First build, need guidance

[SippyKupp]

I first posted in the CPU/MoBo section with a question on MoBo's and took the advise from another member to post up my list of parts for review. Read the sticky, got a good sense of how to compose this post.

 

1. Budget & location - Ideally i would like to spend around $1000, give or take a few $100. I wouldn't mind going up to $1200 if it got me a better build that offered me more features i like. Im located in the USA.

 

2. Aim - Basically going for an internet surfer, storing music and photos, and gaming. No triple A's (BF4, Assassins creed, etc.) just things like WoW, counter strike/team fortress, Dota, etc. 

 

3. Monitors - Just one

 

4. Peripherals - i have a mouse and keyboard from my old desktop ages ago. I need an OS though, was gonna get windows 8 or 10 if it comes out by the time i get all the pieces together.

 

5. Upgrading - My current workhorse is my old 2008 MacBook Pro, love it to death but alas, its really only good for taking to school and surfer the web. I need a desktop dearly lol

 

That all being said heres what i got so far in terms of hardware:

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/cV29ZL

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($217.99 @ NCIX US) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($26.98 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($86.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($94.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Western Digital Se 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($74.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card  ($319.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Case: Corsair Air 540 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($116.00 @ Newegg) 

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($79.99 @ NCIX US) 

Total: $1017.92

[Octavialicious]

I wouldn't get Dom Plats, for the same price of an 8 GB kit you could get a 16 GB kit of another brand (the Plats don't perform any better either)

[cheeze_tartz]

 

I first posted in the CPU/MoBo section with a question on MoBo's and took the advise from another member to post up my list of parts for review. Read the sticky, got a good sense of how to compose this post.

 

1. Budget & location - Ideally i would like to spend around $1000, give or take a few $100. I wouldn't mind going up to $1200 if it got me a better build that offered me more features i like. Im located in the USA.

 

2. Aim - Basically going for an internet surfer, storing music and photos, and gaming. No triple A's (BF4, Assassins creed, etc.) just things like WoW, counter strike/team fortress, Dota, etc. 

 

3. Monitors - Just one

 

4. Peripherals - i have a mouse and keyboard from my old desktop ages ago. I need an OS though, was gonna get windows 8 or 10 if it comes out by the time i get all the pieces together.

 

5. Upgrading - My current workhorse is my old 2008 MacBook Pro, love it to death but alas, its really only good for taking to school and surfer the web. I need a desktop dearly lol

 

That all being said heres what i got so far in terms of hardware:

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/cV29ZL

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($217.99 @ NCIX US) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($26.98 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($86.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($94.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Western Digital Se 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($74.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card  ($319.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Case: Corsair Air 540 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($116.00 @ Newegg) 

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($79.99 @ NCIX US) 

Total: $1017.92

 

descent build, but not a good build for what you're going to do. You don't need a 970 for those games, and don't get Dominator Platinum's, You can get a 16gb  kit for the same price. Here's a better parts list.  http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ctkdTW

[MrAnonymous]

if you are only playing those games, your build is pretty overkill. i would suggest downgrading and save yourself some money. go for an i5 4460 and r9 290, even with that it's still overkill. plus your RAM is too much, just go for a cheap $50.00 8 GB kit. i would put in an SSD if i were you.

[MrAnonymous]

 

I first posted in the CPU/MoBo section with a question on MoBo's and took the advise from another member to post up my list of parts for review. Read the sticky, got a good sense of how to compose this post.

 

1. Budget & location - Ideally i would like to spend around $1000, give or take a few $100. I wouldn't mind going up to $1200 if it got me a better build that offered me more features i like. Im located in the USA.

 

2. Aim - Basically going for an internet surfer, storing music and photos, and gaming. No triple A's (BF4, Assassins creed, etc.) just things like WoW, counter strike/team fortress, Dota, etc. 

 

3. Monitors - Just one

 

4. Peripherals - i have a mouse and keyboard from my old desktop ages ago. I need an OS though, was gonna get windows 8 or 10 if it comes out by the time i get all the pieces together.

 

5. Upgrading - My current workhorse is my old 2008 MacBook Pro, love it to death but alas, its really only good for taking to school and surfer the web. I need a desktop dearly lol

 

That all being said heres what i got so far in terms of hardware:

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/cV29ZL

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($217.99 @ NCIX US) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($26.98 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($86.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($94.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Western Digital Se 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($74.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card  ($319.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Case: Corsair Air 540 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($116.00 @ Newegg) 

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($79.99 @ NCIX US) 

Total: $1017.92

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mrw6ZL

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mrw6ZL/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($176.98 @ NCIX US)

Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty H97 Killer ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($90.98 @ Newegg)

Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($48.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($89.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($64.99 @ Newegg)

Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card  ($192.98 @ Newegg)

Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($54.99 @ NCIX US)

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($49.99 @ Newegg)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit)  ($87.98 @ OutletPC)

Monitor: Asus VX238H-W 23.0" Monitor  ($139.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $997.86

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-12 02:00 EDT-0400

 

i would go for this build, you dont need a CPU cooler with a locked CPU but if you really want to i would go for a Hyper 212 Evo ($30). also i would go for 550W-600W PSU and get a case fan for your GPU (for exhaust) since 280x runs hot.

