$1400/1500 USD budget

[Lyquified]

Hi, 

 

So I'm in a bit of a dilemma, and I've always been subscribed to linus via youtube and twitter, but never actually had an account on the forum until now. I used to be very in touch with computer parts, and the new, up and coming graphics cards and processors, that is until I became busy with my job and school. Ever since, I haven't really had the free time I used to, to browse around and look at everything, hence why I came here asking for help. I have recently thought about getting parts to build myself a nice new desktop, as I haven't had one in years and my laptop is just mainly used for school purposes. I am majoring in computer science, so it would be of use to me in the long run. I don't ever plan on moving the desktop, and it will be mainly used for school work/normal use/heavy gaming. I would want to get a new monitor just so that everything is new. That would include keyboard/mouse as well. I haven't gathered a list of parts as what I would like to buy, because I have no idea what is the latest, and best these days. I also have to work around my budget as well, so that's very important. If anyone can help me out, that would be greatly appreciated!! If you need more information from me, just let me know! 

 

Budget $1500 max

Peripherals (Monitor/kb/mouse)

SSD build preferred

Intel preferred

[Alibaladin]

Hi, 

 

So I'm in a bit of a dilemma, and I've always been subscribed to linus via youtube and twitter, but never actually had an account on the forum until now. I used to be very in touch with computer parts, and the new, up and coming graphics cards and processors, that is until I became busy with my job and school. Ever since, I haven't really had the free time I used to, to browse around and look at everything, hence why I came here asking for help. I have recently thought about getting parts to build myself a nice new desktop, as I haven't had one in years and my laptop is just mainly used for school purposes. I am majoring in computer science, so it would be of use to me in the long run. I don't ever plan on moving the desktop, and it will be mainly used for school work/normal use/heavy gaming. I would want to get a new monitor just so that everything is new. That would include keyboard/mouse as well. I haven't gathered a list of parts as what I would like to buy, because I have no idea what is the latest, and best these days. I also have to work around my budget as well, so that's very important. If anyone can help me out, that would be greatly appreciated!! If you need more information from me, just let me know! 

 

Budget $1500 max

Peripherals (Monitor/kb/mouse)

SSD build preferred

Intel preferred

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3zbVRB

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3zbVRB/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($219.75 @ OutletPC)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($28.98 @ OutletPC)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H-BK ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($151.98 @ Newegg)

Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($67.98 @ OutletPC)

Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($158.98 @ OutletPC)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($71.98 @ OutletPC)

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card  ($359.98 @ NCIX US)

Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case  ($22.99 @ Micro Center)

Power Supply: Cooler Master VSM 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($100.98 @ Newegg)

Monitor: Asus VS248H-P 24.0" Monitor  ($167.58 @ Newegg)

Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Quick Fire TK Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($86.72 @ Newegg)

Mouse: Mad Catz R.A.T. 3 Wired Optical Mouse  ($34.99 @ NCIX US)

Total: $1457.89

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-05 03:13 EST-0500

 

Base Total: $1543.33         Combo Discounts: -$15.00         Mail-in Rebates: -$83.00         Shipping: $12.56         Total: $1457.89  

 

[Lyquified]

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3zbVRB

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3zbVRB/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($219.75 @ OutletPC)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($28.98 @ OutletPC)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H-BK ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($151.98 @ Newegg)

Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($67.98 @ OutletPC)

Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($158.98 @ OutletPC)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($71.98 @ OutletPC)

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card  ($359.98 @ NCIX US)

Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case  ($22.99 @ Micro Center)

Power Supply: Cooler Master VSM 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($100.98 @ Newegg)

Monitor: Asus VS248H-P 24.0" Monitor  ($167.58 @ Newegg)

Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Quick Fire TK Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($86.72 @ Newegg)

Mouse: Mad Catz R.A.T. 3 Wired Optical Mouse  ($34.99 @ NCIX US)

Total: $1457.89

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-05 03:13 EST-0500

 

Base Total: $1543.33         Combo Discounts: -$15.00         Mail-in Rebates: -$83.00         Shipping: $12.56         Total: $1457.89  

 

 

I'm really liking that build. Thank you so much for putting in the time and effort for putting together a build for me! I have a shop called microcenter near me, where I can purchase many of these parts for even cheaper, so I can maybe add on more power to the system. 

 

 

I came across one of my brothers monitors, its almost exactly the same thing as the one you picked out, so I'm assuming that my brother doesn't use it, I will. That will also free up some more space for possible an upgrade for the cpu? I've heard good things about the Haswell i7 4790k? That cpu is going for 279.99 at microcenter here, so it would be better to just get that, no?

