Gaming Building a gaming PC

[17 Van der Gouw]

@Marcelinho87 - The above question could be aimed at you also
secondly, monitors. This could potentially be a 2k investment by the end of it

Would a 144hz monitor at 1080p not be ok for first time gaming? The 1440p monitors with higher hz are pretty pricey on their own

It depends on your expectations, the majority of gamers play at 1080p - with ultra settings and high antialising enabled, it's going to look hugely better than any console experience.

I've always built my own rigs and consider myself an enthusiast, and even I only moved on to 4k quite recently. The differences are there, but for a first time PC-build, 1080p will still be a good start. Also, it would save you a ton of money, because you'd only need a GTX 1070.

As for overclocking, yes we all do it, but that's just because...we can. but it depends on your needs, if your games are running at a steadily high FPS and you don't care about competition benchmarking, it might not be necessary.

I'd "learn to walk before I learn to run" if I were you - build your PC, get it working, all your software and games optimised, then consider learning to O/C.

 

[Igor Drefljak]

PC Specialist do an option where you can pay it over the course of 12 months with an early payment charge of £29. After that, you end up paying interest.

I can afford a PC outright, but this really makes parting with my money seem a lot easier as I can put a bit away each month and it feels like it's not going anywhere
I'm a proper right arse, I know that!

 

[broccoli]

@broccoli - Whats your opinion on overclocking?
Digitial foundry and Linus Tech tips both clocked it at 5ghz and said using one of the £100 liquid cooling fan it kept the CPU at a decent heat. Is that even worth looking into?

You won't need to OC anytime soon with an 8700k. I play PUBG and other demanding games with an ancient 2500k and a gtx 1060. I have some drops at 1080p and i will OC to 4.5ghz in a couple weeks but i wouldn't worry about it in your case. Maybe in a year or 2 if you feel you could use a slight fps boost.

 

[Tincanalley]

Ground yourself.

 

[George Owen]

Gamers in USA have it easier with all the sales they get.

Lenovo Ideacentre Y710 Cube Desktop on sale for $1,193.61. Shipping is free.

Specs

• Intel Core i7-6700 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor
• 16GB DDR4 2133Mhz Memory
• 1TB 7200 HDD + 128GB SSD
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 8GB GDDR5X Graphics
  • 4x USB 3.0
  • 2x USB 2.0
  • 1x PS2
  • 1x Optical Audio Out
• Killer WiFi AC 1535 + Bluetooth 4.0
• USB Keyboard & Mouse Combo
• Windows 10 Home 6

For that same price, here in my country i could only get the GTX 1080 + Keyboard/Mouse combo.

 

[broccoli]

@Marcelinho87 - The above question could be aimed at you also
secondly, monitors. This could potentially be a 2k investment by the end of it

Would a 144hz monitor at 1080p not be ok for first time gaming? The 1440p monitors with higher hz are pretty pricey on their own

Ye 144hz at 1080p is fantastic. I'd pick a Sony or the LG. Both are flicker free and offer best colours/input lag out of the box.

 

[Igor Drefljak]

Ye 144hz at 1080p is fantastic. I'd pick a Sony or the LG. Both are flicker free and offer best colours/input lag out of the box.

Yeah it seems I am sold on a 144hz monitor now, which sort of sucks considering I invested in a 4k HDR tv especially for the one x

Anyway, motherboards. Obviously prices say some are better than others, but in what way exactly. Like I understand with GPUs and CPUs, but what about motherboards.

 

[17 Van der Gouw]

Oversimplified: Expensive motherboards, as a rule, don't improve gaming performance but offer features that you may or may not require.

Are you looking to SLI graphics cards at any point going forward? If so, you'd need a higher-end 'board with SLI support and mutliple PCI-e slots.

Also, some low end boards don't offer overclocking options in the BIOS. Then of course, there's the matter of choosing whether or not you require compatibility for USB Type C, SATA Express or M.2 etc.

 

[broccoli]

Yeah it seems I am sold on a 144hz monitor now, which sort of sucks considering I invested in a 4k HDR tv especially for the one x

Anyway, motherboards. Obviously prices say some are better than others, but in what way exactly. Like I understand with GPUs and CPUs, but what about motherboards.

