First Time Build Looking for Lots of Help

[uyMammoth]

Hello all,

I'm new to the community, though I've been visiting MMO-C frequently for quite sometime now and decided it was time to sign up as I had some questions for the community in regards to building my first PC. The community seems to be really helpful and knowledgeable.

So, I've seen some help with other builds here so I think I know how to structure this.

Budget: $2,000 - $2,500
Resolution: 1920x1800 at 1080P
Games / Settings Desired: WoW, Guild Wars II, Diablo III, Sims 3 & 4 (eventually), Borderlands 2, Bio Shock Infinite, etc., as well as future games. And I'd like them to run all on Ultra / Max settings.
Any other intensive software or special things you do (Frequent video encoding, 3D modeling, etc): I do plan on purchasing some photo editing software after the build. Any recommendations on software would be appreciated, just need something to edit RAW files etc..
Country: Canada.
Parts that can be reused: None.
Do you need an OS?: Yes.
Do you need peripherals (e.g. monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc)?: I will most likely be getting a second monitor later on, so I'd like the build to be able to support that but as of the moment one is enough. Again recommendations are appreciated but it doesn't need to be included in the build.

I've tried putting some parts together on pcppartpicker.com but I really have no idea where to start, or what it is exactly I need to do what it is that I want to do. I've also seen and read a few builds here in the forums (as well as "Marest's Sample Builds" but it would be nice to get some explanations and advice on parts I may or may not need. I'm really looking for quality over quantity.

The only part that I have my heart set on is the case: Corsair Obsidian 750D Black ATX Full Tower Case. I just like the way it looks and it seems to have decent reviews.

Now, I know very little to almost nothing about the parts, number's / percentages, lingo, etc. of computers though I have been trying to read and watch what I can but most of the time it all seems quite complicated and intimidates me a great deal. So a little patience would be much appreciated as I'm sure I'll be having lots of "noob-ish" questions. I am eager and ready to learn though, this is something I've been thinking of doing for a while and I can't wait to get started!

Thank you all for your help in advance!

If you have any questions I'll try to answer them the best that I can.

- UPDATE - Forecasted build based on feedback (more suggestions welcome)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($369.00 @ Canada Computers)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($84.99 @ Memory Express)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($210.84 @ DirectCanada)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($169.48 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($170.86 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.79 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Superclocked ACX Video Card ($559.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case ($152.91 @ DirectCanada)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($109.99 @ Memory Express)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.50 @ Vuugo)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($105.84 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $2043.18
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-30 11:38 EDT-0400)

Still have some room in the budget to play around with if anyone has some more suggestions.

This is what I was thinking based on all the feedback given. Will most likely switch out the CPU and motherboard when the new ones come out this summer as was suggested. In regards to the CPU cooler, I didn't want to go with water cooling as I most likely won't be overclocking right away and if I do it seems like this fan can handle it. Plus if the new CPU's coming out are cooler I don't think I'll need the water cooling?

Just want to make sure the PSU is enough to handle everything and quite possibly two 780's as well as a dual screen set up.

And some final questions for aesthetics / misc.:

1. I was wondering if anyone had recommendations on a media card reader (internal), want to get something to read my SD's cards for photos, etc.

2. Suggestions for case lighting? What do I need to get? Is it worth it?

3. Do I need any extra fans or any other addons that would be beneficial at all?

Thank you again for all the help!

[Zlebar]

This is probably what I would go with if I had your budget, these are the highest quality parts.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.79 @ DirectCanada)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($119.99 @ Memory Express)
Motherboard: EVGA Z87 FTW ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($219.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($169.48 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($167.84 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.75 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Dual Superclocked ACX Video Card ($389.99 @ Memory Express)
Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case ($152.91 @ DirectCanada)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX750B BRONZE 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.99 @ Memory Express)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($19.75 @ Vuugo)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($98.79 @ DirectCanada)
Monitor: Asus VE278Q 27.0" Monitor ($265.97 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $1985.24
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-24 13:22 EDT-0400)

This is on the low end. If you would like to spend closer to $2500, I would recommend getting 2 major upgrade differences: GTX 780 ti and a 4770k, the GTX 780 ti is almost twice as good as the GTX 770 but it is almost always more than overkill.

Just personally what I would build. You can always go for a ASUS Maximus VI Hero instead of the EVGA FTW, but both are great options.

[Deleted]

I would probably go with:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($339.99 @ NCIX)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($119.99 @ Memory Express)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($154.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($162.50 @ Vuugo)
Storage: Crucial M500 480GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($259.99 @ NCIX)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.75 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Vapor-X Video Card ($563.63 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case ($152.91 @ DirectCanada)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12G 650W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($109.47 @ Newegg Canada)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($16.79 @ DirectCanada)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($98.79 @ DirectCanada)
Monitor: Dell U2312HM 23.0" Monitor ($299.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $2344.78
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-24 13:33 EDT-0400)

I picked the i7 due to room in the budget. You can easily drop it down to the 4670k and you wont notice it in performance.
Nice big SSD. Again due to room in the budget. You can drop it down to the 240 model.
Good cooled 290. If you rather have an nvidia card I would go with the 780. Imo the 780ti and 290x arent worth their money.

