First Gaming Build - Please Review / Recommended Changes?

Andross64

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Jan 14, 2014
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Hey guys, gathering components for my first build. I'm relatively new to this and just a tad over budget so I'm looking for suggestions on what may be overkill and also if anything isn't compatible. One of the biggest things I'm having trouble with is deciding what gpu to go with, I'm split between getting a nice 2gb or a lower priced 4gb. Like I said, this is my first build so all criticisms are welcome!


Case - NZXT Phantom ATX Full Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146067

GPU - Gigabyte GTX 760 4gb 256-bit GDDR5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=14-125-494&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Keywords=%28keywords%29&Page=1#scrollFullInfo

CPU - Intel Core i7-4771 Haswell 3.5GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116941

Motherboard - MSI Z87-G45 Gaming LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130693

Memory - G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 2400 (PC3 19200)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231667

Hard Drive - WD BLACK SERIES 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA2W019M6559

DVD Drive - Asus 24x DVD-RW
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0033Z2BAQ?ie=UTF8&tag=cursegaming0f-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0033Z2BAQ

PSU - Corsair TX750 V2 750W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021&nm_mc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r&cm_mmc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r-_-Power+Supplies-_-Corsair-_-17139021

SSD - Toshiba Q Series Pro 256GB SSD (Was given this as a gift so I already have it)
 
Solution
i5 + 770 will win anyday over a i7 + 760. The gpu will easily compensate for the "hyper-threding advantage" of the i7.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2C33G
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2C33G/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2C33G/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA...

Andross64

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Jan 14, 2014
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Im aware that currently, almost no games besides BF4 are making use of the i7's hyper threading and 8 cores however the BF4 example is an interesting thing to look at as it means that dev's are in fact starting to do this.

Perhaps all of these next gen games that are coming out for both consoles AND pc will start to utilize things like 8 cores and more than 2gb. this is something that heavily factors into my decisions on my gpu(2gb or 4gb) and cpu(i5 or i7).
^^I'd like to hear people's thoughts on this^^

@marc79 I was thinking about this and right now im really not interested in overclocking, I just want a pc that wont dip below 60fps on ultra settings and will do this for roughly the next 2-3 years
 

marc79

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Feb 14, 2013
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at 20$ extra you get an unlocked processor, that's a no brainer in my book. But you're buying not me so that's up to you. In 2-3 years, when more performance is needed you just overclock to 4.5GHz instead of buying newer faster processor.
 

gumbykid

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Jan 15, 2014
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A good 2gb GPU is generally better than a 4gb cheap GPU.

You dont need that much memory unless you're doing intense 3D design.

In the future you could always get a second one to reach 4gb if it becomes necessary while still maintaining the good specs.

This is just in general. Look up benchmarks for both cards, preferably fps in games, and compare to be sure.
 

Andross64

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Jan 14, 2014
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ya know i think youre right marc, if i go i7 ill probably drop the extra 20 for the k to keep my options open,
however i'm still curious if the i7 is worth it over the i5 as i can get a i5 k as well.

@gumbykid I actually looked into what the costs would be if i were to get another 2gb down the road and id still be spending more money in the long run as two 2gb cards are more expensive than one 4gb, (and I would have the 4gb the whole time up till then)

I just want to hear if people think these next generation games are going to be using more than 2gb on max settings, I guess im trying to future proof as much as possible without dropping crazy amounts of cash.
 

Andross64

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Jan 14, 2014
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you think other stuff like internet browsing, boot/load times, and lets say music production(I use FL studio) wont be affected by having an i5 instead of an i7? ive currently got an i7 in this xps17 laptop so mentally its just weird building a new gaming desktop with a less powerful processor
 
no, you can browse the web just as fast, boot times will depend more on installed programs, startup programs, and solid state drive or not. Music production will not be HURT by the i7 over an i5, depends how intensive the program is..the i5 will likely produce music just as well. Really the most CPU intensive stuff is High def video and photo editing and creating. many layers and different effects each need calculation from the CPU to produce the final scene/image. Especially in like a 3D scence where lighting and other factors are a matter of calculation on the CPU end, and the size of the image/video makes a big difference too. imagine working on a image with hundreds of layers and you have to render overnight, the i7 will beat out the i5 since this is putting the CPU 100% to work. programs like garage band for making music, i dont think at least, are terribly CPU intensive. if making music and gaming is the most extreme thing you do the i5 should be fine. The i7 is really a matter of circumstance, like if you want to work on 3 HD monitors with programs like sketchup, blender, maya, 3ds max ect, or gaming on like 4 huge TV's as one big eyefinity display, you may want something beefy like the i7 to handle 2 780ti's. generally speaking though the i5 is great.
 

Andross64

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Jan 14, 2014
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ill probably be going with an i5 then.

also, is the 750W psu overkill for this build? should I look at the 650HX or TX models?(Ive read that the only advantage to the TX is it being "modular" and it has better cable management? it didnt seem worth the extra money for the TX)
 
600 watts is a good minimum, as long as the brand is quality and you get sufficient amperage on the 12v rails. Go for the i5 4670k so you can overclock it to get better performance if you ever feel you want a bit more juice. I think most software for making music will benefit from stronger single cores, not necessarily hyperthreading or more cores. so i would take the OC i5 over the i7 for what you have planned. If you can afford an i7 go for it, it is technically a stronger CPU, but just ask yourself if the cost justifies it. i doubt you will be pushing this rig past 100% anyways.
 

Andross64

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Jan 14, 2014
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I get that right now, a new i5 is gona kick ass, i never had any doubt about that. but like some people in here are saying...

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1817863/battlefield-2gb-gpu.html

because this technology has been out for a bit now, games are being designed and optimized for more than 4 cores, and more than 2gbs of vram. It would just be a real bummer to in a year see my fps start dipping in these new games due to a bottle necking cpu or not enough vram because I went with a 2gb.

I'm not as worried about the gpu because even though I would prefer not to...I can maybe SLI another 2gb graphics card in however if the i5 starts becoming outdated I would need to buy a whole new i7 and if thats the case I would much prefer to do that now.
 

camohanna

Distinguished
i5 + 770 will win anyday over a i7 + 760. The gpu will easily compensate for the "hyper-threding advantage" of the i7.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2C33G
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2C33G/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2C33G/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($329.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1014.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-15 23:08 EST-0500)
 
Solution

Andross64

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Jan 14, 2014
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it sounds like you would advise against the EVGA 760 4gb ? It has less cuda cores than the 770 (1152 vs 1536), but double the memory and almost the same core speed. its actually $45 cheaper as well
 

camohanna

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Gpu memory does not indicate performance. Just like an i7 is better than an i5, despite having same clock rates, a gpu is dependent on the model it is. As indicated by the gpu hirearchy (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html), a 770 is more powerful and this is even more apparent in benchmarks (http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2013/11/27/battlefield-4-performance-analysis/3) where the 770 is 8 fps higher (25%).

2Gb vram is plenty for 1080p single monitor gaming.