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New gaming build using Newegg i7-4770K bundle?

B

brennok

Member
Currently looking at
CPU - I7-4770 K $249 from Newegg bundle
Mobo - Asus Z87 Pro - $209 from Newegg bundle
Memory - 2x8GB F3-1866C9D-16GSR - $134 from Newegg
PSU - PC Power and Cooling 750w MK III -$100
SSD - Samsung 840 250GB KW - $184
Case - CM Storm Trooper $114.99 AR
Monitor - Asus VG248QE 24" $266.99
Video Card - leaning towards Sapphire Vapor-X 7970

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

First and foremost it will be a gaming PC, but I also plan to use it to convert my raw Mpeg2 recordings to save space on my server.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

My max would probably be about $1500

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

US but no access to Microcenter so Newegg or Amazon.

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.

Prefer Intel, WD, and lean towards nVidia though whatever is current best bang for the buck. All of my most recent builds have been Gigabyte without issue, but not opposed to the other brands offered in the bundle.

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

Have a spare DVD burner laying around, Logitech G15 keyboard, Logitech MX518 mouse, speakers, and a Dell S2209W though it needs upgrading if room. I also have a spare Win 7 64 and Win 8 key so I may dual boot.

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

I always end up running default speeds even though I buy with the intention to overclock eventually.

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

1920 x 1080

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?

I was planning on putting off until just before BF4 and COD: Ghosts, but with current Newegg bundle offer on the Haswells figure I should buy before end of the month.

I am leaning towards the i7-4770K due to the $100 off bundle. This limits me to the ASUS Z87-PRO, MSI Z87-G45, GIGABYTE GA-Z87X-UD3H, and ASRock Z87 Extreme6.

I am still not looking to go SSD and figured I would use 1 or possibly 2 WD 1TB Black drives if I end up dual booting. Last time I looked these were up there for the fastest 1TB drives.

I have been shopping cases, but haven't found a mid or full tower I love. I am looking something with good airflow, fairly quiet, dust filters, easy to work in, and room for at least 6 hard drives. I have been happy with my Cooler Master HAF 932 but they don't look like they have anything new. I was also looking at some of the NZXT cases and the Corsair 600T.

I think that covers just about everything.
 
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I agree with mnewsham, on your budget there's no reason not to get an SSD. They're great in terms of system snappiness.

I mean if you don't want one at all because you feel they're too expensive per unit of storage that's fine, but just know that the difference between a WD Black and any other 7200RPM drive is much smaller than the difference between a platter drive and an SSD.

Also, do you have a particular reason you're looking to dual boot? It doesn't seem to me that having the option of booting into 8 adds much, it's not like dual booting XP and 7 to get different compatibility.
 
Also if you have windows 8 why bother with W7 at all? I can understand users already on W7 not switching to W8, but if you already have a key W8 is basically W7+, with a bit of a new UI.

And doesn't W8 include a way to do XP VM's free? I've been doing it for months when I do need to do something legacy.
 
4770k $350
Z87 Extreme6 $75 after combo discount
2x4GB Patriot Signature $54 AP
Sapphire 7970 GHz 3GB Vapor-X $350 AR with 4 free games
Seagate ST2000DM001 $93
Samsung 840 250GB $160 AP or something, can't see price until checkout
PCP&C MK III 750W $100 AR
Rosewill Thor V2 $100 AP

= $1282 AR AP shipped

Don't really see any reason to spend more for 1080p gaming.

I know you like NVIDIA, but 7970 GHz for $350 is way better than 770 2GB for $400+, and this is among the best 7970's on the market.
 
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For SSD it is just the cost is higher than I want to pay per GB. I am willing to sacrifice the speed. I just can't bring myself to pay that and I would rather put my money towards other things even at the loss of speed. Of course since I have yet to use one I don't know what I am missing. I figure better that way until both of my PCs are using SSDs.

As far as W7 vs W8, I was using W8 for a while until one day it wouldn't boot into W8. It turned me off to the OS. I tried everything and couldn't find a way to get back access to W8. It essentially acted like I didn't have the OS installed when I tried to restore or repair. It saw it fine though when I reinstalled W7 and was able to access everything. As a result I just don't fully trust W8 and I didn't really grow to like it either.

My plan for W8 was only if there ends up being apps I want like when Project Spark comes out which is W8 only.
 
If you're willing to go no SSD, then that means you're willing to lower your budget considerably. It just won't make any sense to build a 1080p gaming machine at $1000+ without including at least a small SSD.

The cost per gigabyte compared to HDD's is not relevant, as you don't pay for the storage. You pay for the smoother and more responsive user experience, and technically all you need for that is a 60GB drive that holds your OS and applications. Having a 250GB SSD is just so you can get better loading times in games - your budget is certainly big enough for such an upgrade.
Of course since I have yet to use one I don't know what I am missing.
Click to expand...

This is the key part. Once you go SSD, you don't go back.
 
