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Gaming Build | Need help!

unSatisfied
By unSatisfied
in New Builds and Planning
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Hello LinusTechTips community! This will be my very first build EVER so i'd really appreciate it if you could spend some time looking at the build making sure it will be perfect! I'm going for a red/black/white/grey theme for my build. Also, how do i know if i will have compatibility issues with my RAM modules and my CPU heatsink? Budget is around $1700. Here's the build:

 


 
CPU Cooler: Enermax ETS-T40-TB 86.7 CFM CPU Cooler  ($34.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($144.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: *Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($68.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($79.81 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card  ($369.99 @ Amazon) 
Case: Corsair 450D ATX Mid Tower Case  ($99.99 @ Newegg) 
Monitor: Asus VN248H-P 23.8" Monitor  ($187.58 @ Newegg) 
Wireless Network Adapter: Intel 62205ANHMWDTX1 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter  ($35.99 @ Amazon) 
Keyboard: Logitech G710 Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($118.13 @ Amazon) 
Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse  ($59.99 @ Newegg) 
Other: HDMI 2.0 Cable ($8.99)
Other: Mouse pad ($12.99)
Total: $1697.40
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-25 20:37 EDT-0400
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 
CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($329.99 @ Amazon) Waste of money, get an i5 and use QuickSync on OBS
CPU Cooler: Enermax ETS-T40-TB 86.7 CFM CPU Cooler  ($34.99 @ Newegg) ew
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($204.99 @ Amazon) Waste of money, get a cheaper board that has the same features
Memory: *Team Zeus Red 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($68.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($79.25 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card  ($369.99 @ Amazon) 
Case: Corsair 450D ATX Mid Tower Case  ($99.99 @ Newegg) 
Monitor: Asus VN248H-P 23.8" Monitor  ($187.58 @ Newegg) 
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter  ($39.99 @ Amazon) Get an Intel WLAN card instead
Keyboard: Logitech G710 Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($118.13 @ Amazon) 
Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse  ($59.99 @ Newegg) 
Other: HDMI 2.0 Cable ($8.99)
Other: Mouse pad ($12.99)
Total: $1760.84

There's my thoughts.

.

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There's my thoughts.

About the CPU, i was thinking about getting the 4690k and using quicksync, but how effective is it when comparing it to an i7? What CPU cooler would you recommend? What motherboard would you recommend that is red/black(I was looking at the Gigabyte Gaming 5)? Also, mind linking me a good Intel WLAN card (Don't really know anything about them)? Thanks for the critique/suggestions!

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About the CPU, i was thinking about using quicksync, but how effective is it when comparing it to an i7? What CPU cooler would you recommend? What motherboard would you recommend that is red/black(I was looking at the Gigabyte Gaming 5)? Thanks for the critique/suggestions!

Quicksync uses the integrated GPU and doesn't affect performance. Get something like a Hyper 212+/evo, not sure on the motherboard though. You also may want to spend an extra $25 to get a 256GB Crucial MX100 SSD. 

RIP in pepperonis m8s

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It looks fine, just some minor things you could change.

 

Instead of the memory you've chosen, I'd get some Kingston Fury Red Edition, just because Kingston is a much more well regarded memory manufacturer.

 

Instead of that CPU cooler, I'd get something like a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo, or a Noctua NH-U14S (the Noctua cooler is more expensive though)

 

I can't be sure, but I'd say that you chose that motherboard because of the red theme. I agree with you, it looks great, but if you want to save some money, you could get the Maximus VII Ranger, it has a few less features that you're probably not going to use (from what I know), or you could get an MSI Z97 Gaming 5 or Gaming 7, also great looking and stable motherboards.

 

The rest looks fine. If you're not planning on buying another GTX 970 and run them in SLI in the future, you could get a 550W PSU (something like a Seasonic G Series 550W, or a Corsair RM550), but the one you chose is fine as well.

 

Good luck in building your rig! :D

Desktop: Intel Core i9-9900K | ASUS Strix Z390-F | G.Skill Trident Z Neo 2x16GB @ 3200MHz CL14 | EVGA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER XC Ultra | Corsair RM650x | Fractal Design Define R6

Laptop: 2018 Apple MacBook Pro 13"  --  i5-8259U | 8GB LPDDR3 | 512GB NVMe

Peripherals: Leopold FC660C w/ Topre Silent 45g | Logitech MX Master 3 & Razer Basilisk X HyperSpeed | HIFIMAN HE400se & iFi ZEN DAC | Audio-Technica AT2020USB+

Display: Gigabyte G34WQC

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About the CPU, i was thinking about getting the 4690k and using quicksync, but how effective is it when comparing it to an i7? What CPU cooler would you recommend? What motherboard would you recommend that is red/black(I was looking at the Gigabyte Gaming 5)? Also, mind linking me a good Intel WLAN card (Don't really know anything about them)? Thanks for the critique/suggestions!

