Build Help\Suggestions: Building and Stressing

[SparksIT]

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
For short term: Gaming, long term would like to do video editing. Games would be, Skyrim with DLC\Texture Pack, Starcraft 2, Civ 5 and Tomb Raider. The rest are older games in my Steam back log such as DA:O, and Sins Rebellion, nothing hardware intensive.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread:
Would like to stay under $1000, for new parts, am willing to spend more if needed or necessary, Hard limit of $1100 after taxes and shipping.

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
USA - Amazon would be preferred (Prime member), but NewEgg, Tigerdirect, or any other reliable retailer\e-tailer are also acceptable. I am 100 miles from a MC (~$35 in gas round trip + 6.7% Sales Tax), I am willing to go, but the savings do need to be significant to off set that.

5. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc. No preference, I am used to using name brand parts WD\ASUS. Though, my HTPC I built a year ago used an ASRock board, no issues so far.

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
I Have a Samsung 830 256G SSD (MZ-7PC256Z) that I purchase a couple months ago. I also do not plan to have a Optical drive at this particular moment, may add one when needed.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
No plans to overclock at the moment

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?
Depends on the monitor that I purchase, no less then 1920 x 1080. Would like a 1440p monitor, but I don't now if the price of the monitor plus the price increase from higher end GPU, will fit the budget.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
Within the month, hopefully less.

10. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?
No, I have a spare Windows 7 64-bit OEM license.

So this is what I have so far (please be critical):
Updated: July 24, 2013
CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor Purchased
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard Purchased
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory Purchased
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk Purchased
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($92.79 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card Purchased
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case Purchased
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply Purchased
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) Purchased
Monitor: ASUS 23 IPS Monitor Purchased


For the PSU, I'm not sure, I would think a 550W should do, and my previous builds were Antec, but again if there are better\equal brands out now; please suggest.

Question on the CPU and cooler, would it be worth it to drop down to the 4670 non K variant or jump up to the 4770(non K) processor since I don't really plan on OC? And should I buy a CPU cooler or would the Intel one be just as good?

For the Monitor, I'm thinking, a simple 1920 x 1080 at ~23 inches. Not sure with the games I listed, how much more horse power I would need to power the extra pixels of a higher res monitor.

For the GPU, I would prefer Single over multi-gpu, don't really care, AMD or nVidia, and the current gaming bundles are of no interest to me. I was looking at an 7870, and would prefer a less power hungry card (I know that's an Oxymoron in a Gaming PC build).

For the Case, I would love to purchase a Silverstone FT-02S (windowless) for the simplistic fact that it is not a frills\LED\Fan showing, in your Face, Gaming look. It is hard to justify the $229 price tag, however, if I would splurge, this would be it. If there is something similar for half the price, with equally cooling option that would be great.

If I left anything out please let me know.

Thank you.

 

[mfenn]

There's definitely no room in a $1000 budget for a $230 case, and not really even a $130 one. I would start from the build in the midrange buyers builder's thread, drop the SSD and ODD. Those changes free up around $110, take that plus the headroom in your budget and get a decent 23" 1080p like this LG IPS234V-PN for $140 AP.

 

[SparksIT]

There's definitely no room in a $1000 budget for a $230 case, and not really even a $130 one. I would start from the build in the midrange buyers builder's thread, drop the SSD and ODD. Those changes free up around $110, take that plus the headroom in your budget and get a decent 23" 1080p like this LG IPS234V-PN for $140 AP.

I'll take a look, also there is no ODD (optical disk drive?) in the build to drop, and the SSD has already been bought, and not counting against the $1000. Unless you meant the Seagate 2 TB HDD?

 

[DSF]

You really aren't going to need excessive cooling for that kind of build. If you like the no-frills look I'd consider the Fractal Design Define R4, or a number of offerings by Corsair or Antec.

