Build Me a PC "Again"

[Deleted]

AMD 3xx series are coming soon btw.

[Kagthul]

I gotta say - you gotta get over your rather irrational dislike for one product over another, otherwise, you're just throwing money away to throw money away.

Or, as my mother would put it "cutting off your nose to spite your face".

With your budget, you shouldn't even be looking at AMD CPUs. As document here and just about every reputable benchmark site, they look great on paper and perform like dogs for their price. People will say that "8 cores will be great for multi-threaded stuff and multitasking!" - but only insofar as the stuff you're multitasking isn't very intensive.

Lets look at some benchmarks:

FX-8320 (8 cores)
Passmark (full multicore) - 8066
Passmark (single thread perf) - 1403

i5 4690K (4 cores)
Passmark (full multicore) - 7778
Passmark (single thread perf) - 2250

i3 4160 (2 cores + 2 Virtual cores)
Passmark (Full multicore) - 5014
Passmark (single thread perf) - 2066

Pentium G3258 (2 cores)
Passmark (full multicore) - 4024
Passmark (single threaded perf) - 2185

What this tells us:
The FOUR CORE i5 4690k will perform about as well in heavily multi-threaded applications as the EIGHT CORE FX-8320. In single-threaded performance, every single intel CPU is at least 50% faster; single-threaded performance is by far the most important for almost all games. The i5 4690K is 62% faster in single-thread operations.

Even the Pentium G (which can be had for 50$) will smoke the FX-8320 in most games, as wil the i3 4160, which is available for 80$.

I cant find a compelling reason to stick with AMD in your budget range (actually, i couldnt find one at any range other than "HTPC") given that the Intel solutions will outperform it handily in all the tasks you're interested in.

As for the nVidia vs AMD debate - again, i cant find a reason other than being irrationally stubborn to stick to AMD. nVidia has features that AMD simply cant match (Shadowplay, built in streaming support), the cards use much less power, put off much less heat, and perform as good or better than their AMD equivalents for around the same price.

Unlike the FX CPU above, you're not gimping yourself if you stick with AMD (their parts perform just fine as far as 1080p/60 performance goes) but neither is there any advantage, and there are some notable disadvantages (who wants to spend an extra 10-15$ a year on electricity just because the video card uses twice as much juice?).

Im not an Intel or AMD or nVidia fanboy. Im a firm believer in going where the price/performance is. If that was AMD, i'd happily endorse them and would have built my current rig with AMD parts.

Simple fact of the matter, it isn't. Intel is where it's at on the CPU front and that will likely remain unchanged as AMD's future roadmap doesn't show any noticable performance gains coming up for at least two years; on the GPU front, it could change more quickly than that (the Radeon R10/3XX chips are coming out "soon" and may get that rampant power consumption under control) but right now, its hard to recommend anything but an nVidia product - even if you pay 10-15% more for the same performance (the GTX 960 is oddly priced against its competition right now, but the 970/980, 760, and 750/Ti are all very competitively priced and beat AMD in their respective brackets for the most part on the price/performance scale) you're getting much lower power draw, a better suite of software (GeForce Experience is extremely useful with built in streaming tech and Shadowplay, which cant be stressed enough - almost zero performance hit for 1080p recording as you play), and less heat produced (which is a concern for me, at least, since i build almost solely Mini-ITX builds).

Dont just throw your money away because "i like AMD".

Get the most bang for your dollar.

[Jtbrig7390]

--snip--

Good chance I'm getting the intel build but when it comes to video cards ill only use AMD. The difference in the 2 builds I posted last page is like $100 and like I said I was lening on the AMD build because ill be ordering some parts from other place's that cost slightly more.

I know Intel is leading in CPU performance.

Here is what I posted on page 2

The AMD Build
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VsBkmG
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VsBkmG/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($137.75 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! PURE ROCK 87.0 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.90 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($74.97 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.99 @ Best Buy)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($281.21 @ Amazon)
Case: Enermax ECA3280A-BL ATX Mid Tower Case ($73.99 @ Directron)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($68.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Base Total: $806.79 Before shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Total: $771.79 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
__________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________

The Intel Build
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/8Bwdzy
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/8Bwdzy/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! PURE ROCK 87.0 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.90 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($81.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.99 @ Best Buy)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($281.21 @ Amazon)
Case: Enermax ECA3280A-BL ATX Mid Tower Case ($73.99 @ Directron)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($68.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Base Total: $898.95 Before shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Total: $860.94 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

So what do u guys think as I said I am more leaning on the AMD build because it gives me cash room to buy slightly extra from place's I rather get parts from since these other sites I never used before or a new keyboard/mouse and monitor. But those 3 things I already set aside money for so it isn't a big deal.