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Yeah I could easily spend less. I would rather upgrade my monitor than get a SSD.

I figure the combo runs me at most $460, $130 for memory (2x8GB), maybe $150 for a good PSU, up to $250 for a case, up to $160 for hard drives, up to $300 for a video card and this leaves me up to $200 for a monitor. This would put me around $1500.
 
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I don't see any reason to get 16GB RAM to be honest. Converting videos is not very RAM intensive, editing videos is but you didn't mention that. You can always add more RAM later if you run into such a situation

$250 for a case and $150 for a PSU is quite ridiculous, I don't understand why you'd even consider such ???

You didn't list a graphics card in the above post.

A new monitor is a nice idea, what's your current one? $500 is a bit of a difficult budget though as you need to pay more for a high quality 1440p panel, but no 1080p panel is worth anywhere near that much. If you're into FPS gaming, consider a 144hz screen like Asus VG248QE.
 
I tend to look at full towers because I end up filling them at least with drives. I was considering the NZXT 820 which is currently $250 though occasionally drops to $200 on sale. Most cases I was looking at came in just under $200. My current PC is in a CM Sniper and I can't see going smaller. I was also allowing for shipping in case Amazon doesn't carry it since shoprunner usually doesn't apply.

My current monitor is a Dell S2209W which was free from a family member. I would like to go at least a 24" for gaming. I think a 27 would be too large in my living room. I could see myself eventually going dual monitors out here.

Memory is just one of those things I tend to buy more than I need up front since I always end up using it. I would rather start 2x8gb than 4x4gb down the road. As far as PSU I was looking at the current prices of some of the Seasonic X750 line. Again I know overkill, but I never know what I will end up adding in the future. I know I always end up with at least 6 drives. I always look at possibly SLI down the road, but by then I usually just build new.

Oops your right I left out the video card.

I tend to overestimate what I am going to use with the PC so I always buy more than I need.

That Asus looks good and I have been happy with the one I have in my bedroom forget the model number though. I can get it for $267 from Amazon.
 
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If you aren't going SLI up front then it's generally not worth it, and it's not going to be necessary on a 1920x1080 screen anyway. Modern video cards are designed with that as the mid-grade in mind. You could safely step your PSU down to 650 or even 500 if the drives are all you're worried about. They really don't use much juice, and it's not like you'd have all 8 spun up at once anyway. At least I'd hope not...if so you might need to re-evaluate the way you have your storage organized.
 
Here is what I am leaning towards so far

CPU - I7-4770 K $249 from Newegg bundle
Mobo - Asus Z87 Pro - $209 from Newegg bundle
Memory - 2x8GB F3-1866C9D-16GSR - $134 from Newegg
PSU - PC Power and Cooling 750w MK III -$100

This puts me at $714, but I still need a case and GPU and storage.
Asus VG248QE $266.99 from Amazon

The monitor puts me just shy of $1000 so I think I may pass on the SSD, because I still need a case which if I opt for like the Corsair 600T Graphite that is $160 at Amazon and then $300 for a video card puts me just shy of $1500 without a hard drive.
 
brennok said:
For SSD it is just the cost is higher than I want to pay per GB. I am willing to sacrifice the speed. I just can't bring myself to pay that and I would rather put my money towards other things even at the loss of speed. Of course since I have yet to use one I don't know what I am missing. I figure better that way until both of my PCs are using SSDs.
Click to expand...

brennok said:
I figure the combo runs me at most $460, $130 for memory (2x8GB), maybe $150 for a good PSU, up to $250 for a case, up to $160 for hard drives, up to $300 for a video card and this leaves me up to $200 for a monitor. This would put me around $1500.
Click to expand...

This makes zero sense. You're willing to spend $250 on a case, something that does not impact the performance of your PC, but not willing to spend $100 on an SSD?

The SSD is absolutely the biggest upgrade to your PC possible. There is no other upgrade where you can increase performance by 10x. None.
 
I figure the SSD is something I can easily upgrade to later and do a fresh install. I just don't want to spend that now when I can easily put that money to a monitor.

I realize this isn't logical to everyone, but I would rather hold off on the SSD. I won't be really gaming all that much until the new games come out this fall so I have several months before I need it. If I feel like I need it after building it will be the first thing I buy since I can always reuse the original OS drive. If I opt for a SSD then I need another drive also which also puts me above my budget.

Also I am replacing an i5-651 with 4GB and onboard video since the old video card crapped out. Anything is going to feel faster than this PC.

At $714 + $266 for the monitor, I am at $980. Add $200 for a 250GB SSD, and this leaves me $420 for another drive, case, and video card. Say $100 for another drive, $220 for a video card, and $120 for a case. I would rather up the budget on the video card unless there is a great $200 card that will last me a few years.
 
Fine you convinced me. I give up. 😉

The Samsung 840 is $169 for the BW or $184 for the KW is the kit worth the $15.

