First build, seeking advice

[Aefweard]

First time builder that has been lurking around this forum for a bit now, finally taking the plunge to build my own PC after a lifetime of macs. 

Any advice/help is greatly appreciated.

 

1. Budget & Location
Australia, budget is $2600 (ish)

2. Aim
Primarily gaming (WoW, dragon age inquisition, witcher 2/3, total war: rome 2, metro last light), with some light photo editing in Lightroom.

As a bonus would be nice if it ran near silent, while being cool enough to cope with the 35-40 degree summers.

Maybe try turning it into a hackintosh down the line.

 

3. Monitors

single monitor, 2560x1440
Any opinion on gtx970 vs 980 for running 1440p games? Wouldn't mind saving cash with the 970, but would rather spend more for a better experience.

 

4. Peripherals
I have keyboard and mouse, need a monitor and windows.
For the monitor I was thinking of Asus PB278q ($600) or Dell U2715H ($680)

 

5. Why are you upgrading?
Upgrading from my stalwart 2010 iMac as it is starting to struggle with games, and my moms old g5 died, so figured I'd build a PC and give her my iMac.

 

 

Provisional list I put together, willing to change anything 

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/MxGpNG

Price breakdown by merchant: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/MxGpNG/by_merchant/

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($289.00 @ PLE Computers) 

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler  ($105.00 @ CPL Online) 

Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($188.00 @ IJK) 

Memory: G.Skill AEGIS 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($100.98 @ Mwave Australia) 

Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($139.00 @ PCCaseGear) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($98.00 @ Centre Com) 

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card  ($749.00 @ Centre Com) 

Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($135.00 @ CPL Online) 

Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($115.00 @ CPL Online) 

Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer  ($19.00 @ CPL Online) 

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

Total: $2052.98

 

 

[Suffokation]

Hey mate,

Firstly, i'd like to say I know the pain of buying Australian. It is so expensive.

Secondly, $2600 is more then enough for a X99 system, saving an extra $400 to go with a 1440P monitor is what I recomend you go with. It'll come to around $3010 but I view it as the best option to go with. If you don't think that would be the best option, I recomend you change the ACX 980 to the Windforce G1 Gaming and switching out the SSD to the Intel 730 Series (PCCaseGear has a great sale on where the 240GB is $90 off http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=210_902_1221&products_id=27034). You'll need to snatch that one up really quickly. Lastly using a watercooler for the same price (CoolerMasters 280L is a good option for $110).

I wish you the best of luck with your system mate!

[Aefweard]

Haha, yeah prices in Australia are a bit on the high side.

 

 

 

I think an x99 would probably be overkill sadly. I'll swap the card, and take a look at that cooler.