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Intel gaming build help requested.

S

shredz

Member
The stickied midrange guide is excellent! Based on that, here is my intended use:
1. What YOUR PC will be used for.
Gaming FPS, RPG, Home video creation - Powerdirector, internet.

2. What YOUR budget is. $1000-1300

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
USA, Newegg for no tax, microcenter is 65 miles away - too far

5. IF YOU have a brand preference. open to any brands

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts. 1 tb HD, keyboard, mouse, u2412mx2 dell monitors

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
- default speeds for now as primary concern is stability and quiet

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using? 1920x1200 to start but may get a Qnix or something, 2560 x 1440 max res. single monitor.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it? within the next month

I'd like it to be quiet and rock solid stable. I don't intend to overclock, but right now the cost difference is negligible so I would like to have that option.

link to build:
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/shredz/saved/41P4

Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core $227.31
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing $30.98
ASRock Z87 Pro3 ATX LGA1150 $94.99
G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 $72.99
Crucial M500 480GB 2.5" SSD $248.96
MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB $249.99
Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower $112.98
Corsair HX650 80+ Gold Modular ATX Power Supply $79.99
Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) $101.12
DVD Burner

My concerns:
1. will the i7-4770k also work on this motherboard? I'm still considering it.
2. so many motherboard choices....#1 concern is stability and expandability, quiet. Should I spend more on the motherboard and why? Pro4 version has gold caps, seems better. Can spend more here if recommended.
3. is this the right ram? I want low profile for the cpu cooler.
4. PSU, GPU recommendations please.
 
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1) i7 will work, on your budget, I'd rather have an OC'able i5 than a stock only i7. Single-threaded performance is often a bottleneck, and even with engines that take advantage of many cores, they also scale well with OC'ing. If you're going to run at stock clocks, I'd pick up an i5-4570 rather than the 4670k. Saves you a chunk of money, and will perform almost identically at stock clocks.

2) I wouldn't spend more on a motherboard unless there is a specific feature that you need that you aren't getting. You're spending just about the right amount of money here for your budget.

3) That RAM seems a touch expensive to me. I'd go with this patriot kit instead for $73. This isn't the cheapest RAM I could find, but it doesn't have a heat spreader, and it is ~$10 cheaper.

4) THe PSU is good quality, but somewhat overpriced. I would go for this unit, a corsair TX 650v2 (made by seasonic) for $60 (!) AR and promo code.

The 760 is a great GPU for gaming at 1920x1080/1200. Just be aware that you won't be able to push the sliders 'up to 11' at 2560x1440 on the same GPU. GPU price/performance scales pretty well up to the GTX 770 or so, so if you want to use the money you save on PSU to step up the GPU a bit, here's a GTX 770 for $310.

I noticed you don't have an optical drive, or a HDD, do you need either of those? An optical drive is usually ~$15, and a 1 TB HDD shouldn't be more than ~$60.
 
1. I guess I'd be considering the 4770K. It's about $100 more and the hyperthreading may be worth it? right now the 4670k is the same price as the 3570 at newegg.
2/3. Willing to spend more on motherboard/ram etc.. for useful features (budget is very flexible. I only build once every 3 years and want good value only because I'm a bargain hunter.
4. nice suggestion on the PSU - but I would prefer modular
5. can't decide on 760 or 770
6. I don't need a HD, but I will need a DVD burner

Thanks for the input!!!
 
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Ok. Looks like I have to decide if $100 extra is worth it for 4770K over 4760K? Probably not, but my current i7-870 (which I'm giving to my son) has 8 hyperthread cores, so it's hard to want to give that up for 4 in a 4670k.

Also, what features might I want over the asrock pro3. The pro4 is only $5 more so I would probably get that just for the gold capacitors? I don't think i need HDMI in or SLI/crossfire. What else should I consider? I will need wifi.
 
1. I guess I'd be considering the 4770K. It's about $100 more and the hyperthreading may be worth it? right now the 4670k is the same price as the 3570 at newegg.
Click to expand...

I wasn't suggesting the 3570. I was suggesting the 4570. If you won't be OC'ing, the 4670k is a waste of money, and the price increase from the 4570 to the 4670-non-k is not worth it.

4. nice suggestion on the PSU - but I would prefer modular
Click to expand...
Fair enough. If you're going to be using a couple of SATA connectors, a couple of PCI connectors, and the mandatory CPU 8-pin and ATX 24-pin, you might be surprised at how few cables you're removing, though.

Here's a fine one also.Corsair HX650 for $80 AR and promo. SeaSonic design. Semi-modular.

