First time PC build, need tips and advice

[Derpz]

Hi guys, this is going to be the first time I'll be building a PC mainly for gaming. I would really appreciate it if you guys could give me some ideas and also recommendations on parts that I should change, or even let me know if there are any incompatibility issues, since I myself am not too sure about it.

 

Build link: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/F96jRB

 

 

1. Budget & Location
My budget would most probably be around $1700, and am currently residing in Australia.

2. Aim
Mainly for gaming, such as BF4, Titanfall and other graphics-demanding games in the future.

3. Monitors
I would mainly be running on 1, maximum 2 displays. Not too sure about the resolution though. Most probably 1080p and above.

4. Peripherals
There would not be any need to purchase any peripherals, since I already have most of them,

5. Why are you upgrading?
This would not really be an upgrade, since this would be the first time I'll be having a proper desktop at home

 

Each opinion would really help, thanks

[Firearm2112]

If you play battlefield you might want to get a R9 290 or 290x cause mantle. 

[Mateyyy]

Welcome to the forum!

 

Looks like a great rig to me, but, do you really need those Dominator Platinums? I mean, for sure they look good, but, they are quite expensive..

That PSU is very good, and 760W will be enough even if, in the future, you will buy another GTX 780 to run them in SLI. That being said, a single GTX 780 is still going to be enough for BF4 Ultra on 1080p, definitely for Titanfall on max settings 1080p, and other more demanding games out right now.

[Mateyyy]

If you play battlefield you might want to get a R9 290 or 290x cause mantle. 

I have a R9 290 and if I turn on Mantle, I just get crappy lag spikes...

[mapegl]

The only two things I would say here:

1) If you only want to game, you would be fine with a cheaper processor. My 2500K at stock still is more than enough to drive any GPU available. I do overclock it, but just for fun.

You would also not really need an aftermarket cooler then and could save even more money. Just an idea.

 

2) A 780 is a very nice card, again you might able to save some money here by getting a 290 instead. Both cards perform similarly and the 290 has 4GB VRAM instead of "only" 3GB(you said you might want higher res than 1080p???) and Mantle support for your BF4, which actually makes a difference with a 290. I do understand though if you want a 780, as I said that is a very nice card and will perform great in BF4 as well.

[AlwaysFSX]

1. Budget & Location

My budget would most probably be around $1700, and am currently residing in Australia.

You need to use the Australian PCPartPicker or you're going to be severely depressed when you're ready to order.

[mapegl]

I have a R9 290 and if I turn on Mantle, I just get crappy lag spikes...

Core parking maybe? I had that once with my old MATX board too. Funny enough it stopped after I switched to my ITX ASUS board.

[Derpz]

You need to use the Australian PCPartPicker or you're going to be severely depressed when you're ready to order.

Dang, didn't know the Australian counterpart for the website existed. Thanks a lot.

 

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

Looks like a great rig to me, but, do you really need those Dominator Platinums? I mean, for sure they look good, but, they are quite expensive..

That PSU is very good, and 760W will be enough even if, in the future, you will buy another GTX 780 to run them in SLI. That being said, a single GTX 780 is still going to be enough for BF4 Ultra on 1080p, definitely for Titanfall on max settings 1080p, and other more demanding games out right now.

I agree that they are quite pricey, are there any other that you would recommend?

 

The only two things I would say here:

1) If you only want to game, you would be fine with a cheaper processor. My 2500K at stock still is more than enough to drive any GPU available. I do overclock it, but just for fun.

You would also not really need an aftermarket cooler then and could save even more money. Just an idea.

 

2) A 780 is a very nice card, again you might able to save some money here by getting a 290 instead. Both cards perform similarly and the 290 has 4GB VRAM instead of "only" 3GB(you said you might want higher res than 1080p???) and Mantle support for your BF4, which actually makes a difference with a 290. I do understand though if you want a 780, as I said that is a very nice card and will perform great in BF4 as well.

Thanks for the advice, will look into it.

[AlwaysFSX]

Dang, didn't know the Australian counterpart for the website existed. Thanks a lot.

It exists for a lot of different regions so it helps us put together a build people can actually buy.

[Mateyyy]

I agree that they are quite pricey, are there any other that you would recommend?

Well, Corsair Vengeance, Corsair Vengeance Pro, AData XPG v2, Crucial Ballistix Tracer Tactical (ballin LEDs)

[Derpz]

This is an updated list of the parts I'm thinking about.

 

[PCPartPicker part list](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/Wg7qrH) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/Wg7qrH/by_merchant/)

 

Type|Item|Price

:----|:----|:----

**CPU** | [intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54690k) | $272.00 @ CPL Online 

**CPU Cooler** | [Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2) | $39.00 @ Mwave Australia 

**Motherboard** | [MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-z97gaming5) | $219.00 @ CPL Online 

**Memory** | [Crucial Ballistix Smart Tracer 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-memory-blt2kit8g3d1608dt2txrg) | $209.00 @ PCCaseGear 

**Storage** | [samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7te250bw) | $139.00 @ Centre Com 

**Storage** | [seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st2000dm001) | $93.00 @ Centre Com 

**Video Card** | [sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Tri-X Video Card](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/sapphire-video-card-1003622sr) | $499.00 @ Mwave Australia 

**Case** | [Cooler Master Storm Scout 2 ATX Mid Tower Case](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-case-sgc2100wwn1) | $115.00 @ PCCaseGear 

**Power Supply** | [EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-220g20850xr) | $187.00 @ CPL Online 

**Operating System** | [Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit)](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-wn700615) | $115.00 @ CPL Online 

**Wireless Network Adapter** | [TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter](http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/tp-link-wireless-network-card-tlwdn4800) | $44.00 @ CPL Online 

 | | **Total**

 | Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $1931.00

 | Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-22 04:42 EST+1000 |

 

Anything that I could do better? Any feedback and comments would be appreciated.

[Guest]

How about something like this ?

 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($272.00 @ CPL Online) 

CPU Cooler: Corsair H105 73.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($159.00 @ CPL Online) 

Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VII RANGER ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($219.00 @ CPL Online) 

Memory: Kingston Fury Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($99.00 @ Mwave Australia) 

Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($139.00 @ Centre Com) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($93.00 @ Centre Com) 

Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 290 4GB TWIN FROZR Video Card  ($449.00 @ Mwave Australia) 

Case: Phanteks Enthoo Luxe ATX Full Tower Case  ($189.00 @ PCCaseGear) 

Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($187.00 @ CPL Online) 

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit)  ($115.00 @ CPL Online) 

Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter  ($44.00 @ CPL Online) 

Total: $1965.00

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-22 05:38 EST+1000

 

 

The H105 will serve you better as I assume it gets pretty warm in australia  :lol:

 

You don't need any more than 8GB Ram if you are just gaming. The Kingston Fury is good Ram and matches the motherboard and gpu.

 

The Phanteks Enthoo Luxe is a very good case. It is pretty new on the market as well (Not even out in my local pc store in UK) There is also a Black version if you prefer a Black case. That version is $10 less.

 

The Asus Ranger is a good gaming motherboard. I personally think Asus and Gigabyte make the best boards, although there is nothing wrong with MSI.

 

The MSI R9 290 Twin Frozr is a good card, and it is quite a bit cheaper than the Tri-X. It also fits in with a colour scheme.

 

 

 

Here is a review of the Luxe case - http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/phanteks_enthoo_luxe_review,1.html