1. #1

    First Build! Comments/Critique

    So I've decided that I'd like to start saving up for a good PC. I've read quite a few threads and done some research, but I'm still pretty new to building my own PC. My goals are to play current gen games like BF3, Planetside 2, WoW, SC2, Bioshock Infinite, and CoD at near max settings, max if possible and to play the next gen titles like BF4 and The Witcher 3 at near max also.

    So:

    Budget $1000 to ~$1500

    Case Corsair Obsidian Series 550D. - $120 Open to suggestions here. I also like the NZXT Phantom. Has to be black.

    Processor Intel Core i5 4670k - $240

    Processor Cooling Corsair H60 - $50

    Motherboard MSI Z87 G45 - $150

    Power Supply OCZ 550W Fatal1ty - $66

    Memory 2x4 GB G.Skill Ripjaws X - $65

    Graphics 2 GB MSI NVIDIA Geforce GTX 770 - $400

    Hard Drive 3 TB WD Green 5.4k RPM - $120 Not really sure what I'd need here. I reckon I could probably go down to 1 TB. I'm new to PC gaming so idk how much space games take up.

    SSD 128 GB Samsung 830 - $135

    Monitor I currently have an older 22" Viewsonic 1080p monitor, but I'd like to upgrade and go with a dual monitor setup.

    I currently have a pair of Turtle Beach X42's that I use as a headset, so I'm good there. I've also got an alright keyboard and mouse setup, but I'll upgrade those in the future according to my own preference.

    Total $1346 so far.

    Additional input on optical drives (I want a blu-ray ), soundcards and all that jazz would be appreciated because I have no idea about that stuff haha. I'm looking to spend more towards the higher end of my budget, but anywhere that I can save some money would be greatly appreciated.

    Also, I can get a rig on iBuypower with basically all of this plus the optical drive and stuff for ~$1500. Does anyone have any experience with them or have any insight on where I should buy? I'm well aware of pcpartpicker, but after finding all of the parts from the iBuypower rig it was like $100 more.

    Any bit of advice (good and bad) will be greatly appreciated!

  2. #2
    Moderator chazus's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Users View Post
    Power Supply OCZ 550W Fatal1ty - $66
    Not a huge fan of OCZ PSU's. That one is made by "Impervio" which I've never even heard of >.> Might be worthwhile with the budget, to get a Seasonic 520 Modular
    SSD 128 GB Samsung 830 - $135
    Save some cash and get the 840 (non-pro)
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  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by chazus View Post
    Not a huge fan of OCZ PSU's. That one is made by "Impervio" which I've never even heard of >.> Might be worthwhile with the budget, to get a Seasonic 520 Modular
    Yeah I wasn't all really that sure about the PSU. I figured I needed about 500-550 Watts and that one was the cheapest and had some good reviews. I'll definitely be looking into PSU's more though

  4. #4
    Deleted
    This is the list I'd propose sans monitor:

    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

    CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Microcenter)
    CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
    Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg)
    Memory: Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.30 @ Newegg)
    Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($164.99 @ NCIX US)
    Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.98 @ Outlet PC)
    Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($419.99 @ Amazon)
    Sound Card: Asus Xonar DS 24-bit 192 KHz Sound Card ($39.57 @ NCIX US)
    Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout 2 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
    Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.99 @ Amazon)
    Optical Drive: Pioneer BDC-207DBK Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($37.98 @ Outlet PC)
    Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($88.98 @ Outlet PC)
    Total: $1429.42
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-28 02:13 EDT-0400)

  5. #5
    Dreadlord Ripox's Avatar
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    This is a bit over budget but thats for a number of reasons. First, I got all the parts from one vendor (Newegg) so that means the price will be a bit higher than if you went and got the parts from various vendors, I find this to be easier.

    Overall it is indeed a bit over budget but I think its a very strong and solid build and this includes both an operating system and a monitor (a good one at that, ASUS IPS). I think this gives you the full package and I'm sure this will wreck games.



    CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
    CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($83.98 @ Newegg)
    Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg)
    Memory: Kingston Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.30 @ Newegg)
    Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ Newegg)
    Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
    Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($309.99 @ Newegg)
    Sound Card: Asus Xonar DGX 24-bit 96 KHz Sound Card ($39.99 @ Newegg)
    Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
    Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($100.98 @ Newegg)
    Optical Drive: LG UH12NS29 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($54.98 @ Newegg)
    Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
    Monitor: Asus VS239H-P 23.0" Monitor ($167.48 @ Newegg)
    Total: $1561.64
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-28 05:20 EDT-0400)


    Decided not to cheap out anywhere and really went for good parts when I could. Quality+Reliability > saving a couple dollars.


    Edit1:
    Sure you can tone down the price by switching out the heatsink, PSU, optical drive, and case for ones that cost less, but I think these brands are well known, have decent customer support, and have great reviews. If you really can't break the $1500, yeah I guess you can tone down the H100i to an Evo, bring the case down to a lesser one from a company like Cooler Master, change the monitor to a generic 1920x1080 non-LED backlit non-IPS monitor, save $10 or so on a Pioneer optical drive instead of an LG one, as well as the PSU to something from Antec.






