Need advice on building gaming computer!

hyakaju · Oct 17, 2013

Hello everyone. I need help on deciding if these parts are good for its prices and if they're compatible with a case or not. BTW, I'm completely new to building computers/not much knowledge on computer parts so pardon me if I appear to be ignorant of anything.

So far I've chosen these parts for a PC.
Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
Kingston HyperX 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory
Asus GeForce GTX 680 4GB Video Card

I'm not entirely sure what type of case I should get with this setup or what/how much coolants I would need. On PCpartpickers they tell me the average watts used so I'm assuming I should get a power supply somewhere near that amount. I also have no knowledge in any good hard drives or anything.

I already have my mouse, keyboard, and monitor at 1920x1080.

EDIT: My budget will be around $1400~1500.

8350rocks · Oct 17, 2013

For PSU, you want your average consumption to fall inline with about 50-60% of the PSU's maximum. That's where they are typically most efficient, plus you have headroom for spikes under full load.

Judging by your setup listed, I would think something around 600-650W would be good. Along those lines I like the Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Semi Modular (it also happens to be very quiet for a mid range PSU).

For a CPU Cooler, I would go with something like one of the following:

Xigmatek Gaia - $30
Xigmatek Loki - $25
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - $30

Any of those should work just fine.

Also, if you're just gaming, you may not need 16 GB of RAM. If you can afford it, and don't have to compromise your build elsewhere, then by all means get it. However, if you're skimping somewhere else to get that much RAM 8 GB is typically enough.

What MB were you looking at?

EDIT:

What about this:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1PRru
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1PRru/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1PRru/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($324.97 @ SuperBiiz)
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 ($174.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Corsair Force Series GT 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($128.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 680 4GB Video Card ($532.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Xigmatek Recon ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS90 DVD/CD Writer ($15.16 @ Mwave)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1523.02
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-17 10:12 EDT-0400)

Personally, for the money you're spending on the GTX 680, I would look at the Sapphire R9-280X Toxic Edition (3 GB) or Asus R9-280X DCUII TOP (3 GB) which are less money, and outpace the GTX 680 and GTX 770 both.

That build will look like this:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1PRuy
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1PRuy/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1PRuy/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($324.97 @ SuperBiiz)
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 ($174.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Corsair Force Series GT 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($128.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($365.91 @ Newegg)
Case: Xigmatek Recon ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS90 DVD/CD Writer ($26.90 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1367.68
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-17 10:15 EDT-0400)

hyakaju · Oct 17, 2013

I see, thank you. Does it matter what brand I should get for the PSU? or the coolants? I keep seeing in posts that some parts aren't compatible with different type of cases and I'm afraid of buying the wrong parts/case.

As for the reason why I wanted 16 GB of ram is because I plan on running many programs at once while multitasking between two monitors and having my game running. I currently have 9rams on this computer right now and it kind of slows down after awhile when I play games like tera or skyrim.

What do you mean by which MB ?

hyakaju · Oct 17, 2013

Would 8GB of ram be enough for streaming games/running programs like chrome, microsoft words and itunes at once?

Sangeet Khatri · Oct 17, 2013

Well.. this is what I would recommend for 1500 dollars :

+ i7 4770k 4 Cores, 8 Threads.
+ 16GB RAM, for future proofing and heavy multi tasking.
+ Nvidia 780, the most powerful graphics card currently available.
+ 120GB Boot Drive SSD + 1TB HDD for your storage needs.
+ Bitfenix Shinobi, cheap in price but Awesome in quality. This version also has a side window.
+ Seasonic 650W Gold PSU is of exceptional quality

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($324.97 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($134.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.68 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.96 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($638.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: BitFenix Shinobi Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1530.51
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-17 10:23 EDT-0400)

So, this is the build that you should go for instead. The 780 performs way better than the 680, so this should offer much better performance.

I hope this helps. Have a look at the build and tell me what you think about it. Your feedback would be highly appreciated.

8350rocks · Oct 17, 2013

hafijur :

He specified 4 GB for the GTX 680, not a 2 GB card like you chose. That's why the one I put in was so expensive, it was catering to what he chose. It was also the most budget friendly GTX 680 I could find with 4 GB VRAM.

Additionally, the R9-280X Toxic blows the doors off any GTX 680 or 770.