 

[Essence_of_War]

Gaming at high settings, at high fps, at 1440p requires a monitor (min of $400) and a high end GPU (770 @ $400 or 780 @$650), or worse, pair of gpus to xfire/sli, usually requiring a more expensive MoBo and certainly requiring a more expensive PSU.

I'd stick w/ 1920x1080 or 1920x1200 if you can.

Unfortunately, as Mfenn noted, you really do not have room in your budget for that case. Especially when cases like the Corsair 400R are on sale for $70 AND the 500R are ALSO on sale for 70. Both are fantastic choices.

I'll take a look, also there is no ODD (optical disk drive?) in the build to drop, and the SSD has already been bought, and not counting against the $1000. Unless you meant the Seagate 2 TB HDD?

mfenn was saying that you should drop the SSD and the ODD from HIS build in the mid-range system buyer's thread

 

[mfenn]

I'll take a look, also there is no ODD (optical disk drive?) in the build to drop, and the SSD has already been bought, and not counting against the $1000. Unless you meant the Seagate 2 TB HDD?

I meant to drop the items from the build I linked.

Edit: Essence of War got it right.

 

[SparksIT]

I filled out my build:

PCPartPicker part list

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G43 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (Purchased)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($92.13 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($154.99 @ Newegg) + After Promo
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($98.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($66.24 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) (Purchased)
Monitor: LG IPS234V-PN 75Hz 23.0" Monitor ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $943.28

I added the Case to the build but I haven't completely made up my mind. At the moment it is between the Fractal R4 ($98.98) or the Corsair Carbide 300R ($71.52), the Fractal does does have seem to have the better thermals and sound. Also not sure on the Powersupply, 600W should be more then enough power, but curious if I should drop down to a 500W?

Also, still wondering if the 4670K is worth getting, since I won't be overclocking, I added the following 4670K + MSIZ87-G43 to the build, however I can save $20 if I get the 4670 + MSI Z87-G43. Should I stick with the default CPU cooler, or should I buy one?

Last question, How does Saphire rate as a brand? The reviews on newegg seem to complain on DOA and malfunctioning cards.

Thanks.

 

[Essence_of_War]

Why consider the 300R at 70 if both the 400R and 500R are also selling for 70?

 

[SparksIT]

Why consider the 300R at 70 if both the 400R and 500R are also selling for 70?

Price is not the deciding factor, but aesthetics , I am will to spend more for case but I want a simple case with out the gaming look. Both the 400 and 500 both have the light blue LED front fans.

 

[DSF]

From the 400R specs page on Newegg:
"And since looks are an important part of any build, you’ll appreciate the ability to turn the front panel fan white LEDs on or off with the push of a button."

 

[Essence_of_War]

Price is not the deciding factor, but aesthetics , I am will to spend more for case but I want a simple case with out the gaming look. Both the 400 and 500 both have the light blue LED front fans.

Calling any member of the Corsair X00R series a "gaming look" sounds odd to me. I find them to be downright sedate.

At any rate, both the 400 and 500 also have a button to turn the LEDs off

 

[lehtv]

Price is not the deciding factor, but aesthetics , I am will to spend more for case but I want a simple case with out the gaming look. Both the 400 and 500 both have the light blue LED front fans.

Maybe a Lian Li PC-7HX? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811112389 50 AR AP
http://redirect.anandtech.com/r?url...duct.aspx?Item=N82E16811112389&user=u00000687

 

[SparksIT]

From the 400R specs page on Newegg:
"And since looks are an important part of any build, you’ll appreciate the ability to turn the front panel fan white LEDs on or off with the push of a button."

Calling any member of the Corsair X00R series a "gaming look" sounds odd to me. I find them to be downright sedate.

At any rate, both the 400 and 500 also have a button to turn the LEDs off

I think we are getting to hung up on this whole case part. I can easily come back to it, as I'm more particular about its looks. I'm more concerned about the rest of the build, namely the motherboard, gpu and psu. Especially if I should spend some the spare budget for a better mb.

