Noobz first build

[SocomSuade]

My first ever build. I'm waiting on the case to arrive in the mail and then I can start building. I was curious about what some of you all thought. I'm pretty much at max budget but all the parts are still in the box to return in case I decided to make some last minute changes.

This PC will be for gaming mostly but also web browsing, you tube, ect. Possibly Audio recording as well.

I know I need a better GPU and would like a 970 but the money is just not there and I decided in the long run I would rather have had the better parts such as WD Black vs. Blue and 850 Pro vs. Cheaper SSD, ect and I can upgrade GPU when I have the cash.

If and when I decide to Overclock I'll get a cooler as well.

Anyway tell me what you think.

Edit: I found an error, my GPU is 2gb not the 4gb.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3qmmvK

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($279.99 @ Micro Center)

Motherboard: Asus Z97-AR ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($144.99 @ Micro Center)

Memory: Crucial Ballistix Elite 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($68.99 @ Amazon)

Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($149.97 @ NCIX US)

Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ NCIX US)

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 4GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($242.98 @ Newegg)

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

Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($114.99 @ Micro Center)

Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Mwave)

Monitor: Acer H233Hbmid 60Hz 23.0" Monitor

Total: $1189.87

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-26 08:47 EDT-0400

[zappian]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($241.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Motherboard: MSI H97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($84.99 @ Amazon) 

Memory: Crucial Ballistix Elite 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($68.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($149.97 @ NCIX US) 

Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($69.98 @ NCIX US) 

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card  ($326.98 @ Newegg) 

Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($54.99 @ Micro Center) 

Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($68.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0 DVD/CD Writer  ($17.99 @ Mwave) 

Monitor: Acer H233Hbmid 60Hz 23.0" Monitor 

Total: $1084.87

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-26 08:57 EDT-0400

 

Please dont get a 960.

[blu4]

If you don't render, get an i5 and use the money to get a 970.

[david cassar]

My first ever build. I'm waiting on the case to arrive in the mail and then I can start building. I was curious about what some of you all thought. I'm pretty much at max budget but all the parts are still in the box to return in case I decided to make some last minute changes.

This PC will be for gaming mostly but also web browsing, you tube, ect. Possibly Audio recording as well.

I know I need a better GPU and would like a 970 but the money is just not there and I decided in the long run would rather have had the better parts such as WD Black vs. Blue and 850 Pro vs. Cheaper SSD, ect and I can upgrade GPU when I have the cash. 

If and when I decide to Overclock I'll get a cooler as well.

Anyway tell me what you think.

 

If the pc is mainly for gaming and not that much editing you are kinda overspending on the i7. You are also overspending on the power supply. A gtx 970 can easily run on a good 500w power supply even. The gtx 960 4gb is very overpriced. For the same price you can get a 290 which is twice as fast.

[Demons Wrath]

960 is a card for drunk people. 4gb version is for people who drink paint thinner.

[minibois]

-snip-

If you will do mostly gaming, get an i5 4960K and a GTX 970/R9 290X.

The PSU is overkill, 500W should be plenty (about 600-650 for 290X)

Otherwise good

[paprikman]

Get 2 x 4gb ram sticks instead of 1 x 8 gb, it will work in dual channel mode, will be faster.

[SocomSuade]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($241.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Motherboard: MSI H97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($84.99 @ Amazon) 

Memory: Crucial Ballistix Elite 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($68.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($149.97 @ NCIX US) 

Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($69.98 @ NCIX US) 

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card  ($326.98 @ Newegg) 

Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($54.99 @ Micro Center) 

Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($68.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0 DVD/CD Writer  ($17.99 @ Mwave) 

Monitor: Acer H233Hbmid 60Hz 23.0" Monitor 

Total: $1084.87

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-26 08:57 EDT-0400

 

Please dont get a 960.

 

LOL I can agree but why that cpu and moBO? Isn't H bad for Overclocking?

 

If you don't render, get an i5 and use the money to get a 970.

  

I must ask since I'm the Noob but when you say render...,video editing I assume which

I don't do but when I'm recording music there is a rendering process.

If the pc is mainly for gaming and not that much editing you are kinda overspending on the i7. You are also overspending on the power supply. A gtx 970 can easily run on a good 500w power supply even. The gtx 960 4gb is very overpriced. For the same price you can get a 290 which is twice as fast.

I did the 850w because in the future what if I decided to run SLI? Id need more watts, plus the I7.

Well thanks for the replies. That's why I posted an will now re-evaluate. If it seems like I'm ever arguing, I'm not. Just posting why I chosen these and my thought process. I'm definitely willing to make changes.

So in all reality, even in the future the i7 is a bad choice for mostly gaming? I've heard it's much better than i5 and that the I5 can't Overclock correctly.

