By Jimmy Thang on Feb 17, 2017 01:10 am
A 4K-capable gaming rig for under $2200.
Shopping for PC components can be intimidating if you're not up to date on hardware news. Fortunately, we've done the research for you and have put together three tiered builds (cheap, mid-range, and high-end) geared to deliver great gaming experiences. Our high-end build retails for more than two grand. While that's expensive, it's not overly excessive and will be able to handle most games at 4K. You can spend more money on a gaming rig, but you'll most likely pay a hefty price for vast diminishing returns. This rig represents a great high-end gaming PC that's reasonable to build. Listed prices reflect time of publish. Click through the gallery to read why we chose our respective components.
CPU: Intel Core i7-7700K
A few CPUs offer more cores, making them ideal for video encoding and 3D rendering, but for gaming, the quad-core Core i7-7700K is currently the king. Intel's leading consumer processor offers eight threads, has 8MB of cache, carries a 4.2GHz base frequency, and turbos up to 4.5GHz. This makes it the fastest Kaby Lake CPU. It's also a K-series SKU chip, which means you can overclock it. While your overclocking mileage may vary, people have been able to overclock the processor past 5GHz.
CPU cooler: Corsair Hydro Series H115i
A great CPU demands a great CPU cooler. That's why we're going with the Corsair Hydro Series H115i, which features a 280mm radiator coupled with dual high-static pressure 140mm fans. It also supports Corsair's Link software, which allows you to fine-tune the fan's rpm. Overall, it's a fantastic cooler that runs cool and quiet and will greatly help you overclock the 6700K.
Graphics Card: ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1080 AMP! Extreme
Nvidia's 2016 GTX Titan X may be the fastest graphics card on the market, but it's also prohibitively expensive at $1,200. The GeForce GTX 1080 may not be quite as fast, but it costs about half as much and still offers fantastic performance that's able to max out most games at 4K. Nvidia's reference edition GTX 1080 is a powerful card that features 2560 CUDA cores, 8GB of video RAM, and a 1733MHz boost clock, but Zotac's AMP! Extreme version is better. The Zotac variant features a massive shroud that helps with cooling, three fans, and is overclocked to 1911MHz.
Motherboard: ASUS ROG Maximus IX Hero
Our enthusiast build needs an enthusiast motherboard. That's why we're going with Asus' ROG Maximus IX Hero. It has the LGA 1151 socket support we need, along with Intel's new high-end Z270 chipset. The Maximum IX Hero will support Intel's upcoming Optane storage technology, features two M.2 slots, and supports up to 64GB of DDR4 memory clocked up to 4000MHz. The board also has integrated RGB lighting and a plethora of ports that include two USB 3.1 connectors and a USB-C port.
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB DDR4
For system memory, we're going with 32GB of Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 RAM clocked at 2400MHz in a quad-stick dual-channel configuration. Corsair makes excellent RAM and 32GB is admittedly overkill for gaming--but then again, this is one killer rig. The extra RAM headroom is also great for multitasking and content creation.
SSD: 500GB Samsung 960 EVO
Samsung arguably makes the best solid-state drives on the market, and while the company's Evo line of SSDs aren't quite as fast as its Pro series, you'll get more bang for your buck. And fret not, they're still wicked fast. Samsung's 960 Evo NVMe drives offer up to 3200MB/s sequential read speeds and up to 1800MB/s sequential write speeds. This makes traditional 2.5-inch SSDs that use the AHCI protocol look slow in comparison. It also scales from 250GB all the way up to 1TB. The 500GB variant should offer plenty of storage for your favorite games and applications.
HDD: TOSHIBA X300 HDWE140XZSTA
While 500GB of storage is good for an SSD, you'll want more room if you plan on downloading tons of Steam games and storing large amounts of media. That's why we're supplementing this build with Toshiba's X300 HDWE140XZSTA hard drive--4TB of storage is more than enough capacity for most mortals.
Case: Phanteks Evolv ATX
Phanteks' Enthoo Evolv ATX looks futuristic but clean at the same time. It's especially brilliant with its tempered glass window variant, which will show off all your rig's beautiful components. The case comes in three different colors: silver, gray, and black. The Evolv ATX isn't a huge case, but it's feature-rich and has enough room to house all of our components. On the front, it offers two USB 3.0 ports, a mic, and a headphone jack. The case also has removable dust filters, a sexy front LED strip, support for multiple radiator configurations, swivel doors that lift off, and a plethora of cable-management options.
PSU: EVGA SuperNOVA 850 P2
For a build as nice as this, you'll want a premium power supply unit that can provide ample power. EVGA makes excellent power supplies, and we're recommending the company's SuperNOVA 850 P2, which is an 80 Plus Platinum-rated solution. Its 850 watts ensure we have enough juice for a second GTX 1080 as well, if you're inclined to upgrade to an SLI setup. The PSU is also fully modular, which will help you keep the case tidy.
