PC Setup Thread - Advice on what works

[RetroDee4Three]

Hi all,

It seems that most people who play on consoles believe that you have to spend $1000-$2000 on a gaming PC to run this generations NBA 2K games, this is completely false.

First, I will list my setup below. NOTE: The only reason I have the RX480 graphics card, is because my brother got it for me for my birthday. I was using the R9 270X followed by the R9 290x, and I was able to play all this generations 2K's (2K15 through 2K19) on highest settings.

GRAPHICS CARD: AMD RX 480
PROCESSOR: AMD FX 8150 8-core 3.6 ghz processor
RAM: 12GB

The rest of my setup:

TV: Samsung NU7100 (50 inch)

I highlighted the one that I have. Anything under 20ms for Input Lag is considered excellent for a TV, mine is roughly around 13. The picture quality is excellent as well.




Anything 0-20 is considered excellent here



https://displaylag.com/testing-method/

I've shown this to a few other people, a couple bought the TV (One bought the 50 inch, the other the 43 inch) and they are LOVING the gaming on it. You don't feel any input lag, it's incredibly reactive, and your game looks great. Another myth is that you have to spend a ton on a monitor or TV, this is literally not the case. I got this TV for around $350 on sale, and it's still under $400 online.

I maintain a constant 60FPS even through cutscenes, take a look at the gameplay videos below. And, it's pretty awesome playing on a 50 inch screen!

Monitor idea if you wanted to go big that way: Acer 48.5 inch

https://www.colamco.com/product/acer...RoCQKgQAvD_BwE

No, not as cheap as the Samsung, but it's relatively the same size and under $600.

CONTROLLER: Xbox one wireless

People don't realize how easy it is to use xbox360 or xbox one controllers on PC. They are literally plug and play, the CPU recognizes them immediately, and they plug in via USB. For wireless, all you need to do is spend $18, plug it into your USB slot, and your wireless controller is automatically recognized.

https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Xbo...a-568608808999

If you didn't care about the wireless route, you could buy a cheap rock candy xbox 360 controller which works perfectly. You could get one of those for like $20 at wal-mart.

How much do you need to spend?

Not as much as you think, or people tell you.

See this $600 gaming PC? My buddy has it, and can run NBA 2K19 on high. Want one a little more powerful? an upgrade exists for $100 more.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/cyberpo...saAgoaEALw_wcB

Here is another one right around $600 that you could easily max out 2K20 on. My brother has that graphics card (RX 580), and it's the upgrade to the one I currently have (RX 480)

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron...=operasport-20

Future proofing? Pretty sure you still won't have to break the bank to do that. Yes, you may want to get a slightly better graphics card or processor, but don't go nuts. I remember when we were moving from last gen on PC (NBA 2K14) to this gen (NBA 2K15), the setup that I had worked fine with the transition. I had an AMD R270X card, and a weaker processor than I do now, and I was able to run NBA 2K15 on high, use all mods (The few that existed), etc.

Here are some gameplay videos using my current setup.













A little background on me.

I got into PC gaming in 2013 and I am a contributor over on the NLSC. I mod myself, but also use the many mods by the talented creators who post them. I personally will never be able to go back to console as long as PC versions are available. The graphics, responsiveness (That is a big one), mods, etc... They just do it for me. Even if you had to play PC versions on MEDIUM for setting, the graphics are no worse than consoles (Which is another thing people fail to realize or understand).

Let me know if you have any questions!

[bongo88]

All of this is good information about PC Gaming. The computers listed here (from CyberPowerPC and Dell ) are good computers to get you started.

The only thing i would add is that, if you are going to build your own pc and do not know where to start --- i would ask on the buildapc reddit forum and the Build Your Own PC on the PCMech Forums.

They are both very helpful places for beginners looking to build your own pc. They will give you good advice and helpful tips about build components.

last point for new people looking to build your own pc: ask about the Power Supply. A cheap/poor quality power supply with will ruin your components (gpu/cpu/etc).

this is just for complete new people who want to build a computer, but don't know where to find good information.

