First Gaming Build

[Reuben]

I've been interested in computers for years, and have always done upgrades and repairs on my computer as well as those belonging to family and friends, and I'm now building my first gaming/editing rig. Here's the outline:

 

1. Budget & Location
I don't really have an exact budget, I'd prefer to keep it at ~$1650, and am located in Canada.

 

2. Aim
I want to play games like Crysis 3, Metro: Last Light, and Battlefield 4 on absolute maximum settings at 1080p. I also will be doing some video editing and other content creation in addition to Web browsing and other daily tasks. I want to overclock my CPU to at least 4.0 GHz, and I may upgrade my cooler in the future. I wanted a board with decent audio, and a case that has some room for watercooling if I decide to go that route in the future.

3. Monitors
I plan on running a single 1080p 60Hz IPS display but may upgrade to triple monitors in the future.

4. Peripherals
I own an older Gigabyte gaming mouse and it suits me fine. I recently acquired a Cooler Master Quickfire TK keyboard and a Steelseries 7H headset, and my speakers (Logitech Z506) meet my current needs, so I'm pretty much set for peripherals.

5. Why are you upgrading?
I am upgrading because I currently have a Dell Dimension E521 with 4GB DDR2, an Athlon 4000+, and an HD 6670 with 2GB DDR3.

 

My current 'wish list' is as follows:

 

XFX Pro Series 1050W- already owned

SanDisk Extreme 120GB SSD- already owned

Intel Core i7 4770K- $339.99 (NCIX.ca)

PNY GeForce GTX 780- $649.99 (NCIX.ca)

NZXT Respite T40 Heatsink- $27.99 (NCIX.ca)

Fractal Design Define R4 Window Black- $99.99 (NCIX.ca)

Corsair Vengeance Pro Blue 1866 2X8GB- $138.99 (Direct Canada)

Gigabyte Z87X-UD3H- $173.20 (BestDirect.ca)

Seagate Barracuda 2TB- $89.99 (NCIX.ca)

Windows 8 64-bit- $97.99 (NCIX.ca)

 

Total- $1618.13

 

Feel free to post any helpful comments, questions, or bits of advice below!

[Vitalius]

Hi @Reuben,

Always use www.pcpartpicker.com for prices. Since you are in Canada, use ca.pcpartpicker.com They look at all the websites and find the cheapest one and even take into account deals like mail-in rebates, free shipping, discounts, etc etc.

It also estimates the total wattage of your system so you know how big of a PSU to get. Though since you already have a beast one, that doesn't matter. For a matter of reference though, a 4770k, SLI 780 system uses about 750 watts of power.

I have one bit of advice to start with: Unless you plan to edit video, having 1866 speed RAM will not make any noticeable difference to your gaming experience as compared to 1333 RAM. It's more of an "e-peen" thing if you aren't video rendering/editting.

[SirReallySam]

Since you are in Canada, use ca.pcpartpicker.com

Didn't know that :) thanks

[Vitalius]

Didn't know that :) thanks

You're welcome bro. You can still use the normal www.pcpartpicker.com, but it will use USA retailers. ca.pcpartpicker.com will focuse on Canadian retailers. That's usually more expensive as it is in Canadian dollars, not US dollars.

@Reuben

Here is your build put into ca.pcpartpicker.com:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($349.99 @ Newegg Canada)

CPU Cooler: NZXT Respire T40 68.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Canada Computers)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($159.99 @ Newegg Canada)

Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($129.99 @ Canada Computers)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($87.99 @ Canada Computers)

Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($658.65 @ TigerDirect Canada)

Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ Memory Express)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($106.67 @ TigerDirect Canada)

Total: $1636.26

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-20 04:01 EDT-0400)

It comes out to a $18 over your total price because it's using Canadian retailers (and thereby, Canadian dollars).

I changed your motherboard to the next step down in Gigabyte's Z87 board because the one you chose has 8 SATA 6Gb/s ports. You will never need that many. Trust me. :P The one I chose is a bit cheaper and the only difference is it has 6 SATA 6 Gb/s ports (and likely 2 SATA 3 Gb/s ports).

I changed your RAM to 1600 speed based on what I said above. Vengeance Pro doesn't come in 1333 speeds.

