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First time building, advice from some gurus would be much appreciated!

Here is a link to what I have in mind. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3Dv3M
I'm wanting to purchase/build a small form factor gaming rig that will get as much performance as I can get within my $1400ish dollar budget. But I also want a reliable rig that will last me for many years. I at first threw out the idea of building my own and was looking at the Ibuypower's revolt. But after seeing the BitFenix case, and know I personally would feel pretty satisfied if I built my own rig, I think I want to give it a go. I also understand that my upgradability would defiantly be expanded with my own build for future expansion. After watching a video on building, I feel rather confident I can handle it. Any input would be greatly appreciated. I'm open to any suggestions, but I will say I love the BitFenix case.

A few quick thoughts, I picked the I5-4670k with thoughts that I could overclock it, and get comparable gaming performance to an i7-4770 while saving $100 bucks. As far as the cpu cooler, I picked the h75, but I honestly have no idea what would be the best option. I want the best performance/cost ratio for maximum cooling w/ the ability to OC. And I figured a GTX 770 would be a good card performance/cost wise. I can't justify the extra cost of going to a 780, but I am also unsure if the 760 would give me as much longevity and graphical power as a 770 would?....

Anyways, thank for your time! Look forward to your suggestions!
-Ragnyl
12 answers Last reply Best Answer
More about time building advice gurus appreciated
  1. First build tips:
    -Put all your mounting screws in a little bowl
    -Touch the side of the case to discharge static
    -Care not to cut yourself with the IO shield of the motherboard (That crap is sharp!)
    -Be confident & you'll be happy about all the labor that went into the build
    (P.S. I know this isn't exactly helpful in terms of looking at your build but they're words of encouragement in terms of what it is to make your first build, cheers! :D)
  2. Those little BiFenix cases don't hold any of the highend video cards that I'm aware of. I would NOT overclock as I feel it is not a cost effective route to take. A stock i5 4570 already gives comparable gaming performance to an i7 4770.
  3. That build is pretty good.

    Compare it with - http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-your-own-gaming-pc,3766.html

    When building do your research and read the instructions. I know it is unethical for blokes to read instructions but just don't let anyone see you!
  4. That's a great build, i'd just make a few changes.
    1. http://pcpartpicker.com/part/rosewill-power-supply-hive550
    That psu is really good but also much more expensive than you need. You don't need that many watts or a platinum rating.

    2. I love asus boards, but that one's pretty expensive. The asrock option is cheaper, and though I usually don't get evga, the stinger has good reviews.

    3. Also for a little bit more the h100i has better cooling performance. The i5 will not perform the same as an i7 for things that are optimized for more cores, but for games they will be the same.
  5. 1) Processor is great. If you plan to render or use CPU INTENSIVE programs, then I'd recommend the Intel 4770k.
    2) Great water cooling. Make sure all your connections are secure...or else something bad might happen!
    3) That's one expensive motherboard! I think you can get something for cheaper with similar performance. With a quick search, I found these: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gah87nwifi http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-z87eitx http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gaz87nwifi
    4) RAM is great. :)
    5) Not a good idea to buy only an SSD. If ou want one, buy a 120GB SSD and install windows and super important/slow programs on it. I'd recommend getting a 7200RPM 500GB HDD aaaaaaattlleeeeeeeaaaaaaasssst. :)
    6) For your budget, you can afford a 780 by reducing price of other components, but the 770 is a NICE card. :D
    7) But dat CASE THOOOOO. Pretty sleek. I love it. :P
    8) First person to not go crazuy with the Watts on aPSU. 660W is great, and it's a nice PSU too.
    9) TOOOO much on the optical drive. I mean, if you need Blu-Ray, then it's fine but you can get a normal one for like $25
    10) Great OS.

    :D
  6. Best answer
    Here is my take on it, and I cannot justify spending even $1 dollar on it unless you need more storage.

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

    CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($244.99 @ Amazon)
    Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($110.98 @ SuperBiiz)
    Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($68.99 @ Newegg)
    Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($119.99 @ Adorama)
    Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($83.98 @ Amazon)
    Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Tri-X Video Card ($419.99 @ Newegg)
    Case: Lian-Li PC-Q08B Mini ITX Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
    Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Platinum 650W 80+ Platinum Certified ATX Power Supply ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
    Optical Drive: LG UH12NS30 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($39.99 @ Newegg)
    Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
    Total: $1363.88
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-04 01:20 EDT-0400)
  7. Why the xeon? The i5 is cheaper and overclockable.
  8. The i5, when overclocked, is NOT cheaper, and overclocking is a waste of money anyway. ESPECIALLY in a miniITX build.


    So the question is, why i5 and bother overclocking when you can get an i7 at the price of an i5?
  9. CTurbo said:
    The i5, when overclocked, is NOT cheaper, and overclocking is a waste of money anyway. ESPECIALLY in a miniITX build.


    So the question is, why i5 and bother overclocking when you can get an i7 at the price of an i5?


    My bad, I didn't see that it was hyper-thread enabled. I thought it was a normal quad-core.
  10. CTurbo said:
    Here is my take on it, and I cannot justify spending even $1 dollar on it unless you need more storage.

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

    CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($244.99 @ Amazon)
    Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($110.98 @ SuperBiiz)
    Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($68.99 @ Newegg)
    Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($119.99 @ Adorama)
    Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($83.98 @ Amazon)
    Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Tri-X Video Card ($419.99 @ Newegg)
    Case: Lian-Li PC-Q08B Mini ITX Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
    Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Platinum 650W 80+ Platinum Certified ATX Power Supply ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
    Optical Drive: LG UH12NS30 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($39.99 @ Newegg)
    Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
    Total: $1363.88
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-04 01:20 EDT-0400)



    Thanks for all of the replies!

    CTurbo- I appreciate you taking the time to post a build! After researching, The Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 does seem to be my best bang for the buck! I'd much prefer not to over clock, I was just under the impression that OC'ing would give more bang for the buck. Also, the E3-1230 uses the same socket as the 4670k & 4770k correct? I should also see even better performance and longevity with the r9 290 over the gtx 770, correct? And as far as the case. I really love the Prodigy, would your build work with that case. As far as I know, If you adjust some bays in the case it will accept the larger cards. Here is a video of a mini ITX build in the prodigy that uses a Titan as the card. http://youtu.be/6XnU8MPjp1Y?t=1h27m43s
    There is also a newly designed Prodigy M that takes mini ITX as well as micro ATX. I know you suggested the Lian-li due to being unsure if the Prodigy would accept the top end cards. So knowing that the Prodigy can accept the large cards, just let me know if you think it would be ok to use that case, or if you think I should drop the idea of the prodigy and go with your suggestion. Thanks so much for your input+time!
    -Ragnyl
  11. Just make sure you get the v3 Xeon and you will be fine with a LGA1150 motherboard. Yes the 290 should last you longer than a GTX770 and probably even a GTX780(maybe). If you can confirm that the 290 will fit in your preferred case, then that's great. I know the Prodigys are good cases.
  12. CTurbo said:
    Just make sure you get the v3 Xeon and you will be fine with a LGA1150 motherboard. Yes the 290 should last you longer than a GTX770 and probably even a GTX780(maybe). If you can confirm that the 290 will fit in your preferred case, then that's great. I know the Prodigys are good cases.


    Awesome, thank you so much for your input! Really appreciate it!
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