Advice for buying a gaming PC!

Roger Mitchell4 said:So it makes more sense to just grab the FX 6300 if the price gap is that small...
Are you kidding me?!

It’s definitely worth picking up at Amazon; their pricing is unbeatable right now.

Roger Mitchell4 said:Right, and when I'm shopping for a monitor (Full HD, HDMI, 21.5 inch) for about $150, what should I look out for? Does the graphics card actually matter when choosing one?
Also, quick question: should I go with the 260x or the NVIDIA GTX 750 Ti?

Go with the NVIDIA GTX 750 Ti, obviously.

Make sure the monitor is 1920x1080 and has a DVI or HDMI output (don't settle for one that only has VGA). Also, depending on your budget, try to find an IPS or PLS panel—or at least a VA panel. Those are much better than the standard TN panels you usually see.

Timothy Kim60 said:Honestly, grabbing it from an online retailer like Newegg is totally worth it because their prices are unbeatable!

Dell UltraSharp monitor

Make sure you get a 1920x1080 resolution with a DVI or HDMI port (avoid anything with just VGA!). Also, if your budget allows, definitely aim for an IPS or PLS panel—or at least a VA panel, which is way better than those basic TN ones.

Yeah, yeah, I know that already... 😉 Please don't be mad, but what does "panel" actually mean?
And should the monitor have a wide viewing angle?👍

IPS, Professional League of Legends, and VA panels are definitely more advanced and better than those basic TN panels. They offer slightly better color accuracy and much wider viewing angles.

You’ve probably noticed on standard LCD monitors (especially the older ones) that if you look at them from the side or from above or below, the colors just wash out, shift, and turn gray, making the whole image look washed out. With these newer matrices, that doesn't really happen, or at least the angle where it starts is way wider.

Look for a monitor with an IPS panel or one geared toward Professional League of Legends play. Monitor prices are quite low these days, so the actual difference between a standard TN panel and an IPS one is negligible.
It’s good if it features DVI or HDMI, though it isn't strictly necessary. If you're primarily using it for a PC, you won't notice much of a distinction between DVI and VGA. As I mentioned, prices are reasonable, and most models already include DVI, IPS technology, and so on.

Go ahead and grab the R7 260x. The R9 270 is faster, but not by a massive margin. If money is tight, the 260x is perfectly fine; don't drop below that for gaming. You also have the option of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 750 Ti OC, which draws very little power and sits somewhere between those two in terms of performance—ideal if you prefer GeForce cards or better drivers.

For a processor, aim for at least an i3 or an AMD FX-6300. An FM2 option like the 750k would be a solid choice, but they are incredibly hard to find right now.

As for memory, 4GB should suffice for the moment, though you will likely need to upgrade to 6GB or 8GB very soon. It might be smarter to just get the higher amount immediately.

There aren't many complications here.

mellowtiger83 said:Go for an IPS panel or even PLS since monitor prices are so low right now. Honestly, the difference between those and old TN panels is negligible.
It's great that it has DVI and HDMI, though it isn't strictly necessary. If you're just using it for a PC, you won't even notice the difference between DVI and VGA. Like I said, prices are cheap, and most people already have DVI and IPS options available.

Feel free to grab the R7 260x! The R9 270 is faster, but not by a massive margin. If money is tight, the 260x is a solid choice—just don't go lower than that for gaming. You also have the Nvidia GeForce GTX 750 Ti OC, which is super power-efficient and performs right between those two if you prefer Nvidia drivers.

Aim for at least an i3 or an AMD FX-6300. An FM2 setup with something like a 750k is a decent move, but they are pretty hard to find lately.

4GB of RAM is enough for now, but you'll definitely want to bump that up to 6GB or 8GB very soon. It’s better to just get the extra capacity immediately.

It’s actually quite straightforward!

Way to go! 👍
I'll most likely end up going with the 860k (or maybe the 750k), the R7 260x, and 8GB of RAM.

fadedorca66 said:IPS, Professional League of Legends, and VA panels are way more advanced and superior to standard TN panels. They offer much better color reproduction and much wider viewing angles.

You probably noticed this with older standard LCD monitors—if you look at them from the side or from above or below, the colors just wash out, shift, turn gray, and the whole image looks terrible. With these newer matrices, that doesn't happen, or at least the viewing angle is significantly larger before things start looking weird.

Oh, I definitely noticed! The screen just goes dark! I am absolutely going to grab one with a newer matrix.👍

🤦

I guess I’ll just give it away, yeah, I'll just hand it over 😬

crimsonstag84 said:🤦

I'll give you an AP, I'll give you an AP! 😬

Haha!

