Gaming build advice and suggestions.

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badjmod

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Aug 8, 2013
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I have really been wanting to build a computer but I don't have all the money in the world so this is what I have put together
Case(Just purchased): http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6430030&CatId=1509

Motherboard: http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-1150-HDMI-Displayport-GA-Z87X-UD3H/dp/B00CU4L508/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=V1O2FR9BJB36&coliid=IZ1TOHMD9F4VP

CPU: http://www.amazon.com/Intel-i5-4670K-Quad-Core-Desktop-Processor/dp/B00CO8TBOW/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=V1O2FR9BJB36&coliid=I326U3YJXHZB0B

GPU: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1917611&CatId=7387

Case fans: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6705475&CatId=802 and http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233043 and http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233051

HDD: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3232686&Sku=TSD-WD10EZEX

OS:http://www.amazon.com/Windows-System-Builder-OEM-64-Bit/dp/B0094NY3R0/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=V1O2FR9BJB36&coliid=I3IKCD1S3Z973V and get classic shell

CPU Cooler: http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Series-Performance-Liquid-Cooler/dp/B00A0HZMGA/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=V1O2FR9BJB36&coliid=I3LS6CHWCCKUB5

For the remaining parts; I am about unsure about what kind of ram to get. 1333mhz or 1600mhz. Or get 1333 and overclock to 1600mhz. Next is whether or not to get a disk drive with bluray or just get a normal dvd one. I rarely watch movies, but who knows when a bluray might hit me or dvds will become obsolete. I could always use my ps3.

What are good wireless card and usb bluetooth? Or the rare combo of 2 in 1 pci?

I do plan on overclocking my gpu and cpu. I will probably buy liquid cooling, but which one depends on the sale. Most important is what psu to buy. There's this whole haswell certified thing, and I'm unsure as to what brands are reliable.

5 case fans and a liquid cooler should keep overall temperatures down correct?
I would appreciate the help on cheaply, but not overall hindering suggestions, and swaps I should make. The Ivy bridge i5 is the same price so i chose haswell. Anyways thanks for the help and I hope everything is clear.
 
Solution
clutchc
If you can afford the extra cost, go with the 650W. As you say, it will provide more overhead for O/C'ing. I was just throwing out a minimum size to keep the price low. 750W is probably overkill unless you see yourself adding a 2nd card in CF. The one you linked to is a very good PSU. I have an 850W XFX Black Edition in the rig in my sig below.

As to the case, I didn't realize you had already bought it. I scrolled back up and just noticed that. Not a big deal. And the vented top will help keep temps down even without fans. As far as cable management, even if you have to put up with lots of exposed messy cables... the main thing is to tie them out of the way of air flow. Be sure there is little or no obstruction from front fan...
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clutchc

clutchc

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For someone that "doesn't have all the money in the world", you are doing pretty good. Nice build. There's nothing in it that I can take fault with. We all have our personal preferences though, so I would probably pick a different case. Nothing wrong with the CM Elite line. I've used them for several budget builds. But it doesn't have much cable management room. For example, behind the MB tray; there's absolutely no room. And that system deserves a bit of an upgrade to that case anyway. Look into the Corsair line of cases: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007583%2050001459%20600006302&IsNodeId=1&name=Corsair
They are a bit more of an enthusiast's case. Unfortunately, they are a bit more expensive too. But you get what you pay for.

As to a PSU, you won't go wrong with a Corsair, Seasonic, XFX. Here is an evaluation of name brands in tiers according to their quality:
http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx
You'll probably want an 80+ (or better) model at least 550W minimum: http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp
I would suspect just about any quality PSU offered today is OK to use with Haswells. Their low-power issue along with recommendations is addressed here if you want to read: http://techreport.com/review/24897/the-big-haswell-psu-compatibility-list

For memory, get the fastest you can afford. The Haswell has a new memory controller that can handle faster memory. And when you O/C memory, the faster stuff is usually binned higher and gives better results.

Wireless and blue tooth is something I always leave out of my gaming PCs. So I'll leave that to someone else.

I wouldn't go overboard on fans, at least not right away. A well designed case (like the Corsairs) has good ventilation and provides good air flow with just front and rear 120mm or larger fans. And the more fans you have, the more noise you'll have to put up with. I like a case to have top vents for loosing heat via natural thermal dynamics. And fans can be added there if necessary.

Win8: Have you ever used it before?
 
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badjmod

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Thanks much for the reply. I will probably deal with the poor cable management simply because I can't really afford too much more on a case, and could probably have my psycho neat freak mom magically make it neat.

And If I were to overclock cpu, gpu, and ram is 550w enough or should i get a 650w+?

