- Jun 15, 2013
- 18
- 0
- 10,520
Hey All,
Now that Haswell is out, I am going to construct a multipurpose desktop, which I would like to use for a bit of everything: gaming, programming, and some simulation and multimedia editing. And I am also hoping that outside of the upgrading the graphics card and adding more RAM, it will last quite a while.
I already have an SSD, monitor (1900x1200), keyboard, mouse, and copy of Win 8. I also have been monitoring sales while waiting for Haswell, and have pre-purchased a few components including a PSU & HDD.
My budget for the system is $800-900, with a soft upper bound if there is a good enough reason to break it.
I do plan on air overclocking.
I live near a Microcenter and they have a sale this weekend with $40 off Haswell chip + any Z87 motherboard. If I were to order my system this instant, it would probably look like this:
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: ASRock Z87 Extreme6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 Already Bought)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($169.00 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.99 Already Bought)
Sub-Total: $783.93
Microcenter sale: -$40
Total: $743.93
I originally was going to go for the Extreme4, but the Extreme6 is only $10 more at Microcenter, thus appearing to be the best deal. I also was originally going to go for a 650 Ti Boost, but the 660 isn't too much more (my main gaming is SC2, Total War, etc, although I will probably get BF4 when it comes out).
I would prefer to stick with Nvidia for CUDA, Physx, and historic driver stability (I am aware that AMD has made great strides in the past few years).
Given the multipurpose use, I would rather put money in non-easily upgradeable components--thus not getting the fastest GPU possible--given I will have to upgrade the GPU in ~3 years time anyway.
Which leads to my questions:
First: given my multipurpose use, would paying the extra $80 for the i7-4770K over the i5-4670K be worth the multi-threading increase? (It costs $279 @ Microcenter). Day to day use, and with most gaming, I know I wouldn't notice the difference. But it would make a difference in multithreading heavy work like multimedia and simulation.
Second: is 1866 RAM worth it over 1600, and what about the timings? C9 vs C8, etc? What's the best bang for the buck here?
Third: Any reason not to get the Extreme6?
Fourth: Any case recommendations?
Any other thoughts or critiques are welcome. Thanks in advanced.
Now that Haswell is out, I am going to construct a multipurpose desktop, which I would like to use for a bit of everything: gaming, programming, and some simulation and multimedia editing. And I am also hoping that outside of the upgrading the graphics card and adding more RAM, it will last quite a while.
I already have an SSD, monitor (1900x1200), keyboard, mouse, and copy of Win 8. I also have been monitoring sales while waiting for Haswell, and have pre-purchased a few components including a PSU & HDD.
My budget for the system is $800-900, with a soft upper bound if there is a good enough reason to break it.
I do plan on air overclocking.
I live near a Microcenter and they have a sale this weekend with $40 off Haswell chip + any Z87 motherboard. If I were to order my system this instant, it would probably look like this:
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: ASRock Z87 Extreme6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 1.5TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 Already Bought)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($169.00 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.99 Already Bought)
Sub-Total: $783.93
Microcenter sale: -$40
Total: $743.93
I originally was going to go for the Extreme4, but the Extreme6 is only $10 more at Microcenter, thus appearing to be the best deal. I also was originally going to go for a 650 Ti Boost, but the 660 isn't too much more (my main gaming is SC2, Total War, etc, although I will probably get BF4 when it comes out).
I would prefer to stick with Nvidia for CUDA, Physx, and historic driver stability (I am aware that AMD has made great strides in the past few years).
Given the multipurpose use, I would rather put money in non-easily upgradeable components--thus not getting the fastest GPU possible--given I will have to upgrade the GPU in ~3 years time anyway.
Which leads to my questions:
First: given my multipurpose use, would paying the extra $80 for the i7-4770K over the i5-4670K be worth the multi-threading increase? (It costs $279 @ Microcenter). Day to day use, and with most gaming, I know I wouldn't notice the difference. But it would make a difference in multithreading heavy work like multimedia and simulation.
Second: is 1866 RAM worth it over 1600, and what about the timings? C9 vs C8, etc? What's the best bang for the buck here?
Third: Any reason not to get the Extreme6?
Fourth: Any case recommendations?
Any other thoughts or critiques are welcome. Thanks in advanced.
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram