST-0500

You may be wondering why I chose a 3000MHz kit. It happens to be one of the cheapest on Newegg (on sale with no rebate) and it runs a low latency of 15-15-15-35. Even if you cant run 3000MHz now, it may be useful in the future (like buying DDR3 1600 vs 1066 8 years ago). Also there's a good chance it can run at 2400MHz with lower timings in the 13-14 range that would make it better than the cheapest low end options (some running CAS 16+).
 

EliteRetard

Diamond Member
Mar 6, 2006
6,490
1,021
136
I also have a suggestion for you on the MOBO front. I'm not sure what features you want/need and perhaps that Gigabyte is precisely what you want. However I noticed it has an older lower end audio codec and a cheaper Realtek network chip, and being MATX is just less feature rich than other options. The cheapest MOBO on Newegg with the newest audio chip and an Intel network chip is this ATX ASRock Fatal1ty B250 Gaming K4:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157748

Running 40$ more than your current choice, it would still keep your total price under $900. Personally this is the lowest I'd go, I'd want to get the best audio and network chips and I'd appreciate the other minor features and full ATX.

The ATX ASRock Fatal1ty Z270 Gaming K4 is another ~25$ on top of that, and would put you right next to $900. This board carries similar features to the B250 variant with a few upgrades, primarily that looks like 2 full speed PCIe M.2 ports (vs the 1 full speed 1 half speed on B250) and the Z270 overclocking for CPU/RAM. This option is less interesting since it doesn't offer much over the B250 and you don't need the overclocking from the Z270. Still, if your gonna spend the extra money on the B250 for more features it's "only another 25$ for the best chipset!". I decided to include it as a possible future proofing option...maybe you'll want the ability to drop in and OC a 7700k in the future.
 

Valantar

Golden Member
Aug 26, 2014
1,792
508
136
Sounds like you're putting together a very nice build :) Hope you have fun building it (and no issues, knock wood!)!

I haven't seen any reviews of that particular motherboard, but Gigabyte is generally considered to make good stuff. And moving up to 16GB is a good choice - you'd get by okay with 8, but 16 is more future proof + leaves you room to get 32GB if you really get into video editing later (4k video in big projects eats RAM for breakfast). It's a relatively small investment that'll pay off in the long run.