Want to build a desktop within $1500~1700

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Timmy Tang

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Jun 22, 2013
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Hi guys,
This is my first time trying to build a desktop because my laptop is broken :(
Since I am new, can u guys give me some suggestion on building a new Desktop? I usually use my pc on video gaming, and do some programming, such as AutoCad, matlab..etc.
My price are around $1500~1700 USD. is it enough to build a pretty good pc? Also, will it can last like at least 4 years?
THankyou so much for helping:)
 
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opponentmule2

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Jun 7, 2013
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PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/18LC1
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/18LC1/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/18LC1/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-PRO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.89 @ 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 ($65.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($404.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk III 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1286.74
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-22 22:10 EDT-0400)

Don't spend more money than this on your tower components. I would suggest just spend the rest on a very nice monitor so you can actually use that 770.

Everything's really good on this, great MOBO, good case, great PSU, great GPU and everything else. Take advantage of these awesome discount sales.

Really, unless you're going to go for 2-3 monitor gaming, one 770 will max anything. So it's more than enough. Save the money for the SLI in 1-2 years, or spend it on monitor, keyboard, or mouse or anything you like. You really don't need to spend more than this

Note, you won't want to SLI straight away unless you game on 2-3 monitors because the price of GTX 770 will surely drop by then. It's a brand new product atm, so it's high priced
 
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Swordkd

Swordkd

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Only a few things I'd change: CPU, Ram, Cooler and SSD. A lot of that though depends on how much you'll using AutoCad and Matlab. If the benefits of getting an I7 over an I5 are worth it or not, and the same with getting 16gb's of Ram over 8gb's. I also like the Noctua NH-U12S cooler just a bit better, but it is more expensive.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($349.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-PRO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: GeIL EVO Veloce Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($112.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($219.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($404.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk III 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1590.86
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-22 22:33 EDT-0400)
 
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Timmy Tang

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Jun 22, 2013
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thankyou so much. I have a question that usually this combo will last for how long?cuz I have touse this desktop for a long time . also will this be laggy since I have to use Matlab and AutoCAD?


 
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Timmy Tang

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Thankyou so much. Yea I think that i7 may benefit for me cuz I may use these 2program alot. aslo for the cooler what the different between this and Noctua.


 
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Swordkd

Swordkd

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The Hyper 212 Evo is a great cooler for the price. The Nh-U12s has the benefit of a PWM fan and better cooling overall but, again, it's about twice the price. They are the same basic design though, but the Evo will hit it's cooling ability ceiling a lot quicker. It'll handle a mild overclock though. I'd guess that this pc would last you at least 3 years, maybe with an upgrade down the road in the form of another 770 or newer gpu.
 
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Timmy Tang

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I was thinking laggy cuz it is i5 and since mtlab and AutoCad may make it laggy.

 
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Timmy Tang

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oh ok I thought Cool msster was bett3er than oters lol. . Also should I g4t Amd or nvidia?cuz some of my fd suggest me use AmD but i am not sure.




 
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Swordkd

Swordkd

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With the release of the 700 series nVidia really put the hurt on AMD. The 770 is about the same price as a 7970, but it performs slightly better. The only reason to get a 7970 is if they still have the 4 free game bundle, and those games are something you'd be buying anyways. Actually http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202008 is only 300 after MiR, and 4 free games as well. That card I'd recommend for the savings. If you have the budget though, get the 770.

When the Phenom II 940 was released, I bought one. That Cpu lasted me for 4 years, and once overclocked it runs faster than a 965 which is a great budget Cpu to this day. I did buy another video card in that time frame though. That's where and why I gave you at least a 3 years timeframe on that Pc.
 
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Timmy Tang

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Also, for my SSD, should I get Samsung MZ-7PD128BW? Itis128GB instead 256GB cuz I dont think I will use alot in SSD. Also, should I get ASUS VS series VS238H-P Black 23"? It seems legit for my gpu. And also, on GPU, should I get 770 on 4GB instead 2GB?Lastly, on the ram/Memory, are there any better quarity than this like 16GB for this may overheat. I kinda want a better quarity if I need to have less GB.
Thankyou so much:)


 
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Swordkd

Swordkd

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If you have decent air flow inside your case your Ram won't overheat. It comes with a heat spreader, and the intake from your Cpu cooler will actually draw air over your ram slots. 2gb's is plenty of ram for your video card to game at 1080p. It's the higher resolutions that will require more ram, so if you are going to add another monitor to your setup you might consider the 4gb model.

That monitor seems pretty decent as well. You can drop down to a 128gb model SSD, only thing you are losing is space if you stay with the same general model; i.e. 840 pro 128 vs 256.
 
