Building a pc
Posted by Particular-Net4831@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 21 comments
Hello friends,
I have a 240hz 27’ Asus monitor but am limited to 120hz due to me being a console player. I’ve always wanted a pc ,but I never had the brains to do research and actually build it. It now seems like everybody around me is starting to switch to PC and i completely understand that because you can only do so much on a PS5. My main game is Fortnite but I’ve also played souls games and other shooters like CoD and siege( I’m trash at siege). My main objective is really to have more fps also to have a wider variety of games that I can play ( steam games) . The performance doesn’t have to be the best because I’m not intending to play on the highest ultra settings but if there are pretty decent pcs that offer that , then by all means count me in. I want a stable FPS of around 240 since that’s what my monitor offers.Also , I would like my pc to be aesthetically pleasing lol. I’ve seen pcs with like LED lights and a glowing interior which looks pretty sweet. My favorite color is white and blue so I would love to have a white and blue lighting interior that would be so sick! My budget is around $800-900 and eventually I will upgrade my parts but I just want something to start and get a feel for it. If they are PCs that’s worth less and still seek the objective I am looking for , you all can most definitely feel free to let me know and we can go from there. I appreciate you guys time reading my horrible English and I wish to hear back from some of you.
I also have discord so if explaining all the parts and how a PC operates, you all can add me there and we can talk. My user is lnlly ( all Ls).
Have a good day.
aragorn18@reddit
Please include your country of purchase in your post.
Hawk7117@reddit
Honestly that 800-900 price range is kinda a tough one to budget for tbh. The reason being that spending a bit more ($1100-1200ish) gets you easily onto a DDR5 system which would have TONS of upgrade potential, but going DDR5 while only having $800 is nearly impossible.
This would force you down to a DDR4 system, which is still 100% capable for gaming but is quickly getting dated and would have few options for upgrades short of replacing the ram, CPU and motherboard all in one go.
My personal advice would be to either look into your local used market, or save a bit more for your budget to get closer to $1200.
Particular-Net4831@reddit (OP)
Understandable bro , if you don’t mind me asking how much your build? I don’t mind spending a few extra hundred, just wanted to see if there were any on the market for lower . What parts would you recommend for around that 1100-1200 price range ? I’m aware of the main parts like the motherboard, cpu, ram, graphics card and stuff .
Hawk7117@reddit
In the past year I have done roughly 60-70 builds and that $1200ish price is pretty much the sweet spot to get the most value you can.
I would personally go with this build to 100% maximize value, this is also all white parts which adds a bit of cost as well: https://pcpartpicker.com/user/hawk7117/saved/sRjkgs This one comes in at about $1400.
This would put you in at about $1250, but there 100% is a pretty big concession made going down to 16gb of ram over 32gb. Most games should run perfectly fine, but you will always need to keep an eye on your ram usage to make sure you don't go above that 16gb limit. 32gb just takes this concern away.
https://pcpartpicker.com/user/hawk7117/saved/WMJWBm
Particular-Net4831@reddit (OP)
Both builds look sweet . Thanks bro! Also, what is ram? Like memory? And what happens if I go over the 16gb?
Hawk7117@reddit
Ram is an acronym for Random Access Memory.
Kinda think of ram capacity like a water tank with a VERY fast pump to move the water in and out (your systems data). More ram means the tank is larger.
Sometimes your system is using more water than can be stored in the very fast pumping tank so it can make an "overflow tank" on your SSD using your normal storage, this is called a page file. This overfill tank has a far slower pump to move the water in and out, but is there kinda for emergency situations when you have too much water.
Using this tank (your SSD) means the water is moving FAR slower, roughly 1000-5000x slower give or take, this can cause your system to get very sluggish and if gaming while this happens will tank your FPS.
16gb is generally enough for just gaming and maybe discord, but if you don't have tons of other programs open like a web browser, Spotify, Discord ect. Having 32gb means you really never even need to worry about what is open while you are gaming.
This is a very simplistic explanation, but it covers the base concept pretty well I think
Particular-Net4831@reddit (OP)
You explained it perfectly. So basically, if I get 32gb I won’t have to worry about random frame drops and spikes . I’m also aware RAM is pretty inflated due to all the AI stuff.I think at most, I’d have Spotify open for music and that’s about it. I more so access discord through my phone but I could see myself wanting to share screen with friends one day and that would potentially be a problem with only 16gb. Thank you for this information.
