Question Budget gaming desktop

Dec 22, 2022
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I recently decided to build myself a budget gaming desktop. Got tired of console gaming. And the first game and one of my reasons for the build is escape from Tarkov and with all my research I should be able to run it ok but my fps tanks and it’s basically unplayable even in offline mode. Basic specs if it will help.

Gigabyte GA-H57M MoBo
Intel i7 860
EVGA GeForce GTX 970 SSC 4GB VRAM
G.Skill ripjaw DDR3 2x8GB 1600Mhz

All drivers I believe are updated. Is it possible it is my monitor? I believe I heard someone state something about monitors in one of the numerous videos I watched trying to find my own solution. The one I have now is set to 75hz refresh rate. Any help would be greatly appreciated as I am 100% a PC noob.

[Mod edit: changed title from the unhelpful "What am I missing?" and moved to hardware forum as thread developed.]
 
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Dec 22, 2022
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Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

You have a PC that was top of it's game(pun intended) back in late 2009. The issue you're suffering from is that the games isn't optimized and you're compounding the issue with a very old platform.

thanks for the info, I knew it was older components as I was trying to keep costs down in case I screwed up the build. I thought I would be ok or at least at the low end of the spectrum to run it based of the recommended system requirements.

caveat, I have an opportunity to upgrade to an i7 12700KF with ASUS Z690-P. Would I still be able to keep the GPU? If not what would you recommend upgrading to? I don’t play often so going RTX seems silly. Would a GTX 1060 be ok? Or would I still need something with some more power??
 
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The problem is trying to find the GTX1060 brand new. If you're buying used, might as well flush that money down the drain or release it into the ocean...no I'm not poetically kidding here, I mean it with sincerity. Mined cards are all that flood the used market and even if it looks brand new, you can't identify the state of the internals of the GPU at face value.

You're looking at a motherboard and CPU combo, I'm seeing you needing a build from the ground up. There are other members in this community who could also offer their takes on the matter. It's a good idea to hear out what others have to say and then make an informed decision.
 
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The problem is trying to find the GTX1060 brand new. If you're buying used, might as well flush that money down the drain or release it into the ocean...no I'm not poetically kidding here, I mean it with sincerity. Mined cards are all that flood the used market and even if it looks brand new, you can't identify the state of the internals of the GPU at face value.

You're looking at a motherboard and CPU combo, I'm seeing you needing a build from the ground up. There are other members in this community who could also offer their takes on the matter. It's a good idea to hear out what others have to say and then make an informed decision.

yeah I figured it would be a new build. Only thing I can keep I think would be my case and PSU. Thank you so much for your input!!
 
Retitled this thread and moved to Hardware.

Only thing I can keep I think would be my case and PSU
Welcome to the forum :)

Uh careful, don't bet on that. PSU reliability is hugely important, and one of your last choices—after you've picked the other parts, so we can see what power they need.

Case will impact airflow = cooling, and also restrict the physical size of what components you can put in it.

We have good expert people here—you already met one, not me—so follow their advice :)
 
thanks for the info, I knew it was older components as I was trying to keep costs down in case I screwed up the build. I thought I would be ok or at least at the low end of the spectrum to run it based of the recommended system requirements.

caveat, I have an opportunity to upgrade to an i7 12700KF with ASUS Z690-P. Would I still be able to keep the GPU? If not what would you recommend upgrading to? I don’t play often so going RTX seems silly. Would a GTX 1060 be ok? Or would I still need something with some more power??
I would have thought that PC should easily run Escape from Tarkov, except I just now heard of the Intel i7 860. Looked it up. That's not the way to stick to a budget. But it should still run the game. Are you sure you don't have another problem somewhere? Update your drivers, etc?

As far as replacing it goes, not to get tossed in with the heretics, but you could get a nice, brand new PC on Amazon with a 3060 and a 6 core CPU in it for $1000. Or you could wait for the inevitable sale when the 4060 comes out and get it for $800 or thereabouts. If you are willing to gradually drop your settings through the years, it could last you at least 5 or so years.
 
I was reading a thread the other day where people were saying they got crazy performance uplift in Tarkov from going 16GB to 32GB of RAM on very new platforms. Tarkov is probably the most demanding game out there for the CPU/RAM.

It doesnt help that the devs are saying it will run on a Core 2 Duo when you search for minimum requirements. That sounds like total nonsense to me based on everything people say who actually play that game.
 
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That sounds like total nonsense to me
I have no tech knowledge to comment, but I certainly raised an eyebrow when I saw those specs.

"Why" I wondered to myself, "Why is Escape from Tarkov easily the most complained about game here?"

I sure hope devs aren't underselling the requirements to build customer numbers. How much does it cost these days?
 
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I was reading a thread the other day where people were saying they got crazy performance uplift in Tarkov from going 16GB to 32GB of RAM on very new platforms. Tarkov is probably the most demanding game out there for the CPU/RAM.

