Hi guys. My old PC just died, so I need to build a new one.
Your Current Specs: None
Budget: ~400€ + Spain
Main Use: Rate 1-5. 5 being Highest:
Light Gaming: 3
Gaming: 3
Emulation (PS2/Wii): 1
Video Editing: 1
Streaming games in HD: 1
3D/Model work: 1
General Usage (Word, Web, 1080p playback): 5
Monitor Resolution: 1680x1050
Are you buying a new monitor? No
List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: I just want it to play Heroes of the Storm. 60fps preferably.
Looking to reuse any parts?: No
When will you build?: ASAP
Will you be overclocking?: No
I just want a cheap PC to play HotS, watch movies and use Chrome, so nothing too expensive. Would the Budget PC in the OP be right for me? Thanks.
PCPartPicker part list /
Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: AMD A10-7850K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor (€148.11 @ Amazon Espana)
Motherboard: MSI A88XM-E35 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard (€52.90 @ Amazon Espana)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (€63.70 @ Amazon Espana)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (€54.95 @ Amazon Espana)
Case: Zalman ZM-T3 MicroATX Mini Tower Case (€21.95 @ Amazon Espana)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (€60.87 @ Amazon Espana)
Total: €402.48
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-03 07:00 CEST+0200
I considered going with an Intel G3258 build, but I would have to drop down to 4GB RAM to be able to fit in a decent graphics card (an R7 250X). I know that this parts list definitely meets HOTS' minimum requirements, but I am not certain about 60FPS, unless you lower the settings. This is the best balance that your 400€ budget will allow for. Are there any local retailers you prefer to deal with? Perhaps you may be able to find better local deals, as most of my links are from Amazon Spain.
Okay, I've compiled a pcpartpicker list of the components making up the enthusiast build from the OP. Think I've got everything except the soundcard. Does this look right? Did I mess it up? Do I need anything else?
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/gmXzRB
You could save a lot of money with different parts that wouldn't result in a drop in performance.
PCPartPicker part list /
Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($226.69 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($100.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($96.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Toshiba Product SeriesT01ACA 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($72.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($544.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1302.36
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-03 01:12 EDT-0400
1. Went with the i5 4690K instead of the i7 4790K. When it comes to most games, they perform nearly the same, according to
Anandtech and
Xbit Labs. The only real difference between the two processors is hyperthreading, which games don't really take advantage of when both processors are already quad core models to begin with.
Hyperthreading is really only useful for programs that do make use it of (video encoding, computational stuff, media production, etc).
2. Went with a cheaper motherboard in black. Unless you actually need the Gigabyte UD5H-BK's extra features, I'd cut back on the motherboard to save money for other parts.
3. Paying $180 for 16GB of RAM is overpriced. I found 16GB of faster 1866MHz RAM for only $110.
4. The newer BX100 is cheaper than the MX100, and you won't be able to tell the difference.
5. The hard drive you picked didn't have any price data, so I went with a 2TB Toshiba model instead.
6. With all the money saved, I was able to fit a GTX 980 into the build easily. You could stick with the GTX 970 or go with an R9 290 (~$260) to save money, if you want.
7. Cases are usually a subjective choice, is there anything you had in mind besides the one the build guide recommends? Not that there's anything wrong with it, it's a rather roomy and high end model for a decent price, but there are other cases out there. I chose the cheaper mid-size Corsair Carbide 300R to recommend to you for now.
8. Paying $100 for just 750 watts is pretty expensive, even for gold rated semi-modular models. I recommend the EVGA Supernova B2 750 watt model instead, it's bronze rated but is very well built and just as high quality. Technically you only need about 550 watts for the entire system with the GTX 980, 750 watts is only necessary if you plan for twin GTX 980s.
9. DVD drives are kinda unnecessary these days. USB drives and digital distribution have basically replaced most needs for a DVD drive.
You can even install Windows officially via USB drive.