Journal #8913

Posted 6 years ago2018-02-21 19:08:12 UTC
As a follow up to my recent journal, here's what I'm arriving at.

I decided I will acquire new equipment soon. Some people suggested I go for AMD setup but it appears to be less available than Intel gear. So after considering my options and seeing what's available near me, I am considering the following setup:

Processor: Intel i5-7400 3.0GHz (7th gen/Kaby Lake) socket 1151
I might go for an i7-7700/4.2GHz but I believe I read somewhere it's generally not worth it. I don't remember what how where or why, so if anyone can point me in the right direction that'd be great because I couldn't find it.

Mobo: ASRock B250M Pro4
(I was offered the other two, but from what I read on several sites this appears to be a better option and it's also available)
Downside: Neither seem to be compatible with 8th gen processors.

RAM: 2x ADATA U-Dimm DDR4 8GB 2400 (for a total of 16GB)
I kept getting offered fancy "gamer" models that cost twice as much just because they're red and have speed stripes and wings and headlights. Thank you, it's a computer not a race car.

Storage: Probably a 1TB WD Blue + a 250GB SSD. "Possibly" a second 1TB drive.

GPU: I haven't yet decided. Suggestions more than welcome. I am also considering dual screens, so anything with two outputs sounds like a good idea. Considering. Depending on whether I can afford it on top of the already crazy number I'm going to spend.
EDIT! I'm leaning towards a GTX1050 because it's the least stupidly-expensive card. FFS graphics cards didn't cost this much the last time I got one!

Power supply: From what I've read this setup should do well with 450-600W.

Case, while I'm at it: Whatever that doesn't have windows and neon lights inside. It's a computer not a strip club FFS

For those knowledged enough in the subject: Does this setup look right? Is there anything that looks blaringly wrong and I should change course ASAP? Do you have any suggestions or alternatives I might have overlooked? Can you help fill in the blanks where I don't know what to get yet?

4 Comments

Commented 6 years ago2018-02-21 23:12:51 UTC Comment #62977
Looks good. Don't cheap out the power supply. And you might have a hard time finding cheap GPU because of all the people mining cryptocurrency right now.
Commented 6 years ago2018-02-22 03:59:45 UTC Comment #62978
"Cheap" GPU - isn't. The cheapest I can get is a GTX1050 and it's more than I was willing to spend.

And don't get me started on modern monitors - they all do exactly 60Hz. No less, no more. The next step is exactly 120Hz and as "gamer" gear they cost three times as much. The 4:3 LCD monitor I bought 9 years ago does 85Hz and the CRT I had before could do 100Hz without breaking a sweat. It's not just "not doing better" - it's going several steps backwards!
Commented 6 years ago2018-02-25 11:32:05 UTC Comment #62976
Actually, I think a GTX 980 is sufficient for most gaming purposes. That's what I have, and I've never had problem with framerates or streaming videos.

I second the PSU suggestion. I'd recommend something between 650 to 750 W.

And you don't need another 1 TB HDD. Nowadays, most things are stored in the cloud. I have two 512 MB SSD for my games and OS, the rest is in the cloud (Google Drive).
Commented 6 years ago2018-02-26 03:12:01 UTC Comment #62979
Now that you mention it, I just looked it up and the very few vendors in this area that carry the GTX980 actually have it more expensive than the GTX1050. Not worth it.

I'd like to have a proper graphics card because even though the i5/i7 come with integrated graphics, my current experience with integrated graphics is that it's quite constricting.

I don't put a lot in the cloud but I do have backup drives, so a second internal drive is amongst the lowest priorities (like a second monitor). Which, speaking of monitors, I'm a bit disappointed by the display market. This guy has been right for six years (or fourteen depending on which of his articles you read)

You must log in to post a comment. You can login or register a new account.