Opinions on new rig?

[Cleetuss]

Hey guys, just wanting opinions or advice on my choices of hardware for new rig, anything i can do better with minimal extra $$? any opinions are welcome, even if you say its terrible, but please state why its terrible. Nothing is purchased as of yet, but with your guys thoughts, it'll help make my mind up. These items here add up to $1,620 so far. The use of this PC will be for gaming only, i cant stream with my bad internet in Australia maybe video editing, but not much, trying to go for as much frame rate as possible to get the most out of my 120hz monitor, thanks guys (using my existing HDD's WD Caviar Black 1TB)

Case: NZXT Phantom 410 Case White - $125
CPU: Intel Core i5 4670K - $275
Graphics: MSI GeForce GTX 770 Gaming Edition OC 2GB - $519
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming Motherboard - $205
PSU: Corsair CX-750 Modular 80+ Bronze Power Supply - $135
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws X F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL (2x4GB) DDR3 - $89
Cooling: Noctua NH-U9B SE2 - $65
SSD: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB SSD Retail Box - $149
Drive: ASUS DRW-24D3ST 24x DVD Writer $25
Extra Fans: BitFenix Spectre Pro 200mm Black Tinted Red LED Fan - $25ea

[Deleted]

Do you really need 750w 80+ gold and custom watercooling for this rig? Why not go halfway with yourself and downgrade your PSU to a 650w 80+ bronze and closed-loop watercooling(H80i). You'd save a bunch of money and open up the possibility to go with a stronger GPU such as the 770 or perhaps even the 780.

[Fluorescent0]

Now, you have stated you want to get the maximum possible frames out of a 120hz monitor, so I'd go for something like this. Before investing on double 770s though it might help to know which games you're actually playing.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($135.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($176.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($359.10 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($359.10 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.50 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $1571.63
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-30 07:08 EDT-0400)

PCPartPicker doesn't really get the discount on the 770s right though (it's 10%, but up to 10$), so add 60$ or so to the price.

Edit: didn't notice you had a blu-ray disc there. Blu ray reader + writer (+40$).

[HockeyPulver]

You'll barely get anything extra performance out of the watercooling loop and to be honest so I suggest you change the it for a cheaper air or liquid cooler and use the extra budget to change the PSU to something like this and the GPU to this.

[BicycleMafioso]

Thread moved to sub-forum.

[yurano]

Echoing Jevlin's suggestion, a lot of the selected components are 'premium' and aren't bang for buck performance increases. Additional cost cutting measures include:

- Cheaper case (eg. Phantom 410 $85 or Arc Midi R2 $70)
- Samsung 840 EVO
- Cheaper RAM

I recommend switching to the ASUS Z87-A for its Fan Xpert 2 (3-pin fan control).

Note: BluRay drives require additional BluRay software ($40) to play BluRay movies. BluRay data discs do not require this software.

[Cleetuss]

the RAM is actually cheapest i could find, its only $110, i agree with the watercooling, i think long and hard about it, a mid range noctua air cooler would be good? theyre about $70 here in Australia, ive had one before, kept my 2500k at quite good temps, ill do some adjusting to my items, thanks a lot for yours and everyones inputs so far

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reason for this PSU is that it is 80+ gold and for what it is, its really cheap only $150, compared to corsair 750 gold is like $280, so i just figured i was getting a deal is all. Could you please tell me is there a huge difference between the 760 and 770, im not smart on computers, but from just reading stats, they're very similar cards, or am i wrong?

[Deleted]

What he means about the ram is that you don't need 2100Mhz RAM. It's ,ehrm, gimmicky at best.
1600Mhz sticks is what you want for gaming/Slight OC/everyday use.


http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair...8gx3m2b1600c9g - $66.99

[Fluorescent0]

Whoops, didn't notice you were in Australia, my bad. Reworked the build around. Still left a 750W PSU to open up the possibility of going SLI in the future should you feel you need more GPU power.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($275.00 @ PCCaseGear)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($84.00 @ PLE Computers)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($212.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($84.41 @ Mwave Australia)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($214.00 @ PLE Computers)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($479.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($125.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($119.00 @ PLE Computers)
Optical Drive: LG CH12LS28 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($59.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $1651.41
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-30 21:23 EST+1000)

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Gold certification on a PSU isn't really worth it. I remember reading a post which said that platinum over bronze accounted for a 17 USD save over a whole year.

[yurano]

Could you please tell me is there a huge difference between the 760 and 770

The 770 is about 20% faster than the 760.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/N...TX_760/27.html

[Cleetuss]

ok reworked parts, changed RAM, PSU, DVD drive and cooler, i got it down to $1500 flat, ok so now, a GTX 770 is minimum $500 in australia, 760 is $329, is it worth the difference? (parts changed are Noctua NH-U9B SE2, ASUS DRW-24D3ST 24x DVD Writer, Corsair GS-700 V2 Power Supply, G.Skill Ripjaws X F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL (2x4GB) DDR3)

[Fluorescent0]

ok reworked parts, changed RAM, PSU, DVD drive and cooler, i got it down to $1500 flat, ok so now, a GTX 770 is minimum $500 in australia, 760 is $329, is it worth the difference? (parts changed are Noctua NH-U9B SE2, ASUS DRW-24D3ST 24x DVD Writer, Corsair GS-700 V2 Power Supply, G.Skill Ripjaws X F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL (2x4GB) DDR3)

Check the build above your post. It comes to 1650$ with a 770 included. I think it is worth the difference if you want to get more advantage out of that 120hz monitor.

