Part Selector Guide (For those looking to build a computer) [WORK IN PROGRESS]

Since I'm bored I'm gonna write up a quick "guide" going through all possible components of a computer and what you should select. This is a work in progress so no haterino.



INTRODUCTION:

Hello patrons of sythe.org, I am here today to give you a quick general overview on shopping for computer components.
From the CPU down to the ram you will learn how to not only properly pick the correct parts for your build but to also pick the best
quality ones for your budget, teaching you where you can and can not skimp on your project.

Without further ado, let us begin.

THE CPU

Some people may disagree with me but in my opinion the best place to start a PC build is with the CPU.
It can get very overwhelming to pick one with the various price points, names, numbers, speeds, etc... so getting the right one for your build from the get go is very important.

AMD CPUS:

Now I'm going to be blunt and say there is currently no reason to be buying an AMD CPU. This is not bias, this is just the unfortunate reality.
AMD is currently on a very bad architecture, and while AMD has made the most of it I'd say that if you wish to join club red on the CPU side of things I greatly advise waiting for the AMD Zen line of CPUs to come out first.

When those come out I will do a full section on AMD, but until then I can NOT recommend them for any budget. Intel simply has better offerings at every price point.

Intel CPUS:

Intel CPUs are generally regarded as the best around for the consumer and even professional markets. Their wide array of products can suit any situation, as long as you know what to look for.


First let's go over the various types of intel processors:

Intel Pentium:

Intel Pentium G4400 Skylake Dual-Core 3.3 GHz LGA 1151 65W BX80662G4400 Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 510 - Newegg.com

The intel pentiums are extremely cheap dual core processors that fit best in the lowest budget builds. Generally only suited for light to moderate gaming and normal tasks.
To get acceptable performance out of this processor you will NEED to overclock it with something like a Z170 motherboard.
Another thing to note is the pentium has no hyper threading, for information on hype rthreading watch this video:



I only advise this product for enthusiasts on a budget.

Intel Core i3:

Basically a beefier, and slightly more expensive Pentium. With hyperthreading, much better on board graphics and better out of the box speeds this is the the processor
I'd recommend to most people on an extreme budget, especially if they're not willing to overclock.

Keep in mind that this is stull a DUAL CORE CPU, some games will not run on it, like the later Far Cry games.
Be sure to check if your favorite games will run on this before you buy it.

Intel Core i5:

Generally regarded as the gaming sweet spot of CPUs. Intel Core i5s (for the desktop market) are generally true 4 core CPUs without hyperthreading.
These CPUs have good performance in gaming while also being no slouch when it come to tasks like streaming, video encoding and other CPU intensive activities.

The core i5 is generally the best CPU to get for most non enthusiast computer geeks, those looking for something responsive, quick and that will get any job they need done.

Intel Core i7:

Keep in mind I will ONLY be going over 4 core variants of the i7, if you need more you know who you are and you probably don't need this guide in the first place.

Most regular consumer i7s are 4 core CPUs with hyper threading (refer to the video above if you don't know what this is).
If you're a gamer then this CPU is overkill, but if you are doing video editing, CAD software, or something of the like I can't recommend it enough.

What does the K mean?

The K means it's an unlocked processor and ready to overclock. Unlike AMD's CPUs which all allow overclocking you need to be careful to pick the right motherboard and CPU skew to get this functionality.

Used CPUs?

Used CPUs are a great way to save money, but be careful when you do buy them. If you're unaware of how to check for damage (such as bent pins on AMD or burnt out contacts on intel)
then stick to ebay where you can easily get your money back if it doesn't work.

When buying a processor be sure to get something in the 2000 series or newer on intel CPUs, so something like an i5 2500k or i5 3570k
would be great options to save on your wallet. You can also get rather cheap i7s this way as well.

Do try to avoid anything older though because the price to performance begins to drop rapidly, especially since
old motherboards can be hard to find for these extinct designs.

Consumer Xeon?

If you must have an i7 brand new but you can't afford it, then there's always the Xeon route.
Xeons are normally workstation grade processors but there are some that are equivalent to the consumer products. STICK TO HASWELL ONLY, skylake based Xeons will have issues with motherboard compatibility.
Always look for Xeons with the 1150 socket such as this one

Intel Xeon E3-1231V3 Haswell 3.4 GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1150 80W BX80646E31231V3 Server Processor - Newegg.com

I recommend this only for advanced users who are willing to look up to make sure their boards are compatible.


