New PC

[HubiDubi]

Hello Folks

 

So, I am planning on buying a completely new desktop PC. But before I buy something stupid, I want to ask what you guys think of it:

 

• CPU:               Intel Core i4690 (LGA 1150, 3.9 GHz Turbo)
• Motherboard:  Asus Z97-A (ATX)
• Memory:          Corsair Vengeance 1x8 GB DDR3-1600

I will create different threads in the other subforums for the rest of the build, but planned is a GTX 770, a Samsung 840 EVO Basic 250 GB, a be quiet! Dark Rock 3 CPU cooler, all packed in a Phanteks Enthoo pro and powered by a Corsair RM 750

I will mainly use the computer for gaming (Battlefield, The Witcher, Far Cry, etc.), but also some music producing. Because I'm not one of those poeple who has always running everything at the same time, i decided to go with an i5 without hyperthreading instead of an i7. But, is it worth to invest some more money on a unlocked CPU and maybe a better motherboard just for the overclocking? Or should i just wait for Broadwell (I have some important exams in 2 months time, so I won't buy it before that)? And, at what point do I need 16 GB of memory? It isn't that much more expensive.

 

Thanks for all the Answers

[flibberdipper]

For starters you can drop down to a 650 watt power supply, unless you wanted to add another video card in later. Overclocking might help in some CPU heavy tasks, so for that an i5 4690K might be a good choice (not sure if it's been released yet or not). You might want to go with a better motherboard, but that one should be fine unless you wanted to go nuts and overclock to the moon.

[i_build_nanosuits]

• CPU:               Intel Core i4690 (LGA 1150, 3.9 GHz Turbo)
• Motherboard:  Asus Z97-A (ATX)
• Memory:          Corsair Vengeance 1x8 GB DDR3-1600

- planned is a GTX 770, a Samsung 840 EVO Basic 250 GB, a be quiet! Dark Rock 3 CPU cooler, all packed in a Phanteks Enthoo pro and powered by a Corsair RM 750

- I will mainly use the computer for gaming (Battlefield, The Witcher, Far Cry, etc.), but also some music producing.

- is it worth to invest some more money on a unlocked CPU and maybe a better motherboard just for the overclocking?

- Or should i just wait for Broadwell (I have some important exams in 2 months time, so I won't buy it before that)?

- And, at what point do I need 16 GB of memory? It isn't that much more expensive.

 

-The powersupply is overkill unless you plan on going SLI in the future (in wich case i would recommand a GTX 770 4GB) otherwise 600W is plenty and will allow to upgrade a lot...all the rest i agree with

- great

-Yes probably, because the motherboard you picked can overclock the core i5-4690K very well and overclocking the CPU will provide you with a nice performance boost that would be worth it,

  especialy considering that you already have included in the build a good CPU cooler...so all you need to change to allow full overclocking is the CPU for a core i5-4690K

- No broadwell is a tick, planned shrink of the die...anything and everything can be wrong with it, i really don't think it's worth the wait.

- some software make good use of more RAM but they are not that many, mostly in video editing, cad and modeling software, for gaming and probably (most likely) all you do, 8GB is plenty.

  you can always order another kit if you spot a deal down the road if you realise that you are using some memory intensive applications.

 

Good luck, on a final note i would consider a GTX 780 instead of a 770...much more powerful GPU

Conclusion begins a 6:52, older video but still relevant with current pricings :

 

[i_build_nanosuits]

This is what i would consider with the prices are they are as of today, gaming build and audio software (video and everything else as well) best performance system while keeping an eye on the budget:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($239.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 93.3 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler  ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($137.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Kingston Fury Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card  ($399.99 @ TigerDirect)
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 300R Windowed ATX Mid Tower Case  ($79.95 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($81.23 @ Amazon)
Total: $1214.12
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-19 08:59 EDT-0400

 

Add HDD, peripherals, OS as needed. This GPU is equivalent in performance with a GTX 780 and cost less, hence why i picked it. PSU is really good, gold rated and full modular.

[HubiDubi]

Thanks for the answers.

 

So, I'll cut down the PSU to 600-650W. I don't plan on upgrading to SLI. Do you think it's worth waiting for Maxwell? Or should I just get a more powerful GPU instead?

[i_build_nanosuits]

Thanks for the answers.

 

So, I'll cut down the PSU to 600-650W. I don't plan on upgrading to SLI. Do you think it's worth waiting for Maxwell? Or should I just get a more powerful GPU instead?

the Haswell i5-4690K is a brand new haswell refresh CPU and is way powerfull enough to run every games maxed-out and will certainly continue to do so for many years to come provided you always pair it with an high-end GPU.

so i would say waiting is a waste of time there is always gonna be something better around the corner and it will always cost more. The haswell CPU is fantastic and the performance are really really good for the price.

 

For the GPU as i mentionned already i would get either a GTX 780 or R9 290 (both about the same performance) and save some money to do so by going with a lower capacity powersupplky (don't skimp on quality though, if you're not sure just ask)

and a cheaper case as well.

