New rig, 1000 - 1750 euro budget

[Tech Enthusiast]

1. Budget & Location
My budget is very open (1000-1750euro). I am by no means rich, so saving a few bucks is nice. But i use my PC daily and 10-20 hours per day for about everything i do in my life.

I value QUALITY over going for the cheapest possible solution. I need to depend on my system and am willing to spend a few extra bucks if the premium is justified.

I am aware that an open budget like this makes suggestions harder, but i will try to provide as much information as i can.

 

Also i am from germany, so parts will be more expensive then in the US, a lot actually.

 

2. Aim
The system is for almost everything you can use a PC for. I definitly do game on it, but i also work (programmer), study and browse obviously. I am not into 3d shooter or 4k gaming, but id like to be able to play Witcher 3 and similar games on good settings / frames. Not aware of any pressing stuff that needs to be added for my coding work. I may want to do some basic video editing down the line, along with gameplay recording ect. So that is a plus, but no big focus.

I am not planning on strong overclocking. I may want to give some minor overclocking a try tho.

 

3. Monitors
I am currently running 2x1080p but will upgrade to a third monitor at the same resolution. Gaming is done on one monitor only. I would not mind to use all 3 for some very good looking games down the road but again: no big focus there. I can always just upgrade the GPU later on if i really want more.

 

4. Peripherals
No periferals needed, same for OS.

 

5. Why are you upgrading?

I am giving away my old PC to my mother. Her PC is going down the drain (10+ years old) while my current rig is build to last. The performance is not enough for current gaming, but good enough for all she is doing with her PC (work 90%, browsing 10%). So building a new rig is the way to go for me here.

 

 

6. Parts i picked

Edit: Updated and much improved PartPicker List.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  (€327.67 @ Amazon Deutschland)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  (€32.99 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  (€160.26 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory  (€169.12 @ Home of Hardware DE)
Storage: Sandisk Extreme Pro 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (€275.00 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 970 4GB AMP! Extreme Core Edition Video Card  (€414.99 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 w/Window (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  (€123.00)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  (€147.90 @ Caseking)
Total: €1650.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-25 02:55 CET+0100

 

 

7. Further Information / preferences

I like it silent and i am willing to pay a little extra for that. My rig will be in the living room along with my GFs pc. We both have to work and it would suck if one machine is going all crazy meanwhile.

Also like it solid and want it to last for a while. I can always upgrade my GPU later, but the "rest" should be build to last for a solid 5 years or more.

For that reason i have strong preferences for SanDisk SSD (10 year warranty).

 

I am unsure about,...

...the cooler. Most people seem to love the selected one. But are there better options by now? More silent? More cooling?

 

I am quite sure about,...

...the Case. I like it, it gets good reviews and it is used in a lot of silent rig designs. So it seems to be a good fit.

...the storage. I know this is a price premium, but i am willing to spend that premium. I do have additional data graves in the form of external HDDs, so 480gb is enough.

 

 

8. Closing

 

Did i miss anything? Can i get something considerably better for only a little extra money? Can i save some money without sacrificing performance? It is a "i am willing to pay more, if it is reasonable" kind of deal for me. Not being able to wait for what AMD has in line sucks, but i can not change that and will have to adapt here.

 

Oh well. Lots of text. Kind of sorry for that. Figured it was not easy to get recommendations with a budget range that big without proper use case informations.

 

Thanks in advance!

[Wirbelfeld]

1. Budget & Location

My budget is very open (1000-1750euro). I am by no means rich, so saving a few bucks is nice. But i use my PC daily and 10-20 hours per day for about everything i do in my life.

I value QUALITY over going for the cheapest possible solution. I need to depend on my system and am willing to spend a few extra bucks if the premium is justified.

I am aware that an open budget like this makes suggestions harder, but i will try to provide as much information as i can.

 

Also i am from germany, so parts will be more expensive then in the US, a lot actually.

