First gaming PC build, will it work?

miichy · Apr 16, 2014

This is my first build and I don't know much about computers so I'm asking for guidance here. I don't need a monitor, keyboard, mouse just yet. My budget is $1000-1200. This PC will be used mainly for heavy gaming and surfing the web.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3pZRr
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3pZRr/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3pZRr/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: Asus Z87-Pro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($176.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($499.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1176.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-16 12:28 EDT-0400)

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

TechCIDLC · Apr 16, 2014

That's a nice build! Everything works. You can go with that, without changing anything.

Novuake · Apr 16, 2014

Drop to a cheaper mobo, Spend more on power supply and chassis. 550W is fine for the build but for stabilities sake when overclocking, aim a little higher.

HiTechObsessed · Apr 16, 2014

I would change a couple of parts around:
- The ASRock Extreme4 has just as many features, is just as reliable, and cheaper
- RAM is RAM, and this RAM will give you just as fast performance and reliability for cheaper
- The 550w XFX isn't Haswell capable, so you won't get the low-power feature of Haswell, and the Antec HCG is modular
- Seagate has a high failure rate, WD is more reliable, and the Caviar Blue is just as fast
- With the savings you can get a much better CPU cooler with the Noctua U12S, and still save a few bucks.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($48.22 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: GeIL EVO POTENZA 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($499.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($67.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1152.12
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-16 12:36 EDT-0400)

Eduello · Apr 16, 2014

A nice build indeed, but seeing as you picked a CPU cooler, a K-version of the CPU and a Z87 motherboard, I'm going to assume you are going to overclock. For this you are going to need extra power and that will put extra stress on your PSU. With the GPU you have, I recommend you to get a 650W edition of the same PSU you already chose.

Alec Mowat · Apr 16, 2014

HiTechObsessed :

I would change a couple of parts around:
- The ASRock Extreme4 has just as many features, is just as reliable, and cheaper
- RAM is RAM, and this RAM will give you just as fast performance and reliability for cheaper
- The 550w XFX isn't Haswell capable, so you won't get the low-power feature of Haswell, and the Antec HCG is modular
- Seagate has a high failure rate, WD is more reliable, and the Caviar Blue is just as fast
- With the savings you can get a much better CPU cooler with the Noctua U12S, and still save a few bucks.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($48.22 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: GeIL EVO POTENZA 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($499.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($67.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1152.12
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-16 12:36 EDT-0400)

Yuk, cheap RAM?

Get 1866 Mhz RAM instead of 1600. Faster RAM is more stable when you are overclocking the CPU, and gives you more room to decrease the speed if necessary.

Eduello · Apr 16, 2014

HiTechObsessed :

About the XFX And Haswell hassle, here's a thread where I was wrong about it:http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answers/id-2106930/psu-selection.html

As you can see, there's two XFX power supplies with the same model number, the other supporting Haswell and the other not supporting it. Even Newegg is confused about this as it contradicts itself on the same page: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013

On the page it says, it's compatible, but in the specs it says it's not and that it is, causing a lot of confusion.

maurelie · Apr 16, 2014

Novuake :

+1
I agree, get $120 Motherboard, and split the difference in better case and bigger PSU. In the future when you will be upgrading, you will not have to change the Case and PSU.

Motherboard, RAM , Case and PSU suggestion
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-z87extreme4
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f31600c9d8gao
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcadefr4blw
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-power-supply-hcg620m

HiTechObsessed · Apr 16, 2014

Alec Mowat :

RAM is RAM. This will perform EXACTLY as well as any other brand at 1600, 1.5v and CAS9.

Eduello, thanks for that link! Good to know that.

Alec Mowat · Apr 16, 2014

HiTechObsessed :

Not if you are overclocking.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4503/sandy-bridge-memory-scaling-choosing-the-best-ddr3/7

But ultimately depends on the task. Faster RAM will make some things faster. No reason not to spend the extra $15 for a gaming system.

HiTechObsessed · Apr 16, 2014

That won't help gaming or normal computing at all, though, is my point. Faster RAM will help in photo/video editing, and that kind of thing, but for gaming and basic computing, it won't be noticeable. There's no point in spending the extra money for it.

Alec Mowat · Apr 16, 2014

HiTechObsessed :

Disagree, but that's OP decision.

If you are overclocking or want better performance, better RAM absolutely.

HiTechObsessed · Apr 17, 2014

Disagreeing doesn't change the fact that there is negligible performance difference. Gaming uses VRAM on the GPU. Faster RAM usually comes with higher CAS latency, which negates the benefit of faster RAM anyway.

Alec Mowat · Apr 21, 2014

I disagree that putting slow, cheap RAM in a gaming rig is at all a good idea. Good tires won't make your Ferrari much faster, but they sure do make a world of difference.

RazerZ · Apr 21, 2014

Alec Mowat :

Sorry to burst your bubble, but gaming wise 1600mhz ram vs 1866mhz you will see zero difference.

The only processor that could benefit off faster ram for gaming and see noticable results would be an APU.

Alec Mowat · Apr 22, 2014

RazerZ :

There will be a small performance gain. When you are gaming, every small performance gain adds up. From SSD's, to overclocking. You need to get the maximum performance from all components.
Also, I wouldn't rely on cheap RAM to be stable if you plan to use it heavily for multiple hours on end. It's design for medium duty work station environments, not hot, high end gaming rigs.

You can do whatever works best for you, but I will not recommend someone cheap out on RAM for a high performance gaming system. I also wouldn't recommend someone buy cheap tires for a Ferrari. Don't take short cuts to save a couple dollars.

RazerZ · Apr 22, 2014

Alec Mowat :

RazerZ :

There will be a small performance gain. When you are gaming, every small performance gain adds up. From SSD's, to overclocking. You need to get the maximum performance from all components.
Also, I wouldn't rely on cheap RAM to be stable if you plan to use it heavily for multiple hours on end. It's design for medium duty work station environments, not hot, high end gaming rigs.

You can do whatever works best for you, but I will not recommend someone cheap out on RAM for a high performance gaming system. I also wouldn't recommend someone buy cheap tires for a Ferrari. Don't take short cuts to save a couple dollars.

So does .2 fps count as a performance gain? You can't really compare car tires to a marginal difference.

If you want to make a comparison to car tires I would say going from 1866 to 1600mhz ram is like having a couple of threads on your tires missing.

First gaming PC build, will it work?

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