1700$ Gaming/Modeling/Rendering - Final thoughts?

[Tex]

Hello everyone, 

 

I'm finally ready to order my new build. To make things easier, let's start by answering the common questions ^^

 

Budget and Location > Around 1700$, CAN dollars since I live in Quebec

 

Aim > Mainly gaming, games that are relatively heavy, and I want to be future-proof for gaming, ready for the upcoming titles! (BF4, GTA V, etc) I'm also doing some 3D modeling and rendering, and I frequently use heavier applications like modeling softwares, Photoshop, etc.

 

Monitors > Currently, one 1080p 22'' monitor, that will be the main monitor used for gaming. I plan on adding a second monitor in the upcoming months, but the second monitor will be used for Skype, Web browsing and that sort of stuff. Gaming will stay on one monitor, unless I do some tri-screen someday (not in the next months/years)

 

Periphericals > I need a Wifi card, I didn't select it yet because I don't know much about that. I already have a mechanical gaming keyboard, gaming mouse, and all that you can need in terms of periphericals.

 

Reason of upgrade > I have an opportunity to sell my current build (2500k, 560Ti, 8Gb) for a fair price, and the new build will only cost me around 1000$. The 2500k is not sufficient anymore for the heavy applications, and the 560Ti is also getting old. Since the buyer don't need such power (it's only for light gaming), it's the right time to sell.

 

Now that you have the answers to the FAQ, let's move to what I've choose (so far)!

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($339.99 @ NCIX) 

CPU Cooler:  Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($29.99 @ Canada Computers) 

Motherboard:  Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($207.99 @ NCIX) 

Memory:  Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($127.99 @ Amazon Canada) 

Storage:  Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($137.46 @ DirectCanada) 

Storage:  Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($59.99 @ NCIX) 

Video Card:  Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 4GB Video Card  ($478.12 @ Newegg Canada) 

Case:  Corsair 650D ATX Mid Tower Case  ($155.36 @ DirectCanada) 

Power Supply:  Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply  ($84.54 @ DirectCanada) 

Total: $1621.43

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

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-03 21:34 EDT-0400)

 

 

 

For that budget, 4770k is a must and I don't think I can get anything better for my use and budget. The 212EVO is silent (what I'm looking for) and allows a fair OC. The motherboard is the perfect choice for me, I want something that has all the features/ports I need, and that also looks good. For that price, I don't think I can find a better one.

 

16Gb of RAM is a must in my case, it will be used and it's more future-proof I guess. Storage wise, the 128Gb SSD will be sufficient for OS and commonly used apps. I'm not the type of guy that fills a 1Tb HDD, I'm getting one that big in case I need it in the future, even if in my current situation, 500Gb would be enough. 

 

The 770 is also the best option for me, I can't afford the 780, and the 4Gb version of the 770 will give me all the performance I need, and it will allow the use of more than one monitor in the future, for gaming. Of course, I can't consider AMD, CUDA is a great advantage in my situation, and I believe for that budget, the 770 is the way to go.

 

The case is the component that took me the longest to select. After watching numerous reviews, I decided to go for the 650D, which is robust, looks very good, has a side window, and offer all I need. I was considering a Define R4 for the reduced noise, but I'm planning on changing the stock fans and I don't think it's that noisy either.

 

PSU wise, I decided to go for the Antec HCG-620m to allow OC, the fact that it's modular is a great plus, since the case has a side window, and cable management is key!

 

That's it, I have plenty of room to fit a Wifi card in there, I would apprecaite any help choosing it. I don't like to depend on Wifi, but I don't play many MP games, and I just can't route a cable to the computer. I have a budget of around 40-50$ for the Wifi card, but I don't think it's necesseray to pay that much for one. ^^ 

 

 

 

 

What would be to change in this build? Is there any major inconvenient to any of the component I selected? Can I get more for the same price?

 

Thanks very much for the help, it's greatly appreciated!

 

[BlackOutCrisis]

@Tex

You can save about 40$ on the SSD and put that towards a better CPU cooler which is HIGHLY recommended. A hyper 212 doesn't belong in a build in this price range.

Check out something like the NH-D14 by Noctua.

[WoodenMarker]

What applications are you using that require CUDA?

I doubt you need the 4GB vram unless you're rendering and working with huge scene files.

Extra auxilary displays take up very little performance.

 

Why not 350D? You could fit everything in a micro atx config easily.