[Lyquified]

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3zbVRB

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3zbVRB/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($219.75 @ OutletPC)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($28.98 @ OutletPC)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H-BK ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($151.98 @ Newegg)

Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($67.98 @ OutletPC)

Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($158.98 @ OutletPC)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($71.98 @ OutletPC)

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card  ($359.98 @ NCIX US)

Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case  ($22.99 @ Micro Center)

Power Supply: Cooler Master VSM 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($100.98 @ Newegg)

Monitor: Asus VS248H-P 24.0" Monitor  ($167.58 @ Newegg)

Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Quick Fire TK Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($86.72 @ Newegg)

Mouse: Mad Catz R.A.T. 3 Wired Optical Mouse  ($34.99 @ NCIX US)

Total: $1457.89

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-05 03:13 EST-0500

 

Base Total: $1543.33         Combo Discounts: -$15.00         Mail-in Rebates: -$83.00         Shipping: $12.56         Total: $1457.89  

 

 

But because if I were to get the 4790k, that mobo, woul dit still be compatible, along with the cooler? I've heard my buddy talking about an H100 cooler or something of the sort, do you know what he's on about?

[Exp]

It can depend. The i7 4790k is an excellent processor, but it doesn't always make sense in every build. For example, gaming builds see next to no performance increase from an i5 4690k and an i7 4790k.

 

So the lowest online price for an i7 4790k is $324. That means that your Microcenter might be around 14% off the online prices. With that in mind, that increases your maximum budget to $1,700 in online prices, if that makes sense (and if my math is correct). I'll suggest a build if you can tell me what exactly you're going to be using it for.

[Lyquified]

Mostly gaming of course, and longevity. I want something that I won't have to upgrade for quite a bit of time. I may just decide to spend quite a bit of money on the system so that I can achieve that. I don't want to have to upgrade every few months to keep up with demands of new games, programs. I tend to multi task a lot, and all of my computers have not been able to handle what I demand out of them so far, so i don't want to run into hiccups with having 15-20 tabs open of browsers plus other things going on in the back. Lots of that is required for my papers and tutorials I have to follow for my classes. Some rendering may also be involved, depending on my classes in the future. I have worked with modeling programs before, even video editing software, so something that would be able to render the quickest would be ideal. I had the original i7 920 when it had just came out, and it was a blast. Never owned or used an i5/i3 computer so I don't know the differences.

 

I guess I just forgot how good Intel processors are, especially having used this god awful amd A10-5750m APU for the last year and a half or so. So then, what is the biggest difference and benefit for having an i7 over an i5, and vice versa? 

[Lyquified]

It can depend. The i7 4790k is an excellent processor, but it doesn't always make sense in every build. For example, gaming builds see next to no performance increase from an i5 4690k and an i7 4790k.

 

So the lowest online price for an i7 4790k is $324. That means that your Microcenter might be around 14% off the online prices. With that in mind, that increases your maximum budget to $1,700 in online prices, if that makes sense (and if my math is correct). I'll suggest a build if you can tell me what exactly you're going to be using it for.

 

I have looked through some sites, and see that there really is no point in getting the 4790k vs 4690k if it's mainly going to be for gaming more than anything. 

 

I will stick with the i5, it's going for ~199 at microcenter here.

 

 

 

I changed up a few things on there ~  http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3mNW7P

What do you think of that?

[Exp]

Mostly gaming of course, and longevity. I want something that I won't have to upgrade for quite a bit of time. I may just decide to spend quite a bit of money on the system so that I can achieve that. I don't want to have to upgrade every few months to keep up with demands of new games, programs. I tend to multi task a lot, and all of my computers have not been able to handle what I demand out of them so far, so i don't want to run into hiccups with having 15-20 tabs open of browsers plus other things going on in the back. Lots of that is required for my papers and tutorials I have to follow for my classes. Some rendering may also be involved, depending on my classes in the future. I have worked with modeling programs before, even video editing software, so something that would be able to render the quickest would be ideal. I had the original i7 920 when it had just came out, and it was a blast. Never owned or used an i5/i3 computer so I don't know the differences.

 

I guess I just forgot how good Intel processors are, especially having used this god awful amd A10-5750m APU for the last year and a half or so. So then, what is the biggest difference and benefit for having an i7 over an i5, and vice versa?

 

I'd recommend watching this video from Linus. The biggest difference, I'd say, would be hyperthreading. Hyperthreading sort of feeds the processor with more threads so that it can sit idle less. It only really makes a difference on really heavy workloads. Gaming doesn't really benefit from that, as most games only use one core. Which is all why you hear i5s recommended for gaming more than i7s. If you had an unlimited budget, I'd say go with the i7, but in this case I think it makes more sense to spend that money elsewhere in the build.

 

 

But because if I were to get the 4790k, that mobo, woul dit still be compatible, along with the cooler? I've heard my buddy talking about an H100 cooler or something of the sort, do you know what he's on about?

 

An H100i cooler is liquid cooling from Corsair. It would perform very well, but I'd only recommend spending so much on higher-end builds. The Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO is a very cost effective model.

 

I have looked through some sites, and see that there really is no point in getting the 4790k vs 4690k if it's mainly going to be for gaming more than anything. 

 

I will stick with the i5, it's going for ~199 at microcenter here.

 

 

 

I changed up a few things on there ~  http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3mNW7P

What do you think of that?

