Budget 51-70k My first PC : suggestions for a noob

A

aka911

Skilled
Ok guys a complete PC noob here. I have used laptops all my life and my gaming memories are filled with underclocked processors and overheating mainboards.
Now that I have finally (sort of) settled in one place, I am thinking of buying a PC for myself, My first gaming PC!

Since I have zilch idea of assembling and cable management I have decided to get it done from a profession shop in Kolkata.
I have been scouring the www the past few months trying to gauge what is new in the market and have arrived a basic template for my dream PC.

I would like to mention that I don't actually live in Kolkata . I am from a small town where pc gaming parts are really scarce and even If I could source them online, It is very difficult to get them professionally assembled.

I have a tentative max budget of 60k not including monitors/peripherals
I will mostly be going for a full HD single monitor at present and maybe upgrade a few years down the line.
My expectations are in line with something like a PS4 offers

1) To be able to play most if not all current and past titles at full HD
2) Should be reliable enough as far as heat/ stability is concerned.
3) I don't want to make thing extra complicated like external cooling or LEds and such.No plans of over or underclocking.
4)I also don't have any concerns about saving space or/and power.The bigger the cabinet, the better the cooling!
5) Creature comforts like front USB and inbuilt wifi / bluetooth are always welcome though not necessary.
4) Although no offence to fans, over the years I have found intel and Nvidia to be more reliable then AMD/radeon combination. So I would like to stick there

I have made up a mental wishlist based on a few suggestions and I am looking for input from TE members here.
My main bone of contention is

1) Cabinets : I want a cabinet that runs cool, easy to upgrade and no external cooling required

2) GPU : Do I go for asus strix 960 or 970. How about GTX 970 based gigabyte card? ( again did not ask for the exact model number.

3) Mainboard : H170 vs Z170 ??

4) PSU: is corsair 650 w good?

All my prices have been taken from enquiries at lalwani, Chandani market , Kolkata. here is the required template:

    1. What is your budget?
    • 60K
    1. What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)
  • Hp Pavilion x360
    1. Which hardware component are you looking to buy (component name). If you have already decided on a configuration then please mention the (component brand and model) as well, this will help us in fine tuning your requirement.
  • CPU - Intel Core i5 6600: 16000
  • I can also go for i5 6500 but the price difference is miniscule

  • Motherboard - Gigabyte H170 Lg1151 based (did not ask the model): 8950
  • What is all the hulla gulla about z170 vs h170? MSi or gigabyte?
  • GPU - GTX 960 Asus Strix 4 GB: 18000
  • PSU - Corsair 650 w : 4200
  • Memory - Corsair 8 Gb DDR 4 2400 Mhz: 3500
  • SSD : 120 GB Samsung : 3150
  • Hard Drive: Seagate 1 TB 7200 rpm: 3500
  • Cabinet : Cooler master 311 : 2450 ( I have no idea about this at all)
It is coming at a total of around 60k without the monitor. These parts were the ones that were actually available with the vendor . further discounts are possible. I am planning to buy a basic full HD monitor and the UPS locally.
I wont be upgrading this PC for atleast 5 years , so I have decided to go for an I5 processor
  1. Is this going to be your final configuration or you would be adding/upgrading a component in near future. If yes then please mention when and which componen
  • Double the ram to 16 GB
    1. Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)
  • Kolkata
    1. Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TE market
    • No
  1. What is your intended use for this PC/hardware
  • Gaming
  • Browsing
  • Download rig, 24x7 operation
  • Watching HD movies
    1. Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.
    • Do not want to buy AMD. Iball / frontech.
    1. If you will be playing games then which type of games will you be playing?
  • Mainly 3rd person shooters. Should play most if not all past and current titles fluently
  • Editing RAW images from my SLR(Photoshop, Dxo optics pro 8
  • Using sony vegas for editing live footage
  • VR in the future?
  • As a TV?
  1. What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage
Full HD
maybe 2k 2 years down the line
  1. Are you looking to overclock?
No
    1. Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?
    • Windows 10 64 bit

My main concerns are with heating and reliability. Since I am from a very small town getting any support other then online is absolutely out of question. So I am prepared to concede a bit of power for a more reliable experience.

regards,
aka.
 
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> For motherboards stick to Asus and Gigabyte in mentioned order
> Please mention exact PSU model number you have thought of.
> Also I would recommend getting GTX 970.
 
You could take help from youtube to assemble the setup.. I don't think there is any need for professional services, unless they would provide guarantee that in case any component goes kaput during assembly, then they would replace it..
Else it is the same as if you do it yourself.. Only trouble you will face is connecting the power/reset/mobo speaker/front panel audio ports.. that too has color coding and described in good detail in manuals.. Connecting rest of the stuff like processor, psu, gpu, rams, hds n all is very easy..
Also if you want to use the monitor as TV, IMO rather get a 32inch Full HD TV from brands like VU which will cost about 15k and will be future proof..
 
