$2k gaming computer - 4770k + GTX770; any changes?

[eta508]

Good call on the AS5. A lot of charts are still showing it very high up on the list and I know I like it. However, I would be more comfortable using a well-known paste instead of what comes with the cooler so I'll go with the MX-4.

Final build using TIM and going with the standard 840 ssd. Mouse and Mouse Pad may swap after I try some things out, but that doesn't greatly affect the build. Thanks for helping me min/max this. Let me know if there is anything else - I've definitely taken most of everyone's advice.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($349.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Cooling MX4 4g Thermal Paste ($9.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($174.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($164.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 4GB Video Card ($449.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS29 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($49.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.74 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($249.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($56.34 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Cooler Master CM Storm Sentinel Advance II Wired Laser Mouse ($42.50 @ Newegg)
Other: ZOWIE GEAR G-TF SPEED e-Sport Gaming Mouse Pad ($29.99)
Total: $1998.42
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-30 10:38 EDT-0400)

 

[cbk]

okay, so the consensus is to go with the regular Samsung 840 then?

The Samsung 840 Pro is the SSD you want, it has crazy fast read/write speeds, but the standard 840 is very good aswell.

 

[mnewsham]

All I am going to say is that you will probably never end up going SLI in the future, i would wager that about 3/4 of the people who say they want to go SLI later, never will simply because by the time you need to go SLI, the newer generation of cards will be out (or will be close to releasing), and it will make a lot more sense to simply buy the new generation. If you had a single HD 5850 right now it wouldn't make much sense to look around for a 5850 when you could just straight up buy a GTX 770 and save yourself on power, noise, and temps, while still getting better performance.

As for the 4GB GTX 770 or the lightning GTX 770, you just must really like spending more money for little to no gain... I just can't see where the value that $50 dollars is really going towards you aren't going to be gaming at the highest graphics settings with full AA or anything, a single GTX 770 wont be able to give you that performance, especially at 144Hz. So with newer games you will already have to have it "high" settings without AA/AF (or maybe some AA but at lower levels). And the Lightning GTX 770 is simply factory over clocked, you might get lucky and get a binned chip that performs better than a normal GTX 770, but the majority will just be the same as the $399 GTX 770, but the factory moves the Mhz slider up 50-100 Mhz. This GTX 770 for $399 has a core clock of 1110MHz the "lightning" for $50 MORE has a core clock of 1150MHz. that is a whopping 40MHz for $50.


Is there any reason you think you need gold or platinum efficiency? the difference is going to be maybe $0.25 per month in terms of power usage. Unless it's a better deal than other PSU's in the same wattage there really isn't much point in getting Gold vs. silver or bronze or w/e.

 

[lehtv]

Can't find anything else to comment on

 

[eta508]

Thanks for the advice, mnewsham. You're probably right about the SLI. I've said it for my last 2 computers and have yet to ever do it.

I was going for the lightning (or the actual 4GB gigabyte card I settled on) not because of the higher clocks, but because of the better cooling. I've had one computer (10 years ago) fail because of heat so I've been sensitive to that in my last 2 or 3 builds. Already the drop from a full tower to mid is starting a panic in me, but I know cases are a lot better now than they were then when it comes to cooling.

In the scheme of things $50 isn't going to make or break 1 part on a 2k build so it just buys me some piece of mind. You are making me question which 770 to get, however.

Similar to the card cooling, I just think the power supply certification adds something to the purchase. My computer is left on for 12 hours a day probably on average so yeah, the savings isn't the full reason to get it, but much like TVs now a days, the best tv's throw a lot of marketing stuff and add-ons in them that are actually not that meaningful, but the fact remains they also use better quality components for things that don't necessarily get a marketing blurb. Better caps, thicker wiring, better volt reg etc. don't get the marketing but they make the component better overall.

 

[mnewsham]

Similar to the card cooling, I just think the power supply certification adds something to the purchase. My computer is left on for 12 hours a day probably on average so yeah, the savings isn't the full reason to get it, but much like TVs now a days, the best tv's throw a lot of marketing stuff and add-ons in them that are actually not that meaningful, but the fact remains they also use better quality components for things that don't necessarily get a marketing blurb. Better caps, thicker wiring, etc. don't get the marketing but they make the component better overall.

While somewhat true I grant you, unless you plan on using the PSU for more than 5-7 years it will be more or less irrelevant, especially since with that PSU you wont even be hitting over 30% load most of the time. Your computer will idle around 100w (if that even), when gaming you could probably hit a spike of 400w or so, but that's about it.

the GTX 770 with an Intel Core i7-3960X @ 4.3GHz pulls 383w at peak load during a stress test.
Your CPU is going to be even better in terms of power so knock that number down a bit for your situation, at full load you wont even be hitting 375w

 

[eta508]

pcpartpicker estimates 437W and I'll be overclocking a little so a little higher. So, could I get away with 500W, yeah, I could, but is cutting it close worth ~$30 savings compared to the $110 750W I picked?