[uyMammoth]

This is on the low end. If you would like to spend closer to $2500, I would recommend getting 2 major upgrade differences: GTX 780 ti and a 4770k, the GTX 780 ti is almost twice as good as the GTX 770 but it is almost always more than overkill.

It might be overkill now to go with the 4770k and the GTX 780 ti but will it be worth it down the line? As in if I spend it now I won't have to spend it later? Also what "model" of the GTX 780 ti would you recommend?

You can always go for a ASUS Maximus VI Hero instead of the EVGA FTW, but both are great options.

And what's the difference between these two? Is it just down to personal preference? As I said I wouldn't know much of anything in regards to specs.

- - - Updated - - -

I picked the i7 due to room in the budget. You can easily drop it down to the 4670k and you wont notice it in performance.

Well I don't plan on overclocking because I have no idea how to do that or if it would be worth it. Would that make a difference in choosing which to go with?

Nice big SSD. Again due to room in the budget. You can drop it down to the 240 model.

What would I be putting in the SSD exactly though? Or what is recommended? The OS I assume but I can't think of what else I would put on it to justify that much storage. Would it be my photo editing software and the photos themselves or just games I want to load faster or is that completely separate?

Good cooled 290. If you rather have an nvidia card I would go with the 780. Imo the 780ti and 290x arent worth their money.

May I ask why you say they're not worth it? Is it simply the amount of performance I would be getting in comparison to the price?

[Zlebar]

Unless you plan on getting one of the new 4k res screens(they are ungodly expensive), the model you get of the 780 ti really doesn't matter, you will probably not be able to use it to it's full potential any time in the next year of gaming. I would just recommend buying EVGA, they are long lasting and well built. I have had 3 different EVGA cards since I was 15 years old.... I'm 24 now(and on my 3rd card) and none of them have died(7800 GT, GTX 465, and now an ACX GTX 770).

As far as the motherboards go, they are both very very good. The EVGA FTW supports dual bios, so if you are ever trying to flash a bios update and something goes wrong you can still run the old bios and everything is not just lost(this is a really cool feature for anyone who has ever had a bios update go wrong) The Asus Maximus Hero has 2 PCI-E 16x 3.0 ports therefor it would be better for SLI/Crossfire(given the chips you are selecting I would not recommend this). They are both top of the line products made by reputable companies. I would be comfortable using either. The Maximus hero has been out longer and probably is at a little bit more stable point in it's lifecycle although like I said I personally would be comfortable using either.

[Deleted]

Well I don't plan on overclocking because I have no idea how to do that or if it would be worth it. Would that make a difference in choosing which to go with?

Overclocking is a bit more tricky with haswell I think. Or well, the chips dont OC as easy as previous generations. It is just a "free" performance upgrade (you need to get a proper cooler). For most games it wont matter all that much that are out now, except CPU heavy games such as WOW. But in a couple of years it might be possible to OC the cpu so you dont have the upgrade to a new cpu.

What would I be putting in the SSD exactly though? Or what is recommended? The OS I assume but I can't think of what else I would put on it to justify that much storage. Would it be my photo editing software and the photos themselves or just games I want to load faster or is that completely separate?

The OS, games and most used programs. I personally just use it for the OS and games. I have 2 ssds atm. A 120 ssd for the OS and a recently bought 240 gb one for games. And I find that the 240 one is almost full again. Granted BF4 and TESO is on it.

May I ask why you say they're not worth it? Is it simply the amount of performance I would be getting in comparison to the price?

Basicly yeah, but that is my opinion. The 290 performs pretty much equal to the 290x. The 780 ti isnt that much ahead, but costs even more. The 290 and 780 perform pretty equal to each other, but the 290 is a bit cheaper. You just pay more for not that much of an performance increase. For the price of a 780ti + 100 euro (Dutch prices) you can get 2x 290 and that will blow a 780ti out of the water And also taken into account that you will be most likely be playing on 1080p a 290/780 will be more than enough for the coming years.

[uyMammoth]

Unless you plan on getting one of the new 4k res screens(they are ungodly expensive), the model you get of the 780 ti really doesn't matter, you will probably not be able to use it to it's full potential any time in the next year of gaming. I would just recommend buying EVGA, they are long lasting and well built. I have had 3 different EVGA cards since I was 15 years old.... I'm 24 now(and on my 3rd card) and none of them have died(7800 GT, GTX 465, and now an ACX GTX 770).

