Advice on new build

wesley_303

Honorable
Jul 4, 2013
17
0
10,510
Hi there,
I am looking to put together for gaming. I would like to be able to run BF3, Skyrim and games coming out in the near future on high/ultra. I have put this build together on PC Specialist (I don't have the time or knowledge to do it myself)

Case
COOLERMASTER HAF 912 PLUS MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-4670 (3.4GHz) 6MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® Z87-A: ATX, USB3.0, SATA6GB/S, SLi, XFIRE + **FREE GAME**
Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 770 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
120GB INTEL® 530 SERIES SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Processor Cooling
Super Quiet 22dBA Triple Copper Heatpipe Intel CPU Cooler
Sound Card
Asus Xonar DG 5.1 SoundCard & Headphone AMP (Award Winner)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS

Any advice? I don't mind spending slightly more if it is really necessary.

Thanks!
 
Solution
ASUS is one of the best out there in terms of quality and performance.
If you want to go for a maximus i highly recommend you to change your cpu to i5 4670k .
Because maximus is mostly meant for overclocking.
But if you dont want to overclock then i am not understanding why are you not going with a cheap but decent h87 chipset.
But if you want to go with a z87 and dont want to overclock then go with ASUS z87 A.
It performs well.

varun_02

Honorable
Nov 26, 2013
415
0
10,860
1) you dont need a z87 mobo if you are not going with the'k' version of the cpu. If you want to overclock it then go for i5 4670k. Otherwise buy a h87 chipset.
2) get two sticks of 4 gb each to take advantage of dual memory which performs faster.
3)Buy a samsung 840 series ssd which is far better and faster.
4)Are you going to game on multi monitor setup or resolution more than 1080 p then only 770 4gb is justified. Otherwise drop it to 2gb.
 

Stu 95

Honorable
Nov 27, 2013
297
0
10,860
No, i think you're good. You should easily be able to run BF3 and BF4 on Ultra. You dont really need to get the 4gb version of the GTX 770 unless you plan on gaming above 1080p. If you want to save yourself a bit of cash i would go with the 2gb version.
Also i would recomend getting 2x4gb of RAM no 1x8gb as RAM works better in pairs.
 

Oleonius

Distinguished
Jul 29, 2011
448
1
18,960
It's a good build overall but I would suggest a few changes:

- First, you don't need a sound card. The onboard audio chip will do just fine. Save some money there.

- I recommend you pick an aftermarket model for your GPU. They have a better cooling and works quietly. They are also factory overlocked for better performances. Gigabyte, ASUS and EVGA are among the best brands for video cards.

- I don't know about RM power supplies from Corsair but I heard many times that they had thermal issues. In this case, I suggest you pick a better quality one from either Seasonic, XFX or Corsair (except the RM or CX series)

- I wouldn't recommend the stock heatsink from Intel. It is cheap and don't performs really well. I would invest a little more and pick an Hyper 212 EVO from Coolermaster. For around 30-40$, it's the best bang for you buck.

- Also, take note that you will need a K-version CPU in order to do overclocking in the future. It's about 50$ more.

If you have other questions, feel free to ask them. Have fun building !

 

Stu 95

Honorable
Nov 27, 2013
297
0
10,860


You will be able to overclock a bit, you probably won't get the best that your CPU can handle but just take it slowly and make sure the temps are stable.
 
overclocking is never a safe deal. it always depends on the actual piece of silicon which is the cpu. sure, you can help by picking a aftermarket cooler instead of the standard box one or by picking a K series cpu. but it is never a certainty.

i would suggest to go for the cm 212 evo and a 4670K cpu. and of course you need to keep the Z87 board for overclocking.
 

varun_02

Honorable
Nov 26, 2013
415
0
10,860
ASUS is one of the best out there in terms of quality and performance.
If you want to go for a maximus i highly recommend you to change your cpu to i5 4670k .
Because maximus is mostly meant for overclocking.
But if you dont want to overclock then i am not understanding why are you not going with a cheap but decent h87 chipset.
But if you want to go with a z87 and dont want to overclock then go with ASUS z87 A.
It performs well.
 
Solution

Stu 95

Honorable
Nov 27, 2013
297
0
10,860


Are you going with the 4670k, because you will have to if you want to overclock. And yes, any normal overclock will be fine with that PSU.