Ok. Thanks a lot for the replies.
The psu I have planned is corsair vs650 series.

Can anyone suggest a decent cabinet. Easy of assembly and good default air circulation is necessary. Should be big enough for larger cards like wind force 970. .?

Also any specific motherboard in mind ? H170 is the way to go I think but which particular model? There are like hundreds of them with all different names.

Also gtx 970 for full hd gaming or gtx 960?
Strix vs gigabyte wind force ?
 

  • Budget 60.2k
  • CPU - Intel Core i5 6600: 15600,
  • Motherboard - Gigabyte H170 GA-D3H LGA1151 : 9000
  • GPU - GTX 960 Asus Strix 4 GB: 16500
  • PSU - Seasonic S12II 520w : 5500
  • Memory - Corsair Vengeance 8GB DDR4 2400Mhz: 3500
  • SSD : Samsung 850 Evo 120 GB Samsung : 3100
  • Hard Drive: WD Caviar Blue 1TB 7200 RPM: 3500
  • Cabinet : Corsair SPEC-01 : 3500
  • TOTAL -60,200.
 
Try to squeeze in GTX970 since you are not going to upgrade for 5 years. If you want to move to 2k or higher than 1080p, GTX960 would be okay for a year and half. You may also check R9 285 from AMD camp.
 
Yes even I am thinking of squeezing in a gtx 970 GPu

But can the seasonic 520w and the corsair spec 01 cabinet /. Cm 311 cabinet accommodate that long card and its power requirements ? Or will I need to upgrade the PSu?

Also since the price difference between gtx 960 and 970 comes to around 9k, can I save that somewhere ? Maybe going for a slower processor ?

Among asus strix and Giga g1. Which card is smaller and or runs cooler. I don't mind if its a bit slower but I absolutelt detest throttling aggressively.

You guys have been an awesome help till now. Kudos ![DOUBLEPOST=1456897583][/DOUBLEPOST]Edit : I mean will I save a lot of money if I go for an i3 processor vs the i5 ?

I wanted a lg1151 so that the pc can be upgraded in future. . Guess I have hit the ceiling budget here.
 
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Spec-01 can accommodate Asus GTX 970. For PSU part, you can get away with S12 II 520 as you are not going to OC anything. If you want to OC, have some headroom by getting 620W one.

Asus one measures around 28cm in length whereas Gigabyte is 31cm. Gigabyte one is loudest of both when under load and gives 3-4 fps more. On other side Asus one does not even switch ON fan till 50/60 C.
 
Ok I visited the stores once more and again rectified what my future rig would look like and got fresh prices.
I am severely over budget now by atleast 10-15k and would have to make a number of sacrifices to be near the original mark..
I have tentatively decided the following

1. Intel Core i5 6400
2. MSI H170 Gaming M3
3. Asus Strix 970 or MSI 970 Gaming 4G(Still losing sleep over this)
4. Corsair Spec 01 Red Led
5 Corsair VS650 Psu
6. WD blue 1 TB Hard drive
7. Corsair 8 GB 2400 DDR4 ram

total around 70k. I hope I finally increase the draw distance in arma!

Monitor : BenQ Vz2250

I know seasonic makes better psu but S2 series is simply too expensive. I can get the SS600 from seasonic for the same price as a VS650 so it is a toss up.
Also I have decided to forego a SSD now. That is something that can always be done easily in the fture.
will also make do with a single stick 8 Gb ram and upgrade later.
 
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The bigger the cabinet, the better the cooling!
Click to expand...
Not true.
Avoid the VS650 at all costs even if you want to cut costs. We've just had someone on IVG with a VS psu abruptly shutting down. The Corsair VS models, no matter what wattage "number" are printed on them, are only suited for basic systems. Whoever said otherwise is well...you know. Get a good quality power supply. Trust me.
If you want to compromise on a component get a cabinet which costs some 3k-4k. There are some decent models from CM and Corsair. They are good enough imo.
And there is no point in getting a 620w psu if are going to use a non-K processor. Besides you'll have already exceeded your budget.
Between the i3 and i5 you can get the i3 and a GTX960 for now. You can upgrade to a better processor (K/non-K) later. Also since the next gen videocard should be here by year end. You can decide accordingly.
 
Yes , going for the i3 6100 and asus GTX 960 will save me 6k + 10k = 16k

So I can go for a seasonic 520w psu instead and still be within 55k . Nice

But can i3/960 play 2015 games at full HD? Battlefield 4? The latest Tomb raider ?
And will the i3 be good enough for DXO optics ?