[Kagthul]

Right, it's just that "nVidia had some bad stuff happen 6+ years ago so ill never buy them again even though they are a clearly superior product" just doesn't make sense.

Its like taking money and lighting it on fire and throwing it away.

That R9 290, for instance is ~280$.

For ~320$ you can get a GTX 970.

Again to the benchmarks (these are less useful than Passmark for CPUs, because some games are optimized differently for some architectures but still give a relatively good base of comparison)

R9 290: 6545
GTX 970: 8607

So, for 10% more money, you're getting 24% more performance, and *massively* less power draw (145W TDP for the GTX970, 270W TDP for the R9 290 - just shy of HALF as much power draw), and a much better suite of integrated software for your target applications (streaming/youtube).

Im just trying to find the logic behind "id rather waste money on an inferior product".

[Jtbrig7390]

Right, it's just that "nVidia had some bad stuff happen 6+ years ago so ill never buy them again even though they are a clearly superior product" just doesn't make sense.

Its like taking money and lighting it on fire and throwing it away.

I'm not wanting to spend more I am wanting to spend as less as I can. So with that said the R9 290 is the choice to go with since it beats all cards in that price range and dose what I want.

I also like AMD's CCC setup better then Nivida's setup. I just all around don't like Nivida so yes I am chosing the $280 card over the $320 card for these reasons A) its cheaper and will still do EVERYTHING I WANT and B) I don't like Nivida.

Didn't make the thread for a lecture on what I don't and do like. Also what Remilia said

In terms of raw price per performance at the $325-350 range is at GTX 970. Otherwise at the moment below that is still AMD's best price per performance. GTX 960 is really underwhelming for $200~. 760 and 770 are no longer in production.

So for its price point the R9 290 is the best choice and I am not wanting to spend more.

Edit: Find me one cheaper then the R9 290 then ill consider it but until then I'm going with the R9.

[Master Guns]

Will it help if I promise you that you will regret it?

Do you record gameplay? If so, search Nvidia Shadowplay to see an amazing free feature for Nvidia cards. It's free 1080/1440 recording with crystal clear quality and zero performance impact when recording. I know you are set in your ways, but please for the love of God just look into it.

[Jtbrig7390]

Will it help if I promise you that you will regret it?

Do you record gameplay? If so, search Nvidia Shadowplay to see an amazing free feature for Nvidia cards. It's free 1080/1440 recording with crystal clear quality and zero performance impact when recording. I know you are set in your ways, but please for the love of God just look into it.

I will look into it. Also I rarely record anymore but when I do I use fraps normally.

- - - Updated - - -

New build with the Nivida GTX 970

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RY4HsY
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RY4HsY/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! PURE ROCK 87.0 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.90 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($81.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.99 @ Best Buy)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($319.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Enermax ECA3280A-BL ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($68.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Base Total: $943.73 Before shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Total: $880.72 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
__________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________

Added the GTX 970 and got the cheapist brand of it I trust. ill give it a go and its slightly over budget but thats fine I said $900 so I could go cheap and have wiggle room. The cooler looks like it will be fun to install so going to watch a few videos on it. I seen one where the fans was bent when the guy got it.

[Kagthul]

I also like AMD's CCC setup better then Nivida's setup. .

Do some research on what GeForce Experience has to offer first. It has changed A LOT since you used it last.

As for "AMD is the clear choice below the 970"... yeah, well, Remilla and i disagree frequently on such things.

R9 290 (280$) - 6545
GTX 960 (199$) - 6050
R9 285 (199$) - 5240
R9 280X (189$) - 5178
R9 280 (159$) - 4691

GTX 960 is at or near the price point of its nearest competitors and outperforms them pretty handily. If the R9 290 will do "everything you want" - so will the GTX 960, for significantly less.

[Remilia]

AMD has their DVR thingy.
Never tried it but it's there for whoever wants to use it.

As for Shadowplay, it's okay. There is performance impact, the amount is minimal though. I stopped bothering with it due to memory leaking.
Desktop capture makes everything into a slow crawling slide show though, that was fun.
Quality is decent but of course it's still a lossy format / compression so you're not going to get dxtory/fraps lossless recording quality. Doesn't matter really too much but it's something that I'd be wary of if you plan on using it to edit.

