AdviceBuilding A Budget ($1400-$1500) Gaming PC (I hope)
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AdviceBuilding A Budget ($1400-$1500) Gaming PC (I hope)Posted:
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What is your budget and currency? $1500 USD. Give or take $200 but I would like to make it as budget-minded as possible. $1100 would be amazing but not sure if I am delusional. What will you use the PC for? - Gaming (I run an EQ emulator called project 99 - from 1999, and plan to play Pantheon if it ever comes, so mostly MMOs and any new MMos that come out) I would like no lag when I play games - I would also like to run fraps while gaming if possible (recording whats going on in game) - Photo Editing (Photoshop) - Making charts and such in Adobe Illustrator - Microsoft Word & Excel, and I often have these both open at same time - Would love to run music in background whether it is on Youtube or something else -I admit I tend to have 30 tabs open in Firefox at a time. Bad habit that I will one day break! Do you need a monitor? If not, what monitor(s) will you be using? Yes, need a monitor. Can be 15" but a 17" would be nice. Currently I have a 17.3" so that or bigger would be nice. Do you need a keyboard, mouse, or other peripherals? I have a mouse/keyboard etc Do you need an operating system? Currently running Win 7 on my laptop, so yes. Will you overclock? Do not currently plan to. Anything else we should know? I want a good power supply! (I think). Last time I built a computer was in 1999, and it turned out my power supply was subpar. But not sure how much that plays into this nowadays.. and I was so new at it and was not an expert... and it has been a LONG time and I forgot everything. - I do not want a micro case. Colors and all that don't matter either. Also.. I don't mind some parts (like maybe monitor) being lower-end with an upgrade in future in mind, because I plan to build my hubby a PC and so I can take parts from this for his with upgrades for mine in mind. He is not a gamer, nor even a pc person. He is a tv-watch-baseball person, so he does not need anything robust. My Current Laptop Specs: I would like if possibly to keep things the same or improve. I have had this laptop since 2011. It no longer holds a charge; I have to keep it plugged in. It also is deleting files, like it is haunted or something. As we speak I am running a file recovery program. But it has been amazing workhorse! I am sure I have pushed it to the limits, and then some. I am not married to AMD or intel. Though for a long time I was an AMD fan, and this laptop I am on was my first intel. I also love Geforce, since it is all I ever had, but that is not a necessity either! It seems laptops and such do not have enough USB ports.. this drives me batty! Not sure if there are some with more ports than others. I prefer wired mouse, wires keyboard, backup drives (I store a lot of files and photos) and I am always playing whackamole with usb ports and things to port in! I would love an ssd drive- never had one! I think that is it! Thank you !!! Edit: My current laptop Specs: Manufacturer Asus Processor / Chipset CPU Intel Core i7 (2nd Gen) 2630QM / 2 GHz Max Turbo Speed 2.9 GHz Number of Cores Quad-Core Cache 6 MB 64-bit Computing Yes Chipset Type Mobile Intel HM65 Express Cache Memory Installed Size 6 MB Storage Interface Serial ATA-300 Optical Drive DVD-Writer / BD-ROM RAM Configuration Features 4 x 4 GB Technology DDR3 SDRAM Installed Size 16 GB Memory Max Supported Size 16 GB Technology DDR3 SDRAM Form Factor SO-DIMM 204-pin Slots Qty 4 Empty Slots 0 Display LCD Backlight Technology LED backlight Resolution 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) Widescreen Display Yes Image Aspect Ratio 16:9 Monitor Features Zero Bright Dot Type LED Diagonal Size (metric) 43.9 cm Display Resolution Abbreviation Full HD Audio & Video Graphics Processor NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M Integrated Webcam Yes Sound Speaker, microphone Hard Drive Type SSD Capacity 160 GB Hard Drive (2nd) Type HDD Interface Serial ATA-300 Capacity 750 GB Spindle Speed 7200 rpm Communications Wireless Protocol 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 Wired Protocol Gigabit Ethernet Optical Storage Drive Type DVD-Writer / Blu-ray Type DVD-Writer / BD-ROM Processor CPU Type Core i7 Processor Number i7-2630QM Generation 2 Manufacturer Intel Clock Speed 2 GHz Card Reader Type 3 in 1 card reader Supported Flash Memory Memory Stick, MultiMediaCard, SDXC Memory Card Battery Cells 8-cell AC Adapter Input AC 120/230 V (50/60 Hz) Output 150 Watt, 19 V, 6.3 A Connections & Expansion Interfaces Microphone input Headphone output USB 3.0 3 x USB 2.0 LAN HDMI Memory Card Reader 3 in 1 (Memory Stick, MultiMediaCard, SDXC Card) Header Brand ASUS Product Line ASUS G74SX Model G series G74SX Networking Data Link Protocol Bluetooth 3.0, Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n Wireless LAN Supported Yes Monitor Diagonal Size 17.3 in System Hard Drive Capacity 910 GB Audio Output Compliant Standards EAX ADVANCED HD 5.0, THX Mainboard Chipset Type Mobile Intel HM65 Express Video Output Discrete Graphics Processor Yes Graphics Processor NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M Graphics Processor Series NVIDIA Geforce GTX Video Memory GDDR5 SDRAM 3 GB |
#2. Posted:
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So I don't know the emulator you're using, or what performance will be like but I'd imagine even fairly mediocre specs would be more than adequate. $1500 is a fairly high end budget, and you can really do a lot with that money. I'd probably spend most of the budget on a nice monitor and storage, but you can easily spend <$1000 if you just grab a cheap 1080p monitor and maybe sacrifice some storage capacity.