[hehehehhehehehe]

Looks really good!

although if your doing a lot in the way of rendering/editing etc you may also want a 2TB HDD and also as mentioned above you may get better use out of a slightly better CPU cooler..

 

You may almost be able to fit an H100i into the budget too which would be a huge improvement.

[WoodenMarker]

@Tex

You can save about 40$ on the SSD and put that towards a better CPU cooler which is HIGHLY recommended. A hyper 212 doesn't belong in a build in this price range.

Check out something like the NH-D14 by Noctua.

Overclocking a cpu more the Hyper 212 Evo can doesn't benefit much outside of heavy rendering.

You can get 4.5 ghz out of the Evo if the cpu allows it.

[TTesla]

@Tex

You can save about 40$ on the SSD and put that towards a better CPU cooler which is HIGHLY recommended. A hyper 212 doesn't belong in a build in this price range.

Check out something like the NH-D14 by Noctua.

Yeah, get the regular 840, and get like a h80i or h100i. Also get the ud3h instead. That mobo is pretty overkill pricing and offers almost no extra features except the on bourd audio which is way better, but for the price diffrence you can get a great sound card. $50 and get the xonar dsx. Also get a WD black 1tb, better performance, and good for use in editing such as a scratch disk. Also save some on tye case, get like a arc midi r2, and instead spend the extra money on the power supply (700w) so you can overlclock and be able to add more ssd and hdd in the future.

[BlackOutCrisis]

Overclocking a cpu more the Hyper 212 Evo can doesn't benefit much outside of heavy rendering.

You can get 4.5 ghz out of the Evo if the cpu allows it.

Maybe 4.5 on sandy or Ivy but Haswell puts out too much heat for 4.5 unless you have a ridiculous chip, in which case why are you wasting your chip on a hyper 212 lol. Also some people might not like to have cpu fan speed at 100% just to stay under 70c :P

[BlackOutCrisis]

Yeah, get the regular 840, and get like a h80i or h100i. Also get the ud3h instead. That mobo is pretty overkill pricing and offers almost no extra features except the on bourd audio which is way better, but for the price diffrence you can get a great sound card. $50 and get the xonar dsx. Also get a WD black 1tb, better performance, and good for use in editing such as a scratch disk. Also save some on tye case, get like a arc midi r2, and instead spend the extra money on the power supply (700w) so you can overlclock and be able to add more ssd and hdd in the future.

Not going to go into the other things but his PSU will handle those parts overclocked to the maximum and then more, shit it will handle a 780 overclocked to the maximum, his PSU is perfect.

[Tex]

What applications are you using that require CUDA?

I doubt you need the 4GB vram unless you're rendering and working with huge scene files.

Extra auxilary displays take up very little performance.

 

Why not 350D? You could fit everything in a micro atx config easily.

 

Require, none, but from what I heard the 3D applications (like Maya) and photo/image editing software (Adobe softwares mainly) benefit from the CUDA cores. 

 

The 4Gb vRam is not for the modeling/rendering part, it's to be more future-proof in case I decide to use multiple monitors in the future. I was also being told that some games start to get heavy on the vRam aspect, and that 2Gb could be a bit low in 2-3 years. I don't plan on upgrading this build in the upcoming years, so I don't mind the price difference to get the 4Gb instead of 2Gb (since there's no way to increase that later on without changing the GPU)

 

I don't like the look of the 350D, it doesn't have that brushed metal on the front panel which I love, and no side window either. For 50$, I'll stick with the 650D. 

 

Looks really good!

although if your doing a lot in the way of rendering/editing etc you may also want a 2TB HDD and also as mentioned above you may get better use out of a slightly better CPU cooler..

 

You may almost be able to fit an H100i into the budget too which would be a huge improvement.

 

It's nothing professionnal, it's more of a hobby. In three years, with games, modelling projects and all that kind of stuff, I didn't even fill 20% of the current 1Tb Barracuda. I understand your concern, 1Tb does sound a bit short for someone doing modeling, but in my case 1Tb is sufficient!

 

I like the quietness and low price of the 212EVO, I'm being told that it's very quiet and more than enough in my case, since I don't want to do some crazy OC. The H100i would be cool, but I don't think it would be that much of an improvement, I don't see what it offers that I can really benefit from. 

