PC Help

[Stormweaver]

I've mentioned a number of times in the past that my PC is terrible; it really is. I'm actually pretty sure it's coming up on the 7 years mark infact, which kinda makes what has happened a little predictable. Yesterday, my Video card died. And since I've been putting off buying a new PC for a long time now, it would make sense for me to man up and actually...you know, buy a new PC. And I need help. I've been spending a fair bit of time looking at online resources for building your own PC (because I'm not buying a pre-built one again if I can help it) and while I know enough to know how to go about the assembly, there is a lot that I don't know, which knowing my track record when it comes to technology is probably going to bite me in the ass if I go ahead and try and do this all myself.

So if we have any computer-literates here, could you clarify a few things for me?

1) CPU choice
Looking at what is available for my budget, two CPUs seemed to pop up everywhere; the Intel Core i3-4130 and similar, and the AMD FX-6300. Looking at various reviews and opinions online, the AMD is a better choice by a narrow margin for a given PC build. What I don't know is how narrow that margin is, or if there are any definite reasons to pick one over the other.

2) One thing that does stand out for me is that the Intel CPU has Integrated Graphics (Intel HD Graphics 4400). This would mean that I don't have to purchase a video card right away which means less money goes off the credit card in the short term - that is, If I'm understanding it correctly. A problem here is I can't seem to find out how the integrated graphics compares to dedicated video cards; like my current potato, an ATI Radeon HD 2400. Obviously the level of improvement (if any) would affect how long I can put off getting a dedicated video card.

On the plus side of all this; maybe I'll get everything sorted in time to be able to play the final release of BTW in high graphics settings :p

[Rob]

Hey storm, I am definitely not the BEST person to answer all your questions and this WILL be a large wall of text, but I did just recently build a computer with the help of these forums/IRC(and another). So I feel paying it forward is the least I can do.

****To anyone reading this, I don't know everything, so if I have posted disinformation, please correct me.****

This was the thread I had opened back in February.
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=8426

It doesn't have my final build in it though, which was this:

Alright guys. I finally dove in and bought the parts.
Edit: This is my parts list. Ignore the pricing, a lot of the sale prices ended yesterday.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3xJcY
Total cost:$583.72 ($513.72 after MIRs)

I HIGHLY recommend using PC Part Picker to get the best deal possible, but be wary of sites advertising the 'lowest' price by not showing shipping charges.
EDIT: Just noticed you were already using PartPicker! Sorry.

That part list that I had was all purchased through NewEgg. They very frequently have specials with 'BillMeLater' that allows for 6 months no interest on purchases over $250-300. They currently have that very deal running now until 11:59pm EST May 18th. It does require a credit check though for the billmelater credit account.

(I know FC doesn't condone advertising, and I'm sorry about doing just that. Just trying to help.)

This is what I learned during my 2 months of part browsing/researching.

First, minecraft secretly dates your CPU behind your GPU's back. The better the CPU in terms of GHz and architecture(not sure if that's the right term), the better MC will play. The GPU is only a marginal benefit if you use 16x textures(default).
I was told, Gen 4(Haswell) i5 Series intel chips were the way to go. It WILL be the most expensive part you buy($175$-250), but well worth it. The i5 chips blow everything out of the water in terms of performance, a friend has one of those 8-core AMDs and it doesn't play MC nearly as well as the i5 I bought.
Compare CPUs here: CPU World

Buy the cheapest RAM you can find that totals at least 8gigs(2 sticks of 4gig, don't get 4 sticks of 2gig). Make sure you check the voltage rating, 1.5v is what you want, 1.65v is not as good and depending on your motherboard may not even work at it's rated speed. (Haswell, from what I read is only supposed to supply 1.5v to your ram.)

PSU, when picking a PSU, always buy something with a max rating that is double what you plan on using. So if your total build uses 273watts(like the build in my parts list) than you need a PSU that can supply 500-550ish watts.
I misplaced the link to the site I got this tidbit from, but power supplies work at their best when they are working at 50% rating. It works on a bell curve, lower than half and higher than half and it's performance drops lightly.
Also, try to buy a PSU that is rated with a '80+' rating, the 80+ rating means that you waste less electricity while your computer is on, saving you money on your electric bill.

A Solid State Drive(SSD) is not necessary, but my computer boots up faster than I can sit down after hitting the power button. So I'd totally get one for applications, and use your current HDD for your games/storage.

As far as GPU's go, Radeon R7 260x is the best for low-mid budget builds.The 2gig models cost a little more than the 1gig, but perform better as you would expect. I'm loving mine! If you wait for a sale, you might be able to pick one up for 99.99 after rebate. I also got 2 free games with it(the sales just happened to overlap) so it was a steal.

I had a lot of fun price checking for my computer, so if you find enjoyment in that sort of thing as well, than don't click on the following spoilered link. lol
***Ignore this, spent all that time working on it, only to realize yu're from the UK.***

Went price checking for you.

Show

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3LmAX
***Ignore this, spent all that time working on it, only to realize yu're from the UK.***
Total price: $619.01 after MIRs.
This parts list assumes a few things:
1. You are using your old keyboard, mouse, monitor, dvd drive and HDD(for storage) to save on cost. If you need any of these things, the price goes up. :P
2. You need a new case because you have a pre-built one with a solid back panel that doesn't allow for mother board updates. If you don't need a new case, remove from the list and save $20.
3. You need a new windows disk and have a burning hatred toward windows 8.1. Otherwise swap out win7 for win8.1 (same price). Or remove from list if you don't need and save $90.
4. You want a video card now. If not, remove and save $110.
5. You are not going the newegg/billmelater route. If you are, than you'd have to refine the list to include only newegg parts. Price change = variable.
6. You want an i3 instead of the i5. Swap them out and save $70.

