$1,200 Gaming PC Build

I’m looking to put together a PC dedicated solely to running some more demanding titles—think things like Witcher 3, Watch Dogs 2, and similar heavy hitters $2667.
Ideally, I’d like to go with an Intel and NVIDIA combo, and I definitely want a 240GB SSD included in the build.
Just the tower itself, please... no need for any peripherals.

Here’s the breakdown, focusing heavily on the GPU here:

futur IT 1 Shopping Cart

1 x Zalman CPU Cooler 120mm fan
1 x HDD Toshiba P300 1TB, 64MB, 7200rpm, High-Performance
1 x Intel Skylake Core i5-6400 (2.7GHz, 6MB,LGA1151) box
1 x MSI Z170A-PC Mate (S1151, 4xDDR4, DVI/HDMI/VGA, USB3.0, M.2) ATX
1 x Inno3D GeForce GTX1070 Twin X2 8GB/256Bit GDDR5
1 x Crucial DRAM 8GB DDR4 2133 MT/s (PC4-17000) CL15 SR
1 x Zalman Z3, USB3.0 black, 3x120mm
1 x Fortron Hyper 600W, 80+ - 60mj.

Total: $2654

This build is set up for non-K sky overclocking. If you decide against overclocking, you could ditch the cooler and opt for a cheaper motherboard like the Gigabyte GA-B250M-D3H. In that case, if you don't mind going over budget by $12, you could also squeeze in a 240GB SSD (SSD ADATA 240GB SP550)

It honestly feels a bit wasteful to pair an i5 with a G4560 since the performance gap is just $333 😬

Maybe just upgrade the power supply to something more reliable, like a Corsair CX550M, for $43 a little extra.

Right, if you're running a GTX 1070, you really need at least an i5 to keep up... maybe even some overclocking if you want smooth sailing...

That being said, that Pentium is such an insane value right now; an i5 isn't worth triple the price. In my opinion, this is the moment where 2 cores and 4 threads actually start making sense—even if an i5 drops down to basically being junk, having 4 cores and 8 threads for a bargain is a total win...
Everything moves in cycles. Just when games started absolutely wrecking CPUs with heavy core loads, here comes this budget "i3-style" powerhouse for next to nothing...

He doesn't really need that much power for a GTX 1070. The recommended wattage is 350W+, so a 400W 80 Plus unit should be plenty. Besides, an i5 isn't exactly power-hungry, is it?

I wouldn't dream of putting a 400W unit into a high-end build, especially if there's enough budget to do it right. Besides, the 600W version is only about $3 more than the 500W model, which is why I suggest going with the higher wattage.

If you're running a GTX 1070, you really need at least an i5—anything less just won't cut it. Personally, I've been using an i5 4670, and I notice my CPU usage hitting nearly 100% depending on which game I'm playing...

100% usage? Please. Maybe one or two cores if you're lucky, but there isn't a single game out there optimized well enough to pin four cores at 100% all the time.

wiredotter14 said:How can they be at 100%? That's maybe one or two cores... there isn't a game out there optimized well enough to pin four cores at 100% usage all the time.

Well, that’s just your take on it... for me, games like GTA V and Witcher 3 pretty much keep my four cores sitting right at 98-99-100% utilization. Since I'm running a 1080p monitor, the GPU has to work harder—if I were stuck on some old 144p screen, the graphics card would focus more on resolution and leave the CPU with less to do. As it stands, the processor just can't keep up, so I've got this slight bottleneck happening. An i7 4790 would actually be a great upgrade for me, but I don't exactly have three grand lying around to drop on that or to swap out my whole platform—not after how much I shelled out for my GTX 107.

George, what do you mean it doesn't? I've linked several games before where both the i7 4790 and the FX 83 XX were pushed right to their absolute limits. Some game engines are designed to scale up to 16 threads—though, obviously, they won't redline all of them simultaneously at once.

Timothy Kim60, I hear you, but we're looking at a total mismatch between the hardware and the monitor here.
Look, I agree some games are absolute CPU killers that’ll redline your stats through these threads, but saying everything is hitting 100% load just to maintain 60FPS? That doesn't pass the smell test.

Are these titles actually pinning your CPU at 1080p/60fps, or is it more than that?
My guess is a GTX 1070 at 1080p is pushing way more than 60FPS in something like GTA V.

Even some titles struggle to hit 60fps, looking at things like Mafia 3, Watch Dogs 2, or even certain entries in Assassin's Creed...
On the flip side, Gears of War 4 has those heavy loading screens and crazy scaling, but the optimization is actually fantastic and keeps the FPS high. It’s the same story with Witcher 3.

Honestly, a basic quad-core just isn't the right match anymore for any GPU better than a 980ti or a GTX 1070—sometimes even for those.

Timothy Kim60 said:A basic quad-core just isn't cutting it anymore if you're pairing it with anything above a 980ti or a 1070. Honestly, sometimes even those cards struggle with it.

It's not "ideal," sure, but it's not a massive bottleneck either—assuming you're fine with staying at a minimum of 50FPS. The real issue is that 1080p just doesn't do these GPUs justice.

wiredotter14 said:It’s not perfect, but I wouldn't call it a massive bottleneck—assuming you're okay with staying above 50 FPS. It's just that 1080p isn't really doing those cards justice.

Honestly, hitting the FPS targets is the easy part. My point is that for a card like that, you really want a resolution higher than Full HD. Right now, though, I don't have the budget to jump up to a 1440p monitor, so for my current setup, an GTX 1060 or an RX 480 is pretty much the sweet spot. But hey, once I finally upgrade to a higher resolution, this card will fit perfectly.🙏