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Advice on new build !

K

kokorochin

Junior Member
Hello,

I would like to ask for advice regarding my upcoming build. My use will mostly be movies, tv shows and gaming on max settings. I will be using a 42" LCD full hd as primary display. I would only overclock should the computer start to be outdated, or having problems running certain games. My budget is around 1000 euros maximum.

What do you think about the following parts :

board : MSI Z87-GD65
cpu : Intel Core i5-4670K
ram : Gskill RipjawsX F3-14900CL8D-8GBXM
ssd : Samsung 840 Pro
hdd : WD Black WD5003AZEX
psu : Corsair CX750M
case : Corsair 500r

I feel pretty confident about those previous parts, but my main dilemma is between those 2 graphic cards :

Sapphire HD7950 3Go Dual-X Boost / vs / Sapphire R9 280X Dual-X Boost

The first one is priced 190 euros, and the other 230 euros. Is the price difference really worth it ? I've seen many reviews regarding the 7950 dual-x and they all say it's an amazing card. That if overclocked it could rival a 7970 ? Can't find reviews regarding the R9 280x Dual-X though.

So what do you think about my parts ? Are some of them bad choices, should I consider others ?
 
There are very few bad parts, but there are a LOT of bad prices on good parts. So we really need to know the price you're paying for your parts and what the alternatives are (link to shop is best/easiest) before we can make an informed recommendation.

As for the GPU, here's a comparison of the 7950 and R9 280X. The R9 280X is definitely faster at stock, the two are about the same in a pure price/performance comparison (280X is 21% more expensive but ~25% faster).

All bets are off when overclocking though, it really comes down to the individual sample. I have no doubt that the 7950 can probably get to an R9 280X stock performance, but overclocking the R9 280X would extend the lead by that much more. How much more depends on how good your specific chip is.
 
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Can you post a link to the shop you're using? regarding the components, the motherboard, ram and ssd are typically overpriced a bit (the mobo in particular being overkill), the hdd is bad price per gigabyte, and the case is probably a bit overkill as well. The PSU could be better quality but not more powerful
 
I live in Denmark at the moment, and I've looked through dozen of websites throughout whole Europe...

Best alternative is : www.computersalg.dk

Only thing I'm not buying there is the graphic card, because the prices are crazy. On a french website I can get the 7950 Dual-X for 190 euros, and the R9 280x Dual-X for 239 euros.

MSI Z87-GD65 : 1281,5 kr ≈ 173 euros
Intel Core i5-4670K : 1626,5 kr ≈ 219 euros
Gskill RipjawsX F3-14900CL8D-8GBXM : 576,5 kr ≈ 78 euros
Samsung 840 Pro : 913,5 kr ≈ 123 euros or Samsung 840 Evo 675,5 kr ≈ 91 euros
WD Black WD5003AZEX : 456,5 kr ≈ 61 euros
Corsair CX750M : 612,5 kr ≈ 82 euros or Corsair CX 600W : 502,5 kr ≈ 68 euros
500R Corsair : 803 - 895 kr ≈ 115 euros

If looked at totals, on many many many websites (shipping included, graphic card excluded), and this website is the winner, on top of having outstanding customer service...
 
I thought of the Z87-GD45 for a while, but after seeing some reviews I have narrowed it down to the Z87-G43 instead, it offers exactly the same performances as the Z87-GD45 Gaming except for better audio, but for a lower price. GD65 and GD45 performances are almost identical. I think the Z87-G43 is best for someone like me, who will only have 1 SSD, 1HDD, 1GPU and 1DVD drive, and overclock on air. SO, could spare some money there. Deep down I still desire the GD65 or G45 though...

From what I read, the Samsung 840 Evo also seem to be a way better choice for someone like me. Performances are almost the same, and price is lower, I could spare some money there.

Still don't know about the case though, 400R, 500R, but I'm leaning towards the 500R.

Any inputs ?
 
Just off the top of my head...

840 EVO will work fine for your purposes.

WD Black not necessary unless that is all you have available, WD Blue or Green would be OK, or even an equivalent competing brand.