[Cleetuss]

Check the build above your post. It comes to 1650$ with a 770 included. I think it is worth the difference if you want to get more advantage out of that 120hz monitor.

Just did my own version of that build all from one website pccasegear.com.au with a MSI GTX 770 gaming edition to go with the motherboard, total price comes to $1621. that is with the 410 mid tower case also, instead of the 630. Question, how much smaller (inside) would the mid tower case be?

[yurano]

Question, how much smaller (inside) would the mid tower case be?

Mid-tower cases are pretty big.

Full tower cases are 1-3" larger in every dimension than mid-tower cases.

[Fluorescent0]

Just did my own version of that build all from one website pccasegear.com.au with a MSI GTX 770 gaming edition to go with the motherboard, total price comes to $1621. that is with the 410 mid tower case also, instead of the 630. Question, how much smaller (inside) would the mid tower case be?

It's spacey enough to fit everything you have in that build, plus a second GPU without any problems at all.
The only thing I'd stress though is to get exactly that PSU or one of comparable quality. Don't get a GS PSU, it's not on the recommended list of power supplies. Also if you're going for air cooling, I'd go for something a bit higher end. Haswell runs hot and you're gonna need all the cooling you can get to squeeze performance out of overclocking.

[Deleted]

ok reworked parts, changed RAM, PSU, DVD drive and cooler, i got it down to $1500 flat, ok so now, a GTX 770 is minimum $500 in australia, 760 is $329, is it worth the difference? (parts changed are Noctua NH-U9B SE2, ASUS DRW-24D3ST 24x DVD Writer, Corsair GS-700 V2 Power Supply, G.Skill Ripjaws X F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL (2x4GB) DDR3)

Simplified explanation;

That's up to you to decide. You want as high frame rate as possible to get full use of your 120Hz monitor and that will most definitely mean that you can't play every game on absolute max settings on a gtx 760. Investing in a 770 will decrease the amount you have to decrease your in-game graphic settings in order to get use of that 120Hz monitor.

[Cleetuss]

It's spacey enough to fit everything you have in that build, plus a second GPU without any problems at all.
The only thing I'd stress though is to get exactly that PSU or one of comparable quality. Don't get a GS PSU, it's not on the recommended list of power supplies. Also if you're going for air cooling, I'd go for something a bit higher end. Haswell runs hot and you're gonna need all the cooling you can get to squeeze performance out of overclocking.

ok i hear you, i got the corsair 700W bronze, its $30 cheaper than that thermaltake gold 750 haha, seems weird that it was that cheap, others are so expensive for gold.

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Simplified explanation;

That's up to you to decide. You want as high frame rate as possible to get full use of your 120Hz monitor and that will most definitely mean that you can't play every game on absolute max settings on a gtx 760. Investing in a 770 will decrease the amount you have to decrease your in-game graphic settings in order to get use of that 120Hz monitor.

ok, i got it, thank you very much for all your help, its actually a better build now and its $100 cheaper. thank you all, any more advice is welcomed

[Fluorescent0]

Gold certification on a PSU isn't really worth it. I remember reading a post which said that platinum over bronze accounted for a 17 USD save over a whole year.

ok i hear you, i got the corsair 700W bronze, its $30 cheaper than that thermaltake gold 750 haha, seems weird that it was that cheap, others are so expensive for gold.

Don't go for gold, any cheap bronze unit will likely be more money saved. Let me see if I can get that post back.

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Here it is. Second post.

[Cleetuss]

Don't go for gold, any cheap bronze unit will likely be more money saved. Let me see if I can get that post back.

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Here it is. Second post.

i was just going for gold for the quality of power it delivers to the PC i dont take much notice of power consumption and since it was the cheapest gold i'd ever seen lol i just put it in there. The current parts in my shopping cart are updated in original post, ive kept the gaming edition mobo/graphics just because i was sold on a couple things, killer 2200 seems nice, and because i get bad latency in australia, any help is great, also if i match mobo with GPU i get some nice auto overclocking ability, i dont know if im victim of marketing by MSI and its something all cards do now days lol but oh well

[Fluorescent0]

i was just going for gold for the quality of power it delivers to the PC i dont take much notice of power consumption and since it was the cheapest gold i'd ever seen lol i just put it in there

The only thing a gold PSU has (over a good bronze obviously, not cheap chinese ones) is more efficiency.

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Using PCCaseGear go for either the Thermaltake toughpower if you want to have the option of going SLI or for the Antec HCG 520 if you don't. The latter also comes in a modular version.