Building a new computer $2000 - $2500 (AUD)

[Grath]

5 years ago I spent the same price range on my current PC, the old girl is getting outdated and struggles a bit running certain games so its time to do another big upgrade . So my brother made this list up for me as a recommendation.

However I am interested in the MMOC communities input! So I have quoted his email. Anything you guys would like to add?

1. This is not including peripherals
2. I mostly game a lot
3. I want this PC to last another 5 years which is why I have such a high budget
4. I also show a little interest in video rendering because I will buy a GoPro soon
5. I will build this with my brother
6. I MAY consider spending $3000

CPU - I7 4770K - $399

MOBO - Maixmus Gene Asus - $295

RAM - Gskill Ripjaws x DDR3-2400 - $205

Video - MSI GTX 770 or 780? - $499 2g to $564g5 / $809 (780)

SSD - Kingston Hyper x - 120/240 GIG? $125 or $219

HDD - WD BLACK 2TB/4TB ? $164 - $225

POWER - Corsair 600w - 850W? $80 - $199 your choice

CASE - your choice (without power supply)? around $150 for good one

DVD Burner/ BLURAY READER? $54

anything with question mark is up to you, id stick with the CPU and RAM at least, you can change MOBO if you want

cheers

Thanks for any input guys!

[lordsphinx]

Here is what I would go with.

- i7 for future video rendering
- 250G SSD
- BBA (Big Bad Ass) Video card
- Elegant, practical case w/ good airflow

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($389.00 @ PCCaseGear)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($139.00 @ Scorptec)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($215.00 @ Scorptec)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($119.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($199.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($95.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($819.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($155.00 @ PLE Computers)
Power Supply: Antec HCG M 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($165.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($29.00 @ Scorptec)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($109.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $2433.00
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-01 22:26 EST+1000)

If you really want to get up to the $2500, get some nice, quiet aftermarket case fans.

Edit: Holy hell GPUs are expensive when you live in an upsidedown country...

[kopcap]

If you are planning to build a long lasting machine, first and foremost pay attention to components that are unlikely to be replaced:

1) Case
2) CPU
3) Motherboard
4) Disk

IMO the best case on the market is and has been for a long time Silverstone FT02. It's used a lot by overclockers but you don't need to be one to enjoy it. Airflow in it is insanely well designed and your parts are likely to last longer even if you don't OC.

Buy a good PSU. A lot of ppl make a mistake of buying a multithousand dollar machine to be run by a $40 unit. Don't be one of them. Brands to look for are Corsair, Antec, Silverstone.

SSD/HD - I'll agree with the above poster. Samsung EVO 250/500 and Seagate Barracuda are very good disks.

Things you can save on are the things you are likely to replace, namely CPU, graphics and RAM. Personally, I'd never consider buying a $500 video card. I'd buy a $300 card. And 1.5-2 years later another $300 card. That would be a helluva lot better than $600 at the start. Same with CPU. But to each his own, long as you have the money.

[Grath]

If you are planning to build a long lasting machine, first and foremost pay attention to components that are unlikely to be replaced:

1) Case
2) CPU
3) Motherboard
4) Disk

IMO the best case on the market is and has been for a long time Silverstone FT02. It's used a lot by overclockers but you don't need to be one to enjoy it. Airflow in it is insanely well designed and your parts are likely to last longer even if you don't OC.

Buy a good PSU. A lot of ppl make a mistake of buying a multithousand dollar machine to be run by a $40 unit. Don't be one of them. Brands to look for are Corsair, Antec, Silverstone.

SSD/HD - I'll agree with the above poster. Samsung EVO 250/500 and Seagate Barracuda are very good disks.

Things you can save on are the things you are likely to replace, namely CPU, graphics and RAM. Personally, I'd never consider buying a $500 video card. I'd buy a $300 card. And 1.5-2 years later another $300 card. That would be a helluva lot better than $600 at the start. Same with CPU. But to each his own, long as you have the money.

Appreciate the feedback guys! The main purpose is to have a PC that I only open up to clean instead of replacing parts, I have replaced 2 video cards and 1 PSU on this current PC, which I find good for 5 years of life.

So would you give the thumbs up for this list posted by lordsphinx? (besides the case suggestion)

[kopcap]

I'd get bigger disks, especially 1TB may not be enough to last 5 years. I think video is an overkill. And I'd definitely stay away from H80 cooler, just get a decent aircooler.

[lordsphinx]

I'd get bigger disks, especially 1TB may not be enough to last 5 years.

Trying to stay in budget while not sacrificing quality. External HDDs are cheap and easy for bulk storage if you run out.

I think video is an overkill.

Depends on the resolution / desired FPS (should have filled out the sticky BTW). If you want 3 monitors @ 1440P+, you're gonna need this card or more.

And I'd definitely stay away from H80 cooler, just get a decent aircooler.

Again, with a $2500 build, why would you limit yourself to aircooling? You're going to get far better overclocking performance out of a closed loop water cooler, and they are far easier to install. There is no need to push someone away from watercooling. Stop that.

[kopcap]

Again, with a $2500 build, why would you limit yourself to aircooling? You're going to get far better overclocking performance out of a closed loop water cooler, and they are far easier to install. There is no need to push someone away from watercooling. Stop that.

Because a good aircooler such as Noctua NH-D14 is cheaper, quieter and more reliable than H80i.

ps http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...q320,3380.html

[lordsphinx]

For those of us that took the time to read the article, the entire first page is devoted to how bad these huge air coolers are for our motherboards. Yes, they are better in the dba/temp coparison, and they are cheaper...

That said, the OP has plenty of room in his budget for the closed loop cooler, and the case I recommended is renowned for its sound dampening design. Add to that the ease of install, and I’m taking the closed loop liquid cooler any day of the week.

Even with the point / counter point, I will completely agree that the Noctua is an excellent CPU cooler. OP, if you decide that you want air cooling, the referenced cooler is definitely boss.

[Grath]

Would it be wise to go 12 gig ram instead of 8?

[lordsphinx]

Would it be wise to go 12 gig ram instead of 8?

No, 8 gig is enough for all but the most intense applications. If you were runnung a CAD station or 3D modeling / rendering then 16 would be advised, but 8 is good for everything else.