As far as the motherboards go, they are both very very good. The EVGA FTW supports dual bios, so if you are ever trying to flash a bios update and something goes wrong you can still run the old bios and everything is not just lost(this is a really cool feature for anyone who has ever had a bios update go wrong) The Asus Maximus Hero has 2 PCI-E 16x 3.0 ports therefor it would be better for SLI/Crossfire(given the chips you are selecting I would not recommend this). They are both top of the line products made by reputable companies. I would be comfortable using either. The Maximus hero has been out longer and probably is at a little bit more stable point in it's lifecycle although like I said I personally would be comfortable using either.

Thank you for the reply but I must apologise, the selling point for each motherboards you posted went completely over my head. Unfortunately I have no idea what a bios is (even after reading up on it), nor do I know what a PCI-E 16x 3.0 port or what SLI/Crossfire was referring to. I do appreciate the reply. Just don't understand all the really technical bits.

- - - Updated - - -

Overclocking is a bit more tricky with haswell I think. Or well, the chips dont OC as easy as previous generations. It is just a "free" performance upgrade (you need to get a proper cooler). For most games it wont matter all that much that are out now, except CPU heavy games such as WOW. But in a couple of years it might be possible to OC the cpu so you dont have the upgrade to a new cpu.

Tricky is not good for me on my first build but if I should be able to run everything fine not OC'd then I'm happy.

The OS, games and most used programs. I personally just use it for the OS and games. I have 2 ssds atm. A 120 ssd for the OS and a recently bought 240 gb one for games. And I find that the 240 one is almost full again. Granted BF4 and TESO is on it.

Ah, okay, that makes sense. Thank you. Is it better to have the OS on a separate SSD or does it not matter?

Basicly yeah, but that is my opinion. The 290 performs pretty much equal to the 290x. The 780 ti isnt that much ahead, but costs even more. The 290 and 780 perform pretty equal to each other, but the 290 is a bit cheaper. You just pay more for not that much of an performance increase. For the price of a 780ti + 100 euro (Dutch prices) you can get 2x 290 and that will blow a 780ti out of the water And also taken into account that you will be most likely be playing on 1080p a 290/780 will be more than enough for the coming years.

I have to say I think I'm leaning more towards a 780 or 780 ti. But was wondering if I could start with just a single 780 and then in a few years if need be just get a second 780 to keep up? Or is that not how it works?

- - - Updated - - -

And I have to say I'd be a little nervous with having a CPU cooler that use water. I would be worrying quite a bit about a leak or something like that. Is that a high risk?

Would any of you have a recommendation for a fan solution or is it just definitely better to go with a water CPU cooler?

[Deleted]

Tricky is not good for me on my first build but if I should be able to run everything fine not OC'd then I'm happy.

I meant more that they OC a bit more difficult compared to the previous generation. It still isnt all that difficult But it is up to you if you want the option or not. If not, than you can get either the i7 4770 (without the k) or even the xeon 1230 v3. It is only 200 mHz slower than the 4770 and lacks the iGPU.

Ah, okay, that makes sense. Thank you. Is it better to have the OS on a separate SSD or does it not matter?

Doesnt really matter, I just have 2 SSDs at the moment and decided I gonna fill up the big one first and after that I will use the one with the OS.

I have to say I think I'm leaning more towards a 780 or 780 ti. But was wondering if I could start with just a single 780 and then in a few years if need be just get a second 780 to keep up? Or is that not how it works?

That is possible.

And I have to say I'd be a little nervous with having a CPU cooler that use water. I would be worrying quite a bit about a leak or something like that. Is that a high risk?

Would any of you have a recommendation for a fan solution or is it just definitely better to go with a water CPU cooler?

The water coolers are good, they tend not to leak at all. They are tested etc and are maintance free. But if you want an air cooler you can get one of those as well. I am a bit out of the recent air coolers tho. But you can take a look at the Noctua ND-14

[Deleted]

Unless you need he comp now, wait until Devil's Canyon K-series (June) and the Z97-chipset motherboards (May).

[uyMammoth]

I meant more that they OC a bit more difficult compared to the previous generation. It still isnt all that difficult But it is up to you if you want the option or not. If not, than you can get either the i7 4770 (without the k) or even the xeon 1230 v3. It is only 200 mHz slower than the 4770 and lacks the iGPU.

Well from what I'm seeing on pcpartpicker the i7 4770k is only $10 more than the i7 4770. So I think going with the i7 4770k is the better option even if I don't overclock from the start, it still gives me the option down the road when I'm ready.

That is possible.

If down the road I decide to go with two 780's will I need a new motherboard or will the ones suggested work or optimal for that? Also would I require a new power supply? If so a suggestion would be appreciated.

