Final thoughts before I purchase

[ovm33]

• Budget - $1500
• Resolution - 1080p (Moving into 4k later on as budget allows.
• Games / Settings Desired - MMO's (WoW, Rift, Eve.) Triple A Titles (Farcry 4, Shadows of Mordor Etc.) High / Ultra settings.
• Any other intensive software or special things you do (Frequent video encoding, 3D modeling, etc) - Lots of multi-tasking, but not really.
• Country - U.S. and a Microcenter is only about 30 minutes away.
• Parts that can be reused - None, old rig will be heading over to my parents place so my Mom can look at cat pictures or what not.
• Do you need an OS? - Yes, already accounted for.
• Do you need peripherals (e.g. monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc)? None Needed.

Created the following buy list. Intend to get all the parts at Microcenter as they will price match what is listed.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($326.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock 3 113.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($74.90 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($146.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($82.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.20 @ Directron)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($347.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair Air 540 ATX Mid Tower Case ($134.34 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Cooler Master 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Mwave)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.79 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($92.00 @ B&H)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Red 52.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($12.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Red 52.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($12.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Red 52.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($12.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Red 52.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($12.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1419.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-23 12:21 EST-0500

Anyone see any issues with the above? Would prefer to stay with MSI as I have had decent luck with them. I picked the 4790k over the 4690k for... reasons. I intend to do a very gentle OC of 5%.

Primary Concerns: Stability. I do work from home and need my rig to work. Period.
Secondary Concerns: Heat, it gets hot in my gaming room 75-80f during the summer. Would prefer not to go with liquid cooling, picked the cpu cooler based off previous suggestions on this board, but if anyone has thoughts on it.
Final Concern: Future proofing. Intend to upgrade RAM and get a second 970 to run in SLI as funds allow. Will my current power supply be enough or should I upgrade it?

Thanks in advance for any input. (Sorry about the wall of text.)

[Remilia]

I'd get this instead for the RAM.
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial...4g3d1609ds1s00
Cheaper, good company owned by Micron if you care, same performance, not actually a 1333MHz clocked to 1600 MHz.
http://www.corsair.com/en-us/vengean...y8gx3m2a1600c9
vs
http://www.crucial.com/ProductDispla...&storeId=10151
It also is needed to fit under the cooler

Do you really need 4 more case fans? It gets about that hot here and the two case fans that come with my R5 works to keep my stuff in safe temperature.

PSU I'd go with this instead: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-pow...ply-p1650bbefx

[grimsanta]

No SSD?

That's pretty much needed. It speeds up your computer so much (not for games, but load times are amazing).

[Aori]

$1500 and no SSD? Also if you're close to a Microcenter, get a CPU/Motherboard combo from them, they're usually far cheaper. You're overspending on some parts and 12.99 per fan is outrageous, unless you simply have to have that fan and have the money to do so but you don't even have an SSD.

[Lathais]

That PSU is way Overkill. Could save quite a bit there and squeeze in an SSD. Also, unless you are doing a lot of video encoding or other similar tasks, you don't really need an i7. You won;t notice much of a difference between the 2 after an OC.

[Deleted]

That PSU is way Overkill. Could save quite a bit there

I'll probably never understand why people - especially in pricey configs - always buy a cheap PSU. Invest in a premium PSU and don't just look at an absurdly high W number!
It's such an important component, but not as "sexy" as others, I guess.

[Thaelath]

Not a whole lot of give with the PSU. 750w is a bit overkill, but it's $90. Going cheaper means dipping into the lower tiers of PSU quality, which you don't wanna do. Since you're still under budget, I'd even go as far to say spend another $40 and get an EVGA Supernova G2. Never ever look at the PSU in order to save a few bucks.

I would 100% agree on the i7 though. Get an i5 instead, and use the money saved to get an SSD.

[Lathais]

I'll probably never understand why people - especially in pricey configs - always buy a cheap PSU. Invest in a premium PSU and don't just look at an absurdly high W number!
It's such an important component, but not as "sexy" as others, I guess.

I am certainly not saying go with a cheap PSU, but for the same price he could get a higher quality 550W. Like say this one:
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-pow...ply-p1550gts3x

About $30 cheaper, but it's a high quality brand with an 80+ Gold rating on it, with more than enough wattage for his system. The one he chose is an 80+ Bronze. It's a Cooler Master and this is an XFX, but I think those are both Seasonic OEM anyway. It also saves you money on your electricity bill each month.

