Help Finishing Gaming Build

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irv_usc

n00b
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Mar 18, 2014
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New poster, long time reader. Please go easy on me! Onto the questions:

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming, Photoshop, web browsing, DVD encoding
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
<$1000 for remaining parts, willing to go higher
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Orange County, CA (Near microcenter)
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
Case, RAM, power, optical, GPU, sound, cooling, storage
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
i7-4770k, Asus Sabretooth Z87
6) Will you be overclocking?
Yes, but not 100% required at this time.
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
24" 1080p, would like to upgrade in the next six months to dual
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Now
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
***
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
No, planning on buying Win8.1


CPU/Mobo were 'gifted' to me, so those are already in my possession. Also purchased Samsung 840 EVO 250GB for the main drive, but likely going for 2x1(or 2)TB in RAID for main storage. Might switch the case to a Fractal R4. Not sure if 660w psu is overkill or not.

Here's a parts selection I've worked on so far, please critique and recommend.

GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 770 GV-N770OC-2GD WindForce 3X 450W Video Card $339.99
Seasonic SS-660XP2 ATX 12V/EPS 12V, 660W, 80 PLUS PLATINUM Full Modular $149.99
CORSAIR Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 $169.99
ASUS Xonar DX Sound Card $89.99
LG Black 14X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 12X BD-ROM $67.99
Corsair Obsidian Series 550D Black Computer Case $139.99

Grand Total:$957.94
 
You could likely get away with 550 or 600w PSU for a single card, but that Seasonic is a beast, so you're definitely looking in the right direction.

2GB vram GPUs scare me. Especially since you're wanting to get another screen at some point, I would look at the 4GB 770s or an AMD card with 3 or 4 (used AMDs are dropping in price right now..)

Do you NEED a sound card? Most mobos have decent onboard if you arent an audiophile.

Do you have software for playing/burning blurays? That's something I overlooked while investigating getting a BR burner.

Overall, good selections, just spending probably a bit more than necessary.
 
Gaming machines should be as extravagant as your budget will allow, which lengthens out the upgrade cycle!
The Creative Sound-blaster Z-series are far superior compared to the Asus Xoner. Don't know if you need it or not but the Corsair 650D has a built-in external SATA drive port that I use on a regular basis (mine is set up in the bios to be hot-swappable) to make back-up copys of my music library (750GB). Its slightly more money but I think worth it (have built over 15 machines with the 650D and its just a joy to build in). ninjacore is right about the video card. Gigabyte's 4gb card is only $40 more. If you ever wanted to go SLI in the future, a larger PSU would be needed.
 
No, I don't have BR burning software, I figure the price difference between a reader and burner, I might as well get one now and worry about software later.

I am totally open to changing parts.

I also can reuse my (circa 2008) Soundblaster Fatality X-fi?

Forgot to include HDD in my list, but probably will be going WD Blue or Red.
 
Changed out some parts:

SeaSonic G Series 550-Watt SSR-550RM $86
Kingston HyperX Blu 16GB Kit (2x8 GB Modules) 1600MHz 240-pin DDR3 Non-ECC CL10 Desktop Memory KHX1600C10D3B1K2/16G $130
Gigabyte GTX 770 GDDR5-4GB 2xDVI/HDMI/DP OC WINDFORCE 3X Graphics Card GV-N770OC-4GD $380
LG Black 14X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 12X BD-ROM $67.99

Questions:
1. I used a couple of calculators and it seems like I should be good with a 550w supply?
2. Case is still in question. I'm trying to keep the build on the quieter side, so I might switch to a Fractal to save a bit of money and whatnot, but still open to suggestions.
3. May try onboard sound for awhile, is it noticeably lower quality vs a discrete sound card?
4. Need hard disk recommendations, see a lot of bad reviews out there so I'm kind of stuck. Looking for at least 2x1-2 tb I can put in a raid 1.
 
irv_usc said:
Changed out some parts:

SeaSonic G Series 550-Watt SSR-550RM $86
Kingston HyperX Blu 16GB Kit (2x8 GB Modules) 1600MHz 240-pin DDR3 Non-ECC CL10 Desktop Memory KHX1600C10D3B1K2/16G $130
Gigabyte GTX 770 GDDR5-4GB 2xDVI/HDMI/DP OC WINDFORCE 3X Graphics Card GV-N770OC-4GD $380
LG Black 14X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 12X BD-ROM $67.99

Questions:
1. I used a couple of calculators and it seems like I should be good with a 550w supply?
2. Case is still in question. I'm trying to keep the build on the quieter side, so I might switch to a Fractal to save a bit of money and whatnot, but still open to suggestions.
3. May try onboard sound for awhile, is it noticeably lower quality vs a discrete sound card?

4. Need hard disk recommendations, see a lot of bad reviews out there so I'm kind of stuck. Looking for at least 2x1-2 tb I can put in a raid 1.
Click to expand...
  1. I would recommend taking whatever the max output the calculator you used showed you and figure out 70% of what number that is equal to. Since you're going to be overclocking you're going to want to give yourself a decent amount of headroom. For example: if maximum load is estimated to be 400W I would get at least a 600W PSU.
  2. I'm a fan of the NZXT Phantom line of cases. It has good cable management options and I like the drive bay configuration. It is also on the lighter side due to a sensible mix of metal and plastic. Case fans are larger to move more CFMs at a lower RPM, so run quieter. The most important part is it looks sexy :cool:. The "mid-tower" is the 410, and it can be had for around $100 US (it's still on the large side...). Noise levels and temperatures.
  3. Yes. Even though great strides have been made in onboard sound over the years, the quality between a discrete audio card and an integrated solution are night and day. If the drivers are available I would suggest using your X-Fi card. The new Zx cards clip a lot less than the X-Fi chipset, but it still doesn't beat the quality of the original Audigy in my opinion.
  4. I've had the best luck with Western Digital for mechanical hard drives over the years. Currently running a single WD Black 1TB drive. WD also has a line specifically built for RAID applications, I believe, so it may be worth looking into those. If you're looking to save money I would stay away from their Green line of drives, though. Green is more about low energy usage and they have been shown to have horrible reliability.
 
You may want to have PSU above your power needs to have a cooler running machine.

And the Realtek ALC1150 on that motherboard is considered so good, you don't need a sound card. That's what I read anyway. I haven't built my system yet (with the Asrock Fatal1ty H87 Performance motherboard which has Realtek ALC1150, now getting freaked out at negative comments on Asrock lol).
 
There is no need to buy an additional sound card. You won't be able to use your old X-fi anyways because, like most Z87 boards, there are no PCI slots on the Sabertooth (officially legacy status starting this gen).

I've never built in the Phantom 410, but I don't recommend it because it lacks fan filters which, imo, is an instant deal breaker for a case no matter how amazing it is in all other departments.

The 660W Seasonic is a terrific choice and more than you need. However, given your budget, I'd tune it down to something in the $100 range like the Seasonic M12 650 or 650RM. Other options include the Corsair HX650 and XFX P1-650X, both of which use Seasonic as the OEM.

You may also want to change your RAM to low profile DIMMs for better compatibility with large CPU coolers. If you choose a dual fan air cooler, you will need a pretty tall one because the thermal armor over the VRMs on the Sabertooth is pretty tall and can collide with the pulling fan of a short air cooler.
 
Build complete. Thanks all for the advice. Going to try out on-board audio for a while and see how I like it.

Preowned parts:
CPU: i7-4770k
Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth Z87

Purchased:
Fractal Design Define R4 Blackout
Seasonic SS-660XP2
Crucial Ballistix Sport VLP 2x8gb
Gigabyte GTX770OC 2gb
Samsung 840 EVO 250 gb
WD Blue 1TB x2
Scythe Mugen 4

Fired right up on the first try. Now waiting for Windows to be delivered...
 
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