The Motherboard:

The motherboard is one of the easiest things for a first timer to screw up, but it's super easy if you picked out your CPU first!

One bit of information you want from your CPU of choice is the socket type. Either google your CPU and add "socket type" at the end, or use newegg's spec page.



So for this example the CPU I decided on will be the Intel Skylake Core i5 6600k. So first thing is first let's look at the page and see if we can find the socket type to this CPU...

Ah ha!


The LGA 1151 socket type! Nice, we'll need this for when we pick out our motherboard.
Also remember the "Unlocked Processor" and the fact that this will take DDR4 and DDR3 RAM.

Luckily Newegg makes it very easy to browse through products with their great filter system.
It's why I highly recommend Newegg for "window shopping" even if the component is cheaper elsewhere.



So let's filter it so we get the LGA 1151 boards.
WOWZA there's a lot of motherboards for this socket type!
How do you decide which is the one for you? Well that all depends on your needs.

Remember price does matter, skimping out on a motherboard will negatively impact your system. A cheap motherboard will likely not overclock,
it will have longevity issues and it will impact your computer's performance (and not in a good way).

That's not to say you should be spending 200-300 dollars on a motherboard for a normal gaming rig, but you shouldn't buy an 80 dollar piece of shit either.


First thing you'll want to decide is how big your system is going to be. For newcomers I highly recommend sticking to a normal ATX or Micro ATX motherboard,
however if you want to get all fancy pants with something like mini ITX or other types you should really consider watching this video:



For this guide we will be looking for a standard size ATX motherboard to make things simple.


Two things we'll be looking for are motherboards that are DD4 compatible and that support overclocking.
If the CPU you'll be working with only accepts DDR3 then all the boards will be DDR 3 only so don't worry about it.

Finding DD4 only boards is pretty easy, but to find an overclocking board you need to find a board with Z in the name.
Something like Z77 or Z170 will have no problems overclocking your CPU.

Another thing to look out for is the ports on the motherboard.
More expensive motherboards will have more ports and more options.

MSI MSI Gaming Z170A GAMING M5 LGA 1151 Intel Z170 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 ATX Intel Motherboard - Newegg.com

Something like the MSI above may break the bank, but it offers connectivity options like the new USB type C to further future proof your motherboard.

I highly suggest you pay about 120-200 dollars on a motherboard to make sure you get all the features you could need.
The only exception are people working in different form factors but they know their needs.



A Quick Note on RAM speeds

When looking to buy RAM, amount usually means more than speed.
Beyond synthetic benchmarks you will see virtually no difference in RAM speeds past 800mhz clock so don't spend extra money on high frequency RAM.

Just stick to well reviewed RAM sticks and you will be fine.

Due to programs taking more system memory (chrome) it is highly recommended that a system have at least 16 gigs of RAM.









-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------







The GPU (Graphics Card):

If anything is going to cause controversy it's this section, but I'm going to be as unbias as I can be.
If you're unaware of what a GPU is (also known as a Graphics or Video Card), it's the card that drives your graphics on your machine.
The Processor can only take on so much of the data so there's a seperate beastly number cruncher who takes care of all the graphics processing
be it for game, rendering, or anything visual for that matter.

When deciding on a graphics card it will be very important to consider your own needs.
Very rarely does a person need to buy anything past the mid-low end to be happy with their computer's performance.
But even in the mid to low end you should be expecting to pay anywhere from 100 to 300 dollars.

I will be going over these cards by BRAND to help you better decide what card you might need and to make it easier to distinguish between cards.

Note, do not buy PREVIOUS GENERATION CARDS such as a r9 380 or GTX 960/970... etc, these are incredibly bad value unless you get them at a miracle price used.




AMD Graphics:


Let's start with AMD because A is first in the alphabet. Unlike with CPUs AMD is incredibly competitive in the graphics market and must always be considered.
AMD is typically the champion for lower end GPUs at the moment so if your budget it limited you'll likely be looking at an AMD card.

AMD has been poised to take over the DX 12/Vulkan filled world in the future so frame rates will only get better as time goes on with these cards, making them even better value.

Let's go over the current offerings and see what you might want.


