New Build

[Krys]

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming, some video/photo editing, movies, music, I'll have a T.V. hooked up and sometimes use it as a HTPC (I mainly use Kodi)
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Around $3000 CAD everything included. $2500 CAD would be ideal but I'd probably have to change the G-Sync monitor that I have on my list.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Canada
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.
What is on my list is what I need. CPU, CPU cooler, motherboard, memory, SSD, HDD, Blur-ray burner, video card, monitor, power supply, case.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Some peripherals like keyboard/mouse will be reused.
6) Will you be overclocking?
Not initially but may eventually overclock the CPU.
7) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
As soon as I get some feedback.
8) 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.
Nothing special. USB 3.0, SATA 6Gb/s. I may want to SLI in the future so that would be nice to have. I'm not sure about USB 3.1, could be useful for external hard drives although I rarely use them.
9) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, Windows 7 64bit.

Prices are in Canadian dollars.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($473.95 @ shopRBC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($38.95 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: MSI X99A SLI PLUS ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($299.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($210.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($199.00 @ Canada Computers)
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar NAS 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($189.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SSC ACX 2.0 Video Card ($399.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($139.75 @ Vuugo)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($132.33 @ DirectCanada)
Optical Drive: LG WH16NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($74.99 @ Canada Computers)
Monitor: BenQ XL2420G 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($599.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Total: $2759.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-27 11:17 EDT-0400

I'm not 100% sure about the motherboard and monitor.

USB 3.1 could be useful but I probably wouldn't use it that much and there are barely any devices that use it right now. The non USB 3.1 version of this motherboard, the MSI X99S SLI PLUS does cost a bit less, $240 after a $20 mail in rebate at NCIX although the reviews on Newegg could be better.

The monitor is pretty expensive since it has G-Sync. Would be a nice thing to have but I'm not sure if it's worth it.

Suggestions?

 

[Dangman]

Wait, just how much of your time spent on the PC is spent on photo/video editing are you doing? I ask because based on your answers to the questions, I'm not seeing a reason for you to go with the X99 platform. Again, based on your answers, it seems like you should be fine with the Core i7 4790K and Z97 motherboards.

 

[tiraides]

Which programs are you using for photo editing and video editing?

What are you using the Blu-ray drive for? Do you already have software that can play Blu-ray movies? (If so, what?)

 

[Deleted member 126051]

Also, if you have a few bucks to spare. Maybe step up to an AIO water cooler instead.

 

[diizzy]

I agree with Dangman, and by doing so...

CPU: Intel i7 I7-4790 / Intel i7 I7-4790K
The non K isn't that overclock friendly but if you aren't going to overclock I cannot really justify the difference in price

http://www.ncix.com/detail/intel-core-i7-i7-4790-haswell-c9-96200-1115.htm
(non K) - 370 CAD
http://www.ncix.com/detail/intel-core-i7-4790k-4-0ghz-fclga1150-8c-108716.htm
(K-version) - 460 (?!) CAD

Cooler: Zalman CNPS11X
The stock cooler will actually do fine but the Coolermaster isn't bad, for some reason NCIX doesn't carry it so this model from Zalman will do fine as a replacement.
http://www.ncix.com/detail/zalman-cnps11x-performa-purecopper-alu-12cm-26-67642.htm
45 CAD

Motherboard: ASUS Z97-A USB 3.1
Very nice motherboard, good components (Intel LAN) and also supports USB 3.1 Will also do fine if you want to overclock and will match both CPUs great.
http://www.ncix.com/detail/asus-z97-a-atx-lga1150-ddr3-4a-106690-1115.htm
186 CAD

Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB 2X8GB PC3-12800
http://www.ncix.com/detail/crucial-ballistix-sport-16gb-2x8gb-3f-68899.htm
Solid RAM, good compatibility and doesn't need extra clearance if you install a larger CPU cooler.
152 CAD

SSD: Micron M600 512Gb M.2
http://www.amazon.ca/Crucial-MTFDDA...TF8&qid=1432801700&sr=1-1&keywords=micron+512
I'd highly recommend you to avoid the EVO series but it's up to you, the Micron M600 is a good SSD and doesn't cost too much.
314 CAD

HDD: Toshiba DT01ACA300
http://www.ncix.com/detail/toshiba-dt01aca300-3tb-sata3-7200rpm-46-77086-1115.htm
Great value and good drives, you can almost by two of these at the same for one HGST 4TB.
118 CAD

Video card: ASUS GeForce GTX 970 Strix OC
http://www.ncix.com/detail/asus-geforce-gtx-970-strix-0b-102345-1115.htm
While I don't think EVGA makes bad video cards the design looks very loud to me, not sure if that's an issue for you otherwise the Asus card is a nice silent one.
430 CAD

Case: Fractal Design Define R4
http://www.ncix.com/detail/fractal-design-define-r4-atx-42-75044-1115.htm
Fractal Design's R-series are really good cases, silent and great layout. I'd prefer R4 over R5 since it seems like a more solid build but they cost about the same.
120 CAD

PSU: XFX XTR 750W Gold Single Rail Full Modular
A Seasonic S12G rebrand, good PSU and no surprises really.
http://www.ncix.com/detail/xfx-xtr-750w-gold-single-ac-78946-1751.htm
137 CAD

Optical Drive: As long as you go with BDXL support you'll be fine, if you even need an ODD at all...

