My new project!

[username455]

Hello!

I am on a mission to build 4 brand new computers, all of them will be the same except perhaps the case, monitor, and peripherals. I plan on ordering them in the beginning of April, so I have time to plan. budget is ~$1500-2000 each. Mainly used for gaming

 

This is what I want so far..

 

CPU: i5 4760k

CPU cooler: noctua nh-u12s

GPU: gtx770

ram: 16gb

SSD: 250gb

HD: 1tb

PSU: 650w

OS: win 8.1

 

A couple questions I have at the moment,

I have been a fan of ASUS motherboards in the past. I am stuck between the z87pro or the maximus VI hero. Also open to other suggestions as I dont know much about motherboards

For ram, how important are the timings vs the speed? 1600 with timings of 9? or 2133 with timings of 11?

As for cases, I am tossing around the idea of the fractual r4 (seems popular here), the 550d, and the 750d. I imagine they are mostly a matter of preference, but any objections to those 3?

also, I will probably end up adding fans to the cases (more than the motherboard can control i presume) so would I only need an adapter from my psu that connects 3pin fans? or something more sophisticated?

I am all ears (or eyes I suppose) for monitor suggestions. Hopefully in the $200ish range?

 

thanks!

[AlwaysFSX]

Don't get the Hero, it's a waste of money. 

[Shd0w2]

Just wondering, why 4 duplicates and not one super?

[username455]

thanks for the tip about the hero.. i was attracted to it because of the claimed audio improvements. Is that just marketing? would the z87 pro be a good choice?(similar price)

 

4 computers because there are 4 of us that need computers

[Praxis727]

Your ram will be fine cL9 1600 isn't that much lower then CL11 2133 and I find you will find the price competitive.  I personally went 1866 CL9 Gskill sniper Ram.  Claims to be gaming ram but ram is ram haha.  Got it for like 159.99 for 16 gigs also I believe.  

 

Asus z87 Pro is a good board.  I personally have the sabertooth which is pretty much like the pro.  I would also check out the Msi g45 gaming board.  You will get a close performance out of most of the z87 boards so look based on color and options the board has.  I like the sabertooth because of the the steel plate on the back of it.  Solid as hell.  

 

Mouse and keyboard I would really leave up to each individual.  But I just bought some steelseries Qck mass mouespads for pretty cheap as well as a steelseries Qck Heavy.  

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236313  good med- high end monitor.

 

I would also alot a preference case between the 4 of you gamers.  Based on look and preference.  Future upgrading and whatnot.  Kind of something that is more of a per individual thing.  Hell just cuz your cases are different doesnt mean that the system is.  Just means people are.  Plus you wont have to worry bout confusing ppls cases when they are out of site haha.

Everything else looks good. 

[username455]

Thank you, I will take a look at the sabertooth board. I am a big fan of asus motherboards (they havent failed me yet )

 

And I agree, I will leave mouse and keyboard up to the individual. That monitor is really nice, but might be a bit too much money to get 4 of them.. I will have to see the final total. Any other recommendations in the mean time?

 

Im not sure if we have decided to get all different cases, or all the same. I just wanted to see what people thought of those 3 options so far, or if there were other recommendations.

 

for the ram, does brand matter? I have always used g.skill

[skalliwolf]

Thank you, I will take a look at the sabertooth board. I am a big fan of asus motherboards (they havent failed me yet )

 

And I agree, I will leave mouse and keyboard up to the individual. That monitor is really nice, but might be a bit too much money to get 4 of them.. I will have to see the final total. Any other recommendations in the mean time?

 

Im not sure if we have decided to get all different cases, or all the same. I just wanted to see what people thought of those 3 options so far, or if there were other recommendations.

 

for the ram, does brand matter? I have always used g.skill

as long as you stay with big brands like corsair, adata, kingston... and so on it doesn't really matter.

and to your fan question: it depends what you want to do with your fans... if you dont want to control them you just need a cheap fan splitter. done

[skalliwolf]

if the computers are just used for gaming and normal office stuff, you dont need 16gb of ram. 8gb is still enough. you can safe some money there and use it for something else

[WoodenMarker]

I'd suggest planning later. ~2-3 days at most before you buy. Parts and prices change frequently so any parts list you come up with now will likely be obsolete by the time you're ready to buy.

Thank you, I will take a look at the sabertooth board. I am a big fan of asus motherboards (they havent failed me yet )

And I agree, I will leave mouse and keyboard up to the individual. That monitor is really nice, but might be a bit too much money to get 4 of them.. I will have to see the final total. Any other recommendations in the mean time?

Im not sure if we have decided to get all different cases, or all the same. I just wanted to see what people thought of those 3 options so far, or if there were other recommendations.

for the ram, does brand matter? I have always used g.skill

You need to quote a post or tag a member or else they won't get a notification you replied to them.

Brand doesn't really matter.

[username455]

Im curious what you guys think of upgrading to the gtx 780 and the i7 4770k? I know for gaming they say the i5 is best value, but will the i7 give any noticeable improvements?

also will it produce a lot more heat? I turned off hyperthreading in my old i7 920 and got 10 degrees cooler. I want to be able to comfortably overclock (nothing extreme though)

 

i made a "high end" build and it was still under 2k, thats why I am thinking of going for it. (that didnt include monitor though, so im still thinking )