10 Biggest Mistakes People Make When Designing a Gaming PC

[LordHood77]

1 minute ago, Dash Lambda said:

Unless you know exactly what card you're gonna get and you're gonna get it soon, it's a bad idea to pick sides --Especially with brand new architectures around the corner.

... Especially with Pascal and Polaris around the corner, which are die-shrinks with HBM. You just can't predict how they're going to compare.

Fair point, but as of right now, I think AMD took the race. 

[Trik'Stari]

Just now, Dash Lambda said:

Unless you know exactly what card you're gonna get and you're gonna get it soon, it's a bad idea to pick sides --Especially with brand new architectures around the corner.

... Especially with Pascal and Polaris around the corner, which are die-shrinks with HBM. You just can't predict how they're going to compare.

Indeed. Which is why I said "plan on". Not "going to".

 

I hope to go with AMD, mainly because I'm still angry about the whole 970 lying debacle, and I'd like to give someone else my money, but ultimately performance will be the deciding factor.

[Dash Lambda]

3 hours ago, LordHood77 said:

Fair point, but as of right now, I think AMD took the race. 

Eh... Depends on the tier.

[Dash Lambda]

3 hours ago, Trik'Stari said:

Indeed. Which is why I said "plan on". Not "going to".

 

I hope to go with AMD, mainly because I'm still angry about the whole 970 lying debacle, and I'd like to give someone else my money, but ultimately performance will be the deciding factor.

Oh dear, the ram issue...

 

They didn't lie, their marketing just didn't elaborate.

[Dash Lambda]

3 hours ago, AlexTheRose said:

So is AMD CPU performance the new Godwin’s law or what?

 

Sorry if I’m late to the whole SSD argument, but I thought the OP was talking about gaming PCs last I checked. SSDs right now don’t hold AAA games very well along with the bloated Windows OS, so for gaming buying an SSD is a mistake. Sure, most people will do things besides gaming on their gaming PCs and for that an SSD would be nice, but that’s not the focus of this thread.

I don't think AMD's as bad as the Nazis.

... Shit, that's still a comparison isn't it?

 

As for the SSD thing, there's a response to that somewhere in this thread. Actually, Probably one that I wrote.

[LordHood77]

3 minutes ago, Dash Lambda said:

Oh dear, the ram issue...

 

They didn't lie, their marketing just didn't elaborate.

But negligence is still negligence... 

[Dash Lambda]

3 hours ago, LordHood77 said:

But negligence is still negligence... 

I think of it more like a miscommunication.

 

Nvidia Engineers: "Okay guys, this new GPU has a 3.5GB primary frame buffer with a secondary .5GB frame buffer."

Nvidia Marketing: "Right, 4GB VRAM, got it."

 

Part of the art of marketing is figuring out what you should simplify, and it's hard to predict sometimes what's best to simplify.

Storage, for example, gets away with something very similar to what Nvidia did. I dare you to find a 1TB drive on the market that actually has 1TB of space.

[Dash Lambda]

3 hours ago, AlexTheRose said:

Godwin’s law: the theory that as an online discussion progresses, it becomes inevitable that someone or something will eventually be compared to Adolf Hitler or the Nazis, regardless of the original topic.

 

I wasn’t likening AMD to the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei; rather, I was implying that as an online discussion progresses, it becomes inevitable that someone or something will eventually be compared to AMD’s CPU performance, regardless of the original topic. See?

I...

I compared AMD to the Nazis, then made a remark about how I fulfilled Godwin's law... That was a joke...

[royalcrown]

5 hours ago, turkey3_scratch said:

Yes that's sort of where everything brinks down to - every bit of money toward a better GPU is better. Though there is a point when you can cheap-out too far, as in the PSU.

Well you could buy a dual core and a 980 TI too, but it doesn't mean you should. I'll say sometimes more CPU can be as good as more GPU, it depends on the games. Battlefield 3 performance  scales very well in multiplayer on a CPU with "Hyper Threading", especially on large maps with more players. In games that are CPU starved or Do well with hyper threading it may be a toss up as to which to get.