 

It's not a particularly bad build, but I here's my version. There's still a lot of room for improvement here, considering you have an effective budget of around $1700 (or at least $1650) by buying from your local Microcenter (of which I'm super envious of by the way, LOL). Below the list, I have some changes you can think about and why you may want to do each one. Most of the fun building your own PC comes from the customization! I couldn't take all that fun away from you!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($222.75 @ OutletPC)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.98 @ OutletPC)

Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Micro Center)

Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($123.12 @ Amazon)

Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($64.95 @ SuperBiiz)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.89 @ OutletPC)

Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 290X 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($339.99 @ Micro Center)

Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ NCIX US)

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US)

Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.79 @ OutletPC)

Monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor ($140.98 @ Newegg)

Monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor ($140.98 @ Newegg)

Total: $1426.40

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-05 20:17 EST-0500

 

CPU: Don't upgrade this unless you increase the budget by a lot. It's not very smart to spend more than you have to on this part, with what your needs are. Plus, there's almost no difference between this and a i7 4790k in terms of gaming.

CPU Cooler: You can go with a Corsair H60 or H100i if you wanted better cooling (and for better overclocking; I'm assuming you'll be overclocking). But the Hyper 212 EVO is a very cost efficient model.

Motherboard: For me, it was between this and the MSI Gaming 5. I'm open for suggestions here, but I feel this one has some very good overclockability (if that's a word). Definitely go with a Z97 motherboard here.

Memory: Sounds like you're a 16GB kind of guy (I am too), so I threw 16GB in there. If you absolutely wanted to, you could get two 16GB sets for a total of 32GB, but I really don't think that's necessary here.

Storage: Here's a point where I never know what to advise. There are so many options, and it depends on preference. You could add more SSD space or performance (with a 840/850 EVO or something). You could also add more HDD space or run multiple drives in RAID (the motherboard should have a RAID controller in it). I personally like RAID 1, because HDD failure is a pain in the butt. But there are many options here. I could explain them in more detail, if you'd like.

Video Card: Sure, there's room for improvement. But the monitors I put in don't need anything more than this. I personally lost some trust in Nvidia since the "3.5GB" scandal, but the GTX 970 is still a pretty good card. If you wanted to get multiple 1440p monitors (see monitors section), then we'd be talking. But not in this case.

Case: Do whatever you want here as long it has acceptable expandability and quality. NXZT cases are pretty popular, but I personally love Fractal Design's look, functionality, and expandability. You can go with a version without the window too, if you like (they generally run around $20 cheaper).

PSU: With this build, this PSU should be fine. If you wanted to upgrade the video card, you might need to upgrade this too. You can even go with less wattage if you go with a GTX 970.

Optical Drive: This is one I've used in a build in the past and liked, so I threw it in there (it's also the most popular one on pcpartpicker, from what I can see). They're cheap, so it doesn't really matter too much which one you choose as long as it's somewhat reliable.

Monitors: You look like a guy that can use more than one monitor. Once you go multi-monitor, you never go back. You can also go with a higher performing single monitor setup, but I wouldn't personally recommend it.

 

So, again, even though this build is right on the money in terms of budget, you should have around $1700 of an effective budget, considering savings at your MicroCenter. So, with that in mind, there's likely some room to expand in one of the ways I said above. I could tell you what I would do, but what I would do and what you would do are likely two different things. Hopefully I armed you with enough information to make a decision. Good luck and have fun with the build, my friend!

 

Edit: I forgot to mention that you can get a cheap, legal copy of Windows from the Microsoft Software Swap subreddit. I've never used it myself because I haven't had the need, but I've heard good things about it. Windows 8.1 can be around $15-25, depending on what version you're getting.

[Lyquified]

 

I'd recommend watching this video from Linus. The biggest difference, I'd say, would be hyperthreading. Hyperthreading sort of feeds the processor with more threads so that it can sit idle less. It only really makes a difference on really heavy workloads. Gaming doesn't really benefit from that, as most games only use one core. Which is all why you hear i5s recommended for gaming more than i7s. If you had an unlimited budget, I'd say go with the i7, but in this case I think it makes more sense to spend that money elsewhere in the build.

 

 

 

An H100i cooler is liquid cooling from Corsair. It would perform very well, but I'd only recommend spending so much on higher-end builds. The Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO is a very cost effective model.

 

 

It's not a particularly bad build, but I here's my version. There's still a lot of room for improvement here, considering you have an effective budget of around $1700 (or at least $1650) by buying from your local Microcenter (of which I'm super envious of by the way, LOL). Below the list, I have some changes you can think about and why you may want to do each one. Most of the fun building your own PC comes from the customization! I couldn't take all that fun away from you!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($222.75 @ OutletPC)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.98 @ OutletPC)

Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Micro Center)

Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($123.12 @ Amazon)

Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($64.95 @ SuperBiiz)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.89 @ OutletPC)

Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 290X 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($339.99 @ Micro Center)

Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ NCIX US)

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US)

Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.79 @ OutletPC)

Monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor ($140.98 @ Newegg)

Monitor: Asus VS238H-P 23.0" Monitor ($140.98 @ Newegg)

Total: $1426.40

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-05 20:17 EST-0500

 

CPU: Don't upgrade this unless you increase the budget by a lot. It's not very smart to spend more than you have to on this part, with what your needs are. Plus, there's almost no difference between this and a i7 4790k in terms of gaming.