EDIT!!!: Wow, typed all that and didn't even answer your questions! Sorry!

1) CPU choice
Looking at what is available for my budget, two CPUs seemed to pop up everywhere; the Intel Core i3-4130 and similar, and the AMD FX-6300. Looking at various reviews and opinions online, the AMD is a better choice by a narrow margin for a given PC build. What I don't know is how narrow that margin is, or if there are any definite reasons to pick one over the other.

Refer to cpu-world.com when comparing CPUs. The i3 will probably be your best bet if you don't use a lot of programs at once. If you do use a lot of programs, look into the i5.

2) One thing that does stand out for me is that the Intel CPU has Integrated Graphics (Intel HD Graphics 4400). This would mean that I don't have to purchase a video card right away which means less money goes off the credit card in the short term - that is, If I'm understanding it correctly. A problem here is I can't seem to find out how the integrated graphics compares to dedicated video cards; like my current potato, an ATI Radeon HD 2400. Obviously the level of improvement (if any) would affect how long I can put off getting a dedicated video card.

The integrated graphics will more than likely be all you need for minecraft(since MC loves your CPU more). Anything more graphic intensive might require a dedicated card.


I hope I was helpful. If you have any questions about what I wrote, just ask. I'll update in new posts if I think of anything else.

Good Luck!

[Rob]

Updated my post, forgot a few things! Like answering your questions.. lol!

Also, that you're from Europe... So quick to try and be helpful that I missed all the signs. -_-

[Katalliaan]

From what I've heard, Intel's integrated graphics are horrible for Minecraft (and in general). You will need a discrete graphics card whether you go with the i3 or the FX-6300. Additionally, the Intel has a locked speed, whereas the AMD can be overclocked.

[Stormweaver]

I don't think overclocking is going to be in my near future - I'm suffered through sub-par performance playing most games on low graphics settings for a long time, so just average performance will probably have me happy in the meantime.

Any advice for cheapish graphics cards for use with the 6300 if I go that route? One of my biggest problems atm is that I have no basis for comparison as to what a given card is capable of compared to what I've been used to, and I don't have enough experience comparing these things yet to be able to really understand what a lot of sites try to tell me about things.

[devak]

video card purchase depends strongly on what you play.

For BF3-4 you might wanna drop a few extra bucks, but MC doesn't need much more than a potato

[Stormweaver]

Aye, I doubt I'll be playing anything with the specs of BF4 anytime soon :p

I played around with the part picker (again...) with the idea that Performance boosts such as a SSD and dedicated video cards can come a little later down the line.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£136.79 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-HDS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£37.12 @ CCL Computers)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£62.16 @ Scan.co.uk)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£35.94 @ Aria PC)
Case: Xigmatek Recon ATX Mid Tower Case (£28.88 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£43.20 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£79.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £424.08
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-17 15:09 BST+0100)

General thinking being that, as far as I can tell (because the internet is annoying vague on this point) both the CPU and inbuilt GPU will trump what I currently have in terms of playing pretty much anything, which means out of the box I can play KSP, Minecraft, and a few emulated fancies and whatever potatobait I have lying around. Might not be on the prettiest settings, but...It's still going to be nicer than what I'm used to.

I think.

[Katalliaan]

Did a bit of research. Looks like you'll be able to play games on low graphics settings and low resolution.

[mc_dunedin]

I'm not really sure about this topic but i strongly recommend looking into OEM versions of windows. I bought a version of
Windows 7 professional for as little as 20€. It is legit (was activated via telephone) and as far as i know the only downsides are there is no customer support for you and you have a Dell (or whatever) Logo in the "my computer -> properties" - Window. Some manufacturers put up their symbols elsewhere too.. like when you login. That can be undone.

I'd urge you to research the topic yourself because there seems to different laws in europe and the US (europe being more user friendly).

[Syruse]

Whats your budget, Storm? Its been a while since I've farted around on PCPP, I could play around with a couple different builds for you. For example: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/1Tczj could be tweaked a bit and is generally an OK build that can play most (if not all) games on Medium/high settings.

[Stormweaver]

anddd, I'm back. The old PC died fully, so had to sort out the new PC on my phone's tiny screen; that made doing research a real joy :)

What I ended up with:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£164.39 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£53.08 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£55.34 @ Scan.co.uk)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£40.50 @ CCL Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£79.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £393.30
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-15 12:53 BST+0100

Old case, PSU and DVD drive were fine, if a little dusty. I have a i5-4670k as opposed to just the 4670 because at the time, factoring in delivery, they actually cost the same, so why not, etc. Oh, and windows boots up in 5-10 seconds without an SSD. Which is nice. All I can hope now is that by the time I ever need to do this again, it won't be quite so nerve-wracking. Installing a CPU into a motherboard was probably the most stressful thing I've experienced in months, not helped by forgetting one of the power connections when I first started it up ^.^

Now to test out some games. And ignore the fact that I missed out on NWN 1&2 on sale @ GOG yesterday ^.^

[VegasGoat]

Installing a CPU into a motherboard was probably the most stressful thing I've experienced in months

Yeah I hate that part too, and putting on the heat sink after which never seems to click in place nicely and I'm afraid of putting too much pressure on the board.