Compact Gaming PC

[skywake]

same old same old, etc, etc...

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($201.00 @ CPL Online) 

Motherboard: Asus H97M-E Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($114.00 @ CPL Online) 

Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($97.00 @ Centre Com) 

Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($72.00 @ CPL Online) 

Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 285 2GB Double Dissipation Video Card  ($275.00 @ PLE Computers) 

Case: Corsair Air 240 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($119.00 @ CPL Online) 

Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($114.21 @ Mwave Australia) 

Total: $992.21

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-09 21:10 EST+1000

 

Additional notes:

- I want to keep it at ~$1000AU

- A mixed light-ish workload. Games and video encoding being the main heavy loads

- I have a fair amount of spare drives so storage really isn't a problem. I *may* push the SSD upto 250GB

- I have a couple of monitors, one's 1080p monitor and the other 1680x1050. I'll be running games one of them

- The main reason I'm hyped about upgrading my gaming PC now is because of in-home streaming. So good video encoding matters

- I intend on upgrading to a new monitor for freesync/gsync within the next year or two. So support for that matters (hence 285)

- It's going to sit ontop of a desk and I like the Air 240 because it'll let me look in the "roof"

 

post thoughts, suggestions etc, etc.

 

edit: changed the title because apparently nobody wants to view a thread titled "yet another new build thread"

[skywake]

bump

[brob]

I would suggest a different memory kit, one with CAS 9 instead of 10, or a higher speed.

 

Kingston ssd have a very poor reputation. Mostly because the manufacturer switched out the memory chips for much slower ones after sending samples to reviewers. They forgot to tell anyone of the change.

[skywake]

I would suggest a different memory kit, one with CAS 9 instead of 10, or a higher speed.

 

Kingston ssd have a very poor reputation. Mostly because the manufacturer switched out the memory chips for much slower ones after sending samples to reviewers. They forgot to tell anyone of the change.

RAM I just went for the cheapest 8GB kit that didn't look obnoxious but if you think an extra few bucks for low profile Corsair Vengeance (C9, 1600) is worth it then I'll change that. Might even match the build better being the same brand as the case, that'd be a bonus I guess.

 

SSD is the same deal, I've just gone for the cheapest under the assumption that in every-day use they'll be about the same. But again the cost gap between the brands is only in the $10s and a ~$50 jump in cost gives me 250GB. You're probably right and I'll keep it in mind but for the price SSDs are now, the rate they're falling and with regular backups of important data I'm not sure how much I actually care.

[brob]

RAM I just went for the cheapest 8GB kit that didn't look obnoxious but if you think an extra few bucks for low profile Corsair Vengeance (C9, 1600) is worth it then I'll change that. Might even match the build better being the same brand as the case, that'd be a bonus I guess.

 

SSD is the same deal, I've just gone for the cheapest under the assumption that in every-day use they'll be about the same. But again the cost gap between the brands is only in the $10s and a ~$50 jump in cost gives me 250GB. You're probably right and I'll keep it in mind but for the price SSDs are now, the rate they're falling and with regular backups of important data I'm not sure how much I actually care.

 

It will not make a noticeable difference in performance for most stuff, but in my opinion it is worth a few extra dollars - not too many though.

 

The issue with the Kingston V300 ssd is one of speed. There are several reports of the units running extremely slow, see http://www.anandtech.com/show/7763/an-update-to-kingston-ssdnow-v300-a-switch-to-slower-micron-nand. Generally I go for the least expensive ssd that isn't a V300.

[skywake]

It will not make a noticeable difference in performance for most stuff, but in my opinion it is worth a few extra dollars - not too many though.

 

The issue with the Kingston V300 ssd is one of speed. There are several reports of the units running extremely slow, see http://www.anandtech.com/show/7763/an-update-to-kingston-ssdnow-v300-a-switch-to-slower-micron-nand. Generally I go for the least expensive ssd that isn't a V300.

I think I can go for a Samsung drive for more-or-less the same price. Maybe ~$5 or so more...