Work/gaming rig update

[belkun]

Hey everyone! I made a thread here on October about a build I was planning, and since then I made a few changes to everything. I already bought the peripherals I listed on that last thread, the only change was the keyboard (got a 2013 Blackwidow with blues, since I could only find the K70 with reds here), so the only thing left now is the computer itself.

 

Here's everything so far:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($208.99 @ Amazon) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($26.92 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: MSI Z97-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($121.99 @ Newegg) 

Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($144.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($149.92 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($48.77 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card  ($349.89 @ Amazon) 

Case: NZXT H440 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($109.76 @ OutletPC) 

Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($68.98 @ Newegg) 

Total: $1230.21

 

Like I said on the last thread, I'm from Brazil, so the prices and deals can pretty much be ignored.

 

I switched the CPU to an i5, since I don't think the i7 will be that useful for me, since pretty much the only 'rendering' I do will be accelerated by the GPU not CPU, so an i5 should be enough for gaming from what I've read.

I've also switched the motherboard, since I found the listed model with quite a good price here and it seems to be a good mobo. Not that many changes on the rest, the build right now is pretty much the Outstanding tier config from LogicalIncrements. I couldn't find the monitors on PCPartPicker, but I'm planning on getting a U2715H as my main monitor (27" 1440p) and a U2415 (24" 1920x1200) as a secondary monitor. I also already got the case, so it's the only part that I absolutely can't change.

 

My only questions are pretty much just about the CPU. Should I drop extra money (around 50% more where I live) for an 4790K, or is the 4690K enough? As I said, I don't use anything that is really CPU intensive. I just want to be able to multitask a bit, but I think maybe getting an extra 16GB of RAM in the future may help with that instead of an i7.

 

On some other 'simpler' questions, is that GTX 970 model good? The G1 Gaming model from Gigabyte is around 7% more expensive, and the MSI and EVGA models are also a little bit more expensive than the model I chose. Also, is the PSU enough? I already made this question on the last thread, but just to be sure I'm asking again. I've only read great stuff about Seasonic, so I'm pretty confident that 620W will be enough, but can't hurt to have extra opinions.

[Speedyv]

What I would build:

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6NwTt6

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6NwTt6/by_merchant/

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($209.99 @ Newegg) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($26.92 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($119.99 @ Newegg) 

Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($164.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($139.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($48.77 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card  ($368.98 @ OutletPC) 

Case: NZXT H440 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($109.76 @ OutletPC) 

Power Supply: Corsair Professional 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($59.99 @ Newegg) 

Total: $1234.38

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-23 23:56 EST-0500

 

You could switch it back to your mobo if you want, overall your build is nice.

The PSU is fine.

The G1 970 is a binned card. Which means it is handpicked to provide a better OC, virtually taking the chance out of getting a low oc GPU. 

16GB RAM is only needed for intense multitasking.

4690K sounds like it will serve you well.

[belkun]

 

What I would build:

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6NwTt6

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6NwTt6/by_merchant/

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($209.99 @ Newegg) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($26.92 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($119.99 @ Newegg) 

Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($164.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($139.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($48.77 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card  ($368.98 @ OutletPC) 

Case: NZXT H440 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($109.76 @ OutletPC) 

Power Supply: Corsair Professional 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($59.99 @ Newegg) 

Total: $1234.38

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-23 23:56 EST-0500

 

You could switch it back to your mobo if you want, overall your build is nice.

The PSU is fine.

The G1 970 is a binned card. Which means it is handpicked to provide a better OC, virtually taking the chance out of getting a low oc GPU. 

16GB RAM is only needed for intense multitasking.

4690K sounds like it will serve you well.

 

 

Hmm, I'll take a better look into the G1. I don't really plan on OC'ing anything, just maybe the CPU in the future, I don't want to risk the warranty and I don't think I'll need it in the near future. Maybe the better build quality on the G1 is worth it, since I also read it has a blackplate, while the other model doesn't.

 

Onto the rest, I probably won't be able to find this PSU around here, but it's also a good option. I think I'll keep the mobo, since the model I chose has a good price on the store I plan on buying everything, and I also want to have everything color matching. Are there any major differences between the 840 EVO and the Pro? Also, any major reason for the G.Skill Sniper Series over the Corsairs? I chose them mainly for aesthetics, but if the G.Skills have better performance for a slightly lower price, then I wouldn't mind getting them instead.

 

Thanks a lot for the reply!

[Speedyv]

Hmm, I'll take a better look into the G1. I don't really plan on OC'ing anything, just maybe the CPU in the future, I don't want to risk the warranty and I don't think I'll need it in the near future. Maybe the better build quality on the G1 is worth it, since I also read it has a blackplate, while the other model doesn't.

 

Onto the rest, I probably won't be able to find this PSU around here, but it's also a good option. I think I'll keep the mobo, since the model I chose has a good price on the store I plan on buying everything, and I also want to have everything color matching. Are there any major differences between the 840 EVO and the Pro? Also, any major reason for the G.Skill Sniper Series over the Corsairs? I chose them mainly for aesthetics, but if the G.Skills have better performance for a slightly lower price, then I wouldn't mind getting them instead.

 

Thanks a lot for the reply!

 

The difference between the Pro and the Evo are basically the read/write speeds.

You can play around with this: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/965?vs=665 just to get a feeling on the performance, but don't get too pedantic on benchmarks. If you can afford it, get it.

I just picked the RAM because it runs @1866Mhz and is an alright price. I have no idea about the prices in your country. 

[belkun]

The difference between the Pro and the Evo are basically the read/write speeds.

You can play around with this: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/965?vs=665 just to get a feeling on the performance, but don't get too pedantic on benchmarks. If you can afford it, get it.

I just picked the RAM because it runs @1866Mhz and is an alright price. I have no idea about the prices in your country. 

 

Oh, that's good to know! I'll definitely look more into the EVO vs the Pro if I manage to find the Pro around here.

 

Again, thanks so much for the reply!

[belkun]

A bit of an update on the build: bought a 4690 instead of the 4690K, since I don't plan on overclocking and there was a really great deal on the non-K CPU today. Same thing for the GPU, got the non-G1 Gaming since I don't plan on overclocking and I managed to grab it on a sweet Black Friday deal.

 

I can possibly grab a Seasonic M12II 750w for around the same price of the S12II 620w I was planning on getting. I know it's Seasonic, but is it a good PSU? Should I get it?

[bomerr]

I wouldn't get the 840 EVO. It has an issue where old data becomes slow and the firmware fix for it might shorten the drives life. 

[belkun]

I wouldn't get the 840 EVO. It has an issue where old data becomes slow and the firmware fix for it might shorten the drives life. 

I know about the firmware problem and the fix, but I haven't read anything about shortening the hardware's life. Also, it's pretty much the only 'decent' SSD I can find around here, most stores just have Kingston's V300, which I haven't read lots of good things, specially from friends who own them. I may try to find a Crucial MX100 or a Samsung 850, but depending on their price and availability, I might have to go with the 840 and hope for the best.

[bomerr]

I know about the firmware problem and the fix, but I haven't read anything about shortening the hardware's life. Also, it's pretty much the only 'decent' SSD I can find around here, most stores just have Kingston's V300, which I haven't read lots of good things, specially from friends who own them. I may try to find a Crucial MX100 or a Samsung 850, but depending on their price and availability, I might have to go with the 840 and hope for the best.

Samsung hasn't disclosed how the FW fix works. Odds are it just moves or rewrites over the data to keep it fresh which would shorten the drive's life.