In the Market for New PC and Need Reccommendations

[Trinket]

As the title states I'm ready to purchase a new PC, although if the price goes over my current budget I can save for a few more months.

Currently my budget is $1,750 if I were to go and purchase a PC right now. If I wait another three to six months and continue to save my budget will double that.

I have all expansion packs + a lot of CC. I want to run the game at highest settings as well as be able to record and/or stream what I'm doing. I also am interested in other games too, but am uncertain at this time what games I might want later on. Sims 3 is my current priority but there may be other graphics heavy games in future.

Are there any prebuilt computers I can buy that reflect my needs, or would it be better to purchase parts and have an individual I know put the PC together?

[MrsFlynn]

With that type of budget, it's definitely better to build your own desktop or have someone put together parts.

Are you looking for a parts list?

[Trinket]

If it's better to have someone put it together I think I would be looking to find a parts list.

[Flynn Arrowstarr]

Hi, Trinket.

After checking out a couple of articles on building a computer for streaming, here's what I came up with. Usual caveats apply such as Sims 3 being somewhat jittery even on extremely powerful systems due to engine limitations. With that said, here's the list:

PC Streamer Parts List
======================
Based on article at http://www.logicalincrements.com/articles/streaming from the $1,600 section.

Case: Corsair Carbide Series 100R Silent Edition Quiet Mid Tower Case - $59.99
https://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-Silent-Quiet-Tower/dp/B00RORBQSW/

- or -

Corsair Carbide Series 330R Titanium Edition Quiet Mid-Tower Case - $98.73
https://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-Titanium-Quiet-Mid-Tower/dp/B00NJNDGFG/

These cases offer one thing - sound dampening. When you're in a recording or streaming session, you want quiet. We have both models, and aside from a slight size difference (the 100R is slightly shorter than the 330R) they both offer great airflow and space to work with. They aren't fancy, but they work very well.

Graphics: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 SC GAMING ACX 3.0 Black Edition, 8GB GDDR5, LED, DX12 OSD Support - $429.99
https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-GAMING-Support-08G-P4-5173-KR/dp/B01KVZBNY0/

Offers excellent graphics and offers 1080p and better than 60 fps performance on just about anything you can throw at it. You could go for the GTX 1080, but unless you plan to game at 1440p or at 4k, the price difference isn't worth it.

Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 1700 Processor with Wraith Spire LED Cooler - $299.99
https://www.amazon.com/AMD-YD1700BBAEBOX-Processor-Wraith-Cooler/dp/B06WP5YCX6/

8 cores and 16 threads at 3.8 GHz. More cores helps when you're streaming, allowing the game to take what it needs and leaves processing power for the streaming encoding or other needs. If you're more into Intel, you could go with an 17 7700K at 4.2 GHz, but with half the cores (4) and threads ( than the AMD.

Processor cooler: Noctua NH-D15 SE-AM4 Premium-Grade 140mm Dual Tower CPU Cooler for AMD AM4 - $89.99
https://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NH-D15-SE-AM4-Premium-Grade-Cooler/dp/B01NC06ZYT/

Stock coolers don't offer as much cooling capabilities when the processor is running heavily, and tend to be noisier to boot. This should help keep the processor running cooler while streaming and be a bit quieter.

Motherboard: MSI X370 GAMING PRO CARBON Amd Ryzen X370 Ddr4 Vr Ready Hdmi Usb 3 Atx Gaming Motherboard - $159.99
https://www.amazon.com/MSI-X370-GAMING-PRO-CARBON/dp/B06WGS4FJL/

Offers a lot of USB ports and includes two m.2 SATA on the motherboard for future SSD expansion. It also supports up to 64 GB memory. Note: from the reviews, make sure you update the BIOS on the boad as soon as possible.

Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM 3200MHz C16 Desktop Memory Kit - Black - $135.99
https://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Vengeance-3200MHz-Desktop-Memory/dp/B0143UM4TC/

16 MB should be plenty to get you started. As noted, the motherboard listed above will support up to 64 GB memory.

SSD: Crucial MX300 275GB SATA 2.5 Inch Internal Solid State Drive - $99.99
https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX300-275GB-Internal-Solid/dp/B01IAGSD5O/

While the motherboard supports m.2 SATA, using a SATA SSD at a boot drive can be a bit less expensive up front. Sure, it's slightly slower than m.2 SATA, but it leaves you with more money to use for other more important components.

HDD: HGST Deskstar NAS 3.5-Inch 4TB 7200RPM SATA III 64MB Cache Internal Hard Drive - $149.90
https://www.amazon.com/HGST-Deskstar-3-5-Inch-Internal-0S03664/dp/B00HHAJRU0/

Lots of space to store you applications. Deskstar is a brand with a very good reputation.

