PC Console to PC Questions

Haven't read the thread, don't care about what others may say, but:
Intel chip (go for GHz not core count, so i5 is fine)

Nvidia card (never ati/amd)

Min 8gb ram (that can be expanded to 16+)

Don't skimp on the PSU.

...the rest is garbage talk.

:)
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Giving 8GB even as a minimum is garbage talk as well. The first time he wants to play a MP game with his machine as a server/client he could already hit the limit. Saving about $40 for this in a PC for $1000 would be madness.

 
8gb minimum. Expand it if he needs it. Nothing rocket sciency. If he ends up needing it because he loads 16k maps or runs mods, then go to more. Minimum means minimum, and I have two kids on 8 and it runs well enough.

Neither runs a lot of overhead software though, maybe that's the difference with you?

And I'm not current on pricing, but I'm not up to 1k.

 
I'm definitely looking into higher GB Ram as one of the top priorities in a build. Realistically, I would like to buy a product that does 32GB.

But it's a bit of a slow speed for me right now. They definitely don't lack in tossing out a crap load of various numbers in a products description lol. I'm sure once I'm really accustomed to it all, it'll make more sense, but right now it's like deciphering hieroglyphics lol

Right now I'm focusing on finding the right Mobo, one that isn't over priced, but not underwhelming in performance/limitations either. I figure once I find a board to settle upon, then I can start to piece the rest of the puzzle together. Graphics, ssd, etc.

 
I've never personally been a fan of motherboard features... Supports the chip, GPU, ram, I'm golden.

 
I've never personally been a fan of motherboard features... Supports the chip, GPU, ram, I'm golden.
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Well it's just a matter of learning the difference's in motherboards to figure out what I actually need. It's been my luck to buy something only to find out later I could've spent just a bit more and had a far superior product.

 
I've never personally been a fan of motherboard features... Supports the chip, GPU, ram, I'm golden.
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Are you sure you are a PC gamer? This garbage talk is a passion for some saps like me. I love new hardware and benchmarking a new PC, Its like guys who like Sports Cars, tuning for the best performance and being able to tell your friends "I run this game maxed in 4K". Well I am not that ridiculous but it can be a hobby for people even if its not necessary to get the best components but to get the best PC you can afford and go straight to your benchmark software.

Buying a motherboard is important and I learned that from Maximum PC in the late 90s.

Jysen, I have not been looking at motherboards recently but give NewEgg a look.

I would suggest looking for CPUs first and then motherboards and I would suggest Intel and i7 @ something like 3.3 Ghz or better or you could go with an i5 to save some money and then upgrade to an i7 later. If you are to pop in a new CPU, check out some guides online for applying thermal paste so that pulling out your i5 to upgrade to an i7 you have a clean socket with out gobs of thermal paste everywhere, that has always been my least favorite thing about building a PC, I hate putting on thermal paste, I always think oh I put to much or too little but in the end I still get my heatsink to cool my CPU properly so I must be doing something right.

Here is a start for CPUs: https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?N=100007671%204814%201100858365%20601300311%20601321947%20601301612%20601295112%20600005576%20600005573%20601295121%20601301611%20601321948%20601321946%20601298157%20601304866%20600005686&Order=RATING

Motherboards: https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?N=100007627%20601299335%20601304476%204814%20600008639%20600008642%20600530942%20600533615%20600560221%20601187447%20601296507%20600540657%20600540660%20600540661%20600567794%20600569161%20601117512%20601205170&Order=RATING

Memory: https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?N=100007611%204814%20600521523%20600083963%20600327642%20600052012%20600052013%201100858365&Order=RATING

I think the Dual Channel is the LGA 1151 (300 Series) and the Quad Channel is the LGA 2066 motherboards.

