Been working on this build for months now, first build for a gaming PC. Let me know what you think, if you like?

MrCanEHdian · Jun 20, 2014

So I've received a ton of help from the users of this fantastic site, I never would have known where to go and what to get without the help of the users here. Thank you so much for all the help. I look forward to asking questions and helping out where I can in the future, in order to contribute.

I'm ordering exclusively from Newegg.ca, as this will be my first build ever, I've heard good things about their customer support and feel better with them. Furthermore, they have sales on everything I want, which is amazingly fortunate.

Here is the build:

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/NJzWBm

(Courtesy of Numanator for the build, and many many others for their input, especially those that drove me away from the i5 4670k and to an Xeon).

So, I know the GTX 760 won't be super good for long, but I'm ok with playing games at medium settings and what not. I'm going mostly for strategy games, from my understanding, very CPU intensive.

If you see any issues with compatibility or anything, I would greatly appreciate it. I was planning on building the build at the end of the summer, but now, with all these sales and what not, I feel ready to order now. The next biggest hurdle will be the actual building of the rig. Is there anything I need to add for full gaming functionality? Will the RAM work with the motherboard and will the motherboard fit in the case well? I'll continue doing research, but I don't trust myself to find the appropriate information.

caxino18 · Jun 20, 2014

It looks good, but a Xeon isn't that great for a gaming PC, you'd want to have an i5 4670k, or the new devils canyon i5

MrCanEHdian · Jun 20, 2014

caxino18 :

I was looking at an i5 4690, no k models for me with the H97 motherboard. That being said, almost everyone on here recommends the Xeon because it's supposed to be an iGPUless i7 4770 for a significant reduction in price. Why do you say it's not good for gaming?

caxino18 · Jun 20, 2014

MrCanEHdian :

Ok, sorry didn't see the H97 part, but instead of getting a H97 board, you should look at buying something like the Asus Z97 A. It's more expensive at $165 at newegg and NCIX, but it's a Z97 motherboard and I'd say it's worth it. As for the Xeon, it is a good chip, but with all things considered it's still a server chip, if you do choose to spend the extra $61 for the Z97 board (which I highly recommend) your best bet would be the I5 4690k. That is the route I would recommend, spending a little bit more money for a z97 board and then getting the I5 4690K.

MrCanEHdian · Jun 20, 2014

caxino18 :

MrCanEHdian :

Ok, sorry didn't see the H97 part, but instead of getting a H97 board, you should look at buying something like the Asus Z97 A. It's more expensive at $165 at newegg and NCIX, but it's a Z97 motherboard and I'd say it's worth it. As for the Xeon, it is a good chip, but with all things considered it's still a server chip, if you do choose to spend the extra $61 for the Z97 board (which I highly recommend) your best bet would be the I5 4690k. That is the route I would recommend, spending a little bit more money for a z97 board and then getting the I5 4690K.

Interesting argument, but if I do that, doesn't overclocking take some skill and know-how? I have none of those with PCs. Also, can't overclocking reduce the life of your system overall?

caxino18 · Jun 20, 2014

MrCanEHdian :

Overclocking can cause some CPU degradation, it's really hard to say at what point CPU degradation can occur, but I'd say so long as you keep the volts under 1.2 v for a 24/7 OC you should be safe. That's what I'm currently doing. As for the difficulty in overclocking, I'd say it's minimal, I started overclocking this year, and it's actually a lot easier than I thought. There's a lot of tutorials online showing you how to overclock.
I've also updated the build, it is more expensive by $160, but that's mainly because I noticed you didn't have a CPU cooler. I also added the MSI Z97-GD65 motherboard, it is more expensive, but it's got everything you would really need. The CPU cooler (Corsair H80i) is a solid performer, you won't any heating issues with this cooler. I'd personally prefer the Noctua NH-D15, but it's more expensive. In the end, my updated version of your build is more costly, but the I5 4690K is most definitely worth it, not to mention it's cheaper than the Xeon, the I5 4690K is probably gonna be the ultimate gaming CPU. As for the motherboard, it's got everything you need, it's got more than the Z97 A from Asus, but it's also more expensive. I'd still go for the MSI Z97-GD65, it's got all the bells and whistles. As for the CPU cooler, you're gonna want to have one, the stock one from intel is really not adequate. I chose the H80i simply because it performs better than most CPU cooler out there, but if you want a better performing CPU cooler, and not to mention quiet, I strongly recommend the Noctua NH-D15.
http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/caxino18/saved/RG8j4D

MrCanEHdian · Jun 21, 2014

caxino18 :

MrCanEHdian :

Overclocking can cause some CPU degradation, it's really hard to say at what point CPU degradation can occur, but I'd say so long as you keep the volts under 1.2 v for a 24/7 OC you should be safe. That's what I'm currently doing. As for the difficulty in overclocking, I'd say it's minimal, I started overclocking this year, and it's actually a lot easier than I thought. There's a lot of tutorials online showing you how to overclock.
I've also updated the build, it is more expensive by $160, but that's mainly because I noticed you didn't have a CPU cooler. I also added the MSI Z97-GD65 motherboard, it is more expensive, but it's got everything you would really need. The CPU cooler (Corsair H80i) is a solid performer, you won't any heating issues with this cooler. I'd personally prefer the Noctua NH-D15, but it's more expensive. In the end, my updated version of your build is more costly, but the I5 4690K is most definitely worth it, not to mention it's cheaper than the Xeon, the I5 4690K is probably gonna be the ultimate gaming CPU. As for the motherboard, it's got everything you need, it's got more than the Z97 A from Asus, but it's also more expensive. I'd still go for the MSI Z97-GD65, it's got all the bells and whistles. As for the CPU cooler, you're gonna want to have one, the stock one from intel is really not adequate. I chose the H80i simply because it performs better than most CPU cooler out there, but if you want a better performing CPU cooler, and not to mention quiet, I strongly recommend the Noctua NH-D15.
http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/caxino18/saved/RG8j4D

I think I'm going to avoid overclocking this time around, it is interesting though. The Gygabite motherboard I'm confident I'd like is an H97, but it only supports a max of 450g for weight, all the aftermarket coolers seem to weigh more than that.

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Been working on this build for months now, first build for a gaming PC. Let me know what you think, if you like?

MrCanEHdian

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