Stick with memory and CPU or graphics?

Pieruler5654 · Nov 26, 2013

Hello everyone, Im creating my first gaming computer and my budget is $1750, Ive recently been thinking about how to future proof it, so Ive given it 32gb memory and a Intel i7 4770 Haswell CPU and the graphics card Ive been really impressed with is the MSI R9270X Gaming Edition.
I know that having 2 of these would mean ultimate graphics and very very little game lag, but the only way to afford this is to downgrade the CPU and the memory (RAM = 16gb CPU = i5 3570k Ivy Bridge) and so I was wondering if that would future proof for about 2-3 years and still give me great gaming performance on all the recent games (and good quality old games). Thanks!

Anas Bashar · Nov 26, 2013

i would go with: i5-4670K, 8GB ram (2x4GB now, and get two more sticks later on) and a gtx770.... calculate how much these parts i mentioned will cost, i believe you have some money left, how much?

coozie7 · Nov 26, 2013

The 'future proof' bit is a bit of an issue (at least for me).
Not that long ago I'd have said the i5 is a better gaming option, same performance as the i7, less cash but games are becoming increasingly threaded (BF4 can use more than 4 threads/cores) so the i7 looks to be the better long term bet.
At the risk of upsetting the applecart I would go so far as to suggest you consider a AMD 8 core build as an alternative its 8 full cores can give even the fastest i7 quads a very hard time in threaded applications (and possible future games).
What other parts are in the build? You've heavily overspecified the RAM for a gaming system (8 Gb is plenty now) perhaps you could trim a little elsewhere as well and divert the cash into a stronger graphics card or cards.

Anas Bashar · Nov 27, 2013

coozie7 :

even if more games started to use more than 4 cores, i wonder how much each core will be loaded? am not an expert on CPUs, but i THINK than 6 cores loaded at %30 can easily be replaced by 4 cores being about %50 loaded... and thus a game that do not load four cores more than %80 doesnt really need more cores.
what do you think?

Pieruler5654 · Nov 27, 2013

Anas Bashar :

Should be in my budget... if I put everything I had originally and then did the edits you suggested my total would be 1515 which gives me lots of spare money for more upgrades like a better monitor or more ram to future proof it

Pieruler5654 · Nov 27, 2013

coozie7 :

Yea, my family have been really helpful as this is my first computer that I am custom making

D) and they have suggested 32gb memory to future proof it (similar to the i7 and the 8 core CPUs you were talking about) which I thought was understandable, but 16gb would last me a while too. Their evidence was how quickly the gaming ram base line went up, they were going on about how quickly it went from 64mb, to 100mb and so on (not sure about eh 100mb part...) I have trimmed cash nicely, Ive found a cheap 750w PSU from Aerocool and a $6 Cooler... (im not expecting the greatest performance, and sound dosent bug me) I have considered trimming lots of cash with the AMD CPUs since the most expensive one is about $100 below the i5 I was looking at the $150 i7 I was looking at, and the 8 cores did take me by surprise when I first saw it, but intel is a more well known company, so Ive been sticking to them just in case, but your opinion with the AMD cores will be taken into consideration!

coozie7 · Nov 27, 2013

Good call on the memory, 32Gb is overkill unless you plan on using the system for large CAD/animation/scientific simulation projects, 16Gb is still a bit much but, as you said in your initial post you're looking long term and I doubt very much you'll need to increase it for the life of the system.
Don't skimp on the power supply, it's the foundation of the system. Cheap units lack the advanced protection found in better quality parts, they usually fail to deliver their rated output, do not provide 'clean' power, usually offer poor longevity and can damage other parts of the system when they fail. Antec, Corsair, XFX, Seasonic, Silverstone, OCZ and FSP are among the top makers. For a single GPU setup 600Watts with dual 8 pin (or dual 6+2 pin) PCI-E leads will be enough, even with an overclocked system, go for 700-750 Watts with 4 PCI-E leads if you are likely to go SLI or Crossfire in the future.
Same with cheap coolers, you'll be better off spending an extra <>$20 on a reasonably decent cooler now rather than getting a cheap one only to be disappointed in it. The Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo is dead popular but other companies also make some excellent low cost (<>$35) alternatives.
Hard call on the cores/threads, only time will reveal how things will actually develop but if BF4 and its Frostbite engine is pointing the way we'll soon see other games using 6 or more cores/threads and Hyperthreading support will allow 8/12 threads for the current Intel CPUs that support this feature.
Right now, I think the extra spent on an i7 will be an investment for the future, it'll give no advantages over an i5 ATM but may very well pay off in a couple of years time.
The AMD suggestion was because you seemed to be struggling with the budget and the 8 core CPUs are blazingly fast, particularly in well threaded applications.

Pieruler5654 · Nov 27, 2013

Well my budget is slightly struggling thanks to the $82 assembly fee...but thanks for the advice on the power supply unit, I've tried to learn about them but nothing really stayed in my mind, so I just got a $90 PSU with 750w. Almost the same with my fan, but I simply thought that it would provide a bit of cooling for me. But the advice on the both the cooling and the psu will be used (mainly the psu, I don't like anything to be dirty..

) thanks heaps!

coozie7 · Nov 27, 2013

Can you provide a part/price breakdown of the entire system under consideration? Maybe we can point you to some better value options.
I know I'm asking you to do a fair bit of work, but the better part of $2,000 is a hefty amount of cash to spend and I for one would like to see you get the best value possible for those hard won Dollars.