CPU Cooler: You can go with a Corsair H60 or H100i if you wanted better cooling (and for better overclocking; I'm assuming you'll be overclocking). But the Hyper 212 EVO is a very cost efficient model.

Motherboard: For me, it was between this and the MSI Gaming 5. I'm open for suggestions here, but I feel this one has some very good overclockability (if that's a word). Definitely go with a Z97 motherboard here.

Memory: Sounds like you're a 16GB kind of guy (I am too), so I threw 16GB in there. If you absolutely wanted to, you could get two 16GB sets for a total of 32GB, but I really don't think that's necessary here.

Storage: Here's a point where I never know what to advise. There are so many options, and it depends on preference. You could add more SSD space or performance (with a 840/850 EVO or something). You could also add more HDD space or run multiple drives in RAID (the motherboard should have a RAID controller in it). I personally like RAID 1, because HDD failure is a pain in the butt. But there are many options here. I could explain them in more detail, if you'd like.

Video Card: Sure, there's room for improvement. But the monitors I put in don't need anything more than this. I personally lost some trust in Nvidia since the "3.5GB" scandal, but the GTX 970 is still a pretty good card. If you wanted to get multiple 1440p monitors (see monitors section), then we'd be talking. But not in this case.

Case: Do whatever you want here as long it has acceptable expandability and quality. NXZT cases are pretty popular, but I personally love Fractal Design's look, functionality, and expandability. You can go with a version without the window too, if you like (they generally run around $20 cheaper).

PSU: With this build, this PSU should be fine. If you wanted to upgrade the video card, you might need to upgrade this too. You can even go with less wattage if you go with a GTX 970.

Optical Drive: This is one I've used in a build in the past and liked, so I threw it in there (it's also the most popular one on pcpartpicker, from what I can see). They're cheap, so it doesn't really matter too much which one you choose as long as it's somewhat reliable.

Monitors: You look like a guy that can use more than one monitor. Once you go multi-monitor, you never go back. You can also go with a higher performing single monitor setup, but I wouldn't personally recommend it.

 

So, again, even though this build is right on the money in terms of budget, you should have around $1700 of an effective budget, considering savings at your MicroCenter. So, with that in mind, there's likely some room to expand in one of the ways I said above. I could tell you what I would do, but what I would do and what you would do are likely two different things. Hopefully I armed you with enough information to make a decision. Good luck and have fun with the build, my friend!

 

Edit: I forgot to mention that you can get a cheap, legal copy of Windows from the Microsoft Software Swap subreddit. I've never used it myself because I haven't had the need, but I've heard good things about it. Windows 8.1 can be around $15-25, depending on what version you're getting.

 

 

 

 

Okay, thank you so much for all your input! I've thought about it and agree with your points, as I would simply be wasting money. I didn't really think about the dual monitor idea, is it good? I know people who have it, and they love it, but I would want something that's capable of running games at high resolutions, beyond 1080p, with max quality, and good fps. Since the total of that ends up coming to about ~1400, I could add on another graphics card onto it, couldn't I? Or simply just get a better single card. I have no idea what is better for AMD, as I've lost track of their naming schemes ever since the HDxxxx series lol. I am so out of the loop! Multi tasking would also greatly increase for me, and I have the space for two monitors, so no worries about that either. I've just never used dual monitors before, so I have no idea what to expect. All I know is that they require that much more out of your system in terms of performance (graphics-wise and high resolution movies/videos) so I would want to have enough power and maybe some more just to have ^_~

 

Also, thank you so much for that reddit link! I wish I had come across that before, my family has been buying copies of it all along ahah! 

 

 

I still have not made up my decision, maybe you can help me out some more and then I will definitely go about it that way. 

 

 

EDIT: Maybe something like this? http://pcpartpicker.com/p/bqnwFT

[crispfact]

I'd like to throw out there, the hyper evo 212 CPU cooler is good, but I think with your budget you could do a little better..? Check the hot deals section here on the forums. I think I say something about a liwuid cooler for 20 buck after rebate, which is pretty awesome. They got a bunch of stuff for people in the us over there.

[Lyquified]

I'd like to throw out there, the hyper evo 212 CPU cooler is good, but I think with your budget you could do a little better..? Check the hot deals section here on the forums. I think I say something about a liwuid cooler for 20 buck after rebate, which is pretty awesome. They got a bunch of stuff for people in the us over there.

 

 

Thank you!! I'm new to the forums, I didn't even see that section until you pointed it out! I will definitely keep a lookout in that section for some parts as I am in no hurry to build this machine. The cheaper, the better!!

[Exp]

Okay, thank you so much for all your input! I've thought about it and agree with your points, as I would simply be wasting money. I didn't really think about the dual monitor idea, is it good? I know people who have it, and they love it, but I would want something that's capable of running games at high resolutions, beyond 1080p, with max quality, and good fps. Since the total of that ends up coming to about ~1400, I could add on another graphics card onto it, couldn't I? Or simply just get a better single card. I have no idea what is better for AMD, as I've lost track of their naming schemes ever since the HDxxxx series lol. I am so out of the loop! Multi tasking would also greatly increase for me, and I have the space for two monitors, so no worries about that either. I've just never used dual monitors before, so I have no idea what to expect. All I know is that they require that much more out of your system in terms of performance (graphics-wise and high resolution movies/videos) so I would want to have enough power and maybe some more just to have ^_~

 

Also, thank you so much for that reddit link! I wish I had come across that before, my family has been buying copies of it all along ahah! 

