final check before purchase

[ixiboneheadixi]

ok so i have everything together on what i want to get, i would love to get the price down a little bit, and order mostly from one site like ncix so i am not waiting for packages from 10 different people. 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($304.99 @ NCIX US) 

CPU Cooler:  Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($97.16 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard:  Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($197.27 @ TigerDirect) 

Memory:  G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($142.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage:  Samsung 840 EVO 500GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($299.00 @ Amazon) 

Storage:  Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($88.98 @ SuperBiiz) 

Video Card:  EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card  ($489.99 @ NCIX US) 

Case:  NZXT H440 (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($119.99 @ Amazon) 

Power Supply:  Corsair 760W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($134.99 @ NCIX US) 

Operating System:  Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit)  ($99.99 @ NCIX US) 

Monitor:  Dell U2312HM 23.0" Monitor  ($199.00 @ B&H) 

Monitor:  Asus PB278Q 27.0" Monitor  ($549.00 @ Adorama) 

Keyboard:  Logitech G710 Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($104.99 @ NCIX US) 

Total: $2828.34

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-23 16:31 EST-0500)

 

also this for my mouse http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=94556&vpn=FUNC-MS-3-R2&manufacture=Func

 

i would LOVE to get this down to 2400ish if possible, so if anyone could help chip down the price a bit on certain items that would be great, the must haves are the two monitors, especially the 1440 one. the 780 and the 500gb SSD as that will be my main system and then my HDD will be in an external enclosure more than likely so my woman can use it too for movies and such(NAS is probably my next build) also a cheap bit good pair of speakers would be nice, but headphones and a mic and all that are already purchased. 

 

also whats the cheapest way to go about a desk? im thinking about going to the hardware store buying a few slabs of wood and some 5 dollar table legs and calling it done. as i want a really large l shaped desk so i figure thatll be the cheapest route.

 

one last thing, i also need some thermal compound and some additional fans if required.

[PillowSmoke]

If you really want to save some $$$ get a 8350/8320 even though they are nothing compared to a 4770k. And maybe change the power supply to something else, something more standard but still enough to fully power that rig.

 

Edit: just a thought, I am completely aware of the performance difference between a 4770k and fx processors.

[ixiboneheadixi]

also i wish to stream and record, any software needed i would like to put in this budget as well.

 

also i know theres one free and one paid start button thing for windows 8, which is better and how much is the paid one?

[SAV1OUR]

what will it be used for? 

if your 1ust using it for gaming get a 4670k and 8gb ram and save the money 

[hawaiims]

 

ok so i have everything together on what i want to get, i would love to get the price down a little bit, and order mostly from one site like ncix so i am not waiting for packages from 10 different people. 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($304.99 @ NCIX US) 

CPU Cooler:  Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($97.16 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard:  Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($197.27 @ TigerDirect) 

Memory:  G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($142.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage:  Samsung 840 EVO 500GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($299.00 @ Amazon) 

Storage:  Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($88.98 @ SuperBiiz) 

Video Card:  EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card  ($489.99 @ NCIX US) 

Case:  NZXT H440 (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($119.99 @ Amazon) 

Power Supply:  Corsair 760W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($134.99 @ NCIX US) 

Operating System:  Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit)  ($99.99 @ NCIX US) 

Monitor:  Dell U2312HM 23.0" Monitor  ($199.00 @ B&H) 

Monitor:  Asus PB278Q 27.0" Monitor  ($549.00 @ Adorama) 

Keyboard:  Logitech G710 Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($104.99 @ NCIX US) 

Total: $2828.34

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-23 16:31 EST-0500)

 

also this for my mouse http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=94556&vpn=FUNC-MS-3-R2&manufacture=Func

 

i would LOVE to get this down to 2400ish if possible, so if anyone could help chip down the price a bit on certain items that would be great, the must haves are the two monitors, especially the 1440 one. the 780 and the 500gb SSD as that will be my main system and then my HDD will be in an external enclosure more than likely so my woman can use it too for movies and such(NAS is probably my next build) also a cheap bit good pair of speakers would be nice, but headphones and a mic and all that are already purchased. 

