Need advice on gaming rig- $1200

lxscottiexl

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This will be my first custom build. It is primarily a gaming PC with light photo editing and moderate multitasking. I don't necessarily need to be able to run BF4 on Ultra settings with maxed AA. I have tried to research as much as I could before posting and asking for advice. I am only moderately knowledgeable with hardware so bear with me. That being said, there are a few things you should know. I already own the PSU listed in the specs but if it is a serious issue then I would consider an upgrade. I have a monitor that I am happy with and not currently interested in upgrading though it is not out of the question in the near future. I don't want to go very far over budget and it would be great if there are better alternatives at lower price points. This is what I have come up with:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek GAIA SD1283 56.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD4H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($164.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Arctic White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($121.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Gaming 700W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1213.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-18 18:23 EDT-0400)

The biggest thing I am not sure on is RAM and whether or not I should spend the money for an SSD. I definitely would have picked up the refurbished Crucial M4 128GB earlier today on Newegg as it was about half price but it sold out before I had the chance.

Let me know what you think. Your help is much appreciated!
 
Solution
1- Wait some more if you can. AMD is about to release their r9 290 and 290X cards and Nvidia will unleash GTX 780 Ti in a month. These mean there will be price differences soon (in both sides). You could get a GTX 770 for cheaper soon. Who knows? Perhaps Nvidia will unveil a GTX 770 Ti for the current price of GTX 770 soon? Yeah who knows... This is just a vague time for building a new pc i guess

2- If you can't wait, and if you have to build now, you can get a AMD R9 280X instead of GTX 770. The AMD card is around $70 - $90 cheaper (depending on the brand) and performs similarly. You could invest in an SSD with the rest money. Here, check this out and draw your own conclusion...

enemy1g

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I think most people on this board would opt for a Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO, and if you want a SSD, you could always wait until Black Friday. IMO I would never build a PC without a SSD, but that's my personal preference. Your RAM looks fine, you might want a gold certified Corsair PSU, but you should be fine either way.
 

technoholic

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1- Wait some more if you can. AMD is about to release their r9 290 and 290X cards and Nvidia will unleash GTX 780 Ti in a month. These mean there will be price differences soon (in both sides). You could get a GTX 770 for cheaper soon. Who knows? Perhaps Nvidia will unveil a GTX 770 Ti for the current price of GTX 770 soon? Yeah who knows... This is just a vague time for building a new pc i guess

2- If you can't wait, and if you have to build now, you can get a AMD R9 280X instead of GTX 770. The AMD card is around $70 - $90 cheaper (depending on the brand) and performs similarly. You could invest in an SSD with the rest money. Here, check this out and draw your own conclusion: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/R9_280X_Direct_Cu_II_TOP/26.html

Still, keep in mind that there will most probably be price adjustments by the both sides in GPU market in a month or 2. Perhaps it is better to wait till black friday sales...

Peace and respects
 
Solution

lxscottiexl

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Waiting is an option in this case. If the prices DO go down that would work out great. Any advice on the ram as far as performance for the money? This is still a general concern for me.
 

technoholic

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Prices will go down inevitably because Nvidia must counter the new cards from AMD. Otherwise they will not be competitive and will lose market share. The question is "how soon?". AMD is expected to launch new cards until the end of this month with (rumored) competitive prices. And Nvidia is expected to respond quickly. It is how this usually works :)

As for your question about RAM, honestly i am not very well informed about the latest trends, better brands/models etc. But if i had to choose, i would consider RAM modules with low latency, faster Mhz value, lower cost (as much as possible) and i would pick a 16 GB pair instead of 8. Because RAM is relatively cheap and you may take advantage of extra RAM in your design/photo editing works. I think G. Skill is a good brand and 1866 Mhz is fairly fast. I heard nothing bad about this brand. Nonetheless, you can always upgrade your RAM, so you may as well get 8 GB now and upgrade later if needed.

Peace and respects
 

g-unit1111

Titan
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Yeah I agree, the Xigmatek Gaia is a horrible cooler, IMO. I had one and had nothing but problems with it. Hyper 212 Evo is a far better choice.
 

lxscottiexl

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I hear you guys on the CPU cooler. I had read somewhere on Toms Hardware that it was recommended due to it being quieter. Now that I've had some more time to check them out I see that I probably shouldn't go with 3 pipes anyway.

I've changed the cooler to a CM 212 EVO, added thermal paste and the Crucial M4 SSD. This is the updated parts list.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($35.98 @ Newegg)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($8.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD4H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($164.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($127.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Arctic White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($121.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Gaming 700W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1364.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-19 14:54 EDT-0400)

Any more suggestions or recommendations would be appreciated.
Still more info needed on RAM. Also, what's everyones thoughts on the Noctua NH-U9B CPU cooler? How does it compare to the EVO 212?
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhu9bse2
 
better rig
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1S26q

-much better cooler than the hyper 212 evo and better cooler than the u9b or the u12p or u12s for that matter
-silver 5 is beyond outdated and included paste with coolers are already very good
-the ud4h has no benefits over the regular d3h boards
-newer SSD and way cheaper. there is no reason to get the m4 anymore
-caviar black drives arent any better than the blues
-the 280x is going to perform quite well up against the 770 once overclocked. if you want to wait and buy the r9 290 from amd, thats also a good option
-chose a matx configuration for reduced cost. no benefits or losses by doing so
-overkill psu
 

lxscottiexl

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I won't sack the WD black and if you read the post I already own the psu
 
the black drive is slower, louder and noiser than the blue drive. its a no brainer to even think about them

if you already own the psu, fair enough, but if i were to buy one, it would never be the gaming series as they are basically slightly better cx series psus but with LEDs
 

lxscottiexl

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I don't know what you mean specifically by choosing a mATX configuration.