Advice for buying a gaming PC!

In my opinion, picking up a GTX 960 makes sense if you can snag one for somewhere between $170 and $600. Since the dollar has spiked lately, even the R9 280 is hitting those price points. If you look at various performance summary charts and reviews, the GTX 960 actually edges out the R9 280 slightly at 1080p (or lower), though it falls just a hair short of the R9 285. http://tpucdn.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_96...rfrel_1920.gif Granted, TechPowerUp headlines tend to lean a bit more toward NVIDIA on average—if they had included titles like Hitman or coh2, the averages might look different—but the GTX 960 is still a solid buy for that money, especially for anyone who insists on sticking with NVIDIA.

The only real downside is the 2GB capacity. Personally, I think they really missed the mark by limiting both the GTX 960 and the R9 285 to just 2GB of VRAMa.

Yeah, if you can grab a GTX 960 without blowing your budget, then sure, go for it if you're an Nvidia loyalist. On average, it'll run about $15 more than the R9 280, but honestly, stretching your wallet just for that isn't worth it. Lower power draw is always a nice perk, but having a gig less VRAMa is a massive headache these days. Personally, I still think the 280 is the real best buy in this price bracket.

Right now, I'm thinking this is an absolute best buy.

http://www.amazon.com/details/product...79033B6D0.aspx

The price is unbeatable, and those XFX DD cards are top-tier performers.

Timothy Kim60 said:Right now, I think this is a total steal at Best Buy

http://www.bestbuy.com/product-details/example

Great price, plus those XFX DD cards are solid enough.

I went with an MSI card for my budget build, and only because of two things:
a) the Twin Frozr cooler—it's quiet and actually works 👍
b) a full 3-year warranty ☕

😬

Honestly, if you're looking at those options, I’d say steer clear of the MSI cards—especially since you've already got that reliable Gigabyte or the XFX mentioned earlier as solid alternatives. Lately, it seems like more and more MSI TF models are dealing with oil leaking from the heatsinks. People say it won't actually kill your components, but still—it’s pretty gross to have your GPU basically sweating all over your case and other parts.

graniteharbor85 said:It seems like more and more of those MSI TF cards are dealing with oil leaking from the heatsinks.

Mine is still running smooth as silk. Aside from some issues when I try to overclock, it’s been totally fine.

I've got an MSI R7 260 in one rig, and it's running like a dream. Then I've got an XFX R7950 Ghost edition in my other setup, which is also a total beast. Honestly, both of them work great.

To be more specific—we're looking at an issue specifically with the MSI TF IV coolers.

I wouldn't know. I'm running a TFII.

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 2 x3 @ 3.2GHz, can be overclocked to 4.2GHz with the stock cooler

GPU: Gigabyte R9 270 OC Windforce 2 GB 256

Motherboard: ASRock H81M-VG4 micro ATX LGA 1150 USB3

RAM: G. Skill 4GB DDR 3 1600 MHz

HDD: Hitachi 1TB 7200rpm SATA 32MB cache

Case: Zalman ZM-T1-Plus

PSU: Corsair VS450 450W

3200

Is this setup actually any good? It's such a steal! Is it worth grabbing the G3258 now just to swap in an i5 later on?

Roger Mitchell4 said:CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 2 x3, 3.2GHz, can overclock to 4.2 GHz with stock cooler

GPU: Gigabyte R9 270 OC Windforce 2 GB 256

Motherboard: ASRock H81M-VG4 micro ATX LGA 1150 USB3

RAM: G.Skill 4GB DDR3 1600 MHz

Hard Drive: Hitachi 1TB 7200rpm SATA 32MB cache

Case: Zalman ZM-T1-Plus

PSU: Corsair VS450 450W

3200

Is this actually any good? It's super cheap, but is it worth grabbing the G3258 now just to swap in an i5 or something later??

Yeah, considering the price, it's a killer deal—just the power supply is kind of meh. Don't try to overclock or anything like that; it's just a low-end Corsair series. If you can somehow swap in a different PSU (like a 400W EVGA), it would be a damn good deal. And yeah, you can definitely toss an i5 in there later without any issues.

Adam Moore3 said:Yeah, considering the price, it’s an awesome deal, but that power supply is pretty mediocre. Don't try overclocking or anything like that—it's just a low-end Corsair series. If you can swap in a different PSU (like a 400W unit) somehow, it would be a killer deal. Also, you can easily upgrade to an i5 later on without any issues.

So the motherboard supports an i5, but will I run into headaches like being unable to overclock, needing an 800W PSU, or needing a fancy cooler and all that junk? Will my Intel Pentium G3258 2 x3 serve me well enough for at least 6 months while I save up for a better CPU?