 

2. Aim

The system is for almost everything you can use a PC for. I definitly do game on it, but i also work (programmer), study and browse obviously. I am not into 3d shooter or 4k gaming, but id like to be able to play Witcher 3 and similar games on good settings / frames. Not aware of any pressing stuff that needs to be added for my coding work. I may want to do some basic video editing down the line, along with gameplay recording ect. So that is a plus, but no big focus.

I am not planning on strong overclocking. I may want to give some minor overclocking a try tho.

 

3. Monitors

I am currently running 2x1080p but will upgrade to a third monitor at the same resolution. Gaming is done on one monitor only. I would not mind to use all 3 for some very good looking games down the road but again: no big focus there. I can always just upgrade the GPU later on if i really want more.

 

4. Peripherals

No periferals needed, same for OS.

 

5. Why are you upgrading?

I am giving away my old PC to my mother. Her PC is going down the drain (10+ years old) while my current rig is build to last. The performance is not enough for current gaming, but good enough for all she is doing with her PC (work 90%, browsing 10%). So building a new rig is the way to go for me here.

 

 

6. Parts i picked

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchantCPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  (€211.90 @ Caseking)CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  (€33.20 @ Amazon Deutschland)Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  (€142.90 @ Caseking)Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory  (€147.07 @ Amazon Deutschland)Storage: Sandisk Extreme Pro 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (€275.00 @ Amazon Deutschland)Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 4GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card  (€214.90)Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case  (€111.02 @ Amazon Deutschland)Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  (€109.90 @ Caseking)Total: €1245.89Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when availableGenerated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-23 14:42 CET+0100

 

 

7. Further Information / preferences

I like it silent and i am willing to pay a little extra for that. My rig will be in the living room along with my GFs pc. We both have to work and it would suck if one machine is going all crazy meanwhile.

Also like it solid and want it to last for a while. I can always upgrade my GPU later, but the "rest" should be build to last for a solid 5 years or more.

For that reason i have strong preferences for SanDisk SSD (10 year warranty).

 

I am unsure about,...

...the CPU. I have read on TomsHardware that the 4690K is only valid if i plan on heavy overclocking.

...the cooler. Most people seem to love the selected one. But are there better options by now? More silent? More cooling?

...the board. The choice seems solid and the board is recommented all over the place. But i have no idea about boards to be honest.

...the power supply. Same as the board. I have no idea what i am picking, but people seem to like that one.

...the memory. For some reason the selected one is the only blue memory kit (red would suck with a blue board), but also cheaper then 1600ish memory. May be german pricing tho.

 

I am quite sure about,...

...the Case. I like it, it gets good reviews and it is used in a lot of silent rig designs. So it seems to be a good fit.

...the storage. I know this is a price premium, but i am willing to spend that premium. I do have additional data graves in the form of external HDDs, so 480gb is enough.

 

Extremly unsure about the GPU. I was about to add a 980. But those are only slightly faster then a well OCed 970 for a big price jump. So a 970 sounds like the best bet,... but AMD is going to unveil within the next months and it would suck to spend 400+ on a GPU if something really cool comes along. Since i am kind of pressured to get this rig within the next 2 weeks i figured id go with a solid, but still not too expensive card for now. Can upgrade later kind of deal i guess.

 

 

8. Closing

 

Did i miss anything? Can i get something considerably better for only a little extra money? Can i save some money without sacrificing performance? It is a "i am willing to pay more, if it is reasonable" kind of deal for me. Not being able to wait for what AMD has in line sucks, but i can not change that and will have to adapt here.

 

Oh well. Lots of text. Kind of sorry for that. Figured it was not easy to get recommendations with a budget range that big without proper use case informations.

 

Thanks in advance!

960 is shit get a 970 and not from EVGA. I don't trust them after they fucked up the heat sink for their gpu. Who knows what they will fuck up next if they fuck up something so simple like that.

[Wirbelfeld]

16 GB of RAM Is also unnecessary

And I don't see why not get the r5. It is basically an upgrade from the r4

[SkywardKkalox]

1. Budget & Location

My budget is very open (1000-1750euro). I am by no means rich, so saving a few bucks is nice. But i use my PC daily and 10-20 hours per day for about everything i do in my life.

