First Time Gaming PC Build

[tikker]

Hello all. After spending pretty much all my life with a laptop I've finally decided to build myself a computer It will be primarily used for gaming and I'd like it to last me some time. Since I've never built a system before I'd love to get some feedback on what I've put together.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($259.86 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG R1 Ultimate 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($115.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury White 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($48.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($71.49 @ OutletPC)

Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($99.78 @ OutletPC)

Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($83.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Red 1TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($62.65 @ OutletPC)

Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($71.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card  ($479.99 @ NCIX US)

GALAX GeForce GTX 970 4GB HOF Video Card
Case: Corsair 760T White ATX Full Tower Case  ($149.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: NZXT HALE82 V2 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($65.98 @ Newegg)

EVGA SuperNOVA GS 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($56.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer  ($18.39 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: BenQ GL2460HM 60Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($149.99 @ Amazon)

Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($229.00 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Logitech K740 Wired Slim Keyboard  ($65.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Logitech Corded Keyboard K280e Wired Standard Keyboard  ($9.99 @ NCIX US)

Total:  $1614.46
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-29 10:54 EDT-0400

 

I am from the Netherlands and will be buying at different stores, but the german PCPartPicker did not have all the parts so I sticked with US dollars. The build then comes down to €1889.54. Are there components I can improve on (without increasing cost too much)? I'm most unsure about the monitor and PSU and how many fans to put in the case. As for air or liquid cooling, the Cryorig cooler is a stay. I really like the looks

[pomaranc]

Hello all. After spending pretty much all my life with a laptop I've finally decided to build myself a computer It will be primarily used for gaming and I'd like it to last me some time. Since I've never built a system before I'd love to get some feedback on what I've put together.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($259.86 @ OutletPC)

CPU Cooler: CRYORIG R1 Ultimate 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($89.99 @ Newegg)

Motherboard: MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($115.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury White 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($48.49 @ SuperBiiz)

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($71.49 @ OutletPC)

Storage: Western Digital Red 1TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($62.65 @ OutletPC)

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card  ($479.99 @ NCIX US)

Case: Corsair 760T White ATX Full Tower Case  ($149.99 @ Micro Center)

Power Supply: NZXT HALE82 V2 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($65.98 @ Newegg)

Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer  ($18.39 @ OutletPC)

Monitor: BenQ GL2460HM 60Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($149.99 @ Amazon)

Keyboard: Logitech K740 Wired Slim Keyboard  ($65.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Total: $1578.80

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-29 10:54 EDT-0400

 

I am from the Netherlands and will be buying at different stores, but the german PCPartPicker did not have all the parts so I sticked with US dollars. The build then comes down to €1699.72. Are there components I can improve on (without increasing cost too much)? I'm most unsure about the monitor and PSU and how many fans to put in the case.

Bigger SSD, better cooling, better PSU

 

Edit: 650W version of that PSU costs sometimes the same so you might as well get that.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($259.86 @ OutletPC) 

CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($99.00 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard: MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($125.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury White 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($48.49 @ SuperBiiz) 

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($99.78 @ OutletPC) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($48.89 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card  ($479.99 @ NCIX US) 

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

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($76.99 @ NCIX US) 

Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer  ($18.39 @ OutletPC) 

Monitor: BenQ GL2460HM 60Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($149.99 @ Amazon) 

Keyboard: Logitech K740 Wired Slim Keyboard  ($65.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Total: $1573.35

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-29 11:13 EDT-0400

[BigDay]

1. i would go for a 2tb hdd instead of a 1tb. make sure you get the 7200 rpm and 64mb cache version of the hdd. your 5200 is too slow
2. get the gigabyte g1 gaming series for the 980 instead
3. your case is super awesome
4. i would get a better psu
5. i would also get a better monitor for 1080p
6. keyboard is a little expensive. i know one that is just fine for around 10 bucks from logitech.

are you going to overclock your cpu and gpu? if you don't know how, read my guides; links are in my forum signature

 

are you planning on playing at 1080p or 1440p?

[pomaranc]

You could actually get 980ti

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($259.86 @ OutletPC) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($26.99 @ NCIX US) 

Motherboard: MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($125.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury White 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($48.49 @ SuperBiiz) 

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($99.78 @ OutletPC) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($48.89 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB AMP! Video Card  ($648.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($54.99 @ Micro Center) 

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($76.99 @ NCIX US) 

Monitor: BenQ GL2460HM 60Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($149.99 @ Amazon) 

Keyboard: Logitech K740 Wired Slim Keyboard  ($65.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Total: $1606.95

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-29 11:17 EDT-0400

[BigDay]

your previous monitor was a waste for 1080p gameplay

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($259.86 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($64.05 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($125.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury White 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($48.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($71.49 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate  2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive  ($89.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card  ($499.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 760T White ATX Full Tower Case  ($169.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($76.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer  ($18.39 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($229.00 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Logitech Corded Keyboard K280e Wired Standard Keyboard  ($9.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1664.11
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-29 11:20 EDT-0400

[tikker]

Thank you for the quick replies. I've changed the following:

Storage: Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB

Keyboard: Logitech Corded K280e

Monitor: ASUS VG248QE

PSU: EVGA 550W SuperNOVA GS

 

I'll update the main post. As for the watercooling, I really like this air cooler so I'm going to keep that one in (I should have mentioned it in the post, updating...)

 

1. i would go for a 2tb hdd instead of a 1tb. make sure you get the 7200 rpm and 64mb cache version of the hdd. your 5200 is too slow
2. get the gigabyte g1 gaming series for the 980 instead
3. your case is super awesome
4. i would get a better psu
5. i would also get a better monitor for 1080p
6. keyboard is a little expensive. i know one that is just fine for around 10 bucks from logitech.

are you going to overclock your cpu and gpu? if you don't know how, read my guides; links are in my forum signature

 

are you planning on playing at 1080p or 1440p?