 

 

I still have not made up my decision, maybe you can help me out some more and then I will definitely go about it that way. 

 

 

EDIT: Maybe something like this? http://pcpartpicker.com/p/bqnwFT

 

I multitask a ton and it sounds like you do too. In terms of productivity, I'd say there's nothing better (from a computer) to boost your productivity than getting more display space. I can't recommend it enough, especially in this instance! From a gaming-only perspective, it may be good to have more space to have a skype window on the second one, but many people will prefer a single high-performance monitor for gaming.

 

So what you need in terms of GPU power depends on the monitors and what you're using them for. For productivity, this video card can very easily run two monitors. I even have a desktop at home with a Geforce GT 730 and it runs two monitors for productivity without problems.

 

However, if you wanted to run a game on two monitors simultaneously, a single R9 290x would "only" give you around 60fps. Many games have the crosshairs in the middle of the screen, which would be really awkward and I wouldn't recommend doing that anyway. You'd really need a third monitor for it to be worth gaming on all of them simultaneously.

 

So unless you can find an single extra-wide monitor you like (like these) within the budget, you're stuck with two monitors for productivity and not simultaneous gaming. Just make sure one you choose has decent specs (good enough contrast ratio, response time, connectors, etc). This one seems pretty good. It's generally good to get below 3ms for gaming, but the ultra-wide monitors that do that cost a fortune.

 

So if you had a couple 144hz or 1440p monitors, I'd say upgrade the video card as well. But two 1080p monitors or a single 1440p monitor are fine for this card. There's unfortunately not enough room in the budget for both upgrading the video card and getting two 144hz (or 1440p) monitors (that would bring the total to around $2,300+ for good quality stuff).

 

You could go with a single, high-performing monitor if you want to prioritize gaming, or go with a few monitors if you want to prioritize productivity. Ultra-wide monitors seem to be somewhere in-between but seems to be better with productivity in mind rather than gaming, simply because their specs aren't 100% geared for gaming in this budget.

 

In terms of potential video card upgrades within your budget, take a look at this list:

• A single R9 290x. Pros: 4GB of memory, so it can handle a bigger resolution. Many cuda cores for great power. Cons: Power hungry and a lot of heat output.
• A single GTX 970. Pros: Power efficient. Not too much heat output. Still very powerful. Cons: Only 3.5GB of effective memory, so on higher resolutions it may struggle. If you run out of that 3.5GB, you will have a bad time (under 10fps).
• Crossfire R9 290xs. Pros: A lot of power and effective memory and can handle many displays and high resolutions. Very powerful. Cons: VERY power hungry and a lot of heat output. Would need around 1000W PSU to compensate and some good case ventilation, increasing the price.
• SLI GTX 970s. Pros: Very little power consumption and heat output by comparison. Wouldn't require a PSU upgrade. Very powerful. Cons: Only 7GB of effective memory out of what should be 8GB, but at this point it doesn't matter too much.
• A Single GTX 980. Pros: Very powerful. Less powerful than SLI GTX 970s, but still one of the best single consumer cards on the market. Cons: Somewhat overpriced. Too powerful for some things, too weak for some really advanced things (4k 60fps). Still may only use 3.5GB of VRAM.

I think, out of these, your two best options are a single R9 290x, SLI GTX 970s, or a single GTX 980 (if you want better upgrades later on). But, again, it depends on what your priorities are for a monitor.

 

I'm probably explaining this really horribly. It's been a long week... lol. I probably just ended up confusing you even more. Let me know if something doesn't make sense. I'm not really an expert, but I can try to help in the ways I can. Make sure you like that case too. Again, I love it, personally, but you may like another one better.

 

Edit: That build you linked has too much weighed in the video card and not enough in the monitor itself. A single GTX 970 should easily run those two monitors, so adding a second is a bit unnecessary.

[Lyquified]

Well productivity wise, I understand that any single gpu will run it, but when it comes to gaming, I want to be able to run games on high quality and at a very high resolution and enjoy that. I've never been able to do that in the 10 years I've been messing with pc's, just never had the money at my disposal lol. Hence why I went with the sli's, but if you say that the R9 290x is good, I will look into that. I have been directed to Nvidia by several people. Have not been following closely with ATi's new hardware. Do you suggest I go with a single bigger monitor, and one gpu, vs dual monitors and dual gpu? I would just want enough firepower to run games at max quality/high resolution with no hiccups in fps/gameplay!