As for the fans, I will now probably wait until I have everything overclock. I bought two of the fans already so I'll put them on the 2 top vents for exhaust.

Lastly, I have not used Windows 8 before. Quite frankly I find it poorly designed, but I've watched videos and researched classic shell. My biggest gripe was the start menu being seemingly less organized and it being basically a separate OS than the desktop. Windows 8 was like $3 cheaper so I chose that over 7 and decided classic shell should do the job.
 
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clutchc

clutchc

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If you can afford the extra cost, go with the 650W. As you say, it will provide more overhead for O/C'ing. I was just throwing out a minimum size to keep the price low. 750W is probably overkill unless you see yourself adding a 2nd card in CF. The one you linked to is a very good PSU. I have an 850W XFX Black Edition in the rig in my sig below.

As to the case, I didn't realize you had already bought it. I scrolled back up and just noticed that. Not a big deal. And the vented top will help keep temps down even without fans. As far as cable management, even if you have to put up with lots of exposed messy cables... the main thing is to tie them out of the way of air flow. Be sure there is little or no obstruction from front fan to MB. Where are you planning on putting the tiny 80mm fans? I presume one in the bottom. The water cooler will take up the rear spot. And the top takes 120mm fans. Gonna get noisy.

About the water cooler. I haven't used one, but from others I've heard they are not that much better than a really good air cooler... unless you get the dual radiator style. For what it's worth.

One last thing. Check the HD 7950 card's length to be sure it fits your case. http://products.xfxforce.com/en-us/Graphics_Cards/AMD_Radeon%E2%84%A2_HD_7950/FX-795A-TDFC
At 10 1/2" it should be OK. But measure just to be sure.
 
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badjmod

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Okay so I will get the 650w just to be safe as I have no intentions of using crossfire. The 7950 should have plenty of room in the case as well.
Good ram?: http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Modules-1600MHz-Non-ECC-Desktop/dp/B0057Q4ADU/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=V1O2FR9BJB36&coliid=IIT0MEOZKGLWP

Now about the cooler., I will probably take your advice and get an air cooler, probably the same one you have. Cheaper and basically the same performance. I was going to put the 80mm fan on the bottom by the psu for an intake, but your information makes me believe I was too paranoid about the temperatures. So I will get the air cooler, put one of the fans in the back, one on the top( both as exhausts?) have the fan that comes with the case stay where it is and be good for fans. I was also kind of afraid of the graphics card overheating.

I also have a question about the 7950 vs 760 debate. The XFX card I have selected now vs a 760 with overclocking in mind, which is the better choice? I also hear the 760 is cheaper, not sure if that's true, but I don't the price difference is enough to give up possible performance. What's your opinion on that?
 
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clutchc

clutchc

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Good choice on the RAM. Same as I have in my #2 machine (i7-875K/dual HD 7870s).
Yes, the 212 EVO is at least as good as the little H60. (better, in my opinion) I'm thinking of picking up a 2nd EVO myself as soon as I see it on sale again.

As far as the gfx cards, I have no clear cut favorite. I like both Nvidia and AMD. They pretty much trade punches depending on the game: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/854?vs=855
Which ever one you can get at the best price would probably be the way to go. I give Nvidia's Control Panel a plus over AMD's CCC when it comes to tweaking games. And I like the PhysX too. On the other hand, I like the way AMD handles their App Profiles for new games; keeping them as a separate file. As new games get added, you can just download the latest profiles instead of waiting for a new driver to include them like Nvidia.

For the fan situation, I'd forget about anything smaller than 120mm. Front intake, rear exhaust will probably be enough. If not, add top 120mm's as needed. The ideal situation is to have more intake than exhaust. Positive pressure. If you add too many as exhaust, you'll end up with negative pressure. The gfx card will take care of itself. After all, it has its own two fans sucking air to cool itself.

Where are you planning on setting the PC when in use? Floor? Desk? If on the floor, don't bury it in thick carpet. The PSU has to intake air to cool itself. I'm assuming you will install the PSU fan down.
 
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badjmod

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Well if I can find a double fan Nvidia for less I will look into that then. Also thanks for the fan insight on intake vs exhaust.

I will either have the pc on a desk or on hard floor. If/when i put on carpet I can probably find something to put under it so the carpet doesn't block it. The case has a vent for the psu on the bottom. Since I've already purchased two fans I'll probably have the one that comes with the case intake like it already is set up to do, put a rear exhaust and a door panel intake.

You've helped me out quite a bit and have even lowered my costs. Much much appreciated. Anything else that I should take into consideration? I will be gradually buying the parts to build this.

 
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