I value QUALITY over going for the cheapest possible solution. I need to depend on my system and am willing to spend a few extra bucks if the premium is justified.

I am aware that an open budget like this makes suggestions harder, but i will try to provide as much information as i can.

 

Also i am from germany, so parts will be more expensive then in the US, a lot actually.

 

2. Aim

The system is for almost everything you can use a PC for. I definitly do game on it, but i also work (programmer), study and browse obviously. I am not into 3d shooter or 4k gaming, but id like to be able to play Witcher 3 and similar games on good settings / frames. Not aware of any pressing stuff that needs to be added for my coding work. I may want to do some basic video editing down the line, along with gameplay recording ect. So that is a plus, but no big focus.

I am not planning on strong overclocking. I may want to give some minor overclocking a try tho.

 

3. Monitors

I am currently running 2x1080p but will upgrade to a third monitor at the same resolution. Gaming is done on one monitor only. I would not mind to use all 3 for some very good looking games down the road but again: no big focus there. I can always just upgrade the GPU later on if i really want more.

 

4. Peripherals

No periferals needed, same for OS.

 

5. Why are you upgrading?

I am giving away my old PC to my mother. Her PC is going down the drain (10+ years old) while my current rig is build to last. The performance is not enough for current gaming, but good enough for all she is doing with her PC (work 90%, browsing 10%). So building a new rig is the way to go for me here.

 

 

6. Parts i picked

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  (€211.90 @ Caseking)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  (€33.20 @ Amazon Deutschland)

Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  (€142.90 @ Caseking)

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory  (€147.07 @ Amazon Deutschland)

Storage: Sandisk Extreme Pro 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (€275.00 @ Amazon Deutschland)

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 4GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card  (€214.90)

Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case  (€111.02 @ Amazon Deutschland)

Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  (€109.90 @ Caseking)

Total: €1245.89

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-23 14:42 CET+0100

 

 

7. Further Information / preferences

I like it silent and i am willing to pay a little extra for that. My rig will be in the living room along with my GFs pc. We both have to work and it would suck if one machine is going all crazy meanwhile.

Also like it solid and want it to last for a while. I can always upgrade my GPU later, but the "rest" should be build to last for a solid 5 years or more.

For that reason i have strong preferences for SanDisk SSD (10 year warranty).

 

I am unsure about,...

...the CPU. I have read on TomsHardware that the 4690K is only valid if i plan on heavy overclocking.

...the cooler. Most people seem to love the selected one. But are there better options by now? More silent? More cooling?

...the board. The choice seems solid and the board is recommented all over the place. But i have no idea about boards to be honest.

...the power supply. Same as the board. I have no idea what i am picking, but people seem to like that one.

...the memory. For some reason the selected one is the only blue memory kit (red would suck with a blue board), but also cheaper then 1600ish memory. May be german pricing tho.

 

I am quite sure about,...

...the Case. I like it, it gets good reviews and it is used in a lot of silent rig designs. So it seems to be a good fit.

...the storage. I know this is a price premium, but i am willing to spend that premium. I do have additional data graves in the form of external HDDs, so 480gb is enough.

 

Extremly unsure about the GPU. I was about to add a 980. But those are only slightly faster then a well OCed 970 for a big price jump. So a 970 sounds like the best bet,... but AMD is going to unveil within the next months and it would suck to spend 400+ on a GPU if something really cool comes along. Since i am kind of pressured to get this rig within the next 2 weeks i figured id go with a solid, but still not too expensive card for now. Can upgrade later kind of deal i guess.

 

 

8. Closing

 

Did i miss anything? Can i get something considerably better for only a little extra money? Can i save some money without sacrificing performance? It is a "i am willing to pay more, if it is reasonable" kind of deal for me. Not being able to wait for what AMD has in line sucks, but i can not change that and will have to adapt here.

