Help with Sub $2000 Build for Gaming, Game Design, and Photoshop Editing

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sluh2689

Honorable
Jan 29, 2014
2
0
10,510
Hi everyone, I am looking to build a new desktop for Gaming, Game Design, and Photoshop Editing. This is my first build so I was hoping to get some thoughts on it and if there is anything that you think I should change.

Approximate Purchase Date: Monday January 3rd
Budget Range: Under $2000
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Game Design, Photoshop Editing, some 3D modeling
Are you buying a monitor: Possibly depends on how much money is left over
Parts to Upgrade: All new parts
Do you need to buy OS: Yes, going with Windows 7, do not like Windows 8.1
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com
Location: City, State/Region, Country - Missouri, USA
Parts Preferences: by brand or type: No Preference
Overclocking: Yes
SLI or Crossfire: Probably going to SLI two GTX770, but only buying one for now unless there are better options
Your Monitor Resolution 1920x1080,

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Have had a laptop since college, want to build a desktop to play the latest games and get back into photo editing and game design.


Build so far:
Case: Cooler Master HAF X
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119225
CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K Quad-Core Desktop Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116901
GPU: EVGA ACX Cooler 03G-P4-2784-KR GeForce GTX 780 3GB 384-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130945
Mobo: ASUS Z87-PRO LGA 1150
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131979
RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233280
Cooler: Noctua NH-D14
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018
PSU: Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold - 800W Power Supply W/ 80+
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171057
HDD: Western Digital WD AV-GP WD10EURX 1TB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136941
SSD: SAMSUNG 840 EVO 500GB SATA III
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147249
OD: ASUS 24X DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204


Total right now is $1916.00. Any suggestions? I am very new to building, so any help is much appreciated. Thank you
 
Solution
HiTechObsessed
Comes in at $1,750, and gets you a nice 27" monitor :) Went with a 4GB 770, so you can easily SLI in the future, or dump the monitor and get it. 780 Ti is great, and normally I would recommend it, but at 1080p it really is overkill. This build will allow you to SLI 4GB 770s in the future if you want, and 2 770s in SLI destroys a dingle 780 Ti. Plus this way you save a little case up front :)

Definitely wanted to stay with the i7, especially with game deisgn, Photoshop and 3D rendering. Would drop to the i5 if only for gaming, but the i7 will dominate the i5 in everything else.

Also went MicroATX. I just absolutely love the 350d lol Still allows for 2-way SLI, which is all that's recommended for Haswell really anyway. Anyway, let me...
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Jacob McIntosh

Jacob McIntosh

Honorable
Aug 24, 2013
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Try this. It is a tiny bit over 2 grand, but it is a very powerful build.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X60 98.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($115.75 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-PRO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($172.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($82.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB Video Card ($699.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master HAF X ATX Full Tower Case ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($109.98 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Asus VS229H-P 21.5" Monitor ($142.98 @ Best Buy)
Total: $2016.63
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-29 10:59 EST-0500)
 
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Jacob McIntosh

Jacob McIntosh

Honorable
Aug 24, 2013
2,073
0
12,460
More powerful, less than 2K, but no monitor...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($327.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X60 98.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($115.75 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-PRO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($172.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($82.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB Video Card ($699.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master HAF X ATX Full Tower Case ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($109.98 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1981.65
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-29 11:01 EST-0500)
 
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HiTechObsessed

HiTechObsessed

Splendid
Dec 3, 2013
5,430
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24,960
Comes in at $1,750, and gets you a nice 27" monitor :) Went with a 4GB 770, so you can easily SLI in the future, or dump the monitor and get it. 780 Ti is great, and normally I would recommend it, but at 1080p it really is overkill. This build will allow you to SLI 4GB 770s in the future if you want, and 2 770s in SLI destroys a dingle 780 Ti. Plus this way you save a little case up front :)

Definitely wanted to stay with the i7, especially with game deisgn, Photoshop and 3D rendering. Would drop to the i5 if only for gaming, but the i7 will dominate the i5 in everything else.

Also went MicroATX. I just absolutely love the 350d lol Still allows for 2-way SLI, which is all that's recommended for Haswell really anyway. Anyway, let me know what you think here!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($339.98 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87MX-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($139.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 4GB Video Card ($370.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 350D Window MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($126.50 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($141.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Hannspree HL273HPB 60Hz 27.0" Monitor ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1744.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-29 11:09 EST-0500)
 
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Solution
Jacob McIntosh

Jacob McIntosh

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Aug 24, 2013
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Don't waste your money on a 4GB card. Unless you will be playing at a super high resolution, it's a waste of money.
http://alienbabeltech.com/main/gtx-770-4gb-vs-2gb-tested/3/
 
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S

sluh2689

Honorable
Jan 29, 2014
2
0
10,510
Thanks for the replies guys I am definitely going to look into all of them. Quick question though, I see that both of you chose liquid coolers for the system, is it that much of a difference in cooling than air? I am just a little hesitant after reading horror stories of liquid cooler lines breaking and spraying down all the components inside. That was the reason I went with the Noctua because I read reviews that it could compete with liquid coolers, although it is quite large and heavy.
 
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HiTechObsessed

HiTechObsessed

Splendid
Dec 3, 2013
5,430
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24,960
Like I said in my post, it's in there expecting him to one day SLI the 770s. ANd if he does go SLI with them, the 4GB of VRAM will be much better to have than 2GB. Maybe he upgrades to surround one day. Two 4GB 770s will do much better than two 2GB 770s.

Normally I would only recommend a 2GB card, but with the 760 and 770, if the goal is to SLI them in the future, 4gb is preferred.
 
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HiTechObsessed

HiTechObsessed

Splendid
Dec 3, 2013
5,430
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24,960
The Noctua air cooler is a great CPU cooler, I just like the all in one water coolers from Corsair, because they look awesome without blocking the rest of the case, and cool better. And the difference between a 4.2 GHz i7 and 4.6-4.8 Ghz i7 is pretty big once you get into large editing jobs.
 
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