My (Future) Beast of a Machine

[TheKurtster]

Greetings All!

Because I am still a n00b of sorts at hardware I thought that I should turn to the ever so popular LTT forum for some guidance.

I am trying to build an all around system of epicosity.

My price range is $1000CAD  or About $950USD or About €740EUR or About $1050AUD.

This price range is for what I expect to pay for the base components that I still need.

Therefor this price range does not include aftermarket cooling, sound card, montiors and other various peripherals.

Note that this means that this price range is flexible as I do have to save up for a lot of these parts that I still need (Being a teenager with no money).

I currently have the following parts:

- Corsair Vengeance C70 Gunmetal Black Case (http://goo.gl/bb3ei)

- Corsair CX750M 750W Power Supply (http://goo.gl/3GJc0)

- Samsung 840 Series 120GB SSD (http://goo.gl/fDu0k)

- Intel 520 Series 180GB SSD (Won courtesy of Lamarr Wilson (http://youtube.com/LamarrWilson)) (http://goo.gl/mhdYQ)

- Seagate Barracuda 2000GB HDD (http://goo.gl/iFJZ3)

So for me that leaves:

- CPU

- Motherboard

- GPU

- Memory

So this is what I have come to you all for.

What kind of CPU, Mobo, GPU, and RAM is best for my needs?

CPU:

For this build I want it to be an Intel system. Preferably a Haswell system. I will be doing some gaming (listed below) and possibly in the future video editing (Of what load, I do not know). I will be doing an overclock, just not when I get the system as my budget will periodically increase. I do want to liquid cool it with a H100i, when I can afford it. So will I benefit from a 4770K or would a 4670K be enough?

Motherboard:

Straight off the bat Z87 is a must as I want to overclock! Thanks to another awesome forum (tonymacx86.com) anyone can run Mac OS X on their "compatible" computer. So with this compatibility I would like to turn to Gigabyte's 8-Series motherboards. I am turning towards a Z87X-UD3H for it's great features, affordable price range, and hypothetical compatibility with OS X. For more information on Haswell and OS X see tonymac's Haswell Early Adopters Guide. It will also be a Dual-Boot with Windows. If there is any other motherboard that would work with OS X and is the Z87 chipset, feel free to send it my way!

GPU:

To start things off I am on the Green Team. I will be playing such games as Crysis 3, Minecraft, BioShock Infinite, Far Cry 3, FC3: Blood Dragon, Battlefield 3, Metro Last Light, Sleeping Dogs, GTA IV, Max Payne 3, L.A. Noire. You know a mix of everything. The two GPU's that I would lean towards are the GTX 760 or GTX 770. If I see any major improvement with the 770 over the 760 I'll buy it. I will be using "Shadow Play" when it is released, as I will be running my future gaming channel with it (Hence the possible video editing). Any suggestions on which of the two I should buy as well as which aftermarket design (Or is reference is just as good), as well as comparisons between the two is greatly appreciated.

RAM:

In terms of memory I already have a set of DIMM's picked out. They're the Corsair Vengeance Pro kit. It's a 1600MHz set of 2x8GB for 16GB. They have a Cas Latency of 9. There timings are 9-9-9-24. I'm not very clear on memory overclocking (Maybe I should suggest a Tech Quickie on it), but any tips on it are appreciated. Would I benefit from the overclocked memory? I'll buy 1866MHz or 2133MHz or whatever if I'll get a benefit out of it.

Anyways that's about it for what I want my build to be like. Again any suggestions, tips or any aid related to this topic is great appreciated. Thanks again everyone and thanks to Linus and Slick for creating such an awesome forum!

LinusTechTips and Linus Media Group FTW!!!

[Vitalius]

4670K as the difference between a 4770k and it are very little (HT). You wouldn't notice ANY difference.

Asrock Z87 Extreme4 (works with Mac OSX) as the Z77 Extreme4 was a beast of a motherboard (though bad for extreme overclocking, it was fine with moderate overclocking)

Asus GTX 770 (there is an improvement. A noticeable one at that.)

No you will not benefit from overclocked memory. At all.