 

Oh well. Lots of text. Kind of sorry for that. Figured it was not easy to get recommendations with a budget range that big without proper use case informations.

 

Thanks in advance!

Make that 4690 a 4690k for starters 

[Tech Enthusiast]

16 GB of RAM Is also unnecessary

And I don't see why not get the r5. It is basically an upgrade from the r4

 

Good catch on the r4/r5, actually misclicked there.

I do use up 8gb of ram pretty often. Multitasking for work, having a dozen tabs opeb, compiler stuff ect ect. So 16gb is a must here, also not that expensive.

 

960 is shit get a 970 and not from EVGA. I don't trust them after they fucked up the heat sink for their gpu. Who knows what they will fuck up next if they fuck up something so simple like that.

 

I am actually quite pleased with EVGA. Used their cards often (not always), never had an issue. And while i know they screwed up once i am not a person to asume they will ALWAYS fail from now on. I am more of a "i guess they learned their lession from that PR desaster" - person. If they screw up a second time i will jump on your side tho!

 

As far as 960 / 970 goes i am still unsure. I know a 970 is a better deal with my budget. But if AMD is pulling a joker like they claim they will... spending 410 euro on a card that may be a poor choice in 2-3 months already? That is harsh, even with so much budget left :-(

 

Make that 4690 a 4690k for starters 

 

Can you elaborate on that a bit?

TomsHardware claimed the K Version is only viable if you really go balls out on overclocking. See here: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106.html

 

I am still like 500 bucks below my maximum budget, so i don't mind adding 40 more for the letter K. But do those 40 bucks benefit my system if i don't overclock? If so, what was TomsHardware missing?

[Wirbelfeld]

Good catch on the r4/r5, actually misclicked there.

I do use up 8gb of ram pretty often. Multitasking for work, having a dozen tabs opeb, compiler stuff ect ect. So 16gb is a must here, also not that expensive.

 

 

I am actually quite pleased with EVGA. Used their cards often (not always), never had an issue. And while i know they screwed up once i am not a person to asume they will ALWAYS fail from now on. I am more of a "i guess they learned their lession from that PR desaster" - person. If they screw up a second time i will jump on your side tho!

I just don't trust them. It was a pretty stupid mistake misplacing the heat sink. I don't mind occasional defects in products but when they can't even place a heat sink correctly I just can't trust them to do much more complicated things any better. I do recommend at least getting a 970. The 960 is A pretty bad card

 

 

Can you elaborate on that a bit?

TomsHardware claimed the K Version is only viable if you really go balls out on overclocking. See here: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106.html

 

I am still like 500 bucks below my maximum budget, so i don't mind adding 40 more for the letter K. But do those 40 bucks benefit my system if i don't overclock? If so, what was TomsHardware missing?

[SkywardKkalox]

Good catch on the r4/r5, actually misclicked there.

I do use up 8gb of ram pretty often. Multitasking for work, having a dozen tabs opeb, compiler stuff ect ect. So 16gb is a must here, also not that expensive.

 

 

I am actually quite pleased with EVGA. Used their cards often (not always), never had an issue. And while i know they screwed up once i am not a person to asume they will ALWAYS fail from now on. I am more of a "i guess they learned their lession from that PR desaster" - person. If they screw up a second time i will jump on your side tho!

 

As far as 960 / 970 goes i am still unsure. I know a 970 is a better deal with my budget. But if AMD is pulling a joker like they claim they will... spending 410 euro on a card that may be a poor choice in 2-3 months already? That is harsh, even with so much budget left :-(

 

 

Can you elaborate on that a bit?

TomsHardware claimed the K Version is only viable if you really go balls out on overclocking. See here: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106.html

 

I am still like 500 bucks below my maximum budget, so i don't mind adding 40 more for the letter K. But do those 40 bucks benefit my system if i don't overclock? If so, what was TomsHardware missing?

Why have a locked cpu instead of getting a K so you can squeeze the most out of your money, you can actually get a good overclock with that cooler you will be buying.