[SippyKupp]

@Octavialicious @cheeze_tartz i see what you mean about the RAM, i switched to a 16 gig kit of vengeance. My thought process behind getting the 970 was to try and make it last me as long as possible if that makes any sense. like i would rather pay $300 for a gpu that will last me awhile rather then pay less for a gpu that will be obsolete sooner, ya know? Am I over thinking this? 

[Octavialicious]

@Octavialicious @cheeze_tartz i see what you mean about the RAM, i switched to a 16 gig kit of vengeance. My thought process behind getting the 970 was to try and make it last me as long as possible if that makes any sense. like i would rather pay $300 for a gpu that will last me awhile rather then pay less for a gpu that will be obsolete sooner, ya know? Am I over thinking this? 

yep, the 970 should last a while

[cheeze_tartz]

@Octavialicious @cheeze_tartz i see what you mean about the RAM, i switched to a 16 gig kit of vengeance. My thought process behind getting the 970 was to try and make it last me as long as possible if that makes any sense. like i would rather pay $300 for a gpu that will last me awhile rather then pay less for a gpu that will be obsolete sooner, ya know? Am I over thinking this? 

Nah, you're not over thinking it. If you want it a little bit more "future-proof", I would wait until the R9 3xx series of AMD cards come out, if the benchmarks beat the 970, I would get that instead. But the 970 should last you a while.

[MrAnonymous]

@Octavialicious @cheeze_tartz i see what you mean about the RAM, i switched to a 16 gig kit of vengeance. My thought process behind getting the 970 was to try and make it last me as long as possible if that makes any sense. like i would rather pay $300 for a gpu that will last me awhile rather then pay less for a gpu that will be obsolete sooner, ya know? Am I over thinking this? 

they release GPU almost every year. but getting a higher end GPU now is much better that's true.

[SippyKupp]

@MrAnonymous well funny you should bring up the cpu, in my other thread in the CPU/Mobo forum, I'm slowly being persuaded to upgrade to the 4690k. Would you still consider this over kill? Even if i scaled down the GPU?

[MrAnonymous]

@MrAnonymous well funny you should bring up the cpu, in my other thread in the CPU/Mobo forum, I'm slowly being persuaded to upgrade to the 4690k. Would you still consider this over kill? Even if i scaled down the GPU?

well a 4460 is good enough, if you aren't planning to OC. but 4690k is the best bang-for-buck CPU out there (if you are going to OC). yeah MMOs are more CPU dependent than GPU. but since you aren't upgrading for awhile getting a high-end GPU now is better in the long run.

[stconquest]

@SippyKupp

 

$20 cheaper than you original build but many better parts.  All it is missing is the SSD, but I did not want to take away from the gaming performance.  This is ready for a second GTX 970 if you ever feel the need.

 

$1050 before rebates:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($229.98 @ NCIX US)  <<You might need the speed one day, so K-Series it is
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($34.50 @ Newegg)  <<You can actually leave this out and run stock to put money towards something else like an SSD
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($95.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory  ($51.99 @ Newegg)  <<8GB is plenty
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card  ($349.99 @ SuperBiiz)  <<This 970's GPU is binned for higher overclocks.  It also comes with a nice back plate
Case: Corsair Air 540 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($116.00 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($69.99 @ NCIX US) <<A higher quality than the EVGA NEX.  The EVGA GS is made by Seasonic and performs better than the NEX made by FSP.
Total: $998.43
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-12 02:11 EDT-0400

[MrAnonymous]

@SippyKupp

 

$20 cheaper than you original build but many better parts.  All it is missing is the SSD, but I did not want to take away from the gaming performance.  This is ready for a second GTX 970 if you ever feel the need.

 

$1050 before rebates:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($229.98 @ NCIX US)  <<You might need the speed one day, so K-Series it is

CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($34.50 @ Newegg)  <<You can actually leave this out and run stock to put money towards something else like an SSD

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($95.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory  ($51.99 @ Newegg)  <<8GB is plenty

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($49.99 @ Amazon)

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card  ($349.99 @ SuperBiiz)  <<This 970's GPU is binned for higher overclocks.  It also comes with a nice back plate

Case: Corsair Air 540 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($116.00 @ Newegg)

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($69.99 @ NCIX US) <<A higher quality than the EVGA NEX.  The EVGA GS is made by Seasonic and performs better than the NEX made by FSP.

Total: $998.43

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-12 02:11 EDT-0400

this build is great i would suggest going for Hyper 212 tho, seems it's cheaper and is already great. a 500W PSU by Seasonic is good enough since this build is pretty efficient on energy. an SSD is a must imo. and just get a basic 8 GB 1600 kit. if you are going to OC that CPU is the way to go.

[stconquest]

this build is great i would suggest going for Hyper 212 tho, seems it's cheaper and is already great. a 500W PSU by Seasonic is good enough since this build is pretty efficient on energy. an SSD is a must imo. and just get a basic 8 GB 1600 kit. if you are going to OC that CPU is the way to go.