8350rocks · Oct 17, 2013

Sangeet Khatri :

Well.. this is what I would recommend for 1500 dollars :

+ i7 4770k 4 Cores, 8 Threads.
+ 16GB RAM, for future proofing and heavy multi tasking.
+ Nvidia 780, the most powerful graphics card currently available.
+ 120GB Boot Drive SSD + 1TB HDD for your storage needs.
+ Bitfenix Shinobi, cheap in price but Awesome in quality. This version also has a side window.
+ Seasonic 650W Gold PSU is of exceptional quality

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($324.97 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($134.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.68 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.96 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($638.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: BitFenix Shinobi Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1530.51
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-17 10:23 EDT-0400)

So, this is the build that you should go for instead. The 780 performs way better than the 680, so this should offer much better performance.

I hope this helps. Have a look at the build and tell me what you think about it. Your feedback would be highly appreciated.

For that expensive a GPU, the R9-290X will be better than the GTX Titan for similar money as the GTX 780. That would be better money spent...

8350rocks · Oct 17, 2013

hyakaju :

Yes, it would be enough. Though if you're running all that and a game at the same time, you may actually want the 16 GB of RAM.

hyakaju · Oct 17, 2013

Sangeet Khatri :

Well.. this is what I would recommend for 1500 dollars :

+ i7 4770k 4 Cores, 8 Threads.
+ 16GB RAM, for future proofing and heavy multi tasking.
+ Nvidia 780, the most powerful graphics card currently available.
+ 120GB Boot Drive SSD + 1TB HDD for your storage needs.
+ Bitfenix Shinobi, cheap in price but Awesome in quality. This version also has a side window.
+ Seasonic 650W Gold PSU is of exceptional quality

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($324.97 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($134.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.68 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.96 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($638.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: BitFenix Shinobi Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1530.51
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-17 10:23 EDT-0400)

So, this is the build that you should go for instead. The 780 performs way better than the 680, so this should offer much better performance.

I hope this helps. Have a look at the build and tell me what you think about it. Your feedback would be highly appreciated.

I think your build would be too much for me to afford. For the games that i'm playing right now and looking to play in the future, I think the gtx 680 would be sufficient for its price at the moment. I want the cheapest video card that can run high/ultra settings for the next 5-10 years.

hyakaju · Oct 17, 2013

8350rocks :

For PSU, you want your average consumption to fall inline with about 50-60% of the PSU's maximum. That's where they are typically most efficient, plus you have headroom for spikes under full load.

Judging by your setup listed, I would think something around 600-650W would be good. Along those lines I like the Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Semi Modular (it also happens to be very quiet for a mid range PSU).

For a CPU Cooler, I would go with something like one of the following:

Xigmatek Gaia - $30
Xigmatek Loki - $25
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - $30

Any of those should work just fine.

Also, if you're just gaming, you may not need 16 GB of RAM. If you can afford it, and don't have to compromise your build elsewhere, then by all means get it. However, if you're skimping somewhere else to get that much RAM 8 GB is typically enough.

What MB were you looking at?

EDIT:

What about this:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1PRru
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1PRru/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1PRru/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($324.97 @ SuperBiiz)
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 ($174.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Corsair Force Series GT 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($128.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 680 4GB Video Card ($532.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Xigmatek Recon ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS90 DVD/CD Writer ($15.16 @ Mwave)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1523.02
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-17 10:12 EDT-0400)

Personally, for the money you're spending on the GTX 680, I would look at the Sapphire R9-280X Toxic Edition (3 GB) or Asus R9-280X DCUII TOP (3 GB) which are less money, and outpace the GTX 680 and GTX 770 both.

That build will look like this:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1PRuy
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1PRuy/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1PRuy/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($324.97 @ SuperBiiz)
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 ($174.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Corsair Force Series GT 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($128.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($365.91 @ Newegg)
Case: Xigmatek Recon ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS90 DVD/CD Writer ($26.90 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1367.68
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-17 10:15 EDT-0400)

Will the Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card last up until ~2018 for games? I plan on re-building another computer once everything becomes outdated and processes slow compared to the parts during its time.

I'll probably choose the 16GB of ram because I generally multitask a lot while I play games.

8350rocks · Oct 17, 2013

hyakaju :

8350rocks :

Sangeet Khatri :

Will the Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card last up until ~2018 for games? I plan on re-building another computer once everything becomes outdated and processes slow compared to the parts during its time.

I'll probably choose the 16GB of ram because I generally multitask a lot while I play games.

