# Building a gamer for 1280x1024@60hz



## puma99dk| (Aug 7, 2015)

I am planning to build a gamer for a friend, with her currect monitor, she got, if i remember correct it's only running 1280x1024 at 60hz, I am thinking about using a GTX 960 with a i5/Xeon quad-core, 8gb ram and a 250gb & 1TB WD SE drives and Windows 10.

I am dunno if a Intel Pentium G3258 clocked to about 4ghz would be better choice with the GTX 960, I want her to be able to gaming future games too.

It will all be in Cooler Master's Elite 110 case and be powered by Silverstone's ST45SF-G (450watt 80+ Gold).

I already own the case, psu, the 250gb HDD, mb and Pentium cpu.


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## RCoon (Aug 7, 2015)

puma99dk| said:


> I am planning to build a gamer for a friend, with her currect monitor, she got, if i remember correct it's only running 1280x1024 at 60hz, I am thinking about using a GTX 960 with a i5/Xeon quad-core, 8gb ram and a 250gb & 1TB WD SE drives and Windows 10.
> 
> I am dunno if a Intel Pentium G3258 clocked to about 4ghz would be better choice with the GTX 960, I want her to be able to gaming future games too.
> 
> ...



I've found in all my benchmarks, the lower the resolution, the more important the CPU is. Particularly if you already have a strong GPU crunching the frames (like the aforementioned 960).


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## puma99dk| (Aug 7, 2015)

RCoon said:


> I've found in all my benchmarks, the lower the resolution, the more important the CPU is. Particularly if you already have a strong GPU crunching the frames (like the aforementioned 960).



I have to buy the GTX960, memory and the 1tb hdd, but i already own the case, psu, Pentium cpu and itx board.


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## peche (Aug 7, 2015)

forget about the Pentium, get a better processor, that will make your build more future proof,

follow my steps, you wont regret:

Processor: intel core i5 unlock for future overclock, this brave Quad core is enough for gaming, 
Motherboard: mid class or high end "Z" based chipset for example Z97  board,

I always use gigabyte, so I might recommend Gigabyte's  Z97 UD5 or Gaming 5, for an devils canyon processor, some 8GB of ram or 16GB if possible, get a HDD for data and games,  and 64GB SSD for OS and important programs, 


Excellent, you already have the case, a 250HDD than can be used for games only and that PSU, so how much are you allowed to spend?

take a look on this:

CPU: intel core i5 4690K  arround  $230
CPU Cooler: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO arround  $37
ThermalCompound: Arctic Cooling MX 4  arround  $6
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X Gaming 5 arround  $120/ 130
Video Card: gigabyte GTX 960 G1 Gaming  arround  $ 230
Memory: G.skill Ripjaws X8GB kit /  2x4GB arround  $51
Storage 1 : Crucial BX100 250GB arround  $78
Storage 2: Seagate barracuda 1TB arround  $45 / $ 50


if you have more money get a 970, better option, mooooarr perfomance, !


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## ZenZimZaliben (Aug 7, 2015)

I would get a better monitor before anything else. You can always run lower resolution until you get more cash saved up to build a better pc. Honestly a 1920x1080 display can be had for very cheap now days like under $100. 2560x1440 start around 200.00. I bet you could find a good used one on Craigslist (or similar in Denmark) for like $150.00. That will give you a lot of room to grow the PC.


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## Frick (Aug 7, 2015)

peche said:


> forget about the Pentium, get a better processor, that will make your build more future proof,
> 
> follow my steps, you wont regret:
> 
> ...



Loser build. SLI GTX 980ti and 4k or bust you know? Just throw her of a cliff, she has clearly proven she's a stain on civilization.


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## Devon68 (Aug 7, 2015)

> but i already own the case, psu, Pentium cpu and itx board.


So you already have the intel G2358 cpu? I would get the i5 regardless of resolution. A quad core is a quad core.
I don't understand what your question is?
The GTX 960 would be enough even for 1080p. Not max settings but enough to play any game.


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## peche (Aug 7, 2015)

Frick said:


> Loser build. SLI GTX 980ti and 4k or bust you know? Just throw her of a cliff, she has clearly proven she's a stain on civilization.


pfffffffff..... cmon be more humble ...


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## moproblems99 (Aug 7, 2015)

Who is paying for this?  You or her?  Is money the top priority?  If you are paying for this and money is tight, then slap the Pentium in.  If money is not a big concern go with i5 or maybe a different monitor.  Not sure if you will need a different board for the i5 or if your itx will take it.


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## puma99dk| (Aug 7, 2015)

srsly, she ain't a very gaming user, and i got the Intel Pentium G3258 at running at 4,6ghz stabile with 16gigs of ram and a GTX 970 with my Yamakasi Catleap Q270 monitor running 120hz with no problems with the games i game and but with the resolution she has I don't need like 960+ if i am wrong.