 

I'm not going to overclock my cpu and gpu now, but I like to have the opportunity in the future. For now I will be playing at 1080p since the 1440p monitors are a little bit too expensive for me now.

 

 

You could actually get 980ti

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($259.86 @ OutletPC) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($26.99 @ NCIX US) 

Motherboard: MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($125.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury White 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($48.49 @ SuperBiiz) 

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($99.78 @ OutletPC) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($48.89 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB AMP! Video Card  ($648.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($54.99 @ Micro Center) 

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($76.99 @ NCIX US) 

Monitor: BenQ GL2460HM 60Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($149.99 @ Amazon) 

Keyboard: Logitech K740 Wired Slim Keyboard  ($65.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Total: $1606.95

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-29 11:17 EDT-0400

 

Unfortunately the 980 Ti is too expensive for me.

[ArataMaou]

Thank you for the quick replies. I've changed the following:

Storage: Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB

Keyboard: Logitech Corded K280e

Monitor: ASUS VG248QE

PSU: EVGA 550W SuperNOVA GS

 

I'll update the main post. As for the watercooling, I really like this air cooler so I'm going to keep that one in (I should have mentioned it in the post, updating...)

I'm not going to overclock my cpu and gpu now, but I like to have the opportunity in the future. For now I will be playing at 1080p since the 1440p monitors are a little bit too expensive for me now.

 

Unfortunately the 980 Ti is too expensive for me.

stick to the 980 youll be fine

[BigDay]

Thank you for the quick replies. I've changed the following:

Storage: Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB

Keyboard: Logitech Corded K280e

Monitor: ASUS VG248QE

PSU: EVGA 550W SuperNOVA GS

 

I'll update the main post. As for the watercooling, I really like this air cooler so I'm going to keep that one in (I should have mentioned it in the post, updating...)

I'm not going to overclock my cpu and gpu now, but I like to have the opportunity in the future. For now I will be playing at 1080p since the 1440p monitors are a little bit too expensive for me now.

 

Unfortunately the 980 Ti is too expensive for me.

 

if you want to learn how to overclock, read my guides; links are in my signature

[tikker]

stick to the 980 youll be fine

Hehe, yeah I wasn't too worried on that one

 

if you want to learn how to overclock, read my guides; links are in my signature

When the time comes I'll surely check them out!

I can't wait till I get it ^^

[pomaranc]

Hehe, yeah I wasn't too worried on that one

 

When the time comes I'll surely check them out!

I can't wait till I get it ^^

Also there is no reason to not OC your GPU, you don't have to push it to limits, adding 80Mhz will help you and every 980 should be able to handle that.

[gavin.970]

This rig will beat a 980 ti, look at linus tech tips on 970 sli vs 980ti. I recomend the cheapest keyboard you can buy right now, and I left the monitor up to, you. Feel free to swap back to the other cooler but you are leaving performance on the table.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($228.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($99.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z97X Killer ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($114.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory  ($104.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($83.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($71.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB FTW ACX 2.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($315.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB FTW ACX 2.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($315.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 760T White ATX Full Tower Case  ($149.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1555.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-29 13:33 EDT-0400

[Nena Trinity]

980?

 

Get 390X much more for money!

[tikker]

This rig will beat a 980 ti, look at linus tech tips on 970 sli vs 980ti. I recomend the cheapest keyboard you can buy right now, and I left the monitor up to, you. Feel free to swap back to the other cooler but you are leaving performance on the table.

~snip~

No doubt you are right with the liquid cooler giving more performance, but I'm going for a bit of looks as well and I really really like this cooler

I have been looking at 970 SLI instead of one 980 (Ti) as well. My main points for choosing the 980 were:

1. Not all games support SLI.
2. €200 cheaper (sort of important, although I could just buy one card now and add another later on).
3. If I buy another one later on, will the system benefit more from a 3-way SLI 970 setup (besides looking awesome ) or a 2-way 980 SLI? My thoughts were the second option being more beneficial than the first.

 

980?

 

Get 390X much more for money!

Sorry mate, sticking with the 9xx here ^^

[gavin.970]

No doubt you are right with the liquid cooler giving more performance, but I'm going for a bit of looks as well and I really really like this cooler

I have been looking at 970 SLI instead of one 980 (Ti) as well. My main points for choosing the 980 were:

1. Not all games support SLI.
2. €200 cheaper (sort of important, although I could just buy one card now and add another later on).
3. If I buy another one later on, will the system benefit more from a 3-way SLI 970 setup (besides looking awesome ) or a 2-way 980 SLI? My thoughts were the second option being more beneficial than the first.

 

Sorry mate, sticking with the 9xx here ^^

The way 970 will have more performance than duel 980's, a single 980 is only 10% faster than a 970. Most games will support SLI and the ones that don't are not worth worrying about.

I would rather start with one 970 and get a second one than a 980. Even if i were only getting one card I would still chose the 970 cause the 10% performance premium at a the $100 price tag isn't really worth it to me.

[tikker]

The way 970 will have more performance than duel 980's, a single 980 is only 10% faster than a 970. Most games will support SLI and the ones that don't are not worth worrying about.

I would rather start with one 970 and get a second one than a 980. Even if i were only getting one card I would still chose the 970 cause the 10% performance premium at a the $100 price tag isn't really worth it to me.

I think I'll take the advice and go with a single 970 for now and possible SLI later. This way I can also get the card I initially had my eye on, the Galax HoF