Help with my gaming PC

[Cavi]

Hi everyone! This or next month I'll be buying a new gaming PC (My current is just too old. Intel Pentium Dual CPU E2200, Nvidia GT 220, 4GB RAM) and I've already chosen my build. I've been watching a lot of "Best PC build for 2015" videos lately an I took some inspiration, but I'm not still sure if everything is all right. This is my build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/g9rXpg

I want it to be just a gaming PC. I do some editing sometimes, but It's veeery light, so I don't really want to focus on that. My bugdet is around $1700, maybe more, I will know better when I'll be buying a PC, so if you have a propisition for a $2K PC it's all right. Is everything ok with my build? Is there anything you would change? Or maybe whole build is bad? Let me know.

 

(Sorry for any mistakes, English is not my native language.) 

 

EDIT:
Forgot to add - I do not really need any new peripherals (Maybe a new monitor, but I will think of it later). I don't need an OS either. I already have Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit. 

[TheGhzGuy]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nMCkyc
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nMCkyc/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($222.75 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H105 73.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste  ($6.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 7 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($161.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($122.73 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($59.99 @ Best Buy)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card  ($333.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case  ($98.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Case Fan: LEPA LP-BOL12P-R 81.5 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($14.91 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: LEPA LP-BOL12P-R 81.5 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($14.91 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($249.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1576.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-08 08:39 EDT-0400

[Cavi]

Thank you kind sir But could you maybe explain the changes you did in my build? I'm just curious and also I want to know what to look for in my future builds. 

[SeanAngelo]

@Cavi PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

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

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($74.99 @ Mwave) 

Motherboard: MSI Z97-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($124.99 @ Micro Center) 

Memory: Kingston Beast 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($73.74 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($114.99 @ Newegg) 

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SSC ACX 2.0 Video Card  ($329.99 @ Newegg) 

Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case  ($99.99 @ Amazon) 

Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($105.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($249.99 @ NCIX US) 

Total: $1397.42

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-08 08:49 EDT-0400

[Cavi]

Thank you as well Now I'm more confident about some parts. 

EDIT:
Is it worth to go for 970's SLI to be high-end for more time, or better to go with one 980? 970's in SLI cost a little bit more than 980, but I've heard that 970 SLI option is more powerful than 980. What is your opinion? 

[amathew1491]

Thank you as well Now I'm more confident about some parts. 

EDIT:

Is it worth to go for 970's SLI to be high-end for more time, or better to go with one 980? 970's in SLI cost a little bit more than 980, but I've heard that 970 SLI option is more powerful than 980. What is your opinion? 

2 970 because it has a higher fps than 1 980

[mwthomas10]

You said you don't need a new monitor, yet there is one sitting on the parts list....

 

I would swap out the 970 with the Gigabyte G1 Gaming 980.

 

But even if you didn't take out the monitor you would still come in at your previously listed $1700 budget.

[mwthomas10]

Thank you as well Now I'm more confident about some parts. 

EDIT:

Is it worth to go for 970's SLI to be high-end for more time, or better to go with one 980? 970's in SLI cost a little bit more than 980, but I've heard that 970 SLI option is more powerful than 980. What is your opinion? 

Search 970 SLI vs. single 980 on youtube and look at benchmarks.   970sli is better at 1080p and 1440p but at 4k the lower performance of the last .5gb of vram really shows letting the 980 pass it at 4k imo

[Cavi]

You said you don't need a new monitor, yet there is one sitting on the parts list....

 

I would swap out the 970 with the Gigabyte G1 Gaming 980.

 

But even if you didn't take out the monitor you would still come in at your previously listed $1700 budget.

Yes, it is true. I added it later after doing some research. I might swap the card. PSU I chose is already good for 980.