Adam Moore3 said:Yeah, considering the price, it's a solid deal, though that power supply is pretty meh. I wouldn't try overclocking or anything like that; it's just a low-end Corsair series. If you can somehow swap in a different PSU (like a HEXA 400W), it would be a killer deal. Also, you could probably drop an i5 in there later without much trouble.

Come on, that VS isn't such a piece of junk that you need to ditch it for a Hexa; it should handle light builds like this just fine.

Just to be clear, if you were buying new, you should definitely skip it since there are way better options for that money, but if he's getting it as part of a bundle, he might as well use it while it works.

Roger Mitchell4 said:So the board supports an i5, right? Will I run into issues like not being able to overclock, needing an 800W PSU, needing an AIO cooler, and all that crap? Will my G3258 get me through at least 6 months until I save up for a better CPU?

Yeah, it'll serve you more than well—probably even longer than that.

I think if you look back through these 21 pages, 😬 you’ll find plenty of suggestions regarding the Intel Pentium G3258, but you were hesitant because it's just a dual-core chip.

Also, you can definitely overclock that CPU using just the stock cooler—I've seen it hit 4.2 GHz twice before. Depending on the specific silicon lottery luck you get, some chips even push up to 4.4 GHz.https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?topic=182658.0

If you decide to go with the R9 280, you should absolutely overclock it; I highly recommend it.

One more thing: if you're shopping here in the States, don't settle for a generic power supply, as there are much better options available on the market.

Timothy Kim60 said:If I recall correctly, over these 21 pages, 😬 you actually suggested using the Intel Pentium G3258, but you turned it down because it's just a dual-core chip.

By the way, you can definitely overclock that CPU even with a stock cooler—up to about 4.2 GHz (I know of two people who did it), depending on the specific chip you get; some have even hit 4.4! https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?topic=182658.0

If you go with the R9 270, you should absolutely overclock it—highly recommended!

Also, if you're buying locally here in the States, don't settle for a generic power supply; there are much better options out there.

Man, you keep bringing up things I supposedly said before! 😁
When I first started this thread, I was totally clueless about components or PC builds (it was obvious since I was basically looking to buy a pre-built rig with ), I just cared about playing games.

I found this used setup in Canada for $32.
That power supply comes with the build, but I'll easily swap it out later.

Yeah, it’s definitely a solid deal—the price is hard to beat. Just keep in mind that if you're buying from Canada, you'll probably have to cover shipping costs (unless you're picking it up yourself), and getting things sent to a repair shop could turn into a total headache. You're essentially shipping components across international borders to Canada; what are the odds that something doesn't get complicated along the way? That said, you aren't going to find a PC build like this for that kind of money here in the States. Also, there's the customs issue. Since they aren't part of the European Union, I'm not entirely sure how it works, but you might end up having to pay extra fees... it's possible, though I can't say for certain.

Alright then, look, that power supply isn't total garbage either; I’m just saying that here in the States, you can find better options for the exact same price. Go ahead and grab it then.

By the way, it looks like overclocking is actually possible on that board too.

hesbond13 = G3258 @ 4.60 GHz + ASRock H81M-VG4

http://www.overclockzone.com/forums/...-Years%29-CLUB

Regarding the topic at hand, honestly, your best bet would be to read through this entire thread one more time—specifically the posts directed at you—just to let everything sink in. It feels like you've been asking questions that have already been answered previously.

Adam Moore3

He’s in Canada, and the build is from Canada.

Adam Moore3 said:Yeah, it's definitely a solid deal—the price is great! Just keep in mind that if you're buying from Canada, you'll likely have to cover shipping costs unless you pick it up yourself. Plus, sending stuff for repairs could get messy. You're essentially shipping components to another country, so there's always a risk things might get complicated. Still, you won't find a configuration like this locally for that kind of money. Also, about customs—since they aren't in the European Union, you might run into extra fees, though I'm not entirely sure how that works.

I'm actually from Canada.😁

Timothy Kim60 said:Fair enough! That power supply isn't garbage by any means; I just think you can find better deals here in the States for the same price. Go ahead and grab it then!

By the way, it looks like you can overclock on this board too.

http://www.overclockzone.com/forums/...-Years%29-CLUB

Regarding the topic at hand, honestly, it might be best to re-read the entire thread (specifically the posts meant for you) just to make sure everything clicks. It feels like some of your questions have actually been answered before!

Adam Moore3

He's in Canada, and the build is from Canada.

I've done it plenty of times, and I guess I'll do it again, haha!😛
In the US, my budget has expanded to $1600+monitor 😁

$4,800 with or without a monitor?

Look, the ball is entirely in your court. Your first move needs to be deciding on the timing—are you pulling the trigger now, or waiting until this summer like you mentioned before? If you're holding out for summer, there's honestly no point in me making any recommendations right now. You also need to nail down whether you want brand new gear or used, local versus shipping from overseas, paying cash versus financing, and so on. There are just way too many variables at play here to give you a straight answer yet.