Monitor: Dell 25" U2515H
http://accessories.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=ca&l=en&s=dhs&cs=cadhs1&sku=480-ACRZ
Would highly advice you to reconsider this and go for a solid IPS panel instead, you'll most likely enjoy one more in the end despite having slighly higher respons time. You'll also appreciate it more when doing video and photo editing.
500 CAD

That leaves you at ~1710 CAD at NCIX with one 3TB HDD and the NON-K CPU
Add the SSD from Amazon and the monitor from Dell and you end up at pretty much 2500 CAD as wanted and you get a much better build IMHO (about 2600 with an ODD).

//Danne

 

[Deleted member 126051]

I agree with Dangman, and by doing so...

CPU: Intel i7 I7-4790 / Intel i7 I7-4790K
The non K isn't that overclock friendly but if you aren't going to overclock I cannot really justify the difference in price

I disagree.

Remember, the K variant starts off at a higher clock speed than the non-K. A bit of smart shopping can bring the price differential down to about $30. That's basically a trip to the movies for two. The added base clock speed also contributes a bit to system longevity.

http://www.amazon.ca/Intel-i7-4790K-Processor-Cache-FC-LGA12C/dp/B00KPRWAX8/

vs

http://www.amazon.ca/Intel-BX80646I74790-Core-I7-4790-Processor-BX80646I74790/dp/B00J56YSLM/

 

[diizzy]

Don't forget extra shipping costs too
//Danne

 

[Deleted member 126051]

Actually, the Amazon prices are weird.

$6 for shipping for the K.
$12 for shipping for the non-K.

So it actually narrows the price gap even further.

 

[Krys]

Wait, just how much of your time spent on the PC is spent on photo/video editing are you doing? I ask because based on your answers to the questions, I'm not seeing a reason for you to go with the X99 platform. Again, based on your answers, it seems like you should be fine with the Core i7 4790K and Z97 motherboards.

Not that much. I'm mainly considering X99 for a bit of future proofing. I think things like games will make better use of more cores in the future.

Which programs are you using for photo editing and video editing?

What are you using the Blu-ray drive for? Do you already have software that can play Blu-ray movies? (If so, what?)

I mainly use Sony Vegas Movie Studio and Photoshop. I may mess around with Adobe Premiere in the future.

The Blu-ray drive isn't for anything specific. I just want an optical drive to be able to run/burn DVDs or Blu-rays if I ever need to. I realize I'll need software to play retail Blu-ray discs but I'm not going to include that in this post.

SSD: Micron M600 512Gb M.2
http://www.amazon.ca/Crucial-MTFDDA...TF8&qid=1432801700&sr=1-1&keywords=micron+512
I'd highly recommend you to avoid the EVO series but it's up to you, the Micron M600 is a good SSD and doesn't cost too much.
314 CAD

The 850 EVO seems to have lots of good reviews although the 840 EVO did have issues and Samsung did mess up with firmware upgrades. I'm also looking into SanDisk drives.

Monitor: Dell 25" U2515H
http://accessories.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=ca&l=en&s=dhs&cs=cadhs1&sku=480-ACRZ
Would highly advice you to reconsider this and go for a solid IPS panel instead, you'll most likely enjoy one more in the end despite having slighly higher respons time. You'll also appreciate it more when doing video and photo editing.
500 CAD

I'd prefer a higher refresh rate. IPS would be nice but an IPS at 1440p and a high refresh rate is going to cost a lot. Acer XB270HU is around $950 CAD at several stores.

The performance of the GTX 970 at 1440p is okay but could be better in some games. It's also going to require an upgrade (or SLI) much quicker to continue to get good performance at 1440p as new games come out.



Thanks to everyone for all the feedback.

 

[diizzy]

@ krys

Sandisk barely updates their SSDs at all (which I think is very poor aftermarket support), Crucial (Micron) have a known good and solid track record but it's up to you. You have a review of the smaller 256Gb drive here btw
http://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/zardon/micron-m600-256gb-ssd-review/
The Samsung 850 Pro is better but much more expensive so I'd think it's a good option between the Evo and Pro. You also get non Toggle NAND on this one (MLC) which you get on the EVO.

