Build suggestions for around $1,200?

Hey,

I'm finally ready to pull the trigger on a decent gaming rig (even though the timing sucks right now and I'm tired of waiting)...

My main dilemma is whether to grab a Gigabyte GTX 1070 now to get it over with, or just settle for a 1060 6GB and upgrade to something better down the road..

Also, does anyone have a solid monitor recommendation? Ideally around $150-$200 with an anti-glare screen, if that's even possible at that price point. If not, just any good gaming monitor suggestions will do..
I know I'm being a pain, but what do you guys think about using a TV instead of a monitor?
(A Vivax 32" LED TV, 1366x768 resolution) not sure if that's even worth mentioning)

Any advice helps.

Thanks!

1 x Intel Core i5-8400 (2.8GHz, 9MB, LGA1151) box
1 x Gigabyte B360M_D3H
1 x Patriot Signature DDR4, 2666Mhz, 8GB HS
1 x Gigabyte GTX 1070 G1 GAMING GDDR5 8GB/256bit
1 x Samsung 860 EVO 250GB 2.5" Sata
1 x Fortron Hexa 85+ 550W, 80+ Bronze, ATX
1 x Western Digital Blue 1 x Fortron (3.5", 1TB, 64MB, SATA III-600)
1 x MS DARK SHADOW PRO gaming, 4x120mm, USB3.0

Total: $2857
futura-it

Regarding the monitor, I suppose the first one listed should definitely be your primary consideration—it seems like a solid best buy given the price point. If you find yourself playing a lot of FPS games, though, maybe you could look into getting a 144Hz panel instead. I wouldn't really recommend using a TV as a gaming monitor, I guess.

So, I'm looking at the MSI B350 Gaming Plus motherboard, the s.AM4 version (7A34-015R).
It’s an AMD Ryzen 5 2600, clocked at 3.40GHz with a 16MB cache on the AM4 socket. I guess that's the basic breakdown.
It’s a Samsung 860 EVO 250GB SSD, SATA-based, with 550MB/s read and 520MB/s write speeds. It uses 3D-NAND TLC tech—standard stuff, I guess.
Fortron CMT110 case, black.
The Fortron 550W Hexa 85+ power supply, which follows the ATX 2.4 standard.
G.Skill Aegis DDR4 8GB (1x8GB) PC4-24000U 3000MHz CL16, F4-3000C16S-8GISB
The Gigabyte GTX 1070 graphics card. Ti Looks like an 8GB Gigabyte GTX 1070 with the Windforce dual fan setup. It’s got the 256-bit bus and a clock speed of 1721MHz—pretty standard specs for that model.
2x Arctic F12 Silent fan, 120mm, 800rpm, 62.9m³/h, ACFAN00027A
Western Digital Blue 1TB HDD, 3.5", 7200RPM, 64MB Cache, SATA3, WD10EZEX

Total: $2.75 I guess it's just AMD.

There are actually quite a few solid 1080p/75Hz IPS monitors out there in that $120 to $150 range, I guess. $500If you're hunting for 144Hz, you’ll probably end up with a lower-quality panel, but I guess the gameplay feels way smoother once you're pushing north of 100 FPS. Just don't even think about using a TV.

Wouldn't it be better to just grab 2x4GB DDR4?

I think I'm leaning toward going with what crimsonstag84 offered; at the end of the day, it looks like the best deal $2633. If anyone knows of any parts better than those, feel free to suggest them—I've still got some wiggle room in my budget.

By any chance, do you guys know if this is going to be one of those "glowy" PCs? You know, all those LED lights around the fans? Can I get it without all that? I already have enough light in my room.😛

Yeah, you definitely want to go with Dual Channel RAM if you're running a Ryzen system.

I think one stick of fast RAM is fine enough.

They’re out of stock on the motherboard and GPU
crimstag84
mentioned. Instead, they're offering me this as a swap:

So, what's the move? Also, I need a recommendation for a Wi-Fi adapter—internal or external, honestly doesn't matter to me.

crimsonnomad5 said:They’re out of stock on the motherboard and GPU
crimstag84
mentioned. Instead, they're offering me this as a swap:

So, what's the move? Also, I need a recommendation for a Wi-Fi adapter—internal or external, honestly doesn't matter to me.

It's a bit of a tough spot. That cheaper Palitica only comes with a two-year warranty, but the Gigabyte model is sitting at 4 mil, which is pretty steep... You could probably find a middle ground by grabbing the more expensive card and opting for a slightly cheaper motherboard instead. CLICK.

It’ll end up costing you maybe another $40 or $50, but you aren't losing a year of warranty, and you're getting way better cooling on the GPU instead of settling for some budget motherboard. In my opinion, that's not even a big deal... 🍿

Their motherboard is slightly cheaper than what crimsonstag84 suggested, and since the GPU is only $57 more expensive, I'm not sweating that part too much..

But there's one thing I'm wondering: are those parts actually just as good, if not better, than the ones on the list? The graphics card feels a bit weaker to me, and honestly, I have no clue about that motherboard.

Maybe try this:

The graphics cards are basically the same, though I guess this one has a slightly better cooler.

I'll get that sent over to them, then they should get back to me on Monday.

