Gaming Setup - 1500-2000

[Irisia]

My current computer is nearing 6 years old and has been slowly dying these past months. When I got it, I just copied someone else's build, but this time I want to get a build of my own. I don't know much about computers, so I would love to get some feedback on the parts I have chosen so far. My budget is somewhere between 1,5k and 2k. The current total is 1550, leaving me ~500 for new monitors as well. I don't mind going a little higher, but only if there is a significant difference in performance.

I don't know much about what parts are good, so the list is mostly based of what parts have gotten good reviews or that I have seen in a lot of different builds. I did try to come up with a reason for choosing each part so the build wouldn't be completely random, and they are as follows (the parts in red is what i'm most unsure about):

CPU: I have no clue whats good or not, so I would love some feedback on weather I chose a good one of if I should get something else!
CPU Cooler: I want an air cooler, and this seemed like the one that a lot of people choose. People also say it's quiet, which is a nice bonus.
Motherboard: Mostly chose this board because if the 8 SATA ports, my current board only has 5, and I found that not to be enough.
Memory: I chose 2 x 8GB so I have room to upgrade later. Outside of that, I don't know if there are any preformance diffrences from having two 8GB vs four 4GB.
SSD: Never used SSD before, so would love some feedback on the one I chose!
Video Card: I want to stick to Nvidia, but outside of that I don't know if I should pick a different card.
Case: I have used a Cooler Master case for the past ~6 years and would like to stick to this brand. I also want a big case to make fitting everything as well as cable management easier.
Power Supply: I figured a modular power supply would be good so I can remove the cables I don't use. Other than that I'm not sure how higher wattage I should go for.


My list so far:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($218.96 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($169.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($144.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($198.70 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($328.21 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master HAF X ATX Full Tower Case ($169.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair 760W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1550.81


I also want new monitors and was thinking about two ASUS VS278Q-P Ultrafast 1ms 27-Inch LED-Lit Monitor. Is 27-inch too big / are there any better options out there?

Anyway, thanks for reading and any feedback would be very appreciated!

[Deleted]

A few notes:
- Haswell refresh is out so no reason to get a 4670k, go with 4690k/4790k and Z97 mobo.
- You didn't mention if this rig is for strictly gaming, or if it involves video recording/rendering, streaming other work etc. so i picked the i7 if not then drop to then i5.
- You don't need 16GB or ram unless you are doing so heavy video rendering.
- Case, half x was cool 5 years ago but case "tec" has evolved since then. I had it myself, wouldn't reckon it for a new build, good air flow loads! of dust-no filters.
- Psu, 750W is alot unless you play to sli/xfire, for any single card 550 is enough. The system below unless overclocking both cpu/gpu further won't even break 450W at full load. So the 650 proposed, besides quality, offers alot of headroom for that overclock and age degradation.
- Very good double monitor setup. The one you got linked is 27" at 1080p/60Hz. I would say 27" for those specs is too much. For 1080p/60Hz i would consider 24" the max.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($339.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock 3 113.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($143.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($76.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital AV-GP 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.00 @ B&H)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 780 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($479.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($105.20 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($96.99 @ Best Buy)
Monitor: Dell P2414H 60Hz 23.8" Monitor ($207.00 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Dell P2414H 60Hz 23.8" Monitor ($207.00 @ Newegg)
Total: $1995.63
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available


edit: i assumed you need o/s as well. For about same performance you can go for a R9 290 gpu and save 130bucks.

[Deleted]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: NZXT HAVIK 140 90.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($60.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($113.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($76.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($212.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($104.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 780 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($449.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($105.20 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Dell U2414H 60Hz 23.8" Monitor ($259.00 @ Adorama)
Total: $1723.63
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

GPU - If you "refuse" to buy AMD then I'd go with a 780, a 770 with 2GB vRAM at this point is just not worth it in my opinion. My personal choice would have been this Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Tri-X @ $390, much better price to performance.

PSU - The RM750 is really only if you could see yourself SLI 780's in the future. Otherwise something like this would be fine EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular $70

Motherboard - Just a solid board at a great price with the features you would need. "Only" 6 SATA ports but do you actually need to connect more than 6 drives?

RAM - Just a great deal for the speed, there is nothing in your description indicating you would need 16GB.