If I was spending $1500 in your scenario, I'd be doing something like this probably; PCPartPicker Part List CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Newegg) Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Best Buy) Memory: Team T-FORCE VULCAN TUF Gaming Allian 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($134.99 @ Newegg) Storage: Western Digital Blue SN550 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($124.99 @ Newegg) Storage: Seagate IronWolf NAS 6 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($149.99 @ Newegg) Video Card: Asus GeForce RTX 2060 6 GB TUF OC Video Card ($309.99 @ Newegg) Case: Phanteks Eclipse P300A Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg) Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($94.99 @ B&H) Monitor: LG 27UD58-B 27.0" 3840x2160 60 Hz Monitor ($299.00 @ B&H) Total: $1408.92 and then either up the Ryzen 5 2600 to an R5 3600 or the RTX 2060 6GB to an RTX 2060 Super 8GB to get closer to maxing that $1500 budget. Included 32GB RAM here for all those internet tabs and honestly, 16GB is the minimum I'd expect in any half decent rig these days. Nice big 1TB NVMe SSD, and plenty of HDD storage too. If you'd rather save money, you could do something like this; PCPartPicker Part List CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Newegg) Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Best Buy) Memory: Team T-FORCE VULCAN TUF Gaming Allian 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($67.99 @ Newegg) Storage: Crucial BX500 480 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Adorama) Storage: Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ Newegg) Video Card: Asus GeForce RTX 2060 6 GB TUF OC Video Card ($309.99 @ Newegg) Case: Phanteks Eclipse P300A Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg) Power Supply: Corsair CXM (2015) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ Newegg) Monitor: AOC 22V2H 21.5" 1920x1080 75 Hz Monitor ($99.99 @ B&H) Total: $952.90 Less RAM and storage, cheaper PSU, and a cheap 1080p monitor instead of 4k. You could even drop the RTX 2060 to a GTX 1660 Super and save $100 if you want. |
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#3. Posted:
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I love these ideas- especially going with a nice big SSD drive! I wasn't sure on processors or graphics card, but these look good.
What do I do for wifi- last one I built was on dial up, lol. I do not wanna use USB, as I never have enough slots. And how do I find out how many USB ports the mobo you have listed has? I cannot seem to find it on the listing page. Not that # of USB ports is any dealbreaker, but wondering if I have to use USB for wifi? |
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Arlaya wrote What do I do for wifi- last one I built was on dial up, lol. I would use a wired connection if possible. If need be, you could use home plugs; amazon.com/TP-Link-AV600-Powerlin...amp;sr=8-1 which will potentially allow you to run a wired connection to your PC more easily. If you must use Wi-Fi, you can get a PCIe Wi-Fi card, which is what I would do, instead of USB. Something like this; newegg.com/asus-pce-ac55bt-b1-pci....OukvnBg9Q Alternatively, you could just spend a little more for a motherboard with built-in Wi-Fi; pcpartpicker.com/product/dmGnTW/a...plus-wi-fi Arlaya wrote And how do I find out how many USB ports the mobo you have listed has? I cannot seem to find it on the listing page. Not that # of USB ports is any dealbreaker, but wondering if I have to use USB for wifi? The MSI B450 Tomahawk MAX has 5 x USB Type A ports, and 1 x USB Type C port. The Asus X570 TUF has 6 x USB Type A, and 1 x Type C. The case also has 2 USB Type A ports. If need be, just buy a USB hub; amazon.com/Anker-4-Port-Macbook-S...amp;sr=8-6 |
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Nest week I will start ordering and building. I had to hold off for a bit since posting this.
Since it has been 3 mos, do you think there is anything listed that should be changed? THANK you so much!! I also will be building my husband and daughter their PCs. I will be making new posts for those. |
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So yeah, 3 months is definitely enough time for those parts lists to not make so much sense. I'd change both of them.
