Top Gaming PC (Fall 2015)

Processor for Intel platform

Intel Core i5 Broadwell i5-5675C

A powerful gaming PC needs a high-performance processor with 4 cores. A good choice is the Core i5 from the Haswell, Broadwell or Skylake series. But which one to buy is not an easy question. At the end of August, Intel Skylake processors went on sale. As tests of IT publications have shown, Skylake's performance is generally higher than that of Broadwell and Haswell by only 5-10%. Interestingly, in some games, the i5-6600K (Skylake) even slightly loses the i5-5675C (Broadwell). Moreover, both with and without discrete graphics. And the whole point is that the i5-5675C has a special level 4 cache memory module and a powerful built-in core, respectively. On the other hand, the difference is almost not noticeable, except when changing the graphics parameters from maximum to average, which is practiced by fans of online games. If you want the newest Skylake platform, take the i5-6600K. "Old" Haswell like Core i5-4460 is also a great choice for a gaming machine. These CPUs are slightly inferior to the new ones in speed, but cheaper than them.

Motherboard

Asus Z97-AR

Choosing a board among the abundance of offers is even more difficult than the processor. For Broadwell and i5-5675C chips in particular, we recommend the Z97-AR. The manufacturer does not position this board as a gaming board, but it has "chips" characteristic of gaming products. It is worth noting the network and sound adapters optimized for games: the first reduces the "lags" in network games to a minimum, and the second provides a clear positioning of the sound in shooters. In general, there are no weak points in this board... if you can afford to buy it. If you want a gaming model, pay attention to the Asus H97-PRO GAMER for socket 1150 and Asus Z170 PRO GAMING for socket 1151.

Processor for AMD platform

AMD FX 8-Core FX-8350 BOX Price from 12 347 up to 21 748 ₴ →

Choosing a gaming platform from AMD is easier to do. The choice comes down to the selection of a chip from the FX series. If you want the PC to pull projects like Star Wars: Battlefront normally, it's worth taking an 8-core model. In terms of speed, FX is inferior to Core i5 with 4 cores and cheaper than them. For example, the FX-8350 is a popular processor among players because of its good price—performance ratio (especially in overclocked state). With it, new projects in Full HD resolution will show FPS above the bar of 30 cad./sec. However, if the Core i5 can be used with a box cooler, then for AMD FX it is necessary to take care of a good cooler so that the noise level is acceptable. And this is about plus $20 to the cost of a PC.

Motherboard

MSI 970 Gaming

In the MSI range, boards with the GAMING index, as it is not difficult to guess, are designed for gamers. The 970 GAMING will be a solid foundation for the AMD FX-8350. Like the Z97-AR, it has high-quality audio and network adapters. In addition, this model will please players with the presence of a port for mice with a high polling rate (relevant for network shooters), an automatic PC overclocking system, functional software that allows you to configure the parameters of the system, etc. In addition, it has an excellent design, which is relevant in this assembly, because the case we recommend has a "window" on the side panel. And if such features do not matter to you, then you can replace this model with a regular board with an AMD 970 chipset (for example, with an MSI 970A-G43). In principle, any such board will work stably if you do not experiment with overclocking.

Aerocool GT-A is a gaming case with a good price-quality ratio

Body

Aerocool GT-A without PSU

If you have read our TOP 5 gaming enclosures, you know that they have an interesting (not office) design, provide good cooling components, allow you to place dimensional components. All these criteria are met by the Aerocool GT-A — 2015 body with a good price-quality ratio. On top of the front panel, it has USB ports (including one USB 3.0), sockets for connecting headphones and a microphone, etc. If you put the system unit on the floor, it will be convenient to connect the appropriate peripherals. And the "trick" of this model is the presence of two fan speed controllers in the same place. With their help, it will be possible to increase the performance of the cooling system during hot gaming battles and reduce it when surfing, etc. Experts attribute difficulties with hidden cable laying and thin metal to the disadvantages of Aerocool GT—A, but this is not critical considering the cost of the case and will not affect the operation of the PC. And models that are devoid of such "minuses" usually cost more.

Power supply unit

FSP EPSILON F4 Epsilon 88plus 750

We chose a power supply unit so as not to overpay for those "chips" that you can do without, but without compromising reliability and power. The FSP Epsilon F4 (88 Plus 750) with a power of 750 watts is capable of delivering 12 V 720 watts to power the processor and graphics card. Therefore, the manufacturer recommends Epsilon F4 for gamers for a reason. Its potential is enough to "power" our configuration with a margin. And since it has passed the 80 Plus Silver certification, it has a high efficiency of 88%. The disadvantages of the reviewers include a noticeable noise under heavy loads (read — when launching Battlefield). However, it is unlikely to find a quiet model with such indicators and a price tag. And there are quite a few analogues, for example,Chieftec A135 APS-750C.