Decent to good video cards: https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?N=100007709%20601202919%20601203927%20601205646%20601305993%20601321556%20601341616%20601341631%20601273503%20601273511%20601327179&Order=RATING

Top rated Power Supplies: https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?N=100007657%20600014002%20600479295%20600479296%20600479297%20600037997%20600037998%20600037999%20600112163%20601115166%20600038000&Order=RATING

I have always been a NewEgg fanboy I guess but I have received a lot of garbage from Amazon that does not work. I also agree core count is not that important unless you use software that will run better with more cores.

Here is some info on the latest LGA 1151 (300 Series) MotherboardsL https://www.anandtech.com/show/13714/intel-adds-b365-chipset-to-lineup-the-return-of-22nm It looks like the Z370 chipset is a good choice for the latest i5, i7 CPUs, according to this the motherboard itself is supporting the M2 slots as storage on its own making the Coffeelake CPU much more desirable.

here are some top rated systems prebuilt in the $750.00 to $1000.00 range, but I would do some research before buying as there could be some kind of crappy PCs in the list: https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?N=100897449%204022%20600530838%20600528688%20601114502&Order=RATING

All in all PC gaming is an expensive hobby, so it would be best to buy a good system if you have the money rather than skimp on a lesser PC to save money and have gaming problems and bad performance, which will in turn make you appreciate your PS4 more. You could get a PayPal line of credit and you would have 1 year to pay it off without interest, so about 150.00 per month will get you a 1,800 system to be proud of and not pay any interest as long as pay it off in a year. I am not a fan of credit cards, but PayPal credit has a very low interest rate if you do not pay off a purchase in a year you would not pay as much as with a MasterCard or Visa.

 
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Yeh I've been building PC's since my first 386 and was mucking about with CoCo's before that... So I *may* be burned out on keeping up with the Joneses, but I do still know what works. :)

 
Not too sure what a CoCo is but you have me beat, I was a buy an OEM PC from 1988 until my first build in 2005 and a crappy build at that, a LGA 775 Pentium 4 that overheated in 5 seconds and shut down. I am just mediocre at a lot of tech but I still like to see the improvements and the 3000 mb/s M2 sounds ridiculously fast and 14Tb magnetic hard drives are amazing as well, the rest has not really taken off too far.

Oh a TRS 80, that sounds like a hobby to go back that far and reminds me of the guy in that show Halt and Catch Fire building a PC in his garage in the early 80s, a good show. I was a teen then and thought computers were lame, I was more interested in sports and going to the Arcade and losing lots of quarters because I sucked at most Arcade games, other than Cabal which I could beat with one quarter, I never knew why.

 
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Well, picked out a few things so far, and sitting at roughly $1,385. Forgot to add in the 32gb ram into my wishlist lol.

As for a prebuilt, they have one that's $1000. Looks not bad overall, but would prefer to upgrade a few aspects on it.

Sooo, what exactly is the difference between all these damn names on the Intel side? Coffee lake, Kaby Lake, Camp Crystal Lake lol.

So far the only difference I've noticed is there is some variances on its GHz ratings, like the I7-9700 Coffee Lake 8 Core 3.6 GHz (4.9 GHz Turbo LGA 1151) or say the Kaby Lake I7-7700(? I think) Quad Core that's 4.2GHz? Or say the Skylake I7-6700k 8m 4.0GHz? Is the only real difference between the models mostly just which Mobo it's compatible with? Which lake is more recommended lol.

That's the kind of crap that slams my head into a wall. Cause from a quick glance, it's just the compatibility with the motherboards available, yet some proclaim better GHz performances despite being like alittle cheaper in price.

Still, regardless, much thanks to all again. I've spent majority of my breaks at work these days looking through products and such. Definitely has given me things to do and look at lol

 
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A lot of those differences will be power consumption and socket type, and I'm a personal fan if using as much power as possible. :)

 
Well the extreme versions have a higher QPI link like my 3960x (that I miss) and usually higher core counts. The Coffee lake uses the 1151 (300) series which give you a better motherboard and more features. The 1151 is like entry level or so, the 1151 (300) series is mid-range or or and the 2066 is high end, just my opinion I am not too into going into the specs too much.