[Master Guns]

I will look into it. Also I rarely record anymore but when I do I use fraps normally.

- - - Updated - - -

New build with the Nivida GTX 970

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RY4HsY
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RY4HsY/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! PURE ROCK 87.0 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.90 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($81.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.99 @ Best Buy)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($319.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Enermax ECA3280A-BL ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($68.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Base Total: $943.73 Before shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Total: $880.72 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
__________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________

Added the GTX 970 and got the cheapist brand of it I trust. ill give it a go and its slightly over budget but thats fine I said $900 so I got wiggle room.

Oh boy that's a great system. That'll max EVERYTHING with a breeze for years. I can guarantee that. Unless the game is atrociously optimized of coarse. (Ubishit)

[Remilia]

Do some research on what GeForce Experience has to offer first. It has changed A LOT since you used it last.

As for "AMD is the clear choice below the 970"... yeah, well, Remilla and i disagree frequently on such things.

R9 290 (280$) - 6545
GTX 960 (199$) - 6050
R9 285 (199$) - 5240
R9 280X (189$) - 5178
R9 280 (159$) - 4691

GTX 960 is at or near the price point of its nearest competitors and outperforms them pretty handily. If the R9 290 will do "everything you want" - so will the GTX 960, for significantly less.

[Jtbrig7390]

Oh boy that's a great system. That'll max EVERYTHING with a breeze for years. I can guarantee that. Unless the game is atrociously optimized of coarse. (Ubishit)

Ya looks awesome and kinda wanted that case u linked but that would put me well over budget. I still got a monitor I need to buy and a keyboard/mouse. The K&M isn't a big deal already know what I'm getting the monitor will come slightly later not getting them until I redo my small ass bedroom LOL.

Final Build unless you guys have any input. Awesome enough most is from Newegg and a few ill change to ether Amazon, Tigerdirect or Best Buy for slightly more since I use them the most.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RY4HsY
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RY4HsY/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! PURE ROCK 87.0 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.90 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($81.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.99 @ Best Buy)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($319.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Enermax ECA3280A-BL ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($68.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Base Total: $943.73 Before shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Total: $880.72 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
__________________________________________________________________________________________

[Kagthul]

Ya looks awesome and kinda wanted that case u linked but that would put me well over budget. I still got a monitor I need to buy and a keyboard/mouse. The K&M isn't a big deal already know what I'm getting the monitor will come slightly later.

Not getting until I redo my small ass bedroom LOL.

You can easily shave 30$ off that build with a much cheaper PSU

You wont need 620W with that setup - nowhere near. EVGA makes a good 500W Bronze 80+ that is around 30$ right now and has a mail in rebate.

Also, you may have answered this, but are you near a Microcenter (within an hour's drive or so would be worth it). If so... we can shave another 80-100$ off that build no problem.

[Master Guns]

Very solid mate

[Jtbrig7390]

You can easily shave 30$ off that build with a much cheaper PSU

You wont need 620W with that setup - nowhere near. EVGA makes a good 500W Bronze 80+ that is around 30$ right now and has a mail in rebate.

Also, you may have answered this, but are you near a Microcenter (within an hour's drive or so would be worth it). If so... we can shave another 80-100$ off that build no problem.

Not near a Microcenter and I don't mind going slightly overkill on the PSU.

Couldn't find the MSI one you talked about.

- - - Updated - - -

Very solid mate

Yep now I got to wait a week to order it and wait another week before I get it ffs. LOL

[Remilia]

I personally wouldn't bother with the 500B, it's an HEC OEM, not a very good reputable brand with capacitors like Capxon. It isn't the worst thing ever but it's not great.

[Jtbrig7390]

I personally wouldn't bother with the 500B, it's an HEC OEM, not a very good reputable brand with capacitors like Capxon. It isn't the worst thing ever but it's not great.

Sorry all of that went over my head what u talking about

[Remilia]

Sorry all of that went over my head what u talking about

Don't cheap out on PSU, lol.

[Jtbrig7390]

Don't cheap out on PSU, lol.

O LOL. I know abit about PC's and all but that all went over my head hahaha.

Ya I don't mind going overkill on a PSU rather be safe then sorry.

- - - Updated - - -

Just noticed the card is a Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 mini is that a problem at all? What is the difference in it and the windforce. Will the mini work fine or should I get the windforce. As big as the windforce is will it be a pain to put in because of my case size.

[Remilia]

Well, the cooling isn't as good. It's great for mini itx builds.