Other than all that, the build looks pretty awesome. You may even have the option of moving up to SLI 770's if you ever decide you want to do that with that PSU. The RAM leaves you open to future upgrades and the CPU will carry you through multiple generations OC'ed if you let it.

[Exotath]

I think Vitalius gave some solid advice.

[TheKurtster]

4670K as the difference between a 4770k and it are very little (HT). You wouldn't notice ANY difference.

Asrock Z87 Extreme4 (works with Mac OSX) as the Z77 Extreme4 was a beast of a motherboard (though bad for extreme overclocking, it was fine with moderate overclocking)

Asus GTX 770 (there is an improvement. A noticeable one at that.)

No you will not benefit from overclocked memory. At all.

Other than all that, the build looks pretty awesome. You may even have the option of moving up to SLI 770's if you ever decide you want to do that with that PSU. The RAM leaves you open to future upgrades and the CPU will carry you through multiple generations OC'ed if you let it.

So the only difference between a 4670k and a 4770k is Hyper Threading. Good to know.

As for the ASRock Z87 Extreme4 I don't think that the Realtek ALC1150 audio chipset is compatible.

The ASUS GTX 770 is pretty fast. But I think that Gigabyte's is 1185MHz base clock.

I will avoid OC'ed memory like the plague.

I would love SLI 770's. Call it a 2-year anniversary upgrade ;)

I hope the RAM will last for quite a few upgrades.

And the CPU sounds great!

Thanks!

[Muffinator]

I think Vitalius gave some solid advice.

As usual.

[Vitalius]

So the only difference between a 4670k and a 4770k is Hyper Threading. Good to know.

As for the ASRock Z87 Extreme4 I don't think that the Realtek ALC1150 audio chipset is compatible.

The ASUS GTX 770 is pretty fast. But I think that Gigabyte's is 1185MHz base clock.

I will avoid OC'ed memory like the plague.

I would love SLI 770's. Call it a 2-year anniversary upgrade ;)

I hope the RAM will last for quite a few upgrades.

And the CPU sounds great!

Thanks!

You mentioned you were getting a sound card. Or at least implied it.

The difference in base clock is because Gigabyte's version is overclocked. You can do that yourself and it will cost less. The reason you'd want to pay extra for a factory overclocked card is that you know it will work as they test them, so it's essentially been "cherry picked" meaning that you pay extra to know that the card you get is particularly good as compared to all the others.

If you are fine with that, then go for the Gigabtye card. I personally am a bit of a gambler, so I would rather save my money for other things and just buy an Asus card and overclock it myself. Of course it's entirely possible that I get a bad one due to the silicon lottery and it not be able to overclock very well, or I could get a very good one that overclocks amazingly well.

Oh, the RAM should definitely last. DDR4 is coming out soon (I'd say give it a year), but as long as you have the 4670k, you shouldn't need to upgrade to a new motherboard/CPU and so will always be able to use that RAM. 16GB is more than enough for gaming currently and you can always go to 32GB later if the need arises.

You can overclock your RAM. There's very little risk in it as long as you don't touch voltages. I'm just saying, it'd be for e-peen and not for anything other than bragging rights. It wouldn't generate enough extra heat to warrant caution either imo. Just don't go crazy.

You're welcome.

[TheKurtster]

As usual.

It's good to hear that I got good advice from someone who usually gives good advice. 

[TheKurtster]

You mentioned you were getting a sound card. Or at least implied it.

The difference in base clock is because Gigabyte's version is overclocked. You can do that yourself and it will cost less. The reason you'd want to pay extra for a factory overclocked card is that you know it will work as they test them, so it's essentially been "cherry picked" meaning that you pay extra to know that the card you get is particularly good as compared to all the others.

If you are fine with that, then go for the Gigabtye card. I personally am a bit of a gambler, so I would rather save my money for other things and just buy an Asus card and overclock it myself. Of course it's entirely possible that I get a bad one due to the silicon lottery and it not be able to overclock very well, or I could get a very good one that overclocks amazingly well.