[zappian]

 

LOL I can agree but why that cpu and moBO? Isn't H bad for Overclocking?

 

That cpu is locked.

Read this:

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/324867-myths-about-xeon-e3-1230/

That cpu is equivalent to a i7 4770 , excellent for gaming.

[david cassar]

 

LOL I can agree but why that cpu and moBO? Isn't H bad for Overclocking?

   

I must ask since I'm the Noob but when you say render...,video editing I assume which

I don't do but when I'm recording music there is a rendering process.

I did the 850w because in the future what if I decided to run SLI? Id need more watts, plus the I7.

Well thanks for the replies. That's why I posted an will now re-evaluate. If it seems like I'm ever arguing, I'm not. Just posting why I chosen these and my thought process. I'm definitely willing to make changes.

So in all reality, even in the future the i7 is a bad choice for mostly gaming? I've heard it's much better than i5 and that the I5 can't Overclock correctly.

That cpu zappian linked is locked meaning that it can't be overclock. Also the 960 is a very low power gpu. Even a 600w would be enough for two 960s, even two 970s can be run on a good 600w psu. Also the i7 isn't bad in gaming, its amazing, but in games there is no difference between an i7 and an i5 as games barely use more than 4 cores/threads. Also no i5's overclock just fine.

[SocomSuade]

That cpu is locked.

Read this:

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/324867-myths-about-xeon-e3-1230/

That cpu is equivalent to a i7 4770 , excellent for gaming.

Ty for posting this. Id be on board for sure. Honestly I probably shouldn't be Overclocking anyway.

The only problem is my St. Louis Microcenter is out of stock with that Xeon. I have to go through them to get the $40 bundle discount.

Side note. I actually have the i5 4690k on my possession and was going to exchange for the i7 this weekend. I left that out because it wasn't relavant until now.

[SocomSuade]

Edit:

That Mobo posted at Microcenter only comes inmicro atx.

The only ATX H97 they have is Asus H-97 plus. Is that one ok?

[Megazero]

That Mobo posted was micro atx? Would those even work with the rest of my build?

What's the rest of your build now? after so many post :3?

And if you have an i5, dont bother changing it. It's more than good enough already. Get a 970

[Bittenfleax]

I must ask since I'm the Noob but when you say render...,video editing I assume which

I don't do but when I'm recording music there is a rendering process.

By recording music do you mean mastering/mixing as well? What software will you be using? 

 

(Also i5 can OC fine. i7 is good for gaming but for the price is not worth it. But if you are gonna swap and maybe pay a small price get the i7 just for the lel's)

[SocomSuade]

What's the rest of your build now? after so many post :3?

And if you have an i5, dont bother changing it. It's more than good enough already. Get a 970

  

Lol ok, ok. I will repost momentarily, this is important stuff to me. I must ask since your Xeon suggestion it seems better than a locked i5. So one more question for you if I may.

Since micro is out of stock, they do have for $230 an E3 1241V3 3.5 ghz. Is that better than the 1231 as well as my i5? Only an extra $20

By recording music do you mean mastering/mixing as well? What software will you be using? 

 

(Also i5 can OC fine. i7 is good for gaming but for the price is not worth it. But if you are gonna swap and maybe pay a small price get the i7 just for the lel's)

Small potatoes. All on board mixing no mastering. All in Reaper with some plugins. I rarely do it anymore but in the future I'm sure I will however it's low end stuff. Probably not worth it.

[Bittenfleax]

-snippidysnipsnip-

Ahh right fair enough. Gonna say because some plugins (this is for music mixing/master) require a lot of CPU power. But I guess it does not really matter then. But like you said if you where going to swap the i5 for the i7 I defiantly would. For games having an i5 or an i7 makes almost no difference at all. But yeah, swap if you can 

[Megazero]

  

Lol ok, ok. I will repost momentarily, this is important stuff to me. I must ask since your Xeon suggestion it seems better than a locked i5. So one more question for you if I may.

Since micro is out of stock, they do have for $230 an E3 1241V3 3.5 ghz. Is that better than the 1231 as well as my i5? Only an extra $20

Small potatoes. All on board mixing no mastering. All in Reaper with some plugins. I rarely do it anymore but in the future I'm sure I will however it's low end stuff. Probably not worth it.

Xeon is mainly better than i5 because it support multithreading. Your i5 if it's a 4690k then it's an unlocked i5, not a locked. The Xeon is locked though, so...

Eithery way just keep your i5 (if it is 4690k. Even if it's 4690 locked still keep it, it wont bottleneck anything)

As for mobo, any Z97 mobo that support SLI for a bit future proof is ok (if you have the 4690k, if you have the 4690 then get a H97). I dont suggest micro since it's small, usually go with small case as well and then we will have problem with airflow and upgradeability. Just get a normal ATX board and go with it.

