First PC Build

[Unresolved]

Hi guys, I want to try and build my first pc after my laptop crapped out on me. I'm looking to spend around $1000 on the build minus the monitor and OS. It'll be used mainly for games (Skyrim/SoM/DA:I/TW3).

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
Gaming/general use. In the next half a year, I plan on playing Skyrim/SoM/DA:I/TW3.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread
$1000-$1100 without the monitor/OS.

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
United States.

4. IF you're buying parts OUTSIDE the US, please post a link to the vendor you'll be buying from.
We can't be expected to scour the internet on your behalf, chasing down deals in your specific country... Again, help us, help YOU.
N/A

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.
I'd prefer to avoid AMD products as I was not particularly pleased with their driver support when the 7970M was released.

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
Don't have any major parts to use.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
Default speeds most likely.

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?
1080p.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
Note that it is usually not cost or time effective to choose your build more than a month before you actually plan to be using it.
As soon as possible. Probably within a few weeks.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($64.78 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($112.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card ($349.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($61.19 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($66.66 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($32.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Cooler Master R4-S4S-10AK-GP 60.9 CFM 140mm Fan ($4.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1020.56
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-16 00:41 EDT-0400

There were several things I wasn't sure about in my setup:
1) I don't plan on overclocking, so I wasn't sure if I should get the i5-4430 or the i5-4690, which is another $30.
2) I'm not sure if I should downgrade from the H97 motherboard to save some cash.
3) How long does it generally take for a sold out GPU to be restocked? If it's going to take months, then I'd just go for a GTX 780 or something.
4) What kind of monitor/keyboard would you guys suggest buying? I'm looking for a monitor in the range of $150 to $250. I don't really need a hardcore gaming keyboard, just a solid one for general use.

Thanks for any help, as this is my first attempt at building one, I'm a little overwhelmed by all of the options.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Please answer the questions in the sticky here so, that we can better help you.

 

[Unresolved]

Please answer the questions in the sticky here so, that we can better help you.

Done, sorry for the inconvenience.

 

[mistersprinkles]

For about $120 extra, you can get a Z97 Extreme 3, a 4670K, and 2133Mhz RAM.

It won't make a tremendous difference but with the CPU overclocked and the faster RAM you should squeeze out between 1 and 4 extra FPS.

This may not be worth the money to you but I wanted to point it out. Also, there are Intel Centrino wireless adapters available for the price of the ASUS and the general consensus is that they are superior.

You also have the option to spend LESS than what you are spending now and go to an AMD 8350 CPU with a Gigabyte GA970AUD3P motherboard. Overclocked, it may give you a slight perf. edge over the i5 you have currently chosen. Generally speaking, i5 is better than FX for gaming, but since your i5 is only 3.0Ghz, a 4.6Ghz 8350 would edge it out ever so slightly in some tasks.

 

[Unresolved]

I'll definitely look into the Intel wireless adapters. As for the CPU, I'm not really keen on overclocking at this time, so that's why I'm not looking at the unlocked variants. On a somewhat related note, would upgrading to an i5-4460 or i5-4690 yield any appreciable gains during gaming? Or is the i5-4430 adequate relative to the rest of the system?

 

[Essence_of_War]

I noticed at least one part from Microcenter in your basket, do you have a Microcenter nearby?

 

[Charlie98]

Aside from the MicroCenter question, if you are running a stock CPU you won't need the 212 EVO cooler nor the extra case fans (or maybe just an extra one up front) and certainly not a fan controller.

There are also a number of H97 mobos that are less expensive than your MSI, both ATX and mATX. Is there a reason you selected the MSI board?

 

[Unresolved]

The CPU cooler listed Microcenter, but I was just going to use Amazon which is only $3 more. I just didn't know how to change the dealer listed. But since I don't need a CPU cooler, I guess that point is moot.

As for the motherboard, there's an ASRock H97 Anniversary motherboard for $65, but it had no reviews, so I wasn't sure if the build quality was sketchy or something. Also, I didn't know if the microATX board would be large enough if I change components in the future. Is that normally an issue for microATX motherboards?

Thanks for the help so far .

EDIT: Also updated the pcpartpicker list in the first post.

 

[crashtech]

You also don't need the thermal compound, if you are using the Intel HSF it comes ready to install with TIM that is perfectly adequate for an i5 at 3GHz, and it has the advantage of being very stable over time (no pump out).

And I happen to think the Samsung 840 EVO is better enough to warrant the small price increase.

Pretty good build though overall, nice.

 

[Cerb]

i5-4430: i5-4460, as a minimum, i5-4590 preferred (Turbo).

Thermal paste: why?

