System build. Help please! Budget ~$2000

[Tych-0]

So I'm building a PC for my buddy, he is a big gamer and it's been a long time since he's had a new system to enjoy, and he'd like to be able to enjoy gaming at fps and max details for a change. This build is basically in preparation for BF4, but he will of course be playing other games in the coming years he plans on keeping this system. His wife doesn't give him the $$ to do big purchases often, so lets make him something that will last and has options to upgrade.



1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
This is a gaming pc, but also for general everyday use as well as photoshop and video editing of family photos/videos.


2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$2000 Canadian before tax. Ontario tax is 13% (ugh), so $1770 before tax. Let's just say $1800 to keep it simple. 95% sure he'll be buying from the local NCIX so no shipping.


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

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.
Full system, minus accessories. So: CPU/cooler, RAM, MOBO, SSD, HDD, GPU, PSU and a chasis in which to house them.


5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Monitor, mouse, keyboard, optical drive...nothing of note.

6) Will you be overclocking?
Yes.


7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1080p at the moment, but plans on moving up to 1440p, or a 2D lightboost 1080p. Or like almost everybody else on [H], would love to see a true 1440p 120Hz. So the power to drive these demanding displays is a very high priroity.


8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
2-3 weeks, sometime before the BF4 release.


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.
crossfire/sli would be nice for future upgrading options. USB 3, SATA 3, good onboard sound would be nice, if not add on card would be used.


10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Will be purchasing Windows, most likely win8 x64.



So I have an idea of what I'd like to build for him, but I'd like to know if you guys can find some improvements for me. Here is what I have in mind:

CPU - i7 4770 $340 or i5 4670 $245

cooler - Corsair H100i $100

MOBO - ASUS Z87-A $149
or
ASUS Maximus Hero VI $220 -for better onboard sound (is there a cheaper option with good onboard sound?), is the RAMDISK feature worth it the extra $$$?

RAM - I'm very unsure here, I'm thinking 8GB would be okay, but 16GB might be better. Which sticks for good performacne and overclockability? I'm gonna throw the most popular one at NCIX in as a place holder: Corsair Vengeance Black CMZ16GX3M2A1600C10 16GB 2X8GB DDR3-1600 $190

GPU - AMD 290X or a GTX 780 ~$650

PSU - Again, not sure here, please help and keep SLI and overclocking options on the table. Placeholder Corsair Enthusiast Series TX750M $100

Chasis - Once again, I'm unsure, I know a lot of this comes down to personal preference. He doesn't mind a large case, and we want something to mount a nice big cooler such as teh H100i or something of similar performacne and the option of SLI on large graphics cards: Corsair 650D $170?

SSD - Samsung 840 EVO 250GB $199

HDD - Seagate Barracuda 3TB $130

OS - Windows 8 x64 $98


So with all the top options, I'm blowing the budget a bit at $2027, going the cheaper route say 8GB of RAM for ~$100 less, and an i5 instead of the i7 for and another $100 savings, maybe a cheaper chasis for a few dollars saved? Cheaper cooler? What compromises should I make to get down to $1800?


Thanks!!!!

 

[the_servicer]

I read this wondering how big a case you might need, but didn't come to a conclusion. I sort of think SFF might work if you're willing to work with a small space.

 

[Tych-0]

I don't think a SFF case is right for this build. He has a nice big office for his computer and since he'll be overcloking and would like SLI/crossfire open as an option I think airflow becomes an issue.

 

[Dangman]

CPU - i7 4770 $340 or i5 4670 $245

You meant the 4770K or 4670K right?

MOBO - ASUS Z87-A $149
or
ASUS Maximus Hero VI $220 -for better onboard sound (is there a cheaper option with good onboard sound?), is the RAMDISK feature worth it the extra $$$?

RAMDisk isn't really worth it IMO. Also, it's cheaper to get a seperate sound card I would think. But does he actually have really good speakers?