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Timmy Tang

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Jun 22, 2013
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i am thinking that can I get Gkill for the ram? Is it fit to my mother Board?As u said, I can get 4gb for my 770 right? I was thinking about that cuz it just cost 50 more and i may use 2 monitor. Also, it is possible that can I get Full tower instead mid tower? which full tower would be great for me? and lastly, do I need to get the sounds card and case fan?If so, which model will good for me? Oh, are those usb and internet port provided? I am very new but I want to make sure I dont miss anything :)Thankyou


 
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Swordkd

Swordkd

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Gskill is actually my favorite Ram manufacturer. Never had any issues with their price or performance. You motherboard will come with usb ports and your case can attach at least 2 more ports as well. The motherboard will also have a wired Lan connection. If you want wireless you'll either have to purchase a separate usb/pci card or buy a motherboard tha thas it built in. I'd just get a Usb add-on for ease of use myself.

There are many good full case towers out there that will work. You'll have more room to work in for sure. Most good quality mid-towers however provide enough room as is though. It's up to you which one you really want.

You can also max out your case fans for increased air flow and cooling, but at the expense of your pocket book and noise. This will depend on which case you decide on.
 
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Timmy Tang

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Which Gkill model will be good for me? Can you suggest me any? Also, for the case or case fan, which model is better like if the case can obtain low temperature then I dont think I will need the case fan. All I am worrying is that I am not sure will those combo make any overheat or less noise but it still can make it cooler? I am so new for building desktop......


 
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Swordkd

Swordkd

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For Ram you are looking for DDR3 1600 or 1866 mhz. Cas latency 9 or under.

Plain blue heatsink @ 1866mhz: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f31866c9d8gab
Black/Red @ 1600mhz: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f312800cl9d8gbrl
Plain Black @ 1600mhz: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f312800cl9d8gbsr
Red/Black @ 1866mhz: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f314900cl9d8gbxl
Black @ 1866mhz: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f314900cl9d8gbsr
and Blue Cas 8 @ 1600mhz: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f312800cl8d8gbxm

All of those differ in price by 5 dollars at most, lowest to highest. Also, when the prices are so similar you can afford to be picky about the color. I would pick either the black, red/black, or blue models @1866mhz myself. Any of those will do just fine.

If I were putting together a new case, I would by the Fractal Design Define R4 black w/window. Roughly a hundred dollars, nice design with a side window to show off your build. One thing it offers is really good cable routing. What that does is two things: when you look inside your system you see a very "clean" setup. Another and more important, is that it cleans up the airflow inside your case. Allows your fans the best chance to cool down your system. I'll include a pic of what I mean from my best friends build with that case. https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/923336_4808737623919_1000723175_n.jpg

Also, if you grab a non-water cooled cooler, it will help airflow inside your case. I'd wait on buying any extra case fans, and just monitor your temps. If they are a little higher than you'd like, max out the fans inside your case.

:edit: Didn't include a link for the case I recommended: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcadefr4blw

 
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Timmy Tang

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Also, will those provide HDMI port and internet port and sound card? do I need to buy those?


 
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Swordkd

Swordkd

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The video card will have an HDMI port and the motherboard will have a wired ethernet port. If you want wi-fi you'll have to buy an add-in card or usb adapter. The motherboard also has onboard sound. The onboard sound solutions have come a long ways from 10+ years ago. You don't need to buy another card for good quality sound.
 
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Timmy Tang

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Jun 22, 2013
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also should i go to 770 or GTX780??
 
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Timmy Tang

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whats the difference between 770 and 780? I just look around this fourm and many people saying that 780 can last longer and can play future games.
 
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PlanarX999

PlanarX999

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True, Timmy Tang, 780 does have more future proof because when you SLI in near future, it does give more performance so last longer but currently 770 is more than enough and worthy, able max out 1440p easily ~ something like BF3.
If you plan to SLI, then 4GB one will be the choice, last more longer, predict that many game can utilise more than 2GB VRAM in near future.
 
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Timmy Tang

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Should I go for 4Gb 770 or just go for 780..?I cant decide which is better and can last longer..
 
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Swordkd

Swordkd

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By the time you will be feeling the need to upgrade from the 770, the 780 won't be giving you much better performance. If you are gaming at 1080p, the extra Vram is of negligible use from most benchmarks. There are some that show it to be better though, not many though. Take a look and find benchmarks comparing the different amounts of Vram out there.

But again, save the money and stick with a 770. Read more reviews from sites that benchmark the 770, and they should have numbers to compare it with the 780 too. Decide for yourself if that much better performance is worth the price premium you'll pay.
 
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Timmy Tang

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ok thankyou very much for helping me. I may just stick to 770 cuz 780 is kinda expensive and it will over my budget. Beside that should I go for 16gb ram for Gkill or 8gb or use those$ to upgrade other hardware?

 
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