 

[Essence_of_War]

I think we are getting to hung up on this whole case part. I can easily come back to it, as I'm more particular about its looks. I'm more concerned about the rest of the build, namely the motherboard, gpu and psu. Especially if I should spend some the spare budget for a better mb.

Fair enough, I just wanted to make sure you didn't pass up a solid deal because you thought it lacked some essential feature.

Is there a reason you picked up one RAM stick from Newegg and one from Outlet PC?
I'd get 2x4GB for $50 or 2x8GB for $110 (if you're editing video like, now or very soon.

The gpu is fine. Sapphire is a reputable manufacturer, and that card is solid price/performance.

PSU is more than adequate for a single gpu set-up. I'd probably go with this one (Corsair 500W for $30 AR) instead.

Unless a more expensive motherboard has some feature that's important to you (do you have one in mind?) that this one lacks, I don't think you get much from spending more money here. If you know that you have no intention of ever OC'ing you can save a few bucks getting a non-z series, and a non-k series. Here's an AsRock H87 series w/ the non-k. Saves you like $60. The stock cooler is fine in that case. If you DO want to OC, I'd invest in non-stock cooler. The CM 212 EVO is $30, as is the Arctic Freezer and both are good price/performance.

 

[SparksIT]

Is there a reason you picked up one RAM stick from Newegg and one from Outlet PC?
I'd get 2x4GB for $50 or 2x8GB for $110 (if you're editing video like, now or very soon.

That's interesting, turns out that the 7870 I selected is having a $12 combo with one stick of ram, and then for the second it choose the lowest priced ram it could find.

The gpu is fine. Sapphire is a reputable manufacturer, and that card is solid price/performance.

PSU is more than adequate for a single gpu set-up. I'd probably go with this one (Corsair 500W for $30 AR) instead.

I was looking at the same PSU, wasn't sure if that would impede and GPU upgrade after a couple years.

Unless a more expensive motherboard has some feature that's important to you (do you have one in mind?) that this one lacks, I don't think you get much from spending more money here. If you know that you have no intention of ever OC'ing you can save a few bucks getting a non-z series, and a non-k series. Here's an AsRock H87 series w/ the non-k. Saves you like $60. The stock cooler is fine in that case. If you DO want to OC, I'd invest in non-stock cooler. The CM 212 EVO is $30, as is the Arctic Freezer and both are good price/performance.

The only thing that I would like to get is a e-sata port, but motherboards with those do seem to be far and in between in my price range, and/or a Displayport, but DVI-D will have to do. I was more concerned with that as i was looking at a monitor with Displayport. However, I have given up on either of those.

I was initially looking at this 4670k + MSI Z87-G45, it is only an additional $30 then other combo, and seems to have a better reviews then the other MSI board.

So This is what I am looking at, the prices aren't 100% correct as part picker is not seeing the MSI+CPU bundle, nor is it seeing the GPU+Ram bundle, and I have a promo code for newegg in general for $15, which at the moment I am using with the GPU but I adjusted the final price to roughly what it should be. I also noticed that I missed the Monitor deal, not sure if it is still a good value.

PCPartPicker part list

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($50.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($92.79 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($98.98 @ Outlet PC)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) (Purchased For $0.00)
Monitor: LG IPS234V-PN 75Hz 23.0" Monitor ($167.58 @ Newegg)
Total: $945.30

If all looks good, I hope to start purchasing in the next couple days.

 

[Essence_of_War]

I was looking at the same PSU, wasn't sure if that would impede and GPU upgrade after a couple years.

I think it probably doesn't pay to spend much extra money now, for PSU wattage that you aren't getting the benefits from until after a potential gpu upgrade in 2-3 years.

Get the PSU that fits your rig's needs now. In 2-3 years, when you're thinking about a gpu-upgrade, re-evaluate if it's enough to drive the card you're interested in, and if it isn't, the GPU is the biggest power hog in a gaming rig anyway, so it makes a lot of sense to upgrade them at the same time.

