New Gaming Build

[Stevarian]

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming mainly, FPS (Far Cry 3, Arma 3, BF4), Tomb Raider, MMO's and strategy games
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$1500 for the parts I need. I already have a Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 Gaming, and a BenQ BL3200 monitor.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

USA, I live in the Dallas, Texas area. Microcenter and Frys are nearby.
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. CPU, Motherboard, RAM, SSD and HDD, PSU, optical drive, and CPU cooler
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
I am building this from scratch, no parts to reuse. I am using the GTX 970 now, but would swap that to the new system and put the old GTX 670 in old system.
6) Will you be overclocking?
Yes
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
2560 x 1440, it is the 32" BenQ BL3200
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
In the next couple weeks.
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.
I plan to try SLI. SATA 6Gb/s and USB 3.0, and UEFI
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
No, I would need to buy an OS. I have Windows 7 64 bit on my current machine, and it is great. I have read that Windows 8.1 is better now that there is a classic shell available, but the few times I have worked on Windows 8 machines, I did not care for it. so I don't know if I should just put Windows 7 64 on this new machine, or go ahead and go 8.1. advice appreciated.



My current build list:

CPU: Intel I5-4690k ($199.99 Microcenter)
MOBO: Asus ROG Maximus Formula VII Z97 ($289.99 after $40 Microcenter rebate)
(and yes, I figure this is overkill. I have always wanted to try a ROG motherboard, and this one sounds great)
RAM: Corsair Vengeance Pro DDR3 1600, though right now newegg has the 1866 version on sale for less than the 1600. I was also thinking of the G.Skil Ripjaws or Trident RAM. I like the looks of the Corsair Heatsink though.
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black 3 TB
SSD: Crucial MX100 512
PSU: EVGA Supernova 750G2
CASE: Phantek Enthoo Luxe Full Tower, though I started initially with the Corsair 780T, or the Obsidian 750D. I have big hands, and tend to be a bit clutzy, so having more space to work in.
Cooler: I am thinking about the trusty Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO, but also thought it might be time to try water cooling. I do not have any experience with it though.
Optical Drive: Probably something by Samsung, Asus, LG or Lite-on. Seems they are all fairly similar anymore.

I plan to sell my current system to my nephew, as his computer is a piece of junk. I thought this would be a good time to build a nice, quality system. I have been very impressed with the Sabertooth Z77 board as far as just the quality of the board, and its performance has been great. I think the onboard sound on the Formula VII makes it worth the extra money.

 

[Dangman]

Got a lot of things to cover:
- Do note that you're really not going to notice a major difference (no more than 5% at most, maaaybe 10% under rare circumstances) between your current setup and your planned setup. In fact, as it is now, it probably won't be until 2016 before Intel releases a new CPU that'll actually be worth upgrading from a 3570K. So in other words, you're really spending $1500 for a 5% performance increase.

- The only reason IMO to get the ROG series mobo is if you absolutely want to waste money. That's the only good reason for it. At that price point, that puts you into X79 or X99 motherboard pricing range. So if you're going to spend that much money on a motherboard, it might as well be for the higher-end enthusiast platforms. Even if you had a super high-end audio setup, the onboard audio on that ROG mobo still wouldn't justify the cost. So again, it's fine if you want to get that ROG motherboard. But don't lie to yourself by saying that "it's worth the money." It's not.

- If you're still set on doing this upgrade, I recommend upgrading the CPU to the Core i7 4770K or Core i7 4790K and downgrading the motherboard to one of the AsRock Falta1ty Z97 mobos or the Asus Z97-A.

- HSF wise, this is a bit counter-intuitive: If you're going to spend $300 on a motherboard, then why would you stick with some low-end-ish HSF like the Hyper 212+? You're already going overkill on the motherboard, so why not the HSF as well? If I was going to waste my money, might as well get a high-end HSF like the Coolermaster Seidon 240L.

If you do plan on making a more reasonable purchase and don't plan on doing super high overclocks, the Hyper 212 Evo is a solid budget HSF choice. If you want better bang for the buck cooling at the cost of increased noise, the Coolermaster Seidon 120V is a fantastic liquid AIO cooler for $50. Because it compromises on noise levels, the Seidon 120V can cool just as well as $80 to $90 HSF out there.