Total
Our high-end gaming build cost about $2,365, but it's an absolute powerhouse that isn't overly excessive. It's got everything you need in a great gaming build and will be able to max out most games at 4K. In addition to the super-fast components, it also offers a ton of storage in a beautiful package. If you've got more than $2,000 to spare on a gaming PC, this is what we'd recommend.
By Jimmy Thang on Feb 17, 2017 01:04 am
Best Mid-Range Gaming PC Build
Shopping for PC components can be intimidating if you're not up to date on hardware news. Fortunately, we've done the research for you and have put together three tiered builds (cheap, mid-range, and high-end) geared to deliver great gaming experiences. Our mid-range gaming PC is tailored around delivering a high-end experience that will be able to max out most games at 1440p. Listed prices reflect time of publish. Click through the gallery to read why we chose our respective components.
CPU: Intel Core i5-7500
Intel's Core i5-7500 is a great gaming CPU. Retailing for a little over $200, the 14nm Kaby Lake processor has four cores, four threads, and offers 6MB of cache. It also carries a 3.4GHz base frequency and a 3.8GHz turbo frequency--plenty fast for games.
Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo
While the i5-6500 comes with an acceptable freebie air cooler, if you can spare around $30, we suggest upgrading to Cooler Master's Hyper 212 Evo. This great-bang-for-the-buck air cooler keeps temperatures and acoustics low at an affordable price.
Graphics Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1070
For our graphics card, we recommend Nvidia's GeForce GTX 1070, which features 1920 CUDA cores, a 1771MHz boost clock, and 8GB of GDDR5 video memory clocked at 8GHz. One of the more affordable variants on the market is MSI's GTX 1070, which you can find under $400. While the 1070 isn't cheap, it's actually a beast for the price and will max out most 1440p games with smooth frame rates. For reference, it outperforms Nvidia's 2015 Titan X GPU, which debuted at $1,000 when it released last year.
Motherboard: Asus Prime H270-Pro
To supplement our CPU, we're going with Asus' Prime H270-Pro motherboard. Not only does it have the LGA 1151 socket support we need for our CPU, but it also has four DIMM slots, supports USB Type-C and USB 3.1, and has two PCIe slots. The motherboard is also equipped with Intel's new H270 chipset.
RAM: G.SKILL Aegis 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 clocked at 2133MHz
For system memory, we're going with two 8GB sticks of G.SKILL Aegis DDR4 RAM clocked at 2133MHz. This amounts to 16GB of RAM, which is enough for any game you throw at it and offers enough memory to feed tab-hungry Chrome browsers.
SSD: SanDisk SD8SBAT-256G-1122 Z400s 256GB SSD
For our SSD, we're going with SanDisk's SD8SBAT-256G-1122 Z400s. It's a 256GB SSD large enough for the OS and your favorite games and applications. The 2.5-inch drive offers sequential read and write speeds up to 546MB/s and 342MB/s, respectively. It also isn't prohibitively expensive at $70.
HDD: Seagate Desktop HDD ST2000DM001 2TB
For mass storage, we're recommending Seagate's Desktop HDD ST2000DM001. The 2TB drive is priced affordably at around $75 and offers plenty of space for games and movies. It's also a 7,200rpm drive, which is faster than common 5,400rpm HDDs.
Case: Fractal Design Define R5
A premium PC deserves a premium case. That's why we're recommending Fractal Design's Define R5 with side-panel window. The R5 is a clean-looking, mid-tower ATX chassis made out of steel and brushed aluminum. It's also designed to deliver a quiet experience with its noise-dampening material. The front of the case has four USB ports and 3.5mm mic and audio jacks. Inside the chassis, you'll find removable drive cages that allow you to install up to eight storage drives. The chassis also features a cutout on the back that makes it easier to install a CPU cooler. Finally, when you turn the case on, there's a little blue accent on the front that gives the R5 some pizazz.
EVGA SuperNOVA 550 G2
To power this rig, we recommend EVGA's SuperNova 550 G2. It's a 550-watt 80 Plus Gold-rated power supply unit made of high-quality components, which will help keep your build safe from power shortages. It's also fully modular, which means you'll only need to install the necessary cables. This will help you keep your rig nice and tidy.
Total
For under $1,200, you're getting one of the best gaming PCs with this build. Our rig here is outfitted with near-top-of-the-line components and offers plenty of storage in a sleek, high-performing package.