Asus z370-A, ASROCK z370 Killer but any z370 will do just fine. Allows for over clocking and other neat features.

 

[Igor Drefljak]

Oversimplified: Expensive motherboards, as a rule, don't improve gaming performance but offer features that you may or may not require.

Are you looking to SLI graphics cards at any point going forward? If so, you'd need a higher-end 'board with SLI support and mutliple PCI-e slots.

Also, some low end boards don't offer overclocking options in the BIOS. Then of course, there's the matter of choosing whether or not you require compatibility for USB Type C, SATA Express or M.2 etc.

Ah so I may need one for overclocking. How would this be described in the specs list so I know what to look for?
I was looking at the Asus Tuf z370 as it looks nice and fairly priced

 

[Marcelinho87]

@Marcelinho87 - The above question could be aimed at you also
secondly, monitors. This could potentially be a 2k investment by the end of it

Would a 144hz monitor at 1080p not be ok for first time gaming? The 1440p monitors with higher hz are pretty pricey on their own

I would be happy at 1080p 144hz yeah not doubt.

Overclocking is easy mate, settle down read a guide and crack on! It is worth it.

Got my 5820k currently sat at 4.4ghz

 

[broccoli]

Ah so I may need one for overclocking. How would this be described in the specs list so I know what to look for?
I was looking at the Asus Tuf z370 as it looks nice and fairly priced

Like i said, any z370 chipset will allow for overclocking. Get one but don't OC unless you really need a few extra FPS, which i doubt for 1080p. Use logical increments.com for any other parts you may have doubts. Wonderful resource for novice pc builders.

 

[17 Van der Gouw]

Ah so I may need one for overclocking. How would this be described in the specs list so I know what to look for?
I was looking at the Asus Tuf z370 as it looks nice and fairly priced

As @broccoli says, the z370 will be a fine board and offer good overclock features going forward.

As a rule of thumb, z series boards offer the most features and all have overclock options.

The mid range boards, the 'b' series offer fewer features but tend to allow overclocking. Check each board on Google first. I have a b-350 with my Ryzen 1700 and it OCs just fine.

The low end boards, the 'h' series tend to be for workstation use and won't have the necessary overclock and voltage control.

 

[Igor Drefljak]

As @broccoli says, the z370 will be a fine board and offer good overclock features going forward.

As a rule of thumb, z series boards offer the most features and all have overclock options.

The mid range boards, the 'b' series offer fewer features but tend to allow overclocking. Check each board on Google first. I have a b-350 with my Ryzen 1700 and it OCs just fine.

The low end boards, the 'h' series tend to be for workstation use and won't have the necessary overclock and voltage control.

Thanks. I almost know exactly what I want now. I've got it all mapped out.
It's really just the cost thats holding my back now.

I could go second hand and get the system I want for about 1250 give or take, minus the monitor
Or through PC Specialist I could get the same system for 1500, but new. Is the saving worth it, It's not, but 250 is 250
Or then for 1700, I can get a real top spec 1080ti, better HDD, SSD, and other bits with an offer they have on.

Problem is, it's gone from, 1250 > 1500 > 1700. I'd then want a 144hz monitor on top of that. I don't even know if I'll like PC gaming yet

 

[17 Van der Gouw]

Haha, yeah it's an expensive hobby - but a good rig should futureproof you for a few years.

Regarding used parts, motherboards tend to be fine second hand, and I've never had a problem with used RAM or processors.

That said, be wary of used graphics cards. There a some cards on ebay that have been used 24/7 for currency-mining purposes, and it's been suggested that this isn't good for the life of the card. Trouble is there's no way of telling if a graphics card has had heavy use. If there's one part I'd consider buying new, it'd definitely be the GPU.

 

[George Owen]

Haha, yeah it's an expensive hobby - but a good rig should futureproof you for a few years.

Regarding used parts, motherboards tend to be fine second hand, and I've never had a problem with used RAM or processors.