You can opt for liquid cooling too.

But if you dont want to overlock i guess the 4440 or 4460 will be better

[Tech Enthusiast]

Well, i guess getting into a little overclocking would not hurt. Will change the CPU to a K version.

 

What about the board, PS and cooler tho? Solid choices? Will i need additional fans if i start overclocking the CPU?

I have seen some builds here that include 2-6 additional fans. I am not concerned if the machine heats up the room tho,... just want it to last a while ;-)

[Tech Enthusiast]

Updated my part list with aprox 400 bucks of more "worth".

Question remains: Is this really worth 400 more?

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  (€327.67 @ Amazon Deutschland)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  (€32.99 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  (€160.26 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory  (€169.12 @ Home of Hardware DE)
Storage: Sandisk Extreme Pro 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (€275.00 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 970 4GB AMP! Extreme Core Edition Video Card  (€414.99 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 w/Window (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  (€123.00)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  (€147.90 @ Caseking)
Total: €1650.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-25 02:55 CET+0100

 

• I opted for the i7 over the i5 due to higher base clock and hyperthreading. I know, current games don't support it enough. But i plan on keeping this machine for a few years.
• Also the coding work i am doing can take advantage of the i7.
• Changed the "color" of the system to red. So new board, slightly more expensive. Hard to find a good board. They all seem to be pretty equal for some reason.
• Went with Corsair memory for the first time ever. Simply because it looked the best in my eyes. Also i don't find any negative feedback about those kits, yet.
• Changed GPU to a 970. Went balls out on the most extreme edition i could find that had SILENT in every review. Some benchmarks show it very close to a 980, while being 200 bucks cheaper.
• Took a slighly more powerful power supply if i ever want to add something.

Most of these changes still feel strange to me. I do have the money, but i am still in the mindset of "get the max bang for the buck!". This system does not fit that i guess ;-)

[bmspendley]

Seems like a good original list

[techguru]

if your going for reliable and quality of the parts..should be looking at the asus z97 mark 1 or mark 2 or the gigabyte black...

http://www.gigabyte.com/MicroSite/367/9series-bk.html

http://www.gigabyte.com/MicroSite/367/images/models.html

 

http://www.asus.com/ca-en/Motherboards/SABERTOOTH_Z97_MARK_1/

http://www.asus.com/ca-en/Motherboards/SABERTOOTH_Z97_MARK_2/

and if you want a quieter case...should look at the corsair 550d

http://www.corsair.com/en/obsidian-series-550d-mid-tower-quiet-case

[Tech Enthusiast]

if your going for reliable and quality of the parts..should be looking at the asus z97 mark 1 or mark 2 or the gigabyte black...

http://www.gigabyte.com/MicroSite/367/9series-bk.html

http://www.gigabyte.com/MicroSite/367/images/models.html

 

http://www.asus.com/ca-en/Motherboards/SABERTOOTH_Z97_MARK_1/

http://www.asus.com/ca-en/Motherboards/SABERTOOTH_Z97_MARK_2/

and if you want a quieter case...should look at the corsair 550d

http://www.corsair.com/en/obsidian-series-550d-mid-tower-quiet-case

 

The noice difference for the 550d does not really seem to be noticeable according to reviews i have found. Also i really want that window and the sleek look of the R5. There are other cases that look awesome, but most don't offer that window option. Really wanted to go with a system that looks nice, since the PC will be standing on my desk right in the living room. Planning on adding LEDs and getting cable sleeves in the right color ect.

 

About the motherboards you mentioned. They really seem to go for double the price of what i picked currently. How do they justify it?

Really having a hard time desiding on a board. I only want the option to go SLI, add a M.2 drive and USB 3.0 obviously. Those features seem to be available on about every z97 board 120bucks and up.

Not that i would shy away if that sum doubles, but i need a reason for that.

 

Can you clear that up? Why are the mentioned boards worth 130 extra? Warranty seems identical.