New Haswell build

[DarkT]

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming & web browsing. Occasionally working from home, but nothing really CPU intensive
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$1500, but less if I can do it. I don't upgrade often, so I want to spend the $ and be done with it for a few years.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
US - Southern NY
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, CPU cooler, motherboard, RAM, video card, case, PSU, mouse, possibly monitor(s)
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
SSD, possibly case and monitor(s)
6) Will you be overclocking?
CPU: probably not, GPU: most likely
7) 7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
Current monitors are 1680x1050 23"
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Soon, next week or two
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.
Nothing specific
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Win 7 Pro x64


Current system is really old (from 2007), so everything will be a significant upgrade other than the SSD (Samsung 840 Pro Series 256 GB). I currently have an Eyefinity setup and would like to keep the 3 monitors. I do not know much about the new video cards, but I currently only have 1 video card for all 3 monitors. I'm interested in upgrading the monitors soon, but don't need to right away. I normally only game on 1 of them due to the old setup and most likely would still only game on 1 monitor with the other two for other applications.

Being in Southern NY I do have access to Microcenter which is about 30 minutes from my job. I saw they have some nice combo deals on Haswell CPU/mobo combos. I prefer to shop from Amazon because of Prime and awesome customer service, so I'll spend a few $ more if needed to purchase from them. Thanks in advance, I've been out of the hardware scene for a few years.

 

[tiraides]

Grab the following from Micro Center:

$310 - Intel Core i5-4670K and Asus Z87-A bundle
$60 - Crucial Ballistix Sport 2x4GB DDR3 1600 kit (possible $10 discount when purchased alongside Haswell, contact store beforehand)
$30 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
$100 - Seagate Barracuda 2TB HDD (retail package)
$16 - LG GH24NS95 SATA DVD burner OEM
=====
$516 - MC Subtotal (not including taxes or other discounts/rebates)

And go to Amazon for:

$300 - Asus TI-DC2O-2GD5 GTX 660 Ti
$119 - Corsair HX750 750W modular PSU
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$419 - Amazon Subtotal (includes free ground shipping, but not taxes or rebates)

Your monitor situation confuses me. The GTX 660 Ti can be overkill on some games played at a 1680x1050 resolution, but that's operating under the assumption that you'll only play games on one monitor. I don't have any personal experience on multi-monitor gaming, so I can't tell what you need if you want to use two or three monitor. Plus, the monitor(s) you choose in your eventual monitor upgrade may impact whether or not the GTX 660 Ti is a good long-term choice.

I went with one of Micro Center's Intel bundles as as it gives you a good deal on an overclocker-friendly setup. I also added the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO for better-than-stock performance and to enable you to start overclocking the processor right away.

I can't really recommend a case or a mouse because personal tastes play as big a role as available features. At gunpoint, however, I'd recommend the Corsair 200R and the Logitech G500 -- but those choices are based off my personal tastes.

 

[DarkT]

Yea I am mainly confused on the video card as well. When I do upgrade monitors, they will definitely be 1080p, I should have mentioned that, so I might want to get a slightly better card. I'm fairly certain I will only be playing games on 1 monitor, but the card is still pushing pixels to the other 2. I'll check more on the other forums too about video card/multi-monitor setups.

For case, I'll probably do a Lian Li as I've always liked them or take a look at the new Corsairs. My buddy also recommended the G500 and I like my Logitech keyboard so I'll probably get that too.

Thanks for your input.

 

[DarkT]

double post

 

[tiraides]

For case, I'll probably do a Lian Li as I've always liked them or take a look at the new Corsairs.

Is one of these more to your liking?

$75 - Lian Li PC-K7B
$110 - Lian Li PC-9F

 

[Dangman]

I'm fairly certain I will only be playing games on 1 monitor, but the card is still pushing pixels to the other 2.

Is that what you're doing right now with your current setup?

 

[DarkT]

Is one of these more to your liking?

$75 - Lian Li PC-K7B
$110 - Lian Li PC-9F

Thanks for the suggestions, the PC-9F looks really nice

Is that what you're doing right now with your current setup?

Yea, right now I'm gaming on 1 monitor and just using the other two for web browsing and other apps. I can't play really any games across 3 monitors as I have a Radeon HD5850. I actually like it because when I could play games across 3 monitors most of them were really not optimized for it, but that was a while back.

 

[tiraides]

Yea, right now I'm gaming on 1 monitor and just using the other two for web browsing and other apps. I can't play really any games across 3 monitors as I have a Radeon HD5850. I actually like it because when I could play games across 3 monitors most of them were really not optimized for it, but that was a while back.

You're able to play across three monitors with any of the video cards we recommend.

Would you reconsider that option now that you have that ability?

 

[Deleted member 88227]

At lot has changed since the 5850 was released. Eyefinity is pretty sick and a good bit of games can utilize it as well. The only suggestion I have is to have the same displays, if not the same then at the very least the same size and resolution.

 

[DarkT]

You're able to play across three monitors with any of the video cards we recommend.

Would you reconsider that option now that you have that ability?

Good to hear. I would definitely use that option if it were viable.

At lot has changed since the 5850 was released. Eyefinity is pretty sick and a good bit of games can utilize it as well. The only suggestion I have is to have the same displays, if not the same then at the very least the same size and resolution.

I have all 3 of the same model displays and when I do upgrade them, I will purchase 3 of the same model again.