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Author Topic: VR Ready Gaming Build - Under $1000  (Read 8073 times)

Offline Lithium

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VR Ready Gaming Build - Under $1000
« on: March 25, 2016, 08:16:10 pm »
I recently had the exciting experience of upgrading old hardware (~3 years old) and replacing much of it with near top of the line hardware. I was delightfully surprised to find this rather affordable - especially if you can reuse existing components. I could easily picture a similar build 5 years ago costing north of $2,000. Hopefully this guide can help save some time for those of you looking to build a VR ready machine.

Processor: Intel Core i5-6600K

Purchased: Jet.com using 15% off promo code 'SHOP15' and United MileagePlus Shopping

Why: For the price point nothing else beats this processor. With an unlocked multiplier I was able to notch up the core speed to 4.4Ghz with zero effort. I did not find it advantageous to jump to the Core i7 and pay over $100 more for basically the hyper-threading. The real-world results between the i5 and i7 will be nearly identical.

Price: $221.48 + 204 miles + 2% cash back (some people will owe local tax - I did and the total shown here was after tax)

-----------

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980TI GAMING 6G LE

Purchased: Newegg.com w/ free copy of the Divison, $30 MIR, and United MileagePlus Shopping

Why: This is an awesome video card and it may be the most critical component for a smooth VR experience. While a GTX 980 may suffice, I think the TI will be longer lasting and hold better resale value for when the next generation cards start shipping late this year or next. I was able to squeeze out 1.5Ghz on the core and 8Ghz (4Ghz * 2) on the memory without any additional cooling or voltage tweaks - all I used was MSI Afterburner. There are a lot of companies that make this card and sales come and go, this just happened to be a better than average. Also check out Jet.com and the coupon above if sales tax is waived in your state.

Price: $619.99 + 2% cash back - $30 MIR - $40 (sale of The Division on eBay) + 609 miles

-----------

Motherboard: MSI Z170A SLI Plus

Purchased: Newegg.com and United MileagePlus Shopping

Why: Motherboard is a bit subjective but I have had good experiences with MSI boards and customer service. This board comes with standard features. PCIe 3.0 which means this version's 8x = 16x on the previous model of processors and board. Includes USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A ports and a USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C port. Basically Gen2 is faster and can draw more amps but you'll need an adapter to use it with a Type-A device. I would have liked to seen more ports on the back plate but there are plenty of internal sockets for additional front and back panels on you case.

Price: $119.99 + 2% cash back + 120 miles

-----------

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 16GB DDR4 2400 (PC4 19200)

Purchased: Newegg.com and United MileagePlus Shopping

Why: Gone are the days of $300+ RAM. This is a pretty basic pick. It's easy to clock at 2400 and has great performance.

Price: $62.99 + 2% cash back + 63 miles

-----------

Everything Else: Already Owned

- Case
- 600watt PSU
- Cooler Master 212 Cooler (the best bang for the buck and keeps things cool!)
- ArcticSilver 5
- Blu-ray Drive

-----------

Grand Total: $954.45 - $19.09 (cash back) = $935.36 + 996 miles

I have also started selling my old hardware which I expect to make over $200 on bringing the total cost of the upgrade below $750.

(All purchases made with 2% back Citi Double Cash Card)
« Last Edit: March 25, 2016, 08:23:04 pm by Lithium »

Don't believe everything you think.

Offline john_space_nut

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Re: VR Ready Gaming Build - Under $1000
« Reply #1 on: March 28, 2016, 09:56:14 pm »
That's a nice build.   I love how you were able to get a 980ti and still be under $1000.    I got r9 390 which should work but from what I've seen I may not be able to run ultra with it.
« Last Edit: March 28, 2016, 09:59:07 pm by john_space_nut »

Offline Saint

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Re: VR Ready Gaming Build - Under $1000
« Reply #2 on: April 18, 2016, 01:09:28 am »
ok so not quite under 1000, but this i my VR build.

