PC Build: Help wanted

[Odioss]

Hello everyone! Recently, my current computer has been, for the lack of a better word, broken. As a result, I've started working on the idea for a new build. I'm looking for some help, as this would be my first build, and as a result, probably could be better. Please, anything that you notice would be helpfull.

Here it is:

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)

Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($158.49 @ Newegg)

Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($144.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Newegg)

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 4GB Video Card ($419.99 @ Newegg)

Case: Xion XON-980-BK (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $1228.43

I'm expecially interested in anything that might reduce the cost of the build, and if the 4GB is necessary, i'm only planning on using 1 monitor.

[kalikka]

Are you going to overclock? (CPU/mobo tell me "yes" but the lack of cooler is screaming "NO!")

Why no SSD??????

Do you really need 16GB RAM as Skyrim for example crashes @3GB RAM usage?

I see no point in 4GB VRAM, same reason as in RAM.

[Odioss]

Lol, accidentally copied the wrong one :P I actually wanted 8 gb, that explains why this seemed strangely more expensive, and No SSD because they cost far to much, and i'm already past my budget as it is :(

The VRAM on the 770 doesn't cost alot, as 2 extra gb is only 20$, but i see your point... i might go to 2gb.. I read an article that said that in today's world, 1 gb is already pretty good for current games.

[Werne]

Why no SSD??????

Because this

I'm expecially interested in anything that might reduce the cost of the build

SSD doesn't really reduce costs, the only way to reduce the cost with an SSD is to replace the hard drive with a 32-64GB SSD, and what good is that?

 

 

 

@Odioss Unless you're using multiple monitors (like 2 or 3) you'd be fine with just 2GB VRAM, 4GB is only really useful when running a dual/triple-head setup.

 

If you don't want to overclock, get an H87 motherboard with a 4+2 power phase and i5-4670, that would save some money as well.

 

You can also go with a WD Blue drive, you won't see a very noticeable difference in drive speed and you'll end up paying less in regards to $/GB. Black is only useful if you really want to spend nearly 50% more to get a 5-10% gain. Black is also good if you intend to record gameplay, but then I advise you to get the Black for OS and games while recording videos to a second hard drive or you may face stuttering cause a single HDD needs to perform both write and read operations from two different locations at the same time.

 

RAM, just like VRAM, can also go lower. There's no need for 16GB other than if you do professional video/audio/3D work or run multiple virtual machines, 8 GB should be perfect for gaming. Another note is that most games won't see a noticable difference when using faster RAM (2-3 frames at best), large difference can only be seen in synthetic benchmarks, when using on-board Inel graphics, and if using memory-hungry software (like 3D programs, video/audio encoding, virtual machines, etc). So getting a tad slower RAM would still show pretty much the same results. G.Skill usually has decent RAM for not much money, their Ripjaws series are pretty good and relatively cheap.

 

Case, any case is good as long as it has good airflow, and unless you use SLI or overclock, even cheaper cases are good. If you do overclock, I wouldn't advise skimping on the case, but I would advise you to reconsider your choice of case, that thing seems a bit overpriced to me and has nearly identical features/airflow to a $60 CoolerMaster HAF 912.

 

PSU is something you shouldn't skimp on though. if you're buying a new PSU as well, make sure it's of good quality even if it costs a bit more. I generally recommend the XFX Core Edition or SeaSonic PSU, Corsair CX are not that great but AX are pretty decent.

[Odioss]

 

Why no SSD??????

Because this

I'm expecially interested in anything that might reduce the cost of the build

SSD doesn't really reduce costs, the only way to reduce the cost with an SSD is to replace the hard drive with a 32-64GB SSD, and what good is that?

 

 

 

@Odioss Unless you're using multiple monitors (like 2 or 3) you'd be fine with just 2GB VRAM, 4GB is only really useful when running a dual/triple-head setup.

 

If you don't want to overclock, get an H87 motherboard with a 4+2 power phase and i5-4670, that would save some money as well.

 

You can also go with a WD Blue drive, you won't see a very noticeable difference in drive speed and you'll end up paying less in regards to $/GB. Black is only useful if you really want to spend nearly 50% more to get a 5-10% gain. Black is also good if you intend to record gameplay, but then I advise you to get the Black for OS and games while recording videos to a second hard drive or you may face stuttering cause a single HDD needs to perform both write and read operations from two different locations at the same time.

 

RAM, just like VRAM, can also go lower. There's no need for 16GB other than if you do professional video/audio/3D work or run multiple virtual machines, 8 GB should be perfect for gaming. Another note is that most games won't see a noticable difference when using faster RAM (2-3 frames at best), large difference can only be seen in synthetic benchmarks, when using on-board Inel graphics, and if using memory-hungry software (like 3D programs, video/audio encoding, virtual machines, etc). So getting a tad slower RAM would still show pretty much the same results. G.Skill usually has decent RAM for not much money, their Ripjaws series are pretty good and relatively cheap.