Assuming the KW I am at $880 before monitor, video card, and case. All the cases I like are in the $150 range so this leaves $200 for a video card. I still need an extra drive which is another $100.

Unless there really is a killer card in the $200-$300 range, I would prefer to stick around $200.
 
I pay tax at Tigerdirect so that pushes me over $360 with tax and shipping before rebate which kind of kills the deal.
 
brennok said:
I tend to look at full towers because I end up filling them at least with drives. I was considering the NZXT 820 which is currently $250 though occasionally drops to $200 on sale. Most cases I was looking at came in just under $200. My current PC is in a CM Sniper and I can't see going smaller. I was also allowing for shipping in case Amazon doesn't carry it since shoprunner usually doesn't apply.
Click to expand...

CM Storm Trooper $125 AP (8 3.5" slots) or Storm Stryker $130 AR

What are you going to be doing with your current PC? Can't you reuse the case from that?

Memory is just one of those things I tend to buy more than I need up front since I always end up using it. I would rather start 2x8gb than 4x4gb down the road.
Click to expand...
The benefit of 2x8GB vs 4x4GB is almost nonexistent if you're not going to ever upgrade to more than 16GB. It doesn't even nearly outweigh the cost of paying for them up front when it's not very likely you'll need more than 2x4GB, so I can't agree with that but do what you will

As far as PSU I was looking at the current prices of some of the Seasonic X750 line. Again I know overkill, but I never know what I will end up adding in the future. I know I always end up with at least 6 drives. I always look at possibly SLI down the road, but by then I usually just build new.
Click to expand...
As DDF said, the drives don't really use much power, and if you're not planning to SLI, I don't see a need for a 750W unit. I'd probably get the Capstone 650W for $68 AP since it strikes a great balance between quality, power, efficiency and cost

Here is what I am leaning towards so far

CPU - I7-4770 K $249 from Newegg bundle
Mobo - Asus Z87 Pro - $209 from Newegg bundle
Memory - 2x8GB F3-1866C9D-16GSR - $134 from Newegg
PSU - PC Power and Cooling 750w MK III -$100
Click to expand...
Can you say why the Asus board instead of Asrock?

I pay tax at Tigerdirect so that pushes me over $360 with tax and shipping before rebate which kind of kills the deal.
Click to expand...
The Sapphire Vapor-X GHz edition card I linked is better than that deal anyway
 
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lehtv said:
CM Storm Trooper $125 AP (8 3.5" slots) or Storm Stryker $130 AR

What are you going to be doing with your current PC? Can't you reuse the case from that?

The benefit of 2x8GB vs 4x4GB is almost nonexistent if you're not going to ever upgrade to more than 16GB. It doesn't even nearly outweigh the cost of paying for them up front when it's not very likely you'll need more than 2x4GB, so I can't agree with that but do what you will

As DDF said, the drives don't really use much power, and if you're not planning to SLI, I don't see a need for a 750W unit. I'd probably get the Capstone 650W for $68 AP

Can you say why the Asus board instead of Asrock?

The Sapphire Vapor-X GHz edition card I linked is better than that deal anyway
Click to expand...

The current PC is supposed to go to my brother or I would look at just using that and upgrading the fans.

I also want to shift some of the stuff I have running on my bedroom PC, i7-860 with 16gb, onto this PC such as my Plex Server, TiVo Server, iTunes server, etc and I hover over 8GB idle with 16GB of memory. This way I can actually put my bedroom PC to sleep at night since my living room PC wasn't up to the task. I also have a spare Ceton InfiniTV4 card so I may end up running it as a Media Center PC for extra recordings when needed.

I was actually looking at those two CM cases along with the Phantom 630. I have been happy with my CM cases, and I am not sure about NZXT.

I was thinking of taking advantage of the WiFi antenna. I have spotty wifi coverage in the end of the house where the PC would be so it would just be an added benefit.
 
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lehtv said:
The benefit of 2x8GB vs 4x4GB is almost nonexistent if you're not going to ever upgrade to more than 16GB. It doesn't even nearly outweigh the cost of paying for them up front when it's not very likely you'll need more than 2x4GB, so I can't agree with that but do what you will
Click to expand...

Eh I somewhat disagree here, even with my relatively modest uses for the computer I regularly hit 6GB and max out my 8GB regularly enough. Hell with only google chrome, pandora desktop, and skype running I am hitting about 4.8GB used, not even gaming or doing anything too difficult. My next computer will have 16GB minimum, and I will want it upgradable to 32GB.
 
If Wifi's all you want, keep in mind that lehtv's motherboard choice saves you over $100, so you can buy a PCI wireless card and still save $50 or more.
 
DSF said:
If Wifi's all you want, keep in mind that lehtv's motherboard choice saves you over $100, so you can buy a PCI wireless card and still save $50 or more.
Click to expand...

It only saves me $35. The Asrock Extreme 6 is $175 vs $209 + $350 for the 4770K before $100 discount. I just took the $100 off the CPU while he applied it to the board.
 
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