RAM - I'm very unsure here, I'm thinking 8GB would be okay, but 16GB might be better. Which sticks for good performacne and overclockability? I'm gonna throw the most popular one at NCIX in as a place holder: Corsair Vengeance Black CMZ16GX3M2A1600C10 16GB 2X8GB DDR3-1600 $190!

Do note that current Intel systems really don't benefit that much with RAM speeds above DDR3 1600. So just get the cheapest 2 x 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM rated at 1.5V you can find.

PSU - Again, not sure here, please help and keep SLI and overclocking options on the table. Placeholder Corsair Enthusiast Series TX750M $100

Not a good choice for the PSU. I would look at the Corsair HX750 or AX760/

Chasis - Once again, I'm unsure, I know a lot of this comes down to personal preference. He doesn't mind a large case, and we want something to mount a nice big cooler such as teh H100i or something of similar performacne and the option of SLI on large graphics cards: Corsair 650D $170?

Have him look at these cases first:
$110 - Antec 1100 ATX Case
$90 - Lian Li PC-7HX Black Aluminum ATX Case
$122 - Corsair Carbide Series 500R ATX Case
$100 - Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Gunmetal Black ATX Case
$100 - Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Arctic White ATX Case
$144 - Silverstone RV03B-W ATX case
$144 - Silverstone RV03B-WA ATX case
$150 - Corsair Graphite Series 600TM ATX Case
$170 - Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T ATX Case
$168 - Silverstone TJ04B-EW ATX Case
$167 - Corsair Obsidian Series 650D ATX Case
$230 - Silverstone FT02B-USB3.0 ATX Case
$250 - Silverstone FT02S-W-USB3.0 ATX Case
$245 - Corsair Obsidian Series 800D CC800DW ATX Case

 

[tingc222]

This is such an exciting time to buy a new pc! I was in the same boat 4 months ago and wish I had waited. But hey, CF 7970s aint bad for $550 when I got it.

Anyway, 3 things I'd recommend:

1. wait for the R9 290. Preorder it when it goes online Oct 4 (I think).
2. get the newly released Corsair 750D which is an absolute steal at $170 imo.
3. Look into the low voltage 1.35V DDR3 modules from samsung. They're supposed to be amazing overclockers. 16GB for about $140. Not the biggest deal but only if you're into OCing.

Edit: stick with the 4670K. Had better OC headroom so you'll end up with 4770 performance anyway unless you really need HT for video editing or something. I'd also look into the TH-series gigabyte boards which are fairly cheap and very power efficient (the Power IR chips are amazing) and run quite cool (I have a UP4 for my Ivy bridge which was their first iteration using the PowerIR phases. OCs great). EVO is a great choice for SSD. Personally I'd go WD for the HDD but that's a personal choice. An HX750 is a great choice for a PSU

 

[Tych-0]

Thanks for the replies.

Dangman:

-Yes, I meant 4770k and 4670k.
-He normally uses headphones while gaming and has a nice pair of Sennheisers.
-Thanks for the RAM suggestion, I will certainly be taking that into account, I'm acutlaly finding some 1866MHz sticks for about the same price as the 1600MHz, so perhaps we will go that route if prices hold on order day.
-Thanks for the heads up on the PSU! I'll be changing that to the HX750 I think. I still wonder if that will be sufficient for crossfire R9 290Xs should he go that route in the future.

tingc222:
-Yes, the plan is to go R9 290X.
-The 750D looks great and is now at the top of the list if he goes big, 350D if he goes a little smaller. Thanks.
-I didn't see any Samsung RAM on NCIX, so I think we may be going GSkill as the price is good.
-I think we will go 4670k most likely to save some $$$, I just thought that the HT might help in BF4 since it seems like they are trying to take advantage of more threads.
-Didn't see that TH series Gigabyte board anywhere, have a link?

Thanks all, I'd love some more input from anybody so I get this build as good as it can be, this guy deserves it!