- DVD wise, get the cheapest DVD burner you can find. Doesn't really matter these days.

 

[Stevarian]

Thanks for the feedback. As I indicated at the bottom of my post, I am not keeping my current system, I plan to sell it to my nephew, so I need a new system. I haven't done a whole lot of research on HSF's yet, so thanks for the input there. I was thinking liquid cooling would be the way to go. You have given me quite a bit to think about as far as the motherboard choice....

 

[eviltone]

The hyper 212 evo is a fine heatsink to use, its great, and has pretty good performance. I'm using one now on an old (yet my main system) i7-930, OC'd to 4.03ghz. I have 2 fans on it now, and they're the ones from the Coolermaster Glacer Watercooler. They are Pretty high in static pressure and cfm. If you wanted to go with something a little "fancier" you could get he true Spirit 140 (amazon: http://amzn.com/B00IYEEOMO ) but if you have 2 decent fans on the EVO -- it works JUST fine!
Two of these fans would work wonders on the evo -- http://www.microcenter.com/product/322507/Blade_Master_120mm_PWM_Fan
you really don't have to use a AIO Watercooler setup. After a few bad experiences with them, i'm shying away from them these days.

Personally, I'd save a bit of money on the motherboard, get yourself one of the other Z97 boards. and then pump the savings into 1866 memory. The memory speeds DO make a difference.
I tend to lean towards the GSKILL memory, though I do have Vengeance sticks now in my main x58 rig.

Case wise -- I highly recommend the Corsair AIR 540. You CANT go wrong with this if you have the space for its crazy footprint. I'm using one now, and with it stocked full of fans, its one hell of an air mover. Its also great for BIG HANDED people! That's what I have---- big hands....
http://www.microcenter.com/product/...flow_White_LED_ATX_Cube_Computer_Case_-_Black

Spring for the largest SSD you can get from the bunches of available ones. Seems like you picked a good 512gb one, so that should work. I'm regretting my choice to raid 2x 256gb 840 Evos.. should have just gotten a 512.

Looking at the Microcenter site.... (which I love to go to nearby)
the motherboard I'd choose, to bundle with... http://www.microcenter.com/product/433880/Z97-Gaming_7_1150ATX_Intel_Motherboard
Pair it with this ram -- If you're gonna get it from MC http://www.microcenter.com/product/...9_Desktop_Memory_Kit_(Two_8GB_Memory_Modules)

Powersupply wise -- I'd try to get a SLIGHTLY larger PSU the 850g2. Granted the 750g2 would probably be just fine, however, the little extra headroom might be just nice to have! ... http://www.microcenter.com/product/...ular_ATX_12V_Power_Supply_ECO_Thermal_control

And I'm going to pimp my choice of thermal paste -- pick it up on Amazon or FrozenCPU or Performace-pcs .... Prolimatech PK-3 Nano Aluminium Thermal Compound 5g Link: http://amzn.com/B008M5157W

As for the OS -- Just make the jump to Win8.1 -- It works just fine now. Might take you a little bit to get used to the thing, but once you do, it really just plain works.

 

[Dangman]

The hyper 212 evo is a fine heatsink to use, its great, and has pretty good performance. I'm using one now on an old (yet my main system) i7-930, OC'd to 4.03ghz. I have 2 fans on it now, and they're the ones from the Coolermaster Glacer Watercooler. They are Pretty high in static pressure and cfm. If you wanted to go with something a little "fancier" you could get he true Spirit 140 (amazon: http://amzn.com/B00IYEEOMO ) but if you have 2 decent fans on the EVO -- it works JUST fine!
Two of these fans would work wonders on the evo -- http://www.microcenter.com/product/322507/Blade_Master_120mm_PWM_Fan
you really don't have to use a AIO Watercooler setup. After a few bad experiences with them, i'm shying away from them these days.

With the money spent on extra fans, you're better off just getting a better HSF. $15 for a Coolermaster fan? That's stupidly overpriced when you can get higher quality Scythe, Noctua, etc for not much more.

Personally, I'd save a bit of money on the motherboard, get yourself one of the other Z97 boards. and then pump the savings into 1866 memory. The memory speeds DO make a difference.