SSD - Twice the capacity for about the same price. Crucial is reliable and the performance is good. You could just save half with the 256GB model.

Case - A full tower even with dual GPU is really not needed, something like the one I suggested has great cable management options, all filtered, quiet, less money.

If you want to stick with Cooler Master then I would suggest either of these:

Cooler Master Storm Stryker (White) $120
Cooler Master Storm Trooper $150

Monitor - I won't recommend 27" @1080p it's simply too few pixels. Here is a review of the Dell IPS I recommend. Better picture quality and more accurate colors, great viewing angles and good assortment of connections and monitor adjustments. The Dell P2414H is almost as good, different connections layout but also cheaper.

For 27" I'd look at a 1440p monitor but you should be getting at least GTX 780 or preferably the AMD 290.

Asus PB278Q $480 || Review

CPUHS - Not really better or worse just (to me) more aesthetically pleasing and fits the build.

Recent video review/overview of the motherboard in my build suggestion:

[Deleted]

An alternative build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($339.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($99.25 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($143.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Trident X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($78.30 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital AV-GP 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.00 @ B&H)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 780 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($479.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT H440 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer K272HULbmiidp 60Hz 27.0" Monitor ($329.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1950.46
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Notable differences form the intiial build include:

1) Core i7-4790k over the 4670k;
2) changed the cooler to the Noctua NH-D15, to compensate for any tall RAM;
3) 2400MHz on the RAM for a similar price tot he 2133MHz in the others;
4) Changed the motherboard to the Z97-A;
5) Gone for GTX780 in there, although the R9-290 with aftermarket coolers really do offer comparable performance across the board;
6) RM650 should be everything you need;
7) Case is the amazing H440 mid tower sound-resistant case;
8) Single 1440p monitor instead of the dual-1080ps in the other builds.

[Deleted]

There is no reason for the i7 other than "you can fit it in the budget".

Not opposed to the Asus motherboard, I happen to like Asus boards, just no other reason.

I think $40 extra is a lot to pay to "fit tall RAM", performance is obviously good so you have to consider if you need to push your overlock or have something slightly quieter.

Not a fan of the monitor choice, other than it's cheap

[Low Hanging Fruit]

Before I jump in and lego a build together I need some questions answered.

1. What is your planned resolution? 1080p? Going up to 1440p? I will go ahead and say 4k is out of the price range for now.

(1080p is current HD standard)

2. What games do you play? Is Ultra, High, or Standard settings your level of desire in these games?

(Very, very important question to answer as honestly as possible)

3. Do you video edit, sound edit, do a lot of recording, and production?

(Not as important, but if you do have certain plans it can shift some money around a bit)

4. It sounds like you need a monitor. Is the goal of this monitor to be best picture, best gaming performance, best combination of the two?

(Pretty important to pull it all together, keep in mind the 1080p, 1440p thing for sure)

With that information we can get a really good PC built with your budget. It just boils down to where you put money, where, and why.

[May90]

There is no reason for the i7 other than "you can fit it in the budget".

Most modern games utilize all 4-6 cores effectively, especially RTS games and MMOs. So, no, I would pick i7 over i5 every time. But that's just me.

I really like Kostattoo's config, I think that's what I would go with if I was choosing a config for $2000.

[Deleted]

Most modern games utilize all 4-6 cores effectively, especially RTS games and MMOs. So, no, I would pick i7 over i5 every time. But that's just me.

I really like Kostattoo's config, I think that's what I would go with if I was choosing a config for $2000.

A few extra FPS in some games is not necessarily worth $110 extra.

[May90]

A few extra FPS in some games is not necessarily worth $110 extra.

It depends. If these few FPS is 200 FPS and 210 FPS, probably is not worth it. If it is 30 FPS and 40 FPS, it is more then worth it.

Besides, in processor heavy games (RTS, for example) the difference between 2 cores and 4 cores at the same frequency can be really huge; not two times, but maybe 1.6 or so. I think, since we are talking about a sum of $2000, $100 difference is just 5%, and you bet you will get much bigger increase of FPS than 5% in most cases.

[Deleted]

the difference between 2 cores and 4 cores

They're both 4 core processors, one processor has hyperthreading.

If these few FPS is 200 FPS and 210 FPS, probably is not worth it. If it is 30 FPS and 40 FPS, it is more then worth it.

