New Gaming Build

[HardMeatball]

Getting ready to build a new PC to replace my 6 year old machine. I've picked some parts using PC Hound and wanted to see what you guys think. I don't live near a Microcenter, but live near Fry's who advertise internet price matching. Anyone have experience with that?

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming, Video Editing (3-4 days a week)
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$1500 with tax and shipping
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Palo Alto, CA
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.
CPU, Motherboard, RAM, GPU, PSU, SSD, HDD, CPU Cooler, Case
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
None
6) Will you be overclocking?
Yes
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1920 x 1080 27"
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
This weekend or next week
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.
USB 3.0
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
No


- I'm over the $1500 mark before shipping so would prefer price matching at Fry's to avoid shipping costs. Should I replace the SSD with the Samsung 500GB 850 EVO?

- The price of Windows kept changing while I was building this. Should I just choose the cheapest 7/8.1 I can find since I'll be upgrading to 10 for free anyway?

PC Hound Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K ($255.46 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASUS Z97-A/USB 3.1 ($161.28 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) Ballistix Sport ($116.12 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 GTX 970 GAMING 4G ($366.9 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 650W TS Series P1-650G-TS3X ($64.94 @ Newegg)
Storage: SAMSUNG 512GB 850 Pro Series MZ-7KE512BW ($279.27 @ Amazon)
Storage #2: TOSHIBA 2TB DT01ACA200 ($76.85 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 500R CC-9011013-WW ($108.24 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 ($33.82 @ Amazon)
Windows: Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-bit ($108.24 @ Newegg)
Total: $1,571.12
Price may include shipping, rebates, promotions, and tax
Generated by PC Hound

 

[Armenius]

That motherboard is on the expensive side. Take a look at the MSi Z97S Krait Edition. It has similar features to the ASUS and is only $129.99 US at NewEgg right now. It's also sexier looking than the Z97-A, if I do say so myself .
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130801

As to your questions:
- I would avoid TLC solid state drives like the 850 EVO due to reliability and longevity issues. Samsung also doesn't have the best history when it comes to their TLC drives. MLC drives are the way to go if you don't want to spend out the rear for an SLC drive. If you want to save some money you can go with the 256GB version of the 850 Pro. I have the 512GB version, myself, so just to let you know I currently have W8.1 and 16 games installed on it with 100GB left. If you don't plan on having that many games installed to the SSD at one time then you can go with the 256GB version.

- Yes, it really doesn't matter when it comes to Windows. I would go with 8.1 due to better compatibility with solid state drives and less bloat under the hood for better game performance, and 8.1 is cheaper anyway since Microsoft isn't printing 7 anymore. Keep in mind, though, that if you want the Pro version of Windows 10 that you'll need the Pro version of 8.1. The only real differences between the two are some admin tools and the ability to set group policies. There are no differences between the maximum amount of RAM each version supports anymore, unlike W7.

 

[diizzy]

@ HardMeatBall

Looks great, if anything I'd consider the Fractal Design case instead. Great price and lowers overall sound quite a bit. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352020&ignorebbr=1
I'd highly recommend you to stay on the Pro SSD, if anything Micron M600 is an decent alternative but not that much cheaper and only 3y warranty.
http://www.nextwarehouse.com/item/?1618514_g10e

You can go with any Windows version, it won't matter.
Going all NewEgg on that build is going be cheaper than what's listed incl shipping.

@ Armenius

Realtek vs Intel NIC, no USB 3.1, don't see how it is any better apart from being a bit cheaper (for obvious reasons).

The only decent Z97 boards MSI have are the XPower/Mpower series but they're much more expensive, MSI Z97S SLI Plus, MSI Z97A SLI KRAIT Edition (this would be the direct counterpart to Asus Z97A-USB3.1) but it's slightly more expensive over at Newegg and has slighty worse CPU power circuitry than the Asus board.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...Z97A_SLI_Krait_Edition-_-13-130-862-_-Product
http://www.msi.com/product/motherboard/Z97A-SLI-Krait-Edition.html
//Danne

 

[HardMeatball]

Thanks guys. Would the build be fine with recording 1080p 60fps gameplay using a program like OBS or Dxtory?

 

[diizzy]

Dxtory should probably work fine, OBS is going to be more taxing (doubt it captures DirectX and/or OpenGL at all). The native "DirectX"-format in Dxtory is probably the best choice and later converting it to something more usable (H.264) it. Keep in mind that I haven't used neither of these myself so I'm just guessing here, I do have experience with x264 and that is not an option on the same machine at least.
//Danne

 

[sanders4617]

I think you could find a much better price on the GTX 970. Or even go with a R9 290X. Either way, you should be able to cut down some of the costs on the GPU. And be sure to watch for RAM deals. Saw one this past weekend for 16gb for like $90. Not sure how dependable that ram is, but something to look for.