Custom Gaming build budget about 1200$

FunkyFeatures · Apr 29, 2014

I have been looking into building a new system, so i would like to hear opinions
1 - I know it does not have storage, but i have an ssd and a hard drive lying around here, so i will use that
2 - Obviosly i wont be overclocking

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($244.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($134.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Kingston Fury Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($90.29 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 290 4GB DirectCU II Video Card ($449.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT H440 (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1230.23

Now - I noticed when using this website that the black edition and xxx edition psu is the same price on there, but the black edition is more expensive where i live, so that is not an option

If i could say something from the start -
Yes - I do need an os
No - I do not need a monitor
And i know that it is a xeon, but it doesnt need workstation grade motherboard, or ecc ram(ppl please stop saying that)

numanator · Apr 29, 2014

Do you already have an HDD (Harddrive)?

Also, any reason for the 750w PSU? Are you planning to crossfire (dual gpu) another r9 290? If not, a 600w+ would work.

Edit: I suppose the price for the 750w is the same as the 650w PSUs so might as well get the 750w.

FunkyFeatures · Apr 29, 2014

Yes - I said i already had a ssd and a harddrive lying around

Reason for 750w - I might do crossfire in a couple of years.

numanator · Apr 29, 2014

Haha, sorry just noticed that about the HDD

750w should be enough but I always like extra head room on my power supplies, so for a power hungry card like the r9 290 I would go for 850w for CF. If you are waiting a few years then it would probably be better to do a PSU upgrade then but it depends on how long you are waiting to CF. A lot of people buy big PSUs planning to CF/SLI and never do so they wasted a bit.

FunkyFeatures · Apr 29, 2014

Upgrading to 850w is unfortunately a big step in money. I might need to raise my budget a little bit.
Also - How about watt decreasing over time? I calculated my usage with crossfire to about 650w, so i went with 750w. Would the 750w decrease enough?

numanator · Apr 29, 2014

Also, you should try to find some CL 9 ram, you could easily find some 1866 mhz CL 9 ram for cheaper than the ram you have. Here are some:

Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($72.00 @ Newegg)

Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($76.98 @ OutletPC)

numanator · Apr 29, 2014

Honestly, I am not sure how much the psu would degrade over the course of a few years, but the XFX has a 5 year warranty so it would be guaranteed to output your 750w for at least that long. Like I said earlier, I am just a bit paranoid about power supplies so I always go for more than less, 750w should be sufficient.

More info on the power draw: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-r9-290-and-290x,3728-4.html

Average power usage: 215W
Max power usage: 336W
Xeon Power usage: ~70w

Average x2 + CPU= 500w
Max x2 + CPU= 742w

Edit: it should be pretty rare that you would hit 100% CPU and GPU power usage so a 750w would work, you typically want your power supply running (on average) at 80% to keep it running longer so 750w should work, I would still get 850w though

FunkyFeatures · Apr 29, 2014

I am just thinking - each graphics card can pull max 300w each
1x 8pin(150w), 1x 6pin(75w) and pci express(75w).
Times that with two, you get 600w
Add the cpu max - 80w
You get 680w.
Ram and other random stuff - about 700-725w?
And the r9 290 would never pull 300w in an usual gaming period right? It is only furmark that pushes it to using all the juice available.

FunkyFeatures · Apr 29, 2014

And about ram - I dont know if i said it earlier, but i live in a different place(denmark) and the hyperx fury line is the cheapest ram available that i like, and i might be able to tweak the cas latency to 9-9-9-27 or something.

In my currency, the hyperx fury costs about 580 dkk, where other ram costs about 650-800 dkk for 8 GB

numanator · Apr 29, 2014

Yeah, you shouldn't be hitting max consumption normally and the power supply should handle it even if you do (as long as it is not constantly at max power).

If that ram is the cheapest you can find then go for it, you can always OC your ram, it doesn't seem to make too much of a difference either.

Other than those questions, the build looks really good.

FunkyFeatures · Apr 29, 2014

Would my case be limiting the r9 290 much? I picked asus' directcu because of their silent mode being ultra silent on the 290

numanator · Apr 29, 2014

Your case shouldn't have any problems with the 290. I have heard that the fractal design r4 is a really quiet case though, maybe take a look at that too if noise is a priority for you.

FunkyFeatures · Apr 29, 2014

I do have a silent build in mind. Thats why i didnt pick i5 4670(k)
I have heard - Fractal design r4 - Less silent, more airflow, and the h440 is more silent, bad airflow.