Will component prices drop soon?
I'm looking at the R7 260x and the AMD FX-6300 specifically because they're currently pushing me past my budget, and I'd really love to pull the trigger on this build! 😁

Prices have been climbing over the last few months because foreign currencies are strengthening—which makes production more expensive—and it looks like this upward trend might stick around for a little while longer.

crimsonstag84 said:Prices have been climbing over the last couple of months because foreign currencies are getting stronger (which makes production more expensive), and it looks like this upward trend might stick around for a while longer!

😠

Since you first received those suggestions, the price on this build has already shot up by at least $33.

Hey everyone, I'm planning on buying a new PC. My budget is $1667 (not a cent more than that).😁

Since there aren't many local tech shops in ST, my options are pretty much limited to Links and HGspot.
So, here is what I've put together at HGspot.

-Processor Intel Core i5-4590, Haswell, 3300 MHz, LGA 1150

$566

-Graphics Card GIGABYTE Nvidia GeForce GTX 750 Ti OC, 2 GB DDR5, GV-N75TOC-2GI

$433

-Motherboard Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H, LGA 1150

$181

-Hard Drive 1 TB, WESTERN DIGITAL Caviar Blue WD10EZEX, 3.5" , 7200 rpm, SATA III

$168

-Memory KINGSTON 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR3, 1600 MHz HyperX Fury, DIMM

$224

-Power Supply AQPROX APP500PS, 500W

$50

So, the total comes to $1623.

Thoughts, recommendations...🤔

gentlesailor43 said:Hey everyone, I'm planning on picking up a new PC. My budget is $1667 (not a penny more than that).😁

Since there aren't many local IT shops around here in ST, my options are pretty much limited to Links and HGspot.
So, here is what I've put together using HGspot.

-Processor Intel Core i5-4590, Haswell, 3300 MHz, LGA 1150

$566

-Graphics Card GIGABYTE Nvidia GeForce GTX 750 Ti OC, 2 GB DDR5, GV-N75TOC-2GI

$433

-Motherboard Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H, LGA 1150

$181

-Hard Drive 1 TB, WESTERN DIGITAL Caviar Blue WD10EZEX, 3.5" , 7200 rpm, SATA III

$168

-Memory KINGSTON 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR3, 1600 MHz HyperX Fury, DIMM

$224

-Power Supply AQPROX APP500PS, 500W

$50

All told, everything comes to $1623.

Thoughts? Recommendations?...🤔

An $50 power supply in a build costing $1667? Seriously? As far as parts go, you could just as easily order from Amazon or some other online retailer; they'll ship it for free and have it ready to go, so there's really no need to bother with HGspot or godforsaken Links...

Adam Moore3 said:Using a power supply from $50 in a build worth $1667? Seriously? As far as shopping goes, you can just order from Newegg or some other online retailer. They offer free shipping and pack everything so well you won't even need to bother going to HGspot or god forbid Links...

It’s not an issue with web shops; it’s just that those are the prices from the HGspot online store (in-store prices are higher 😉). It's about service, and the physical store is close to me.

Regarding the power supply, feel free to make a suggestion. The case is listed above.

gentlesailor43 said:It isn't an issue with the online store; those are just the prices from the HGspot web shop (in-store prices are actually higher 😉). It's all about the service, and having a local branch nearby helps me out.

Regarding the power supply, feel free to make some suggestions—I've listed the specs above.

Look, you can easily handle repairs via mail too. For example, here is what you could get from a major retailer like Micro Center for around $500:

1 x Asrock B85M-HDS - Intel 1150 Socket B85 chipset M-ATX MB
1 x Intel Core i5-4460 Processor (3.20GHz,1MB,6MB,84 W,1150) Box
1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Kingston, HyperX Fury, 1866MHz, CL10
1 x TOSHIBA 1TB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA100
1 x MS PHOENIX case without power supply, Midi tower MBO: ATX, mATX
1 x Sapphire R9 270 2GB, OC Boost, 2GB GDDR5 256bit
1 x Fortron 500W Power Supply, Hyper, PPA5005003, 12cm fan

$1627

Go with a much stronger GPU, a high-quality power supply, and everything else is pretty much the same. If any issues pop up, you can just ship it back via USPS and everything will get sorted out. If you're really set on using HGspot 😬 just swap in THIS power supply instead of the one you picked and you're good to go.🙂

Do you honestly think getting a refund would be any faster at HGspot? 😬
If you pay in cash, you can usually negotiate a much better deal...