The higher clock rate is for gaming (I had to overclock my i7 860 from 2.8ghz to 3.3ghz to play Arma III), so it will improve gaming where as more cores will improve productivity software. You could go with the 1151 but I would stay with the 1151 (300) series and maybe a low i5 and upgrade in a couple of years to an i7, but I think you are better off with an i7. You can check out some benchmarks at AndTech: https://www.anandtech.com/bench/CPU-2019/2224 I used to check out Toms Guide but it is full of adds and its not as good as it used to be https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-cpus,3986.html Actually I think both sites are just full of adds and not as useful as they used to be.

here is a simple i5 vs i7 comparison scroll down to the gaming section, look for FPS or TPS to get a better idea, world of tanks is not going to be anything like 7 Days to Die: https://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/2258?vs=2250 of course keep in mind it is coupled with a GTX 1080 which is fairly high end and about $600-$700. Far Cry 5, GTA 5 and Tomb Raider seem to be the closest to 7 Days to Die. They really do not add many early access or independent games if any, its usually AAA games that get benchmarked, but then a search might lead you to a YouTube benchmark for 7 Days.

Turbo or Intel Speedstep is another thing that is hard to follow, I turn it off and overclock at a static frequency that is a little less than the turbo frequency. I have always disliked this feature and it can be difficult to benchmark but its probably just me who thinks that.

Sorry for the walls of text but I get into this type of thing and I wish I was the one looking to buy a new PC.

I went to Camp when I was a kid but just because my mom got tired of looking at me. Yeah the code names just get confusing so try matching a code name to a motherboard and that might help, or buy a box of cereal and it may have a special code wheel in it.

 
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Feel free to write a novel lol. The more I'm exposed to it all, the more quicker I learn. Though I did have to go back to my wishlist as I forgot to add in the 32gb ram. (Perhaps overkill to some degree, but I'm feeling that this is one of the right areas to spend that little extra).

So in the wish list sits the total at roughly $1385. That doesn't even include a case, or if I need additional cooling fans.

But it's a rough start. Ill eventually go back and forth with some of the products I chose till I get that right feel in performance vs cost. But not like I'm in a rush to get a PC tomorrow either.

 
Lol, I originally had chosen the I9 myself. But changed it to an I7 in attempts to get a feel for what to expect my total cost will end up being.

Always heard how one could build a good pc for under $1000, but after going through the various products, I don't see how you can lol. But then again, I am still learning after all.

 
No, it definitely use to be that way, but I think enough people started to actually do it that the "whole system" people decided to lower their prices to within reason.

...used to be I could build something out for a third of the cost, now I'm within a hundred bucks or so of a similarly pre-built system. But I like building because I pick what goes in.

 
As far as a case It is going to be your personal taste. I do not have any recommendations, these days they are more concerned with RGB lighting than functionality.

Picking a good CPU cooler should be easy and case fans can be about $10.00 for a decent 120mm case fan.

This guy fits almost all boards and it may be tall but it does not hang over your RAM so you have room to get to the RAM and that pesky 8 pin ATX that in a lot of motherboards are placed in places that the CPU heatsink, back case fan and power supply covers up access to (I like massive heat sinks so I guess it is my fault) https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16835608040

Others that support 2066 and 1151 or both, just make sure it has the socket type in the listing of the socket type motherboard you buy: https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?N=100008000%20601346187%20601346192&Order=RATING

For thermal paste you can not go wrong with Arctic Silver 5, it may not be the best out there but it is all you really need. https://www.newegg.com/arctic-silver-as5-3-5g/p/N82E16835100007?Description=arctic%20silver%205&cm_re=arctic_silver_5-_-35-100-007-_-Product I would also watch as many GOOD (yeah not idiots) videos on YouTube on how to apply thermal paste. Some guys will spread it out with a credit card, some will use a pea sided glob and other use different ways to apply it.