That said, be wary of used graphics cards. There a some cards on ebay that have been used 24/7 for currency-mining purposes, and it's been suggested that this isn't good for the life of the card. Trouble is there's no way of telling if a graphics card has had heavy use. If there's one part I'd consider buying new, it'd definitely be the GPU.

Ram and processor are totally fine to buy used, but a motherboard no way. Too many little pieces, too many little features... until you used them all, you won't know for sure if the MOBO is alright.

 

[Igor Drefljak]

PC Specialist have what I guess is a good deal going on atm. Without an operating system it comes in at £1,670
Just been on chat asking if I can drop the m.2 and HDD for two cheaper alternatives which brings the cost down to £1,560.

I'd be willing to pay that for the system they are offering. They wouldn't do it. I feel like ringing up and asking the same question, but I'd hate to get the same person via phone or something

 

[17 Van der Gouw]

Ram and processor are totally fine to buy used, but a motherboard no way. Too many little pieces, too many little features... until you used them all, you won't know for sure if the MOBO is alright.

You make a fair point. I suppose I've been fortunate in that I've never had a bad board off ebay. Ugh, I had one off gumtree posted to me with bent cpu socket pins though

 

[17 Van der Gouw]

PC Specialist have what I guess is a good deal going on atm. Without an operating system it comes in at £1,670
Just been on chat asking if I can drop the m.2 and HDD for two cheaper alternatives which brings the cost down to £1,560.

I'd be willing to pay that for the system they are offering. They wouldn't do it. I feel like ringing up and asking the same question, but I'd hate to get the same person via phone or something

I'm surprised they aren't more flexible. Did you decide what to do?

 

[Bojan11]

May I ask, why did you buy a Xbox one x? If you wanna build a PC a few months after it has come out. Seems a bit weird.

Secondly I definitely I wouldn’t build a PC to play something like Call of Duty. That’s not even popular on PC compared to consoles. Then you’d have to deal with the cheaters as Activision don’t do shit. Games like PUBG, Overwatch and Counter strike then yeah.

 

[KirkDuyt]

May I ask, why did you buy a Xbox one x? If you wanna build a PC a few months after it has come out. Seems a bit weird.

Secondly I definitely I wouldn’t build a PC to play something like Call of Duty. That’s not even popular on PC compared to consoles. Then you’d have to deal with the cheaters as Activision don’t do shit. Games like PUBG, Overwatch and Counter strike then yeah.

Total war is where it's at imho. Only reason I keep my hardware up to date is so my desktop doesnt explode when I try to run the newest TW game.

 

[Igor Drefljak]

I'm surprised they aren't more flexible. Did you decide what to do?

Gonna wait until Easter sales I think. nVidia are rumoured to be announcing new cards and with sales on I may get a slightly better deal.

May I ask, why did you buy a Xbox one x? If you wanna build a PC a few months after it has come out. Seems a bit weird.

Secondly I definitely I wouldn’t build a PC to play something like Call of Duty. That’s not even popular on PC compared to consoles. Then you’d have to deal with the cheaters as Activision don’t do shit. Games like PUBG, Overwatch and Counter strike then yeah.

It's very impulsive I must admit.
I just always here that the performance of a high end pc with better frames etc just kills anything. I've decided to see what all the fuss is about. It's not really for COD for now, mostly single player games.

 

[The Bloody-Nine]

A fan on my new PC is quite noisy after I turn it on, but goes quiet eventually. Should I be concerned?

 

[Pexbo]

A fan on my new PC is quite noisy after I turn it on, but goes quiet eventually. Should I be concerned?

When you say noisy, you mean working hard?

It’s likely it’s just configured to start up on 100% and then when the kernel has booted it takes over managing the fan speed according to load or temperature.

 

[The Bloody-Nine]

I'm not sure. It's not a higher pitched whirring noise that would suggest it's working hard. Just a louder kind of drone. Though it does marginally go up and down in pitch occasionally.

 

[George Owen]

You make a fair point. I suppose I've been fortunate in that I've never had a bad board off ebay. Ugh, I had one off gumtree posted to me with bent cpu socket pins though

Yeah, i bought one from Ebay too. Tested as much as i could and everything was working great. But around a month later, when i decided to get a second GPU for a crossfire to do some benchmarks, discovered the one problem the mobo had, the crossfire just wasn't working.