It needs to be ITX can't be bigger size so drop it, and i will never even run sli myself i tried with 2x8800GT back in the day and Mafia 2 didn't really give me extra performance 

but back to topic and no ot


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## GhostRyder (Aug 7, 2015)

puma99dk| said:


> srsly, she ain't a very gaming user, and i got the Intel Pentium G3258 at running at 4,6ghz stabile with 16gigs of ram and a GTX 970 with my Yamakasi Catleap Q270 monitor running 120hz with no problems with the games i game and but with the resolution she has I don't need like 960+ if i am wrong.
> 
> It needs to be ITX can't be bigger size so drop it, and i will never even run sli myself i tried with 2x8800GT back in the day and Mafia 2 didn't really give me extra performance
> 
> but back to topic and no ot


 Well while I love the Pentium I do believe even getting an i3 might be a better option if for nothing else having the extra threads.  If you have the CPU already and want to overclock it like that, it should be fine but just be warned that some games do have issues with straight dual cores.

As far as the GPU goes, you may also be able to get something a bit cheaper for that resolution if money is a concern.  I doubt that you will be stressing any video card even at max settings with something like say an R9 270 or higher.  You can get an R9 270 around here for as low as $130 which should offer plenty for that build and could give you some extra room for an i3 or i5 which may help in the long run (Or you can just keep the 3258 and pocket the money).


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## puma99dk| (Aug 7, 2015)

GhostRyder said:


> Well while I love the Pentium I do believe even getting an i3 might be a better option if for nothing else having the extra threads.  If you have the CPU already and want to overclock it like that, it should be fine but just be warned that some games do have issues with straight dual cores.
> 
> As far as the GPU goes, you may also be able to get something a bit cheaper for that resolution if money is a concern.  I doubt that you will be stressing any video card even at max settings with something like say an R9 270 or higher.  You can get an R9 270 around here for as low as $130 which should offer plenty for that build and could give you some extra room for an i3 or i5 which may help in the long run (Or you can just keep the 3258 and pocket the money).



AMD Radeon is no go, i don't like their drivers and not a big fan of them so Nvidia is only choice 

hmm i just feel like i3 is too over priced in denmark concidering G3258 and i5.


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## neatfeatguy (Aug 7, 2015)

If you already have everything aside from GPU, then stick with what you have.

Granted, I'd prefer a quad core at a minimum, but that's me. I'm generally about using what you have as long as it works.

I see nothing wrong with the Pentium if it works well with your current build. The only draw back is the fact that it's 2 cores and as time goes on, it may certainly lag behind quad cores. For now, it should work just fine once paired with the 960 on the 1024 monitor.


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## peche (Aug 7, 2015)

do you only have that haswell pentium ? board?
if have the board you can swap that processor for any haswell or devil's cannyon processor, for better performance over your old hardware, pemtium can be cloked to 4.5GHZ but stil 2 cores... 

i highly recomend a good processor + board if you plan to get a decent or high end video card, even for 1280res.... 
1920 is going to be so much better, but everything depends on the money you could spend...

Regards,


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## moproblems99 (Aug 7, 2015)

I think your plan is pretty good right off, she isn't much of a gamer so don't blow the budget.  Besides, if she decides later on she wants more - deal with it.  This way you just get it going for minimum expense.

Edit:  By deal with it, I mean look at what can be upgraded such as processor and motherboard.  Looks like an i5 will just drop in that board.  So deal with upgrades later.


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## CrAsHnBuRnXp (Aug 7, 2015)

Not sure why everyone keeps popping in here saying get a better CPU when he already has one and doesnt want to deviate from it. I dont understand the point of this thread anymore unless I am missing something?


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## GhostRyder (Aug 7, 2015)

puma99dk| said:


> AMD Radeon is no go, i don't like their drivers and not a big fan of them so Nvidia is only choice
> 
> hmm i just feel like i3 is too over priced in denmark concidering G3258 and i5.


 Well while I would disagree with you I will not fret on your decision 

However I would say save some money on the GPU, maybe grab a GTX 750ti which is Maxwell and should handle 1024 just fine.  It would save a lot of money and give you a close enough experience to the GTX 960 at that resolution.  You could pair that up nicely with the Pentium and have a pretty nice small efficient build that will game at that resolution very well.

Just food for thought, I had a friend who was gaming at that resolution off of a GTX 560ti and was still maxing everything out (Within reason) until a few months ago and that card is weaker than a 750ti by a decent margin.


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## peche (Aug 7, 2015)

moproblems99 said:


> Edit: By deal with it, I mean look at what can be upgraded such as processor and motherboard. Looks like an i5 will just drop in that board. So deal with upgrades later.


i5 is the perfect processor for gaming, Hyper-Threading Technology does not show a notable diference or performance, so i5's are the best bang for the buck ...