It should play everything on High/Ultra for a while to come...I don't have a crystal ball to say it will play everything on Ultra for the next 5 years. However, it will play games in 2018 very well still.

hyakaju · Oct 17, 2013

I see, thank you very much.

huilun02 · Oct 17, 2013

The R9 280x outperforms the GTX 680, and costs less, and is much newer (only just released)

The GTX 780 is also new and more powerful than the R9 280x, but costs over twice as much. I'm currently using a HD 7950 and it never gave less than 60fps on the latest titles at 1080p Ultra settings. Just so you have an idea of the money you could burn on excess performance you can hardly see.

But of course if you want the additional future proofing and cash to spare, nothing wrong with picking a 780 or Titan.

And one last thing I'd avoid the Seagate Barracuda. The last few I got developed bad sectors and eventually died (and they were from different batches) I recommend the WD Caviar Black instead.

8350rocks · Oct 17, 2013

huilun02 :

The Caviar Blue is typically similar money for a similar drive as the Barracuda, and is also an excellent choice.

That's what I ended up buying...though it was on sale dirt cheap when I bought mine...($49 for a 1 TB 7200 RPM 64 MB Cache)

8350rocks · Oct 17, 2013

hafijur :

8350rocks :

lol, he has a 1080p monitor and can save $172.99 and get same gaming performance at 1080p with the gtx680 I linked. Blows the doors off lol, a gtx680 is as fast as the r9-280x toxic. In fact the gtx770 generally wins by 2 or 3fps so you amd fanboyism is just delusion and nvidia gpu is significantly better performance per watt.

http://images.anandtech.com/graphs/graph7406/58754.png
The gtx770 which is at least on par if not better takes 155w. It seems like amd gone backwards in gpu world too. The r9 280x with how much power consumption its taking should really destroy a gtx770 yet it struggles to beat in a few games by a few fps.

Seriously...? The thread is closed.

Gaidax · Oct 17, 2013

Ultra 5 years from now on GTX680 is a bit too optimistic, I give it 3 years and it will start showing it's age.

For example, take my rig - Radeon HD 6990, I have it for 2 years now and it's still awesome, but I can already see that with the next generation of GPU incoming it will drop down to the good mid tier status and in 2 years it will probably start to struggle keeping up ultra in new games then.

That's the sad truth, really.

hyakaju · Oct 17, 2013

hafijur :

8350rocks :

lol, he has a 1080p monitor and can save $172.99 and get same gaming performance at 1080p with the gtx680 I linked. Blows the doors off lol, a gtx680 is as fast as the r9-280x toxic. In fact the gtx770 generally wins by 2 or 3fps so you amd fanboyism is just delusion and nvidia gpu is significantly better performance per watt.

http://images.anandtech.com/graphs/graph7406/58754.png
The gtx770 which is at least on par if not better takes 155w. It seems like amd gone backwards in gpu world too. The r9 280x with how much power consumption its taking should really destroy a gtx770 yet it struggles to beat in a few games by a few fps.

I didn't know the r9 280x was better and cheaper, thanks!

huilun02 · Oct 17, 2013

Please do not make misleading claims. The GTX 680 is not as fast as the R9 280x. If you say otherwise please link benchmarks/performance charts from reputable sites. The GTX 770 is on par, sometimes better. But both Nvidia cards are notably more expensive than the R9 280x.

Power consumption misses the point here, with all cards mentioned not an issue for the OP. Might as well not use a GPU at all and say it uses 0 Watts!

Please don't mistake me for an AMD fanboy. I might have an HD 7950, but only because of the budget constraint when I bought my parts. I suggested the R9 280x because it is at present the best value for a card that he would want.

8350rocks · Oct 17, 2013

huilun02 :

Please do not make misleading claims. The GTX 680 is not as fast as the R9 280x. If you say otherwise please link benchmarks/performance charts from reputable sites. The GTX 770 is on par, sometimes better. But both Nvidia cards are notably more expensive than the R9 280x.

Power consumption misses the point here, with all cards mentioned not an issue for the OP. Might as well not use a GPU at all and say it uses 0 Watts!

Please don't mistake me for an AMD fanboy. I might have an HD 7950, but only because of the budget constraint when I bought my parts. I suggested the R9 280x because it is at present the best value for a card that he would want.

+1

Need advice on building gaming computer!

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