PC Build For Gaming

[TheSiege]

1. Gaming and Music recording
2. $900 or less
3. Buying in the USA
4. N/A
5. No preference for parts, just whatever is most reliable/bargain
6. Completely new build including case. Will buy monitors later
7. No overclocking
8. 1920x1080x3 Monitors when gaming
9. Build within a month or so
10. I will need to buy the OS, windows 10

Just to clarify, this will be a gaming rig with at least 3 monitors and the ability to record music, if the budget allows it, I would like an upgraded sound card.

Thanks

 

[dave_the_nerd]

That's a pretty steep ask for $900 - triple-monitor gaming is usually the realm of fairly aggressive SLI/Crossfire setups. Depending on what games you play, even a single GTX 980Ti might not drive 3 monitors as well as you'd like. It just depends on titles though - older ones will work fine. Heck, I had a great time playing Civ5 on a three monitor setup - powered by a 7750.

The no overclocking part helps a bit. (You don't have to pay the premium for OC-capable components, as well as making it clear that you're not expecting super-best-of-everything performance.)

Maybe something like this: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/K3fr3C ?

If you really need more HD space, maybe put that off until the monitor purchase? I really can't recommend SSDs enough from a general use perspective. Srsly. Also, I tend to push people towards mATX rigs if they're probably not going to be doing SLI. Fractal Design is... Scandinavian. Smaller, more polite, more refined, etc. Snob stuff. If you want a massive ATX gamer case with LEDs and fins, those are easy to find - just not my thing.

The R9 380 isn't as good as more popular (but more expensive cards) like the GTX 970, but the performance-per-dollar is about the same and power use is modest. (About the same as the 970. The recent couple generations of Radeon cards have a reputation for being a bit more power hungry than their performance would otherwise warrant, but without overclocking and for a single-card system, that's alright and a 500w PSU is still fine.) Anyway, not my first choice but for the price, I wouldn't kick one out of bed for eating crackers.

 

[fourdegrees11]

If you're willing to except the $60 worth of rebates to get to $900
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H170A-X1 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($78.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill NT Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: PNY CS1311 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($119.99 @ Micro Center)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 390 8GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($274.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Deepcool TESSERACT BF ATX Mid Tower Case ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($88.08 @ Amazon)
Total: $899.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-10 00:12 EST-0500

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Nice.

8GB of RAM may be tight, depending on the games played.

I saw those PNY SSDs, but couldn't find any decent reviews of them. (As opposed to those "review" sites that just barf up the spec sheet and give you a bunch of ads and revenue-sharing links.) I'd be curious if they're any good - PNY is usually an alright brand.

 

[fourdegrees11]

Another 8gb of RAM can always be added later if it's needed. The SSD seems to be pretty solid, and just like the RAM it allows for fitting in the max value on the build overall

http://www.technologyx.com/featured/pny-cs1311-480gb-review/2/

 

[Charlie98]

750w PSU might be a bit much, but if the OP eventually SLI's, he'll need it. 750w for $60 is pretty hard to beat...

 

[TheSiege]

Do I need any additional hardware for music recording?

 

[Charlie98]

Do I need any additional hardware for music recording?

Not really. As far as a dedicated sound card, those are going the way of the Dodo bird; on-board sound is pretty decent these days, but if it's important, you'll need to research the specific audio chipset installed, and pay the money for a better mobo if you think an upgraded audio set would benefit you.

 

[TheSiege]

Ok and lastly, would it be better, in your opinions, to use 3x1920x1080 monitors or maybe 2 widescreen 4k monitors? For gaming

 

[jdoggg12]

Ok and lastly, would it be better, in your opinions, to use 3x1920x1080 monitors or maybe 2 widescreen 4k monitors? For gaming

You'll get like 1/5 the FPS on a dual 4k setup as you would with 3x1080. For perspective... http://i.rtings.com/images/resolution-4k-ultra-hd-size.png

 

[TheSiege]

So if I go with the single video card and decide that I want a second one down the road, will that mobo still work? Could I just add an additional card and be ok?

 

[fourdegrees11]

So if I go with the single video card and decide that I want a second one down the road, will that mobo still work? Could I just add an additional card and be ok?

With an AMD video card (like the 390), yes. NV SLI is only available with more expensive boards.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Do I need any additional hardware for music recording?

Depends on how you want to record.

Something like a FocusRite 2i2 is a pretty handy little box to have if you do live/acoustic recording. Something with more inputs may be necessary depending on your mic'ing strategy.

If you're just ripping CDs to pull samples and mixing stuff on the machine, you don't really need anything but the onboard audio output and maybe a decent quality USB mic for vocals. (Audio Technica AT2020USB would be my personal recommendation, but that's me - arguing about microphones is its own thread(s).)

 

[DigDog]

ok,

i think triple monitor on a grand is impossible. you'll run at 15fps if even that.

as per music recording, you'll need a input box, which will run you at least a hundred bucks. ofc then you also need cables, microphones, instruments, DIs for electrical instruments, phantom power for microphones, pop filters, stands, clamps, monitoring headphones and/or speakers, and finally a recording software, which will probably be Reaper since you want to be on Windows.

tbh, i don't see this happening.

oh bth, the mobo's chipset is irrelevant - you will capture audio directly (and only) from the input box.

 

[TheSiege]

The CPU mentioned above, does it come with a HS and Fan?

 

[dave_the_nerd]

The CPU mentioned above, does it come with a HS and Fan?

The 6500 mentioned in the OP would - it's just the -K models that don't.

 

[VirtualLarry]

i think triple monitor on a grand is impossible. you'll run at 15fps if even that.

tbh, i don't see this happening.

I kind of agree with DigDog. Assuming that you don't want to end up with a crap rig, you need to boost the budget substantially, OP.

$1000 is pretty-much the lower bound for a decent non-triple-monitor, non-music-recording gaming rig. I would say, OP probably needs $1800-2500 for his build.

 

[sxr7171]

I think $1000 will build a pretty good 1080p or 1200p gaming rig. Add $150 for a focusrite for audio recording.

I would be wary of falling for the 4k marketing story. From a normal viewing distance you will not notice it while gaming. It is useful for those who need the desktop space which are people doing graphic design or writing or research or stock trading etc.