5% difference vs ~33%

[Remilia]

Well a new review by a different author for a 27" 2560x1440 on TFT Central appeared. As it's written by a different author he maybe went a bit TOO in depth but also lacking in some areas that
Anyone that likes monitors will see what I mean.
I'd like to see like the pixel response including overshoots, back panel flickering measurement, a less contrived measurement of the default set up, tweaked and then calibrated. A better viewing angle test would be better and back light bleeding. Most people won't understand it and to the extent that I do it is very unnecessary, and just way too much. You'll get the waaay too long didn't read impression. I appreciate showing dE 1994 and dE 2000 differences but... so not necessary.

AOC Q2770PQU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824160178
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/aoc_q2770pqu.htm

tl;dr it's a decent choice for $500.

[Deleted]

It's $500 at Amazon btw

[Deleted]

Most modern games utilize all 4-6 cores effectively, especially RTS games and MMOs. So, no, I would pick i7 over i5 every time. But that's just me.

I really like Kostattoo's config, I think that's what I would go with if I was choosing a config for $2000.

Well, it might matter in the future.

Today you'll see same FPS with i5 and i7 across the board, since limiting factors will be the same. Either single core performance or GPU.

[Irisia]

Thanks for all the replies so far!

Before I jump in and lego a build together I need some questions answered.

1. What is your planned resolution? 1080p? Going up to 1440p? I will go ahead and say 4k is out of the price range for now.

(1080p is current HD standard)

2. What games do you play? Is Ultra, High, or Standard settings your level of desire in these games?

(Very, very important question to answer as honestly as possible)

3. Do you video edit, sound edit, do a lot of recording, and production?

(Not as important, but if you do have certain plans it can shift some money around a bit)

4. It sounds like you need a monitor. Is the goal of this monitor to be best picture, best gaming performance, best combination of the two?

(Pretty important to pull it all together, keep in mind the 1080p, 1440p thing for sure)

With that information we can get a really good PC built with your budget. It just boils down to where you put money, where, and why.

Sorry for not including this info already, taught I had covered everything important, but clearly not!

1. What is your planned resolution?
1080p

2. What games do you play? Is Ultra, High, or Standard settings your level of desire in these games?
I mostly play WoW (25man raiding) and would like to play at High or Ultra settings. Outside of WoW I play most of the new games as they are realeased. As of right now, im waiting for the new Borderlands game this automne, but I also plan on getting the FarCry game and GTA 5 once it's out. I would prefer to play these games (Borderlands and FarCry at least) at ultra settings.

3. Do you video edit, sound edit, do a lot of recording, and production?
No.

4. It sounds like you need a monitor. Is the goal of this monitor to be best picture, best gaming performance, best combination of the two?
I want a dual monitor setup and I value picture quality over gaming performance. My current monitor is at 5ms response time, don't mind going higher if I won't notice it, but lower would also be good! If 27" is too big, then I don't mind sticking to 24".


I also keep seeing the Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard as a recommendation. What exactly makes it better than the one I put in the list? As I mentioned, 5 SATA ports on my current motherboards wasn't enough (if have 1 HDD and the Optical Drive not plugged in because all ports are used), so dropping down to 4 doesn't seem too attractive.

[Remilia]

Dell U2414H would be up your alley in terms of monitor.

[Deleted]

For your usage a 4690k performs equally well as a 4790k, and latter is practically a waste of money.

About the Z97-A - it's just a solid motherboard for the price. If it has too few SATA ports you can switch it to something else. What you want from a motherboard in this case is basically z97 chipset, decent power controller (a thread with lots of info regarding to those). Most extra features are there for marketing purposes (for example killer network), convenience of installation/overclocking or better audio quality. Mind you, even the best motherboard audio is rather mediocre.

It also decides your PCs form factor. If you want a more compact PC, you could go mATX or even mini ITX if you so wish. In most cases there are few downsides to choosing mATX form factor, but mITX limits you to single GPU and you can't have expansion cards.

If you choose to buy a 1080p screen, a 280X or GTX 770 will be quite adequate. If you go for 1440p, for games other than WoW I'd recommend at least 780.

[Low Hanging Fruit]

Thanks for all the replies so far!




Sorry for not including this info already, taught I had covered everything important, but clearly not!

