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New Gaming PC for 2015

L

Linkz

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 30, 2008
Messages
362
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

Gaming

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?

$2000 out the door

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

USA, Orlando, Florida

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, PSU, Motherboard, RAM, Heatsink, Processor, video card

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

Hard Drives
Samsung pro 840
2x 2TB WD

6) Will you be overclocking?

No

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?

1080x1920

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?

Before end of June 2015

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, Sata 6

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?

Win 8 64 bit
 
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since you jacked up your answers with that blue font, I got nothing as it is a PITA to read
 
I couldn't read it either:

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

Gaming

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?

$2000 out the door

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

USA, Orlando, Florida

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, PSU, Motherboard, RAM, Heatsink, Processor, video card

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

Hard Drives

Samsung pro 840
2x 2TB WD

6) Will you be overclocking?

No

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?

1080x1920

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?

Before end of June 2015

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, Sata 6

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?

Win 8 64 bit
 
Sorry.. I found it easier to separate from the white text of the questions. The white bold dcmix5 use seems to be a better solution.
 
I tired this on PC Hound, anything I should tweak?

PC Hound Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K ($338.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASUS Z97-A ($141.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: CORSAIR 16GB (2 x 8GB) Vengeance Pro ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 04G-P4-2974-KR ($334.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: CORSAIR 750W CX series CX750 ($61.99 @ Newegg)
Case: COOLER MASTER HAF series RC-912-KKN1 ($69.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: CORSAIR Hydro Series H100i CW-9060009-WW ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1,167.91
Price may include shipping, rebates, promotions, and tax
Generated by PC Hound
 
Take an i5 and ditch the watercooling and you can get a 980, will give MUCH better gaming performance than the watercooling and the i7.
 
Since you've got a discrete GPU selected, why not go with a Xeon E3-1241v3? About the same Passmark score as the 4790 but for about $30 less.
 
Replace the RAM with Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) 1600Mhz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148545
You're not going to overclock anyways...

Replace the PSU with this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371072&Tpk=N82E16817371072
Seasonic OEM, great value and even better if you use the rebate

Might want to consider Fractal Design R4 or R5 cases instead and drop the water cooling...

You're better off as Henri108 mentioned getting an i5 CPU instead and a 980 video card (I'd say Asus but its up to you).
//Danne
 
Linkz said:
I tired this on PC Hound, anything I should tweak?

PC Hound Part List
Click to expand...
Looking at your updated list, ditch that Coolermaster HAF 922 case. It's not worth the money at all since its quality is a tad lacking and it's rather cramped. I would recommend any of these other cases over the HAF 922:
$72 - Corsair Graphite Series 230T Black ATX Case
$70 - Corsair Graphite Series 230T Black w/ Window ATX Case
$86 - Antec 1100 V2 ATX Case
$90 - NZXT Source 530 Full Tower Case
$100 - Thermaltake Core V5 Black ATX Case
$106 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black Full Tower ATX Case
$110 - Corsair Carbide Series 500R ATX Case
$120 - Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Gunmetal Black ATX Case
$120 - Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Arctic White ATX Case
$120 - Corsair Obsidian Series 450D ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Full Tower ATX Case
$126 - NZXT Phantom 530 Black Full Tower ATX Case
$135 - Corsair Obsidian Series 750D ATX Case
$140 - Corsair Graphite Series 730T ATX Case
$150 - NZXT Phantom 630 White Windowed Full Tower ATX Case
$150 - Phanteks Enthoo Luxe Full Tower Case
$158 - NZXT Phantom 630 Gunmetal Full Tower Case
$163 - Thermaltake Urban T81 Full Tower ATX Case
$160 - Corsair Graphite Series 760T Black Full Tower Case
$170 - Corsair Graphite Series 760T White Full Tower Case
197 - Corsair Graphite Black ATX Full Tower 780T
208 - Corsair Graphite White ATX Full Tower 780T
$240 - Silverstone FT02B-USB3.0 ATX Case

In addition, since you're not overclocking, I'm not seeing a good reason for you to get the H100i. Stick with the Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo and you'll be set cooling wise:
$34 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo HSF

That G.Skill RAM is good but I'd personally go with the Crucial Ballistix RAM that diizy linked to since they don't have tall heatsinks that could interfere with many some air-cooling HSF out there.

Finally, ditch that extra fans. More than likely you won't need them. You generally see rapidly diminishing returns after four fans. Three fans is fine.
 
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diizzy said:
You can also replace the motherboard with Asus H97M-PLUS is it will do perfectly fine compared to the Z97-A and is ~40 bucks cheaper.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132119

I have no idea why you wouldn't go for the Fractal series at around 90-100-ish, please enlighten me.
//Danne
Click to expand...