QuickSync has a zero performance impact on your system, so you only need your four cores for gaming. CPU coolers.. at least a 212 EVO, Xigmatek Dark Knight II if you've got more money to spend, and a Dark Rock Pro 3 if you've got that much to spend. The Gigabyte Gaming 5 is a good solid board with a lot of features. For a WLAN card pretty much anything Intel works great, on PCPP the cheapest they have is: Intel 62205ANHMWDTX1.

.

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It looks fine, just some minor things you could change.

 

Instead of the memory you've chosen, I'd get some Kingston Fury Red Edition, just because Kingston is a much more well regarded memory manufacturer.

 

Instead of that CPU cooler, I'd get something like a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo, or a Noctua NH-U14S (the Noctua cooler is more expensive though)

 

I can't be sure, but I'd say that you chose that motherboard because of the red theme. I agree with you, it looks great, but if you want to save some money, you could get the Maximus VII Ranger, it has a few less features that you're probably not going to use (from what I know), or you could get an MSI Z97 Gaming 5 or Gaming 7, also great looking and stable motherboards.

 

The rest looks fine. If you're not planning on buying another GTX 970 and run them in SLI in the future, you could get a 550W PSU (something like a Seasonic G Series 550W, or a Corsair RM550), but the one you chose is fine as well.

 

Good luck in building your rig! :D

Thanks for the suggestions, however i've heard from multiple sources that the Enermax-ETS-T40-TB outperforms the Hyper 212 EVO by a few degrees, and is a bit more quiet. Is this true? If not, i'd be happy to get the Hyper 212 EVO. Once again, thanks for you help!

 

 

Quicksync uses the integrated GPU and doesn't affect performance. Get something like a Hyper 212+/evo, not sure on the motherboard though. You also may want to spend an extra $25 to get a 256GB Crucial MX100 SSD. 

 

Thanks for the help! What are the differences between the Samsung EVO series SSDs and the Crucial MX series? Any significant performance differences between the two?

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QuickSync has a zero performance impact on your system, so you only need your four cores for gaming. CPU coolers.. at least a 212 EVO, Xigmatek Dark Knight II if you've got more money to spend, and a Dark Rock Pro 3 if you've got that much to spend. The Gigabyte Gaming 5 is a good solid board with a lot of features. For a WLAN card pretty much anything Intel works great, on PCPP the cheapest they have is: Intel 62205ANHMWDTX1.

Thank you for helping!

 

@Everyone; Okay so i'm currently debating between the Gigabyte Gaming 5 and MSI Gaming 5, anyone recommend a certain one of the other? Also, how do I know if my RAM modules are compatible with my CPU heatsink (Clearance issues)? Also, I may be interested in liquid cooling since I have the extra money for it in my budget (mostly for aesthetics, but for performance too), what AIO would you recommend?

 

EDIT: Original post/build updated.

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Still looking for help/suggestions!

I think 120GB SSDs are too small.  I would get at least a 250GB.  They're not too much more expensive than a 120.  I'll copy/paste the explanation I gave in some one else's thread:

 

It'll be more convenient for non-game applications.  Games tend to stay open for a while (because you're playing for a while) so the wait time isn't so bad.   But for other programs that you want open and closed quickly like web browsers, photos editors, media (photos/videos) importing utilities from your camera, music, or whatever else it is you do besides play games, you'll appreciate having more space for it all.   Also consider all the Windows overhead; internet cache, virtual memory, etc. You'll want to always have some free space on your Windows boot drive. 

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I think 120GB SSDs are too small.  I would get at least a 250GB.  They're not too much more expensive than a 120.  I'll copy/paste the explanation I gave in some one else's thread:

 

It'll be more convenient for non-game applications.  Games tend to stay open for a while (because you're playing for a while) so the wait time isn't so bad.   But for other programs that you want open and closed quickly like web browsers, photos editors, media (photos/videos) importing utilities from your camera, music, or whatever else it is you do besides play games, you'll appreciate having more space for it all.   Also consider all the Windows overhead; internet cache, virtual memory, etc. You'll want to always have some free space on your Windows boot drive. 