Here is where I'm at if we ordered today:

Chasis: Corsair 750D $170
Mobo: ASUS Z87-A $149
CPU: i5 4670K $245
RAM: GSkill Sniper SE F3 1866MHz $92
Cooler: Corsair H100i $100
SSD: Samsung EVO 250GB $199
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 3TB $140
PSU: Corsair HX750 $120
OS: Win8 x64 $100
GPU: R9 290X ~$620

Total: $1935

How does that look? He can probably handle being a little over the $1800 budget, and we may yet save a few $$$ from price matching and if he decides to go with the 350D.

 

[Dangman]

-He normally uses headphones while gaming and has a nice pair of Sennheisers.

Considering the tight budget, best use onboard sound for now.

-Thanks for the heads up on the PSU! I'll be changing that to the HX750 I think. I still wonder if that will be sufficient for crossfire R9 290Xs should he go that route in the future.

Unless AMD massively fucked up with increased power usage for their new GPUs, that HX750 will be enough as shown in this HardOCP review where a system with a havily overclocked Core i7 4770K and two GTX 780 SLI drew around 600W of power at full load:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2013/08/06/nvidia_geforce_gtx_780_sli_video_card_review/9

The Titan SLI setup was only 650W. So you're still fine in the power department.

-I think we will go 4670k most likely to save some $$$, I just thought that the HT might help in BF4 since it seems like they are trying to take advantage of more threads.

HT might actually help with BF4. Well it did with BF3 at least:
http://www.techbuyersguru.com/CPUgaming.php

-Didn't see that TH series Gigabyte board anywhere, have a link?

TH was Gigabyte's motherboard model suffix for socket LGA 1155 motherboards that indicated that they had the Thunderbolt connector. Gigabyte has since dropped Thunderbolt support from their current line of motherboards. That means that TH isn't in use anymore.

How does that look? He can probably handle being a little over the $1800 budget, and we may yet save a few $$$ from price matching and if he decides to go with the 350D.

The 350D is a mATX case, not a regular ATX case. So it won't fit that motherboard. Nor would I recommend a mATX setup for a SLI/CFX setup unless size is a huge issue.

 

[Tych-0]

So I gave him all the info above and he seems pretty content with that build and is okay going over budget a bit, and he may actually splurge on the 4770k.

Thank you very much for your help. I may be back for more, and don't mind if anybody else wants to pop in with some input.

The reason I bring up power concerns is because I'm pushing my 1000W to the limit right now with my current SLI set up. Perfectly fine with stock, and even with my CPU OCed, but when I start pushing both video cards, I'm pretty sure I'm asking more of the PSU than it can deliver and instantly shuts off the computer as soon as the clocks ramp up for gaming or a bench. OCing really jumps up the demand on a PSU. So I've dailed back the OC on my GPUs to less than what I think they are capable of if they had access to all the power they needed.

 

[Dangman]

The reason I bring up power concerns is because I'm pushing my 1000W to the limit right now with my current SLI set up. Perfectly fine with stock, and even with my CPU OCed, but when I start pushing both video cards, I'm pretty sure I'm asking more of the PSU than it can deliver and instantly shuts off the computer as soon as the clocks ramp up for gaming or a bench. OCing really jumps up the demand on a PSU. So I've dailed back the OC on my GPUs to less than what I think they are capable of if they had access to all the power they needed.

The PSU's amperage output might not be the problem. Look at the HardOCP link I provided earlier: A Core i7 3770K overclocked to 4.8Ghz plus two GTX Titan cards and one HDD used up to 650W of power. Yes you may have two more HDDs, a beefier liquid cooling kit, and a CPU that does use more power than the Core i7 3770K at stock but no way would that account for an extra 250W to 350W of power usage to be considered "pushing your PSU".

It might be a case of your particular PSU being defective or some other weird overclock issue at play. Like the fact that overclocking itself can lead to the PC shutdowns even with ample power available.