Building my first pc

[pim16aap2]

Hello, 

 

I've been getting ready to get a new computer, and I would like to get some advice on what I've put together so far.

 

1. Budget & Location
My budget is about €2000,- but I have already surpassed that a bit, but that's fine. 200 - 300 extra will be fine.

I live in The Netherlands. The site I use to check prices is http://tweakers.net. It's in Dutch, but if you want to check the price of something, you can just type it's name in the search bar "Zoek in de site".

2. Aim
I am going to use this computer for general university stuff (programming, inter alia), gaming and possibly some video editing / rendering in the future. I enjoy high end games, with great graphics. I like Skyrim, and I'd like to be able to install the mods that make it look gorgeous. Other games I like are: Battlefield 4, Bioshock Infinite, Metro: Last Light, Rust, DayZ and some other games.

3. Monitors

I will start out with a new, decent monitor and my older, crappy one. I don't think I'll hook up additional monitors.

I think I want a 27" 1080p 120Hz 1ms monitor. I only have to pay 50% of the monitor, by the way.

 

4. Peripherals

I need a keyboard, a mouse and a monitor. I want a mechanical keyboard and I don't care all that much about the mouse.

I'd prefer a 24" - 27" 1080p 120Hz monitor. 

 

5. Why I am upgrading

I've been using a MacBook pro 5,5 (mid-2009) pretty much since it's launch, and I would really like to be able to decently play games and do whatever else I want besides browsing and a few lightweight games.

 

6. My list so far

This is the list I've composed so far:

• CPU: i7 4770k                                                           €280
• GPU: MSI GeForce GTX 780 Gaming                       €436
• Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z87 Professional      €170
• Case: Corsair Obsidian 750D                                    €130
• HDD: Seagate Barracuda 3TB                                  €95
• SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB                               €80
• RAM: G.Skill F3-1600C7D-16GTX                             €150
• PSU: Corsair AX760                                                  €140
• Mouse: Trust GXT 152                                              €25
• Keyboard: Corsair Vengeance K70                           €125
• Monitor: BenQ XL2720T                                            €385 -> €192

Total so far: €1833

 

 

Now, the cooling.

I am not really sure what I want. I have two lists:

 

Option 1:

• AIO Cooler: Swiftech H320                                        €170
• GPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken G10 Red                         €30
• GPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X60                                 €135
• Fans: Be Quiet! Silent Wings 2 120mm (2x)               €40

Total: €1833 + €375 = €2208

 

 

Option 2:

• Pump: Laing D5 MCP655 12V                                    €100
• Reservoir: XSPC Photon 170                                      €55
• Rad1: XSPC AX360                                                    €110
• Rad2: Koolance 2x140mm                                         €65
• CPU Block: XSPC Raystorm Intel                               €65
• GPU Block: XSPC Razer GTX Titan/780                    €120
• Tubes: Feser 1/2 OD Clear/Blue UV  (2.5m)               €11

Total: €1833 + €526 = €2359

 

What I am wondering about is wether the second option is worth it and wether the parts are good and compatible with each other and wether I need any additional parts, like fittings or something.

[otobot9]

Okay unless you are doing some video editing like you said you may end up doing then the 4770k won't show any real performance improvement in gaming etc. I would go with a 4670k instead and save a few bucks to use to upgrade to a 780ti. Also I recommend saving up for an ssd, it is worth it, trust me. The keyboard is personal preference but if you are going to be doing a lot of typing, programming etc, then I recommend something with blues. Again personal preferance. I don't know a lot about water cooling but it seems like the choice between the two is whether or not you want to really work for it or just use an aio. 

[chicksoup]

my advice would be to get a 4670k and not buy a 3rd party gpu cooler, just get the asus direct cuII

[pim16aap2]

Thanks for your replies.
 
I forgot to mention I've already got an SSD, so I don't need one.
I've got a 250GB Samsung 840 EVO.
I've just added a 120GB SSD.
 
I guess I'll get an i7 4670K then. 
Is a 780 Ti really worth the 200 extra (100 extra if you subtract the CPU saving)?
 
 

my advice would be to get a 4670k and not buy a 3rd party gpu cooler, just get the asus direct cuII

Are you talking about the Kraken G10, the NZXT GPU water block or both?

[pim16aap2]

Another point, is that I'm not sure wether I should get a GTX 780 (Ti) or a R9 290X.

Especially with water cooling, that card might be better. What do you think?

 

I would really like to be able to play Battlefield 4 with 120 FPS, and it seems that the R9 290X does that better, and maybe Mantle will truly beat the 780 (Ti)?

[otobot9]

Another point, is that I'm not sure wether I should get a GTX 780 (Ti) or a R9 290X.

Especially with water cooling, that card might be better. What do you think?

 

I would really like to be able to play Battlefield 4 with 120 FPS, and it seems that the R9 290X does that better, and maybe Mantle will truly beat the 780 (Ti)

Mantle so far seems to be benefiting apu's and lower end cards more than the higher end stuff so we will have to wait to see how much improvement that it really has on the 290x. If you want 120 fps on a single card neither will do as shown by these benchmarks. The cards are very close performance wise. I would wait until you see the benchmarks of mantle to make a decision. Keep in mind however that if you water cool your 780 ti then the drivers can up the clock more so you will get better performance.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-780-ti-review-benchmarks,3663-5.html

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2013/11/07/nvidia-gtx-780-ti-3gb-review/5

[pim16aap2]

Mantle so far seems to be benefiting apu's and lower end cards more than the higher end stuff so we will have to wait to see how much improvement that it really has on the 290x. If you want 120 fps on a single card neither will do as shown by these benchmarks. The cards are very close performance wise. I would wait until you see the benchmarks of mantle to make a decision. Keep in mind however that if you water cool your 780 ti then the drivers can up the clock more so you will get better performance.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-780-ti-review-benchmarks,3663-5.html

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2013/11/07/nvidia-gtx-780-ti-3gb-review/5

Yeah, I know. I find a lot of mixed numbers on Google. But I think I'll go with the GTX 780, and get another one a few months later.

I find higher average FPS numbers on YouTube, btw.