Feedback on first build

Garilia · Mar 28, 2014

My current computer is an HP Pavilion, and it won't play Diablo 3. It works for the internet, email, word processing. Just keeps crashing playing D3. In doing research into how to fix that, I've decided to build my own computer. It will be a multi-purpose machine, but I want it to play games on occasion. I've gone down a bit of a rabbit hole with Newegg, and yesterday I discovered the pcpartpicker website from this forum.

I'm trying to stay around $1500.

I live in the southeastern USA. Any feedback is appreciated.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3hwKa
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3hwKa/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3hwKa/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($324.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Predator 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($169.74 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.81 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($259.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill BlackHawk ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($114.98 @ Best Buy)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($48.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1453.44

g-unit1111 · Mar 28, 2014

You can definitely get a better GPU for your budget, for gaming you don't need 16GB of RAM or an i7. Instead get a better GPU and power supply.

Try something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($227.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U9B SE2 37.9 CFM CPU Cooler ($51.94 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.55 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($489.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 750W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($114.95 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($21.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($102.27 @ TigerDirect)
Total: $1463.63
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-28 17:48 EDT-0400)

- Faster RAM is better for Haswell
- Added aftermarket cooler for overclocking
- Less expensive, not as overrated motherboard
- Way better GPU
- Way better power supply
- Windows 8.1

Garilia · Mar 28, 2014

Thank you for the feedback g-unit1111. You've given me more to consider.

Some questions, why the difference in the case? How is the Corsair Carbide better than the Rosewill Blackhawk? It seems that being mid tower ATX, a cpu cooler is a tight fit in either. Just wondering. Is the Corsair a sturdier box?

I am definitely considering buying a better GPU.

How can I tell from an independent viewpoint that the Seasonic power supply is better than the Corsair? They are both 750w 80+ Gold certified. The Corsair is fully modular, the Seasonic isn't. Does modular at this price point mean a tradeoff in more meaningful functionality (such as quieter operation)?

I need 2 TB in an HDD. The 1TB in my current unit is getting full...747gb already, only 127 gb left. So I can't really trim the budget there.

Why Windows 8? Three other computers in my home network are all Windows 7 Home 64-bit. Will I face compatibility issues with WIndows 8?

Garilia · Mar 30, 2014

The rabbit hole deepens. Your suggestions have had me questioning almost every part of my build. There is so much rich content on this site it can be overwhelming. And as I've done more reading on cases and PSUs I have discovered sites like pcpartpicker.com, jonnyguru.com and overclock3d.net.

Since I'm in no rush to build this (as all my computers currently work, except for games), I can even consider increasing my budget slightly.

Things I'm considering: do I need 750w for a PSU? According to my pcpartpicker build, the estimated wattage is 367w. Although I do want to consider future .

A full tower case. I had the realization that many of these mid-towers will be too large to fit in the computer enclosure I currently have. Plus, if you put it in a beautiful box, should it sit where it can't be seen? So, if I have to move it outside of my enclosure, then a size limit is off. I also had the realization that if you get into building your own computers, that an investment in a quality case can last for many years, and not just 5.

If I need 2 TB hdd space, can I harvest the 1TB in my current rig? How can I delete the OS from it, without having to reformat the entire disk?

Assuming I successfully build this machine, I can see doing some upgrades to other machines I own, and possibly turning one into a server. If I have a home server, it seems that this would reduce my need for such large hdd capacities in my current systems. Is this correct?

Once again, thank you for any and all answers. I have a steep learnign curve here, and I'm worrying that I'm overanalyzing some of it. But I've been a home brewer for over 20 years, and I've realized that any beer I've made at home is better than the mass produced stuff on the market. I'm figuring it's true with computers as well.

Garilia · Mar 30, 2014

Here is my current thinking based a lot on what was posted, and the reconsidering that I went through. It feels like a lot more machine for just $110 more than my original budget. Maybe it's overkill going for the i7, and it's probably emotion taking over logic.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3jb7c
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3jb7c/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3jb7c/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U9B SE2 37.9 CFM CPU Cooler ($46.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-GD65 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($167.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($85.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($489.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Trooper (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 660W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1610.85
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-30 15:56 EDT-0400)

Garilia · Mar 31, 2014

Anyone else with feedback? I'm starting to feel the paralysis of analysis. I've read conflicting things about the motherboards. I have no experience working with them. Some people really praise the Asus ROG Maximus VI Hero.

gunits feedback seems pretty spot on, but I am not sure. The MSI gets great reviews. Anyone with real world experience with these boards or these companies? Should I post this in the motherboard forum?

Garilia · Apr 4, 2014

After doing a few more days of research, I tweaked g-unit's list slightly, but the bulk of it is the same. Here's what I'm pulling the trigger on:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3m49f
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3m49f/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3m49f/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($227.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($35.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($489.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G-750 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($120.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1417.86
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

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