Second Gaming Build for under $1500

[Chronox]

Hello all. I got some great feedback last time so I thought I would try again.

1) What will you be doing with this PC?
Primarily gaming. First games to be played on it will be League of Legends, Counter-Strike, but looking to have options to play any games in the foreseeable future. .
2) What's your budget?
Looking to keep it under $1500 CAD after taxes.
3) Which country do you live in?
Currently Residing in Windsor, ON, Canada. Have access to a Microcenter stateside (Drive across the border).
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget?
All the parts are listed below, with what I currently am considering.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing?
No, currently have no parts to salvage.
6) Will you be overclocking?
Not at first, but want to have the option.
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1080p 24".
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
This weekend (October 4th,2014)
9) What features do you need in a motherboard?
The only thing I am looking for in a motherboard is for it to support the items listed below. Easy overclock if needed. Anything additional is a plus.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Windows 7 64 bit professional

Currently the parts I am looking at are listed here:

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/RobertCharron/saved/89vD4D

 

[Dangman]

Hello all. I got some great feedback last time so I thought I would try again.

Is this for you or for someone else?
Did you build the PC we helped you with last time?

2) What's your budget?
Looking to keep it under $1500 after taxes.

$1500 CAD or USD?

3) Which country do you live in?
Currently Residing in Windsor, ON, Canada. Have access to a Microcenter stateside.

How do you have access to a Microcenter stateside?

Also, what Canadian Online computer hardware stores are you planning on buying from?

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Windows 7 64 bit.

Which edition? Home Premium? Pro? Ultimate?

Currently the parts I am looking at are listed here:

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/RobertCharron/saved/89vD4D

Just start over. That list is just.....bad. The only good parts for the money are the HDD and HSF.

 

[Chronox]

Is this for you or for someone else?
Did you build the PC we helped you with last time?

I'm building this one for a friend, but yes, I built the PC from last time.

$1500 CAD or USD?

How do you have access to a Microcenter stateside?

CAD. I have access to Microcenter because I live on the border, that's why I stated the city.

Also, what Canadian Online computer hardware stores are you planning on buying from?

Trying to buy as much from MC as I can since it's cheaper then Canadian online. I would be buying from Amazon.ca, Newegg.ca, and TigerDirect.ca

Which edition? Home Premium? Pro? Ultimate?

Pro.

Just start over. That list is just.....bad. The only good parts for the money are the HDD and HSF.

If it's bad could you say how, or suggest alternatives? Worth noting I'm not getting a 970 because it's sold out everywhere and he needs something sooner then Oct 17.

 

[Dangman]

If it's bad could you say how, or suggest alternatives?

I'll do both:
Your friend is only gaming. So ZERO reason for you to get a six-core Intel CPU and/or the X99 platform. You have to actually use the features that X99 offers over Z97 in order for the X99 platform to be justified. Otherwise, why bother? Here are the key advantages of X99 over Z97:
1) Extra PCI-E lanes for multi-GPU configs (5930K and above)
2) Ability to use more than 32GB Of RAM
3) Extra two-cores which generally only helps out with heavily multi-threaded applications like video editing, virtualization, audio editing, 3D rendering, and massively complex programs.
4) Four extra SATA 6.0Gb/s ports

You and your friend have said nothing that would make me think that the X99 platform is an intelligent purchase.

The GTX 770 is now overpriced considering that the faster GTX 970 is around that price range. That Seasonic PSU, while a good PSU, is still an older PSU design and pretty much overpriced consideirng that that there are far far better options for the budget range. UNless this is a mission critical server, you really don't need the 840 Pro SSD as the Evo will do the job just fine. The case is outdated since it lacks front panel USB 3.0 ports which virtually every new case since 2012 has now.

So here's a quick and dirty yet better build list:
$315 - Intel Core i5 4690K CPU + AsRock Z97 Killer ATX Intel Z97 Motherboard
Cheapest 2 x 8GB set of DDR3 1600 RAM you can find at either Microcenter or in Canada thats rated at 1.5V. Should cost around $150 to $160 USD
GTX 970 from Asus, MSI, or Gigabyte (if you can find one in-stock and under $350 to $380)
Samsung 840 Evo 250GB SSD
Seasonic G Series SSR-550RM 550W Modular PSU or Seasonic G Series SSR-650RM 650W Modular PSU
Coolermaster Seidon 120V Liquid Cooling AIO

As for the case, I recommend any of these cases:
$63 - Corsair Graphite Series 230T Black ATX Case
$70 - Corsair Graphite Series 230T Black w/ Window ATX Case
$100 - Antec 1100 V2 ATX Case
$100 - Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Arctic White ATX Case
$100 - Phanteks “Enthoo Pro Series“ Black ATX Case
$110 - Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Gunmetal Black ATX Case
$115 - Corsair Carbide Series 500R ATX Case
$116 - Thermaltake Chaser A71 Full Tower ATX Case
$120 - Corsair Graphite Series 730T ATX Case
$120 - Corsair Obsidian Series 450D ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black Full Tower ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Full Tower ATX Case
$133 - NZXT Phantom 530 Black Full Tower ATX Case
$130 - Corsair Graphite Series 600TM ATX Case
$140 - Corsair Obsidian Series 750D ATX Case
$150 - Corsair Obsidian Series 650D ATX Case
$152 - Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T ATX Case
$150 - NZXT Phantom 630 White Windowed Full Tower ATX Case
$158 - NZXT Phantom 630 Gunmetal Full Tower ATX Case
$170 - Thermaltake Urban T81 Full Tower ATX Case
$190 - Corsair Graphite Series 760T ATX Case
197 - Corsair Graphite Black ATX Full Tower 780T
208 - Corsair Graphite White ATX Full Tower 780T
$240 - Silverstone FT02B-USB3.0 ATX Case

If you still have room left in the budget AND if your friend is going to switch over to Windows 8.1 or Windows 9 ASAP, then spend the extra money for the Core i7 4790K. Windows 7 as is doesn't quite take advantage of the Core i7's extra threads quite as well as Windows 8.1 and its follow-up Windows 9. If you can't find the GTX 970, just hold off on buying the video card as there's really no other better deal than the GTX 970 now. The closest would probably be the R9 290 but even then..ehhh.

 

[Chronox]

This is probably the most helpful thing I could have ever possibly asked for and I can't really thank you enough. However I do have two questions:

1) I can't get a 970. I can't seem to find one at all, sold out everywhere. Maybe I can use his old 550 until they're available. What other alternative is there?
2) The Samsung EVO 840 Pro doesn't look all that more expensive then the EVO. Am I missing something?

 

[Dangman]

1) I can't get a 970. I can't seem to find one at all, sold out everywhere. Maybe I can use his old 550 until they're available. What other alternative is there?

Like I said earlier, the closest alternative would be the R9 290 from MSI or XFX. The GTX 970 is in high-demand because it performs just as well as the $370 to $400 R9 290 at worst and performs better than the $550 R9 290X in some instances while having a MSRP of $330.

2) The Samsung EVO 840 Pro doesn't look all that more expensive then the EVO. Am I missing something?

Yes you did miss something: The Samsung 840 Evo 250GB that I listed is $130 USD:
$130 - Samsung 840 Evo Series 250GB SSD

The Samsung 840 Pro 128GB that you posted costs $109. Note the size difference.

 

[QuiteSufficient]

You could almost get SLI 970s for your original budget.