Complete pc rebuild
So my pc has been getting older and older and I feel like it is time to upgrade. I'm planning on building my own computer but I'm not sure what all to get. Currently my setup is an Intel i7 processor 10gb of ram and a GeForce GTS 450 graphics card. I'm not looking to get the top of the line stuff but I still want a decent gaming computer. So assuming the only thing that is still viable in my computer is my hard drive what should I get?
November 24, 2015
16 Comments • Newest first
@oakmontowls:
Here's something you can work with. You're free to change the pieces.
Intel Core i5-6500 and ASUS H170 Pro Gaming bundle from Microcenter
http://www.microcenter.com/site/brands/intel-processor-bundles.aspx
$199.99 Intel Core i5-6500 Processor http://www.microcenter.com/product/451887/Core_i5-6500_32GHz_LGA_1151_Boxed_Processor
$107.99 ASUS H170 Pro Gaming ATX Motherboard http://www.microcenter.com/product/454097/H170_Pro_Gaming_LGA_1151_ATX_Intel_Motherboard
$52.99 Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2x4GB) DDR4 2400 MHz CAS 14 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233751
$51.99 WD Blue 1 TB 7200RPM Hard Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236339
$64.99 HyperX FURY 2.5" 240GB SATA III SSD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104575
$289.99 EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SC ACX 2.0 Video Card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487076
$68.99 XFX TS 550 Watt Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013
$46.99 Corsair Carbide Series SPEC-01 RED Mid Tower ATX Case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139041
$883.92 total, free shipping
Sales tax will push the final total to around $960.
You also can claim up to $30 in rebates from the power supply and the case.
The GeForce GTX 970 is best suited for playing current titles such as GTA V and Fallout 4. If you want to save some money, you can get a cheaper video card.
$179.99 MSI GeForce GTX 960 2GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127844
$184.99 MSI GeForce GTX 960 4GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127898
$119.99 XFX Radeon R7 370 2GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150735
$129.99 ASUS Radeon R7 370 2GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121964
@burning I'm pretty sure I live closer to the microcenter in orange and I'm also decently close to Frys electronics
@oakmontowls: How close do you live to the Microcenter in Cerritos? That's going to be the best place to snag cheaper processors and motherboards though I would expect them to frequently sell out their stock of Skylake i5s and i7s around this time of the year.
@burning
I live in southern California
I'd like to not go above a thousand but there's some leeway with that.
I'd like to get the most bang for my buck but if I can still get a decent computer for cheaper I'd go for that
I can order online
I have all of those however I don't think I have a very good monitor but that doesn't matter very much to me
I wont need an OS
I don't need a lot of space but still a decent amount, maybe 1-2TB
There aren't any particular games that I'm wanting to play but nothing terribly intensive
I do use Team speak with the overwolf overlay program
The only real preference I have with a computer case is to have usb ports and an audio port on the front.
Id just like to mention that I'm not terribly interested in top tier graphics but I would like to be able to play most games on mid-high settings with no lag. And also I'd like to get a SSD for at least my OS and game installations.
@oakmontowls: That's a weird question and I can't give a good answer without knowing more about what is available to you and what you want.
If you want just an example, I did spec out a build with Skylake i5-6500 and GTX 970 for $1000 . High-end performance at a decently reasonable price.
http://www.basilmarket.com/forum/2897795/1/#46628078
Answer as many questions as you are willing. The information you provide will narrow down the potential parts.
What country/state do you live in?
What is the upper limit of your budget?
Would you like to save money or do you want to spend as much of your budget as possible?
Can you order online? If you cannot order online, what stores are around you?
Do you already have a monitor, keyboard, and/or mouse? If you have a monitor, what is its screen resolution?
Do you need an operating system such as Windows 8 or Windows 10?
How much hard drive space do you want?
Are there any other games you play or want to play?
What other programs do you use?
Do you have any preferences or restrictions for a computer case(features, looks, fancy, simple, etc.)?
Mention any other special requests you may have. Be as detailed as you can with all your responses.
@burning: about how much money do you think id be looking at to build an entire new pc?
@oakmontowls: Yes buying a GTX 970 now should normally last for years.
The problem I see is that a powerful GPU like the GTX 970 is bottlenecked by your first-gen i7 processor which has the gaming performance of current 4th-gen Intel Core i3s. I would much rather build a whole new 5th/6th-gen Skylake system with a GTX 970 than upgrade a Bloomfield system to a GTX 970. GTX 970 video cards also cost 2-3 times as much as an AMD R9 370 which doesn't make sense if you are looking only to max out TESO. That's why I wanted to know what games you play.
@oswook: Which rebrand of the gtx 970 would you suggest?
dont go for AMD unless you're looking for a short term fix. Just bump to a gtx 970 and you should be fine for a while
@oakmontowls: Those recommended requirements can be satisfied with a video card upgrade.
The AMD Radeon R9 370 meets that requirement.
@burning Well the most intensive game I am trying to play right now would be the elder scrolls online. The recommended specs for this game are:
•Operating System: Windows 7 64-bit or Windows 8 64-bit
•Processor: Quad Core 2.3GHz or equivalent processor
•Memory: 4GB System RAM
•Hard Disk Space: 60GB free HDD space
•Video Card: Direct X 11 compliant video card with 2GB of RAM (NVIDIA® GeForce® 560 Ti / ATI Radeon™ 6950 or better)
•Sound: DirectX compatible sound card
@oakmontowls: It's outdated, but it's not obsolete.
Whether it's more sensible to upgrade or buy a new computer depends on what games you play or want to play.
@burning so my EVGA X58 SLI3 motherboard is not really out dated?
@oakmontowls: PCI-E is fully backward and forward compatible.
@burning: thanks but I think I would run into the problem of my mother board being too old to support a newer graphics card.
That depends on how much you want to spend and what games you play or want to play.
Despite what you assume, the GTS 450 is the only component you have that has fallen off for gaming and rather dramatically so in recent years. The i7 you have, even if it is Bloomfield, still has relevant gaming performance for moderately demanding games.
You should get an entirely new computer if you are seriously interested in playing some of most demanding games currently out there including GTA V and Fallout 4. Otherwise, a video card upgrade may suffice for playing games the GTS 450 could not. If you mostly play Dota 2, League of Legends, Diablo 3, StarCraft 2, CS:GO, or Heroes of the Storm, then you don't really need to upgrade anything.