 

also whats the cheapest way to go about a desk? im thinking about going to the hardware store buying a few slabs of wood and some 5 dollar table legs and calling it done. as i want a really large l shaped desk so i figure thatll be the cheapest route.

 

one last thing, i also need some thermal compound and some additional fans if required.

 

What are you going to need the second 1080p monitor for (I mean what are you going to use it for? spreadsheets? youtube?)

 

I could definitely get the price down a bit without sacrifying much. I'll get back to you with an updated <2400$ build.

[hawaiims]

also i wish to stream and record, any software needed i would like to put in this budget as well.

 

also i know theres one free and one paid start button thing for windows 8, which is better and how much is the paid one?

just use windows 8.1 as intended. The start button third party software isn't really necessary at all, it's just people scared of change. You just have to click the windows button then start searching in windows 8, that is all.

[ixiboneheadixi]

just use windows 8.1 as intended. The start button third party software isn't really necessary at all, it's just people scared of change. You just have to click the windows button then start searching in windows 8, that is all

 

used my girlfriends windows 8 laptop, its not as bad as people say, but i would still like my start button, but i will probably check it out at a later date 

[Bluejay0]

I would use a 4670K with 8GB kit and with the extra money you might snag a 780Ti or a 780 Classy

[ixiboneheadixi]

What are you going to need the second 1080p monitor for (I mean what are you going to use it for? spreadsheets? youtube?)

 

I could definitely get the price down a bit without sacrifying much. I'll get back to you with an updated <2400$ build.

have it in portrait mode, for when im playing games i can have other things up like teamspeak, forums, youtube, also for streaming so i can see the actual stream and chat and such while i play a game. 

 

one other question, will the single 780 be enough to power the 1440 monitor while gaming and the 1080 additionaly with say teamspeak and forums and such up. 

[Str_Mape]

used my girlfriends windows 8 laptop, its not as bad as people say, but i would still like my start button, but i will probably check it out at a later date 

Well to be fair 8.1 does have a start button.

[needmorewood]

just use OBS for your streaming needs. the 8320/8350 comes somewhat comparibly close in terms of performance if u stream and game at the same time

[needmorewood]

used my girlfriends windows 8 laptop, its not as bad as people say, but i would still like my start button, but i will probably check it out at a later date 

add any of the 10 start button programs that have been working perfectly since windows 8 came out.....

[hawaiims]

Well to be fair 8.1 does have a start button.

yeah but it doesn't have a similar functionality to windows 7 at all.

 

 

have it in portrait mode, for when im playing games i can have other things up like teamspeak, forums, youtube, also for streaming so i can see the actual stream and chat and such while i play a game. 

 

one other question, will the single 780 be enough to power the 1440 monitor while gaming and the 1080 additionaly with say teamspeak and forums and such up. 

single 780 should be good (the second 1080p monitor won't use much resources), but the 780 might still end up having to go to medium settings or something when streaming at 1440p unless you get an external capture device

 

Just wait 5 minutes till I find a build at your price range that would fit you well and with possibly 2 770s or 2 780s 

[rjshield]

If you want to do dual monitors with one portrait i would look into something like this but with just the two monitors.

These setups use 20 30 and 20 inch dell monitors.

What is nice about this setup is the monitors have the same 'vertical' resolution and the same physical dimensions that means when switching between monitors the split is seamless.

Google 'PLP monitors' or '20 30 20 monitors' 

[ixiboneheadixi]

just use OBS for your streaming needs. the 8320/8350 comes somewhat comparibly close in terms of performance if u stream and game at the same time

also going to be editing and rendering and other more cpu intensive things as well. thats why i went with the 4770

[ixiboneheadixi]

yeah but it doesn't have a similar functionality to windows 7 at all.

 

 

single 780 should be good (the second 1080p monitor won't use much resources), but the 780 might still end up having to go to medium settings or something when streaming at 1440p unless you get an external capture device

 

Just wait 5 minutes till I find a build at your price range that would fit you well and with possibly 2 770s or 2 780s 

about what price range are good external capture devices?