 

[mfenn]

Your build looks OK to me, but you are certainly giving up on a decent bit of gaming performance (e.g. 7970) by getting the overclocking-capable CPU+mobo and the 2TB drive.

I'd definitely drop down to the H87 board and the 4670 that Essence of War recommended since it seems like you're not interesting in overclocking. The drive depends on if you can live with 1TB of storage or not.

 

[SparksIT]

Well, after reviewing, I am happy with the parts and prices, and will at least purchase the parts now while the prices are still good, the ones from newegg.

Now just to decide on the case, but I am leaning toward the R4, but I have a couple days before I need to make that discussion.

 

[SparksIT]

Your build looks OK to me, but you are certainly giving up on a decent bit of gaming performance (e.g. 7970) by getting the overclocking-capable CPU+mobo and the 2TB drive.

I'd definitely drop down to the H87 board and the 4670 that Essence of War recommended since it seems like you're not interesting in overclocking. The drive depends on if you can live with 1TB of storage or not.

I'll still consider this, I don't need 2 TB, that just seemed decent, and I'll hold off the GPU, and sleep on it, if necessary I'll expand the budget or comprise and get a 7950. Would the 500W still be good for up to a 7970, or would it be wise to jump up to 600W? Also, since I missed the Monitor deal that you suggested, is it still a good deal?

I'll think I'll stick with my CPU+MB combo, and get the ball rolling. This build has been almost 5 years in the making...I'm a perpetual lets wait and see whats around the corner. I don't know how much longer I can continue to use my current rig of a C2D E7400 & AMD 4350. Trust me I have saved up for this PC at least 3 times, but never jumped on any of my rigs, technically my budget should have been close to $2500.

Build so far:

PCPartPicker part list

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor Purchased
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard Purchased
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($50.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: [Samsung 830 Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk Purchased
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($92.79 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($98.98 @ Outlet PC)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) Purchased
Monitor: LG IPS234V-PN 75Hz 23.0" Monitor ($167.58 @ Newegg)
Total: $945.30

 

[Essence_of_War]

To pick 1 TB or 2 TB, you could ask yourself:

1) How much stuff do I have right now?
2) How much stuff do I expect to acquire in the next year or so?

If the answer to either of those is "more than 500-600ish GB of stuff" I'd go with the 2 TB drive. 500 GB is a ton of games, but isn't a whole lot in terms of raw video footage if, as you mention, you're getting into video editing.

 

[SparksIT]

Updated:

PCPartPicker part list

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor Purchased
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard Purchased
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($50.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk Purchased
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($92.79 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card Purchased
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($98.98 @ Outlet PC)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply Purchased
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) Purchased
Monitor: LG IPS234V-PN 75Hz 23.0" Monitor ($167.58 @ Newegg)

I am curious if this ASUS Monitor would be a decent monitor since I missed the LG deal?

Thank you

 

[mfenn]

The biggest difference is that the ASUS monitor is TN instead of IPS. That's a pretty big drop in color accuracy and viewing angles. It isn't as good as the LG, but $120 AR AP is a fair price for what it is.

If you don't mind dropping down in size, you can get a Dell 21.5" IPS for $126 AP

 

[lehtv]

Asus VS239H-P $145 AR AP - 23" IPS

 

[mfenn]

Asus VS239H-P $145 AR AP - 23" IPS

Nice find!

 

[DSF]

Asus VS239H-P $145 AR AP - 23" IPS

To be fair, it's $160 after rebate, and then you get a $15 gift card. So it's only $145 if you're also following it up with a $15+ purchase. Which means OP, if you buy this, buy the monitor first, and then place the rest of your order.

Either way, monitor prices have fallen so much it's great. I remember getting my current 22" TN panel for about $200 roughly five years ago, and at the time that was a good deal.