[ElZamo92]

All of these can be taken with a grain of salt. if you ABSOLUTELY want to squeeze every last drop of gaming performance out of every cent, then this "guide" may be right. Buy whatever parts you find interesting that you can afford, and stick them in your build. The only thing that is positively correct about this "guide" is that you shouldn't cheap out no the monitor, it is the only thing I regret.

[SpaceNugget]

SSD makes no difference to gameplay? Never played the witcher 3 I see. dying over and over on a boss fight is much less agravating when you respawn in 10-20 seconds rather than over a minute.

[branden_lucero]

man do i pretty much disagree with every point. but then again, i'm not a budget gamer. as you can tell by my game count. i'm just a cheap ass when i can be.

Spoiler

 

[diapersarefullofshit]

My number one is not buying (some) second hand parts for budget gamingrigs.

 

When you are on a tight budget, new but slower parts will not offer you the same performance as second hand hardware on a discount. The dilemma does not even exist. It is just that people like to buy everything new and then they delude themselves by partpicking a rig, but not a descent gamingrig. Get off that high-horse and go scavenge, just getting 1 or 2 pieces of hardware second hand can make all the difference and/or it grants you more budget for other "new" hardware.

[RuffRuffmcgruff]

12 hours ago, turkey3_scratch said:

Yeah that can be a major problem, too. Corsair makes good products, but some people get the idea that everything they make is the best price/performance. I think brand loyalty is more a lack of research than anything.

 

Yes but look at the size of games. AAA games are taking up 60GB of space easily. That 120GB SSD will only store two games, whereas a 1TB hard drive can store a ton.

So buy a 450gb ssd I have 2tb of ssd storage just for that fact. And yes I backup weekly.

[turkey3_scratch]

The problem is you're talkin

6 hours ago, branden_lucero said:

man do i pretty much disagree with every point. but then again, i'm not a budget gamer. as you can tell by my game count. i'm just a cheap ass when i can be.

  Reveal hidden contents

 

If you read it, I note numerous times that the budget matters. If the budget is $2000 then I totally see an SSD, water cooling, I7, etc. as an option but I'm talking about people on a lower budget trying to squeeze out as much FPS as possible.

[Trik'Stari]

9 hours ago, Dash Lambda said:

Oh dear, the ram issue...

 

They didn't lie, their marketing just didn't elaborate.

Either way, I'm still mad at them, and disinclined to give them any more of my money.

[Therealogkush912]

14 hours ago, turkey3_scratch said:

I browse pcpartpicker and tons of forums, and these are the ten biggest mistakes I see gamers make when designing a gaming PC. Not all of these are detrimental to performance but the majority are just poor ways to use money.

 

10. Not Saving Money for Actual Games

So many people on tight budgets forget to save money to buy actual video games! There is no use having a gaming machine that cannot play any games since you have no money. Try to remember the cost of games when building a gaming computer. You may say, "well, you can save up money after you build one for games." Well, you can also save money for a better computer in the first place, so you're pick.

 

9. Going with SLI/Crossfire

Unless your GPU is the absolute best GPU on the market, there is no reason to get multiple GPUs. A better, single, stronger GPU is smarter because it does not pose the issues multiple cards do. Multiple cards sometimes don't scale properly, or at times games won't even support SLI or Crossfire. Having multiple graphics cards also contributes to more power consumption and more heat in the case. When the case is filled with such heat, VRM capacitors on both GPUs and the motherboard heat up, which reduces their lifespan. Always go with a single GPU if multiple can be avoided. It may sound less "cool", but it's well-worth it when strictly speaking of a PC's performance and reliability.

 

8. Too Much RAM

16GB is the sweet spot for price/performance right now, but the truth is many and most games still use under 8GB. It's uncommon to find one that uses more. Even $30 saved by dropping from 16Gb to 8GB of RAM can dramatically help you get a better GPU on a budget. If you have specific games in mind, research them and see how much memory they use. From my personal experience, playing even AAA games such as Assassin's Creed Syndicate use only a couple GB of memory. It cannot be denied that there are some games than use more than 8GB, but do your research and see if the ones you plan to play use more or less.

