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My first build - need help with price & everything - thanks!

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January 10, 2014 6:40:10 PM

Thanks in advance to anyone willing to help. I really appreciate it.

I have not built a PC since jumpers had to be physically altered (which always went so well with my giant, clumsy, hotdog fingers). So, though I have some underlying knowledge, I am too far removed from the current realm of PC to know if I am putting things together that should not be, buying components that are a poor choice for any number of reasons, etc.

Things to know:

• My intent for this build is to have an LGA 2011 platform upon which I can upgrade better CPU, GPU, etc. later. I realize hyper-threading is not necessary in gaming much yet and the i7-4820 is not the ideal gaming CPU, but it is a good price for 2011 from what I can see and will be upgraded about the time I upgrade my GPU, maybe later this year, but probably next.

• Since I already own this card - EVGA GeForce GTX760 Dual Superclocked ACX Cooler 2GB 256-Bit GDDR5 – I only included two of them in the parts list for power calculation purposes. Later I may go SLI or just replace it with a single GPU, probably the latter. I would appeciate recommendations on this point.

• I do a lot of things on my PC, work from home, novice video and audio editing, etc., but the primary reason for the components I selected is to allow some of the latest games, BF4 for example, to be playable. I would like to achieve max or near max frame rates at some point, but again, that is later when I go for a much higher level CPU and GPU.

So, if you could help me keep the price as low as possible, keeping in mind my primary objective is a solid 2011 platform for fluid FPS gaming that will be viable as long as possible, I would greatly appreciate it.

I included the suggested questions for requesting build help below, after the system specs.

Also, everything is on the table...trash and rewrite the list per your expertise as needed. Just keep in mind the GPU will be the one I own for now, which is listed above.

Here is the system:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4820K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($313.98 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 12g Thermal Paste ($17.25 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth X79 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($314.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($149.99 @ NCIX US)

Is it really better to divide the memory up into 4 slots? I do not think I will go beyond 16GB, so I went with 4x4. Also, there were 8 versions of the same memory from the same vendor...I read all the specs and the only difference I could see was the color.

Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($114.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($251.02 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($251.02 @ NCIX US)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A14 FLX 68.0 CFM 140mm Fan ($20.00 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A14 FLX 68.0 CFM 140mm Fan ($20.00 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 850W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1955.16
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-10 21:31 EST-0500)


Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: Soon, next 30 days…not longer than 90 days.

Budget Range: I would like to keep it under $1000, but as you can see from my list, I am willing to go above if the value is substantial.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: 95% Gaming, 5% video/audio/image editing

Are you buying a monitor: Probably, but not now. I am looking at the 1900x1200 monitors, but it will be later this year. Right now I have a 1680x1050 (I think a 2ms 24” Samsung).

Parts to Upgrade: See system lists above.

Do you need to buy OS: I have Win 8.1, upgraded from Win 7 on a PC I will no longer use. I assume I can transfer Win 7 to new PC and upgrade again using same disks/keys. If it would be better to do a new install of Win 8, let me know, but I will not include the cost in the build budget.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: I shop Amazon & Newegg primarily, but can go anywhere.

Parts Preferences: See system lists above.

Overclocking: I may try a bit, but only at novice levels.

SLI or Crossfire: Probably SLI at some point, but perhaps not…whatever makes most sense ($) when I am ready to upgrade the GPU.

Your Monitor Resolution: 1680x1050, will probably upgrade in next 12 months

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Primary reason is gaming. My current system cannot play the latest games well.

More about : build price

Best solution

January 10, 2014 7:08:39 PM

This is completely stupidly overkill. This is something more reasonable:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($33.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($137.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($114.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($251.02 @ NCIX US)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1102.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-10 22:07 EST-0500)

-32gb of ram is completely stupid for games. Games don't even utilize 6gb, so 8gb is plenty.
-No need for an i7, especially a socket LGA 2011 platform. Socket LGA 2011 is meant for intense workstations, not gaming. An i5 will do fine.
-Cheaper psu, still big enough for SLI GTX 760.
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January 10, 2014 11:40:01 PM

Thanks for the feedback, realchaos.

I did forget to remove that extra memory, only meant for 16, not 32, but it is good to know 8 is plenty.

I just wonder if I go with an 1150 (and components for an 1150), will I be wishing I had 2011 a year or two from now, especially if games start to utilize hyper-threading more (as some do now).

I guess my build comes down to a gaming technology forecast. Will 1150 boards, CPUs, and the GPUs they support keep pace with the latest games over the next 2 to 3 years, or will it be less expensive to have a 2011 platform that does not force me to buy the leading edge GPUs?

Thank you for the build recommendation. I am adding it to my list as I try to make a decision.

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January 11, 2014 1:02:59 AM

Socket LGA 1150 is perfectly fine. It will support any GPU socket LGA 2011 supports. Socket LGA 2011 won't be a gaming socket, it will still be a workstation socket. Even if games do start to utilize hyper-threading, a gpu will still provide greater performance over a cpu. Even games that do utilize hyper-threading only show a few fps gains, not a significant gain.
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