Custom PC Build

[Doggies422]

Looking to buy a new PC, to be used primarily for games. I know a bit, but am certainly not an expert on this kind of thing. I've received this quote from MSY.

Basically I'm wondering if this is a good price for what I'm getting, and whether or not this computer will be able to run all games currently available perfectly for a reasonable amount of time.

Any advice would be hugely appreciated.

Cheers.

 

[dav3]

Looking to buy a new PC, to be used primarily for games. I know a bit, but am certainly not an expert on this kind of thing. I've received this quote from MSY.

Basically I'm wondering if this is a good price for what I'm getting, and whether or not this computer will be able to run all games currently available perfectly for a reasonable amount of time.

Any advice would be hugely appreciated.

Cheers.

It looks ok, but i reckon you'll need to upgrade that video card.... Especially if you want games to run "perfectly"

 

[Biggy_Boy]

Yeah, you might consider a slightly better video card if you want games to run well for a while.

Other than that, I would also probably consider a better PSU. Not sure if 500w will really be enough for that, and it is generally good to have some leeway there in case you want to add more power-draining upgrades or extra components later. Important that the PSU is fairly decent.

I would recommend an SSD in a new build, as they are very nice to boot and load frequently used programs from, but that would still need to be paired with a storage drive, and would add a bit of expense.

 

[Ron The Bear]

Price is OK, going by their price list they're charging you about $60 for assembly, which is pretty much par.

If you intend to overclock, you need to upgrade the CPU from 3770 to 3770K ($30).

If you want Remote Desktop, BitLocker etc, upgrade from Windows 8 to W8 Pro ($49). If you don't know what these are, don't worry about it.

 

[Gold Member]

** Primarily for games **

1. Ditch the i7 3770 for an i5 3570 save $100

2. Upgrade ati7790 to ati7950 or GTX660ti for +$140ish


note: just saw this http://www.centrecom.com.au/catalog/n670wf2-gigabyte-nvidia-geforce-n670wf2-p-60376.html GTX 670 for $299 that's one level above 7950/660ti for the same money.

 

[Kaan]

Doggies422 have a look at my $1600 build on whirlpool.

You can easily bring that down to 1100 by taking out tv tuner, sound card, SSD, downgrading 4670K to non K version if you're not overclocking, downgrading motherboard, taking out custom cpu cooler, downgrading 3TB HD to 1TB etc.

Generally you should be building the pc yourself and saving $100 on labour cost. If you really can't build it you can choose the parts and let someplace like MSY do it, but never buy pre built machines for gaming.

 

[Gold Member]

Doggies422 have a look at my $1600 build on whirlpool.

You can easily bring that down to 1100 by taking out tv tuner, sound card, SSD, downgrading 4670K to non K version if you're not overclocking, downgrading motherboard, taking out custom cpu cooler, downgrading 3TB HD to 1TB etc.

Generally you should be building the pc yourself and saving $100 on labour cost. If you really can't build it you can choose the parts and let someplace like MSY do it, but never buy pre built machines for gaming.

Where the heck can you get an ASUS 670 DCII card for $299? That's a $399 card...

Use the on-board audio solution which includes a TOSLINK optical out for your A40's. Upgrade at a later date if not happy.

If you're worried about future proofing, your mobo will support 2x gpu's in SLI.... Get a 750w PSU for incase you buy a 2nd gpu in the future.

Save yourself $120 building a z77 platform Ivy bridge rig if money is tight.
z77 Asrock Extreme4 $119 + i5 3570k $255
z87 Asrock Extreme4 $215 + i5 4670k $269

TV tuner?????

 

[Kaan]

Where the heck can you get an ASUS 670 DCII card for $299? That's a $399 card...

http://www.computeralliance.com.au/nvidia-gtx670-2gb-asus-pcie-video-card-pn-gtx670-dc2-2gd5

They had the overclocked version for $299 last week but now just the standard one. Can easily overclock it to match the other one though.

Use the on-board audio solution which includes a TOSLINK optical out for your A40's. Upgrade at a later date if not happy.

On board doesn't have Dolby Digital live.

TV tuner?????

It's an internal card for the PC so I can watch TV on my monitor.

