Build me a $1,500 computer

[Mister K]

Might not fit with the taller heat spreader.



Something still has to handle the task of streaming. If you put that load on your GPU then you will see an impact on your performance. A card built for streaming is going to be able to handle that task without having to buy a better GPU just not to see as much of a performance hit. If you're going to buy a 780, might as well buy a 780 ti, and that's a lot of money.

#

Shadowplay has minimal impact. When testing it out for game capture it had no more than 5fps impact in pretty much all the games I have played (BF4, Shootmania etc).

[Krothar]

Acer, I was in the same boat as you. I had the money to get a brilliant computer, but I'd no experience building computers.

But I let this forum twist my arm into building my own computer, and I really do not regret it. It is super simple to build your own, just clipping stuff together.

You'll be able to build a powerful machine and save some money for other stuff.

Give this guide a watch, it's what I followed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bUghCx9iso

[Egitel]

Alright, I took Eroginous' list and tweaked it a bit. This first build is under the assumption that you don't need a monitor/operating system. This build here gets you a nice water cooler, double the RAM, more storage space, and a 780 Ti for $1518. To achieve this, I removed the monitor/operating system, and I also removed the SSD and the HDD and added a 2TB Solid-State Hybrid Drive. I'm running one right now and they're awesome. It's claimed they're only 10% slower than SSD (while I'm not sure if those numbers are accurate, they are definitely faster than a standard HDD) and they cost as much as an HDD does. $100 for 2TB, instead of $200 for 1.2 TB with a HDD and SDD set up. SSDs are nice, but when you want to max out performance on a strict budget, that money is better spent elsewhere imo. Anyway, here's the build.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3pPKC
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3pPKC/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3pPKC/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Seidon 120M 86.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z87 Killer ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($139.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($108.00 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB Video Card ($699.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($100.00 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Fractal Design Integra R2 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($84.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1517.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-11 05:17 EDT-0400)

If you decide you do in fact need a monitor and operating system, you'll have to go with a less expensive graphics card, and I've set up a build for that here: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3pPQa This is with a GTX 770 instead of the 780 Ti. The 780 Ti is honestly very overkill for what you're trying to do right now, but it will also last you much longer than a 770, and actually costs less than if you go for the 770 with monitor/OS, but if you need those then it can't really be helped. Now, I noticed in your other build you had a GTX 760 selected, and in the other you had a R9 260. At this point in time, I wouldn't go for anything less than a GTX 770 or a R9 280x, because you'll be wanting to replace it after not very long. Better to do a little future proofing. In any case, both of these builds would obviously require you to assemble it yourself, however a lot of times you can find a local store to assemble the computer for you, and it would still work out to be cheaper than having an equivalent, or even lesser computer pre-built for you, so I strongly suggest going that route if you definitely don't want to build your own.

[Eroginous]

The build I listed isn't the be-all, end-all of PC builds. The OP wasn't specific on what he could reuse (in terms of peripherals) so I included everything but the keyboard/mouse (since those are user specific anyway). He did, however, specify what games he wants to stream (Wow, D3). Neither game requires anything near a 780ti to play, even a 770 is overkill. However, a $1500 computer investment should last a few years, and a 770 should stay relevant for that long, versus something lower end (like a 750ti). We all know that Wow is CPU/GPU heavy, and streaming it on Ultra settings will strain your CPU/GPU a lot differently than single player games like Battlefield. That's why I recommended a streaming card to begin with. Taking the load off the CPU/GPU will help with overall performance.

Shadowplay or not, it's a good idea.

[Egitel]

The build I listed isn't the be-all, end-all of PC builds. The OP wasn't specific on what he could reuse (in terms of peripherals) so I included everything but the keyboard/mouse (since those are user specific anyway). He did, however, specify what games he wants to stream (Wow, D3). Neither game requires anything near a 780ti to play, even a 770 is overkill. However, a $1500 computer investment should last a few years, and a 770 should stay relevant for that long, versus something lower end (like a 750ti). We all know that Wow is CPU/GPU heavy, and streaming it on Ultra settings will strain your CPU/GPU a lot differently than single player games like Battlefield. That's why I recommended a streaming card to begin with. Taking the load off the CPU/GPU will help with overall performance.

Shadowplay or not, it's a good idea.

WoW does make good use of both the CPU and the GPU, but there is not a single instance where streaming WoW or D3 with /any/ modern CPU or GPU will cause a bottleneck or performance hit. You will never notice it. Even with a 770 I'd be surprised if you lost a single frame by streaming WoW. Hell, you could play WoW while streaming it and recording your gameplay with Fraps and you would never drop below 60-80 fps on max settings with a 770, which is more than playable. There is no reason to get a capture card for this purpose, it's just a waste of money. Like I said, I was streaming WoW and recording with Fraps at the same time on a Dell XPS 410 as recently as this past November, before I got this computer. To clarify, that is a computer that I bought in May of 2007, and it didn't effect my performance in the least. Fraps/Xsplit/OBS are no where in the ballpark of stressing any modern CPU/GPU while recording WoW or D3 to the point of taking a performance hit.

Also, of course the 780 Ti is overkill for WoW/D3, I already said that in my post. The 780 Ti is overkill for any game it touches, but the build fits his budget, so why not get the best you can within that budget? It's all about future-proofing. The 770 will last awhile, yes, but there are already current games that push the 770 beyond its capabilities. Assassin's Creed IV comes to mind. One 770 won't run AC4 at max settings at a constant 60 fps even at a 1080p resolution, nevermind if he wants to go 1440p/2k/whatever, down the road. Now unless WoW/D3 is the only thing the OP will ever play on this system, then future-proofing is never a bad thing. If WoW/D3 are the only things he wants to play, then by all means, get a cheaper GPU, save some money, etc. However, you would have to almost try in order to build a computer with a current generation GPU/CPU that would become bottlenecked by streaming/recording WoW/D3. A dedicated capture card has its use, and can be worth the money, but this isn't one of those times. Just for comparison sake, let's look at the CPU usage, which will be the most effected by recording/streaming, etc. My CPU is at 28% usage with WoW open, with everything set to Ultra, etc, max view distance, multisampling, etc. etc., and only 18% of that is from WoW, when recording, my CPU goes up to about 34%. Granted that's on a 4770k, not a 3770, but a 3770 isn't that much behind in performance, especially when it comes to the requirements of WoW.

[Eroginous]

Eh, you might be right. All I know is that it's not a bad idea to consider a dedicated capture card.

I'm not sure the OP is even reading the thread at this point, and I'm sure we have a ton of work just to get him to build his own vs buying some shitbox.

[Ealyssa]

#

Shadowplay has minimal impact. When testing it out for game capture it had no more than 5fps impact in pretty much all the games I have played (BF4, Shootmania etc).

Shadowplay is a gimmick for streaming right now. Who want decently a stream that stop when you alt-tab and force you to play in full screen ?
Nvidia will certainly improve it in the future. But if you aim a certain goal/quality in your stream you should use a more robust solution, evermedia is one of the most efficient.

[Remilia]

Shadowplay is a gimmick for streaming right now. Who want decently a stream that stop when you alt-tab and force you to play in full screen ?
Nvidia will certainly improve it in the future. But if you aim a certain goal/quality in your stream you should use a more robust solution, evermedia is one of the most efficient.

Their GeForce Experience 2.0 with the new Shadow Play allows the use of Window mode capture.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/7929/n...tebook-support