Legitimate proof of this? Every single time I've seen people make this claim, they only provide either anecdotal evidence, synthetic benchmarks, or extremely rare real world situations that even then only show a 1% to 2% difference.

the motherboard I'd choose, to bundle with... http://www.microcenter.com/product/433880/Z97-Gaming_7_1150ATX_Intel_Motherboard

Why should the OP get that motherboard? He hasn't stated anything where that particular motherboard would be a worthwhile choice.

As for the OS -- Just make the jump to Win8.1 -- It works just fine now. Might take you a little bit to get used to the thing, but once you do, it really just plain works.

This I agree with.

 

[rabidz7]

This build would be good even for 2160p. It should max out all things at 1440p, if you just want 60FPS.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($181.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming GT ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Team Elite Plus 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.95 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($362.92 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($362.92 @ Amazon)
Case: Apex PC-389-C ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($129.99 @ Micro Center)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Amazon)

Total: $1495.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-28 08:24 EDT-0400

 

[rhansen5_99]

Hey Stevarian if you are willing to spend 330$ on a motherboard, why are you not maxing it out with a 4790k for only 70$ more than the 4690k?

 

[Stevarian]

That is a good question, and one I have been pondering since yesterday, in addition to the motherboard choice. I guess it is because the general consensus is the I5 is a great "bang for your buck" CPU for gaming, and it seems to have a reputation for good overclocks. I am now considering the I7. And yes, I see the irony in saying the I5 is a great bang for the buck, when it is questionable if my motherboard choice represents a good value or not.

As to the choice of motherboard, what really turned me onto it was Kyle's review:

Even still, $329.01 with free shipping represents and excellent value if you are in the market for the best Z97 Express motherboard built today. Once you factor in the certainty that the Maximus VII Formula carries onboard an excellent sound solution, many of you may see the motherboard as "inexpensive."

The Bottom Line

The ASUS Maximus VII Formula is the apex of current Z97 motherboard design and execution. It currently also represents an incredible value. There really is little else to say besides, you would be foolish to at least not consider it for your next Devil’s Canyon build.

Not to mention it looks awesome, and it sounds like the build quality is excellent.

I am now looking into X99 motherboards, and the Z97 boards mentioned earlier.

 

[Dangman]

That is a good question, and one I have been pondering since yesterday, in addition to the motherboard choice. I guess it is because the general consensus is the I5 is a great "bang for your buck" CPU for gaming, and it seems to have a reputation for good overclocks. I am now considering the I7.

Just get the i7 if you want to burn some cash. In terms of gaming, it's not going to be really noticeable going to an i7 over an i5 with a few rare exceptions.

I see the irony in saying the I5 is a great bang for the buck, when it is questionable if my motherboard choice represents a good value or not.

As to the choice of motherboard, what really turned me onto it was Kyle's review:

Not to mention it looks awesome, and it sounds like the build quality is excellent.

Note this part "if you are in the market for the best Z97 Express motherboard built today". To me, that is basically along the lines of saying "if you're looking for the best bang for the buck super car, then this Ferrari, Lamborghini, etc is your best bet".

I am now looking into X99 motherboards, and the Z97 boards mentioned earlier.

For gaming, there's really no point in going X99 unless you're planning on going with a triple GPU setup.

 

[StangMan04]

If you want a ROG motherboard, maybe the ASUS Maximus VII Hero? Not as pricey as the formula. I chose the Hero based on the 8 phases, intel nic, 6 fan connections for my radiator fans. I didn't like the yellow and blue colored motherboard options. lt is supposed to arrive tomorrow, hopefully I like it. I got it for $165 after 10% off and using a gift card.

 

[Scatcats22]

Just a few things I saw...

• No need to buy a $200 motherboard when there are cheaper mobos for just as good.
• There is much cheaper memory that works just fine.
• The WD Blacks are highly priced. Another 3TB is just as good, especially with the SSD.
• While nice, the PSU is overkill for the computer at hand, and expensiver.

I have come up with this, and will save a lot of money. You could even throw in another GTX 980, but 1 for 1440p is enough.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.96 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($123.79 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Elite Plus 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($208.97 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair Graphite Series 230T Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Antec Neo Eco 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($90.26 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1048.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-29 19:37 EDT-0400