first build Is This A Good Build?

[frznchibi]

Hey LTT forums! I've been a huge fan of LTT for a while now but this is my first post with the community. I've been watching a lot of computer hardware videos as well as reading up some articles but I'm no expert. I've actually never built a PC for myself before, which leads me to this post. I've assembled what I think is a solid entry-level gaming build but would like some feedback as to whether or not this is something good for the price. Note, that I do like the aesthetics of a blue and black rig so that may have led to some of the decisions.

 

Tl;dr 

Pretty new to PC building, let me know if this build is good.

 

 

[LionWaffles]

Yes I will say it is pretty good on a consumer scale, but not on enthusiast scale. 

[Kobathor]

It would be fine for gaming, but this would be better:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($174.89 @ OutletPC) 
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($24.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($86.89 @ OutletPC) 
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($37.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Blue 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($38.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($64.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($49.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 390 8GB PCS+ Video Card  ($283.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: NZXT S340 (Black/Blue) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($66.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($89.99 @ Amazon) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit)  ($86.89 @ OutletPC) 
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series SP120 Quiet Edition (2-Pack) 37.9 CFM 120mm  Fans  ($26.49 @ OutletPC) 
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Quiet Edition (2-Pack) 39.9 CFM 120mm  Fans  ($24.13 @ OutletPC) 
Case Fan: Corsair SP120 57.2 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($12.99 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: Corsair SP120 57.2 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($12.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1083.08
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-04 21:58 EST-0500

 

I changed the PSU among other things, because you chose an SFX power supply for an ATX case. I spent more on the GPU than the CPU, and that's all I changed. I kept the Z97 board because maybe in the future you'll upgrade to an unlocked i7. This build will give you superior performance in games, and costs $3 less than the one you listed. I kept the fancy RAM configuration, too, since that'll look nice.

 

If you live near a Micro Center, also consider going shopping for a motherboard there, since they have lots of nice Z97 Motherboards for around $110. Also, an i5-4590 costs $159 if you walk in to the store. 

[frznchibi]

4 minutes ago, Kobathor said:

It would be fine for gaming, but this would be better:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($174.89 @ OutletPC) 
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($24.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($86.89 @ OutletPC) 
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($37.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Blue 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($38.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($64.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($49.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 390 8GB PCS+ Video Card  ($283.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: NZXT S340 (Black/Blue) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($66.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($89.99 @ Amazon) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit)  ($86.89 @ OutletPC) 
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series SP120 Quiet Edition (2-Pack) 37.9 CFM 120mm  Fans  ($26.49 @ OutletPC) 
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Quiet Edition (2-Pack) 39.9 CFM 120mm  Fans  ($24.13 @ OutletPC) 
Case Fan: Corsair SP120 57.2 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($12.99 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: Corsair SP120 57.2 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($12.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1083.08
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-04 21:58 EST-0500

 

I changed the PSU among other things, because you chose an SFX power supply for an ATX case. I spent more on the GPU than the CPU, and that's all I changed. I kept the Z97 board because maybe in the future you'll upgrade to an unlocked i7. 

oh, I didn't even notice the psu not being ATX . Thanks!

[brob]

13 minutes ago, frznchibi said:

Hey LTT forums! I've been a huge fan of LTT for a while now but this is my first post with the community. I've been watching a lot of computer hardware videos as well as reading up some articles but I'm no expert. I've actually never built a PC for myself before, which leads me to this post. I've assembled what I think is a solid entry-level gaming build but would like some feedback as to whether or not this is something good for the price. Note, that I do like the aesthetics of a blue and black rig so that may have led to some of the decisions.

 

Tl;dr 

Pretty new to PC building, let me know if this build is good.

 

 

If you really need 16GB I would suggest a 2x8GB memory kit. Puts marginally less strain on the memory controller and leaves two slots free for a later upgrade, G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory. But I suspect 8GB would be quite sufficient, G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory.

 

SeaSonic G 550W would be a better choice of psu.

[Kobathor]

7 minutes ago, frznchibi said:

oh, I didn't even notice the psu not being ATX . Thanks!

That's okay, it's hard to notice by the already tiny picture on PCPP. Also, I'm going to recommend what @brobmentioned, for 16GB of RAM I'd do a 2x8 kit. It won't be cheaper by much, and it won't perform any less.