 

[mnewsham]

pcpartpicker estimates 437W and I'll be overclocking a little so a little higher. So, could I get away with 500W, yeah, I could, but is cutting it close worth ~$30 savings compared to the $110 750W I picked?

That depends on you personally, if you add it all together it can be significant, step down to a $399 770, that's another $50 so that's a total of $80, I personally would step it down to an i5 instead of the i7, that would bring it down another $100 or so, that's almost $200, I would then look at shaving off other costs and buy another GTX 770, but that's just me.


For you, it probably wont matter as you have your budget and you are within it. This is simply food for thought.

 

[Termie]

pcpartpicker estimates 437W and I'll be overclocking a little so a little higher. So, could I get away with 500W, yeah, I could, but is cutting it close worth ~$30 savings compared to the $110 750W I picked?

PCPartPicker is the first site I've ever seen that actually underestimates the required power supply wattage. It's shocking, really. You'd destroy a 430W power supply if you tried to use it with an OC'd HD4770K/GTX770 system. What PCPP is probably getting at is the power draw of the system, but you CANNOT use that to judge the PSU you actually need, because a PSU running at 100% during gaming will probably blow eventually, and will be hot and loud up until the day it dies.

Get a 550W, no less. You're building a high-performance gaming rig. The XFX 750W you found before is definitely a fine pick.

 

[RaistlinZ]

I think the PSU is fine, especially at that price. If you ever want to SLI you'll need a larger PSU than 550w.

You can save $50.00 by getting a different 770 (that Lightning edition doesn't overclock any better than any other 770). With the difference you can maybe upgrade to the Samsung 840 Pro 256GB.

 

[eta508]

I'm still leaning towards the 4GB 770 instead of the lightning for the same price. Maybe 2 years from now, a lot more games will like the 4GB over 2GB vram.

 

[RaistlinZ]

Just an FYI.. the 4770k is $20.00 cheaper at Amazon, still with free shipping. Yeah, either get the 4GB version or save $50.00 by getting a regular 770. Actually, you probably don't need the 4GB card since you only game at 1080p.

HERE'S MY REVISION


CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($349.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Cooling MX4 4g Thermal Paste ($9.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($174.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($229.99 @ NCIX US) :thumbsup:
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: MSI GTX 770 2GB ($399.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS29 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($49.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.74 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($249.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($56.34 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Cooler Master CM Storm Sentinel Advance II Wired Laser Mouse ($42.50 @ Newegg)
Other: ZOWIE GEAR G-TF SPEED e-Sport Gaming Mouse Pad ($29.99)
Total: $2,013.42
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-30 10:38 EDT-0400)

 

[eta508]

Thanks - pcpartpicker isn't smart enough to drop the price it shows in the line-item, but I'm really getting the chip+mb for $100 cheaper combo deal so it comes down to $250 really for the chip. The total price reflects this discount, it just doesn't show it in the line-item.

 

[RaistlinZ]

Thanks - pcpartpicker isn't smart enough to drop the price it shows in the line-item, but I'm really getting the chip+mb for $100 cheaper combo deal so it comes down to $250 really for the chip. The total price reflects this discount, it just doesn't show it in the line-item.

Ah, nm then.

 

[mnewsham]

Just for fun I did a $2k dual 770 gtx build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks




CPU: *Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor *($239.99 @ Newegg)*
CPU Cooler: *Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler *($29.98 @ Outlet PC)*
Motherboard: *ASRock Z87 Extreme6 ATX *LGA1150 Motherboard *($174.99 @ Newegg)*
Memory: *A-Data XPG Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory *($94.99 @ Newegg)*
Storage: *Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk *($224.99 @ Mac Mall)*
Storage: *Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive *($84.98 @ Outlet PC)*
Video Card: *Galaxy GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) *($399.99 @ NCIX US)*
Video Card: *Galaxy GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) *($399.99 @ NCIX US)*
Case: *Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case *($49.99 @ Newegg)*
Power Supply: *Cooler Master GX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply *($54.00 @ Newegg)*
Optical Drive: *Pioneer BDC-207DBK Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer *($37.98 @ Outlet PC)*
Operating System: *Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) *($89.49 @ Outlet PC)*
Monitor: *Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor *($249.99 @ Newegg)*
Keyboard: *Logitech MK550 Wireless Ergonomic Keyboard w/Laser Mouse *($51.99 @ Amazon)*
Total: $2103.34
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-30 16:44 EDT-0400)

A bit over budget, but close.

 

[DSF]

Similar to the card cooling, I just think the power supply certification adds something to the purchase. My computer is left on for 12 hours a day probably on average so yeah, the savings isn't the full reason to get it, but much like TVs now a days, the best tv's throw a lot of marketing stuff and add-ons in them that are actually not that meaningful, but the fact remains they also use better quality components for things that don't necessarily get a marketing blurb. Better caps, thicker wiring, better volt reg etc. don't get the marketing but they make the component better overall.

I think most people nowadays leave their computers on 12-24 hours a day, and when your computer idles it'll be at 20% load or less.