Pieruler5654 · Nov 28, 2013

sure thing, and if anything, your the one doing more work

CPU: i7 4770 Haswell 8MB Cache
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M HD3
RAM: Kingston 16GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Storage Device: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM
Case: Cooler Master Elite 343 (havent checked the motherboard sizing)
PSU: TBC
Video Card: Gigabyte radeon HD 7990

Link to the website Im using www.centrecom.com.au
Everyone says it is a little bit more pricey but is very trustworthy so that will explain the slightly cheap prices rather than very cheap :l
Im planning on buying my computer on the Black Friday Special so that I may be able to save some dollars and place them somewhere else.

Pieruler5654 · Nov 28, 2013

just as another point, I havent measured out much, today Im checking all that and I may have to get a new motherboard thanks to the graphics card...

coozie7 · Nov 28, 2013

Somewhere along the lines, I missed the bit about you being in OZ. That would explain the budget difficulties because I've been thinking in terms of US dollars, not Australian...Oops!
AFAIK there's no problem with the motherboard or case choice, that 7990 should fit both perfectly.
Good idea on the 'Black Friday' deals.
You might want to consider dropping the graphics card a notch, the 7990 needs at least a 1440 monitor and, preferably two of 'em to make its purchase worthwhile. Trouble is I can't find one listed in your linked store, so have a look here: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/gaming-graphics-card-review,review-32803-7.html and see if you can shave some off that budget with a slightly less stellar graphics card.
If things remain tight, I'd drop to 8Gb of memory, it's plenty enough for current needs and is the most easily upgraded part of the system, expect to save <>$100 (yes, Aus Dollars this time).

Pieruler5654 · Nov 28, 2013

coozie7 :

Haha, suppose I should of mentioned that fact that I'm from Australia...and I didn't know you need a 1440 monitor? I've checked AMD's website and checked what system specs you need and so on.(http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/7000/7990/pages/radeon-7990.aspx#3)
But I may be able to steal a monitor somewhere (figure of speech, not gonna steal...)
Just in case you find out that my monitor won't "handle" the graphics card, my monitor is a HPw1707

Zuul · Nov 28, 2013

You don't need a 1440p monitor what coozie means a 1080p wown't do the card any justice unless you are gaming at 144hz ofcourse where high fps actually shows. R9 290s are a real bang for the buck atm, so are r9 280x's and gtx 780s.
For power supply I recommend corsair as brand as they make excellent power supplies, personally I love my RM 850 since it literally is dead silent until you start using more than 40% of the wattage... which with a single card setup you rarely do ... also futureproof if you would want crossfire/sli as 850 watts on a gold certified psu is MOOORE than enough!

I know the power supply might be an expensive choice but I would rather spend good money on a good power supply since it's the thing you are trusting to power up your system.

coozie7 · Nov 28, 2013

At the risk of incurring the not inconsiderable wrath of the Mods I shall call you a string of random symbols for not mentioning you live in such a wonderful and beautiful country: &£^%&*()&^%£ There, I've said it, consider yourself thoroughly told off.

Yes, the point I was making with the display is that the HD7990 is so fast! Using it on a single 1080 display is like using a Lamborghini to do the school run. Three blocks away.

Pieruler5654 · Nov 29, 2013

coozie7 :

I feel like Ive just been wrathed...? And you would look pretty snazzy in that Lamborghini so its worth it

coozie7 · Nov 29, 2013

Just joking with you, mate, it's six of one, half a dozen of the other.
Agree about the Lambo, though.

Pieruler5654 · Nov 29, 2013

Haha, well good and bad news,
Good news: I bought the computer and managed to get a new monitor aswell
Bad news: they ran out of 7990's so I did the maths and figured out I could get a gtx780 and get a 22" acer monitor.
Final specs:
CPU: i7 4770k haswell
Motherboard: gigabyte ga z87M-D3HP
RAM: Kingston 16gb
Storage: Seagate barracuda 1tb and samsung 840 EVO Series 250gb
Case: Antec One
PSU: cannot be stuffed finding out real name, but it has 1100w 80+gold
Cooler: Deepcool Gamma Archer
Monitor: Acer 22" 1920x1080p
Graphics Card: Gigabyte GTX780
OP: Win 7 Pro

Thanks for all the help with everything, been a very educational trip and I'll enjoy "driving my Lamborghini" to a school more than 3 blocks away (had to say it...

Zuul · Nov 29, 2013

That looks like a great build! Maybe a bit overkill on the powersupply but you should be more than fine if u ever wanted to add another 780.

coozie7 · Nov 29, 2013

It's a very, very strong build and you've given it room to grow further with the high calibre PSU and motherboard choice-future proof indeed!
Few observations: Some games use PhysX, the GTX780 should handle the extra workload easily. The CPU will overclock vey nicely but I'd hold that in reserve-it's just like having a CPU upgrade when it's done-and right now I very much doubt that i7 is going to struggle with ANY game out there anyway.
Australia is a da** big place with some very hot bits and not everyone has AC so if the system runs a little hot you might want to change the case fans: Front and side IN, top and rear OUT. Aim for more in than out, because the front and side fans are usually filtered this keeps dust and pet fur out of the system.
I think you'll be driving that particular Lambo a lot more than just on the school run.

Enjoy.

Stick with memory and CPU or graphics?

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