You obviously do not really have to buy from NewEgg but I always go there for at least the reviews. I added some components in a cart without a case it was $1,339.74 so yeah it is more expensive than you would think but its something to be proud of and something that will last through years of gaming.

Also an i9 is not really something you need other than the 1156 (300) series i9, the rest are high end and made for guys that like to have the best and it is a good cross platform CPU between gaming and high end productivity software like 3D rendering, Photoshop or Video Editing. I would buy one only if I had a lot of spare money but otherwise I would not bother with one.

I have never used PC Parts Picker but if Green Dragon suggests It then its probably a good idea to add up your hardware and check it out on this site.

I just realized the power supply link I gave was missing something I did not check leaving out 700 other power supplies, sorry about that. https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?N=100007657%20600014002%20600479295%20600479296%20600479297%20600037998%20600037999%20600112163%20601115166%20600014006&Order=RATING

 
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Also an i9 is not really something you need other than the 1156 (300) series i9, the rest are high end and made for guys that like to have the best and it is a good cross platform CPU between gaming and high end productivity software like 3D rendering, Photoshop or Video Editing. I would buy one only if I had a lot of spare money but otherwise I would not bother with one.
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Yeah, I went with the i9 because my i7-3930k clocks the same as an i7-7700 where I have it overclocked now. I want to upgrade for the future, so that's why I chose the i9 instead of just building a newer i7.

I admit I did drool a bit at the i9-9980XE. I really can't justify spending a grand just on the CPU though.

I like PC Parts Picker because I can build and save configurations, and it's always checking for the best price.

 
Yeah, I went with the i9 because my i7-3930k clocks the same as an i7-7700 where I have it overclocked now. I want to upgrade for the future, so that's why I chose the i9 instead of just building a newer i7.
I admit I did drool a bit at the i9-9980XE. I really can't justify spending a grand just on the CPU though.

I like PC Parts Picker because I can build and save configurations, and it's always checking for the best price.
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Well I bought a $1,000 3960x back in 2012 but I believe that will be my only $1,000 CPU.

I like the i7-9800X which is at $600.00 the cool thing (pun hopefully) with that CPU is that it is socket 2066 allowing for more features on your mobo (other than the ridiculous $700.00 variety) and the 44 lane PCI Express should be great for M2 SSDs. I do not know about overclocking the multiplier I have a FSB overclock and I really do not like to push RAM too far so if pushing the CPU multiplier would not affect RAM then I would go to 4.2ghz - 4.4ghz with speedstep off and keeping stock voltage. If it is FSB overclocking I would underclock the ram and then up the FSB at about 4.2ghz with speedstep off. I figure if one core can run in turbo at 4.4 then I imagine all cores at 4.2 would be easy to do. I can only imagine what running your PC at over 4ghz would be like, I would love to benchmark it but I will only upgrade when or if my current PC dies.

I have never liked speedstep because even simple benchmarking is hard to really know what the turbo is doing and looking at CPUz you see the CPU frequency going up and down just moving its window around, I'm sure this is just my point of view on it but I always disable it anyway.

I have a good Lian Li full tower sitting in my spare room, so I could get a new PC without needing a case, power supply and video card but it really is not necessary any time soon. I am kind of pissed that Case Labs is closed before I got to try one of their modular cases but al least Thermatake has a similar case http://www.performance-pcs.com/thermaltake-core-w100-super-tower-chassis.html#Features yeah I go hog wild with cases.

I do need more stone and iron ore for my forges, at least that is free.

 
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Lol, I originally had chosen the I9 myself. But changed it to an I7 in attempts to get a feel for what to expect my total cost will end up being.
Always heard how one could build a good pc for under $1000, but after going through the various products, I don't see how you can lol. But then again, I am still learning after all.
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Can you let me know what parts you picked, just for kicks not too judge, I promise.

 
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