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$800 Gaming PC, Build/Q
Friend linked me this build. Any help to optimize would be great... or hell even another build around $800 would be awesome.
Don't need keyboard, mouse, monitor
Build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2uP8q
Youtube build vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_fCRhF7FgY (Not me)
What I'm looking for and questions I have.
SSD Drive, a must have imo!!!
8/16 RAM (is there a reason to have 16?)
Windows 7( unless there is a good reason I should have Win-8 that I don't know of)
Comments
There are good reasons to get 16 GB of system memory, but they aren't relevant to most consumers. Games aren't a good reason to have more than 8 GB unless you want to do outlandish things like running several games at once. 8 GB is the right amount for most people.
You do, however, want two memory modules rather than one. One module means you leave a memory channel vacant, and that cuts your memory bandwidth in half. No way you can properly feed 6 CPU cores off of a single memory channel. A kit of two 4 GB modules is what you should be looking for.
I'd skip the aftermarket CPU cooler and save some money that way. AMD's FX processors come with a decent cooler--and much better than Intel's CPUs come with. It's not suited for major overclocking, but it will certainly be adequate at stock speeds.
As some of A-data's SSDs have had issues, I'd be leery of buying one of them--especially when you can get a good SSD of the same capacity from Crucial for only $1 more:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148693
Depending on your storage needs, you may wish to skip the hard drive and just get an SSD of double the capacity:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148694
That's actually cheaper than the SSD+hard drive combination that you picked. And it's easy to add a hard drive later if you learn that you need it. But storage needs vary wildly from one person to the next, and if you're quickly going to load 200+ GB of stuff, an SSD alone won't work for you.
You should be warned that that case comes with only one case fan, which really isn't enough for a high-powered gaming rig. And if you're going to add more fans, that adds enough to the cost that you might as well just get a different case that includes more fans.
Unless you're planning on running Linux, you do need an OS license. Reusing one from a previous computer usually isn't legal. Windows 8 will boot faster than Windows 7, and it will be an extra 3 years or so before support is discontinued, though that only matters to you if the computer is still going to be in use in six years--which it might.
Thanks very much for the reply Quizzical.
So if I don't wana leave a memory channel vacant, maybe I should get two sticks of 8 GB... hmm little more money but I like to stream and multi box. Thanks for the SDD links, I'll probably go with one of those. As far as the tower goes, yeah I don't like the one fan. Thanks for pointing that out.
So the rest of the hardware ok? I really don't know what I'm doing lol, friend is going to help me build it.
On an $800 budget I would go with 8gb instead of 16gb. No use spending extra money on RAM you wont even need, and you can always add another 8 later if you want. Just buy 2 x 4gb sticks instead of one 8gb stick.
With the money you saved on that get a good SSD.
Build a good base system with 8gb RAM and an SSD. Adding extra RAM or an HDD later is easy, especially if your core PC is good ( Mobo, CPU, PSU )
Edit:
Even multi boxing 8gb will be enough to start, and may be enough period. Easy to add another 8 if you need.
Nearly every video game available today is 32-bit, or at least available in a 32-bit version. I can't think of a single one released now that requires 64-bit.
With that being said, Windows 7/8 want about 2G to run for themselves, be they 64 or 32 bit versions (and you want the 64-bit version). You can get by with less, but you don't want to, especially in a gaming computer.
Since each game is only 32-bit, they can only use up to 2G of RAM (3 if they do some weird tricks, 99.99% do not). So, even if your multiboxing, you can run up to 3 independent clients of different games that share absolutely no DLLs or have any shared memory, and still have plenty of room for Windows to breathe on 2G with just 8G of RAM before you risk needing to hit the swap file - and if the game clients are all the same game, they will share a lot of memory (DLLs and the like), and reduce that number by a lot.
My current computer has 12G in it - one time just to see if I could do it, I fired up 6 Everquest clients at the same time. I hit 7.5G RAM used total, and that's the most I've ever seen it at.
More RAM isn't bad, it won't do any harm, but if your on a budget it's one easy way that lets you help keep that budget.
Contrary to the posts above, don't skimp on the memory. If you can afford it, get 16GB. It will make a difference. I've been running 32GB for about 2 years now. I don't lag. NONE. I cam play any MMO or any other game at max settings and never have an issue.
System memory is a case of, if you have enough, then adding more doesn't help at all, but if you don't have enough, then it gets very painful very quickly. For most gamers, 4 GB is enough most of the time. I still have only 4 GB in my current computer, and the only real drawback of that versus 8 GB is that I can't necessarily have Opera and Eclipse and Calc and a game all open at the same time. (Though sometimes I can; it depends on which game.)
The "very painful very quickly" and some measure of futureproofing is justification enough to go for 8 GB rather than 4 GB today. But 16 GB? If you're the sort of really aggressive multi-boxer who would run into trouble on 8 GB, then I'd seriously question whether an $800 budget will get you what you need. As Ridelynn explained, an OS plus 3 game clients will fit into 8 GB just fine for nearly all games. If you're planning on running 8 game clients at once, then maybe you need 16 GB--and maybe you'll also need more monitors, a faster CPU, and a faster video card.
What is normal for me to be running.
Monitor x2, Game(MMO/Diablo) x2, Pandora, Ventrilo, and streaming some anime or TV show (probably more then one as I buffer many at once).
Hmmm thanks for the feed back. Looks like no one has any other problems on the hardware other then if I go 8 or 16 so I'll probably order all that when I get home from work tonight.
Again thank you all so much!
Having 32g of RAM has NO bearing on lag in any MMO, or game period. Nothing wrong with having that much, but its pretty much spending money just to spend it. Unless your doing a whole lot more on that PC than gaming. When running 1 or 2 clients of an MMO the difference between 8g and 32g is ZERO as far as performance goes.
Plus the guy is on an $800 budget. If he was on a $1200+ budget then sure spend the money. On $800 you would be skimping on more important hardware that may actually make a difference to buy RAM that he does not need and can be added easily in the future he does.