 

7. Overestimating or Underestimating Wattage

A lot of people tend to think that their powerful gaming PC must require a huge power supply, a 1600W beast of a monster! Well, no, it does not unless running 4 GPUs. When calculating the wattage needed for a gaming computer, avoid wattage calculators. These calculators often do not take the exact graphics card model into consideration and post a wattage only relative to the reference model. Sometimes they overestimate or underestimate too much. It is best to ask an expert on what wattage is recommended, as he or she will know off the top of their head. Another problem is that many people tend to think their cards draw much lower power than they really can. There is a difference in a GPU under actual stress and one under gaming stress. Gaming is a light load, but some games such as AC Unity stress the GPU as hard as a stress test. When under stress, these GPUs can often draw 40% more power than a gaming load. Also, any non-reference card comes out of the factory already overclocked, and these cards draw a lot more power. GTX 970s can easily draw over 300W for brief moments under stress, and a 980Ti can draw as high as 370W+. Well-designed power supplies can handle these brief spikes, but aside from the spikes an overclocked GPU under stress will use a lot more power than while gaming, and one should always take into consideration the stress test value of their particular GPU.

 

6. Cheaping out on the Monitor

The monitor is everything you see. A high quality monitor contributes to a more immersive experience while gaming. The quality of a monitor should not be something that is ignored when designing a gaming rig (if purchasing a monitor). Someone with a cheap GPU on a nice monitor very well many have a better gaming experience than someone with an expensive GPU on a cheap monitor. Try to get a monitor with good quality but don't overspend, either.

 

5. Overclocking on a Budget

I totally understand the joy of overclocking, but when it comes to a $1000 gaming computer, overclocking is not the best choice. When overclocking a processor, it requires a high-end motherboard and better cooling. People underestimate how much this adds up in cost. Take a Z170 motherboard compared to an H110 board. In general, the board is at least $60 more when talking about a quality one for a decent overclock. If one wants to overclock even more, it requires a stronger VRM and VRM cooling, making a motherboard about $100+ more expensive. This money can be put into a better GPU. Once the processor gets overclocked to a point, the stock cooler will no longer suffice, resulting in another $30 at least for a quality cooler. If the budget for the gaming rig is really high, such as $1500, it makes sense that overclocking is a consideration, but anything $1000 and below the bulk of the money should be leaning toward a better GPU.

 

4. Overspending on the CPU

You need to get out of your head the idea that gaming is super tough on a computer. Sure, it's tough, but anyone who has done actual professional work on a computer will shun gaming as a mere light load. Gaming is not the lightest load - it certainly does require a good amount of processing power. But it is nowhere near the heaviest load a computer will see. There are processors out there designed for tasks much larger than gaming, such as high-end I7 processors and various Xeons. These processors, while they will game very well, are very costly and may not be the best price/performance as a gaming chip. They are well-suited for intense CAD work, video encoding, compiling large amounts of code, modelling and rendering, servers, etc. There are all tasks that can and often require more processing power than gaming. So, especially when on a budget under $2000, pick a CPU that is well suited for gaming and not overkill, because games are more dependent on the GPU when it comes to putting out more FPS.

 

3. Getting an SSD

There is a common fallacy going around that because SSDs are so common nowadays, you need one in your gaming PC. False! Not true at all! In fact, aside from loading times, you'll get a much better gaming experience by purchasing a HDD and putting SSD money toward a better GPU. It's all about getting a better GPU. You spend more time actually playing a video game than at the loading screen, so it's smarter to put the money toward a better GPU. If the budget is high, getting an SSD is a nice treat, but especially on lower budgets the money can be better spent.

 

2. Watercooling

Cutting to the point, the truth is that closed loop water coolers cost far more than air coolers and have many downsides. For one thing, they perform on-par with an air cooler about 3/5 of the cost. They can be extremely noisy (H110i). They can heat up the motherboard greatly because heat is not being ventilated as with air coolers. Lastly, they cost a lot more money. Money is the key here. How one spends his or her money is important in any gaming computer. The money spent on such a cooler could easily go toward a better GPU. There is nothing wrong with buying an I5-6500, an H110 motherboard, the stock cooler, and using it with an R9 390X. Watercooling in general is a gimmick because these closed loops do not have any large performance increase over high-end air coolers. Yes, "water cooling" sounds very cool, but it's not smart for managing your budget in a gaming PC.

