700$-900$ Gaming Tower, First Build, 1920x1080, Opinions Wanted

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Lezli

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Jul 19, 2013
20
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10,520
Wishlist So Far
PCPartPicker part list
CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($201.98 @ Newegg Canada)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Motherboard: MSI Z87M-G43 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($122.23 -$25.00 = $97.23 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: Patriot Intel Extreme Master, Limited Ed 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($86.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V200 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($84.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($277.73 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: Silverstone RL02B-W-USB 3.0 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $843.87

Approximate Purchase Date:
Within a few days of this post being edited (July 20th).
Budget Range:
$700-900 Canadian.
Preferred Website for Parts:
Newegg.ca
Country:
British Columbia, Canada

Parts Not Required:
I just need the tower, so no Display/Monitor, Operating System, or Peripherals.
Optical Drive.
Platter Hard Drive (but I'll still need a SSD).
Power Supply (I have a Corsair HX750).
Parts Preferences:
A large case with a transparent side.
ATX motherboard (unless there's strong reason to go with micro ATX)
Additional Comments:
I'm kind of dumb, so if I need to buy a CPU fan or something, you need to mention it, as I won't figure that out on my own.

Overclocking:
No.
SLI or Crossfire:
No.
Monitor Resolution:
1920x1080
Games:
Path of Exile, League of Legends, Borderlands 2, Witcher 2, Darksiders 2, etc.
 
Solution
DSzymborski
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Lezli

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Jul 19, 2013
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So I tried using one of the tools I saw used while browsing the forum.
If someone could check to make sure that everything is compatible with everything else, that my Corsair HX 750 is enough to support it all, and that it's strong enough to run the listed games really well, that would be much appreciated.
I couldn't see any Disk Drives sold in multiples, so decided I'd just stick to RAID 1.
PC Part Picker List
 
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TheBigTroll

TheBigTroll

Illustrious
Apr 15, 2012
14,099
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there is literally no reason to get raid on a build that isnt a server or a NAS. raid 1 isnt exactly safe nor is raid 0 going to improve real life performance

for the build id get this
http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/1ikmF

if the psu can be returned without a restocking fee, id do it. if you are not going to overclock or do SLI, the psu is effectively wasted and it will run less efficient than what it is recommended load
 
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Lezli

Honorable
Jul 19, 2013
20
0
10,520
Hey! Thanks for the response! <3
I'll take your advice with the RAID thing, and considering your recommendation, I changed my motherboard and processor choices.

Why would I return the PSU? Are you saying it has too much juice? Would a lower PSU improve anything, or are you just suggesting it because it would probably save me money?
HOLY SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS! That is an expensive video card! Do you really think spending that much is necessary?
 
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Lezli

Honorable
Jul 19, 2013
20
0
10,520
WOW, after doing some homework on the parts you suggested a little more closely, I found out that the processor you suggested performs almost 60% better than the one I was looking at getting, and for only 6 dollars more!
I was wondering if the other parts are the same story? The video card you just suggested costs 25% more, but does it have 60% better performance or something along those lines? I don't want to pay double the cost for double the performance, but if the performance increases by double the cost increase, that's value worth paying extra for.
Unless there's a good reason to get a Micro ATX instead of an ATX motherboard, I think I want to stick with ATX, in case I want to further improve the system (just recently decided this, sorry it wasn't in the first post).
I won't ask you to write a wall of text explaining every detail about how you're suggested parts are all better than the ones I was thinking of getting - I'm pretty sure at this point they ARE! - but any extra information about why you chose the parts you did would be appreciated.
I edited the first post to make it a bit more clear based on the info I've gotten over the last few days, if you wouldn't mind listing another build, it would be much appreciated! <3
 
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DSzymborski

DSzymborski

Curmudgeon Pursuivant
Moderator
Nov 19, 2010
20,886
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106,640


The reason he recommended an H87 mATX motherboard is because one a tight gaming budget, you have to prioritize what you value. At that price, every thing you add (SSD, ATX over mATX) will take away *real* performance from the PC's gaming capabilities unless the budget increases accordingly. You went into it with a backwards mindset - you should need a compelling reason to go ATX at that price, not the other way around.

I'm just not seeing any reason to go ATX in your build. You're not going SLI or Crossfire, you're not utilizing any of the stronger overclocking features those boards tend to have. You have $730 to spend, so you need to ask yourself, what real feature am I spending $40 on to get ATX instead of mATX? Until you are at the sweetspot in the high-performance GPU range (usually a GPU in the $350-$450 range), the best gaming rig configurations will have as much GPU as you can fit in your budget so long as your CPU doesn't bottleneck it and your PSU is reputable.
 
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L

Lezli

Honorable
Jul 19, 2013
20
0
10,520
@DSzymborski
I'm sorry, I forgot to edit the title. My budget isn't 730$, that was the total cost of the tower I was planning on (although my budget is posted quite clearly in the original post, so we both missed something).
The games I listed say a lot about what exactly I want, I think. I don't need any kind of extreme performance, and I have a flexible budget. Going Micro ATX restricts a lot of my options, and from what I can tell, I won't be saving 40$ by choosing Micro ATX over an equal performing ATX (although I'm aware of my own ignorance, so correct me if I'm wrong).
So it comes down to this: Why tie my hands behind my back if I don't actually get anything out of it? When my motherboard is likely going to be 100-150 dollars, I MIGHT save 10 dollars by going Micro ATX? Will that 10 dollars be the difference between two video cards?
I feel like you're position might be accurate if matched with a situation that has more extreme or dead-set variables than mine, but in this case, it seems off (again though, I'm aware of my own ignorance, so don't hesitate to point out if my take on the situation is off, but please give reasoning and evidence).
 
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DSzymborski

DSzymborski

Curmudgeon Pursuivant
Moderator
Nov 19, 2010
20,886
5,113
106,640


That's why I asked your thinking on the manner - what actual feature you were going to use on that Z77 ATX that was not available on a H87 mATX? As far as I can tell, you're not taking advantage of any of the benefits that larger form factor builds have and considering you keep talking about "performance" I'm a little concerned that you have a misconception of what the benefits of an ATX board are.
 
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Solution
L

Lezli

Honorable
Jul 19, 2013
20
0
10,520
@DSzymborski
Please link to the specific parts you are referring to for clarity's sake.
Also, your response seems to have missed something again - I changed my mind about my almost randomly selected motherboard from the second post when I got his response (which I said in my next post).
If you want to compare ATX vs mATX, do so, but do so in a way that is actually relevant to the discussion. Compare ATX against it's mATX counterpart.
There is NO final price difference on this selected site between the two motherboards (which wasn't chosen randomly, or with a bias to support my position, it seems to be the favored tool of this forum). There IS an option available to the full sized ATX though that isn't available to the mATX version, and although I'm not taking advantage of that option, there is NO reason to strip myself of the option for absolutely no gain.
If you could suggest an mATX that will fit what I'm looking for that outperforms any ATX of the same price range (within 10 dollars, which I would hope one would agree is reasonable in this case), then I'll readily concede the point (and would probably end up buying it!), but from what I've seen so far, choosing mATX in this situation has zero gain, but a slight loss.

In response to 'you keep talking about performance': When I said 'I don't need any kind of extreme performance..." I was referring to the fact that the motherboard will be a lower performance/cost one, so the price difference between the ATX and the mATX versions of the same board will be much smaller than if I were buying a high performance/cost one. I was not intending to imply I felt there was a performance difference between the ATX and mATX versions of the same board. Sorry for the miscommunication.
 
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