As for the screen your claim doesn't make any sense, feel free to mention any recent game (I'm not talking about Shovel Knight) that runs at 144Hz. That said, I don't really know how 144Hz would help as you have afterglow etc and overall respons time of LCD panels makes 144Hz kinda useless. Oh well, it's you who is going to spend time at it. Color representation isn't usually great on TN panels as I've mentioned earlier if that might bother you.

Other than that, I don't think you get any better value out of the money.

As for the CPU, you better off with 4 cores and higher clock than 6 and lower in games. Compression etc would be better on the 6-core but not my much usually.
//Danne

 

[Dangman]

Not that much. I'm mainly considering X99 for a bit of future proofing. I think things like games will make better use of more cores in the future.

There is that possibility but as even with dizzy's slightly overpriced build has shown, the extra two cores comes with a decent sized price increase. That extra cash could be used towards a newer future CPU, mobo, and RAM upgrade.

dizzy's build is a solid start. But I recommend the following changes:
- Keep your current choice of SSD. While yes Samsung has had issues in the past, they're not that bad to the point where they should be discounted. In addition, yes M.2 is faster but not fast enough IMO to warrant an additional $114 CAD.

- Keep your current choice of HSF. The Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo outcools the CNPS11X Performa while being cheaper according to Frostytech (just search for "Hyper 212 Evo" and "CNPS11X Performa" to see the rank comparison:
http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2785&page=5

Also, the Hyper 212 Evo does show up at NCIX.com and in stock too:
http://www.ncix.com/detail/cooler-master-hyper-212-evo-6a-64385.htm?affiliateid=7474144

- I'm not sure why NCIX has two different links for the 4790K (dizzy's link is different) but you can find the 4790K for $410 CAD from this NCIX link:
http://www.ncix.com/detail/intel-core-i7-4790k-unlocked-d5-97888-1115.htm?affiliateid=7474144

It's $40 CAD more than the regular Core i7 4790. Unlike the 5820K route, there's a stronger case for getting the 4790K over the 4790 for limited future proofing goals. That $40 CAD gets you a 400Mhz clock speed increase which translate to roughly a 10% performance increase over the regular 4790 and the option to overclock down the line when you want to eek out a few more months out of your PC. Up to you if that $40 CAD is worth it.

Besides that, diizzy's build is a solid start. Although I prefer the R5 over the R4 if the prices are close since the R5 does have a few more useful features and/or fixes over the R4. But if the R4 is significantly cheaper, than R4 it is.

 

[diizzy]

@ Dangman

It's a trade-off, go with the EVO that has lower "grade" of memory, is slower and cross your fingers that it doesn't have the same issues as other Toggle NAND/previous EVO units or go for something that's proven. Since he/she does seem to want stuff for longevity I went with Micron instead since the 850 Pro is insanely expensive at 512Gb and I figured it would be worth it in the end.

As for R4 vs R5, the only "major" difference is how you remove the dust filter at the bottom (unless I missed something). The R5 is noticeably lighter which is bad thing, not sure if I like the idea with plates on the top on the R5 series.

@Krys

Oh, if the 212 Evo is available at NCIX go for that one instead, couldn't find it at all (wasn't in the lists) hence why I went for the Zalman.

Same goes for the CPU, no idea why I didn't find the "other" 4790K.
//Danne

 

[Dangman]

@ Dangman

It's a trade-off, go with the EVO that has lower "grade" of memory, is slower and cross your fingers that it doesn't have the same issues as other Toggle NAND/previous EVO units or go for something that's proven. Since he/she does seem to want stuff for longevity I went with Micron instead since the 850 Pro is insanely expensive at 512Gb and I figured it would be worth it in the end.

The performance difference is more than likely not even noticeable. While yes there are issues but there are workarounds that ensures that they still run. With that said, for the extra $140 CAD, the OP could just use that to buy another SSD if the 850 Evo fails.

As for R4 vs R5, the only "major" difference is how you remove the dust filter at the bottom (unless I missed something). The R5 is noticeably lighter which is bad thing, not sure if I like the idea with plates on the top on the R5 series.

There's a few more differences:
- The stock fans on the R5 are quieter yet provides virtually the same level of cooling
- The R5 has two SSD mounts behind the motherboard tray which means that more of the 8 drive bays can be dedicated to actual hard drives
- All of the R5's drive cages are removeable in case one wants to do a water cooling setup or want to use those really long Gigabyte cards.

 

[diizzy]

The amount of removable drive cases are the same except for the ones at the top that are mount using (pop) rivets as far as I can tell?

As for the noise, I imagine that the extra weight would be the noise dampening material and metal (sturdier) so the noise should be the same or even lower in the end.
//Danne