Hmm okay, thinking about the 840 EVO 250gb. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

@Everyone; Switching back to an i7 4790k for my CPU because QuickSync doesn't look as good.

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It looks fine, just some minor things you could change.

 

Instead of the memory you've chosen, I'd get some Kingston Fury Red Edition, just because Kingston is a much more well regarded memory manufacturer.

 

 

 

Kingston is not a memory manufacturer, they are a memory reseller. They do not make the actual chips, they merely sell them. As long as the IC's on the RAM sticks are from a respectable mfg, it doesn't matter what brand the RAM is. 

Intel Inside. Overweight guy in his 30's outside.

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Kingston is not a memory manufacturer, they are a memory reseller. They do not make the actual chips, they merely sell them. As long as the IC's on the RAM sticks are from a respectable mfg, it doesn't matter what brand the RAM is. 

Thanks for the response! Still looking for help and suggestions!

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alwaysFXS said 

What cheaper mobo has the same build quality and superior sound offered on the Hero??? 

I updated the build, i no longer have that motherboard listed. Thanks though.

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THIS would game very well just add a good set of headphones and has large ennough of PSU to add second GTX 970 and more drives in the future

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 
CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($199.99 @ Micro Center) 
CPU Cooler: NZXT HAVIK 140 90.3 CFM CPU Cooler  ($66.93 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($203.99 @ NCIX US) 
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($79.81 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card  ($355.91 @ Newegg) 
Case: NZXT H440 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($109.99 @ Micro Center) 
Monitor: Asus VN248H 23.8" Monitor  ($187.58 @ Newegg) 
Wireless Network Adapter: Intel 7260HMWDTX1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter  ($45.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Keyboard: Logitech G710 Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($118.13 @ Amazon) 
Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse  ($59.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $1728.27
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-26 20:33 EDT-0400
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THIS would game very well just add a good set of headphones and has large ennough of PSU to add second GTX 970 and more drives in the future

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 
CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($199.99 @ Micro Center) 
CPU Cooler: NZXT HAVIK 140 90.3 CFM CPU Cooler  ($66.93 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($203.99 @ NCIX US) 
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($79.81 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card  ($355.91 @ Newegg) 
Case: NZXT H440 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($109.99 @ Micro Center) 
Monitor: Asus VN248H 23.8" Monitor  ($187.58 @ Newegg) 
Wireless Network Adapter: Intel 7260HMWDTX1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter  ($45.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Keyboard: Logitech G710 Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($118.13 @ Amazon) 
Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse  ($59.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $1728.27
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-26 20:33 EDT-0400

 

The H440 is essentially a piece of plastic with very poor air flow (Intake), I still agree with the others that the motherboard is overpriced, I don't need 16gb of RAM, and i need an i7 for streaming (Sure i can use QuickSync, but i want high quality 1080p streams). Thanks for the suggestion though.

 

PS: I already have headphones (Hyperx Cloud) :P.

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I updated the build, i no longer have that motherboard listed. Thanks though.

Call me a "fanboy' but that is one of the best Z97 boards out there ... especially at the $200 price point

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yeah I did not see the part about streaming ... I just saw game build  ... sorry   

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You're build is good to go man. Don't over think it. There's always stuff you can change around so don't drive yourself crazy with it.

Enjoy!

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Kingston is not a memory manufacturer, they are a memory reseller. They do not make the actual chips, they merely sell them. As long as the IC's on the RAM sticks are from a respectable mfg, it doesn't matter what brand the RAM is. 

Yes, you're right, but you get the point :P

Desktop: Intel Core i9-9900K | ASUS Strix Z390-F | G.Skill Trident Z Neo 2x16GB @ 3200MHz CL14 | EVGA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER XC Ultra | Corsair RM650x | Fractal Design Define R6

Laptop: 2018 Apple MacBook Pro 13"  --  i5-8259U | 8GB LPDDR3 | 512GB NVMe

Peripherals: Leopold FC660C w/ Topre Silent 45g | Logitech MX Master 3 & Razer Basilisk X HyperSpeed | HIFIMAN HE400se & iFi ZEN DAC | Audio-Technica AT2020USB+

Display: Gigabyte G34WQC

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