[crispfact]

You know.. I remember something about the 300 series, not sure about release date. But if your not in a great need of hurrying, a good idea is to wait for that to come out and see what it does to the 200 series price wise. The 290x is a great card, power hungry, but still great! And 2 in crossfire would be awesome (remeber the autobahn hammer Linus made? The one with 3 of those in crossfire driving somewhere near 18 million pixels or something ridculous?) Of course, those have 8 GB of video memory. But even though! You should be able to get 4k 60 fps on 2 is crossfire no problem. And when directx 12 gets realeased it will be insane.

[crispfact]

I've never had a dual or triple monitor setup, but just imagining it, I could expect that gaming on dual monitors might not be recommended..? Because you do have that bezel dead center, but if you do have triple monitor.. That's another story. That gotta be great for gaming and productivity cuz no mid-bezel

[Exp]

Well productivity wise, I understand that any single gpu will run it, but when it comes to gaming, I want to be able to run games on high quality and at a very high resolution and enjoy that. I've never been able to do that in the 10 years I've been messing with pc's, just never had the money at my disposal lol. Hence why I went with the sli's, but if you say that the R9 290x is good, I will look into that. I have been directed to Nvidia by several people. Have not been following closely with ATi's new hardware. Do you suggest I go with a single bigger monitor, and one gpu, vs dual monitors and dual gpu? I would just want enough firepower to run games at max quality/high resolution with no hiccups in fps/gameplay!

Running two separate monitors simultaneously with one game doesn't really make too much sense. So you'll end up using one monitor for gaming and the other for something else. It's an amazing thing when it comes to productivity, but either an ultra-wide monitor or a single high performing monitor make more sense for gaming.

 

I've never used an ultra-wide monitor for gaming, personally. I know a good amount of people do that though. I'd imagine the extra space makes for a pretty immersive experience, but if you have to sacrifice too much performance, it may not be worthwhile. Here's tomshardware's review of the AOC ultra-wide monitor I suggested.

 

You can get a 1080p 144hz 1ms response time monitor like this one at 24" for cheaper than the ultra-wide. Another option is a 27" like these, but it won't play at 144hz. I'd especially recommend 144hz in the case of first-person shooters where a quick reaction helps (CS:GO, Battlefield 4, etc). Even if you don't play those games, 144fps is very noticeable vs 60fps. For gaming only, it probably makes more sense to get the 24" one over the ultra-wide.

 

Either way, a single R9 290x or GTX 970 would easily provide enough for it. The R9 290x has a little more effective VRAM, so that's helpful at higher resolutions. Both cards are pretty powerful, and you can't really go wrong with either in this case. If you go with a GTX 970, you can even downgrade the PSU a little bit. Looking at everything, you could probably get away with a 430W PSU, but it's probably not leaving enough room for some upgrades down the road. So I'd go with a 500W in that case.

 

If you wanted to use three 144hz monitors at once for gaming, you'd definitely need more processing power. But I think with only the one monitor, a R9 290x or a GTX 970 would both max out most, if not all, games. If you want more solid evidence, all options I listed for a single monitor setup are well within both GPUs' listed maximums.

 

It seems like every time I respond, I give you more and more decisions (sorry!). I'm trying to get the setup that's best for you, and hopefully I'm explaining things alright.

[Exp]

Actually, I take some of that back. A single R9 290x or GTX 970 may have some trouble reaching 144fps on some of the AAA titles. And there's enough room in the budget for SLI 970s, so I'd go with that and the Asus 24" 144hz monitor I linked (unless you really want 27" of space). Crossfire 290xs would use too much power and probably heat up your room while you're at it. I'll make a pcpartpicker list in a bit. The website is running really slow for me right now, for whatever reason.

 

Sorry for being so indecisive! It's been a long week, lol.

[Lyquified]

Haha no don't be sorry, I should be the one apologizing for being such a hassle! I can't seem to make up my mind either lol. 

 

What you both said makes sense, pointless for me to get two monitors, either three or one widescreen.

 

I want to play games at higher resolutions eventually, higher than 1080p (whenever 4k monitors come down in price.) That would eventually lead me to getting another card, so for now I think I would be fine with just one. The choice is now down to going with which card lol. I've looked at the R9 290x and the gtx 970, they both seem like solid cards, but I feel like I would want more future-proofness, so maybe getting a gtx 980 or r9 290x2 would make more sense? That way, if i wanted, I could buy another one of those and sli/crossfire it if need be.

[Exp]

Haha no don't be sorry, I should be the one apologizing for being such a hassle! I can't seem to make up my mind either lol. 

 

What you both said makes sense, pointless for me to get two monitors, either three or one widescreen.

 

I want to play games at higher resolutions eventually, higher than 1080p (whenever 4k monitors come down in price.) That would eventually lead me to getting another card, so for now I think I would be fine with just one. The choice is now down to going with which card lol. I've looked at the R9 290x and the gtx 970, they both seem like solid cards, but I feel like I would want more future-proofness, so maybe getting a gtx 980 or r9 290x2 would make more sense? That way, if i wanted, I could buy another one of those and sli/crossfire it if need be.

I can't really tell if you'll get 1080p 144 fps on the tougher games with a single card. They should all run 60fps just fine, but I don't know how much more than that. So it may even be better to get that 27" monitor I linked, since its limit is 60fps anyway. I'm not sure.