Thanks for the suggestion.
 
Good that you are saved for PSU part from above posts. Dunn skimp on PSU ever. Coming to GFX card part query, when are you planning to do next upgrade ?
 
Just to emphasis on what vyral said above, there are only two things that you can say as future proof and will stay with you as long as they work - SMPS (PSU) and chassis (cabinet). So choose them wisely and never ever compromise on PSU (heart of the pc. No.. you heard it wrong about cpu being the heart of the pc :p)
 
aka911 said:
Yes , going for the i3 6100 and asus GTX 960 will save me 6k + 10k = 16k

So I can go for a seasonic 520w psu instead and still be within 55k . Nice

But can i3/960 play 2015 games at full HD? Battlefield 4? The latest Tomb raider ?
And will the i3 be good enough for DXO optics ?

Thanks for the suggestion.
Click to expand...

Yes the i3 and 960 can definitely play battlefield 4 and other 2015 titles at full hd... I have a 660 which is still able to do 1080p in all games at ~30fps...
But I have doubts that it will be able to keep up with upcoming titles like division, quantum break...
 
I am in doldrums now.
I don't think I am ever going to upgrade this pc.
Also I am going to stick to a 1080p monitor for three years .
I am fine with occasional cleaning and air blowing to keep it pistine but swapping the components is another story . My main concern is will I be using the pc for gaming 6 months down the line with same enthusiasm.

So following the advice of Te community here , I have decided 3 basic configurations and will move further.

1. High end(for me LOL) : with all bells and whistles : core i5 6500, asus 970, 240 Gb ssd : 80,463

2. Mid end : here I remove the ssd : 72483

3. Mid low end: now this is the debatable point. I remove the i5 and go for i3 6100. With same Gtx 970 : 66483

4. Low end : core i3 with gpu downgraded to gtx 960 4 Gb. 56483

Als I have locked in psu as sea sonic 620w and cabinet as corsair spec03 (both suggested by the shopkeeper also) . Also corsair 2400 8 Gb ram and 1 tb HD WD BLUE. It also includes a main board by MSI H170 gaming .
I have heard bad things about gigabyte nowadays , and asus board is too expensive.

Please note that these are quoted prices and further haggling is possible when paying in cash.

Pascal might be good , but I might not get time to play when it actually launches and is widely available. Also gtx 960 does not really look value for money even though it might be cheaper then 970.

Thanks again.[DOUBLEPOST=1456994150][/DOUBLEPOST]Also the 970 g1 gaming by Giga is fookin 31k in the shops! Maybe in demand !
 
aka911 said:
3. Mid low end: now this is the debatable point. I remove the i5 and go for i3 6100. With same Gtx 970 : 66483
Click to expand...

http://www.techspot.com/review/972-intel-core-i3-vs-i5-vs-i7/page7.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2625282/4160-bottleneck-gtx-970.html

3rd option looks good.. How much is the gtx970? I have seen them go for ~23k in amazon lightning deals..

Also about the ssd.. get an used 250gb from ebay later down the line for about 3k..
A lot of people here have got it, including me, and it works fine..
 
You can go with the following config:

Budget:66k ( Skylake Build)

Intel Core i5 6500 -14600,
Gigabyte B150M-D3H -7000,
G.Skill RipJaws V 2133 DDR4 8GB -3500,
Antec VP500PC -3300,
Zotac GTX960 4GB -17500,
WD Caviar Blue 1TB -3500,
Corsair SPEC-01 -3500,
Dell S2216H 22" LED IPS -8300,
Logitech Z313 2.1 Speakers -2000,
APC 600VA UPS -2000,
Logitech MK200 -800.
TOTAL -66,000.
 
aka911 said:
3. Mid low end: now this is the debatable point. I remove the i5 and go for i3 6100. With same Gtx 970 : 66483

4. Low end : core i3 with gpu downgraded to gtx 960 4 Gb. 56483
Click to expand...
i5+GTX 960 2GB is also another good option. <- I will personally go with this if i have the budget and if i don't then the i5 and a used GTX750ti at cheap for now.
I'm not really recommending a high-end gpu upgrade right off the bat.
 
Yes , even I am thinking of going for the GTX 960 and maybe an i3 for now. Should be enough for a year or so of full HD gaming. By that timeI would have learned the ropes and maybe I will be seasoned enough to swap off the cpu and gpu myself down the years .

Regarding the main boards , seeing that both the b150 and h170 support max 2133 MHz DDR4 , does it not make better sense to go for the cheaper B150 main board ?
I have ruled out SLI even in the future , but the faster ram sure would have been helpful.
 
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