I didn't put your other stuff into it as you already bought it.

[Reuben]

Always use www.pcpartpicker.com for prices. Since you are in Canada, use ca.pcpartpicker.com They look at all the websites and find the cheapest one and even take into account deals like mail-in rebates, free shipping, discounts, etc etc.

It also estimates the total wattage of your system so you know how big of a PSU to get. Though since you already have a beast one, that doesn't matter. For a matter of reference though, a 4770k, SLI 780 system uses about 750 watts of power.

I have one bit of advice to start with: Unless you plan to edit video, having 1866 speed RAM will not make any noticeable difference to your gaming experience as compared to 1333 RAM. It's more of an "e-peen" thing if you aren't video rendering/editting.

1. I had It figured out on pcpartpicker, but it actually leaves out some Canadian etailers, so I went back And found the best price, regardless of whether or not it appeared on pcpartpicker.

 

2. The biggest reason I'm getting Vengeance Pro RAM is because it looks so good with this board. As for 1866, it was <$10 more than 1600, so I went for it.

[Vitalius]

1. I had It figured out on pcpartpicker, but it actually leaves out some Canadian etailers, so I went back And found the best price, regardless of whether or not it appeared on pcpartpicker.

 

2. The biggest reason I'm getting Vengeance Pro RAM is because it looks so good with this board. As for 1866, it was <$10 more than 1600, so I went for it.

Awesome, I noticed that just now while building that comp on it. The HDD was more than the cheapest one PC Part Picker saw. My bad.

[Reuben]

It comes out to a $18 over your total price because it's using Canadian retailers (and thereby, Canadian dollars).

I changed your motherboard to the next step down in Gigabyte's Z87 board because the one you chose has 8 SATA 6Gb/s ports. You will never need that many. Trust me. :P The one I chose is a bit cheaper and the only difference is it has 6 SATA 6 Gb/s ports (and likely 2 SATA 3 Gb/s ports).

I changed your RAM to 1600 speed based on what I said above. Vengeance Pro doesn't come in 1333 speeds.

My prices WERE in Canadian dollars. I was after the board for other features, such as dual BIOS and superior audio. As far as the RAM goes, it's $8 more for 1866, so why not get it? Why would I go for your configuration and pay more for less?

[Vitalius]

My prices WERE in Canadian dollars. I was after the board for other features, such as dual BIOS and superior audio. As far as the RAM goes, it's $8 more for 1866, since why not get it? Why would I go for your configuration and pay more for less?

Because you would apply the cheaper prices you found that PC Part Picker doesn't take into account. LIke how the GPU/CPU you found cheaper than PC Part Picker found it. Do that, and it will be cheaper by a bit.

Just combine the two lists only using the cheaper of each one. 

If you don't mind paying a little bit more for something you won't ever use (besides the dual BIOS and audio), then go for it, but $20-$30 would get you quite a few games on Steam. :P

[Reuben]

Because you would apply the cheaper prices you found that PC Part Picker doesn't take into account. LIke how the GPU/CPU you found cheaper than PC Part Picker found it. Do that, and it will be cheaper by a bit.

Just combine the two lists only using the cheaper of each one. 

If you don't mind paying a little bit more for something you won't ever use (besides the dual BIOS and audio), then go for it, but $20-$30 would get you quite a few games on Steam. :P

I'm not sure if you're trolling me or just accidentally pissing me off, because all you've done so far is:

• touted pcpartpicker.com, which I found to be unsatisfactory
• showed me how I can use said site to spend $18 more than my current configuration on inarguably inferior parts
• told me to buy the hard drive and CPU cooler from different retailers than NCIX, which saves me $4 but increases my shipping costs by >$10
• made the thread obsolete with your unhelpful posts

I'm not sure if you're trying to reach 500 posts or something, but unless you're actually going to help me with your posts, then don't bother. I'm looking for useful advice, something that will help me improve my build. I know I don't need 1866 memory and I know I don't need the UD3H board, but if it's in my budget, why wouldn't I go for it?

[WoodenMarker]

Looks solid. I'd get a cheaper motherboard--maybe even go Ivy but that's just me. I'm a bang for your buck guy and I like to save money to spend on other things.