 

[SocomSuade]

Xeon is mainly better than i5 because it support multithreading. Your i5 if it's a 4690k then it's an unlocked i5, not a locked. The Xeon is locked though, so...

Eithery way just keep your i5 (if it is 4690k. Even if it's 4690 locked still keep it, it wont bottleneck anything)

As for mobo, any Z97 mobo that support SLI for a bit future proof is ok (if you have the 4690k, if you have the 4690 then get a H97). I dont suggest micro since it's small, usually go with small case as well and then we will have problem with airflow and upgradeability. Just get a normal ATX board and go with it.

New build.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/FDH7Hx

So Xeon isn't faster that i5 but has multithreading? I can live with not Overclocking but In order to get a 970 I need to make changes.

I do worry about the PSU in the event I decide to run SLI

[Megazero]

New build.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/FDH7Hx

I do worry about the PSU in the event I decide to run SLI

Get a 650W PSU, it will support GTX 970 SLI without anyproblem.

Else it seem ok to me

Personally, I dont like Xeon. They do perform abit better than i5 due to multithreading, but they are locked and they dont have integrated GPU. Granted that you have your dedicated GPU, but if integrated one can save you from alot of headache in many situation.... but that's mostly my opinion on it.

[SocomSuade]

Get a 650W PSU, it will support GTX 970 SLI without anyproblem.

Else it seem ok to me

Personally, I dont like Xeon. They do perform abit better than i5 due to multithreading, but they are locked and they dont have integrated GPU. Granted that you have your dedicated GPU, but if integrated one can save you from alot of headache in many situation.... but that's mostly my opinion on it.

So at the end of the day I really just need a gtx 970 and for my purposes the i7 is a waste of money yes?

I could always keep what I have, downgrade to 8gb of Ram, get a Seasonic Gseries 650w and use the extra money for the 970.

Also have to ask. I see your sig and Bittenfleax sig. Any reason you're running 700w with those builds?

[Megazero]

So at the end of the day I really just need a gtx 970 and for my purposes the i7 is a waste of money yes?

I could always keep what I have, downgrade to 8gb of Ram, get a Seasonic Gseries 650w and use the extra money for the 970.

Also have to ask. I see your sig and Bittenfleax sig. Any reason you're running 700w with those builds?

Mine was for a GTX 780, and it consume alot more power than a 970. But I'm planning to change to a 970 soon and 700W will be more than enough for even 3 of them should I ever want it (I doubt I will ever want 3 though)

For you 650 is more than enough for 2 970, since 2 970 in theory only consume about 500+W, the 150W more is just for headroom, you dont want to stay too close to your theory power consumption.

[Ian Schmid]

My first ever build. I'm waiting on the case to arrive in the mail and then I can start building. I was curious about what some of you all thought. I'm pretty much at max budget but all the parts are still in the box to return in case I decided to make some last minute changes.

This PC will be for gaming mostly but also web browsing, you tube, ect. Possibly Audio recording as well.

I know I need a better GPU and would like a 970 but the money is just not there and I decided in the long run I would rather have had the better parts such as WD Black vs. Blue and 850 Pro vs. Cheaper SSD, ect and I can upgrade GPU when I have the cash.

If and when I decide to Overclock I'll get a cooler as well.

Anyway tell me what you think.

Edit: I found an error, my GPU is 2gb not the 4gb.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3qmmvK

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($279.99 @ Micro Center)

Motherboard: Asus Z97-AR ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($144.99 @ Micro Center)

Memory: Crucial Ballistix Elite 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($68.99 @ Amazon)

Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($149.97 @ NCIX US)

Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ NCIX US)

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 4GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($242.98 @ Newegg)

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

Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($114.99 @ Micro Center)

Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Mwave)

Monitor: Acer H233Hbmid 60Hz 23.0" Monitor

Total: $1189.87

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-26 08:47 EDT-0400

swap the i7 for an i5 so you save some money so you can get like a 970 instead of a 960 then get 2x4 sticks of ram instead of one 8 it will be faster (trustme i made the same mistake for my first build) and also you only realy need about 550 wats of power

hope this helps

   IAN

[Fgtfv567]

I'd get a i5-4690K and a 970 instead

[SocomSuade]

Thanks guys.

I'm getting a 970 and probably keeping the I5.

I ended up buying the 750w g2 supernova after all. So many mixed answers (not from here, multiple places) and better safe than sorry I guess.

[SocomSuade]

Well got the i7 and the 970 after all.

Here is my final build.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/9Wyy7P