 

Yeah, get the regular 840, and get like a h80i or h100i. Also get the ud3h instead. That mobo is pretty overkill pricing and offers almost no extra features except the on bourd audio which is way better, but for the price diffrence you can get a great sound card. $50 and get the xonar dsx. Also get a WD black 1tb, better performance, and good for use in editing such as a scratch disk. Also save some on tye case, get like a arc midi r2, and instead spend the extra money on the power supply (700w) so you can overlclock and be able to add more ssd and hdd in the future.

 

Is the difference between the 840 and 840 Pro that irrelevant? In every review that I read, there was a little gab between the two, but again I don't know much about SSDs. ;)

 

I'll have a look at the WD black. For the case, I'll stick with the 650D, I don't feel like cutting on the case just to fit a 700W PSU, which appear useless to me.

 

Thanks everyone for the help!

[TTesla]

Not going to go into the other things but his PSU will handle those parts overclocked to the maximum and then more, shit it will handle a 780 overclocked to the maximum, his PSU is perfect.

But remember it is only bronze certified. So not very efficient. So more like 580-590w.

[Tex]

But remember it is only bronze certified. So not very efficient. So more like 580-590w.

 

I'm only overclocking the CPU to around 4.2 (or so) depending on how it goes. No SLI in the upcoming years, and if I decide to do that I'll consider a PSU change. However, at the moment, 620W 80+ Bronze is more than enough! 

[TTesla]

I'm only overclocking the CPU to around 4.2 (or so) depending on how it goes. No SLI in the upcoming years, and if I decide to do that I'll consider a PSU change. However, at the moment, 620W 80+ Bronze is more than enough!

Alright, your choice

[NinjaPleze]

Don't know about cutting the 840 Pro. But I guess you just lose the write speeds. Definitely pick a better after-market cooler. Plenty of room for a beefier cooler.

[Tex]

Don't know about cutting the 840 Pro. But I guess you just lose the write speeds. Definitely pick a better after-market cooler. Plenty of room for a beefier cooler.

 

What would be the real benefit? For a little OC, I'd think that the 212EVO is sufficient. Even though 30$ for the CPU-cooler on a 1700$ budget might seem a bit too low, if it gets the job done and it's silent .. no reason to pay 60-70$ for one!

 

You do loose the write speed if you go for the 840, but I also see an important (maybe it's not) difference in the IOPS. Doesn't that matter too?

[NinjaPleze]

 

 

Is the difference between the 840 and 840 Pro that irrelevant? In every review that I read, there was a little gab between the two, but again I don't know much about SSDs. ;)

 

I have a 840 installed on a rig I did and it is great. I started installing windows 7 and went to get a drink. When I got back it was done (less than 10 mintues). I plan on getting teh pro for my next build but that is just cause I am always wanting the best and fastest. You get better quality flash from teh pro (and the new evo will blow everything out of teh water) but the regular shoudl do fine. 

[NinjaPleze]

What would be the real benefit? For a little OC, I'd think that the 212EVO is sufficient. Even though 30$ for the CPU-cooler on a 1700$ budget might seem a bit too low, if it gets the job done and it's silent .. no reason to pay 60-70$ for one!

 

You do loose the write speed if you go for the 840, but I also see an important (maybe it's not) difference in the IOPS. Doesn't that matter too?

Up to you. But at least get better fans.

[Tex]

Up to you. But at least get better fans.

 

Case fan? I was planning on upgrading them, what would you recommand?

[BlackOutCrisis]

What would be the real benefit? For a little OC, I'd think that the 212EVO is sufficient. Even though 30$ for the CPU-cooler on a 1700$ budget might seem a bit too low, if it gets the job done and it's silent .. no reason to pay 60-70$ for one!

 

You do loose the write speed if you go for the 840, but I also see an important (maybe it's not) difference in the IOPS. Doesn't that matter too?

The tiny differences in speed on the SSD is irrelevant since you are only going to be running windows and a couple other applications on it. Also the hyper 212 evo isn't that quiet (I have one), it runs at 100% just to keep my cpu under 70c at a 4.3Ghz OC which is good cooling but I can hear it a mile away (This is in a Antec p180 Silent case). Trust me getting a better cooler will not only help you OC higher and get more performance but also will extend the life of your CPU by keeping it cooler and more silent. Another thing, if you don't plan on overclocking very high why are you getting a Asus VI hero board......?