For those who just want to order a computer, plug it into the wall and TV --- Dee has give a good informative post in the OP.

[TheBuddyHobbs]

Here's my rig. Though I did spend a lot on this. Not a fan of anything that doesn't run in 4K with ultra settings.




Sent from my SM-G955U using Operation Sports mobile app

[RetroDee4Three]

Quote: Originally Posted by TheBuddyHobbs

Here's my rig. Though I did spend a lot on this. Not a fan of anything that doesn't run in 4K with ultra settings. Sent from my SM-G955U using Operation Sports mobile app

Different wants for different people, that's what it comes down to.

I love the quality of 1080p, I literally have no issues with it my games still pop, they still give me the wow factor, etc. My recommended setup or ideas for a setup are more tailored around people who are totally fine with 1080p.

I run all my game on ultra settings, with the two rigs I posted, people could indeed run this gens 2Ks on ultra, running it with 60 fps in 4k is another story.

That's another portion of this, FPS. Consoles max can get 60fps, many games hover in the 30 fps on cutscenes etc, I am totally 100% content wit constant 60 FPS on pc. I have no stuttering whatsoever even through cutscenes or when a lot of things are on the screen (and moving). Some want more, but I believe studies have shown that the human eye cant see the difference after you go beyond 60FPS.

I didnt notice a difference, and I played on a PC that was routinely getting 144FPS (on a monitor), but that was me. Maybe you folks notice that difference. Same with input lag, the in input lag is so low on my TV, that I dont feel any delay when pressing a button and when it happens on screen (For 2k or otherwise). Maybe you do, but I dont.

I think this thread could cover setups like mine, and 4K setups, all are welcome.

[wallofhate]

Thanks for this it’s appreciated. I lean on threads like this to educate me without feeling agenda driven or selling something. I wanna jump into pc gaming because I’m a graphics whore and love what I see in mods I’m apprehensive a little because terminology about ram this and cpu and graphics cards etc. I don’t wanna overpay but I want close to the top graphics card and I want things to run 4K smoothly no problem. I’m gaming on lg OLED so with this upcoming update on the tv it’ll be ideal. My question is do gaming pc do hdr? I’m guessing they don’t so my next question would be is it much of a difference without it graphically?

[RetroDee4Three]

Quote: Originally Posted by wallofhate

Thanks for this it’s appreciated. I lean on threads like this to educate me without feeling agenda driven or selling something. I wanna jump into pc gaming because I’m a graphics whore and love what I see in mods I’m apprehensive a little because terminology about ram this and cpu and graphics cards etc. I don’t wanna overpay but I want close to the top graphics card and I want things to run 4K smoothly no problem. I’m gaming on lg OLED so with this upcoming update on the tv it’ll be ideal. My question is do gaming pc do hdr? I’m guessing they don’t so my next question would be is it much of a difference without it graphically?

Bongo would better answer this, as he did so on the NLSC in regards to HDR, etc.

However, on the last part. I dont notice a big drop off to 1080p at all, in fact I love my picture/graphics. I get complimented all the time on how my gameplay videos look, those are uploaded at 1080p@60fps.

My needs and wants are not everybody's, but I think my setup and my recommendations are a good baseline for someone who doesnt care about gaming in 4K, but wants to run games at SMOOTH FPS on ultra settings.

[TarHeelPhenom]

Can you advise on how you set up your PC to TV? Is it as simple as running an HDMI from the PC to the TV? I'm actually using Shadow Gaming right now...I wanted to see if I enjoyed PC gaming enough to go all in on a Gaming PC and this gives me the opportunity to try it out for however long I want and then cancel. I like it so far.

[RetroDee4Three]

Quote: Originally Posted by TarHeelPhenom

Can you advise on how you set up your PC to TV? Is it as simple as running an HDMI from the PC to the TV? I'm actually using Shadow Gaming right now...I wanted to see if I enjoyed PC gaming enough to go all in on a Gaming PC and this gives me the opportunity to try it out for however long I want and then cancel. I like it so far.

Yup, all you do is plug in via HDMI from CPU to TV.