By Jimmy Thang on Feb 17, 2017 12:56 am
Best Cheap Gaming PC Build
Shopping for PC components can be intimidating if you're not up to date on hardware news. Fortunately, we've done the research for you and have put together three tiered builds (cheap, mid-range, and high-end) geared to deliver great gaming experiences. You can certainly build a gaming PC for less than our budget-oriented rig here, but it's often a good idea to spend a little more to mitigate serious bottlenecks and to avoid harsh compromises. With that in mind, we spec'd out components that will deliver an excellent 1080p gaming experience for around $700. Listed prices reflect time of publish. Click through the gallery to read why we chose our respective components.
CPU: Intel Core i5-7400
Intel's $60 dual-core G4400 CPU is a tempting proposition for a budget rig, but in general, we recommend a quad-core CPU for gaming. Four cores is really the sweet spot. While the current crop of AMD CPUs are generally cheaper than Intel's modern quad-core solutions, they require AMD's AM3+ chipset, which is outdated and will soon be replaced by the company's upcoming AM4 platform. With AMD's Ryzen CPUs around the corner, it doesn't make much sense to go with an AMD processor right now. That's why we're going with the Core i5-7400 processor, which is Intel's most affordable four-core Kaby Lake CPU. The relatively new chip is built on a 14nm production process and offers four threads. The CPU is clocked at 3GHz, features a max turbo frequency of 3.5GHz, and offers 6MB of cache.
Graphics Card: Sapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX 480 4GB
For our budget-friendly graphics card, we're going with AMD's Radeon RX 480 GPU. The card is built upon the company's new Polaris microarchitecture. The RX 480 offers 2304 stream processors, a 1266 boost clock, and 4GBs of video RAM. In total, it features 5.8 teraflops of GPU performance. It also happens to be an amazing card that can max out just about any game at 1080p, and it can handle 1440p really well, too. Specifically, we're going with Sapphire's Nitro+ variant, which features a slightly overclocked 1306MHz core clock.
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H270M-DS3H
To supplement our Core-i5 7400 CPU, we're going with Gigabyte's GA-H270M-DS3H motherboard. It has the LGA 1151 socket support we need and has Intel's latest Kaby Lake chipset. It also supports up to 64GB of dual-channel memory and has two PCIe slots, an M.2 connector, and four USB 3.1 ports.
RAM: HyperX FURY 8GB (2 x 4GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 2133
While 4GB of system RAM will allow you to squeak by in most games, you'll really want 8GB. We're going with two 4GB sticks of HyperX Fury DDR4 memory clocked at 2133MHz. Going with two sticks allows us to run the 8GB of RAM in dual-channel mode, which allows us to get more memory bandwidth. At around 40 bucks, it's fairly priced and also has some heat spreaders that keep the sticks cool.
SSD: Kingston SSDNow UV400 120GB
Friends don't let friends build gaming PCs without solid-state drives, even for budget-oriented rigs. We recommend even a small SSD, at least for the operating system. This will allow your PC to quickly boot. For this budget build, we're going with a modest 120GB SSD from Kingston, the company's SSDNow UV400. This is enough for the operating system and your most-used games and applications. The drive offers read and write speeds up to 550MB/s and 500MB/s, respectively. Though the drive scales up to 960GB, the 120GB variant costs around 40 bucks, which isn't likely to break the bank.
HDD: WL 1TB 32MB Cache 7200RPM
In an ideal world, we'd all be using nothing but massive solid-state drives, but because SSDs are still relatively expensive compared to hard drives, we're recommending a 1TB HDD to supplement this rig. Just because this is a budget build doesn't mean we have to go with a slow 5,400rpm drive, however. The white label version that we're recommending here spins at a faster 7,200rpm. The big thing to look out for when shopping for an HDD is price per GB. With this drive costing four cents per GB, that's not a bad bargain.
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 100R
Just because we're putting together an affordable gaming PC doesn't mean we have to skimp out and buy an ugly case. The Corsair Carbide Series 100R chassis not only looks clean and modern with its all-black finish, but it's also made of steel and features a side-panel window, which allows you to admire all your rig's sexy components. The front of the case features two USB 3.0 ports and 3.5mm audio jacks. Inside the case, there are four tool-less drive trays and enough room for full-size graphics cards that measure up to 12 inches. The 100R also includes one 12cm fan and a removable dust filter beneath the power supply slot.
Power Supply: Corsair CX Series CX 500W 80 Plus Bronze PSU
While we're on a mission to build an affordable rig, you don't want to skimp on the power supply unit--you wouldn't want a cheap PSU to short out and harm any of your components. We're going with Corsair's CX500 power supply. The company makes great PSUs, and the CX version here carries a respectable 80 Plus Bronze rating. With 500 watts of power, we've got enough juice for our entire rig.
Total
The total for our build comes up to $726.89 You can certainly build a PC for less, but this build represents a killer gaming rig that will be able to max out the most graphically demanding games at 1080p with smooth frame rates. It'll also be able to handle VR and plenty of 1440p games as well. It has all the core components you need in a great gaming PC.
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