Build up to $2000, could use some expert advice

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dempy19

dempy19

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Dec 28, 2013
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Hey all,

I am building my first PC and I've done a lot of research on the parts I've included into my potential build. I am looking to spend about $2000.

I think I'm really close to getting everything just right for my build, however, I am not so sure on the GPU because there are about a million to choose from. (MSI, Gigabyte, EVGA, Zotac)

I would really appreciate any advice you may have and I am open to suggestions on ANY changes that I could make to my build that could enhance performance without adding to the cost too much.

here is my build from partpicker: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2rCS3

Thank you in advance for your time and comments!
 
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bignastyid
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adimeister

adimeister

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Mar 26, 2013
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I changed your PSU to a lower one, 650W, then upgraded your GPU to an R9 280x from ASUS. So the performance will increase for gaming bro. :)
About the brands from different companies, they offer different cooling solution (fan design). And they use different components. Stick with the famous ones if you have the budget. Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, EVGA those 4 are good. I'm not saying the rest are bad, but those 4 are the ones who are biggest among others.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2rDDr
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2rDDr/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2rDDr/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($299.99 @ TigerDirect)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VI FORMULA ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($298.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($157.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($88.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($86.29 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($339.99 @ B&H)
Case: Thermaltake VN300M1W2N ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Microcenter)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Quiet Edition (2-Pack) 39.9 CFM 120mm Fans ($28.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($86.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit - OEM (64-bit) ($99.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus VN247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($164.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1770.16
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-28 13:59 EST-0500)
 
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bignastyid

bignastyid

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Jun 19, 2011
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I made a couple of changes. I seen an unlocked CPu and a board made for overclocking but not cpu cooler that would allow some overclocking. The motherboards a bit overpriced, removed it replaced it with one that is just as good quality wise so the extra money could be spent better elsewhere. The Corsair RM series is OK but overpriced. The 850w XFX is just as good if not better(made by Seasonic) and cheaper. The saving in those ares allowed me to drop in a faster video card.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($299.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($76.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($199.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($157.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($88.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($86.29 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($499.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake VN300M1W2N ATX Full Tower Case ($134.99 @ NCIX US)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Quiet Edition (2-Pack) 39.9 CFM 120mm Fans ($28.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($129.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit - OEM (64-bit) ($114.25 @ Mwave)
Monitor: Asus VN247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($164.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $2000.42
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-28 14:09 EST-0500)

Now if you could wait until its back in stock I would go with the Sapphire Tri-X R9-290(not on pcpartpicker yet) over the 780.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202080
 
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Typolo

Typolo

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Swithing out the 770 for a 780 will land you right at $2003 and will allow your gpu to keep up with the 4770k
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2rE8L

Will you be doing video editing and other taxing productivity applications? The 16 gigs of Ram and i-7 might not be necessary. The money may be better spent else where if you are just gaming.
 
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Typolo

Typolo

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good catch on the cooler, cant believe I looked over that. Hahaha
 
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dempy19

dempy19

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thanks for the quick replies!!

I was wondering if I should include a cooling unit, but I thought the extra fans would do. I am definitely going to be overclocking everything I can to get the best possible performance, so I will definitely look into the CPU cooler you suggested. The case I will be getting already has a few built-in fans so in that case I wouldn't need the extra Corsair fans?
As for the power supply, is 850w too much? all I know is I'd like a fully modular PSU because it will keep everything much neater.
As for the GPU, both replies supported AMD cards? I saw that the GTX 770 had the highest Mhz clock and highest memory, which is why I thought it would produce better results, as well as produce better FPS? I am mainly going to be playing BF4 on this rig so I just want to make sure I can play it on ultra settings on the monitor I am looking at getting. this is the one I was thinking of getting: MSI GeForce GTX 770 Twin Frozr 3 4GB GDDR5 (N770 TF 4GD5/OC)
 
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dempy19

dempy19

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I wont be doing video editing but I will be working with Photoshop CS6, but I will be gaming about 80% of the time. You think 8GB would be enough? I will be looking into overclocking the RAM as well.
 
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bignastyid

bignastyid

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You can't really compare clock speeds across different models of GPU's. The 780 and 290 may have a lower clock speed but they are faster than a 770. The 290 is a bit faster than a 780(non TI). GPU performance wise 280x<=770<780<290<=Titan<290x<780 ti.
 
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dempy19

dempy19

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I see what you mean, and it does make sense. If I could get my hands on a 780ti that would be great. but that would mean either raising my budget (which I really don't want to do) or switching out parts to make space for the bigger GPU.

As for the MB, by switching to the Maximus VI Hero am I going to lose anything other than a PCIe x16 slot, a couple of SATA III slots and USB ports when it comes to performance?

Correction*** I just checked out the Hero specs and its missing a little too much to switch to, I'm pretty firm on the CPU and MoBo. now it's up to save money elsewhere!
 
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Typolo

Typolo

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I know you are set on the 4770k, but switching to the 4670k would yield identical gaming performance in most games and save $100 to put toward a 780ti

For the ram go with a single 8 gig stick and if you find that CS6 is slow, you can always throw in an extra stick later.
 
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