Custom PC components recommendations

[ripple]

I am looking to build a new PC in the next month or so, and I am soliciting recommendations for components. This is going to be a all-purpose gaming PC, with strong emphasis on durability and longevity. As a frame of reference, my current gaming PC is 5-6 years old, only upgraded RAM and GPU, still runs most games nicely.

 

Due to past experiences (been at this for a some decades now), my preference for manufacturers and brands are highly particular.

 

1) Mobo

- looking only for ASUS motherboards.

- how much total RAM would safely carry me for the next 5 years of gaming? I can always add more RAM pending mobo support.

 

2) RAM

- brands do not matter as much. I'll probably just buy the cheapest reliable brand from my local small PC stores. I do need some specifications.

 

3) CPU

- Only interested in Intel. I7? I5?

 

4) GPU

- only nVidia, no AMD (sorry AMD enthusiasts, but AMD driver support is just horrid)

 

5) PSU

- I always hated calculating just how much I need. I currently have a 600W OCZ PSU.

 

6) May get an SSD just to install my OS on.

 

7) May look into getting a mid-tower, that provides good air flow and easy installation of components. My current mid-tower is cool, but it's sort of falling apart.

 

7) extra expenses for a stroage HDD, RAM sticks.

 

Thanks.

Edited May 5, 2015 by ripple

[hoofhearted4]

i dont know current products enough to suggest things, but can answer the more general products.

 

16GB RAM is going to become the norm shortly. especially within the next 5 years. youd be fine with 8, and RAM prices have gone up, but if you can, get 16gb.

 

CPU, just get an i5. theres usually a jump in price between then and no reason jump unless you want hyper threading, which IIRC, is what differentiates and i5 and an i7. i could be wrong. its been a couple years since ive had to be in the current know how.

 

PSU, depends on how many GPUs you put in really. estimate between 650-850. overkill is never a bad thing. youll want a couple hundred watts lee way anyways. look for 80 PLUS Gold or Platinum. Seasonic and Corsair are two top of the line makers. (in fact Seasonic makes a lot of the higher end Corsair PSUs anyways. or they used to)

 

SSD, youll want at least a 128GB. this will account for OS inflation. plus you can have several apps and maybe even a game or two on there. I bought one, but upgraded to a 480gb so that i could mess with multiple OSes, have most apps i use, as well as any game that doesnt use Steam/Origin (ie is a disk install, or MMO) on it. with plenty of room left over.

 

Cases, i recommend looking into Fractal. they have cases of all sizes, and are amazing quality. I have a Fractal Arc Midi that I LOVE. Corsair is another good brand as well. they have some good cases. NZXT also IIRC is good. they usually had more flashy cases, but were always good. and i believe they had some non flashy cases that were stellar as well.

 

 

extra expenses. HDDs are cheap. you can get a 3TB for $150 maybe? i could look to confirm but im lazy. As I said before, RAM prices have gone up the last couple years. i think 16GB will run you around $160? again i didnt confirm. back a few years ago you were looking at <$100 for $16GB. look into good fans. Corsair has killer fans that i run. but they add up. cooling as well, i run an H100i. not necessary, but more expensive then the best Heatsinks (and for the most part only as good) i just prefer the clean look with a Window. any LEDs? what about keyboard, mouse, monitor and headset?

[ripple]

Thanks for this. I am starting to compile my price comparison list now.

[ripple]

So here are the components I've settled on (If anyone is wondering why I am not using PC Builder, it's because I am not in the US, so I will have to get these parts from my local PC stores).