 

1. Getting a Poor Quality Power Supply

Many cheap power supplies may do alright for an office machine, but they are not designed for a gaming rig. Don't think that just because a power supply says "700W" on the label it's good. It means absolutely nothing. What matters are various other qualities of a power supply: protections and their trigger thresholds, voltage regulation, ripple suppression, noise suppression, transient filtering, capacitor quality, crossloading, hold-up time, etc. These are far more important than rated wattage, and gamers who purchase low-quality power supplies constantly end up with bad end results, sometimes with damaged hardware. It's cheaper to get a more expensive power supply; it's more expensive to get a cheap power supply.

I broke rules 10-1 with the exceptions of 5 and 4(don't overclock and got a fx 8350)

[harrynowl]

Buying XOC boards.

[wolfsbane3083]

Apart from graphics cards my SSDs where my best upgrade for gaming. Games like Skyrim or Fallout 4 (thanks Bethesda) for some reason depend quite heavily on HDD access speeds instead of using up available system memory. Pretty much solved all my stutter/minimum frame rate issues I was getting with my HDDS. Plus the loading times on Fallout 4 are horrendous on HDDS.

[MEC-777]

Agree with everything except #10 and #3. 

 

Part of the benefit of PC gaming is how much lower the cost of games is with all the sales and F2P games out there. Even on brand new triple A games, you can get discounts by as much as 30% or more, on launch day.

 

As for SSD's; the ONLY time an SSD should be excluded from any build is if the cost must be the absolute lowest possible OR larger amounts of data storage are needed at the time of the initial build. That being said, with today's prices, an SSD with less than 240GB capacity is poor value IMO. Starting off with at least a 240GB SSD should provide plenty of capacity for enough games to get started, then add a 1TB HDD later on as you buy more games. 

 

Two and a half years ago, when I built my first modern gaming PC, I opted to splurge on a 120GB SSD in my initial build, which left me with not enough in the budget for a larger HDD at the time. That was still enough capacity for me to play a handful of games until I could add a larger drive later on and I don't regret that decision, not for one second. The speed and snappiness of the whole system as a result is far worth it to have the limited capacity for a time, IMO. 

 

On a side note: there is another element to PC building that goes beyond budget and pure price/performance and that is; personal preference in terms of needs vs wants. There's choosing parts you need and then there's choosing parts you want. There should be some balance within reason in this regard, but I don't see an issue if someone spends a little more on that one (or two) components to get what they want (that awesome case, or sick-looking motherboard). More than a few times, I've heard people say they should have spent a little more on one thing or another and regretted not doing it. Again - as long as it's within reason.    

[Bhav]

Seriously how can having your OS on an SSD be a mistake? Oh, for people who have no idea how much faster it makes everything.

[Bhav]

Seriously how can having your OS on an SSD be a mistake? Oh, for people who have no idea how much faster it makes everything.

[Praesi]

I would miss my SSD. OS is super fast and Games load so much faster. In my Eyes, a must have.

I agree more or less with the Rest.

[JoePro87]

On 3/7/2016 at 7:18 PM, turkey3_scratch said:

 

1. Getting a Poor Quality Power Supply

Many cheap power supplies may do alright for an office machine, but they are not designed for a gaming rig. Don't think that just because a power supply says "700W" on the label it's good. It means absolutely nothing. What matters are various other qualities of a power supply: protections and their trigger thresholds, voltage regulation, ripple suppression, noise suppression, transient filtering, capacitor quality, crossloading, hold-up time, etc. These are far more important than rated wattage, and gamers who purchase low-quality power supplies constantly end up with bad end results, sometimes with damaged hardware. It's cheaper to get a more expensive power supply; it's more expensive to get a cheap power supply.

I found that out the hard way. When I upgraded my GPU, I needed a better PSU. I found one for only $40 on Newegg. It was a 700w Apevia (that's a company, apparently). As soon as I had everything hooked up, and I turned it on...ZAP! It fried my mobo. Never buying from Apevia again!!!

[turkey3_scratch]

17 hours ago, JoePro87 said:

I found that out the hard way. When I upgraded my GPU, I needed a better PSU. I found one for only $40 on Newegg. It was a 700w Apevia (that's a company, apparently). As soon as I had everything hooked up, and I turned it on...ZAP! It fried my mobo. Never buying from Apevia again!!!

Yeah, that's rough. Apevia sucks.