Thanks for the help!

My mistake, I misread those prices. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with going with what they suggested. The Gigabyte card is actually better because it has more vents—basically better cooling—so you definitely won't regret picking that one. Just stick with what crimsonstag84 corrected and you'll be fine.

Alright, just placed the order. They’ve got all these parts in stock.
Thanks for the tips and all the help, everyone!

The rig finally arrived. Took them forever, but here we are...

I know this isn't really the right place for this kind of thing, but if anyone can help...

I installed Windows 10 Pro and got everything running. It connected to the internet and automatically grabbed some drivers, though I'm not exactly sure which ones. Does anyone know if I actually need to go out and manually download all the drivers for the motherboard, GPU, etc.? Also, is there some software that just handles the whole thing at once, or am I stuck doing them one by one?

It isn't strictly necessary, but I personally prefer downloading everything fresh directly from the manufacturer's official website (since Windows usually just grabs the latest WHQL driver for your GPU and calls it a day). In any case, I’d recommend updating your BIOS—especially if you're running an AMD Ryzen 5 2600 on a B350 motherboard—as well as grabbing the chipset drivers from either the AMD site or the motherboard manufacturer's page.

I've got one Intel Core i5-8400 (2.8GHz, 9MB, LGA1151) boxed up and ready to go.
I've got one Gigabyte B360M DS3H desktop motherboard on hand.
Just picked up a single stick of Patriot Signature DDR4, 2666MHz, 8GB.
I've got one Gigabyte GTX 1070 Ti Windforce 2X on hand, featuring 8GB of GDDR5.
I picked up a Crucial MX500 250GB SSD—the 2.5” 7mm variety, though it comes with that 9.5mm adapter if you need it. It’s running on SATA 6 Gbit/s, hitting read/write speeds around 560 MB/s and 510 MB/s. For the nerds out there looking at performance, it clocks in at 95K/90K random read/write IOPS. Solid little drive.
Just one Western Digital Blue 1 x Fortron, 1TB, spinning at 7200rpm.
I've got one Fortron Raider II 650W PSU on hand, rated at 80+ Silver.
I’ve got one Falcon Pro MIDI tower gaming case sitting here, featuring those blue LED fans.

Total: $2889 (-2%=$2.75)
Free assembly and delivery included.

Hey there.
I need some help looking over this build.

AMD Ryzen 5 2600 6C/12T (3.9GHz, 19MB, 65W, AM4) box, includes Wraith Stealth cooler

Toshiba 3.5'' 1 TB Internal HDD, 7,200rpm, DT01ACA100

Kingston UV500 SSD, R520/W500, 240GB, 7mm, 2.5" SUV500/240G

ASRock X370 Gaming X Motherboard, sAM4, ATX

Gigabyte RX 560 Gaming OC G2 Graphics Card, 4GB GDDR5, HDMI, DVI

Xilence Performance C 700W Power Supply, XN046

Antec GX505 Midi Case, window blue edition, black, no PSU included

Kingston RAM 8 GB DDR4 2666MHz, KVR26N19S8/8

LG BH16NS40 Optical Drive, Blu-ray, SATA

This is what I'm seeing at Micro Center$2258.

I also still need a monitor (recommendations welcome), a keyboard, and some fans.
My budget is around $2667, though I might have missed something.
Thanks.

What are you planning to use this PC for? You could probably put together a much better build; I guess the power supply and the graphics card definitely aren't ideal for this budget.

Basically, it's just gaming, browsing the web, and watching music videos. I'd probably throw Kodi on top of that list.
That’s pretty much it.

Building a computer for my daughter. She’s currently dragging around this ten-year-old laptop, but she refuses to budge for a new one. She isn't exactly demanding, so my wife and I just want to get her a decent new desktop.
Anyway, I'm from Karlovac.
Thanks.

Samsung 860 EVO 250GB SSD, SATA, Read: 550MB/s, Write: 520MB/s, 3D-NAND TLC, MZ-76E250B/EU
MSI B350 PC Mate Motherboard, AM4 socket, 7A36-003R
AMD Ryzen 5 2600 Processor, 3.40GHz, 16MB Cache, AM4 socket, D2600BBAFBOX
MS MATRIX Gaming Case with dust filter
8GB DDR4 (1x8GB) PC4-24000U 3000MHz CL16 G.Skill Aegis, F4-3000C16S-8GISB
Sapphire RX 580 8GB D5 DUAL Pulse Graphics Card, 8GB GDDR5, 256-bit, 1366/2000MHz, 11265-05-20G
Samsung LS24F350FHUX, 23.5" Full HD LED, PLS panel, AMD FreeSync, 4ms
500W FSP Fortron/Source Aurum S Power Supply, ATX 2.3, AS-500
Genius SlimStar 8000ME, USB
2x Arctic F12 Silent Fan, 120mm, 800rpm, 62.9m³/h, ACFAN00027A
Western Digital Blue 1 x Fortron 1TB HDD, 3.5", 7200RPM, 64MB Cache, SATA3, WD10EZEX

Total: $2.75 - Local pickup (cash preferred, I can assemble it for you for free)

I still have some speakers left—do you need those too?