$800 CSGO Gaming PC

[XVII]

Hey guys, My friend has a budget of $800 (including monitor, no peripherals other than that necessary) and he wants to primarily play only CS:GO. He doesn't care about form factor or anything, 144hz is always wanted but he doesn't care about it, 60 or 144hz is good enough. He just wants a computer that can run it smoothly, very high at above 250+ fps in all maps.. I currently have a build planned out for him and I want to see your guys' opinion on it and your builds! I'll ask him stuff as well  

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($204.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($37.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($40.49 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($46.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 4GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card  ($219.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 88R MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($49.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($43.98 @ Newegg) 
Monitor: BenQ GL2460HM 60Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($139.00 @ Amazon) 
Total: $775.30
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-01 22:43 EST-0500

[Gale]

Firstly, he doesn't mind not having an SSD? Secondly, for CSGO, I do recommend aiming for 144hz though. You might be able to fit either one of those two in the build.

[HKZeroFive]

Better GPU, much better PSU, a SSD for faster loading times and a 144hz monitor:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($204.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($37.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($36.66 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($38.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($49.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 380 4GB NITRO Dual-X OC Video Card  ($188.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: Fractal Design Core 1100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($26.99 @ NCIX US) 
Power Supply: XFX XT 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($38.98 @ Newegg) 
Monitor: Acer GN246HL 144Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($180.98 @ Newegg) 
Total: $796.44
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-01 22:48 EST-0500

[XVII]

Just now, Gale said:

Firstly, he doesn't mind not having an SSD? Secondly, for CSGO, I do recommend aiming for 144hz though. You might be able to fit either one of those two in the build.

He doesn't really know much, or even anything about building a computer. I mean, he called a case a "motherboard" but an SSD wouldn't be needed, he doesn't care a lot about boot speeds and everything, he just wants performance I guess

[XVII]

Just now, HKZeroFive said:

Better GPU, much better PSU, a SSD for faster loading times and a 144hz monitor:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($204.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($37.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($36.66 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($38.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($49.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 380 4GB NITRO Dual-X OC Video Card  ($188.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: Fractal Design Core 1100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($26.99 @ NCIX US) 
Power Supply: XFX XT 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($38.98 @ Newegg) 
Monitor: Acer GN246HL 144Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($180.98 @ Newegg) 
Total: $796.44
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-01 22:48 EST-0500

Since he's a new builder, is there a way to get a semi modular power supply?

[manikyath]

is it 100% strictly only CS:GO?

 

or also other games? or other software?

[XVII]

Just now, manikyath said:

is it 100% strictly only CS:GO?

 

or also other games? or other software?

nope, just 100% csgo

[HKZeroFive]

5 minutes ago, XVII said:

Since he's a new builder, is there a way to get a semi modular power supply?

Had to downgrade to a i5 6400 but the performance difference will be insignificant.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($179.99 @ B&H) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($37.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($36.66 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($38.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($49.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 380 4GB NITRO Dual-X OC Video Card  ($188.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: Fractal Design Core 1100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($26.99 @ NCIX US) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($63.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Monitor: Acer GN246HL 144Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($180.98 @ Newegg) 
Total: $804.45
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-01 22:54 EST-0500

[manikyath]

so, since i'm pretty sure source engine is still only two threads, here's a pentium based machine:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G4400 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($58.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($45.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($36.66 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($59.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 390 8GB Video Card  ($299.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case: Xion XON-310_BK MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($25.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($55.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Monitor: Acer GN246HL 144Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($180.98 @ Newegg) 
Total: $764.58
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-01 23:02 EST-0500

 

managed to squeeze in an R9 390, and dropped the SSD/HDD combo for a bigger SSD by itself, guessing he wont store much.

[XVII]

Just now, manikyath said:

so, since i'm pretty sure source engine is still only two threads, here's a pentium based machine:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G4400 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($58.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($45.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($36.66 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($59.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 390 8GB Video Card  ($299.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case: Xion XON-310_BK MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($25.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($55.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Monitor: Acer GN246HL 144Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($180.98 @ Newegg) 
Total: $764.58
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-01 23:02 EST-0500

 

managed to squeeze in an R9 390, and dropped the SSD/HDD combo for a bigger SSD by itself, guessing he wont store much.

I thought CS:GO was CPU based rather than gpu based, am I wrong?

[manikyath]

Just now, XVII said:

I thought CS:GO was CPU based rather than gpu based, am I wrong?

its both, certainly if you turn the eyecandy on. and still, its mostly cpu based because it only uses two threads, like the true 2002 directx 9 it is

[arnasd]

3 hours ago, XVII said:

I thought CS:GO was CPU based rather than gpu based, am I wrong?

 

I wouldn't go for for dual core. CS go likes powerful cpu and just okay gpu.

I'd look at xeon 1231v3 or 6500/6600 skylake (4 core processors)

[TheCaptain53]

If it's just CS:GO, why such an expensive computer? Pretty much anything can run it at 144+ fps, like this. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/YwCgRB

[KuJoe]

Why not build the $500 PC that Linus built specifically for running CS:GO at 4k? It's probably even cheaper than $500 now since the video was released last year.

 

Nevermind, I was wrong about the price.

[tataklee]

12 hours ago, XVII said:

Hey guys, My friend has a budget of $800 (including monitor, no peripherals other than that necessary) and he wants to primarily play only CS:GO. He doesn't care about form factor or anything, 144hz is always wanted but he doesn't care about it, 60 or 144hz is good enough. He just wants a computer that can run it smoothly, very high at above 250+ fps in all maps.. I currently have a build planned out for him and I want to see your guys' opinion on it and your builds! I'll ask him stuff as well  

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($199.89 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($37.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Avexir Budget Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($38.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 4GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card  ($204.99 @ Amazon) 
Case: Fractal Design Core 1100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($26.99 @ NCIX US) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 650W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($66.99 @ NCIX US) 
Monitor: Acer GN246HL 144Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($180.98 @ Newegg) 
Total: $786.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-02 11:01 EST-0500

 

Pretty similar build, but I made a few changes. If your friend only plays CS:GO a small SSD should do. Make sure you get a 144 Hz monitor since the difference will be incredibly huge. To the point where you cannot imagine how you could possibly play on a 60 Hz monitor. From my experience GO runs better with Nvidia cards, but a 380 would also do just fine, I guess. Finally, the PSU I chose is complete overkill, but at this price point it's an absolute steal and should last your friend for years.

[ShaunC]

Here's my attempt.  I chose a 144hz monitor with freesync, figured it'd be better for CS.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($179.99 @ B&H) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($37.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($36.66 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: OCZ Trion 100 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($64.88 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 380 4GB PCS+ Video Card  ($169.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Xion XON-310_BK MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($22.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Raidmax 530W Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($40.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Monitor: AOC G2460PF 144Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($261.98 @ Newegg) 
Total: $815.45
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-02 11:20 EST-0500