[CRITIQUE] Gaming build for my bro (he's stupid btw)

[Pokot]

Hey guys,

Once again looking for your kind advice. I'm building a PC for my brother's birthday. Since he's younger I have to insult him somehow as per the law which I did in the topic title so that one at least is done. Below is relevant information:

• Budget - 2k EUR give or take. No problems going over but there's no need to go overboard as it's for CS:GO mostly.
• Resolution - 1920x1080 or looking at BenQ Zowie XL2430 specifically.
• Games / Settings Desired - My brother is a CS:GO player and I just want him to be able to play in 144Hz. Hopefully if he decides to switch to newer games this setup will hold as well.
• Any other intensive software or special things you do (Frequent video encoding, 3D modeling, etc) - Does pumping system disk space with useless trash up to the brim count?
• Region - Eastern Europe.
• Parts that can be reused - Nein.
• Do you need an OS? - Yes, going to get him a Win10 Home.
• Do you need peripherals (e.g. monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc)? - Monitor only. Looking at 144Hz versions.

So far I've decided on the following:

SCREEN: BenQ Zowie XL2430 (approx. 325 EUR) - So that's what the cool guys at some CS:GO championship have used and our boy is all about the cool stuff. This is kinda the basis of the build. I figured it's a decent gaming 144Hz monitor so why not. Correct me if I'm wrong.

CPU: Intel i5-7600 (approx. 260 EUR) - No OCing will be taking place so is there a reason to go for "k" version? Also, seeing as it's a CS:GO PC, maybe Rysen will be better?

MOBO: ASUS PRIME Z270-A (approx. 150 EUR) - Seems like a reasonably priced Z270 motherboard so I stuck with it.

GPU: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1060 Windforce OC 6GB (approx. 315 EUR) - Middle of the pack is fine. It's an OC version but is it a good one or should I go for MSI?

RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 2x8GB DDR4 PC4-25600 (approx. 160 EUR) - BOTM suggest a 24000 version but there's a talk of faulty ones on our market. Is this one decent? Also, with those speeds, do you adjust in BIOS nowadays?

CPU SINK: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO (approx. 35 EUR) - This one is on my CPU and was on previous one as well I think?

SSD: Samsung 850 Pro 256GB (approx. 125 EUR) - For OS and important stuff. Don't see a reason to go more space. Should maybe go for 250GB EVO version or stick with this one?

HDD: WD Black 2TB (approx. 120 EUR) - Whatever he wants to store in there, I don't care. Ooh it's a song!

PSU: Corsair RM650x (approx. 120 EUR) - Gold cert and modular. Seems fine.

DVD: Lite-On iHAS122-14 (approx. 12 EUR) - For reasons.

CASE: Cooler Master Cosmos SE (approx. 190 EUR) - Too many choices. This one seems solid and not super flashy. I don't like flashy, my brother does. A good chance to be cheeky.

OS: Win10x64 Home (approx. 110 EUR) - Just in case he doesn't like DOS. You never know.


This seems to be it. Just wanted to run this one by you guys. All suggestions and corrections are very appreciated!

[Blueobelisk]

You sure seem like you had fun making that post.

You can get W10 for like $35 on Kinguin.

[Pokot]

You sure seem like you had fun making that post.

My pain is deep inside.

You can get W10 for like $35 on Kinguin.

How come so cheap? Are they legit?

[Kagthul]

My pain is deep inside.



How come so cheap? Are they legit?

They are being resold from other markets because Microsoft didn't bother region-locking them.

So, basically, someone is buying a key in a place where it might be ~100 of the local currrency but where that works out to be almost nothing in terms of dollars or Euro, and then relisting it on Kinguin.

Its legal, just.. shady. But Microsoft doesn't ban the keys. Paul from Paul's Hardware even did a video where he showed his correspondence with a Microsoft support person and they confirmed that the keys are legit, and that in the rare circumstance that you get a bad one (because it was obtained fraudulently), MS will often just give you a new one because you got bilked.

Its perfectly safe. Ive used about 200 Kinguin keys in the last few years. Never had one de-activate or anything.

[Schattenlied]

Hopefully if he decides to switch to newer games this setup will hold as well.

I just want to say, if he is playing CS:GO because he wants a good, well designed competitive FPS, he is going to keep playing it, because it's the best one at that.

HDD: WD Black 2T

I would recommend 2 1TB drives, as opposed to 1 2TB drive... It's failure protection. If you just have 1 2TB drive, if it fails everything is gone, if you have 2 1TB drives and split the load evenly between them, if a drive fails you only lose half your shit.