 

EDIT:: i will also need an external DVD drive, although i know they are fairly cheap 

[hawaiims]

about what price range are good external capture devices?

honestly I don't have a clue because I've never researched. I also don't know the storage speed needs for streaming. I'm sure a 500gb ssd would be fast enough, but then again video files take huge amounts of space (when uncompressed, it would be ridiculous!)

[ixiboneheadixi]

honestly I don't have a clue because I've never researched. I also don't know the storage speed needs for streaming. I'm sure a 500gb ssd would be fast enough, but then again video files take huge amounts of space (when uncompressed, it would be ridiculous!)

yeah thats why i got the 1tb hdd, to move any video files after recording or streaming over to

[hawaiims]

yeah thats why i got the 1tb hdd, to move any video files after recording or streaming over to

1tb might still not be enough if you're serious about youtube and streaming. BTW i'll post a suggested build up for you in just a minute!

[ixiboneheadixi]

1tb might still not be enough if you're serious about youtube and streaming. BTW i'll post a suggested build up for you in just a minute!

oh i know it wont be enough, but it will get me by until i have a few more bucks to buy some more HDDs

[hawaiims]

oh i know it wont be enough, but it will get me by until i have a few more bucks to buy some more HDDs

that's what you thought Less than 2400$, with the only thing cut down upon is a lower capacity SSD (256GB instead of 500GB). I'll explain the rationale for each part in a few minutes, so let me just type it out:

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2YNl8

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2YNl8/by_merchant/

Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2YNl8/benchmarks/

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($304.99 @ NCIX US) 

CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC12DX_BK 68.5 CFM CPU Cooler  ($59.99 @ Amazon) (sexy white and black CPU cooler, will cool just as well as the H100i while costing less)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($139.99 @ Microcenter) (fantastic motherboard, with no features missing compared to the asus one)

Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($131.25 @ Amazon) (low profile, which is good for the CPU cooler, and cheap. RAM brand doesn't really matter as long as it's not a crappy RAM brand like PNY)

Storage: Seagate 600 Series 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($119.99 @ Newegg) (Seagate SSD... WTF? No but it's actually a fantastic sale right now, and this SSD is actually quite fast. It also uses MLC nand so it should theoretically last more years than an 840 EVO, which uses TLC nand. At 120$, it's too good of a deal to pass up, but you better hurry before the sale ends tonight!)

Storage: Toshiba  3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($99.99 @ Microcenter) (cheap, reliable, lots of storage, what more could you want?)

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card  ($489.99 @ NCIX US) (same GPU, fantastic cooler and customer support and will go great with your build color)

Case: NZXT H440 (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($119.99 @ Amazon) 

Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($25.99 @ Newegg) (super cheap thanks to the mail in rebate, it's a Seasonic PSU that's rebranded. I have this PSU and it's dead quiet and works great. Tons of cable for expansion.)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit)  ($99.99 @ NCIX US) (retail version gives you 3 windows licenses as opposed to 1 for the OEM version I think. Price is the same, so why not?)

Monitor: Dell S2240M 60Hz 21.5" Monitor  ($119.99 @ Microcenter) (awesome little IPS monitor. I own it and it's great. Unbelievable picture quality for the price. However it won't swivel into portrait like the U2312HM and doesn't have a VESA mount)

Monitor: Asus PB278Q 27.0" Monitor  ($549.98 @ Best Buy) (great monitor. For a branded 1440p monitor, it doesn't get cheaper than this. You could save some money and go with a Korean Qnix or Shimian panel though which cost 350$, and it's up to you.)

Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm QuickFire TK Wired Mini Keyboard  ($79.99 @ Newegg) (better keyboard than the G710+ IMO. CM Storm build quality for keyboards in unrivaled because they use the same company as Filco. It also doesn't have that tacky orange look of the G710+ and has a white backlight)

Total: $2342.12

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-23 17:19 EST-0500)

[hawaiims]

@ixiboneheadixi and last but not least, you said you wanted to share your hard drive with your gf for movies and whatnot. Don't ever do that with a 3.5 inch drive because they are too big. Instead, get a 2.5 inch 1TB or 750GB drive (speed doesn't matter, 5200rpm is plenty fast just for watching movies or storing crap) and then put that in a 2.5 inch enclosure. Again, brand doesn't really matter, just go for the cheapest 1TB or 750GB 2.5" hard drive. I recommend the orico toolless enclosure for 2.5" drives. 

[ixiboneheadixi]

@ixiboneheadixi and last but not least, you said you wanted to share your hard drive with your gf for movies and whatnot. Don't ever do that with a 3.5 inch drive because they are too big. Instead, get a 2.5 inch 1TB or 750GB drive (speed doesn't matter, 5200rpm is plenty fast just for watching movies or storing crap) and then put that in a 2.5 inch enclosure. Again, brand doesn't really matter, just go for the cheapest 1TB or 750GB 2.5" hard drive. I recommend the orico toolless enclosure for 2.5" drives. 

awesome thanks, a couple of questions, should i go with a slightly higher power supply as i might grab another 780 in a month or two when i have the extra cash. is there any real con to getting a korean display rather than the asus? as long as its 27 inch, 1440 and not a tn panel, then i might go with one to save the extra money. should i get any additional fans?  and which thermal compound should i grab? 

[hawaiims]

awesome thanks, a couple of questions, should i go with a slightly higher power supply as i might grab another 780 in a month or two when i have the extra cash. is there any real con to getting a korean display rather than the asus? as long as its 27 inch, 1440 and not a tn panel, then i might go with one to save the extra money. should i get any additional fans?  and which thermal compound should i grab? 

550w definitely won't be enough for two 780s. I would get this EVGA PSU if you want a second 780 later on (it has awesome looking red cables too!) 750w should be good and the PSU cables on this one are awesome! : http://us.ncix.com/products/?usaffiliateid=1000031504&sku=77497&vpn=120-PB-0750-KR&manufacture=eVGA

 

The cons compared to the Asus are first of all the look, second of all the panels are a little lower quality, so color fidelity and gamut might not be as good, but it should still far surpass any TN panel you might be used to. Personally I don't have much experience with Korean 1440p monitors, so you should make a thread asking peeps on LTT about the best 1440p cheap Korean monitor out there. They differe quite a bit between the models apparently. 

 

Additional fans shouldn't be necessary at all, but if you ever feel the need you'll of course be able to buy them whenever. 

 

Thermal compound is not necessary at all, as with 99% of CPU coolers the phanteks cooler in this case comes with its own good thermal compound. 

[ixiboneheadixi]

550w definitely won't be enough for two 780s. I would get this EVGA PSU if you want a second 780 later on (it has awesome looking red cables too!) 750w should be good and the PSU cables on this one are awesome! : http://us.ncix.com/products/?usaffiliateid=1000031504&sku=77497&vpn=120-PB-0750-KR&manufacture=eVGA

 

The cons compared to the Asus are first of all the look, second of all the panels are a little lower quality, so color fidelity and gamut might not be as good, but it should still far surpass any TN panel you might be used to. Personally I don't have much experience with Korean 1440p monitors, so you should make a thread asking peeps on LTT about the best 1440p cheap Korean monitor out there. They differe quite a bit between the models apparently. 

 

Additional fans shouldn't be necessary at all, but if you ever feel the need you'll of course be able to buy them whenever. 

 

Thermal compound is not necessary at all, as with 99% of CPU coolers the phanteks cooler in this case comes with its own good thermal compound. 

ok sounds good to me, one last thing then, any additional suggestions for keyboards? the main reason i like the 710+ is the dedicated media keys, which i really do want, also i like full keyboards, and brown switches. (actually greens are my favourite but they annoy the absolute shit out of everyone who is around lol) and i am in the minority here but a few macro keys are extremely useful to me.