$900-1000 Gaming/General Purpose Build

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Isaiah4110

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I've been working on this parts list for a while, and now it is getting close to purchase time. I've been planning Intel the whole time, but now I'm hearing undertones that an FX-8350 system is just as good as an i5-4670K system, so I decided some input might be helpful. Please do not turn this into an Intel vs. AMD war. I am only interested in genuine advice and what I can expect to see in price/performance differences between the two.

Approximate Purchase Date: parts being purchased ideally from now to 3 weeks from now

Budget Range: $900-1000

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, general office programs, internet browsing

Are you buying a monitor: No

Parts to Upgrade: Everything (though I have already purchased chassis, PSU, SSD and HDD)

Do you need to buy OS: Yes (planning on Windows 8.1 Pro for my own reasons)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: have used/prefer Newegg and Amazon, but I will use any highly recommended and trustworthy site.

Location: Northern California (but taking a trip next week to the L.A. area, so prices from MicroCenter are applicable if the Tustin branch has it in stock)

Parts Preferences: Looking for good quality and best price/performance ratio

Overclocking: Not initially, but I would like the option to OC in the future (3-5 years from now) to extend the useful life of the system.

SLI or Crossfire: Not initially

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments and Why Are You Upgrading: Upgrading because my current system (Pentium D 930, 4 GB RAM, nVidia 240, and Windows XP) is far to old (8 years) to consider buying a new OS and past time for a new system. As you can see, I try to keep my systems running as long as possible as I don't have the money to build a new computer or extensively upgrade every 3 years. Ideally I want this computer to last me for as long as Microsoft supports Windows 8.1 (or at least 7 years) as I don't know when I will have the funds to build again. I do NOT want to overclock from day 1, but I can see the option being useful in the future to extend the life of the system. That said, in Intel/AMD considerations, assume we are looking at the first 3 years of use when the CPU is not OC'ed. Here are the two build options I have currently spec'ed out:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G41 PC Mate ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $59.99)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($249.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Thermaltake Level 10 GTS (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For $49.99)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $39.99)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($17.26 @ Microcenter)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro (OEM) (64-bit) ($134.98 @ OutletPC)
Other: Samsung 830 Series 256GB (MZ-7PC256Z) (Purchased For $149.99)
Total: $1010.55
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-10 19:29 EDT-0400)


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G41 PC Mate ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $59.99)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($169.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Thermaltake Level 10 GTS (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For $49.99)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $39.99)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($17.26 @ Microcenter)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro (OEM) (64-bit) ($134.98 @ OutletPC)
Other: Samsung 830 Series 256GB (MZ-7PC256Z) (Purchased For $149.99)
Total: $930.55
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-10 19:29 EDT-0400)


The main difference is obviously the GPU, and I'm sure I would likely be upgrading the GPU at some point (probably around 4 years from now) if I go with the cheaper build option.
 
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MCServerOwner

MCServerOwner

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Scrap the optical drive, and switch to a 128gb boot ssd, it is plenty of storage. That will save you about $85.

Windows will only use about 40 gigs, and your core programs, maybe 60 gigs at max. That is, that is what I am doing, and I have the entire Autodesk Suite Installed on the SSD with no problem.

I would personally chose a more expensive Asus z87-a Motherboard

 
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Isaiah4110

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I intend to install all of my programs and games on the SSD and therefore have determined that 128 GB will not suffice. Additionally (in case you didn't notice) I have already purchased a 256GB Samsung 830 for $150.

I also just purchased my optical drive yesterday.

Any specific reason(s) you would go with the ASUS motherboard over the MSI board?
 
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iNova

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I prefer Intel, AMD may have more cores, but Intel has better performance/core

For video cards, AMD has better bang for buck, but I prefer Nvidia due to more performance gains. If you can afford it, which you clearly can, go for Nvidia.
 
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MCServerOwner

MCServerOwner

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Asus have much better quality, and better warranties, not to mention, a lot more features.
Sorry, did'nt notice that you had already bought an SSD. Here is the breakdown on motherboard choices. This includes Asus, ASrock, MSI, and Gigabyte Motherboards.