- - - Updated - - -

Unless you need he comp now, wait until Devil's Canyon K-series (June) and the Z97-chipset motherboards (May).

I don't need the PC at this very second now. It's just annoying to not be able to enjoy or even play certain games due to the massive limitations of what my current PC can handle.

If I do wait though, will the CPU and motherboard still fit in my budget? Do you think the improvement in performance will be worth waiting for? And what other parts would you recommend to go with those?

[Deleted]

If down the road I decide to go with two 780's will I need a new motherboard or will the ones suggested work or optimal for that? Also would I require a new power supply? If so a suggestion would be appreciated.

The motherboard I linked supports SLI. I think 780 SLI would work on the PSU I linked. But you could get the 750 watt model and just be sure

I don't need the PC at this very second now. It's just annoying to not be able to enjoy or even play certain games due to the massive limitations of what my current PC can handle.

If I do wait though, will the CPU and motherboard still fit in my budget? Do you think the improvement in performance will be worth waiting for? And what other parts would you recommend to go with those?

I think the cpu's are clocked slightly higher and have improved TIM (which should negate heat better and could potentially OC higher). And there are some new features on the new chipset. Nothing special tho, I think.
But if you could wait till June, I would probably wait for it. Prices are most likely similar, or slightly higher.

[uyMammoth]

I think the cpu's are clocked slightly higher and have improved TIM (which should negate heat better and could potentially OC higher). And there are some new features on the new chipset. Nothing special tho, I think.
But if you could wait till June, I would probably wait for it. Prices are most likely similar, or slightly higher.

Alright, I'll most likely wait for those then, thank you.

Was wondering about maybe going with two 760's. They come out to the same price as a single 780. Would I get better performance? Or should I stick with a 780 for now and wait to add another or upgrade later on?

[lordsphinx]

Alright, I'll most likely wait for those then, thank you.

Was wondering about maybe going with two 760's. They come out to the same price as a single 780. Would I get better performance? Or should I stick with a 780 for now and wait to add another or upgrade later on?

It's generally accepted that for a fresh new build, you are better going to a single stronger card vs a pair of weaker cards. This is for 3 reasons...

1.) If you decide you want to upgrade a couple years down the road, you can always get a second 780. If you went with 2 760s, you would need to replace both cards with whatever the newest model of card is at that time (more expensive)
2.) 2 cards uses more electricity, impedes airflow to your motherboard, and generates more heat. You will also need a slightly larger power supply to support two weaker cards vs one larger one.
3.) 2 GPUs in SLI / CFX configuration can exhibit a whole slew of problems that are unique to that configuration (aka microstuttering, poor/faulty drivers, not supported by brand new releases, top card getting really hot, throttling, the list goes on and on.

Long story short, for the same price it is almost always better to get one bigger card.

ps. I'm speaking from personal experience... If you look in my signature, I am currently using 2x GTX770's, and I'm experiencing some of the issues I mentioned. I saw a great sale on the GTX770 cards, and decided it was worth the money. At the end of the day, I would have been so much better off getting a 780 or 780ti.

[uyMammoth]

It's generally accepted that for a fresh new build, you are better going to a single stronger card vs a pair of weaker cards. This is for 3 reasons...

1.) If you decide you want to upgrade a couple years down the road, you can always get a second 780. If you went with 2 760s, you would need to replace both cards with whatever the newest model of card is at that time (more expensive)
2.) 2 cards uses more electricity, impedes airflow to your motherboard, and generates more heat. You will also need a slightly larger power supply to support two weaker cards vs one larger one.
3.) 2 GPUs in SLI / CFX configuration can exhibit a whole slew of problems that are unique to that configuration (aka microstuttering, poor/faulty drivers, not supported by brand new releases, top card getting really hot, throttling, the list goes on and on.

Long story short, for the same price it is almost always better to get one bigger card.

ps. I'm speaking from personal experience... If you look in my signature, I am currently using 2x GTX770's, and I'm experiencing some of the issues I mentioned. I saw a great sale on the GTX770 cards, and decided it was worth the money. At the end of the day, I would have been so much better off getting a 780 or 780ti.

Thank you for the reply, it's much appreciated. I'm looking to avoid as many problems as possible so I'll be going with single 780 or 780 ti then (still undecided).

[lordsphinx]

Thank you for the reply, it's much appreciated. I'm looking to avoid as many problems as possible so I'll be going with single 780 or 780 ti then (still undecided).

Just stick to the 780. The 780ti is crezy overkill for your uses. Unless you plan on running 7680x1440 res, you'll be wasting the 780ti, and wasting money.

[uyMammoth]

Just stick to the 780. The 780ti is crezy overkill for your uses. Unless you plan on running 7680x1440 res, you'll be wasting the 780ti, and wasting money.

I think I will, I won't be doing anything over 1080P so I'll take your advice.
Thanks!