Graphics card

Asus Radeon R9 390 STRIX-R9390-DC3OC-8GD5-GAMING or Asus GeForce GTX 970 STRIX-GTX970-DC2OC-4GD5

When choosing a graphics card from NVIDIA and AMD, the situation is similar to choosing between Intel and AMD processors. We have selected powerful cards from both manufacturers that are combined with other components of our gaming PC and have a good price-performance ratio in games. These video cards will cope with all games in Full HD resolution and high graphics settings, with the exception of a few — especially resource—intensive projects like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. They will cope, which means they will provide stable 30-60 frames per second. And in 4K resolution, problems may arise with top solutions with unsightly price tags. If you play online games like World of Tanks most of the time, where the requirements are not as high as, for example, in Assassin's Creed Unity, you can save money and take a GTX 960 or R9 380 level card.

RAM

HyperX Savage DDR3 2x4Gb HX316C9SRK2/8

Increased frequencies and reduced timings are a good set of qualities for RAM. Let its use not give a noticeable increase in FPS, however, we recommend using not the cheapest memory in a gaming computer. The difference in price with conventional memory is insignificant, but you will be sure that memory has not become a "weak link". If you add a bright — one might even say aggressive — design to these qualities, then it will be difficult to find a worthy alternative to the Kingston HyperX Savage. The slats are visually combined with both the Asus Z97-AR and the MSI 970 GAMING. And with the latest Kingston memory looks like one set of components. In the Aerocool case we have chosen, this will be noticeable thanks to the "window" on the side panel. And as for the volume, for now you can limit yourself to 8 GB, that is, take two bars of 4 GB each. Over time, if it becomes necessary to increase the memory to 16 GB, it will be possible to add two more similar bars.

Drives

HyperX Savage SSD SHSS37A/240G 240 GB + Seagate Pipeline HD ST2000VM003 2 TB

We chose Kingston HyperX Savage [SHSS37A/240G] not because it matches the colour of other components, but provides high performance (when reading and writing data). And the number of games that can be installed will depend on their system requirements. In general, the capacity of 240 GB is considered by many users to be the best option for SSD. And you can supplement it with the Seagate Pipeline HD [ST2000VM003] with the usual parameters (5900 rpm, 64 MB cache, etc.) and a capacity of 2 TB. You can save a little by taking a model with a capacity of 1 TB.

Screen

Dell S2415H 24 " black

It is impossible to choose the perfect game from the many models on the market. Because there are no models that combine everything you need... and at the same time, the price tag does not frighten. Therefore, it is necessary to make some kind of compromise. We assume that most will be satisfied with a monitor on a high-quality IPS matrix and Full HD resolution: Dell S2415H, LG 23MP57HQ. Players who spend a lot of time playing games can take a model with a frequency of 144 Hz — the image will be smooth and clear even in dynamic scenes, which many users note, but it's better to make sure of this yourself before buying. After all, the cost of models like the ASUS VG278HE cannot be called affordable... And there are still very few models with NVIDIA G-Sync and AMD FreeSync and they cost even more.

Keyboard and mouse

A4Tech Bloody V7 Price from 787 up to 1 162 ₴ → + A4Tech X7 G800V Price from 1 058 up to 1 907 ₴ →

Impressions of game manipulators are very individual and they should be chosen based not only on reviews and reviews, but also by trying them personally. We will recommend several popular and inexpensive models so that you have a "reference point" for searching or trust our choice if you cannot evaluate mice and keyboards. So, A4 Tech Bloody V7, Logitech G100s, etc. are popular. And among the keyboards, take a closer look at A4 Tech X7-G800V, Genius Imperator Pro and the like.

Finally

The cost of the configurations we proposed (with a monitor and manipulators) amounted to impressive amounts: $1,770 and $1,600 (plus $20 it is desirable to spend on a CPU cooler) for the Intel and AMD platforms, respectively. The amounts differ slightly, as does the performance of the systems. A powerful PC has always been expensive. But the performance in games (as well as any household tasks) will be excellent and such a machine will last for 2-3 years. And then it will be possible to replace the graphics card and postpone the purchase of a new PC for a long time.