[Remilia]

Cooler Master uses like a billion OEMs that I can't track anymore.
XFX only uses one.

[ovm33]

That's pretty much needed. It speeds up your computer so much (not for games, but load times are amazing).

Fixed, mostly an oversight on my part.

Not a whole lot of give with the PSU. 750w is a bit overkill, but it's $90. Going cheaper means dipping into the lower tiers of PSU quality, which you don't wanna do.

Think the PSU I have now will work? It's highly rated on several sites and I dropped the wattage to 650.


Changed the CPU cooler to the Kraken as it's coming very highly recommended by a couple of my friends. Also stopped by the Microcenter yesterday to get my hands on some cases, pictures just weren't enough for me to choose. Decided to go with the Thermaltake listed below.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($322.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X41 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($145.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($82.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.79 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($347.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake Core V41 ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.79 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($92.00 @ B&H)
Total: $1405.50
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-24 10:30 EST-0500

The build actually came out cheaper. Might get that mechanical keyboard I've been eyeballing... Sticking with the 4790k, mostly because I would rather listen to you guys bitch than my wife. I said I had reasons... lol. And again, thanks for all the suggestions. =)

[Tyranitar]

How about a silenced case instead? Many people love the fractal design define r4 pcgh-edition. Cooling works well enough, too.

--

I also believe you can save money by choosing a cheaper Intel CPU. As far as I know CPU power isn't really used that much, the GPU does the most work. Also I believe that such an expensive Motherboard isn't necessary, too.
But better double check this paragraph of mine.

Also, I personally do not like MSI since I had severe problems with a Motherboard of theirs. Heard they use quite cheap components. But I am not too well informed about the manufacturer's quality.

[chaddd]

No SSD?

That's pretty much needed. It speeds up your computer so much (not for games, but load times are amazing).

I agree... go for a SSD and a spinner for storage. I put my OS and games on SSDs. Faster reads = faster loads = faster gaming. Since the game is stored locally you want to be able to pull it as fast as possible.

- - - Updated - - -

If you want a quiet CPU cooler, go with a closed loop water cooler. I love mine.

[Kezotar]

Lol at the people saying SSD = Faster gaming. Only thing that's faster is my windows boot speed. Let's be honest people, A regular 2015 HDD can more than fine handle any current loading games. And even if the SSD beats it, we're talking about split seconds.

[chaddd]

I also believe you can save money by choosing a cheaper Intel CPU. As far as I know CPU power isn't really used that much, the GPU does the most work.

Actually WoW uses the CPU quiet a bit and single core speed is very important to the game. The game engine doesn't utilize full multi core threads as well as it could; game on 1 core, sound on another. Unless they changed it with WoD I believe it's still the same. Additionally the 4790K has new TIM (TMI?) Thermal Interface Material. What that means is that the CPU runs much cooler which means air cooled CPU coolers don't have to crank as high RPMs.

[Tyranitar]

Actually WoW uses the CPU quiet a bit and single core speed is very important to the game. The game engine doesn't utilize full multi core threads as well as it could; game on 1 core, sound on another. Unless they changed it with WoD I believe it's still the same. Additionally the 4790K has new TIM (TMI?) Thermal Interface Material. What that means is that the CPU runs much cooler which means air cooled CPU coolers don't have to crank as high RPMs.

Okay, games with poor multi core efficiency are an actual argument XP

[chaddd]

Lol at the people saying SSD = Faster gaming. Only thing that's faster is my windows boot speed. Let's be honest people, A regular 2015 HDD can more than fine handle any current loading games. And even if the SSD beats it, we're talking about split seconds.

Generally the HD won't affect FPS all that much, but it does affect game load times just like you can perceive OS boot load times. It is pretty straight forward that read speeds of a disk directly affect the delivery of that content to the rest of the components to use. And you are correct that the difference in write performance between a regular HD and a SSD won't make much of a difference since WoW is pretty much only a 1 way stream (read) outside of patching. Since WoW is now > 30GB, and if you disk becomes fragmented, a spinner is going to require more physical moves to find the data so you will have a more inconsistent and degradation of performance over time.