It doesnt help that the devs are saying it will run on a Core 2 Duo when you search for minimum requirements. That sounds like total nonsense to me based on everything people say who actually play that game.

I could easily as another 16GB so I will try that thanks.
 
Dec 22, 2022
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my case and PSU
Which would be?
I have one from Newegg called golden field and I believe is the Z20 and I have 6 fans. The PSU is a thermaltake Smart 500w and according to multiple psu calculators is more than enough for what I have. But if I went with a RTX I would definitely upgrade. I was thinking of maybe doing a small upgrade to a GTX 1660 or somewhere around there still researching as I am still very new to all this.
 
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I would have thought that PC should easily run Escape from Tarkov, except I just now heard of the Intel i7 860. Looked it up. That's not the way to stick to a budget. But it should still run the game. Are you sure you don't have another problem somewhere? Update your drivers, etc?

As far as replacing it goes, not to get tossed in with the heretics, but you could get a nice, brand new PC on Amazon with a 3060 and a 6 core CPU in it for $1000. Or you could wait for the inevitable sale when the 4060 comes out and get it for $800 or thereabouts. If you are willing to gradually drop your settings through the years, it could last you at least 5 or so years.

I suppose so, I just got a good deal from a local for the MoBo with that CPU. I definitely downloaded the new drivers for the gpu. I did not try to update the bios on the MoBo yet as it appears to be risky from what I have read. The odd thing is a couple of people I follow online have run some benchmarks Heaven and MSI Kombustor and had relatively similar scores to me and then ran Tarkov no problem. Last night I tried enabling XMP to see if that would help and nope. I tried to do a mild overclocking of the GPU with MSI afterburner and although it improved my scores in the benchmark software it did not help with Tarkov. Maybe it is a compatibility issue that I’m just not noticing.
 
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thermaltake Smart 500w
How old is the unit?

As for your case, I did a Google Image search, in 2023 I'd try and get rid of the case and pick something up with better airflow/intake in the front/something that breaths. In it's current state, regardless of how many fans you strap to the case, the intake vents aren't enough to draw in air for the innards.

Sigh, I'm glad that period where people literally spent on TG cases with no intakes is over, although they're yet floating around the market. Uninformed people end up buying bad components and learning things the hard way.
 
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I suppose so, I just got a good deal from a local for the MoBo with that CPU. I definitely downloaded the new drivers for the gpu. I did not try to update the bios on the MoBo yet as it appears to be risky from what I have read. The odd thing is a couple of people I follow online have run some benchmarks Heaven and MSI Kombustor and had relatively similar scores to me and then ran Tarkov no problem. Last night I tried enabling XMP to see if that would help and nope. I tried to do a mild overclocking of the GPU with MSI afterburner and although it improved my scores in the benchmark software it did not help with Tarkov. Maybe it is a compatibility issue that I’m just not noticing.
You could go to https://www.userbenchmark.com/ and have it test your components and see if one of them is struggling. When you are in game and check your temps, are they okay? How about your utilization for both your CPU and GPU. The GPU should be at or very near 100 percent while in game.
 
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Dec 22, 2022
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thermaltake Smart 500w
How old is the unit?

As for your case, I did a Google Image search, in 2023 I'd try and get rid of the case and pick something up with better airflow/intake in the front/something that breaths. In it's current state, regardless of how many fans you strap to the case, the intake vents aren't enough to draw in air for the innards.

Sigh, I'm glad that period where people literally spent on TG cases with no intakes is over, although they're yet floating around the market. Uninformed people end up buying bad components and learning things the hard way.

Makes sense. Would something like the vetroo K1 be ideal? As ugly as it is? Just trying to get a good idea.
 
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You could go to https://www.userbenchmark.com/ and have it test your components and see if one of them is struggling. When you are in game and check your temps, are they okay? How about your utilization for both your CPU and GPU. The GPU should be at or very near 100 percent while in game.

I will try that website, I was using MSI afterburner to track, as well as my task manager my cpu utilization is around 35% in game and my GPU is roughly around 99%
 
Dec 22, 2022
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Do you fellas think it is worth trying to test it in another game first? I was thinking of testing with say another taxing but old game DayZ. If that runs ok then I know it’s just my old components can’t handle Tarkov, if not then maybe my configuration is no good or one of my components is not working optimally. Or just say screw it and upgrade and don’t waste time. Also I just want to say I appreciate everyone’s kind and informative input. The last time I played PC counter strike source was the only thing I played…. Which may show how long it’s been since I tried to run a gaming setup.
 
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Yes, that's something you could look into though I wasn't meaning something that looked like a transformer or something that looks very similar to a Cougar Conquer. More along the lines of what you see in a Fractal Torrent chassis, however you've got the point. Also, I've learned that aesthetics, art/design and sound are subjective and will vary from one individual to another.
 
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