SSD: double your space. The cost is too little extra not to.
HDD: see about, but at 1-2TB.

PSU: take the CX500's current rebated price, instead.

 

[Unresolved]

Updated the OP with the i5-4460(same price oddly enough), 240GB SSD, 1TB hard drive, and removed the paste. Is the 500W power supply enough to safely run the system for several years? The price difference is only around $5. Thanks for all the help so far guys.

 

[Unresolved]

Also, is there any difference between the different manufacturers of the GTX 970?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-362-_-Product

http://www.ncixus.com/products/?sku=102245&vpn=GTX 970 GAMING 4G&manufacture=MSI

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-076-_-Product

These are in stock while the ASUS Strix GTX 970 I have listed in the OP is out of stock.

 

[Essence_of_War]

The CX is a fine psu.

This is a WAY better PSU for only $10 more. If you don't mind dealing with the rebate, it's an easy choice.

So to be clear, you're not near a Microcenter?

 

[Unresolved]

Added the Seasonic PSU. Though the promotion ends tomorrow, so I'd need to finalize the build soon to take advantage. And I'm not close enough to a Microcenter to buy anything from them really.

 

[Charlie98]

As for the motherboard, there's an ASRock H97 Anniversary motherboard for $65, but it had no reviews, so I wasn't sure if the build quality was sketchy or something. Also, I didn't know if the microATX board would be large enough if I change components in the future. Is that normally an issue for microATX motherboards?

I had a good experience with the bottom end H81 ASRock mATX board I used in a build in January, I wouldn't hesitate to grab that Anniversary board if it fit the bill.

As far as mATX, unless you are using more than one GPU or adding a bunch of expansion cards you have nothing to worry about. I prefer mATX boards for my builds (non-gaming, minimal gaming) because they don't take up so much real estate and you can utilize a smaller case. Both of my personal mATX PC's have a GPU and a USB expansion card and I don't have any problems.

I was going to recommend bumping the HDD up to 1TB as well, but didn't want to bombard you with changes... but I agree. It's only a few dollars more... and that 500GB fills up awful quick. I speak from experience.

The CX PSU is decent, but if a SeaSonic is only $10-15 more for an equivalent unit, I would go there. (...and I have 3 CX's in service right now, mind you.)

 

[Unresolved]

After reading countless reviews on PSUs and cases, I decided on the EVGA Supernova NEX 650W(since the Seasonic was out of stock) and the Cooler Master HAF 912. I ended up buying all of the parts in the OP except for the HDD and SSD, which I'll order on Sunday if no sales occur by then. Thanks for all the advice guys, it really helped!

 

[mfenn]

The NEX 650G is a reasonable unit, good choice. However, the HAF 912 is kind of long in the tooth. It'll work fine, but the Corsair 200R is a little more up to date design (not currently on sale though).

 

[Unresolved]

I was comparing a few different case models and just reading the 3* reviews on Amazon/Newegg. I pretty much just went for the case that had the least amount of negative aspects. I wish I landed the Seagate PSU, but I dilly-dallied too long >.<.

 

[mistersprinkles]

I was comparing a few different case models and just reading the 3* reviews on Amazon/Newegg. I pretty much just went for the case that had the least amount of negative aspects. I wish I landed the Seagate PSU, but I dilly-dallied too long >.<.

Amazon and Newegg reviews are so worthless it's not even worth spending time explaining to you why they're worthless.

You should have bought a 200R. Full stop.

If it's not worth your time to explain why they're pointless, then you didn't need to make this post. If you simply didn't have the time to fully express your opinion, then you should have held off on this post until you did.

mfenn
General Hardware Moderator

 

[Charlie98]

Amazon and Newegg reviews are so worthless it's not even worth spending time explaining to you why they're worthless.

Not really... you do have to cull through them, though, to avoid absurd generalized statements.

The HAF912 is probably a decent case, I originally had a 922... but it's a very open case (I have a problem with dust in my home) and, to be honest, it was too big. The 912 doesn't have USB 3.0 ports up front, either, just so you are aware. Build quality is decent.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

After reading countless reviews on PSUs and cases, I decided on the EVGA Supernova NEX 650W(since the Seasonic was out of stock) and the Cooler Master HAF 912. I ended up buying all of the parts in the OP except for the HDD and SSD, which I'll order on Sunday if no sales occur by then. Thanks for all the advice guys, it really helped!

Awesome build. I personally like the HAF 912 alot. Very good case to learn how to build with and tinker with. If you want/need usb 3.0 grab one of the 3.5 front panel hubs. Fits nicely in that middle slot on the 912. Sometimes it's nice to have an SD card slot too.