Also, what features might I want over the asrock pro3. The pro4 is only $5 more so I would probably get that just for the gold capacitors? I don't think i need HDMI in or SLI/crossfire. What else should I consider? I will need wifi.
Click to expand...
It probably doesn't matter, but if $5 makes you noticeably happier with your MoBo, go for it. The real question is "do you need the z87 chipset if you're running at only stock clocks" to which the answer is "no" and you might consider trying to pocket some money here by going for the H87 or H81 chipsets. For WiFi, I would probably just pick up a PCI wifi card. What sort of router do you have?
 
Essence_of_War said:
Fair enough. If you're going to be using a couple of SATA connectors, a couple of PCI connectors, and the mandatory CPU 8-pin and ATX 24-pin, you might be surprised at how few cables you're removing, though.

It probably doesn't matter, but if $5 makes you noticeably happier with your MoBo, go for it. The real question is "do you need the z87 chipset if you're running at only stock clocks" to which the answer is "no" and you might consider trying to pocket some money here by going for the H87 or H81 chipsets. For WiFi, I would probably just pick up a PCI wifi card. What sort of router do you have?
Click to expand...

I'm putting a CX430 modular PSU in my new build.... after it's all said and done, the only cable I'm leaving out is the Molex... so unless you have wire routing limit, I wouldn't worry too much about modular.

As far as WiFi on a mobo... I'd just get a card or USB adapter, one less thing to go wrong with the mobo. To save a little money, look at the H87 boards, they tend to have a few more features than my other favorite, the B85 board, and priced equal or less.
 
Good catch on the Corsair HX650. I added that to my build.

I will go with a usb adapter for my wifi. I have a netgear AC1900 nighthawk router and cable modem. Thinking of this: http://www.amazon.com/Medialink-Wireless-N-USB-Adapter-Mbps/dp/B00A3VFIM6/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&srs=2529876011&ie=UTF8&qid=1394759417&sr=1-2&keywords=medialink+wireless+n+usb+adapter

So that just leaves me to decide on:
CPU 4670k or 4770k, 4vs8 hyperthreaded cores $100 premium
Will go with an asrock z87 (the extreme 3 is on sale at newegg for $104)
GPU 760 or 770 GTX or maybe R280x?
Any thoughts on the CPU cooler? CM 212 EVO?
The Gskill Ares ram went down to $72 on newegg now. Is it good?
 
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shredz said:
So that just leaves me to decide on:
CPU 4670k or 4770k, 4vs8 hyperthreaded cores $100 premium
Click to expand...

Well, Ken has pointed out that your applications wouldn't really benefit. So I don't see why you would.

shredz said:
Will go with an asrock z87 (the extreme 3 is on sale at newegg for $104)
Click to expand...

You're not going dual-GPU, so I don't see the reason to spend extra on an SLI/CFX board.

shredz said:
GPU 760 or 770 GTX or maybe R280x?
Click to expand...

Definitely not an R9 280X, they are overpriced right now.

The GTX 770 is faster, but it puts you right at your $1300 budget. So it's up to you whether or not you want to spend more and get higher framerates and more details, or spend less and get less. I'd personally go for the GTX 770 at 2560x1440.

shredz said:
Any thoughts on the CPU cooler? CM 212 EVO?
Click to expand...

It's a good cooler for stock and modest overclocking, and well priced.

shredz said:
The Gskill Ares ram went down to $72 on newegg now. Is it good?
Click to expand...

Yes, that is a good price.
 
Just wanted to update everyone. Thanks to all the advice here, I got the following parts and have assembled my new PC.

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/shredz/saved/41P4

Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing
ASRock Fatal1ty Z87 Killer ATX LGA1150
G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866
Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower
Antec HCG 620W PSU
Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Undecided (bought win 8.1 but installed win 7 for now)
Asus VN248H-P 23.8"
Reused: Crucial M4 SSD and Nvidia 560ti (for now)

It's all working well, except my HCG620 PSU is making a whirring noise. I posted about it in PSU forum for advice.

Still trying to decide about win 7 or 8.1.
 
shredz said:
Just wanted to update everyone. Thanks to all the advice here, I got the following parts and have assembled my new PC.

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/shredz/saved/41P4

Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing
ASRock Fatal1ty Z87 Killer ATX LGA1150
G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866
Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower
Antec HCG 620W PSU
Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Undecided (bought win 8.1 but installed win 7 for now)
Asus VN248H-P 23.8"
Reused: Crucial M4 SSD and Nvidia 560ti (for now)

It's all working well, except my HCG620 PSU is making a whirring noise. I posted about it in PSU forum for advice.

Still trying to decide about win 7 or 8.1.
Click to expand...

Looks nice! I'd get Windows 8,1 for a new build if you don't have any specific reason not to (incompatible software or whatever). You can make it like Windows 7 with free addons like ClassicShell.
 
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