And the H440 is also sound dampened, missing optical bays, but should be silent. I watched a video, and the water cooler gained like 10c because of the airflow is limited. I will not be liquid cooling because the air coolers are way more quiet

FunkyFeatures · Apr 29, 2014

And back to the psu.
I can get these at the same price, or the xfx xxx edition 750w at a lower price.

XXX edition 850w, - Semi modular, 135mm fan
Seasonic M12II 850w(evo), full modular and only 120mm fan. Does this make a difference?
If i have to go lower watts, i will go with xxx edition.

If it doesnt come down to noise, it will probably be down to compatibility. Is the seasonic one compatible with corsair sleeved cables if i later on want to go with that?

numanator · Apr 29, 2014

I don't think the seasonic is compatible with the corsair sleeved cables (even though seasonic is the OEM for some of the corsair units). Everything I found (through my google skills

) indicates that they are not compatible. Either the seasonic or the XFX would be great power supplies, I believe the XFX with the 135mm fan would run more quietly than the 120mm fan seasonic but not positive.

For the case, here is a toms hardware review of the H440: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/nzxt-h440-case-review,3734-6.html
Here is one for the fractal r4 (and others): http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/corsair-obsidian-550d-fractal-design-define-r4-gigabyte-luxo-m10,3356-12.html

Basically either would be great for noise reduction.

FunkyFeatures · Apr 30, 2014

Yea, these two cases man.. i like them both alot. 1 year ago i was sure that when i wanted to build a pc, that i'd pick r4. Now nzxt came with a super case..

Powersupply - I guess i will have to find out

So for now - The build looks like this -

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($244.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Fury Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($90.29 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 290 4GB DirectCU II Video Card ($449.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT H440 (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 850W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1225.23

I think i would change the motherboard if anything, and maybe the case.
What motherboard should i grab? If possible, not z87 because it is usually pricier. And i'd prefer not to go with asrock. Just dont like them :/

numanator · Apr 30, 2014

For a SLI compatible motherboard you would probably need to stay with the z87, I don't think any of the H87, B87 etc support SLI. For the price, the mobo you have is the best deal you will find right now.

For the case, that is totally up to you

everyone likes different looks.
Everything looks good in the build as is so you could go ahead with it.

Also, since I am not sure if your prices are the same as the US here are some other mobo options to look for :

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-HD3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($126.49 @ Amazon)
Total: $126.49

Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $139.99

FunkyFeatures · Apr 30, 2014

The GA-z87-hd3 is a little bit cheaper, but i think it looks too ugly, and i am willing to spend a bit more for non uglyness

The z87-a is the same price as the g45

numanator · Apr 30, 2014

Hahaha. I have heard pretty good things about the MSI board in your build and Asus always makes good products. I would probably stick with the MSI g45 board.

FunkyFeatures · Apr 30, 2014

Okay - And i just noticed your answer where you said that i needed z87 for sli - yes i do if i were to go with sli, but i will probably only do crossfire (r9 290's)

numanator · Apr 30, 2014

Woops, guess the coffee hadn't kicked in yet this morning

For Crossfire compatibility, there are a few options in the H87 motherboards.

Motherboard: Asus H87-PLUS ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($106.49 @ Newegg)
Total: $106.49

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($101.24 @ Amazon)
Total: $101.24

I personally prefer/trust Asus motherboards so I would go with that one. There is an MSI option for about $70 but I only trust the higher end MSI mobos.

FunkyFeatures · Apr 30, 2014

I must say - I am not a fan of asus' gold/black motherboards but it will do. I prefer msi gaming or asus rog just because of the looks, but for performance i might need to go to gold

I noticed it is pci 2.0 16x, and 3.0 16x. I heard that 2.0 16x(4x) and 3.0 16x wont be good for crossfire. And even worse, the shops in denmark tells you that crossfire is unavailable on these boards :/

numanator · Apr 30, 2014

Huh, well I haven't heard of issues between pci 2.0 and 3.0 CF but it is pretty rare for people to CF on non-OC boards. I know that there would be no real loss in performance between a 3.0 and 2.0 but not sure about CF between them.

Not sure what to tell you other than I would probably stick with a z87 board regardless, they are usually higher quality/more features in general.

FunkyFeatures · Apr 30, 2014

Will do

Custom Gaming build budget about 1200$

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