Fury X/Fury/Fury:

I'm going to get these out of the way. If you're an enthusiast who loves AMD then I'd be on the lookout for these cards.
They're fast and they're good at high resolutions and their prices are dropping.


They also dumpster the 1070 in DX 12.


RX 480:


The RX 480 has been dubbed the "consumer" king by a lot of people. At its 200 to 250 dollar price point (depending on the amount of Vram you get) is incredible value for the amount of power you get.

This VR capable, 1440p playable card is a great option for any enthusiast on a budget.
And with APIs such as DX12 and Vulkan on the rise it's hard not to recommend this card.


RX 470:

If the RX 480 isn't quite for you then this card might be a bit better.
At 180 dollars+ you get pretty close to RX 480 speeds but the temps and power consumption are much better.
There's not much to say about this card but it is solid.

Just a word to the wise, don't ever spend more than 190 dollars on this card.


RX 460:

Do you have an ancient toaster that you're looking to upgrade?

Don't have much money?

Well then this might be the solution for you. Faster than other cards in class (750 Ti) this 110 dollar behemoth can play 1080p games just fine in a lot of situations.

This puppy was marketed for esports titles but you should have next to no issues with any triple A game if you play games at high instead of ultra.



NVIDIA Graphics:


Are you unsatisfied with these puny "consumer friendly budget cards"?

Do you have money burning a hole in your pocket?

DO YOU SIMPLY WANT RAW POWER?

Well then NVIDIA has you covered with their rather impressive high end offerings.

GTX 1080

The GTX 1080, succesor to the 980 is an absolute monster of a card. As it should be for a whopping 650 dollars.

If you're looking to put your shooters and RPGs to 4k then there's no better option than this puppy right here.
If you're looking to buy this behemoth then I'd highly recommend you buy high end equipment to match, a weak CPU will only serve to bottleneck this card.



GTX 1070

While this card is nowhere near as budget friendly as the previous gen 970, it's still far more reasonable than the 1080 at 400-500 Dollars.

This card is meant to push 1440p, and if you're doing anything less you're wasting the power of this card and should consider either picking up
a monitor upgrade or dropping down a tier in cards.

Same story as with the 1080 however, pair this GPU with a proper CPU.



GTX 1060

The GTX 1060 is NVIDIA's response to AMD's wildly succesful RX 480 card and at 250-300 dollars it really does deliver.
In DX 11 titles this card is faster than the RX 480 by about 20%, but in DX 12/Vulkan it matches/loses to the RX 480.

I have to say that if you are already invested in NVIDIA (Gsync, etc...) then the 1060 is an obvious upgrade for you.
If you do not have these things then evaluate your gaming/computer needs. Does your game run significantly better on the 1060? Then get it

You'll hardly ever go wrong choosing either of these cards though.

 

Nice work on this, keep it updated!

 

You should add a link to pcpartpicker because it helps people know all their parts really are compatible.

 

Can you tell me a good Processor/motherboard combo to bot around 100 bots on a single pc?

 

Just a caveat, "K" tagged chips are more suitable for overclocking, but this does NOT mean non-k tagged chips cannot be overclocked. This is the complete opposite of the truth.

K's just overclock better as they're literally made to be overclocked, but non-k's overclock just fine.

 

Damn, good job
thanks for that!

 

No, any non k skew overclocking is unintended by Intel (unless it's the pentium or certain xeons).
In fact with Skylake intel told motherboard manufacturers to take that capability out or else they'd take action.

If you're savvy and can still find boards that allow this then fine, but I'm not going to put it into a part selector guide. Nor am I going to go over OLDER chipsets

I would have responded sooner but I didn't get any alerts.

 

I'm late on this but if you want to bot with 100 bots I'm assuming you'll want to setup several VMs.

In which case I'd probably recommend an 8 Core AMD, the intel equiv is just way too much money for the task.

AMD Processor FX-8350 Black Edition Vishera 8-Core 4.0GHz (4.2GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 125W D8350FRHKBOX-Newegg.com

 

Graphics section added

 

I know it sounds a bit basic, but I'd throw in CPU coolers (besides the stock coolers) in there since you touched on overclocking a bit. Seems to be something that many people overshadow on PC guides, and never really go too far into detail about.

Overall great guide man, thanks for the share!