Review my $1500 PC Build

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TGT333

Reputable
Jun 11, 2014
8
0
4,510
So basically I set a build price of 1500 (but would like to spend less). What I put together

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-K/CSM ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($125.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 290 4GB PCS+ Video Card ($351.30 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($249.23 @ Amazon)
Total: $1458.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-13 03:23 EDT-0400

I feel fairly clueless when picking the motherboard, so improvements there especially would be helpful.

Do I need an aftermarket CPU cooler?

Feel free to critique or add anything you think would lower the price without affecting performance/reliability.

Feel free to critique or add anything you think would drastically improve performance for a small increase in price.

Thank you
 
Solution
EasyLover
Check this build. Some features are:

Best combo of SSD + HDD
RAM operating at 1866MHz CAS 9 [Great Deal]
XFX Black Edition Double Dissipation R9 290 4GB
Best CPU Cooler Noctua NH-U14S
Z97 series Asus board [Save bucks from spending too much on mobo and get a good one]
Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor

All under $1500 :)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($233.97 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($76.99 @ Newegg)...
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EasyLover

EasyLover

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Dec 30, 2013
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Good build. You would need after market cooler for CPU. Try Noctua NH-D14/15 or NH-U14S. If budget constraint then cooler maste 212 evo.

Mobo is ok.

Sapphire or MSI R9 290 would be good choice.

PSU is ok but it would be better if you get Seasonic series or Corsair HX 650.
 
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4cloud

4cloud

Distinguished
Nov 18, 2013
611
2
19,065
Yep, good build overall :) Yes you'd need an aftermarket cooler I would suggest the ones EasyLover showed.

You might also not need such a high frequency monitor, don't think you'll be able to reach all the way up to 140 fps+ on latest games.
 
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T

TGT333

Reputable
Jun 11, 2014
8
0
4,510
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-K/CSM ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($125.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus VE278Q 27.0" Monitor ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1507.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-13 16:16 EDT-0400

I was leaning towards the PowerColor Card because it is on sale for 40 bucks cheaper atm, think brand makes it an unwise purchase? How's my list look now? I really like that I can get a bigger monitor, but am afraid it will not look as nice playing games. Is there a drastic difference between the two?
 
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EasyLover

EasyLover

Splendid
Dec 30, 2013
6,551
0
24,960
Check this build. Some features are:

Best combo of SSD + HDD
RAM operating at 1866MHz CAS 9 [Great Deal]
XFX Black Edition Double Dissipation R9 290 4GB
Best CPU Cooler Noctua NH-U14S
Z97 series Asus board [Save bucks from spending too much on mobo and get a good one]
Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor

All under $1500 :)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($233.97 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($76.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290 4GB Black Edition Double Dissipation Video Card ($381.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($249.23 @ Amazon)
Total: $1483.08
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-14 02:43 EDT-0400
 
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Solution
MasterDell

MasterDell

Dignified
Jan 5, 2014
4,081
0
15,960


Great choice of motherboard. I love the Z97-A. I promise you that you will have no regrets if you get that mobo
 
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T

TGT333

Reputable
Jun 11, 2014
8
0
4,510


That looks seriously great!

My questions:
1) why the core i-5 4670k instead of the 4690?
2) will this build allow me to use that monitor or will i have problem with the 144hz display?

 
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T

TGT333

Reputable
Jun 11, 2014
8
0
4,510


Thank you for explaining, your points and build have answered my question. I am marking it, but can you also point me towards how I could go about overclocking it? I assume I would need different hardware, but really know nothing about the process or the idea in general other than it makes it go faster (lol). Again, thank you and all who posted

PS For the monitor usage question, I meant more...will that set up lead to me having problems with screen jumping/glitching compared to having a lower hz display? I am kinda clueless so treat the question as such haha
 
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EasyLover

EasyLover

Splendid
Dec 30, 2013
6,551
0
24,960


Refresh rate at which monitor operates is like 60 times per second for 60Hz refresh rate displays while the refresh rates of the GPU are quite sporadic. PC draws frames as fast as it can, and that varies constantly. Meanwhile, normal video content plays back at a steady rate, usually 23.976 frames per second.

Sometimes, there appears a horizontal line on the display splitting your display in two parts with edges being not matched. This is called tearing. V-Sync is used to control the tearing in which the PC delivers frames only at intervals that match the monitor’s refresh rate.

But this introduces another problem in which it may be possible that current frame is displayed again while the new frame is skipped or delayed by the monitor. This is called stutter/lag. There are many ways around it.

Your monitor has 144Hz refresh rate which is quite good for tear/stutter free game play based on above mentioned facts. Higher the refresh rate on display, the better synchronization of the graphics card and the display which would give you better game play.

If you are still confused then you can safely select any 60Hz monitor supporting 1920x1080p with 1-2ms. No issue there.
 
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