~$1500 gaming build help

A

ann0yanc3

Gawd
Joined
Nov 27, 2004
Messages
515
I'm not into the hardware scene as much as I used to be, so a few extra opinions would be very helpful.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming, mostly BF4 to start.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
~$1500. Hopefully. I have Prime, so that should help.

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
California, bay area.

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget?
CPU + fan/heatsink, RAM, SSD, PSU, video card

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing?
Lian Li mATX/ATX case, Dell monitor 1080p. Keyboard. Mouse. Headset.

6) Will you be overclocking?
Yes!

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor?
23" 1080p.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within the next week or so.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard?
mATX form factor

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?
No.

Here's what I've come up with so far...

MOBO: ASUS Maximus VI GENE DDR3 1600 Intel Z87 LGA 1150 Motherboard - $203.99
CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K - $199.99 (Microcenter)
RAM: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB 2x8GB DDR3 2400MHz - $214.72
PSU: Seasonic 650W SSR-650RM - $99.99
GPU: XFX RADEON R9 290 - $399.99
SSD: Samsung 840 Pro Series MZ-7PD256BW - $222.53
HSF: Corsair H100i - $99.99
OS: Windows 8.1 Pro OEM - $99.99

Total so far: $1541.19

Still wondering about thermal compound, especially since I'm going with the H100i.


Thanks!
 
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A few problems with your build:
1) Microcenter does not ship that particular CPU as it's a in-store only deal. There's no MC near the Bay area. So you'll have to buy that CPU online.

2) You have not mentioned any plans for SLI or CFX. As such, that PSU is pretty overkill for any single GPU setup. You'll be fine with this PSU:
$100 - Seasonic G Series SSR-650RM 650W Modular PSU

3) Considering that you have a mATX case which means not that much space, you shouldn't be going with RAM with such tall heatsinks as that'll interfere with many air-cooling HSF. So I recommend this RAM instead:
$140 - Crucial BLS2CP8G3D1609DS1S00 Ballistix Sport 2 x 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM

4) We can't recommend a HSF if we don't know what case you have. So which Lian Li mATX case do you have?

AS5 is still ok as long you stored it properly. Otherwise, the thermal paste that comes with most 3rd party HSF are just as good as AS5.

Nothing worth waiting for. Now is a good time as any to build a new PC.
 
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Lian Li A05NB. lots of rooms for full HSF and ram.

i was def. wondering about the PSU. thanks!
 
illdklli said:
Lian Li A05NB. lots of rooms for full HSF and ram.

i was def. wondering about the PSU. thanks!
Click to expand...

With a case like that, you could even go with something like a Corsair H75 or H80 for some good CPU cooling, if you're interested in that.

Otherwise, like Dangman was saying, the 850W PSU you were looking at would really be overkill for a single GPU setup.
 
Actually, the A05NB appears to be an ATX case, not micro ATX.

That's a good thing as you can use ATX motherboards. Replace the Asus Maximum VI GENE with:

$163 - MSI Z87-GD65 GAMING (includes $15 discount promo code EMCWWWV232, ends 11/18)

I second Moneyless' recommendation on the Corsair H80i for the CPU cooler.
 
Interesting. I thought it was an mATX only. I remember my last build being such a tight fit. I'll have to look into that. What's the advantage of going with an ATX Z87 mobo? More features?
 
illdklli said:
Interesting. I thought it was an mATX only. I remember my last build being such a tight fit. I'll have to look into that. What's the advantage of going with an ATX Z87 mobo? More features?
Click to expand...

Better bang for the buck value due to lower costs yet equal if not better quality.
 
Dangman said:
Better bang for the buck value due to lower costs yet equal if not better quality.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure that I'm going with the Corsair H100i water cooler, so I'll have to see how much room I have in the case if I decide to go full ATX. I modded the case previously so that 2x120mm fans were mounted on top, so rad + fans should fit fine.

I think I'm gonna stick with the 850W PSU in case I decide to get another GPU later on.

Another question: Should I be getting 4 sticks of RAM, or 2?
 
illdklli said:
I think I'm gonna stick with the 850W PSU in case I decide to get another GPU later on.
Click to expand...
Well, are you ok with being so far over budget now? ALso, how soon will you be getting that second GPU? I've seen hundreds of people who spent extra money for SLI/CFX yet never actually use it. In other words, they wasted their money.

illdklli said:
Another question: Should I be getting 4 sticks of RAM, or 2?
Click to expand...
Two sticks for a total of 16GB of RAM or 4 sticks for a total 32GB of RAM. For gaming, you'll be fine with 16GB of RAM.
 