Hawk7117@reddit
If only running Spotify and discord + your game you should be fine with 16gb depending on the game.
If you can swing it I always recommend 32gb but 16gb is typically passable.
Creative_Bedroom_448@reddit
For $800–900, I'd focus on getting the strongest GPU possible and not worry too much about ultra settings. Just a heads up though, stable 240 FPS in Fortnite is a pretty ambitious target at that budget, especially during stacked endgames.
Particular-Net4831@reddit (OP)
Agreed, tbh I mostly want to play fort on pc for performance mode. I like the lower graphics look and I think it boost your overall FPS hence why the quality isn’t the best. Ive seen a lot of people play on 1080p dx11 or dx12 and that’s the look/ performance im aiming for.
Baddger_223@reddit
OP..................... I would look into a prebuilt
Ripe-Avocado-12@reddit
what resolution? 1440p? 1080p? 4k?
Either way you might need to reset your expectations. $900 isn't going to build a high performance machine and your revised budget of $1400 is still pushing it. Checkout the average fps a 5080 delivers on this TPU review here. 1080p/1440p/4k has average frame rates of 203/160/96. This GPU isn't even hitting 240 and is already selling at the entire revised budget you mentioned.
Now this isn't to say you can't hit more than those numbers. Those are usually with max settings and no upscaling. But every time you turn down settings you sacrifice quality. Some games you can turn down lots and not make it look much worse, others not so much. Realiscitally unless you're playing cs2 (or similar) at competitive settings, you probably just need to aim for 120ish and you'll be happy with the increased quality pc delivers.
Particular-Net4831@reddit (OP)
1080p is perfectly fine. Also, honestly I was planning on playing Fortnite on performance mode so dx11 and dx12 and those purposely lower your graphics anyway I think.
Brilliant-Ad-4272@reddit
z690 d4, i3-12100f, rtx 3080, 32gb ddr4 c16 3200/3600, 850/1000w PSU. Best budget build you're getting. Get the 3080 second hand, all of it if you can.
Upgrade path is
CPU to i7-14700k/i514600k/i9-14900kf
GPU to whatever you can afford whenever, probably 9070 XT then keep going
RAM whenever you feel like going DDR5, it's honestly not necessary yet.
Motherboard won't need upgrading until you change chipset.
PSU you spend the extra few dollars now to not have to spend double later, as they have terrible resale value.
check ZTT psu tier list when getting your PSU, get an A or B rated one
Particular-Net4831@reddit (OP)
That looks like a lot as im reading it😭😭 but thanks bro! I’m gonna do my research now and see what I can do.
Brilliant-Ad-4272@reddit
Yeah my bad, I did throw it all in an eBay basket and it came out to $700 without a PSU, as you absolutely should not get one second hand, and that’s without looking for the best deals, you got this man 💪🏻
Brilliant-Ad-4272@reddit
You could get a cheaper motherboard and PSU, don't get me wrong, I'm just of the opinion that if upgrading is something you plan on doing, have the main components ready for it so you only need to upgrade one thing at a time.
Brilliant-Ad-4272@reddit
And starting with 16gb of RAM will never hurt, just leave the slots free to double it when you're ready, as I said, plan forward; and make sure its C16 3200/3600
Agent_Tall_Man@reddit
Can you even tell the difference between 120 & 240? Going from 30 to 60 absolutely, 60 to 120 is huge. I just can't tell a difference between 120 & 240.
Particular-Net4831@reddit (OP)
Tbh, I’ve never experienced 240hz but by the looks of gameplay I watched, it seems faster and somebody who plays Fortnite would like to have a more responsive and faster input . Also i notice the replies are insisting I up the price so I might just have to do that then . What parts do you suggest for $1300-1400
Agent_Tall_Man@reddit
Honestly that is still too long for what you wanting. Your ram alone would cost $300 - $400. You still need a mobo, case, PSU and a GPU to get what you want is probably $600 - $800. A single 1TB of the cheapest nmve SSD would be $150 - $200. This is the absolute worst time to build a PC. I built one last year, and it would be almost 3 times as much as now.