Gaming PC. First build. Aiming at around $2000-2200.

atinder1 · Aug 25, 2013

Edited out answered questions and created new ones.
Also narrowed down parts list (which I underlined)

Confirmed:
SSD: 250GB Samsung 840 Evo
HDD: 3TB Seagate Barracuda
CPU: i5 4670k
RAM: 2*4gb corsair vengeance 9-9-9-24 1600MHz
GPU: GTX770

Most likely:
Case: NZXT Phantom 410
Mobo: ASRock Z87-EXTREME4 (or spend $120 extra for Asus MAXIMUS-VI-HERO? Any real difference?)
Cooling: Phanteks PH-TC14PE (or cheaper Noctua NH-D14)

Not sure (still deciding):
PSU: Corsair 850W HX850
Sound card: ??

New Questions (you can answer if you have time):
1. Out of the above 2 mobo's, which is better? or do you recommend another?
2. For cooling, I read Noctua reviews that it was running at 80 degrees for some people on Haswell. So i'm thinking I should avoid it? Should I go with Phanteks instead?
3. Sound cards: Creative Sound Blaster ZXR or Asus Xonar Essence STX?
Or maybe a different sound card?

Objective: I want to be able to play games at near highest settings for 2-3 years at least. 3D compatibility is preferred.
Budget Range: $2000-2200 (Depends on objective above)

Approximate Purchase Date: approx 1 month
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming

Are you buying a monitor: No (Not yet)
Do you need to buy OS: No
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: iibuy.com.au (aussie site)
Location: Sydney NSW Australia
Overclocking: Maybe
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe
Your Monitor Resolution: Haven't bought a monitor but it will be 1080+.
(Probably IPS, 3D and 1920x1080, 1920x1200)
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: First PC (due to switching from consoles)

I'm trying to decide the parts to put into my rig. But i'm stuck since there's too many options for Mobo/psu/case/cooling. Do you guys have any recommendations? Do my parts work together?

Not sure what monitor/resolution i'm getting yet. (Haven't decided on any peripherals)

Solved Questions:
1. I have no experience in overclocking, so should i still get 'k' CPU versions? Yes
2. Do I get ethernet in motherboard or buy separately? Yes
3. Do I get a good 5.1 or 7.1 sound card in motherboard or buy separately? Yes
4. For cooling the CPU, should i get air or water coolers? Air.
5. Should i get a Fan or extra heat sink fan? No?
6. Will I need to buy internal cables? eg Sata cables? No
7. Will I need any special tools to build the pc? eg special screwdriver? No
8. Do I need to buy a surge protector? Yes for $20
9. How long until this PC will need to be replaced? at least 4 years
10. Which parts do I need to replace?
11. Can they be replaced easily? Plug in and play? mostly

Solved Questions v2:
1. (Revised question 4) If i'm going to be watching movies on the pc (with DTS-HD tracks) will I need a separate sound card? I'm looking at PC speakers in the $300-400 range. Yes
2. Should i get a Fan or extra heat sink fan? No
3. Difference between 1600MHz and 1833MHz for Ram? Do I need? No
4. Difference between GTX780 to GTX770? Do I need? No
5. i5 4760k or i5 3570k? i5 4760k
6. (Revised Questions 10 and 11) Realistically, keeping with my objective of being up to date with gaming at least every 2-3 years.
When/Which parts do I need to replace?
Will the GPU and CPU will be the first ones in 3 years?
4 years

Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any help.
Hope my post is not too long.

realchaos · Aug 25, 2013

1. If it fits in your budget, then yes. Get the "k" series cpu with a Z77/Z87 chipset motherboard. Don't buy the cpu cooler until you want to overclock.
2. Ethernet is included in the motherboard.
3. Motherboard's on-board audio is generally good enough unless you have high quality speakers/heatset.
4. Air is the better option unless you plan to do your own custom loop.
5. No need.
6. Depends on motherboard.
7. A regular screw driver is fine.
8. If it's only gaming, you shouldn't need one.
9. Depends on you.
10. Depends on you.
11. Most of them, yes. Others like the motherboard, no.

I would grab the 4670k. It's newer than the 3570k. Also, no need for the i7 in games since they don't utilize hyper-threading.
The RAM you listed is fine.
Good choice on SSD and HDD.
Grab the GTX 770. It can max out any game on 1080p.
For the motherboard, I would recommend the Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H.
I would grab a quality 850w psu from Corsair, XFX, Seasonic, or Antec High Current Gamer / High Current Pro.
Case is up to your aesthetics. I like the Corsair 500R, Fractal Design Define R4, or NZXT Phantom 410.
No need for cooling yet.

Tradesman1 · Aug 25, 2013

Yes, the K will keep you happier longer and OCing isn't that big a deal - with the 3570K can basically just set the multiplier to 40 and that's it, beyond there you start with just a bit of vCore, plety of people to help (I'm in every day), for a mobo look at the Rock Z77 Extreme 4, that's the one I decided on, Air cooling is fine I run 4.7 24/7 with a Hyper 212 EVO, , cables NO, tools no, surge protector is a very good idea, prob 4-5 years with a K model, a lot depends on the user and their Need for Speed

, most upgrades will be plug and play

g-unit1111 · Aug 25, 2013

To answer your questions:

1. If you've got that budget definitely be prepared to overclock. You've got the option so even a simple base clock adjust will significantly boost your rig.
2. Yes.
3. Yes.
4. If it's your first time start with air.
5. No need until you have your case in your possession. You can only have as many fans as your case has the mounts for.
6. No.
7. No. Just a standard philips head screwdriver.
8. You do, but there's no need to pay more than $20 for one. You're just wasting money if you get one that's say $200.
9. Five years minimum.
10. See below.
11. On a self built rig it's way easier than if you go pre built.