 

Yea, both the GTX 970 and R9 290x are very similar cards. I was a GTX 970 fan until the memory scandals, but I don't think memory will be much of a problem with only one monitor anyway. The only instances where I've seen it reach the 3.5GB with one monitor is under heavily modded Skyrim and some things similar to that. You really have to push it to reach the 3.5GB with one monitor. It's still a very viable card.

 

Both the R9 290x and GTX 970 are a little overkill for 1080p, but I think it's best to go for them anyway. Adds a lot of room for when games get more demanding.

 

I personally don't think there's really such thing as future-proofing a build (after a certain point, and I think it's been crossed here already).  If you wanted to run a quad monitor setup, I'd say go for it. But with one monitor, I wouldn't really consider a GTX 980 or R9 295x2 (or Crossfire R9 290xs, SLI 970s, etc). Even running SLI 980s can't quite reach native 4k at 60fps consistently, so it's not doing you too much. As it sits, many people will even say a GTX 970 and R9 290x are overkill right now for 1080p. But I think those cards are the most I'd personally spend towards futureproofing a build. It's an awkward transitional time between resolutions for displays. I think it's smarter to wait until you try for 4k, and by then, there will likely be a card (or card combination) that could run it more comfortably. It's hard to predict what today's standards will be, say, four years down the line.

 

But, if you really wanted to hit 144fps 1080p on the lastest and greatest games on ultra settings, I'm very confident a GTX 980 or R9 295x2 would suffice. A single R9 290x or GTX 970 should do fine with it (without being overkill) but again, I'm not sure.

 

Edit: At 1440p, you'd probably want the extra firepower. But at 1080p, you'll be fine with a GTX 970 or R9 290x. Then, you can upgrade it down the road when you go for 4k.

[Lyquified]

I apologize for my inability to make a decision!!! So, I said screw the multiple displays shenanigans I was trying to do, because I won't even have room for it. This is the build I have decided on (for now - still need a case for this and all of it will be bought at microcenter.)

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2Y8sBm

 

Let me know what you think, things like the storage/memory/graphics card/mobo are still interchangeable but for the rest, I think that part is pretty set in stone. 

 

~Storage wise, I don't really find the need to have an extra hard drive alongside my SSD, hence why I am just going with the one 850 pro. I will probably go with the 512 gb version just for the extra space. 

~Memory wise, I know 16 gb would be viable for a long time to come, hence why I chose that one.

~Graphics card wise, I'm leaning towards Nvidia for power consumption/heat purposes, so I picked the 970, but really considering upgrading to the 980, just to have that extra juice when needed at higher resolutions/quality presets. I've always been an ati/amd fanboy and really want to get the r9 290, but I'm just worried about heat. My room is small and gets hot as is, so adding this machine in there will makes this worse, especially in the summer. I don't want to have to deal with problems like that, as much of a #firstworldproblem that is.. Then again, I have no idea how hot it actually runs, just know that it runs hotter than the Nvidia cards. 

~Mobo wise, I've been referred to this model and it seems like any z97 mobo will do with what I'm trying to accomplish. 

~Monitor wise, I have just decided to save up that extra money left over and just wait out the prices until they decrease. Meanwhile, I can get by on this viewsonic 24" that I bought several years ago. It'll have to make do until prices come down for 4k/1440p monitors. 

~Case wise, I'm just going to see what they have available at mc, that way I can look at the quality and build of the cases and can make a better decision.

 

[Exp]

I apologize for my inability to make a decision!!! So, I said screw the multiple displays shenanigans I was trying to do, because I won't even have room for it. This is the build I have decided on (for now - still need a case for this and all of it will be bought at microcenter.)

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2Y8sBm

 

Let me know what you think, things like the storage/memory/graphics card/mobo are still interchangeable but for the rest, I think that part is pretty set in stone. 

 

~Storage wise, I don't really find the need to have an extra hard drive alongside my SSD, hence why I am just going with the one 850 pro. I will probably go with the 512 gb version just for the extra space. 

~Memory wise, I know 16 gb would be viable for a long time to come, hence why I chose that one.

~Graphics card wise, I'm leaning towards Nvidia for power consumption/heat purposes, so I picked the 970, but really considering upgrading to the 980, just to have that extra juice when needed at higher resolutions/quality presets. I've always been an ati/amd fanboy and really want to get the r9 290, but I'm just worried about heat. My room is small and gets hot as is, so adding this machine in there will makes this worse, especially in the summer. I don't want to have to deal with problems like that, as much of a #firstworldproblem that is.. Then again, I have no idea how hot it actually runs, just know that it runs hotter than the Nvidia cards. 

~Mobo wise, I've been referred to this model and it seems like any z97 mobo will do with what I'm trying to accomplish. 

~Monitor wise, I have just decided to save up that extra money left over and just wait out the prices until they decrease. Meanwhile, I can get by on this viewsonic 24" that I bought several years ago. It'll have to make do until prices come down for 4k/1440p monitors. 

~Case wise, I'm just going to see what they have available at mc, that way I can look at the quality and build of the cases and can make a better decision.

