Is there anything I could Improve on my custom built gaming PC?

zacw

Honorable
Oct 25, 2013
113
0
10,690
Hey guys this is the first time that I have chosen the parts to my custom built PC. Is there anything you could recommend and or improve please let me know.
These are the specs:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1SYu5
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1SYu5/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1SYu5/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VI FORMULA ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($289.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($152.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($127.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 4GB Video Card ($447.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Stryker (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 1050W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - OEM (64-bit) ($96.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: BenQ RL2450HT 24.0" Monitor ($184.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1923.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-25 04:49 EDT-0400)
 
Solution
Very nice choices, that will be a great machine. I'd hold off on pulling the trigger if you can wait. With AMD's r9 290x coming out, many believe nvidia will be dropping prices. That $450 you are spending on the gtx 770 will likely get you a better graphics card. The magic question... when. I can't answer that, but just wanted to make sure you were aware.

Your power supply is overkill, I assume that's with the thought of SLI in the future.
Some will say 16gb is too much, but I think that is getting outdated. If I were putting together a system, I'd go 16gb as well.

Good luck with the build!
Very nice choices, that will be a great machine. I'd hold off on pulling the trigger if you can wait. With AMD's r9 290x coming out, many believe nvidia will be dropping prices. That $450 you are spending on the gtx 770 will likely get you a better graphics card. The magic question... when. I can't answer that, but just wanted to make sure you were aware.

Your power supply is overkill, I assume that's with the thought of SLI in the future.
Some will say 16gb is too much, but I think that is getting outdated. If I were putting together a system, I'd go 16gb as well.

Good luck with the build!
 
Solution

Wolfshadw

Titan
Moderator
Is there a specific reason for going with the ASUS Maximus VI Formula motherboard? You could get a quality motherboard for less than half the cost if you don't need all the bells and whistles that ASUS board gives.

You certainly won't need a 1050 watt power supply (even if you do go SLI in the future). If you do plan to go SLI in the future, look to the Corsair TX850 or something similar. If not, a Corsair TX650 would be more than sufficient.

Fast RAM is nice, but at that cost? You could drop down to DDR3-1866 or even DDR3-1600 and save a few bucks.

No complaints about the rest of your system.

-Wolf sends
 

newfolder7

Honorable
Sep 23, 2013
73
0
10,660
The power supply is a little bit overkill, especially for a single card. The 770 is slightly faster overall, but if you want to save $100 you should consider the R9 - 280x. Also, i dont think there is much justification in spending a little more for an i7 procesor, games dont take much advantage of hyper threading and probably wont to much of an extent for a few years at least.
 

zacw

Honorable
Oct 25, 2013
113
0
10,690
Hey guys I really appreciate the responses, Shneiky I looked at some benchmarks with the i7 vs the i5 and there really isn't too much of a performance gain as and it also costs $100 or so more so I don't feel that's a worth it upgrade. Also down the line Intel is releasing Broadwell processors which again are a new form of technology but when in the technology market there is always that well worth it upgrade around the corner essentially you cannot always wait.
jimthenagual thanks for informing me I was considering the wait but its also why I opted to go for the 770 rather then the 780 its rather difficult trying to pinpoint the release date and its essentially a minor upgrade on AMD's top cards at the moment and from the benchmarks I have been able to find the performance gain is quite minimal comparatively similar to an overclocked AMD Radeon™ HD 7990 from what I have heard though i could be wrong. Either way I'm not into waiting too long and I don't think the price drop will be to dramatical with the price its currently at which I think is quite reasonable.
Wolfshadw "Is there a specific reason for going with the ASUS Maximus VI Formula motherboard? You could get a quality motherboard for less than half the cost if you don't need all the bells and whistles that ASUS board gives." This was more a novelty decision I quite agree with you, i think in my research i stumbled upon it and just fell in love but it is probably a poor decision as I most likely wont be using all of the features. I want to have a motherboard that's ready as can be for what the future has to offer as I intend for this system to last me. If you could provide some links to some reviews or make some more suggestions I would really appreciate it. In regards to the RAM look i'm really not knowledgeable in the area to understand the performance gains. I was going to go for the 16 GB option but yeah earlier today I assumed RAM was based off its MHz 1350. 1600, 1866, 2200 etc or w/e then i noticed that there are different brands offering lower latency etc I really don't know what to do in this aspect I was looking at Memory G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 $72.90 would I notice a big performance gain between the two? again if you guys could provide some insight for me I would be really appreciative haha thats why I have posted here to get better informed :).
Now everybody has commented on the power supply, I did use a calculator to see what my watts came too and yes it is definitely overkill but from what I have heard having more is far better then having less. In the future I will be purchasing another Nvidia GTX 770 for SLI but I do understand that even then it doesn't come close to the 1000 watt mark but for the price I was thinking it costs as much as an 850 watt and it has alright reviews but would it effectively be power waste?, or throttle my performance? If you guys could link me a great power supply to go with my rig that has less watts preferably a platinum efficiency that would also be great.
newfolder7 I have read and looked at some recent benchmarks they look like a nice card for ATI and I have supported them my entire life i'm really looking for a change by going for Nvidia and I prefer the driver support Nvidia has. But yeah just a personal preference I'm not going ATI this time.
Once again thanks guys I really appreciate your input i'm trying to build the perfect machine :) hope to hear back from you all soon.
cheers
P.S what do you think of the case? I had allot of trouble deciding on one and I want to make sure I get the right one. Also is Seagate the right brand to go? or should i go for a western digital black version or something?
 

DutchCoffee

Honorable
Oct 24, 2013
38
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10,560
The speed of ram memory is quite unimportant unless you are using an APU. Just pick cheap 1600mhz memory and you'll be fine. There is no difference in gaming performance between 1333mhz and 2400mhz just because your pc doesn't use the extra bandwith/speed. I would also pick 8GB, if you gonna need more in say 2 years you can easily upgrade for i guess lower prices (DDR4 will probably be released by then).

I also agree with wolfshadow that an expensive motherboard is not really necessary.. a motherboard like the Gigabyte Z87X-D3H will be a better in terms of bang for buck.