I also keep seeing the Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard as a recommendation. What exactly makes it better than the one I put in the list? As I mentioned, 5 SATA ports on my current motherboards wasn't enough (if have 1 HDD and the Optical Drive not plugged in because all ports are used), so dropping down to 4 doesn't seem too attractive.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H105 73.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($114.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($159.99 @ Best Buy)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 4GB Dual Superclocked ACX Video Card ($389.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case ($129.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower Grand 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($165.20 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VX279Q 60Hz 27.0" Monitor ($279.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VX279Q 60Hz 27.0" Monitor ($279.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $2005.11
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Alright soaking up what you said I went with a few things here.

1. Went with a MB that has 10 SATA 6gig slots. It will kick that SSD above into overdrive, and leave you 9 slots to fill. Sounded like you had a lot of that already. For that reason I also left off a mass storage device because what you got should work for your media and stuff like that which takes up a lot of space. Also I really like the ASRock brand.

2. Went with the newest i5(k) and 8gigs of ram. Reason being is without a lot of editing and production in your forte I don't see a lot of reason to push it beyond this now. If 16 gig does become a gaming staple in the future you still have 2 open slots to get it there as well. I certainly wouldn't worry about getting it up to 32 gig.

3. Got you a newer gen SSD. It will be fast enough. Since you are new to the SSD game this is how it works more or less. Put your OS on it. Put your most important/heavily used programs on it only. You sound like someone that raids a bit in WoW so having it on it would be great for those nights you are progressing and wiping so that loading bar zips across the screen when running into that instance over and over. Just use your older storage devices for your steam library and stuff like that. Doesn't gain you a whole lot of performance minus loading times anyway.

4. The video card I put in here is pretty much the boss of the 770's. 4gigs of video ram and pretty soupy clocked GPU from the box -- and it like its cooler. This thing will crush 1080p gaming today and be very strong in the next generation as well. You do have AMD options here as well. Don't be afraid to research, but if it was my money this is the one I would likely go with. Take that as you will.

5. Got you a really quality power supply from a brand that hasn't ever let me down. When the parts I put on the list you will be using just south of 450 watts. This is a 750 watt PSU. So first thought is over kill. But I did take into consideration you had like a ton of HDDs you could transplant into this thing. You seem like the type of person that likes that storage space. It also gives you a ton of over hang for things like future video card upgrades that have an unknown factor on them when it comes to power use. Also I notice you hold onto systems for a good run. PSUs lose punch the longer they live and headway prevents any worry with a little derogation. Personally I always go a little high with PSUs but it has never let me down and nothing sucks more than having to upgrade a PSU when you don't have enough power down the road.

6. Two beautiful monitors of the 27 inch. Great company and great customer support just in case dead pixels or anything like that happen in shipping (so important with monitors). They are bright, color rich, and to the resolution you want. Also not terrible for gaming with moderately well response times and 60htz refresh rate. I wouldn't worry to much about refresh rate stuff unless you are a esports champion in CS:GO or something similar. I also really love the frameless look on them.

7. Should be noted I also did a little color coding with the parts. This did add a little money into it here or there (20-25$). But it is something I do when I build this stuff because I like it to look decent as well. After all we are talking about something that is 2 grand and sitting next to you.

8. Case. Very subjective with these things for people. But I just like the ease of dust filer removal and build type of the corsair boxes. I really like the material they ship in so damage doesn't occur. Plus they look clean and have been in the game long enough to have all the normal good stuff. Don't be affraid to look for something you might like better though. But I promise you building in that case will be a dream.

[Remilia]

I'll be honest. Asus, is a pretty meh manufacturer for monitors, and I'm not seeing why that one in particular is even $300 (prior to rebate).

That PSU is overkill at 160... seriously.
You can get something like these at that price point and cheaper.
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-pow...ply-p1750bbefx
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seasoni...upply-ssr750rm
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seasoni...upply-ss750km3
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-rm750

4GB 770 isn't necessary as majority of the time it's the memory bandwidth (256bit) that's going to bottle neck the card itself. There are some exceptions for games but you'd rather go for a R9-290 or 780 from the saved money from PSU.

Sandforce controller SSD, ehhh... has reliability issues.

There are cheaper RAM at 1866MHz.
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/kingsto...-hx318c10frk28

Just go with either Notarget's or chicken's.

[Deleted]

H105 is quite unnecessary as well.