[Kagthul]

Keep in mind the OP said he was going to buy at Microcenter because they will price-match. CALL AHEAD and MAKE SURE.

I have a friend who manages the Microcenter in Columbus, and i asked him about price matching, and he said it was up to the i ndividual store manager. It is NOT a company wide policy. Many will do it, some will not (the one here in MI will not, in most cases).

That being said - stick with the i7 if you're going through Microcenter. It is 259.99 in-store (here in MI at least, they do vary a little bit from store to store), and paired with a compatible Motherboard, you get another 40$ off, bringing you down to what an i5+MoBo would cost elsewhere.

Also, icant fathom dropping 1400$ and not grabbing 16GB (2x8, leaving open for future expansion) of RAM - also, at Microcenter, if you go with Crucial Ballistix, you can nab another 20$ off of 16GB when paired with the CPU/MoBo. Ive never had a problem with any RAM from Crucial and have used it nearly exclusively for years (mostly because Microcenter always offers 10-20$ off when paired with CPU/Mobo).

I wouldnt bother with a liquid cooler, either, not unless you play to heavily overclock. I recently side-graded from a 4770K to a 4790K (buddy in the Navy wanted my old rig because it was in a small mITX case, so i simply built a new copy of the same rig with the 4790K) and have OC'ed it to 4.5Ghz easily with air with no noticable rise in temps. Im using this cooler:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835118126

Microcenter doesn't have them on the Web Store, but does have them in stock at my local store, so again, call ahead and check on part availability - it varies a great deal between individual stores. There's also a "higher performance' version:

http://www.microcenter.com/product/3...eme_CPU_Cooler

The "quiet' version is absolutely silent in my Hadron Air and temps stay extremely cool, even with the mild 500Mhz overclock ive put on it.

Otherwise, looks like a solid build. I wouldnt worry about extra case fans, but if the stock fans are a bit noisy, i highly recommend either Noctua or H.E.C. "Cougar" case fans - super quiet, last forever, and are available with PWM options for even quieter operation. I'd say of the two Noctua is higher quality, but ive never had any issues with my HEC's, and i replaced the stock fans EVGA put in the Hadron with them and they are working great.

Since you've said you're going to shop at Microcenter for all the parts, ill put together a "what this would cost at Microcenter" list after i do dinner and spend some time with my son.

- - - Updated - - -

A rough "what it would cost at Microcenter" comparison.

CPU - Core i7 4790K - 269.99 in-store (most locations)
MoBo - MSI Gaming 5 - 149.99 (+10$ rebate)
RAM - 16GB Crucial Ballistix Sport DDR3-1600 - 129.99
GPU - They do not carry the Twin Frozr, but do carry the MSI GTX 970 Overclocked - 339.99 (+10$ rebate)
SSD - Samsung EVO 850 120GB - 69.99 (they do not carry the 840 series)
HDD - WD Blue 1TB - 49.99
PSU - Do not carry either of the PSU's you picked out; plenty of good 80+ gold PSUs in the 90$ range
Case - Do not carry the Core V41; do cary the very similar Core V31 for 70$
DVD Burner - LG OEM 24x DVD Burner - 15$
CPU Cooler - Zalman CNPS "Quiet" - 39.99
CPU & MoBo Combo - 40$ off
MoBo & RAM Combo - 20$ off
Mail-in Rebates - 20$ off

1155$ before Mail In Rebates and OS (not sure what Microcenter sells Win 8.1 for)
Assuming Win 8.1 is around 80$, you're looking at 1235$, or 1215 after MIR.

[Jimson]

The cheapest version of Windows at Microcenter is $90. So not too far off.

Also, much love to the Michigan Microcenter. It's a decent drive for me, but totally worth the trip.

[Master Guns]

Lol @ people saying you need an SSD for gaming. LOL. Split seconds is what we're talking here. That is required.

I bet you al would believe people who say you need a 1000w psu.

[Kukkaroinen]

Lol @ people saying you need an SSD for gaming. LOL. Split seconds is what we're talking here. That is required.

I bet you al would believe people who say you need a 1000w psu.

I would bet you don't have an SSD. It's about several seconds not split seconds. It's a QoL purchase nothing else. Saves you a little time and makes using the pc feel smoother and snappier. A good 100$ investment imo.