Trying to buy a Desktop around $1600

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Byung Joon Yoon

Reputable
May 12, 2014
3
0
4,510
I found Intel Paladin i7 special on IBuyPower and tweaked a little bit:

Case 1 x NZXT Phantom 410 Gaming Case - White
iBUYPOWER Labs - Noise Reduction 1 x Advanced - iBUYPOWER Harmony SRS Sound Reduction System
iBUYPOWER Labs - Internal Expansion 1 x iBUYPOWER Internal USB Expansion System
Processor 1 x Intel® Core™ i7-4770 Processor (4x 3.40GHz/8MB L3 Cache)
Processor Cooling 1 x Liquid CPU Cooling System [SOCKET-1150] - Standard 120mm Fan
Memory 1 x 16 GB [8 GB x2] DDR3-1600 Memory Module - Corsair or Major Brand
Video Card 1 x AMD Radeon R9 290X - 4GB - Single Card
Motherboard 1 x Gigabyte GA-Z87-HD3 -- 1x PCIe 3.0 x16, 4x USB 3.0, 6x SATA-III 6Gb/s
Intel Smart Response Technology X
Power Supply 1 x 750 Watt - Corsair RM750 - 80 PLUS Gold, Full Modular
Primary Hard Drive 1 x 2 TB HARD DRIVE -- 64M Cache, 7200rpm, 6.0Gb/s - Single Drive
Optical Drive 1 x [12x Blu-Ray] LG BLU-RAY Reader, DVD±R/±RW Burner Combo Drive - Black
Sound Card 1 x 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard
Network Card 1 x Intel Pro 10/100/1000 Network Card
Operating System 1 x None- Pre-formatted Hard Drive Only
Keyboard 1 x iBUYPOWER Standard Gaming Keyboard
Mouse 1 x iBUYPOWER Standard Gaming Mouse
Speaker System 1 x Logitech S120 2.0 Speaker System
Advanced Build Options 1 x Professional wiring for all cables inside the system tower - Achieve exceptional airflow in your chassis
Advanced Build Options 1 x Professional wiring for all cables inside the system tower - Basic Pro Wiring
Advanced Build Options 1 x Tuniq TX-2 High Performance Thermal Compound - The best interface between your CPU and the heatsinks
Advanced Build Options 1 x iBUYPOWER Specialized Advanced Packaging System
Advanced Build Options 1 x Professional wiring for all cables inside the system tower - Advanced - Power Package (Individually Sleeved 24-pin ATX, 8-pin CPU, and SATA Drive Power Cabling)
Warranty 1 x 3 Year Standard Warranty Service
Rush Service 1 x No Rush Service (Ships in 5-10 business Days)

$1732 -> 5% DC coupon ends up 1645. This is the maximum budget I can use on the system, I think. I would prefer between 1500-1600 though. I have my samsung 840 pro 512gb ssd which I intend to install into this and use as primary drive, and I have a monitor and might buy a used one to make it dual-monitor. My primary usage will be gaming and coding. I am hoping to get a system which I can use for 4+ years and still get good performance.
Is this any good? Any suggestions for better parts than these? And is IbuyPower any reliable? I am not really in a position to do a custom build, so that is sort of out of question...

Thanks in advance for your help!
 
Solution
photonboy
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3IqCQ

The above doesn't quite match your system, but you can compare it for fun. Some details:

1) i5-4670K
The i7-4770 theoretically has up to 30% performance at same frequency, but the i5-4670K is far cheaper, can overclock, and is faster in all scenarios where all the threads can't be fully used.

2) CPU cooler: I really like this Noctua air cooler. Great for a modest overclock though I'd run at default initially.

3) Motherboard:
The Asus Gryphon Z87 is all about reliability which is why it has a 5-year Warranty. It's micro-ATX but I doubt you'd need full ATX. I had a board die under three years and the three-year Warranty was already up. Couldn't get a replacement so had to buy a new board, CPU, and copy...
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photonboy

photonboy

Titan
Jun 20, 2006
21,567
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Overall not bad, but a few points:

1. Building your own might be better. I know you said it's not possible, but aside from mounting the CPU cooler it's pretty simple. In fact, installing WINDOWS is probably the hardest part and you're doing that already.

2. Liquid cooler for non-overclockable CPU seems a little pointless from a value perspective.

3. Graphics card model makes a huge difference. Some cooling/throttling/noise issues on many R9-290X cards.

4. Still need to buy Windows 8 64-bit OEM (about $90 to $100USD). Perhaps Start8 for $5 as well.
 
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photonboy

photonboy

Titan
Jun 20, 2006
21,567
13
85,015
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3IqCQ

The above doesn't quite match your system, but you can compare it for fun. Some details:

1) i5-4670K
The i7-4770 theoretically has up to 30% performance at same frequency, but the i5-4670K is far cheaper, can overclock, and is faster in all scenarios where all the threads can't be fully used.

2) CPU cooler: I really like this Noctua air cooler. Great for a modest overclock though I'd run at default initially.

3) Motherboard:
The Asus Gryphon Z87 is all about reliability which is why it has a 5-year Warranty. It's micro-ATX but I doubt you'd need full ATX. I had a board die under three years and the three-year Warranty was already up. Couldn't get a replacement so had to buy a new board, CPU, and copy of Windows for $600.

4) Asus R9-290X: Here's the review: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/R9_290X_Direct_Cu_II_OC/24.html

QUESTION:
Can you get the same system with Windows 8 64-bit for LESS than the additional cost to buy yourself?

iBuyPower:
For the PRICE that system seems very reasonable. I think my only big question is what model graphics card it has because everything else seems good overall.

*So find out then do a little research to see if that model has any noise or other issues. If it has a REFERENCE blower-style cooler that gets really noisy avoid it completely.
 
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Solution
B

Byung Joon Yoon

Reputable
May 12, 2014
3
0
4,510
Thanks! I will make sure to check what model the 290x is. Or, I can downgrade to NVidia GTX780- EVGA SC for a little less money($40) - maybe that's another good choice if 290X is not Asus as you mentioned.
 
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