[SpyRosL]

Thanks for the answers.

 

So, I'll cut down the PSU to 600-650W. I don't plan on upgrading to SLI. Do you think it's worth waiting for Maxwell? Or should I just get a more powerful GPU instead?

Unless you already have a gpu right now and can wait a few months,buy now a more powerful gpu like the 780 or 290.

[harrynowl]

Thanks for the answers.

 

So, I'll cut down the PSU to 600-650W. I don't plan on upgrading to SLI. Do you think it's worth waiting for Maxwell? Or should I just get a more powerful GPU instead?

Good call, and no not really. We have no idea when it's coming as every source says different.

 

And if you're in the mindset of "I'll wait for x coming out in 5 months", you'll end up never buying anything

 

I'd invest in a more powerful GPU than 770 though. R9 290 is my personal choice and was also in @i_build_nanosuits list there.

[Mosslake]

Since I'm going for a similar build, I'll throw my questions here:

 

First off, I've read that a couple of games are (finally) utilizing hyper threading so the benefits of an i7 are starting to show. As I plan to keep my cpu as long as it's not a bottleneck (duh), would it be a safe bet to go for a 4770k instead of a 4670k? Additionally, is there a noticeable improvement with Devil's Canyon over regular Haswell? The DC's seem to cost around 30$ more over here.

 

Then the memory: I have the understanding that 8 gigs of 1600MHz RAM is currently enough for gaming. However, good memory is practically eternal with the lifetime warranty so I figured getting a 2x8GB@1866MHz set would be more forward looking than getting the standard two 4GB sticks. That way I'll have the option of adding another set for 32 gigs when it's needed. Is RAM speed likely to be a bottleneck before games utilize more than 16GB? 2x4GB would make more sense in that case as I'm trying to avoid silly amounts of the dreaded "future proofing". It tends to be quite expensive...

[i_build_nanosuits]

-I've read that a couple of games are (finally) utilizing hyper threading so the benefits of an i7 are starting to show. As I plan to keep my cpu as long as it's not a bottleneck (duh), would it be a safe bet to go for a 4770k instead of a 4670k?

 

- is there a noticeable improvement with Devil's Canyon over regular Haswell? The DC's seem to cost around 30$ more over here.

 

-Then the memory: I have the understanding that 8 gigs of 1600MHz RAM is currently enough for gaming. However, good memory is practically eternal with the lifetime warranty so I figured getting a 2x8GB@1866MHz set would be more forward looking than getting the standard two 4GB sticks. That way I'll have the option of adding another set for 32 gigs when it's needed. Is RAM speed likely to be a bottleneck before games utilize more than 16GB? 2x4GB would make more sense in that case as I'm trying to avoid silly amounts of the dreaded "future proofing". It tends to be quite expensive...

 

-Yes some games that use a lot of processing threads like the new watch dogs for example do tend to show a noticeable boost with an i7-4770K or 4790K, that is true but there are not many games that can do that so far (in fact from all the games i tested only two of them showed noticibly better performance: Watch dogs and crysis 3) but it is said that the next gen games will mostly be multi-threaded games so overall if you have the budget for an i7 and are looking to not replace it any time soon yes it could be money well spent, sure.

 

- the new haswell refresh unlocked CPU's (i7-4790K and i5-4690K) are clocked a little bit faster out of the box but they are unlocked so this is not a real advantage, the real advantage they have is that they are better overclockers due to the fact that they have better TIM application between the IHS (Internal Heat Spreader) and the silicon itself, making them run cooler and allowing better overclocking and longer life expectancy...you should defenetly consider i7-4790K or i5-4690K and a Z97 motherboard cause the price difference with normal haswell is making it worth it.

Read more: http://wccftech.com/intel-haswell-refresh-processors-codenamed-devils-canyon-launching-mid-2014-unlocked-design-improved-tim/#ixzz356MCDblt

 

- No games as of today require more than 4.5GB of RAM at any time on any settings, the next gen consoles share a pool of 8gb for CPU and GPU, so it is very unlikely that we will see games requiring more than even 6GB any time soon...if all you do is gaming save your money and get a standard (the cheapest) 2x4 GB 1600mhz DDR3 kit...next standard will be DDR4 so you will need to update that for your next PC in 4 or 5 years anyway...even with life time warranty. I would personnaly avoid the brands with unfavorable reviews (here read crucial ballistix line-up and Adata RAM) i would personnaly stick with well know reputable RAM manufacturer (here read corsair and kingston) if possible but not at all cost, if you see a very good deal you can't pass on go for it.

[Mosslake]

Thanks. That really cleared things up and I'm indeed going for a Kingston Fury -set. I don't have a particularly tight budget so I'm not cutting costs with possibly flaky components.

[airdeano]

.. You might want to go with a better motherboard, but that one should be fine unless you wanted to go nuts and overclock to the moon.

 

today's motherboards have really no performance edge over one another. they

all pretty much overclock the same. all the is left is connectivity, features and

color scheme. the 97A can do what a 97Formula can in overclocking.