i'll list some bad things first. i hope others point out good bits of each brand.
asus has problems lately. boards turning up warped, nitpicking with ram, double reboot/ reboot at bios, higher power consumption etc.
asrock used to be asus' subsidiary. they split off and are selling motherboards. they usually aim at budget segment. they also have warping issues.
i just read an article about some gigabyte x79 motherboards exploding components. gigabyte offered a bios fix that disables overclocking, lol.
msi has always been the one on the cheap. cuts corners and stuff.
biostar is also cheapo mobo brand, a bit better than ecs, but in the same rank nonetheless.
asrock, msi both suffer from the cheapass stigma. they're so cheap that people sometimes turn away....
okau, some good stuff now.
afaik, asus boards usually use less vcore to oc intel cpus. they also use better quality components. they make the cpu use its clockspeed more aggressively, as if the cpu is running faster at stock. asus' board was used for amd fx 8150's world record breaking overclock, multiple times.
asrock afaik, offers the cheapest motherboard on the market with pcie 3 capability - asrock extreme3 gen3. some say their mobos are good overclockers (but might use more vcore to reach the same oc). their xfast usb deserves a mention.
gigabyte mobos are usually stable, overclocks cpu well, offers good cfx/sli cheaper than asus. more features at prices lower than asus.
recently, msi, biostar have been coming up with good boards according to the reviewers, they also price theirs aggressively. they're highly competitve in the entry level market.
even after all these are said... people will stand by the motherboards they've had success with. the preferences are still individual.
 
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MCServerOwner

MCServerOwner

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The 8350 is about equal to the i5 3570k (it is actualt slightly better. But other than that, I would stay with Intel.

 
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Isaiah4110

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At stock they benchmark/perform equally, or only after both are OC'ed to their respective maxes?
 
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Isaiah4110

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No worries on missing that I had already purchased the SSD. It happens.


I'm actually surprised that MSI has a "cheap quality" reputation. I had been hearing 8-10 years ago that they and ASUS were the top two manufacturers for quality and MSI typically was a little less expensive and favored by OC'ers. I have one system I built in late 2006 with an MSI board and other I built in early 2007 with an ASUS board and neither have given me problems.

Looking at my recent history, I have a hard time seeing myself actually using SLI/X-FIRE at any point (I've always given myself the option, but by the time I am ready to upgrade the GPU it is more cost effective to simply grab a new single card and ditch the old one (or the old one is discontinued and out of stock everywhere). So I don't see myself needing that on a motherboard.
 
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MCServerOwner

MCServerOwner

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Only go with Nvidia SLI, AMD has microstutter issues. I think I was a bit harsh on MSI :) and they are not really as bad as I may have made them seem. They just are ok, and you can get better bang for your buck.

 
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Isaiah4110

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Updated build options:

$1000 PCPartPicker part list / $900 PCPartPicker part list
Price breakdown by merchant
Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (Purchased For $189.99)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (Purchased For $89.99)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (Purchased For $69.99)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $59.99)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($249.99 @ Amazon) / Video Card: nVidia 660 or AMD 270 for cheaper build
Case: Thermaltake Level 10 GTS (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For $49.99)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $39.99)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer (Purchased For $16.99)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro (OEM) (64-bit) ($129.98 @ OutletPC)
Other: Samsung 830 Series 256GB (MZ-7PC256Z) (Purchased For $149.99)
Total: $1046.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-22 01:50 EDT-0400)

I just received a $100 Fry's gift card (no charge to me) as part of a deal purchasing an un-related product and would actually have the option to get the Gigabyte GTX760 GDDR5-4GB (GV-N760OC-4GD REV2.0) for essentially $190 out of pocket or the ASUS GTX760-DC2OC-2GD5 for $160 out of pocket. Is the extra GRAM worth the extra money in this case if I am hoping to have the system last me 5+ years before upgrading? I do not (currently) play any of the current games, but 5 years from now I suppose there is a chance I could be playing what is current this year. Currently I only used a 1080 monitor and won't be upgrading unless it dies.
 
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Isaiah4110

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Finished purchasing all the parts and hopefully will be building this weekend or next weekend. Here's a link to the final parts list/pricing. I'll upload pics there once I have it assembled.

I actually ended up spending exactly $900 out of pocket, so came right in line with where I wanted to in my budget.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (Purchased For $189.99)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (Purchased For $89.99)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (Purchased For $69.99)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $59.99)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card (Purchased For $239.99)
Case: Thermaltake Level 10 GTS (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For $49.99)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $39.99)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer (Purchased For $16.99)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro (OEM) (64-bit) (Purchased For $118.99)
Other: Samsung 830 Series 256GB (MZ-7PC256Z) (Purchased For $149.99)
Total: $1025.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-04 11:10 EDT-0400)
 
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Isaiah4110

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P.S. Thanks for the motherboard advice. The associates at Microcenter also said they see a lot of those MSI Z87 G41 PC Mate boards get returned defective as well, so I decided to go with the ASRock Z87 Extreme4. Given the fact that I live 400+ miles away from the nearest Microcenter, I couldn't take the risk that my board would be a lemon.
 
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