    Edit2:
    This is an example of how you could go about cheaping out on certain items for not much, if any, of a performance loss, this is also done by going for all merchants rather than one.


    CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Microcenter)
    CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
    Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg)
    Memory: Kingston Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Amazon)
    Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($93.99 @ Adorama)
    Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.98 @ Outlet PC)
    Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($309.99 @ Newegg)
    Sound Card: Asus Xonar DGX 24-bit 96 KHz Sound Card ($39.57 @ Amazon)
    Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
    Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.99 @ Amazon)
    Optical Drive: Pioneer BDC-207DBK Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($37.98 @ Outlet PC)
    Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
    Monitor: Acer G236HLBbd 60Hz 23.0" Monitor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
    Total: $1362.41
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-28 05:36 EDT-0400)
    Last edited by Ripox; 2013-06-28 at 09:42 AM.

  6. #6
    Thanks for the input so far guys!

    I've changed it up to this so far:

    CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Microcenter)
    CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
    Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($149.99 @ Newegg)
    Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($67.99 @ Newegg)
    Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($98.99 @ Amazon)
    Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.99 @ Newegg)
    Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Amazon)
    Sound Card: Asus Xonar DG 24-bit 96 KHz Sound Card ($27.99 @ NCIX US)
    Case: Thermaltake VN300M1W2N ATX Full Tower Case ($129.99 @ Newegg)
    Power Supply: Cooler Master GX 650W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($46.00 @ Newegg)
    Optical Drive: LG UH12NS29 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($49.98 @ Outlet PC)
    Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($88.98 @ Outlet PC)
    Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($155.58 @ Newegg)
    Total: $1455.44
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-28 19:13 EDT-0400)

    Some insight on the PSU and the HDD would be appreciated because I chose them because there were some good deals on them and the reviews were pretty good. I might change up the brand of the GPU depending on feedback and research yet too.

  7. #7
    Dreadlord Ripox's Avatar
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    Comments on that:
    That RAM is 1333mhz, bad choice.
    Change to http://pcpartpicker.com/part/patriot...y-psd38g1600kh @ 59$ on Amazon

    Would change HDD to Western Digital Blue because you'll be using it for storage

    Change PSU to http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...D=3938566&SID=


    MSI 770 is good, but like I said before the Sapphire $310 is very hard to say no to. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202008

    The GHz edition of the Sapphire 7970 is also only $350 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202001

    With Crossfire being fixed in July 31 I don't think you have any reason to pick the 770 over the 7970 seeing the Sapphire sale on their 7970s

    This will save you enough to up the cooler to this much stronger cooler http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005869XYK/?tag=pcpapi-20

    Would change monitor to an IPS one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...D=3938566&SID=

    Personal preference: Don't like that case as much as http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811146068 if you really need Full Tower

    If you're ok with mid tower, like I think you should be, I'd still suggest the http://www.amazon.com/NZXT-Phantom-T...xt+phantom+410 saving you a bit of cash


    Overall I would go with this as a final build unless you want to push the PSU to a Corsair TX750M (since its the same price as the 650w with combo atm, allowing future Crossfire/SLI), this would increase cost by $40
    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

    CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Microcenter)
    CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($102.98 @ Newegg)
    Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($149.99 @ Microcenter)
    Memory: Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($58.49 @ Amazon)
    Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($98.91 @ Amazon)
    Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($66.24 @ Amazon)
    Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($329.99 @ Newegg)
    Sound Card: Asus Xonar DG 24-bit 96 KHz Sound Card ($29.99 @ Amazon)
    Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.50 @ Amazon)
    Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)
    Optical Drive: LG UH12NS29 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($49.99 @ Amazon)
    Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.74 @ Amazon)
    Monitor: Asus VS239H-P 23.0" Monitor ($169.99 @ Amazon)
    Total: $1485.79
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-28 20:17 EDT-0400)

    Edit: The build you posted right before this reply was $1455. I've got that up to $1485 and done this: Got a better (IPS) monitor, got a (imo) nicer looking case, got better RAM, got a much better cooler (allowing to push for much higher overclocks), got a better price-for-performance GPU as well as HDD as well as PSU.
    Last edited by Ripox; 2013-06-29 at 12:20 AM.

  8. #8
    Deleted
    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

    CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
    CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
    Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg)
    Memory: Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($58.49 @ Amazon)
    Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($93.99 @ Adorama)
    Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.98 @ Outlet PC)
    Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Amazon)
    Case: Corsair 500R Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
    Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.99 @ Amazon)
    Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
    Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
    Monitor: Asus PB238Q 23.0" Monitor ($178.00 @ Newegg)
    Total: $1456.36
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-28 20:22 EDT-0400)

    No reason to pay more for the RAM and 1333MHz at that. If you're actually going to be using a Blu-Ray drive swap that back in. No need to pay extra for the HDD, it's not better or more reliable. IPS monitor for superior color accuracy, quality and better viewing angles. Onboard sound should be fine, again add it if you prefer. No need for a full tower really for your build.