 

I have a 212 EVO, thing is loud.  The Cryorig is quieter and looks better.

 

I gave him an SLI-ready build... for that second GTX 970 later on :lol:

 

For the SSD I would drop the CPU cooler as he does not need to OC right away and I would switch out the Air 540 for something cheaper.  That might even get him a nice 250GB BX100 ($90).

 

The RAM is $50 for 2400MHz RAM, why would you not?

[MrAnonymous]

if you are planning to OC this would be the build that i would go for:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/zmQZ3C
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/zmQZ3C/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($229.98 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($26.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($90.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($48.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($99.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($48.75 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SSC ACX 2.0 Video Card  ($329.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($40.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit)  ($87.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1078.63
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-12 02:28 EDT-0400

[SippyKupp]

@stconquest can you go into more detail about the 970 windforce? 

 

Id like to thank everyone at this point whose helped out, seriously, you guys are life savers. @MrAnonymous @cheeze_tartz @Octavialicious

[MrAnonymous]

I have a 212 EVO, thing is loud.  The Cryorig is quieter and looks better.

 

I gave him an SLI-ready build... for that second GTX 970 later on :lol:

 

For the SSD I would drop the CPU cooler as he does not need to OC right away and I would switch out the Air 540 for something cheaper.  That might even get him a nice 250GB BX100 ($90).

 

The RAM is $50 for 2400MHz RAM, why would you not?

my brother has a 212 EVO and it seems pretty quite, since he also only play MMO (Guildwars 2, Diablo 3)

an SSD is a must imo

the RAM is meh (watch this)

[MrAnonymous]

if you are just going to play MMORPGs and F2P, save some money and don't overkill your system. go for a 970 if you want it to "last" longer. be sure to also get a good monitor that would actually utilize your system. get a K series CPU and Z97 MoBo if you are planning to OC in the future. a great quality PSU is also a great investment if you are planning to OC in the future. as for RAM just go with a cheap 8 GB kit.

[stconquest]

@stconquest can you go into more detail about the 970 windforce? 

 

Id like to thank everyone at this point whose helped out, seriously, you guys are life savers. @MrAnonymous @cheeze_tartz @Octavialicious

 

It is not the Windforce, that one is good $330.  The one I have picked out is the Windforce Gaming 1(G1) ($350) made by the same company.  The chip in it is selected because it is capable of being pushed to higher clockspeeds... slightly similar to the K version of the i5.  For $20 you get a higher "binned" GPU, and you get a nice looking backplate that covers the board...

 

http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/gigabyte-geforce-gtx-970-g1-gaming-review,1.html

[Captain_WD]

~snip~

 

Hey SippyKupp,

 

The plan seems pretty good for what you need it for. 

The CPU and the motherboard don't allow overclocking so I would remove the custom CPU Cooler and go with the stock one instead.

The PSU is a huge overkill and you can go with a 500W easily.

With the saved funds, you can afford a SSD which would bring a lot of benefit to your system (shorten all loading and boot times, increase the overall responsiveness of the build, increase transfer speeds dramatically, etc.)

 

Captain_WD.

[MrAnonymous]

It is not the Windforce, that one is good $330.  The one I have picked out is the Windforce Gaming 1(G1) ($350) made by the same company.  The chip in it is selected because it is capable of being pushed to higher clockspeeds... just like the K version of the i5.  For $20 you get a higher "binned" GPU, and you get a nice looking backplate that covers the board...

 

http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/gigabyte-geforce-gtx-970-g1-gaming-review,1.html

yeah go for a GPU with a quality PBS and backplate so that it wont have much give on it. Asus Strixx is also ok, but i do think MSI and G1 is the best for OC.

[stconquest]

my brother has a 212 EVO and it seems pretty quite, since he also only play MMO (Guildwars 2, Diablo 3)

an SSD is a must imo

the RAM is meh (watch this)

 

SSD is not related to gaming performance as much as general PC use.  I like having mine, but I won't sacrifice performance.  I can squeeze an SSD in my build quite easily and keep it under $1070.

 

Stop with the RAM, it is practically irrelevant.  For a few bucks more you get faster RAM, end of story.

[MrAnonymous]

SSD is not related to gaming performance as much as general PC use.  I like having mine, but I won't sacrifice performance.  I can squeeze an SSD in my build quite easily and keep it under $1070.

 

Stop with the RAM, it is practically irrelevant.  For a few bucks more you get faster RAM, end of story.

that's just a preference. calm down, no need to rage, im just giving some advice, as you said it is irrelevant.

[stconquest]

that's just a preference. calm down, no need to rage, im just giving some advice, as you said it is irrelevant.

 

Now, how do you come to the conclusion that I am not already calm?  I would like to know. 

[SippyKupp]

I have a few points id like to bring up as well:

 

I already have a 1TB external hd i got for my macbook awhile back, i could drop the traditional hd for a ssd, and use the external for my pictures music etc. Does that sound logical?

 

I need a way to connect to the internet wirelessly. Should i go usb, pci, or wifi built straight into the mobo??