I keep those cases in a separate list for people who specifically mention wanting their systems to be quiet. Since the OP didn't mention wanting low noise levels, not going to bother recommending a low noise oriented case. Here's my list for reference:
Case (Low Noise Oriented):

$90 - Antec P280 ATX Case
$109 - Fractal Design Define R4 Black ATX Case
$124 - Fractal Design Define R5 Black ATX Case
$120 - NZXT H440 White/Black ATX Case
$127 - NZXT H440 Red/Matte Black ATX Case
$140 - Corsair Obsidian Series 550D ATX Case

Because those cases are low-noise oriented, their cooling isn't as good as a regular case. From my experience here on the forums, people are looking at cooling first then noise levels. I've used and like the Fractal Design R4 cases but I generally won't recommend them off the bat unless that person wants low noise over cooling. Not to mention that the above listed low noise oriented cases are really meant for those who are super sensitive to noise levels. For the vast majority of average users, the cases in my earlier post are quiet enough yet provide better cooling than the low noise oriented cases. Especially considering that many modern cases these days include a primitive/simple fan controller too.
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
..and here was I thinking that you'd want as silent operation as possible in general ;-)
//Danne
 
Unless he's also keeping a pet inside the case the Fractals are actually more than fine even with noise dampening material.
//Danne
 
diizzy said:
Unless he's also keeping a pet inside the case the Fractals are actually more than fine even with noise dampening material.
//Danne
Click to expand...
Unless he's super sensitive to noise, the other cases I recommended above are actually more than fine even without noise dampening material.
 
PC Hound Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K ($339.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASUS Z97-A ($149.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) Ballistix Sport ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 04G-P4-2974-KR ($334.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 220-G2-0750-XR ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 500R ($79.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: CORSAIR Hydro Series H100i CW-9060009-WW ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1,204.92
Price may include shipping, rebates, promotions, and tax
Generated by PC Hound

I took suggestions from all over and this is what I came up with. Didn't switch PSU since brand preference and kept motherboard since I might upgrade RAM later on with higher clocks. Also keeping watercooled to maybe future proof.

The part where I'm torn is the I7 drop to I5 and getting a 980. Can a 300ish jump in price be justified in the GPU. Since the I7-I5 drop is only saving about 100.
 
I would not recommend spending the extra cash on a GTX 980 for gaming at 1080p. The GTX 970 is overkill for 1080p today, and should give you several solid years of service. Enjoy :D

I also wouldn't recommend a water cooler if you're not overclocking, but hey if you want to drop $90 on a toy like the H100i that's your call. If you're not noise sensitive, the stock cooler included with your Core i7 4790k will handle cooling duties well enough.
 
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Unless you're in a panic, the amd 3xx are very close to release, and if the rumors are even close to accurate, it could mean a 200 price drop on the gtx 280 to match. No guarantees, but maybe worth the wait.
 
Linkz said:
PC Hound Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K ($339.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASUS Z97-A ($149.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) Ballistix Sport ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 04G-P4-2974-KR ($334.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 220-G2-0750-XR ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 500R ($79.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: CORSAIR Hydro Series H100i CW-9060009-WW ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1,204.92
Price may include shipping, rebates, promotions, and tax
Generated by PC Hound

I took suggestions from all over and this is what I came up with. Didn't switch PSU since brand preference and kept motherboard since I might upgrade RAM later on with higher clocks. Also keeping watercooled to maybe future proof.

The part where I'm torn is the I7 drop to I5 and getting a 980. Can a 300ish jump in price be justified in the GPU. Since the I7-I5 drop is only saving about 100.
Click to expand...

Definitely go with diizzy's PSU recommendation. It is indeed a solid PSU deal. But I would stick with eVGA since their customer support is a bit more reliable than Asus.

As for the rest of the setup: Faster RAM doesn't really provide any real noticeable difference in the majority of real world apps and games with Intel setups. So keeping a mobo just for support for faster RAM is just a bad reason.

As for the CLC, what exactly do you mean by future proof? Are you actually going to overclock? Spending an extra $70 over the Coolermaster Hyper 212+ for a possible "maybe" overclock is a bit foolhardy. There are two good reasons to get that H100i:
1) You're going to overclock
2) Your home has limited to no air-conditioning and your area is a particular hot place.

As for the CPU, I'd keep the 4790K IF you plan on playing really high-end AAA games in the future. i.e like Star Citizen. That game is apparently heavily multithreaded so the extra 500Mhz clock speed and the HT feature is worth the extra $140. It's a $140 difference since your Core i5 CPU choice should be the Core i5 4590 CPU since you're not overclocking. It should not be the $240 Core i5 4690K unless you actually plan on overclocking. If your planned game play list mainly involve Blizzard, Bethesda, or COD games, then the 4790K isn't justified.
 
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