Did you link the wrong part list? It doesn't exactly match what you said, with a 256GB SSD and an i7 4790k.

[Lyquified]

Did you link the wrong part list? It doesn't exactly match what you said, with a 256GB SSD and an i7 4790k.

 

Oops, ya this is the right one; http://pcpartpicker.com/p/h39PLk

[Exp]

It seems like a pretty good build. I'm not really sure if 512GB is enough space for storage, but if you feel it is, it's a good choice of SSD. You can use old HDDs as well later on (even the ones from old laptops), if you'd like to inexpensively add on. Of course, you can also add a brand new HDD for pretty cheap as well.

 

The motherboard is pretty good. I'll mention the ASUS Z97-A, the MSI Gaming 5 (which I know a lot of people use), and of course the AsRock Extreme 4 if you're not satisfied. I would definitely get one with SLI as an option in the future. So you're fine in that regard.

 

I like the decision on the GPU. As of right now, unless you were getting a few 1440p monitors shortly after building it, I don't see too much of a reason to go for the GTX 980. For a single 1080p monitor, you can run just about any game completely maxed out on a GTX 970. In the meantime, wait for 4k monitors and GPUs that can drive games at that resolution to decrease in price. You can always recoup your "losses" on the GTX 970 by selling it in the classifieds on this forum or on eBay or something. The heat with a single R9 290x shouldn't really be that dramatic, but I like the GTX 970 here anyway.

 

The last thing is that the PSU is a bit much right now. It's only using around 350W, so I'd say around 550W would allow enough room for expansions. For reference, if you add another GTX 970 to SLI in this build, it would use around 480W. Two GTX 980s in SLI would use around 525W. So if you were planning on getting SLI 980s in the future, or have the ability to, you can go with the one already listed. Otherwise, it may just be a waste.

 

Other than those notes, I think it's a very good build. I think it's a good idea not to spend more than you have to here and wait until 4k monitors and GPUs to support them are at reasonable costs. Even until then, you have a great build that can max out any game on 1080p 60+fps.

[Lyquified]

It seems like a pretty good build. I'm not really sure if 512GB is enough space for storage, but if you feel it is, it's a good choice of SSD. You can use old HDDs as well later on (even the ones from old laptops), if you'd like to inexpensively add on. Of course, you can also add a brand new HDD for pretty cheap as well.

 

The motherboard is pretty good. I'll mention the ASUS Z97-A, the MSI Gaming 5 (which I know a lot of people use), and of course the AsRock Extreme 4 if you're not satisfied. I would definitely get one with SLI as an option in the future. So you're fine in that regard.

 

I like the decision on the GPU. As of right now, unless you were getting a few 1440p monitors shortly after building it, I don't see too much of a reason to go for the GTX 980. For a single 1080p monitor, you can run just about any game completely maxed out on a GTX 970. In the meantime, wait for 4k monitors and GPUs that can drive games at that resolution to decrease in price. You can always recoup your "losses" on the GTX 970 by selling it in the classifieds on this forum or on eBay or something. The heat with a single R9 290x shouldn't really be that dramatic, but I like the GTX 970 here anyway.

 

The last thing is that the PSU is a bit much right now. It's only using around 350W, so I'd say around 550W would allow enough room for expansions. For reference, if you add another GTX 970 to SLI in this build, it would use around 480W. Two GTX 980s in SLI would use around 525W. So if you were planning on getting SLI 980s in the future, or have the ability to, you can go with the one already listed. Otherwise, it may just be a waste.

 

Other than those notes, I think it's a very good build. I think it's a good idea not to spend more than you have to here and wait until 4k monitors and GPUs to support them are at reasonable costs. Even until then, you have a great build that can max out any game on 1080p 60+fps.

 

 

Sorry mate, I never got the notification that you had replied to this, or maybe I just missed it. I can't be thankful enough for your input and all the help you have given me in the last several days. I have changed out the PSU to a 550W instead, and managed to snag the evo 850 512gb for 179.99 yesterday. I placed all of the parts on order, and will go and pick out a case at microcenter within the next few days. I will put up pics of the finished build after I have tested it out! I can't wait!!!

 

EDIT: Actually, I don't know if I will get the parts all at once, or wait around and give it a few weeks to see if there are any worthy deals out there some of the parts. The less money I spend, the better! 

[Exp]

Sorry mate, I never got the notification that you had replied to this, or maybe I just missed it. I can't be thankful enough for your input and all the help you have given me in the last several days. I have changed out the PSU to a 550W instead, and managed to snag the evo 850 512gb for 179.99 yesterday. I placed all of the parts on order, and will go and pick out a case at microcenter within the next few days. I will put up pics of the finished build after I have tested it out! I can't wait!!!

 

EDIT: Actually, I don't know if I will get the parts all at once, or wait around and give it a few weeks to see if there are any worthy deals out there some of the parts. The less money I spend, the better! 

Sounds like a good plan!

 

And it didn't give you a notification because I didn't quote you in the previous post. To get notifications regardless of your being quoted or not, you can follow the topic near the upper right of the thread. It would give you notifications when someone posts in the thread you follow.