Oh, the RAM should definitely last. DDR4 is coming out soon (I'd say give it a year), but as long as you have the 4670k, you shouldn't need to upgrade to a new motherboard/CPU and so will always be able to use that RAM. 16GB is more than enough for gaming currently and you can always go to 32GB later if the need arises.

You can overclock your RAM. There's very little risk in it as long as you don't touch voltages. I'm just saying, it'd be for e-peen and not for anything other than bragging rights. It wouldn't generate enough extra heat to warrant caution either imo. Just don't go crazy.

You're welcome.

I did imply a sound card. It would be nice, but it would have to be OS X compatible.

If I can get the performance myself for cheaper then I should do that.

I'd have to learn how to overclock a GPU but I assume with all these new tools it should be easy!

The silicon lottery is always a good game to play! lol

It's also good to hear that memory should be guaranteed for a while. I chose 16GB because it seemed like it would be good sweet spot for both gaming and editing.

If I ever need more I have the option.

I do know I can overclock RAM. But if it isn't all that necessary, then there's no point.

Thanks again!

[Vitalius]

I did imply a sound card. It would be nice, but it would have to be OS X compatible.

If I can get the performance myself for cheaper then I should do that.

I'd have to learn how to overclock a GPU but I assume with all these new tools it should be easy!

The silicon lottery is always a good game to play! lol

It's also good to hear that memory should be guaranteed for a while. I chose 16GB because it seemed like it would be good sweet spot for both gaming and editing.

If I ever need more I have the option.

I do know I can overclock RAM. But if it isn't all that necessary, then there's no point.

Thanks again!

Well yes. What I mean is that since you are getting a sound card, whether the sound on the motherboard works with Mac OS X or not doesn't matter. Unless you are going to be waiting quite a long while before getting the Sound Card. In that case, just play it safe with the Gigabyte boards.

Yes, you can. Just remember, it's a gamble, though it's a safe bet to assume your GPU will be decent and overclock a moderate bit. Most bad GPU's are taken out at the QC segment of testing imo.

Yes, it's very easy. Just run MSI Afterburner (or equivalent for a 770) and tweak the variables. Google other people's results and try and emulate those.

You're welcome again. :P

[TheKurtster]

Well yes. What I mean is that since you are getting a sound card, whether the sound on the motherboard works with Mac OS X or not doesn't matter. Unless you are going to be waiting quite a long while before getting the Sound Card. In that case, just play it safe with the Gigabyte boards.

Yes, you can. Just remember, it's a gamble, though it's a safe bet to assume your GPU will be decent and overclock a moderate bit. Most bad GPU's are taken out at the QC segment of testing imo.

Yes, it's very easy. Just run MSI Afterburner (or equivalent for a 770) and tweak the variables. Google other people's results and try and emulate those.

You're welcome again. :P

Well it will be a while before I get a sound card. As it seems from Googling around there aren't a lot that are supported. I'll play safe with Gigabyte.

As long as I get decent overclocks I'll be a happy camper.

MSI Afterburner is good and I think EVGA Precision X is another good one.

Thanks yet again!

[TheKurtster]

So I have a build planned...

Note that this was with the Gigabyte card in mind.

I might update it to an ASUS or EVGA card.

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/1dKws

[Vitalius]

So I have a build planned...

Note that this was with the Gigabyte card in mind.

I might update it to an ASUS or EVGA card.

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/1dKws

Everything looks good.

After comparing the Gigabyte card to the Asus one in PC Part Picker for Canada, for whatever reason, the Gigabyte is one of the cheapest ones. Just go with that one. Not sure why a pre-overclocked card is cheaper than a normal one. Maybe PC Part Picker isn't seeing all the websites for deals on every card. I've had that happen before.

I'm cautious to trust PC Part Picker on it's prices anywhere but the US. 

[JoshM]

Is he going to get all off that for around 1k, i think not, better off saving the money and getting like a 7970 as they are great price for performance.

[Vitalius]

Is he going to get all off that for around 1k, i think not, better off saving the money and getting like a 7970 as they are great price for performance.

He said that he already had everything else. 

He just needs the CPU, GPU, Motherboard, and RAM. He can easily get all that for less than $1,000 CAD. 