Besides, what are you even planning to use that PC for?

gentlesailor43 said:Hey everyone, looking to pick up a new rig. My budget is $1667 (not a penny more).😁

Since there aren't any local IT shops in my area, I'm stuck choosing between Links and HGspot.
Here’s what I put together using HGspot.

-CPU Intel Core i5-4590, Haswell, 3300 MHz, LGA 1150

$566

-GPU GIGABYTE Nvidia GeForce GTX 750 Ti OC, 2 GB DDR5, GV-N75TOC-2GI

$433

-Motherboard GIGABYTE GA-B85M-DS3H, LGA 1150

$181

-Hard Drive 1 TB, WESTERN DIGITAL Caviar Blue WD10EZEX, 3.5" , 7200 rpm, SATA III

$168

-Memory KINGSTON 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR3, 1600 MHz HyperX Fury, DIMM

$224

-Power Supply AQPROX APP500PS, 500W

$50

So, all in all, it comes to $1623.

Thoughts? Recommendations?🤔

Bad build, and you're limiting yourself just because you're shopping online.

If you need to return anything, shipping costs you $13... if you want to fight them over it, it'll be a total nightmare 😁
.
I've had terrible experiences with HGspot in general—won't even buy a blank CD from them. And Links is usually overpriced; their deals have been trash lately.
1 x Gigabyte 970A-DS3P, AM3+, AMD 970 SB950, 4x DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1866
1 x CPU AMD FX-Series X6 6300 3.5GHz,14MB,95W,AM3+, FD6300WMHK
2 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11
1 x HDD WD 1TB, Caviar Blue 10EZEX, 1000 GB, SATA3,64 MB, 3,5", 24mj
1 x Power Supply Fortron 500W, Hyper, PPA5005003, 12cm fan
1 x ZALMAN CNPS 5X Performa, socket 775/1155/1156/AM2/AM2/AM3
1 x Gigabyte R9 280 3GB WF3 OC, 3GB GDDR5 384bit, GV-R928WF3OC-3GD
1 x Thermaltake Versa II, Midi tower, ATX,mATX, 5.25" external bay

$1687
AMD option

2 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11
1 x HDD WD 1TB, Caviar Blue 10EZEX, 1000 GB, SATA3,64 MB, 3,5", 24mj
1 x Power Supply Fortron 500W, Hyper, PPA5005003, 12cm fan
1 x Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H, Socket : 1150, Intel B85
1 x CPU Intel Core i5-4460 (3.20GHz,1MB,6MB,84 W,1150) Box
1 x Sapphire R9 270 2GB, OC Boost, 2GB GDDR5 256bit
1 x Zalman T5 mini tower case. 170(W) x 427(H) x 348(D)mm.

$1665

intel

Intel

Timothy Kim60 said:You think a refund would be any faster at HGspot? 😬
If you pay cash, you might get a much better deal...

Besides, what is that PC even going to be used for?

I don't know, maybe it's just easier to argue face-to-face than over email, I guess...😁

It's about the cash. How much better?☕ 😁

Let's say, after a long time (my 9600gt is basically ready for retirement), I want to play some new titles, and I don't want to stress about whether I can run them on medium settings two years from now.😬

Feel free to suggest something. Throw some AMD options out there too. I'm leaning towards Intel and Nvidia; that combo hasn't let me down yet. I guess old habits die hard.

gentlesailor43 said:I don't know, man... it's just different when you're arguing face-to-face instead of over email or mobile...😁

It's all about the cash.☕ How much better?😁

So, let's just say that after a long hiatus—my 9600GT is basically ready for retirement at this point—I’m looking to finally dive into some newer titles. I also don't want to spend all my time stressing over whether I'll still be able to run stuff on medium settings two years down the road...😬

Feel free to throw out some suggestions. Throw some AMD options my way too. Personally, I’m leaning towards Intel and Nvidia—that combo has never let me down before. Old habits die hard, I guess...

It's a massive upgrade; you can see that just by looking at the GPU performance. That 750Ti is pretty weak compared to an RX 580 when paired with Intel, and it's even worse if you go the AMD route with an RX 580 + Ryzen 5 3600 combo. In that setup, you're getting a much more powerful card, but the processor is significantly weaker. Personally, I’d lean toward the Intel + RX 580 option—it feels better balanced, and you can always drop in a beast of a GPU later on if you want. Either way, you can't really lose here, and you'll come out way ahead compared to buying from Newegg. 🙂