Dangman said:
Well, are you ok with being so far over budget now? ALso, how soon will you be getting that second GPU? I've seen hundreds of people who spent extra money for SLI/CFX yet never actually use it. In other words, they wasted their money.
Click to expand...

hmmm, couldnt say. 650W just seems so low to me. certainly dont want to have a lack of power. i dunno.

also, my buddy is gonna snag a 4770k at MC for me.

as for the budget, its a work in progress. i may go with a lesser mATX board. still looking around. i dont think i'll have enough room for a full ATX and H100i.
 
illdklli said:
hmmm, couldnt say. 650W just seems so low to me. certainly dont want to have a lack of power. i dunno.
Click to expand...
Look here:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2013/11/04/amd_radeon_r9_290_video_card_review/8

Even with a fully overclocked Core i7 3770K, the system plus the R9 290 drew at most 440W. So 650W is plenty of power unless you plan on going dual GPU. If you are serious about CFX, then you should be definitely looking at an ATX motherboard due to more optimal spacing for GPU cooling. Not to mention a different case altogether since that case lacks a side fan, something that's really needed a pair of hot-running R9 290 cards.

So yeah, do you honestly think you'll CFX will be worth changing your case and spending the extra money on a larger PSU?
 
Do you have pci slots your mATX board doesn't reach? Then its a full atx board. The H100i won't fit because you need a double fan outlet for that. Also, I personally would recommend a different GPU brand.

Sapphire: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202043
Gigabyte: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125479

If you want to stick with the XFX at least get it on New Egg as they are giving away BF4 with it:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150683
 
Dangman said:
Look here:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2013/11/04/amd_radeon_r9_290_video_card_review/8

Even with a fully overclocked Core i7 3770K, the system plus the R9 290 drew at most 440W. So 650W is plenty of power unless you plan on going dual GPU. If you are serious about CFX, then you should be definitely looking at an ATX motherboard due to more optimal spacing for GPU cooling. Not to mention a different case altogether since that case lacks a side fan, something that's really needed a pair of hot-running R9 290 cards.

So yeah, do you honestly think you'll CFX will be worth changing your case and spending the extra money on a larger PSU?
Click to expand...

Ok, I've updated the build with the Seasonic 660W Platinum PSU. Thanks for the tip!
 
atom said:
Do you have pci slots your mATX board doesn't reach? Then its a full atx board. The H100i won't fit because you need a double fan outlet for that. Also, I personally would recommend a different GPU brand.

Sapphire: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202043
Gigabyte: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125479

If you want to stick with the XFX at least get it on New Egg as they are giving away BF4 with it:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150683
Click to expand...

The A05NB supports a full ATX board, as can be seen here: http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/pc-a05/

I modded my case and put a 2x120mm hole in the top of it, so it should fit the H100i.

As for the GPU, I think I'm going to wait for the next revisions of the R9 with better cooling options before I make a decision. I'll def. opt for the card that comes with BF4.
 
illdklli said:
Ok, I've updated the build with the Seasonic 660W Platinum PSU. Thanks for the tip!
Click to expand...

Unless electricity is very very expensive in your area AND you plan on keeping the PC on 24/7, I don't see the Seasonic 660W Platinum being a good buy over the Seasonic SSR-650RM 650W PSU I recommended earlier.
 
Dangman said:
Unless electricity is very very expensive in your area AND you plan on keeping the PC on 24/7, I don't see the Seasonic 660W Platinum being a good buy over the Seasonic SSR-650RM 650W PSU I recommended earlier.
Click to expand...

Cool. I've updated the build with that PSU, and I also upgraded the RAM to DDR3-2400.

Here's a pic of the modded case. Should be able to fit the H100i in there. May have to adjust the opening a bit.

MpkaFAb.jpg
 
Ditch the DDR3 2400 RAM. It has very little to no benefits for games.

I'm still not sure the H100i will fit inside your case even with the mod. It's going to make for some very awkward routing of the tubing.
 
Dangman said:
Ditch the DDR3 2400 RAM. It has very little to no benefits for games.

I'm still not sure the H100i will fit inside your case even with the mod. It's going to make for some very awkward routing of the tubing.
Click to expand...

After doing a bit of research, looks like you're right. The H100i will most likely not work in my current case w/o some serious mods. So, I'm looking at the Lian Li PC-V358. It's not generally available yet, but looks like it would be perfect!

http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/pc-v358/
 
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