Has a $1300 budget before MIR. No other peripherals needed. Does need OS. Gaming at 1080p 60hz. Based in US. No reusable parts.
Plans on streaming, however I don't think he needs to do the i7 route for the general streaming he'll be doing.
Just want any ideas or concerns with the current build and suggested changes. Mostly plays CS:GO and LoL at the moment but plans to be streaming BF: Hardline.
Here's the build improved with an i7 but might not be needed as you mentioned. You also don't need 16gb for gaming, so i would rather get the i7 with 2x4gb of ram. If you ever need more ram you can add another pair of sticks down the road. Easier than upgrading a cpu
He does have an interesting in OCing but I'm pretty sure it's literally just to say it's OC'd... After MIR (which I've told him can be a hassle) this comes out to $1275. Is there exactly a reason you went with a lower Watt PSU? I understand a single GTX970 and 4790k won't need anything other than 500 under most circumstances. However, with overclocking I'd think it would be more viable to get the higher wattage for OC headroom? If he then does decide to go SLI he can reduce the OC on them and should come back within wattage budget for the 650. Or am I still overestimating? My understanding of reviews is the MX200 is better than the BX100 and the price difference is worth it. What may end up happening is I can save him on the PSU and then that brings him more in line with what he originally wanted price wise. I doubt I would push anything over 4.2GHz for the CPU OC just because he likely wouldn't ever be able to tell if something was wrong any higher and the cooler wasn't meant for a higher OC to begin with.
Sadly we don't have a microcenter around for cpu/mobo discount.
For just the i7/i5 + 970 you can get away with a 450. You can probably even OC both a bit with that, to be safe I would go for a 550 model.
If you want to keep the option open for SLI, the 650 watt is good for that. It also has the needed cables for that
As for the SSD, I would probably go for the MX100. Although I see the difference is 10 bucks, so it doesnt really matter
And don't forget that the i7 has a turbo to 4.4 GHz