[JoshM]

He said that he already had everything else. 

He just needs the CPU, GPU, Motherboard, and RAM. He can easily get all that for less than $1,000 CAD. 

Ok, well go for the GTX 770 or try for a GTX 780, and you only need like 8gb of ram as you are looking at gaming more then video rendering and CAD.

[TheKurtster]

Everything looks good.

After comparing the Gigabyte card to the Asus one in PC Part Picker for Canada, for whatever reason, the Gigabyte is one of the cheapest ones. Just go with that one. Not sure why a pre-overclocked card is cheaper than a normal one. Maybe PC Part Picker isn't seeing all the websites for deals on every card. I've had that happen before.

I'm cautious to trust PC Part Picker on it's prices anywhere but the US. 

I used PC Part Picker because it is universal to a lot of people and is better than me giving links to Newegg Canada, Canada Computers and NCIX CA.

With that said, I still might go with a different card (The ASUS one for example) as I might get better benefits, like EVGA's ACX Cooler.

Thoughts?

[JoshM]

I used PC Part Picker because it is universal to a lot of people and is better than me giving links to Newegg Canada, Canada Computers and NCIX CA.

With that said, I still might go with a different card (The ASUS one for example) as I might get better benefits, like EVGA's ACX Cooler.

Thoughts?

I like ASUS man, i would personally go with it over the other brands that nvidia offers.

[TheKurtster]

I like ASUS man, i would personally go with it over the other brands that nvidia offers.

Yeah but EVGA makes good ones too!

[ShadowRaven]

My suggestions dual of a beast

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/1dL2u

[TheKurtster]

My suggestions dual of a beast

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/1dL2u

I would love a UD4H because it's more feature rich and is red but unfortunately it isn't as compatible with OS X as a UD3H or UD5H.

Great suggestion regardless! 

[JoshM]

Yeah but EVGA makes good ones too!

I was looking at evga but i was told to stay away as they are over rated and the cooler isn't as good as asus or gigabyte wind-force (talking about the ACX). 

[TheKurtster]

I was looking at evga but i was told to stay away as they are over rated and the cooler isn't as good as asus or gigabyte wind-force (talking about the ACX). 

Really? I heard that ACX Cooling was better than ASUS' cooler. I know that Gigabyte will typically push the coolest temperatures with WindForce.

[Masfiras]

Greetings All!

Because I am still a n00b of sorts at hardware I thought that I should turn to the ever so popular LTT forum for some guidance.

I am trying to build an all around system of epicosity.

My price range is $1000CAD  or About $950USD or About €740EUR or About $1050AUD.

This price range is for what I expect to pay for the base components that I still need.

Therefor this price range does not include aftermarket cooling, sound card, montiors and other various peripherals.

Note that this means that this price range is flexible as I do have to save up for a lot of these parts that I still need (Being a teenager with no money).

I currently have the following parts:

- Corsair Vengeance C70 Gunmetal Black Case (http://goo.gl/bb3ei)

- Corsair CX750M 750W Power Supply (http://goo.gl/3GJc0)

- Samsung 840 Series 120GB SSD (http://goo.gl/fDu0k)

- Intel 520 Series 180GB SSD (Won courtesy of Lamarr Wilson (http://youtube.com/LamarrWilson)) (http://goo.gl/mhdYQ)

- Seagate Barracuda 2000GB HDD (http://goo.gl/iFJZ3)

So for me that leaves:

- CPU

- Motherboard

- GPU

- Memory

So this is what I have come to you all for.

What kind of CPU, Mobo, GPU, and RAM is best for my needs?

CPU:

For this build I want it to be an Intel system. Preferably a Haswell system. I will be doing some gaming (listed below) and possibly in the future video editing (Of what load, I do not know). I will be doing an overclock, just not when I get the system as my budget will periodically increase. I do want to liquid cool it with a H100i, when I can afford it. So will I benefit from a 4770K or would a 4670K be enough?