Just understand what 80PLUS certifications are. Companies who want to be labeled as 80PLUS certified pay an outside for-profit company (Ecos Consulting). Ecos then puts one (yep, just one) sample power supply through their testing, determines the efficiency at three loads (20, 50 and 100 per cent) and gives a rating.

Maybe the biggest flaw in the system is that power supplies are tested at 23 degrees C, not a more realistic 40-50 degrees C. Occasionally (although not often) power supplies that would only qualify for a low rating at real-world operating temperatures receive a higher grade in Ecos's lab because of their unrealistic ambient temperature.

It's one of those things that has become so ubiquitous that not having an 80PLUS certification would make one question a PSU just because they're so common, but it's not in and of itself a measure of the quality or durability of the innards.

 

[lehtv]

Just to clarify to the above - they're not rated at 23C operating temperatures, they're rated at 23C ambient temperatures. And while 40-50C operating temperature inside the PSU is realistic, it is not a realistic ambient temperature (i.e. case air temperature), unless you have a monstrous gaming rig at full load. Typically the PSU is located near the bottom of the case these days, and hot air from components is above it and rising, so it's not exactly sitting in a hot spot.

 

[eta508]

Similar to THX certified speakers. The cert is basically meaningless and the speakers are just as good with our without the cert, but more often that not, a company isn't going to spend the money on the cert if there aren't other worthwhile parts of the build that mean they're an above average part to begin with.

 

[cbk]

Thanks for the advice, mnewsham. You're probably right about the SLI. I've said it for my last 2 computers and have yet to ever do it.

I was going for the lightning (or the actual 4GB gigabyte card I settled on) not because of the higher clocks, but because of the better cooling. I've had one computer (10 years ago) fail because of heat so I've been sensitive to that in my last 2 or 3 builds. Already the drop from a full tower to mid is starting a panic in me, but I know cases are a lot better now than they were then when it comes to cooling.

In the scheme of things $50 isn't going to make or break 1 part on a 2k build so it just buys me some piece of mind. You are making me question which 770 to get, however.

Similar to the card cooling, I just think the power supply certification adds something to the purchase. My computer is left on for 12 hours a day probably on average so yeah, the savings isn't the full reason to get it, but much like TVs now a days, the best tv's throw a lot of marketing stuff and add-ons in them that are actually not that meaningful, but the fact remains they also use better quality components for things that don't necessarily get a marketing blurb. Better caps, thicker wiring, better volt reg etc. don't get the marketing but they make the component better overall.

I know what It feels like when you touch your computer and you can't keep your hand there without getting burned. Damn Core 2 Duo iMac and HP laptop, at least it isn't the Core 2. My friend has a Macbook with a Core 2, and he burned himself touching it. :thumbsdown:

 

[Cerb]

3. I have a cubic crapton of games at any one time so I prefer the performance of a black over blue drive any day for the slightly higher cost. I'm not just storing music/movies/pics on it. So, I think I'll stick with the WD black.

Er, that' would be a good reason to stick with the Blue. The Blacks are still WD1002FAEX (2-platter).

http://www.overclock.net/t/1297633/wd10ezex-review-wd-blue-1tb-single-platter-drive

 

[lehtv]

Agreed. Black = 5 year warranty, Blue = 2 year warranty, lower cost, and higher performance as of now.

 

[eta508]

interesting. never even thought to think of the platters being different. Usually new tech goes in the top line, not the medium...

 

[Cerb]

interesting. never even thought to think of the platters being different. Usually new tech goes in the top line, not the medium...

WD's Blacks have generally been a bit behind, but usually not by much (porbably just enough to get rid of old inventory). With WD still selling the older Blacks, and having no 2TB Blue out, while we don't really know, my guess is that they're right at the edge of meeting demand, and are still dealing with flood issues, at least financially.

 

[mfenn]

3. I have a cubic crapton of games at any one time so I prefer the performance of a black over blue drive any day for the slightly higher cost. I'm not just storing music/movies/pics on it. So, I think I'll stick with the WD black.

That would be a reason to get the Blue (1 platter vs 2 in the Black). What you're paying for on the Black is extra warranty, that's all.

EDIT: I see this has been covered.

I'm amazed the SSD is getting so much hate when this site gave it such a glowing review. I definitely plan on filling it up and the reviews really stressed how this is the best card for that and beat the 840 pro.

Nobody is really hating on the Extreme II. They're just saying it isn't the best value.

Another thing to keep in mind is that any (non-enterprise) SSD is going to have significantly lower performance if you completely fill it up. So I wouldn't recommend doing that.

they also use better quality components for things that don't necessarily get a marketing blurb. Better caps, thicker wiring, better volt reg etc. don't get the marketing but they make the component better overall.

The problem with that logic is that 80PLUS doesn't guarantee any of those things. All 80PLUS says is that a PSU provides X% of its input power as output power. There are plenty of ways to increase efficiency without using more reliable parts.

 

[eta508]

Thanks for the help, I'll switch the black to blue 1TB.