 

Case, any case is good as long as it has good airflow, and unless you use SLI or overclock, even cheaper cases are good. If you do overclock, I wouldn't advise skimping on the case, but I would advise you to reconsider your choice of case, that thing seems a bit overpriced to me and has nearly identical features/airflow to a $60 CoolerMaster HAF 912.

 

PSU is something you shouldn't skimp on though. if you're buying a new PSU as well, make sure it's of good quality even if it costs a bit more. I generally recommend the XFX Core Edition or SeaSonic PSU, Corsair CX are not that great but AX are pretty decent.

 

I do use 3d modeling programs, but i've been fine on my old computer with 6gb, so 8 should be fine as well. I think i'll keep the 4670k, because i personally, a 20$ markup is probably worth it if i decide i want to overclock in the future. I've taken into consideration your points. This should be my new build as of now:

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)

CPU Cooler: Corsair H55 57.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($57.00)

Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($158.49 @ Newegg)

Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($70.00)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Newegg)

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($360.91 @ Newegg)

Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Mwave)

Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.99 @ NCIX US)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $1206.35

[kalikka]

If you are not going to OC:

Xeon 1230V3 (Basically i7-4770 without the iGPU)

H87 mobo

Random air-cooler

And personally I see it as a huge waste when ppl don't get a SSD for multi-purpose PC...

And the Caviar Black is not something I would recommend >.> Caviar Blue

And for PSU I would recommend the all-time favourite XFX 550W.

Edited January 22, 2014 by kalikka

[FMod]

I do use 3d modeling programs, but i've been fine on my old computer with 6gb, so 8 should be fine as well.

I think i'll keep the 4670k, because i personally, a 20$ markup is probably worth it if i decide i want to overclock in the future.

It's not what programs you use, it's what you do in them that counts.

 

The $20 difference is not all you pay for overclocking. To pull more clock than a non-K you also need a good CPU cooler - preferably better than your pick - and a good motherboard (got that one). Haswells overclock like crap and get much hotter when overclocked.

 

Sticking to 4670 at +4 bins and 103 MHz base clock will give you clock rates of 4.3 GHz full turbo dual core or 4.1 GHz on four cores.

A typical 4670K will pull 4.4-4.5 GHz, more is a lucky find, but you'd normally drop it down to 4.2-4.3 GHz for 24/7 operation.

 

So the difference is 5%; is it worth the extra expense and effort?

 

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)

CPU Cooler: Corsair H55 57.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($57.00)

Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($158.49 @ Newegg)

Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($70.00)

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($360.91 @ Newegg)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Newegg)

Can save quite a bit on the motherboard and possibly an air cooler.

This is actually better for your purposes: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157460

Extreme 6's main draws are 10 SATA ports, of which you only need 1 or maybe 2 anyway, and PCI (not express) slots, which you have no need for.

 

I don't see any point in paying $360 for the video card, it's just a stock 770 with EVGA badge, which doesn't make it any better, and perhaps a small clock raise, which you can do yourself.

This Asus seems to be a squarely better choice: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121770

 

You can get better RAM for the same price: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820313404

 

Like been said, this HDD is much better value: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236339

1TB WD Black is a bit of a joke, kinda-high-end drive with obsolete capacity.

[Rennn]

I don't see any point in paying $360 for the video card, it's just a stock 770 with EVGA badge, which doesn't make it any better, and perhaps a small clock raise, which you can do yourself.

This Asus seems to be a squarely better choice: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121770

 

You can get better RAM for the same price: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820313404

 

Like been said, this HDD is much better value: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236339

1TB WD Black is a bit of a joke, kinda-high-end drive with obsolete capacity.

 

 

I agree with your input on the video card and HDD, but the RAM is out of stock.

[FMod]

Was in stock when I linked... Anyway, this seems to be in stock: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231653

 

DDR3-2133 or 2400 is only a marginal upgrade over 1600, ~1% gain, but at so little price difference, it's worth it.

[Odioss]

Thank you for all you help. Here it is again, updated once more. This is the pc parts picker write up. On new egg, it's 1,091$ with a keyboard.

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg) - Got rid of the "K". I wasn't planning on overclocking, so it's all for the best anyway.

Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($158.49 @ Newegg) - I was told to stick with this one by someone else.

Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg) -Thanks for the help, saved 20$ and doubled the space.

Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($330.98 @ Newegg) - I realised after what i was told the 4GB version was not necessary. I also went with the cheaper, ASUS version.

Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)

Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.98 @ Newegg)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $1104.40