    Do you want SLI/CF support? If not we can easily find you a better/cheaper PSU. As for the GPU you can get a 7970GHz for for ~$50 less (includes 4 games) which in some games will get you better performance.

    Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB

    Just to make sure, do you actually have access to Microcenter? They're in-store pickup only for the CPU. If not the actual price won't be reflected in the build. If you do then you get $40 off the motherboard as well when purchased with the CPU.
    Last edited by mmocca5d152c38; 2013-06-29 at 12:34 AM.

  9. #9
    Alright sorry it took so long for the reply. I've done a lot more research, made a few more changes, and upped my budget a wee bit.

    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

    CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Microcenter)
    CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($86.99 @ Newegg)
    Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH Z87 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($249.00 @ Amazon)
    Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
    Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($164.99 @ NCIX US)
    Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($66.62 @ Amazon)
    Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($309.99 @ Newegg)
    Case: Corsair C70 Gunmetal Black (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($127.98 @ Newegg)
    Power Supply: Cooler Master GX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($54.00 @ Newegg)
    Optical Drive: LG UH12NS29 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($49.98 @ Outlet PC)
    Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($88.00 @ Amazon)
    Monitor: Asus VE228H 21.5" Monitor ($135.58 @ Newegg)
    Total: $1591.11
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-01 18:17 EDT-0400)

    I still might change the GPU to a 770, as the free 4 games sale us over, but I'm not sure yet. The $50 difference is negligible really. Feel free to rip apart my selections if they really suck haha. I'll also probably change the CPU cooler to an H100i. Depends on the feedback I get.

    I upped the PSU a bit because I might end up going for some SLI/CF in the future. As for the monitor I'd like a good, well rounded one. I play a lot of shooters, but I also want really good quality in everything else, so a monitor with a good balance would be nice.
    Last edited by Users; 2013-07-01 at 10:24 PM.

  10. #10
    The Lightbringer Toffie's Avatar
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    Change the items for these.

    Motherboard = Asus z87-A
    Powersupply = EVGA SuperNOVA NEX750

    770 over a 7970 is not worth the 90 $ difference, they are very equal.
    Overclocking the 7970? It will beat the 770 when both are overclocked.
    Non overclocking intended? Get the 770.
    Case is just wasting money, honestly.
    8700K (5GHz) - Z370 M5 - Mugen 5 - 16GB Tridentz 3200MHz - GTX 1070Ti Strix - NZXT S340E - Dell 24' 1440p (165Hz)

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Toffie View Post
    Change the items for these.

    Motherboard = Asus z87-A
    Powersupply = EVGA SuperNOVA NEX750

    770 over a 7970 is not worth the 90 $ difference, they are very equal.
    Overclocking the 7970? It will beat the 770 when both are overclocked.
    Non overclocking intended? Get the 770.
    Case is just wasting money, honestly.
    Alright I'll think I'll just stick with my 7970 then.

  12. #12
    Deleted
    Why do you want a motherboard that's $110 extra? Combined with picking a 21.5" inch monitor and a worse quality PSU, I think you're priorities are a little off

    XFX ProSeries 750W 80 PLUS Gold || Review
    OCZ Fatal1ty 750W 80 PLUS Bronze || Review

    I did look at the EVGA NEX750 but honestly not impressed and it's supposedly quite loud at 50%+ load.

    Get yourself a 23"+ monitor, ~23" is a fair bit cheaper than ~24".

  13. #13
    The Lightbringer Toffie's Avatar
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    I would not get the OCZ over the EVGA NEX750, no doubt about that.
    It's a decent PSU indeed, EVGA support is just miles better.
    The XFX is one of the best PSU's on the market, not sure 40 $ warrants that though.

    Also not sure why you would need a dual GPU solution rather than a single at 1080p, you will max any game with the 7970. If you stick to a single GPU then get the Antec High Current Gamer 620w Notarget suggested.
    Last edited by Toffie; 2013-07-02 at 12:53 AM.
    8700K (5GHz) - Z370 M5 - Mugen 5 - 16GB Tridentz 3200MHz - GTX 1070Ti Strix - NZXT S340E - Dell 24' 1440p (165Hz)

  14. #14
    Dreadlord Ripox's Avatar
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    get XFX psu we suggested
    i personally would get the 770
    id change the cooler maybe to h100i
    sabertooth mobo is a bad choice get the z87 A or the ASrock extreme 6 if the combo with newegg i5 is still on
    dont play on such a small monitor get a proper IPS 23/24 incher

  15. #15
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by Toffie View Post
    I would not get the OCZ over the EVGA NEX750, no doubt about that.
    It's a decent PSU indeed, EVGA support is just miles better.
    The XFX is one of the best PSU's on the market, not sure 40 $ warrants that though.
    I can only assume you mean the NexB, as it's the cheaper one and the Gold version cost the same as the XFX?

    Gold version Review
    Gold version Review (2)

    it's not bad and yes the warranty on it is really nice but besides that it's really not that impressive (fairly loud as well) and since you're talking about the Bronze version I don't see much of a downside to the OCZ, at least nothing that the review supports.

    Either way any of them I'm sure will be fine. At least it's not some low end $30 models

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