$1500 Gaming based rig help!

[TheEpicCanadian]

Hey forum, I was asked by a cousin to build a PC for him. As far as what he wants, it's just a more or less all around good PC but also mid-high end graphics card because he wants the ability to game at pretty high FPS on a 40" 1080p TV. 

 

As far as specs go, I thought this build might be good: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/16dqC

 

Let me know what you think I should change and I will answer all questions to the best of my abilities!

[Skyfire]

Looks real good for that price range. Were you looking to lower the cost or something?

[extremescouter]

Looks good, but if it is a gaming PC, I would suggest going for the i5 4670k. The fps difference is minimal, and you would only see a difference in video editing with the extra cores for the 4770k. With that saved money, and if he can save up some, I would suggest going for the GTX 780, but the GTX 770 is also a great choice if that is not an option. For more information, and Linus' opinions, check this out:

 

[TheEpicCanadian]

Looks good, but if it is a gaming PC, I would suggest going for the i5 4670k. The fps difference is minimal, and you would only see a difference in video editing with the extra cores for the 4770k. With that saved money, and if he can save up some, I would suggest going for the GTX 780, but the GTX 770 is also a great choice if that is not an option. For more information, and Linus' opinions, check this out:

 

He's not an intense gamer, he wants it to be a more all around PC and he is in music creation and remixing etc so I figures he could use the i7.

[bennyino]

Yeah, i'd drop the i7 and get an i5, h100i and keep the rest if you cant upgrade the gpu with whats left

[Wats]

A TV is not for gaming anymore.. :s Might want to talk him into getting a real monitor to cut down on the input delay. Unless your friend plays casually then that's a good build. Heavy on the cpu side, it would be fine with any i5. Use that extra cpu monies on a 780 or half of a decent monitor :P

[Dim]

Changes I would make:

- Knock down to i5 4670K.

- Change H80i to a Swiftech H220.

- Switch out the GTX 770 for a HD 7950.

- Switch out that PSU for a 500W PSU to save money.

- Switch out that Samsung 840 for a Samsung 840 Pro (although that's my preference for speed)

I don't think he will utilize the additional threads in the 4770K, that case is compatible with larger coolers so I would make that change in the place of the 4770K, 7950s are exceptional value for money and very cheap at the moment, and there's no need to go overboard on the PSU unless he wants to SLI/Crossfire (which seems less than necessary since he isn't an intense gamer).

[TheEpicCanadian]

Yeah, i'd drop the i7 and get an i5, h100i and keep the rest if you cant upgrade the gpu with whats left

Don't think he would care for an h100 not a big computer guy which is why hes getting me to build it. 

[Dim]

Here is my revision.

Save $200  :)

EDIT: I knew there was something wrong with that calculation, forgot the graphics card...

[TheEpicCanadian]

Changes I would make:

- Knock down to i5 4670K.

- Change H80i to a Swiftech H220.

- Switch out the GTX 770 for a HD 7950.

- Switch out that PSU for a 500W PSU to save money.

- Switch out that Samsung 840 for a Samsung 840 Pro (although that's my preference for speed)

I don't think he will utilize the additional threads in the 4770K, that case is compatible with larger coolers so I would make that change in the place of the 4770K, 7950s are exceptional value for money and very cheap at the moment, and there's no need to go overboard on the PSU unless he wants to SLI/Crossfire (which seems less than necessary since he isn't an intense gamer).

I switched the CPU to the i5, He wouldn't care about intense cooling solutions, switched to a 7950, switched the PSU to a 650w just because I like the headroom, switched the SSD to the Pro.

 

Edit: spelling

[Dim]

I switedched the CPU to the i5, He wouldn't care about intense cooling solutions, switched to a 7950, switched the PSU to a 650w just because I like the headroom, switched the SSD to the Pro.

Honestly if he's not a PC enthusiast, I would even drop that down to a non-K version i5, get a cheap air cooler such as a Hyper 212 Evo (purely for noise purposes), get a less expensive motherboard that doesn't allow for overclocking and save another few hundred $.

[TheEpicCanadian]

Honestly if he's not a PC enthusiast, I would even drop that down to a non-K version i5, get a cheap air cooler such as a Hyper 212 Evo (purely for noise purposes), get a less expensive motherboard that doesn't allow for overclocking and save another few hundred $.

I will probably overclock it for him up to about 4.4ghz and I want it to be a fairly clean looking, quiet PC so no big air coolers.

[OneGun]

Well then you better get a decent LC as haswell is suppose to run pretty hot..

[TheEpicCanadian]

Well then you better get a decent LC as haswell is suppose to run pretty hot..

will a H100 do?

[OneGun]

Yes sir.. I have a 3570k at 4.5ghz at 1.25volts.I use to have a 120mm rad but it barely cut it.. I got a h100i and it is much better temp wise..

[TheEpicCanadian]

A TV is not for gaming anymore.. :s Might want to talk him into getting a real monitor to cut down on the input delay. Unless your friend plays casually then that's a good build. Heavy on the cpu side, it would be fine with any i5. Use that extra cpu monies on a 780 or half of a decent monitor :P

He doesnt have a TV in his room yet and doesnt have a lot of space so he needs to use a TV. I  know it sucks xD

[smjpl]

He doesnt have a TV in his room yet and doesnt have a lot of space so he needs to use a TV. I  know it sucks xD

 

Why doesn't he use a monitor instead of using a TV. The PC can also act as a TV. Me personally, using a TV as a monitor is a horrible solution. It just looks blocky & ugly. Especially when you consider he just spent $1500 on it. And a 40" @ 1080p ain't going to be very nice to look at,  A 27" monitor is too big for 1080p. Most people would go to a 1440p monitor for 27". Now imagine a 40". The only downside to this is that he won't have a 40". 27" would probably be the more likely (possibly 30").

 

Granted this all depends on seating position. If he is planning to hook up controllers and use it from a couch mostly, then the 40" wouldn't be too bad. If he plans to sit on a desk and sit 1ft-2ft away from it. :blink: God help him! :P   Just let him know this. before he makes his final decision. 

[TheEpicCanadian]

Why doesn't he use a monitor instead of using a TV. The PC can also act as a TV. Me personally, using a TV as a monitor is a horrible solution. It just looks blocky & ugly. Especially when you consider he just spent $1500 on it. And a 40" @ 1080p ain't going to be very nice to look at,  A 27" monitor is too big for 1080p. Most people would go to a 1440p monitor for 27". Now imagine a 40". The only downside to this is that he won't have a 40". 27" would probably be the more likely (possibly 30").

 

Granted this all depends on seating position. If he is planning to hook up controllers and use it from a couch mostly, then the 40" wouldn't be too bad. If he plans to sit on a desk and sit 1ft-2ft away from it. :blink: God help him! :P   Just let him know this. before he makes his final decision. 

Yea I will be sure to make sure he wants to use a tv and is a decent distance away from it.

[WoodenMarker]

You could do this instead: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/17gKY

 

You lose little performance from the cpu downgrade since what your friend will do is not cpu intensive and the 3470 is still a more than adequate cpu. The 780 will definitely be a beast in gaming.

 

If hyperthreading is highly preferred, you could get a xeon: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80637e31230v2

It's basically the 3770.