Luckily i was still under the paypal protection so just sent it back for a full refund, but it was a lot of lost time.

 

[Igor Drefljak]

So. Built my pc. Finally got it properly set up today with cable management sorted and stuff.

Ended up with this:

Spoiler

Just need to sort the lighting around my monitor

 

[The Bloody-Nine]

Yeah, you might want to sort the photos out, too. They're sideways.

 

[Igor Drefljak]

Yeah, you might want to sort the photos out, too. They're sideways.

Ah! I’m on my phone as I’m out right now and they looked straight in here haha. I’ll sort later

 

[Vato]

Nice setup, I also like your chair.

 

[The Bloody-Nine]

I have the same chair but in blue. Highly recommended.

 

[The Bloody-Nine]

What spec did you eventually go with and did you build it yourself?

 

[oneniltothearsenal]

I have the same chair but in blue. Highly recommended.

How much more comfortable are those chairs compared to regular nice office chairs? I do alot of work on my computer and always wondered about those race car seat chairs

 

[The Bloody-Nine]

How much more comfortable are those chairs compared to regular nice office chairs? I do alot of work on my computer and always wondered about those race car seat chairs

It isn't even close. I have a decent office chair at work, lumbar support, etc, but it's night and day. If you can, try one out.

The GT Omega one cost me around £180, and it was worth it.

 

[Igor Drefljak]

What spec did you eventually go with and did you build it yourself?

I ended up going a bit over the top
ASUS PG278QR monitor
Evga 1080ti
16gb ram
8700k pro
250gb ssd with a 2tb hdd

Could have cut the cost with certain parts but ended up going all in with G.Skill ram, kraken x62 water cooler and a vertical gpu mount. Oh and the chair

My birthday yesterday so my partner she bought me a Logitech G910 Orion kB and that Razer mouse mat

Ended up buying a blue yeti blackout mic and a Logitech c920 webcam as well

 

[The Bloody-Nine]

I ended up going a bit over the top
ASUS PG278QR monitor
Evga 1080ti
16gb ram
8700k pro
250gb ssd with a 2tb hdd

1080Ti? Ouch. How much did that run you? Not counting the monitor.

 

[Igor Drefljak]

1080Ti? Ouch. How much did that run you? Not counting the monitor.

Gpu: 700 - 2 months old
Ram: 180
CPU: 265
Cooler: 80
Mobo: 140
Psu: 70
Case: 50
Monitor: 300
Then around 100 on bits

Sold my Mac and got 900. So that cut the costs quite a bit at least. All parts were bought off eBay or other sites. Some new. Most used though

 

[oneniltothearsenal]

It isn't even close. I have a decent office chair at work, lumbar support, etc, but it's night and day. If you can, try one out.

The GT Omega one cost me around £180, and it was worth it.

That's not bad at all. I spend half that every year buying a new office chair so I should probably just splurge this year

 

[DatIrishFella]

I'm waiting for my parts to be delivered. The CPU, RAM, PSU, and cooler have all been dispatched but the MoBo still hasn't. Ordered on the 29th of March ffs.

Also noticing GPU prices slowly coming down.

 

[Igor Drefljak]

Gpu: 700 - 2 months old
Ram: 180
CPU: 265
Cooler: 80
Mobo: 140
Psu: 70
Case: 50
Monitor: 300
Then around 100 on bits

Sold my Mac and got 900. So that cut the costs quite a bit at least

I'm waiting for my parts to be delivered. The CPU, RAM, PSU, and cooler have all been dispatched but the MoBo still hasn't. Ordered on the 29th of March ffs.

Also noticing GPU prices slowly coming down.

Yeah, definitely coming down some. I had been watching for a while and on ebay they were comfortably going for £800ish.
A few days later, I got mine for £700. The one I got can be picked up for anywhere between 650-700 now.

I decided with EVGA as their warranty policy is easy to use as a second user, and at the time in purchasing, it had over 1000 days warranty left.