 

[Biggy_Boy]

Doggies422 have a look at my $1600 build on whirlpool.

You can easily bring that down to 1100 by taking out tv tuner, sound card, SSD, downgrading 4670K to non K version if you're not overclocking, downgrading motherboard, taking out custom cpu cooler, downgrading 3TB HD to 1TB etc.

Generally you should be building the pc yourself and saving $100 on labour cost. If you really can't build it you can choose the parts and let someplace like MSY do it, but never buy pre built machines for gaming.

If he plans on overclocking, I'd keep the cooler.

Agree with building it yourself. Putting a PC together isn't really that hard.

 

[BotsMaster]

** Primarily for games **

1. Ditch the i7 3770 for an i5 3570 save $100

You lose Hyperthreading if you do that.

 

[Gold Member]

http://www.computeralliance.com.au/nvidia-gtx670-2gb-asus-pcie-video-card-pn-gtx670-dc2-2gd5

They had the overclocked version for $299 last week but now just the standard one. Can easily overclock it to match the other one though.



On board doesn't have Dolby Digital live.



It's an internal card for the PC so I can watch TV on my monitor.

That 670 is a bargain. Good find.

I still would recommend to try the on-board audio first. What input jack does the astro amp require? If its toslink optical or 3.5mm stereo you'll be fine.

Also no OS?

 

[Gold Member]

You lose Hyperthreading if you do that.

Hyperthreading is for video or photo rendering. Might add 1 or 2 frames max.

 

[Gold Member]

KaaN10

Mate take a look at this video about ASUS 4 way optimisation. It's ASUS AI Suite software in conjunction with certain ASUS motherboards.....

Will basically auto overclock your CPU and memory for you on a compatible motherboard and save the settings to bios. In the video they take a 3.5ghz 4770k and 1333mhz memory up to a stable 4.8ghz & 2133mhz overclock inside 15mins.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Hey tech gurus, I'm looking to build a custom PC like Doggies442 (mainly for games - Rome 2 and ARMA 3 lol) and was wondering if anyone had any tips/advice for a first time builder? From what some of my colleagues at work have told me, I should consider buying from either pccasegear or MSY?

I'm hoping I can spend less than $2k all up but was wanting to see if anyone could give me any pointers on where to start/what to consider or avoid? I've been told it's not that hard and that I just need to make sure the parts I choose are compatible but just not really sure where to start on this little project

Any pointers would be appreciated

 

[Ron The Bear]

From what some of my colleagues at work have told me, I should consider buying from either pccasegear or MSY?

My experiences

MSY - cheap, but ordinary after-sales service; very much a conveyor belt operation
CPL - similar to MSY, but with a bigger range
PCCG - slightly more expensive than the other two but very good service; they care
Scorptec - more expensive again, but still dirt cheap compared with retail; also good service

 

[dav3]

Hey tech gurus, I'm looking to build a custom PC like Doggies442 (mainly for games - Rome 2 and ARMA 3 lol) and was wondering if anyone had any tips/advice for a first time builder? From what some of my colleagues at work have told me, I should consider buying from either pccasegear or MSY?

I'm hoping I can spend less than $2k all up but was wanting to see if anyone could give me any pointers on where to start/what to consider or avoid? I've been told it's not that hard and that I just need to make sure the parts I choose are compatible but just not really sure where to start on this little project

Any pointers would be appreciated

Whirlpool will give some examples of decent setups, just tweak the case/peripherals/etc to whatever you like

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Whirlpool will give some examples of decent setups, just tweak the case/peripherals/etc to whatever you like

Cheers dav3! A few options there - might not need to spend as much as I thought

 

[dav3]

Cheers dav3! A few options there - might not need to spend as much as I thought

Remember you can always save a bit of cash (if you need to) by cutting back on the video card a little too. I got a GTX 560ti as part of my last upgrade, and now that it's starting to show it's age a little I've got a 2nd one on it's way (cost me $100 plus shipping 2nd hand) which will give me a pretty decent boost once I get SLI up and running.

 

[Kaan]

I should consider buying from either pccasegear or MSY?

PCCG is considered to be the best I think, huge range and fast shipping.