 

Search 970 SLI vs. single 980 on youtube and look at benchmarks.   970sli is better at 1080p and 1440p but at 4k the lower performance of the last .5gb of vram really shows letting the 980 pass it at 4k imo

I'm not really into 4K right now, but that is a good point. I'm probably gona choose 980, because it's gonna be enough for 1080p and 1440p and I can add another 980 in the future to have a good 4K rig instead of scrapping 970 SLI to buy 980. 

 

I'm gonna take all the suggestions, do some research and throw it in partpicker tommorow, let you guys rate my final build based on your posts and close the topic if everything goes good I'm really excited. But that's not weird considering how bad is my current PC (Like I showed in the first post).

[mwthomas10]

Yes, it is true. I added it later after doing some research. I might swap the card. PSU I chose is already good for 980.

 

I'm not really into 4K right now, but that is a good point. I'm probably gona choose 980, because it's gonna be enough for 1080p and 1440p and I can add another 980 in the future to have a good 4K rig instead of scrapping 970 SLI to buy 980. 

 

I'm gonna take all the suggestions, do some research and throw it in partpicker tommorow, let you guys rate my final build based on your posts and close the topic if everything goes good I'm really excited. But that's not weird considering how bad is my current PC (Like I showed in the first post).

GLHF, wish I had that kind of budget to build my rig....lucky guy.  

 

My middle school's computers are better than your current rig.  i5 vPro and GT310.  Most over-specked PCs ever.

[brob]

You could cut back to 2x4GB of memory.

 

The H100i is not a great fit with the Storm Enforcer. An H80i mounted on the rear fan mount would be much better.

 

I wouldn't bother with the extra SP120 fans.

[EthanTheFrogMan]

Go with the Hyper 212 evo, NZXT S340 case.

[EthanTheFrogMan]

Oh, also, you should get the 980

[mwthomas10]

Oh, also, you should get the 980

Totally hasn't been suggested by like 3 other people....XDXD

[Cavi]

You could cut back to 2x4GB of memory.

 

The H100i is not a great fit with the Storm Enforcer. An H80i mounted on the rear fan mount would be much better.

 

I wouldn't bother with the extra SP120 fans.

I still don't know which case to choose. In mind I have the one I listed, be quiet! silent base 800, NZXT 340 that someone already suggested me here and maybe something from fractal design. 

And why do you suggest cutting RAM off? I want this build to be futureproof. 

[Guest]

You don't need 16GB Ram for gaming, but it won't do any harm if you want it.

 

Went with a G-Sync monitor. There are Freesync monitors due out soon, so you could go with a R9 290X as an alternative (Assuming you don't want to wait for the 300 series) and a Freesync screen.

 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($199.99 @ Micro Center) 

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

Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 7 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($171.98 @ Newegg) 

Memory: Kingston Savage 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory  ($121.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($104.99 @ Adorama) 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($44.99 @ Best Buy) 

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card  ($333.98 @ Newegg) 

Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case  ($99.99 @ Amazon) 

Power Supply: XFX XTR 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($91.99 @ NCIX US) 

Monitor: AOC G2460PG 144Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($449.99 @ Best Buy) 

Total: $1648.87

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-10 10:43 EDT-0400

[Cavi]

 

You don't need 16GB Ram for gaming, but it won't do any harm if you want it.

 

Went with a G-Sync monitor. There are Freesync monitors due out soon, so you could go with a R9 290X as an alternative (Assuming you don't want to wait for the 300 series) and a Freesync screen.

 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($199.99 @ Micro Center) 

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

Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 7 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($171.98 @ Newegg) 

Memory: Kingston Savage 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory  ($121.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($104.99 @ Adorama) 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($44.99 @ Best Buy) 

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card  ($333.98 @ Newegg) 

Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case  ($99.99 @ Amazon) 

Power Supply: XFX XTR 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($91.99 @ NCIX US) 

Monitor: AOC G2460PG 144Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($449.99 @ Best Buy) 

Total: $1648.87

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-10 10:43 EDT-0400

 

Pretty nice build, actually Thank you for your suggestion! 

