First Time Building - Budget ~1.5 - 2k (Aus)

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Jezzabel

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Jun 24, 2014
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This is the first time I have attempted to build a computer from scratch for the (somewhat) sole purpose of high end gaming, movies, general time wasting on the Tubes, and various document spam (studies). Typically I would like things to run in 720 - 1080 and a rig to last me a few years before dulling down my max settings.

I sat down with a friend on a generic website for parts and I came up with 2 systems I would like opinions on. Compatibility has been checked but not ensured.

No overclocking on initial purchases, but might be something I explore around the near time of death on the PC
Prefer fan cooling (simpler, more novice friendly)

Build 1: More high end (I believe). A little unsure about this build if it would suit my personal needs, but I gave it a go.

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" SSD + Western Digital WD SE 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal HD
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Superclocked Video Card
Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer

Build 2: A little less high end (I believe). More or less for budget reasons.

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U145 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory
Storage: Samsun 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" SSD + Same as above
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290X 4GB Black Edition Double Dissipation Video Card
Case: (Unknown) - Cooler Master Elite 431 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
Optical Drive: Same as above

All critique and changes would be greatly appreciated as this took a little longer than expected. Really I just understand the functionality of each part, but have never been put into a situation where I have to consider everything together.
 
Solution
numanator
I posted some of the major differences in an edit to the post above.

You could mix and match the 2 builds quite a bit. If you don't plan to overclock then either get the Xeon or an i5 4460 (only reason to get the (k) version is for overclocking, otherwise any other i5 is basically the same thing).

The motherboard depends on if you want to SLI or OC but I am assuming no to both so you could get the H97 mobo since it is cheaper.
You could keep the Samsung Evo, they are great SSDs. The Crucial is just typically a bit cheaper and still good quality

Cases are a personal choice, get one with good airflow that looks the way you want it to.

R9 290x or gtx 780, neither will disappoint you.

XFX uses Seasonic as it's OEM (basically XFX are...
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J

Jezzabel

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Jun 24, 2014
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I would only explore overclocking when the parts within start to run their use-by dates. To date I have minimal experience with overclocking and have found in the past I haven't really needed it. My friend and I read that overclocking can kind of 'extend their use' per se, when its almost time to replace the parts. However, correct me if I am wrong.

Ultimately, its not something I would do initially, and if I do not have the potential to do so, no love lost. It was only an option I would explore later down the line in a few years time.
 
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Graphiicz

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Mar 16, 2014
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Well I'll let you choose.

If you want the ability to overclock:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($285.00 @ PLE Computers)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($109.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($209.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Memory: Avexir Standard Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.00 @ PLE Computers)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($149.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.00 @ CPL Online)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280X 3GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($329.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($155.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($145.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($22.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $1559.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

If you don't (cheaper):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Memory: Avexir Standard Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.00 @ PLE Computers)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($149.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.00 @ CPL Online)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280X 3GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($329.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($155.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($145.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($22.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $1304.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
 
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Jezzabel

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Jun 24, 2014
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Cheers for your help. I'm more or less just curious as to what the difference between yours (Graphiicz) and my builds are. Could anyone clarify or offer advice on other builds?
 
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numanator

numanator

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Nov 14, 2013
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Tweaked Graphiicz no-OC build just a tiny bit:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1225 V3 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($261.47 @ Mwave Australia)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Memory: Avexir Standard Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.00 @ PLE Computers)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($149.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.00 @ CPL Online)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 780 3GB DirectCU II Video Card ($599.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($155.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($145.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($22.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $1626.47
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Why the Xeon? The Xeon has the same cores as an i5 or i7 but has hyperthreading like the i7 (at a much lower cost). The disadvantages of the Xeon are the it is locked (no overclocking) and does not have an integrated graphics card, but who needs one when you have an awesome gtx 780 to take care of your graphics :)

Edit: Differences between the builds:

-CPU- See above
-Cooler- No need for an aftermarket cooler if you aren't overclocking
-Mobo- The H97 mobos do not allow for overclocking and do not support SLI (dual graphics) if you plan to either overclock or SLI in the future then you will want a Z97 motherboard
-RAM- all ram is pretty much the same, just need to make sure that it is 1.5v, DDR3, 1600 mhz+, preferably CL (CAS) 9
-GPU- Same as your first build
-Case- The Fractal R4 is a really nice case and has some sound dampening so it is quiet. It is one of my favorites along with the NZXT Phantom cases.
-SSD- The MX100 is the newer, better version of the M500 SSDs

For the GPU, the r9 290x is a good option at around the same price as the gtx 780 and is probably a bit more powerful than the 780. It really comes down to which you would prefer. I have had NVidia and AMD cards and had few problems with either but found that AMD's drivers tended to be a bit more buggy.
 
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Jezzabel

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Jun 24, 2014
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Haha, so many builds that are slightly different. I guess in the end its all a little personal taste?

So I would then be tossing up between Numanator's and my second build (as I think I wont explore overclocking and therefore wont need the ability to do so - just replace parts in the future). Again, any advice or reflection on these builds would be fantastic. It is a little overwhelming but you guys are helping tremendously =)

I guess the only clarification I would need then are the pros and cons between said two builds:

My first attempt (No OC)

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U145 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory
Storage: Samsun 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" SSD + Same as above
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290X 4GB Black Edition Double Dissipation Video Card
Case: (Unknown) - Cooler Master Elite 431 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer

And Numanator's

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1225 V3 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($261.47 @ Mwave Australia)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Memory: Avexir Standard Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.00 @ PLE Computers)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($149.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.00 @ CPL Online)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 780 3GB DirectCU II Video Card ($599.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($155.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($145.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($22.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $1626.47
 
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numanator

numanator

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Nov 14, 2013
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I posted some of the major differences in an edit to the post above.

You could mix and match the 2 builds quite a bit. If you don't plan to overclock then either get the Xeon or an i5 4460 (only reason to get the (k) version is for overclocking, otherwise any other i5 is basically the same thing).

The motherboard depends on if you want to SLI or OC but I am assuming no to both so you could get the H97 mobo since it is cheaper.
You could keep the Samsung Evo, they are great SSDs. The Crucial is just typically a bit cheaper and still good quality

Cases are a personal choice, get one with good airflow that looks the way you want it to.

R9 290x or gtx 780, neither will disappoint you.

XFX uses Seasonic as it's OEM (basically XFX are rebranded Seasonic units with minor differences like the cables or packaging) so they are essentially the same just the XFX is Fully modular
 
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Solution
J

Jezzabel

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Jun 24, 2014
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4,510
Cheers Numanator, I think I have this thing sorted out now with your advice and only now just seeing the edit. I'll mull it over for the next few hours and come up with something or just use your build (as again, I'm not used to working with everything together).

I think this is solved =)
Much appreciated.
 
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