With a single GPU even, you won't need the 750w PSU, the 600w will suffice.

Also, don't forget an OS.
 
My mistake sorryn the build has changed, slightly.

HDD will be WD Blue WD10EZEX 1TB.

PSU will be Cooler Master V550S.
 
If not intending to overclock right away, I'd just forget about it. Go with a 4c/8t Xeon instead and buy a GPU right away (Xeon doesn't have an iGPU). The extra threads will help in some games (Crysis 3, Battlefield 4), and the number of those games can only increase in the future.

Xeon E3 1230 V3 1709 dkk (229 &#8364😉
Asrock Fata1ty H87 Performance 683 dkk (91 &#8364😉
Crucial 2x4GB 1600 565 dkk (76 &#8364😉
Asus GTX 770 2GB 2332 dkk (312 &#8364😉
Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 675 dkk (90 &#8364😉
WD Blue 1TB 403 kr (54 &#8364😉
XFX 550W 421 kr (56 &#8364😉
Corsair 330R 695 kr (93 &#8364😉

= 7483 kr (1004 &#8364😉

Alternatively get a bigger SSD Crucial M500 240GB 1076 dkk (144 &#8364😉 and drop the GPU down to Asus GTX 760.
 
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lehtv said:
If not intending to overclock right away, I'd just forget about it. Go with a 4c/8t Xeon instead and buy a GPU right away (Xeon doesn't have an iGPU). The extra threads will help in some games (Crysis 3, Battlefield 4), and the number of those games can only increase in the future.

Xeon E3 1230 V3 1709 dkk (229 €)
Asrock Fata1ty H87 Performance 683 dkk (91 €)
Crucial 2x4GB 1600 565 dkk (76 €)
Asus GTX 770 2GB 2332 dkk (312 €)
Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 675 dkk (90 €)
WD Blue 1TB 403 kr (54 €)
XFX 550W 421 kr (56 €)
Corsair 330R 695 kr (93 €)

= 7483 kr (1004 €)

Alternatively get a bigger SSD Crucial M500 240GB 1076 dkk (144 €) and drop the GPU down to Asus GTX 760.
Click to expand...

:thumbsup: Very nice build as always!

kokorochin said:
I thought of the Z87-GD45 for a while, but after seeing some reviews I have narrowed it down to the Z87-G43 instead, it offers exactly the same performances as the Z87-GD45 Gaming except for better audio, but for a lower price. GD65 and GD45 performances are almost identical. I think the Z87-G43 is best for someone like me, who will only have 1 SSD, 1HDD, 1GPU and 1DVD drive, and overclock on air. SO, could spare some money there. Deep down I still desire the GD65 or G45 though...
Click to expand...

An important thing to know is that the motherboard makes practically no difference in system performance (0.5% at most). The cheapest 50 euro H81 board will perform exactly the same as the most expensive 300 euro extreme gamer Z87 board.

What higher-end motherboards do provide are more features like more SATA ports, more USB ports, higher-end audio, more PCIe slots via PLX chips, more power delivery capacity for overclocking, etc. Extra features are great if you need them, but useless if you don't. So the motherboard selection process comes down to "what is the least expensive motherboard that has the features that I need?"
 
Hi again, and thank you for the help. I've taken your advice and input into consideration and looked up many reviews.

The build is not final but so far I have decided to go with these :

MSI Z87-G43 = 707,5 kr (95e)
Intel Core i5-4670K = 1522 kr (205e)
Gskill RipjawsX F3-14900CL8D-8GBXM = 576,5 kr (78e)
Samsung 840 Evo 120gb = 625 kr (84e)
WD Blue WD10EZEX 1TB = 402,5 kr (54e)
Cooler Master V550S = 672,5 kr (91e)

And I think I'll have to break the bank and get

Corsair 500R = 400 kr (54e) (found a used one that i'll pick up in two days)
Sapphire R9 280X Toxic Edition OC 3GB = 2345 kr (317e)

= 7668 ( 1036e )

A bit more expensive, but no regrets !

Is there any way/place to get a cheaper R9 280X Toxic, because the danish prices are so high, when it comes to graphic cards. In France, I could get the Sapphire R9 280X Dual-X for 240 euros...

