help fine tune the parts - gaming rig for next few years

[hlx]

Hi all,
I've made this thread yesterday - http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/...-buy-a-new-rig - and after getting some good advice I am going forward with building my new gaming rig. Hoping you guys will help me a bit

What I'm going after is something that won't be crazy cutting edge but good enough to last next 2-3 years allowing me to play most fresh AAA titles on around ultra level (at least for 2 years out of those 3).

Budget - $1500 - thats the amount I can spend before feeling bad about spending too much cash on a gaming rig. If there is a good reason to go pass that number - it won't be a problem
Resolution - 1920 x 1200
Games - WoW primarily + anything that comes out and looks good
Streaming/Recording - Want to start streaming with new rig or at least record raids in WoW for further viewing
Country - Poland
Parts that I have - 24" screen, Razer mouse+keyboard, OCZ 128GB SSD
Operating System - will be getting Win7

• CPU: Intel Core i5 4670K 3,40 GHz BOX (~$280) - is there a reason to take "K" model? is it worth spending a bit more and get the i7?
• Motherboard: Asrock Z87 EXTREME4 (~$150) - I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing here, just took the one that seemed cheap and compatible with a lot of positive comments
• GPU: GeForce GTX 770 Gigabyte 4GB 2xDVI&HDMI&DP (~$490) - should I go for 4GB version? or maybe pick a different manufacturer?
• Memory: Kingston HyperX DDR3 2x 8GB 1600 MHz CL9 XMP Beast (~$230)
• PSU: XFX Core 650W 135mm 80+ SLI PSU (~$100) - again, no idea if that's a good pick? should I go lower or higher with the power output?
• Cooler: Noctua NH-U12P SE2 (~$90)
• Case: Corsair Carbide Series 200R Case, Black (~$70) - no need for fancy aesthetics there, preferably controls+usb+audio on top/near top of the case

Right so thats the initial pick. I am aware it might be completely off - that's why I'm asking for advise.
Couple of questions to go with that:

• if I'm building a rig to last couple of years would it be more beneficial to go with i7?
• is 4gb GPU worth the increase in price?
• should I go for the same manufacturer of GPU and MoBo (better synergy?)?

ok I think that's that - let me know your thoughts.

[Lapetos]

For gaming the i7 wouldn't benefit you more at all, the K version of what you selected basically means it's overclockable... which is what you want for you to make it handle games even better especially WoW. It's a good selection.
It's not worth getting the 4gb version of the GPU unless you're going for a multi monitor(eyefinity) or larger screen/much larger resolution. So you could look at a standard possibly gigabyte version of that card, or even a gtx780 or R9 290x card if you want more power to last you.
The Ram seems overkill/overpriced. .. perhaps 2 x 4gb if it's mainly gaming...
Just something brief but someone more helpful will hopefully reply with a better list of suggestions.

Edit: also if looking to be recording, may wanna grab yourself a 1tb Western digital 7200 speed hard drive to record to.

[hlx]

thanks for that - what about motherboard? good pick? bad pick? as mentioned it was complete shot in the dark.

[Deleted]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($329.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($139.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($499.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1429.39
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-26 08:16 EST-0500)

Motherboard is perfectly fine, GPU is not great value for money outside of niche uses (e.g. Skyrim with a crapton of mods). You can conceivably change the CPU to the i5-4670k to save an additional $100. Gone for 16GB of RAM for easier streaming, though ytou'll want to check your 'Net connection's upstream.

[hlx]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($329.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($139.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($499.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1429.39
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-26 08:16 EST-0500)

Motherboard is perfectly fine, GPU is not great value for money outside of niche uses (e.g. Skyrim with a crapton of mods). You can conceivably change the CPU to the i5-4670k to save an additional $100. Gone for 16GB of RAM for easier streaming, though ytou'll want to check your 'Net connection's upstream.

thanks for that however your prices are nowhere near what I will have to pay. to give you the example - GPU suggested goes for ~$660 at the very least. I can get it, big question is if there is a real reason to add around 40% to the price of the GPU I picked.

- - - Updated - - -

For gaming the i7 wouldn't benefit you more at all, the K version of what you selected basically means it's overclockable... which is what you want for you to make it handle games even better especially WoW. It's a good selection.

just re-read that. does that mean I should overclock that CPU once I set up everything? Given my little experience in that region that's not something I would be comfortable with. Also won't this shorten the life of a CPU?

[Lapetos]

Unless you plan on keeping it for 10 years then how much an overclock will shorten then CPUs life won't even come into the equation... I think it was a moderator here who estimated it would bring the life down from 10-15yrs of your cpu working to 9-14 years... so even if you had the system that long it's negligible.
The overclock is simple, you can adjust the clock without adjusting voltages and get yourself a safe boost immediately... your computer will stop you to a degree from causing damage before you can.
I was nervous myself with overclocking... couple of clicks later got my 3570k to 4.4ghz. Although if it was 5+ years ago would of been a different story.

[hlx]

thanks, I'm going to go with the overclock version then.
I remember overclocking one of my radeon cards about 10 years ago with very possible risk of frying the whole thing - didn't want to take a chance now

if I'm going with OC version - is my choice for cooler still ok or should I maybe get a better one? or it doesn't matter?

[Lapetos]

The H60 listed above is quite decent as is the Noctua, so I think it's acase of money you want to spend and looks. I prefer the liquid cooling due to amount of room it leaves.

[Deleted]

Do you have the amount in the currency that you have available? That would help immensely.

[hlx]

Do you have the amount in the currency that you have available? That would help immensely.

stated in first post? around $1500

[Deleted]

stated in first post? around $1500

I meant the local currency to you. Because I'm pretty sure we have some Polish people who know where the online stores are.

[hlx]

apologies for necroing own thread but I'm getting closer to final decision.

currently I am leaning towards i5 and GeForce GTX 770 (OP lists 4gb version, if not needed can go with 2gb) - could I get some help on which manufacturer should I pick? is there a noticeable difference between them? I heard that getting same manufacturer of GPU and MoBo is a good thing - true/false?

alternatively I could go for suggested here EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB which would add a bit too much to my budget but is still on the table - is getting 780 over 770 worth it in my build?

[JosephStylin]

My advice is to always buy the best single GPU you can afford. I have the gtx 780 and I don't regret it at all, but you can still go with a gtx 770 and be quite happy with the performance. DO NOT get the 4gb version of the gtx 770 as the extra ram is only useful in very few scenarios and if you have to ask if you need the extra VRAM, you don't need the extra VRAM. That being said, gigabyte, evga, asus and MSI all make good products, get a card from one of those manufacturers.

[Lapetos]

It's basically what you can afford. The 780 will do you better for upcoming new titles for a bit longer... depends how keen you are to always play in Ultra really.
Gigabyte are well known for good cooling and quality generally, reason i've stuck with them for my GPUs where possible.
In terms of same manufacturer from mobo as GPU, well it's not been discussed too much in the forums, and not all that often in people's build guides has GPU and mobo brands matched... so can't help you there.
Personally got an MSI mobo and had no issues... saying that I've not heard brilliant reports on their GPUs. Again could be speculation, just I've heard less negatives on Gigabyte cards.