This is what I would suggest:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($275.00 @ PCCaseGear)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U9B SE2 37.9 CFM CPU Cooler ($65.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($195.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($95.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($124.00 @ PLE Computers)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($72.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($499.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Gunmetal/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($129.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Power Supply: XFX 850W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($169.00 @ PLE Computers)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($25.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($115.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $1763.00
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-26 12:43 EST+1000)

Then that gives you $400 to add a nice monitor and whatever keyboard and mouse you want.

atinder1 · Aug 25, 2013

Thanks for your answers, i'm very appreciative.

@Tradesman1 do you also recommend that I use a i5 4670K CPU and a GTX770 GPU?

@realchaos How will I know which cooler to get?

Tradesman1 · Aug 25, 2013

The 770 is a better graphics card as to the CPU you show 4770K, not sure if you mean 4670K - the 4770K is like $100 more and biggest difference is it has Hyper Threading, not needed for gaming or most everyday computing.....Between the two 4770K and the 3570K (I have and run both) the 3570K is the better choice for most...and if you meant the 4670K (the i5 version of the Haswell)...it's a tossup, there's very little gain by the 4670K and they run hot if you do plan to OC, thile the 3570K OCs better and much cooler, so overall performance is a toss up....I'd save the money with the lower priced 3570K and Z77 mobo

atinder1 · Aug 25, 2013

@realchaos I've added 4670k and GTX770 and NZXT Phantom 410. as my 'most likely' build.
Is there any benefit of choosing GTX680 over GTX770?
I've also added new questions if you could please help

Edit: Sorry i meant GTX780 over GTX770

atinder1 · Aug 25, 2013

@g-unit1111, Thanks, your answers were very helpful.
I've added i5 4670k and GTX770 as my 'most likely' build.
Is there any benefit of choosing GTX780 over GTX770?
I've also added new questions if you could please help

atinder1 · Aug 25, 2013

@Tradesman1, I reasearched i5 3570k and 4670k, and i'm leaning toward the 4670k, since for $20 i'll ensure compatibility for newer stuff. (you think it's ok? since i'm going pretty all out with $2000 budget. If you don't, then i'll have to rethink on it for a day or two).
Is there any benefit of choosing GTX680 over GTX770?
I've also added new questions if you could please help

Tradesman1 · Aug 25, 2013

If you go 4670 then you'll be looking at an 1150 mobo, take a look at the Asus Z87 Maximus VI Hero, has the ROG SupremeFX 8-Channel High Definition Audio, the rest...you basically need to decide on a CPU and mobo - however the 780 is a better GPU than the 770

g-unit1111 · Aug 25, 2013

atinder1 :

In Australian dollars, the GTX 780 is roughly twice the price of the GTX 770. If you want it, keep that in mind, but performance wise there's not a lot of difference between the two cards.

realchaos · Aug 25, 2013

For the motherboard, the ASRock Z87 Extreme4 is a good option: http://www.iibuy.com.au/asrock-z87extreme4-socket-1150-4x-ddr-3-slots-2x-pcie-x16-1x-pcie-x4-2x-pcie-x1-2x-pci-8x-sataiii-9x-usb30-1x-gb-lan-hdmi-dp-atx-intel-motherboard_p44425.html

For the psu, this is a good one for SLI: http://www.iibuy.com.au/antec-hcg850m-high-current-gamer-modular-850w-psu-w-led-80-plus-bronze-135mm-fan-high-current-12v-rails-4x-pcie-9x-sata-6x-molex-5yrs-wty_p45061.html
Or if you want to spend a bit more for 80+ GOLD: http://www.iibuy.com.au/corsair-850w-hx850-hx850-atx-power-supply-80-plus-gold-certified-modular-cabling-6x-62-pcie-12x-sata-8x-molex-7-year-warranty_p29211.html

I see no point of getting a GTX 780 since a single GTX 770 already maxed out any game on 1080p. A 780 is overkill for 1080p.

For the cpu cooler, if you want mild overclocking, the Hyper 212 EVO is the best option.
If you want good overclocking, the Noctua NH-D14 or Phanteks PH-TC14PE is a great option.
However, the website you listed doesn't have any of these. The website you wanted to use has a very limited choice for cpu coolers, so I would advise using a different website.

1. If you're using a $300-400 speaker set-up, you should probably be getting a sound card.
2. Nope. Typically, the stock fans are enough. Just hold off for fans for now. Wait until your system is up and running and then decide if you want quieter fans. If you buy a good quality case / cpu cooler, they usually have good stock fans.
3. I think you mean 1866mhz RAM? The performance difference in gaming is very minimal, so stick with whichever is cheaper, which is usually the 1600mhz.
4. Answered above.
5. My vote is for the 4670k. Although there is very minimal performance difference, and it doesn't overclock as much as the 3570k, it makes no sense going with last-gen components when the newer gen is out.
6. As I said, it depends on you. We can't tell how long a rig is going to last, but most rigs generally last 2-3 years before it starts to show it's age. Once you overclock it, it should last longer. It depends on if you want to upgrade when it starts to age a bit, or if you want to suck out all of the performance before you upgrade. Realistically, I give it 3-4 years if you overclock it.

atinder1 · Aug 26, 2013

Thanks for your answers. I've updated the questions.
I can't do any more research until tomorrow, so i'll be back in a couple of days after more research.
Or when I come back here should I create a clean, new thread?
I guess i'll leave it here.
Anyways, thanks for your help.

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Gaming PC. First build. Aiming at around $2000-2200.

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