SSD

Samsung 850 EVO 250GB

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790 Quad-Core Processor Socket LGA1150, 3.6Ghz, 8MB L3 Cache

Motherboard

ASUS Z97-A Socket 1150 Intel Z97

Or

ASUS Z87-A Socket 1150 Intel Z87

(good deal for the Z87, almost $80 cheaper where I will be getting it, but I don't know if there are substantive differences between the two mobo units)

GPU

Asus Strix GeForce GTX 970 4GB GDDR5

PSU

Corsair CS750M CS Modular 80 Plus GOLD-RATE 750W 12V

Or

Antec TP-750C 750W ATX12V Modular 80PLUS Gold 120MM Fan Active PFC

Ram

Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600MHz

Or

Corsair Vengeance Heatspreader CMZ16GX3M2A1600C9 16GB 2X8GB DDR3-1600 CL9 Dual Channel

Or

Kingston HyperX Fury Memory Black 16GB 2X8GB DDR3-1600

HDD

Seagate 2TB Barracuda

Edited May 22, 2015 by ripple

[soupdragon1234]

 

So here are the components I've settled on (If anyone is wondering why I am not using PC Builder, it's because I am not in the US, so I will have to get these parts from my local PC stores).

 

Can you not just get them from http://www.newegg.ca/ ? Not sure how their prices compare to the US site though.

 

Personally I would be looking at an R9 290x it has full 4GB Vram and avoids the 3.5GB memory problem the GTX 970 suffers from. Its cheaper too though it has a higher power consumption. Performance wise, well spot the difference.

 

Corsair PSU's aren't what they used to be, the higher power models used to be Seasonic but they've switched to a cheaper OEM and don't have the same reliability they once had. Not sure if they sell SuperFlower in CA but I'd look for a one of their Leadex models instead or EVGA which are just rebranded Leadex's.

 

CPU is overkill for gaming but fine if you plan to use it for more cpu intensive applications.

 

Asus Z97-A the Z97's are a later chipset that support mSATA which potentially offer faster SSD's but other than that not much to choose between them. Its a good mobo I have one myself, got mine half price though (auction)

 

Ram.. not a lot to choose to between them honestly but CL9 is the fastest timings listed (the lower the latency the better since they're all 1600mhz)

 

p.s. love Inconsequential NPC's, one of my favourite mods.

Edited May 23, 2015 by soupdragon1234

[ripple]

Oh gawds, I did not know there was an issue with the 970, thanks for the headsup! I *really* do not want to get another AMD GPU. My current 2GB GPU is an XFX 7850, and it has given me nothing but grief since my purchase. AMD's driver support is also pretty dismal. Ugh...

 

Yeah, I can order by web, but if I have to return or exchange the parts for whatever reason, it's just a pain. Once shipping fees are added, any savings more or less evaporates. The prices at my local PC stores are competitive, often with specials deals better than newegg.ca (even if the component selections are limited), and I can easily return for refund or exchange at the stores if the components are defective.

Edited May 22, 2015 by ripple

[soupdragon1234]

GTX 980's do not suffer from the memory issue if your budget stretches that far.

 

n.b. if you decide to go with the Z-87 watch out for the BIOS revision the later ones support Haswell processors but the early ones do not and if you have one of the early ones you need to flash the BIOS with a later one, except that you need a non-Haswell processor to do that... Catch 22.

[obobski]

+1 on the 80-series chipsets and Haswell; you have to double-check that it will support Haswell. The 90-series will support it (and Devil's Canyon) out of the box. No reason, imho, to go 4790 if you're just after gaming - a lot of benchmarks show the similarly clocked i5 (4690) to perform the same in games, the only place where the 4790 will really shine is encoding/compiling/etc where HyperThreading can actually provide some advantage. If you're not interested in overclocking, the S-suffix CPUs will use less power and run cooler as well.

 

On the graphics card, GTX 960 and 980 don't have the 'memory bug', and there are also older nVidia cards that may still be available like GTX 770. Not sure what the problem with AMD is (my 290X has had no problems, and actually has some better compatibility with older games than my GTX 660SC with the newer nV drivers), but personal preference is personal preference (so get whatever you're comfortable with). If you don't mind shopping used, GTX 780s may also be worth looking at. SLI may also be a consideration, like dual 960s or some-such, depending on your budget and performance target.

 

For the PSU, I'd probably look at FirePower, Antec, Enermax, EVGA, etc. Corsair's top of the line models (AX) are still very solid, but I've seen some less-than-favorable reviews of the mid-range stuff (like the one you listed). Basically, check JonnyGuru or some other high quality PSU reviews for the specific model you want (or just to find a top-rated model in the size range you need). Something in that 700-800W range will be fine for this build, and give you room to grow.