If you're still looking to spend ~$1500, then this is what Id be getting now; PCPartPicker Part List CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($172.49 @ Amazon) Motherboard: Asus PRIME B550-PLUS ATX AM4 Motherboard ($149.99 @ B&H) Memory: Team T-FORCE VULCAN Z 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($104.99 @ Newegg) Storage: Crucial P1 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ Adorama) Storage: Toshiba X300 5 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($124.99 @ Amazon) Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2060 6 GB OC Rev 2.0 Video Card ($319.99 @ Best Buy) Case: Phanteks Eclipse P400A ATX Mid Tower Case ($80.98 @ Newegg) Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($109.99 @ B&H) Monitor: Asus TUF Gaming VG289Q 28.0" 3840x2160 60 Hz Monitor ($329.00 @ B&H) Total: $1497.41 and you can get a smaller HDD if you want to up the RTX 2060 to a 2060 Super/2070 within budget. I changed the 4k monitor in this parts list. Also changed the SSD and case. This parts list has a better CPU+motherboard as well now. If you don't quite want to spend $1500 and want a cheaper parts list, I can help with that but will need you to clarify what exactly your budget is, if it isn't $1500. |
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No, about $1500 is good. But I can go higher if something is a significantly better part.
My other question is, I know that parts and prices have been unpredictable with Covid. That said, would I save a lot by waiting another couple of months for parts to come back into stock or prices to drop? I am not sure with what you have listed, of what is a comparable part versus a compromising part, if that makes sense. And which parts are normally significantly lower (if any). On that note, are any of the parts a compromising part, that if I were to wait, a much better part would become available? But if this is about what I would pay for these parts precovid, within a couple hundred dollars, and these are the parts that would serve me well pre-covid that is great. What are your thoughts on this? But if a part is a compromised part, but less significant than another part that is the best piece for my need and build.. Ah I hope this all makes sense.. I am just now starting my morning coffee after a morning of allergies and dust from cleaning! lol Or, are there some parts I should grab now, that have been out or the price is normal (to make sure they don't go up) then wait for other parts to come available or pther prices to fall etc? I do not need to do this necessarily right now. It would be nice though But trying to keep logistics of what is smart. PS I want to also get recommendations to build a PC for my husband and daughter. Should I make those separate posts each or put them both into one? I am assuming separate since they will be different purposes. |
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Arlaya wrote No, about $1500 is good. But I can go higher if something is a significantly better part. There is word of new NVIDIA cards coming this often drops the price of the cards below that is one thing I would keep an eye on that said the card you have in that build list is a total monster much like the rest of that build future proof is an understatement. tweaktown.com/news/73592/nvidias-...index.html |
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Arlaya wrote No, about $1500 is good. But I can go higher if something is a significantly better part. $1500 is plenty for a really nice system for your usage IMHO. Arlaya wrote My other question is, I know that parts and prices have been unpredictable with Covid. That said, would I save a lot by waiting another couple of months for parts to come back into stock or prices to drop? Mostly just lower end components have been out of stock and/or over-priced. Mid ranged to higher end stuff hasn't been too bad from what I've seen. If you were to wait another few months, then the parts listed here more than likely won't make any sense. Arlaya wrote I am not sure with what you have listed, of what is a comparable part versus a compromising part, if that makes sense. And which parts are normally significantly lower (if any). On that note, are any of the parts a compromising part, that if I were to wait, a much better part would become available? There aren't really any compromises IMO. It's just not an enthusiast grade system with top end parts. Sure, if you wait, then new CPUs and GPUs are going to come out eventually and be better than what you can purchase now. Though at that point, why not just wait again for the generation after that? Arlaya wrote But if this is about what I would pay for these parts precovid, within a couple hundred dollars, and these are the parts that would serve me well pre-covid that is great. Yeah, the $1500 system I just recommended to you has some slightly better components than the "pre-covid" $1400 parts list, so as you can see the pricing isn't much different, and my suggestions for which parts you should buy are still pretty similar. Just a few tweaks to suit the current pricing of certain components. Arlaya wrote Or, are there some parts I should grab now, that have been out or the price is normal (to make sure they don't go up) then wait for other parts to come available or pther prices to fall etc? No, definitely not. Have the money for the system, and then buy it all within a week or 2. Arlaya wrote PS I want to also get recommendations to build a PC for my husband and daughter. Should I make those separate posts each or put them both into one? I am assuming separate since they will be different purposes. You can put them both in one topic you'd like. If it's easier for you to just make them both separate threads, then that would be fine. Either way, just make sure to give us the info we need to be able to help you with both parts lists. Forums/t=7787031/how-to-ask-for-b...dvice.html |
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| Excellent!! I will be buying it all this week or the latest next week. THANK You for your detailed response...! I feel good about the parts I will be ordering and feels like this is going to be a great build! |
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