I made an order with like 17 items and received it the next day via express shipping ($36).

I'm hoping I can spend less than $2k all up but was wanting to see if anyone could give me any pointers on where to start/what to consider or avoid? I've been told it's not that hard and that I just need to make sure the parts I choose are compatible but just not really sure where to start on this little project

Post your budget on forums like whirlpool, tomshardware, anandtech, overclock and they'll tell you the best parts to buy.

If you're building it yourself do your research on grounding/earthing yourself so you don't fry the parts.

 

[Kaan]

If you need a monitor as well, here's some advice:

If you're a hardcore online fps gamer you'll want a 120hz monitor.

If you don't want that minor advantage like most people get a 23-24 inch 1080p IPS monitor because they have better picture quality. I got the ASUS MX239H from PCCG for $289 recently.

Probably want to avoid 1440p monitors as you'll need to invest ridiculous money in graphics cards to play at that resolution. 1440p monitors are expensive too, around $700 I think.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

PCCG is considered to be the best I think, huge range and fast shipping.

I made an order with like 17 items and received it the next day via express shipping ($36).



Post your budget on forums like whirlpool, tomshardware, anandtech, overclock and they'll tell you the best parts to buy.

If you're building it yourself do your research on grounding/earthing yourself so you don't fry the parts.

Cheers KaaN10 -my room mate (who built his own pc last year) will be helping me put it together so hopefully we avoid damaging anything!

 

[NUFC Tiger]

If you need a monitor as well, here's some advice:

If you're a hardcore online fps gamer you'll want a 120hz monitor.

If you don't want that minor advantage like most people get a 23-24 inch 1080p IPS monitor because they have better picture quality. I got the ASUS MX239H from PCCG for $289 recently.

Probably want to avoid 1440p monitors as you'll need to invest ridiculous money in graphics cards to play at that resolution. 1440p monitors are expensive too, around $700 I think.

Would ArmA 3 count as a hardcore online FPS? (probably more of a simulation shooter than your Battlefields/CODs etc out there).

 

[Kaan]

Would ArmA 3 count as a hardcore online FPS? (probably more of a simulation shooter than your Battlefields/CODs etc out there).

By hardcore fps gamer I mean the person.

People who take FPS games very seriously get these 120hz monitors for twitch shooters because it gives you a slim advantage.

It's really not worth getting one over an IPS unless FPS gaming is life or death for you.

 

[NUFC Tiger]

By hardcore fps gamer I mean the person.

People who take FPS games very seriously get these 120hz monitors for twitch shooters because it gives you a slim advantage.

It's really not worth getting one over an IPS unless FPS gaming is life or death for you.

Ah - thanks for clarifying that. I'm not into my shooters (Killzone on the PS3 is probably my favourite but don't play it too often). If that's the case, I can probably save some money getting a decent monitor without the added bells and whistles

 

[Gold Member]

Get a standard TN panel at 1080p, 60hz refresh rate and a 5ms or less GTG (grey to grey) time, under $200 as a good all round monitor.

IPS gives better colour reproduction for professionals who work in photography and graphics for true pantone colour scale. They generally have a slower GTG repsonse and are less suitable for gaming as a generalisation.

120hz monitors are better for "competitive shooters" but not a necessity. Needs more GPU grunt to get the most out of. You'd probably want $600+ of graphics cards to justify this purchase if you want high graphics and lock your frames at 121hz in game.

Hi res 1440/1600p are only available in 60hz IPS panels and needs a similar $600+ of graphics grunt to justify for gaming again at high. Will basically halve your 1080p framerate.

60hz cheapo 1080p TN panels can be overclocked to display up to 90hz refresh rate. Success depends on hardware luck of the draw and longevity could be dimished.

All depends what you want to achieve with your rig. Game types, spreadsheets, day trading, surfing, photography etc.....

Personally I'll be started with a standard $150 Samsung 1080/60/2ms and sum up my options after a year or so...... 3 way 1080 surround monitors, 1 x 120hz, 1 x 1440??????

http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/asus-gaming-rig-scorptec-com-au.988667/
Read this thread, the OP has $800 of GPU running through an ASUS 1440p IPS panel which is OC to 80hz.....