Phanteks Enthoo Pro Series PH-ES614P_BK Black Steel / Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811854003

ASUS ROG MAXIMUS VIII RANGER LGA 1151 Intel Z170 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132586

Intel Core i7-6700K 8M Skylake Quad-Core 4.0 GHz LGA 1151 91W BX80662I76700K Desktop Processor Intel® HD Graphics 530
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117559

Corsair Hydro Seriesâ„¢ H115i Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler. 280mm
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181100

ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

MyDigitalSSD 480GB (512GB) BP5e 80mm SATA III 6G M.2 2280 NGFF SSD Solid State Drive (Bullet Proof 5 Eco)   
http://www.amazon.com/MyDigitalSSD-480GB-512GB-Solid-Bullet/dp/B01BO4L3MY?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3000 (PC4 24000) Intel Z170 Desktop Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231878

EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 06G-P4-1996-KR 6GB HYBRID GAMING, "All in One" No Hassle Water Cooling
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487144

(Had this laying around) Rosewill LIGHTNING-1300 - 1300-Watt Modular, Active PFC Power Supply - Continuous @ 122 Degrees F (50C), 80 PLUS .
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182063


I had a 1020 into it until I added the video card hehe
« Last Edit: April 18, 2016, 01:13:48 am by Saint »

Offline Broin

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Re: VR Ready Gaming Build - Under $1000
« Reply #3 on: January 22, 2017, 09:12:06 pm »
Here is what I am looking at in a new build…

Intel Core i5-6600K SkyLake 3.5 GHz 1151 Boxed Processor
$199.99

http://www.microcenter.com/product/451885/Core_i5-6600K_SkyLake_35_GHz_1151_Boxed_Processor


Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 8 GB GDDR5 256 bit PCI-E 3.0 x 16 Windforce OC (GV-N1070WF2OC-8GD)
$356.59

https://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GeForce-GDDR5-Windforce-GV-N1070WF2OC-8GD/dp/B01HHCA1IO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485063154&sr=8-1&keywords=N1070WF2OC


G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 2400 (PC4 19200) Intel Z170 Platform / Intel X99 Platform Desktop Memory Model F4-2400C15D-16GVS
89.99  (NOTE 10.00 cheaper just to get the silver instead of red or blue)

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16820232174

ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING LGA 1151 Intel Z170 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
$114.99

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132567&cm_re=Asus_Z170_Pro_Gaming-_-13-132-567-_-Product

Samsung 960 EVO Series 500GB NVMe M.2 Internal SSD
$249.99

http://www.microcenter.com/product/471501/960_EVO_Series_500GB_NVMe_M2_Internal_SSD



Need to find a decent case and power supply and maybe some dual monitors or ultra-wide.  Not sure there is anything else, but let me know.

Go ahead, make my day.


Offline Lithium

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Re: VR Ready Gaming Build - Under $1000
« Reply #5 on: February 28, 2017, 11:34:27 pm »
Looks good. But for cooling you will need an actual heatsink. Something tried and true like this:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099&cm_re=cooler-_-35-103-099-_-Product

and

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007&cm_re=artic_silver-_-35-100-007-_-Product

My only other suggestion is to double check prices per gig on a regular SATA SSD vs the PCIe SSD. In real life you will probably notice no difference between the two.

Oh and the monitor link is incorrect, but I'm sure the monitor you found is good.

Don't believe everything you think.


Offline Tbone

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Re: VR Ready Gaming Build - Under $1000
« Reply #7 on: March 01, 2017, 10:51:07 pm »
The Samsung Evo is the one I have, I believe. Over 14,000 reviews and five stars!

Offline Lithium

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Re: VR Ready Gaming Build - Under $1000
« Reply #8 on: March 01, 2017, 11:25:53 pm »
Yeah, the Samsung is the gold standard for consumer SSDs.

Don't believe everything you think.

Offline Broin

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Re: VR Ready Gaming Build - Under $1000
« Reply #9 on: March 02, 2017, 08:30:16 pm »
Evidently the Crucial is the best 2nd place to the Samsung and is just about as fast.

Go ahead, make my day.

 

 

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