Power supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2, 80+ GOLD 750W, Fully Modular, EVGA ECO Mode - $109.99
https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Supernova-220-G2-0750-XR-Modular-Supply/dp/B00IKDETOW/

Modular power supplies are excellent for helping to keep cords out of the way of airflow.

Operating system: Microsoft Windows 10 Home USB Flash Drive - $109.99
https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-Home-Flash-Drive/dp/B01019T6O0/

Optional if you already have a copy of Windows 10, or if you still have a retail (not OEM) copy of Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 as it is still possible to receive a free update to Windows 10. If you're starting completely fresh, then you need this.

Capture/Streaming card: Elgato Game Capture HD60 Pro, stream and record in 1080p60 - $173.99
https://www.amazon.com/Elgato-superior-technology-hardware-encoding/dp/B014MQIVPS/

Based on review at http://channelawesome.com/elgato-hd60-pro-review-awesome-video-game-memories/ - it's a sponsored review, but Ryan does give a pretty fair assessment of its capabilities.

Keyboard: Logitech G213 Prodigy Gaming Keyboard with 16.8 Million Lighting Colors - $59.99
https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Prodigy-Keyboard-Lighting-920-008083/dp/B01K48R5V4/

Gaming keyboards support a capability known as N key rollover, meaning they can handle multiple keypresses easier than traditional keyboards. Unless you want a mechanical, there's no need to spend a ton of money on one. I use an older Logitech (the G510s) and while it doesn't have mechanical switches, it's still comfortable to both type on and game with.

Mouse: JTD M999 Professional Gaming Bat High Precision 200 to 8200 DPI Adjustable DPI LED Wired USB Laser Gaming Mouse - $22.99
https://www.amazon.com/JTD-M999-Professional-Adjustable-Programmable/dp/B013TSNDJO/

One of many re-branded Scroll Alpha gaming mice. Don't let the price fool you, the mouse is very nice, has several different DPI settings from 800 to 8200, and is overall smooth and responsive. I have the Etekcity model and, aside from the logon on the back, is the exact same mouse.

All links and prices are based on Amazon US pricing as of the day this post was written. Prices change on Amazon frequently, so use this more as a guideline. As of right now, the system comes to just over $1902 US if you bought everything on the list with the smaller case. However, some of those costs can be dropped if you already have the operating system, drives, or anything else from a previous system that might be able to be used.

Also, late summer and early fall tend to be good times to buy computer parts and other computer related items due to back to school sales. Or just save a couple hundred more to put toward the system.

Hope this helps and happy Simming!

Flynn

[Trinket]

This is very helpful, thank you! And if there will be sales I'll definitely have to wait as I do like a good deal, just like my late maternal grandmother.

The only other piece I'd need is a microphone. I usually use a head set, but I've seen that there are quite a few who use an actually mic all on its own and have no idea what would be the best. So I guess what I'd save on sale of PC components would go toward the mic.

[Flynn Arrowstarr]

Here's what I've been looking at for when I eventually take the plunge:

Microphone: Blue Microphones Yeti USB Multi-Pattern Microphone with Full Size Studio Headphones and Knox Pop Filter - $149.99
https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Microphones-Multi-Pattern-Microphone-Headphones/dp/B003LRY1UE/

This microphone is used by a large number of streamers and by a number of professional recorders. I've help set this up at my workplace and it's sound quality is pretty great. Also includes some decent studio headphones and a pop filter (a must have item).

Swingarm stand: InnoGear Microphone Suspension Mic Clip Adjustable Boom Studio Scissor Arm Stand for Blue Snowball Blue Yeti Microphone - $15
https://www.amazon.com/InnoGear-Microphone-Suspension-Adjustable-Snowball/dp/B01L3LL95O/

Optional, but it allows for a little more flexibility when you're recording. Used a similar set up when I used to work in radio.

You'll also want a decent audio processing application. Audacity is a pretty decent package, and it's free at http://www.audacityteam.org/

For streaming, I hear OBS is pretty good. And it's also free from https://obsproject.com/

Whatever room you're using to stream in, you'll want to reduce the amount of sounds in the room. You may also want to invest into some sound dampening tiles like these:

12 Pack Acoustic Panels Studio Foam Wedges 1" X 12" X 12" - $13.99
https://www.amazon.com/12-Pack-Acoustic-Panels-Studio/dp/B00TP7C9YY/

Unless you're in a very small room, you shouldn't need to coat every wall with the foam. You'll want to do some research on how to set things up. As you're just starting out, you don't need to invest in a ton of money in audio hardware, but you'll need to learn how to tweak the software you will be using to get the best sound and video quality. Good luck!

Flynn