Intel i5-7600 (approx. 260 EUR) - No OCing will be taking place so is there a reason to go for "k" version? Also, seeing as it's a CS:GO PC, maybe Rysen will be better?

If you aren't getting a K model i5-7600, a Ryzen 1600 with a bit of overclocking will beat the 7600. So... If you're really deadset on not overclocking then yeah, get the 7600, but you can basically go into the bios on any modern motherboard and just let it auto overclock for you, and see reasonable gains (though manual is always better).

[Kagthul]

Hey guys,

Once again looking for your kind advice. I'm building a PC for my brother's birthday. Since he's younger I have to insult him somehow as per the law which I did in the topic title so that one at least is done. Below is relevant information:

• Budget - 2k EUR give or take. No problems going over but there's no need to go overboard as it's for CS:GO mostly.
• Resolution - 1920x1080 or looking at BenQ Zowie XL2430 specifically.
• Games / Settings Desired - My brother is a CS:GO player and I just want him to be able to play in 144Hz. Hopefully if he decides to switch to newer games this setup will hold as well.
• Any other intensive software or special things you do (Frequent video encoding, 3D modeling, etc) - Does pumping system disk space with useless trash up to the brim count?
• Region - Eastern Europe.
• Parts that can be reused - Nein.
• Do you need an OS? - Yes, going to get him a Win10 Home.
• Do you need peripherals (e.g. monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc)? - Monitor only. Looking at 144Hz versions.

So far I've decided on the following:

SCREEN: BenQ Zowie XL2430 (approx. 325 EUR) - So that's what the cool guys at some CS:GO championship have used and our boy is all about the cool stuff. This is kinda the basis of the build. I figured it's a decent gaming 144Hz monitor so why not. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Screen seems fine. As far as i know, BenQ makes good monitors, and if this is what fits his needs... seems fine.

CPU: Intel i5-7600 (approx. 260 EUR) - No OCing will be taking place so is there a reason to go for "k" version? Also, seeing as it's a CS:GO PC, maybe Rysen will be better?

MOBO: ASUS PRIME Z270-A (approx. 150 EUR) - Seems like a reasonably priced Z270 motherboard so I stuck with it.

If you're going to stick with Intel, the Z270 is pointless. Get a B250 instead. Z270 only matters if you're overclocking, and H270 (which is often barely any cheaper than Z270) is just Z270 with the OC ability stripped. Save the cash.

However... i'd recommend not bothering with a locked i5. The Ryzen 3 and low-end Ryzen 5 chip (1400 IIRC) have made the locked i5's completely pointless. I'd highly recommend either the R3 1300X or the R5 1400 over the i5 at this point. The R3 is also a true quad core, with similar clock speeds, for 129$ US (so whatever that would equate to in Euro) so far cheaper than the i5, or the R5 1400 is a Quad core WITH SMT (AMD's version of Hyperthreading) so it is an 8-thread part and is STILL ~60$ US cheaper than the locked i5.

If you're going to stick with the i5, IMO, then pony up for the 7600K and the Z270 and overclock the bejeezus out of it. Otherwise Ryzen is far better price/performance at that range right now. (i'd also recommend just OCing the Ryzen chips if you get them since they are all unlocked. You could grab a R3 1200 for 109$ US (or whatever in Euro) and OC it to ~3.7Ghz on a decent aftermarket cooler with two button clicks)

GPU: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1060 Windforce OC 6GB (approx. 315 EUR) - Middle of the pack is fine. It's an OC version but is it a good one or should I go for MSI?

I prefer EVGA for their far better warranty service, but really any of the 1060s are going to perform so closely that any differences would be within the margin of error. Buy the cheapest non-junk brand, or stick with whatever manufacturer you prefer.

RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 2x8GB DDR4 PC4-25600 (approx. 160 EUR) - BOTM suggest a 24000 version but there's a talk of faulty ones on our market. Is this one decent? Also, with those speeds, do you adjust in BIOS nowadays?

I had to look up what that RAM even was because of the use of the weird identifier instead of speed. Seems 25600 is DDR4-3200.

If you are sticking with Intel, dont even bother. Just get DDR4-2400 sticks. RAM speed is almost completely irrelevant to current Intel platforms past the 2400/2666 area.

If you go with Ryzen, buy the fastest kit you can afford, but make sure it is tested as Ryzen compatible, as some sets dont want to run at their rated speeds with Ryzen. Ryzen scales very well with RAM speed, unlike Intel's chips. (Which is not to say Intel's chips perform worse - merely that RAM speed doesn't affect their performance much at all).

For Intel sets, on Z270 and H270 only, you can set RAM to a higher speed with one click in the EFI (what used to be BIOS) by enabling XMP (which often times on Z and H 270 boards is automatically enabled by default). You can ALSO manualy adjust timings and such, but it shouldn't be necessary at all.