Motherboard:

Straight off the bat Z87 is a must as I want to overclock! Thanks to another awesome forum (tonymacx86.com) anyone can run Mac OS X on their "compatible" computer. So with this compatibility I would like to turn to Gigabyte's 8-Series motherboards. I am turning towards a Z87X-UD3H for it's great features, affordable price range, and hypothetical compatibility with OS X. For more information on Haswell and OS X see tonymac's Haswell Early Adopters Guide. It will also be a Dual-Boot with Windows. If there is any other motherboard that would work with OS X and is the Z87 chipset, feel free to send it my way!

GPU:

To start things off I am on the Green Team. I will be playing such games as Crysis 3, Minecraft, BioShock Infinite, Far Cry 3, FC3: Blood Dragon, Battlefield 3, Metro Last Light, Sleeping Dogs, GTA IV, Max Payne 3, L.A. Noire. You know a mix of everything. The two GPU's that I would lean towards are the GTX 760 or GTX 770. If I see any major improvement with the 770 over the 760 I'll buy it. I will be using "Shadow Play" when it is released, as I will be running my future gaming channel with it (Hence the possible video editing). Any suggestions on which of the two I should buy as well as which aftermarket design (Or is reference is just as good), as well as comparisons between the two is greatly appreciated.

RAM:

In terms of memory I already have a set of DIMM's picked out. They're the Corsair Vengeance Pro kit. It's a 1600MHz set of 2x8GB for 16GB. They have a Cas Latency of 9. There timings are 9-9-9-24. I'm not very clear on memory overclocking (Maybe I should suggest a Tech Quickie on it), but any tips on it are appreciated. Would I benefit from the overclocked memory? I'll buy 1866MHz or 2133MHz or whatever if I'll get a benefit out of it.

Anyways that's about it for what I want my build to be like. Again any suggestions, tips or any aid related to this topic is great appreciated. Thanks again everyone and thanks to Linus and Slick for creating such an awesome forum!

LinusTechTips and Linus Media Group FTW!!!

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($279.99 @ Microcenter) 

CPU Cooler:  Swiftech H220 55.0 CFM  Liquid CPU Cooler  ($139.99 @ Microcenter) 

Motherboard:  MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX  LGA1150 Motherboard  ($139.99 @ Microcenter) 

Video Card:  MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card  ($399.99 @ Amazon) 

Total: $959.96

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

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-06 12:19 EDT-0400)

 

there's a huge difference in video editing with comparing a 4770k than a 4670k, so go with i7,

MSI has done awesome boards, and with a nice price tag, and the same with graphics cards, they have the best graphics cards on the market with a low price compared with the competition.

And a H100i? Why not get better like a WATER 2.0 Extreme or a H220 ?

[WoodenMarker]

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($279.99 @ Microcenter) 

CPU Cooler:  Swiftech H220 55.0 CFM  Liquid CPU Cooler  ($139.99 @ Microcenter) 

Motherboard:  MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX  LGA1150 Motherboard  ($139.99 @ Microcenter) 

Video Card:  MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card  ($399.99 @ Amazon) 

Total: $959.96

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

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-06 12:19 EDT-0400)

 

there's a huge difference in video editing with comparing a 4770k than a 4670k, so go with i7,

MSI has done awesome boards, and with a nice price tag, and the same with graphics cards, they have the best graphics cards on the market with a low price compared with the competition.

And a H100i? Why not get better like a WATER 2.0 Extreme or a H220 ?

This^

[TheKurtster]

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($279.99 @ Microcenter) 

CPU Cooler:  Swiftech H220 55.0 CFM  Liquid CPU Cooler  ($139.99 @ Microcenter) 

Motherboard:  MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX  LGA1150 Motherboard  ($139.99 @ Microcenter) 

Video Card:  MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card  ($399.99 @ Amazon) 

Total: $959.96

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

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-06 12:19 EDT-0400)

 

there's a huge difference in video editing with comparing a 4770k than a 4670k, so go with i7,

MSI has done awesome boards, and with a nice price tag, and the same with graphics cards, they have the best graphics cards on the market with a low price compared with the competition.

And a H100i? Why not get better like a WATER 2.0 Extreme or a H220 ?

I don't know if this board is compatible with OS X. That's my biggest selling point.