[Tex]

The tiny differences in speed on the SSD is irrelevant since you are only going to be running windows and a couple other applications on it. Also the hyper 212 evo isn't that quiet (I have one), it runs at 100% just to keep my cpu under 70c at a 4.3Ghz OC which is good cooling but I can hear it a mile away (This is in a Antec p180 Silent case). Trust me getting a better cooler will not only help you OC higher and get more performance but also will extend the life of your CPU by keeping it cooler and more silent. Another thing, if you don't plan on overclocking very high why are you getting a Asus VI hero board......?

 

Alright, I'll go for the regular Samsung 840 120Gb, which is cheaper. With the money I'll save, I'll get a better CPU cooler. What would you recommand? I would really like the BeQuiet DRP2, but I don't know where to get it from in Canada =/

 

For the motherboard, I chose the VI Hero for two things : design, and future-proof again. In case someday I want to OC more (if I take a more expensive aftermarket CPU cooler, I might do that right off the bath, or sooner than expected) It has everything I need, and I prefer the RoG design over the "equivalent" Z87 Asus boards. I was also interested by the Z87-A, 50$ cheaper or so, but I don't like the design, and since I have the budget for the VI Hero, I prefer to take it today and not regret my choice in the future.

[Hazy125]

Just get it. You'll find that everyone will be able to 'improved it somehow, but it's a grand rig, it'll suit what you need it for. What most people will need a computer for, go for it

[BlackOutCrisis]

Alright, I'll go for the regular Samsung 840 120Gb, which is cheaper. With the money I'll save, I'll get a better CPU cooler. What would you recommand? I would really like the BeQuiet DRP2, but I don't know where to get it from in Canada =/

 

For the motherboard, I chose the VI Hero for two things : design, and future-proof again. In case someday I want to OC more (if I take a more expensive aftermarket CPU cooler, I might do that right off the bath, or sooner than expected) It has everything I need, and I prefer the RoG design over the "equivalent" Z87 Asus boards. I was also interested by the Z87-A, 50$ cheaper or so, but I don't like the design, and since I have the budget for the VI Hero, I prefer to take it today and not regret my choice in the future.

I've heard good things about the dark rock pro 2 but I've never looked at any numbers so I can't compare it to anything, definitely a better choice though. Also you should check out the MSI z87 GD65 gaming board if you want to save a little but and get a board that is just as good.

[Tex]

For 20$, I think I'm going to stick with the VI Hero. I prefer ASUS than MSI, on the reliability aspect, and it's not a dramatic price difference. The design of the VI Hero looks a bit better in my eyes (I guess that's what counts ^^ ) 

 

And since I'll go for a better CPU cooler, I might OC more, and then the VI Hero will be a plus, right?

 

If it's not for the DRP2 I don't know what to choose, the equivalent I can think of is the NH-D14, but it's so ulgy .. no way I ruin the look of the build with that! =/

[BlackOutCrisis]

For 20$, I think I'm going to stick with the VI Hero. I prefer ASUS than MSI, on the reliability aspect, and it's not a dramatic price difference. The design of the VI Hero looks a bit better in my eyes (I guess that's what counts ^^ ) 

 

And since I'll go for a better CPU cooler, I might OC more, and then the VI Hero will be a plus, right?

 

If it's not for the DRP2 I don't know what to choose, the equivalent I can think of is the NH-D14, but it's so ulgy .. no way I ruin the look of the build with that! =/

Honestly they are pretty much the same board, if you are just a Asus guy then I won't argue for the MSI board because they are both such similar boards in every aspect.

 

http://www.ncix.ca/products/?sku=80361&vpn=BK017&manufacture=be%20quiet!&promoid=1360

 

There is a link for NCIX which is a Canadian based computer hardware store that has it in stock.

[Tex]

Thanks for the link!

 

I'm not a die-hard ASUS guy (in fact I have an MSI board in my current build), in this case however I just prefer to go with the Hero VI =)

 

Is there a big difference between the DR2 and the DRP2? The DR2 is 59.99 instead of 89.99, would it do the job for me?

[BlackOutCrisis]

Thanks for the link!

 

I'm not a die-hard ASUS guy (in fact I have an MSI board in my current build), in this case however I just prefer to go with the Hero VI =)

 

Is there a big difference between the DR2 and the DRP2? The DR2 is 59.99 instead of 89.99, would it do the job for me?

Obviously not as well as the drp2 but it is still better than the Hyper 212 is every way and if you upgrade/get another fan for it because running two fans will not only increase cooling performance but will allow you to run them at low RPM so it stays silent.