For Ryzen.. depending on the motherboard, you might be able to make it work just by enabling XMP. In some other boards you have to manually enter timings, but in the videos ive seen it seems simple enough - just write down the timing info that is printed on the DIMM and input it.

CPU SINK: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO (approx. 35 EUR) - This one is on my CPU and was on previous one as well I think?

Ive always found this thing to be kind of loud. Its a very EFFECTIVE cooler, but loud for my tastes. Consider trying the Cryorig H7. Performs about as well and is MUCH quieter. If noise is not an issue, though, the EVO is a fine cooler even for overclocking an i5 or Ryzen chip.

SSD: Samsung 850 Pro 256GB (approx. 125 EUR) - For OS and important stuff. Don't see a reason to go more space. Should maybe go for 250GB EVO version or stick with this one?

EVO is likely cheaper? Really, ANY SSD will perform, in the real-world, so fast that it wouldn't really matter. Ive never been able to tell the difference between NVMe drives and SATA SSDs, for instance, because even SATA SSDs are fast enough that a faster drive is almost too fast to notice.

The EVO's are highly rated though, and people seem to love them.

HDD: WD Black 2TB (approx. 120 EUR) - Whatever he wants to store in there, I don't care. Ooh it's a song!

PSU: Corsair RM650x (approx. 120 EUR) - Gold cert and modular. Seems fine.

I prefer Seasonic for PSUs, but the Corsair unit you've picked out is well reviewed and seems solid.

DVD: Lite-On iHAS122-14 (approx. 12 EUR) - For reasons.

CASE: Cooler Master Cosmos SE (approx. 190 EUR) - Too many choices. This one seems solid and not super flashy. I don't like flashy, my brother does. A good chance to be cheeky.

OS: Win10x64 Home (approx. 110 EUR) - Just in case he doesn't like DOS. You never know.


This seems to be it. Just wanted to run this one by you guys. All suggestions and corrections are very appreciated!

Id likely cut the DVD drive and swap to a case that isn't gigantic, but that's because i like small form factor cases. Case choice is entirely subjective though.

[Sorshen]

There's no reason to get a locked i5 in these times.

[Pokot]

Its perfectly safe. Ive used about 200 Kinguin keys in the last few years. Never had one de-activate or anything.

Alright, thanks. Gonna give it a thought.

I like how you insult your brother's intellect while needing validation on here for something like this. Do some research.

It's a joke dude. My brother isn't stupid. I'm a little stupid but like not overwhelmingly.

If you aren't getting a K model i5-7600, a Ryzen 1600 with a bit of overclocking will beat the 7600. So... If you're really deadset on not overclocking then yeah, get the 7600, but you can basically go into the bios on any modern motherboard and just let it auto overclock for you, and see reasonable gains (though manual is always better).

Well he plays on a decent level and seems to like it so I just want him to be able to enjoy it without hardware restrains like he has now. Thank you for your suggestions, going to take a look at Ryzen then.

Id likely cut the DVD drive and swap to a case that isn't gigantic, but that's because i like small form factor cases. Case choice is entirely subjective though.

Thank you very much for taking your time.

I'll take a look at Ryzen options. Quite frankly got so used to Intel those last years that didn't even consider first.

The case does seem kinda big. Gonna take a look at other options.

There's no reason to get a locked i5 in these times.

Well my brother won't be OCing as he doesn't like messing with hardware/software at all. But point taken.

[Lathais]

They are being resold from other markets because Microsoft didn't bother region-locking them.

So, basically, someone is buying a key in a place where it might be ~100 of the local currrency but where that works out to be almost nothing in terms of dollars or Euro, and then relisting it on Kinguin.

Its legal, just.. shady. But Microsoft doesn't ban the keys. Paul from Paul's Hardware even did a video where he showed his correspondence with a Microsoft support person and they confirmed that the keys are legit, and that in the rare circumstance that you get a bad one (because it was obtained fraudulently), MS will often just give you a new one because you got bilked.

Its perfectly safe. Ive used about 200 Kinguin keys in the last few years. Never had one de-activate or anything.

For the first bolded part, that's how they are obtained, partially. There is also the fact that many/most are purchased with stolen credit cards, hence the second part. Yes they are still legit in MS eyes, once you get a working one, but always buy the $1 protection as the second happens more often than rarely. I know of 2-3 people who bought from there and had to go through 3-4 keys each before they got a legit one. I also know several others who had no issues at all. Just know that you are supporting shady practices when you buy these. I still buy them, I still suggest buying them. I just like to let people know what they are supporting so they can make that decision themselves.