[brob]

I still don't know which case to choose. In mind I have the one I listed, be quiet! silent base 800, NZXT 340 that someone already suggested me here and maybe something from fractal design. 

And why do you suggest cutting RAM off? I want this build to be futureproof. 

 

There are many very good cases. It really depends on how much space is available and what appeals to you. Once you have taken the time to sort through the case options, ask about the one(s) you particularly like. Any problems or compatibility issues are sure to be pointed out.

 

There is no such thing as "futureproof". Eight GB is more than enough for a gaming system that is also used for light video editing and other content creation. Besides, one can easily add more memory. But if you really want 16GB, there is no harm in getting a 2x8GB kit.

[Cavi]

There are many very good cases. It really depends on how much space is available and what appeals to you. Once you have taken the time to sort through the case options, ask about the one(s) you particularly like. Any problems or compatibility issues are sure to be pointed out.

 

There is no such thing as "futureproof". Eight GB is more than enough for a gaming system that is also used for light video editing and other content creation. Besides, one can easily add more memory. But if you really want 16GB, there is no harm in getting a 2x8GB kit.

Ok, I see your point with RAM. I'm probably gonna go with 8 GB for now. But what is better? Is it good to buy a single 8GB chip and later expand it to 16GB when I need it, or to get a 2x4 kit and later add in another 2x4 kit? 

 

Cases I'm interested in at the moment:

be quiet! Silent Base 800

NZXT 340

Cooler Master Storm Enforcer

Zalman Z11 Plus

 

I would like to say that I'm not an expert in cases, so if the ones listed above are not really good, could someone suggest me a good gaming PC case? I would like it to be cool looking, maybe some black and red, but that is not really important, so if there is a good case out there with a really simple design, it's cool with me. Max price is around $100, but it would be cool if you could suggest me a cheaper one that is good. 

[brob]

Ok, I see your point with RAM. I'm probably gonna go with 8 GB for now. But what is better? Is it good to buy a single 8GB chip and later expand it to 16GB when I need it, or to get a 2x4 kit and later add in another 2x4 kit? 

 

Cases I'm interested in at the moment:

be quiet! Silent Base 800

NZXT 340

Cooler Master Storm Enforcer

Zalman Z11 Plus

 

I would like to say that I'm not an expert in cases, so if the ones listed above are not really good, could someone suggest me a good gaming PC case? I would like it to be cool looking, maybe some black and red, but that is not really important, so if there is a good case out there with a really simple design, it's cool with me. Max price is around $100, but it would be cool if you could suggest me a cheaper one that is good. 

 

It is marginally better to get a 2x4GB kit as it guarantees dual channel memory access. This provides a performance increase. Very small in games, significant in some other activities.

 

None of those cases have serious flaws. Around the same price point of the Silent Base 800 is the Fractal Design R5. If you want something less expensive but decent, like the S340, there is the Corsair Graphite Series 230T Black or Fractal Design FD-CA-CORE-3500-BL-W.

[Cavi]

It is marginally better to get a 2x4GB kit as it guarantees dual channel memory access. This provides a performance increase. Very small in games, significant in some other activities.

 

None of those cases have serious flaws. Around the same price point of the Silent Base 800 is the Fractal Design R5. If you want something less expensive but decent, like the S340, there is the Corsair Graphite Series 230T Black or Fractal Design FD-CA-CORE-3500-BL-W.

Thanks! I'll probably go with the Silent Base 800 (I've watched a few reviews and it looks awesome) or the Graphite you suggested. I'll see how much money I'm gonna have after adding the prices of hardware I'm gonna buy. I hope it will be enough to go with the Silent Base. Thank you for all your help. For the RAM I'm gonna pick 2x4GB I'll give you an update later. Now I need to check my local online store (I'm from Poland, so prices aren't all the same, but they aren't that far, so it should be ok.)