PD: i5's not have Hyper-Threading Technology,


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## moproblems99 (Aug 8, 2015)

peche said:


> i5 is the perfect processor for gaming, Hyper-Threading Technology does not show a notable diference or performance, so i5's are the best bang for the buck ...
> 
> PD: i5's not have Hyper-Threading Technology,



Yeah, but he doesn't have one of those.


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## Toothless (Aug 8, 2015)

Buy a 2nd hand GTX660/TI and you'll be fine.


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## peche (Aug 8, 2015)

moproblems99 said:


> Yeah, but he doesn't have one of those.


the advise  is for upgrading for optimal performance!


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## Caring1 (Aug 8, 2015)

CrAsHnBuRnXp said:


> Not sure why everyone keeps popping in here saying get a better CPU when he already has one and doesnt want to deviate from it. I dont understand the point of this thread anymore unless I am missing something?


The thread that exists about the G3258's inability to overclock in Windows 10?
http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/t...ill-not-install-boot-when-overclocked.214699/


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## peche (Aug 8, 2015)

Toothless said:


> Buy a 2nd hand GTX660/TI and you'll be fine.


will be worth if you get it from a gooooood price only !


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## GorbazTheDragon (Aug 13, 2015)

Second hand 660/660Ti ~~80GBP/100GBP respectively prob 110/150USD

I'd say go for an i5 and a 660 class GPU. A 270(x)/370(x) would do the job equally well. Those GPUs are more than capable at 1080p. If you are willing to go short term on the GPU, and later upgrade GPU and monitor, I'd pick up some old fermi card. My 670m (GTX560 equivalent) did admirably at low resolutions, BF3 60fps at 720p ultra. But that would depend on the price you can get one at. If you can get one of those for around 80USD (QUITE POSSIBLE) you'd be set up pretty well.

You could drop down to an i3, which would be slightly less upgradeable, but might leave you space for a 660/270 and a new monitor. (I have a friend running an i3 4150 270x and he's very happy with the setup.


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## puma99dk| (Aug 13, 2015)

GorbazTheDragon said:


> Second hand 660/660Ti ~~80GBP/100GBP respectively prob 110/150USD
> 
> I'd say go for an i5 and a 660 class GPU. A 270(x)/370(x) would do the job equally well. Those GPUs are more than capable at 1080p. If you are willing to go short term on the GPU, and later upgrade GPU and monitor, I'd pick up some old fermi card. My 670m (GTX560 equivalent) did admirably at low resolutions, BF3 60fps at 720p ultra. But that would depend on the price you can get one at. If you can get one of those for around 80USD (QUITE POSSIBLE) you'd be set up pretty well.
> 
> You could drop down to an i3, which would be slightly less upgradeable, but might leave you space for a 660/270 and a new monitor. (I have a friend running an i3 4150 270x and he's very happy with the setup.



No AMD, srsly already stated that, plus i got clearance for a graphics card that's 21cm/210mm depending on where the power connectors are located and i tried looking for a second handed gfx not easy to find, so i will properly buy new, and i don't want any fermi cards srsly.


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## RejZoR (Aug 13, 2015)

ZenZimZaliben said:


> I would get a better monitor before anything else. You can always run lower resolution until you get more cash saved up to build a better pc. Honestly a 1920x1080 display can be had for very cheap now days like under $100. 2560x1440 start around 200.00. I bet you could find a good used one on Craigslist (or similar in Denmark) for like $150.00. That will give you a lot of room to grow the PC.



Common stupidity done by people, buy massive cheap monitor with gigantic resolution and then nothing can properly keep up with it. Also running non-native reoslution on LCD is a very bad idea because image will be crap. Really crap. Stick with the 1280x1024. I had it till half a year ago and it was fine. I just got bored of it and wanted the 144Hz one (which I have now). Great thing with such resolution is that you can run ANYTHING at Ultra settings even on weaker graphic cards. And unless you're really sensitive to screen size, it'll still be perfectly fine.


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## ZenZimZaliben (Aug 13, 2015)

RejZoR said:


> Common stupidity done by people, buy massive cheap monitor with gigantic resolution and then nothing can properly keep up with it. Also running non-native reoslution on LCD is a very bad idea because image will be crap. Really crap. Stick with the 1280x1024. I had it till half a year ago and it was fine. I just got bored of it and wanted the 144Hz one (which I have now). Great thing with such resolution is that you can run ANYTHING at Ultra settings even on weaker graphic cards. And unless you're really sensitive to screen size, it'll still be perfectly fine.



Nice way to express your opinion man... And you certainly can run lower res with same aspect ratio with very little loss. You can get a quality 1920x1080 screen for around $150.00. Then you lower in-game settings.


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## moproblems99 (Aug 13, 2015)

I don't understand the point of spending more money to only lower settings.  They already have a monitor, a processor, and a motherboard.  The best thing they can do is use what they have and enjoy it.  She is not a hardcore gamer, she will be fine.  Down the road if she wants to get more into it, they can upgrade.


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