Corsair TX550M 550W or Cooler Master V550S ?
 
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http://www.extremetech.com/computin...e-in-litecoin-mining-leads-to-radeon-shortage
Release MSRP on a R9-280X was $300.
Today, they are going for $400+.

It's not the Danish prices, but prices everywhere. In general, your prices looked to be 20-25% higher than a straight USD conversion, which is not atypical for European states.

Here in the U.S., I held off on a video card upgrade, just weeks ago, and am seriously thinking about getting a 4GB R9-270X or GTX 760, because of the crazy prices the 280X and higher are going for.
 
Cooler Master V550S = 672,5 kr (91e)
Click to expand...
This unit is not worth 91 €. Yes it is Gold efficient, but the Bronze efficient XFX unit is probably better built (the OEM is Seasonic instead of Enhance), and costs 35 € less! You'll never bridge that price gap with just a few percent higher efficiency... you might save a few euros per year if you use the PC very actively.
Corsair TX550M 550W or Cooler Master V550S ?
Click to expand...

What does the TX550M cost? It's about the same as XFX 550W in terms of quality and features, so don't overpay for it
 
The TX550 costs 622,5 dkk (84e).

So close to the V550S at 672 dkk (90e).

On Sapphire's website, it says : 750 Watt Power Supply is required for that a R9 280X.
 
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Well, if you say it's fine, and I will be able to overclock both cpu as well as gpu on air, then I will get the Cooler Master V550S for sure and cross it off my worried mind ! Done.

Last order of business, the GPU. Maybe I should buy it in France, and have a friend ship it to me.

Sapphire 7950 Dual-X OC : 1819 dkk or (180 euros in France so 1332dkk)
Sapphire R9 280X OC : 2100 dkk or (228 euros in France so 1687dkk)
Sapphire R9 280X Toxic : 2345 dkk
Sapphire R9 280X Vapor : 2242 dkk (260 euros in France so 1924dkk)

Edit : My friend tells me to get the Sea Sonic S12II-620Bronze instead, what do you think ? It's
 
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I may be prone to overkill, but I always buy a slightly more powerful PSU then I absolutely need for future proofing. Always a good brand and 100 w over what I currently "need".

The Wife
 
kokorochin said:
Well, if you say it's fine, and I will be able to overclock both cpu as well as gpu on air, then I will get the Cooler Master V550S for sure and cross it off my worried mind ! Done.
Click to expand...

Earlier I explained why the V550S makes no sense. The XFX 550W is just as powerful, manufactured by a generally higher quality manufacturer, and over 30 euros cheaper. Knowing this, anyone should be able to make the right decision of not buying V550S. But, let me put it another way. If you're going to spend 90 euros on a PSU, then buy a Seasonic G550. It basically has all the features of V550S, but it's has easily higher quality power delivery and construction.

Edit : My friend tells me to get the Sea Sonic S12II-620Bronze instead, what do you think ? It's
Click to expand...

It's the same quality as XFX 550W. What does it cost? If it's less than the TX550M, I'm willing to recommend the Seasonic.
 
kokorochin said:
I don't understand why, but the R9 280X are getting more expensive by the day. The prices have become crazy...
Click to expand...
Read my link. If you don't know about Bitcoin, though, look that up first, for some background. AMD can't just turn up supply on a dime, so this is what happens with increasing demand.

kokorochin said:
I don't know what that is. Tried a quick google search and read a bit, but it doesn't make sense to me...
Click to expand...
Well, that's a whole other issue 🙂. The short version, though, is that Radeons are much faster than other options at performing the kinds of hash algorithms used, so miners buy them to be able to come up with more valid coins faster than users of CPUs. The can then trade said virtual coins for real money, to people that see the coins as valuable. Given the meteoric rise of Bitcoin value, people want Litecoins in the hope that they are getting in well under the peak value. This demand only drives more to mine, until the difficulty reaches a point where ASICs (custom processors just to do one task) are necessary.

P.S. +1 on the XFX, after seeing the prices.
 
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