First Build for a Novice - Opinion/Feedback on Parts

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mmhinge

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Jun 28, 2014
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Hello everyone,

First time poster, long time scavenger. I'm working on building my first computer ever and have started doing research, however, there is a LOT to learn and as I read more, I learn how little I seem to know.

With that being said, I have done a fair amount of research, but was hoping for some feedback/opinions/recommendations for my build.

I would love to keep the cost right around $1,700 and will not be putting it together until later this year, possibly for Christmas.

Any and all feedback is very appreciated.

Now onto the build!:

  • CPU - Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core
    CPU Cooler - Cooler Master Seidon 120V 86.2 CFM Liquid
    Motherboard - ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155
    Memory - Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600
    Storage - Samsung 840 EVO 1TB 2.5" SSD
    Video Card - HIS Radeon R9 280X 3GB IceQ X²
    Case - Cooler Master N500 ATX Mid Tower
    Power Supply - Corsair 750W ATX12V
    Optical Drive - Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer
    Operating System - Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)
    Case Fan - Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm
This is pretty much my list straight from PCP Part Picker (just learned about it, seems very cool). I don't know much about CPU Coolers so don't know if I even need that; same for the case (just want to make sure everything fits correctly); and the same for the case fan.

The reason the Power Supply is so high for this build is I plan on upgrading the computer later on down the road to double the RAM and add a second video card (it would be the same video card as the one listed).

A couple of key things, I will not be over-clocking it anytime soon if at all as I'm not that savvy and don't know where to start. Perhaps if I look into it more, then I might, but I will be using this computer for some medium gaming (I don't have to have Ultra settings or anything, just be able to play it, the Ultra settings would be a bonus) and for Photo and Video editing (Adobe Light Room, Photoshop, etc.).

I don't know if this is overkill for me, but I would like this computer to last me five-seven years or so (especially since I can upgrade the RAM and Video Card?). I was also thinking about swapping out the ASRock Z77 for the ASRock Z97 EXTREME6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard and pairing it with the Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor instead.

Sorry for my long, first-time post and again, thanks to everyone out there willing to take the time to read this and help a newbie out.

-mmhinge
 
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Computersloeber
For video and photo editing the processor is indeed more important that the graphics card.
The SSD doesn't need to be extremely big it has to be big enough to store the OS and some games/apps.
But if you want to install most of your apps on it then I would suggest a 240Gb one. 120Gb will be enough if you want a couple of games/apps on it.
A game is about 7Gb, apps are about the same or less, but windows can get quite big depending on what you install:
http://www.intowindows.com/windows-8-install-size/

About the graphics card, I don't know if its the poor quality control of Gigabyte or just a lot of people complaining. I never read newegg reviews as I don't trust them. What I know is that the quality of the R9 290x is lower then the Gtx...
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Computersloeber

Computersloeber

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Aug 27, 2013
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Well I looked at your build and I changed some things:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/gtXcRB
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/gtXcRB/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($339.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($99.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-PRO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($55.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.91 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 290X 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($486.00 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 450D ATX Mid Tower Case ($114.39 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1564.22
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

I will explain some changes I made:
CPU: it is the newest i7 runs cooler then its predecessors due to upgraded TIM. It is a K version so you can overclock it later. You don't really need OC yet but you might want to overclock it later when you need it to run faster especially if you want to use it for 5 years. Which is a bit long-term IMO, most computers will be good for 2 or 3 years, after that you will see they are getting older and slower compared to the new tech.
CPU Cooler: The h100i is one of the best closed loop coolers, it will keep your CPU cool and last longer, also you can overclock your CPU a lot with this.
Motherboard: A good ASUS motherboard with the Z97 chipset.
Memory: I selected faster memory then 1600Mhz always good to have some extra speed.
Storage: A cheap but good 1TB HDD and a 120GB SSD if you want more SSD space you can always grab a 240GB SSD.
Graphics Card: The R9 290x is the best price/quality card ATM. Will max out everything on a single screen.
PSU: 850W is minimum for dual R9 290x if you plan on Crossfire later. The unit I selected is the best 850W unit on the market AND it is fully modular so that means less cables to manage!
Case: The Corsiar 450D is a neat looking case with room for the h100i and a window to show off your electronics on the inside.

Now if you care I also paid attention to a colour sceme :p the colour sceme is red/black. You could buy some led-strips and mount them on the inside to have case lighting for 20$.
Performance wise I think this will be able to max out games for 1/2 years. Then you can add another R9 290x and it will maybe last another year. But I have no idea how much tech will change so it is one big guess. But if you are fine with medium too then it will last maybe 3 years before you need to add another R9 290x.

What I know for sure is that this rig will be able to max out everything you throw at it (ultra). It will also be good for Photo and Video editing because of the hyper-threading on the i7. And it will be the best you can buy for that budget.

PS. Sorry for the long answer but I hoped I could help you! :)
 
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mmhinge

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Jun 28, 2014
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4,510

First off, thank you so much for you help! And I don't think this is too long of an answer at all; I love the additional information as it's very helpful for me in learning and I really appreciate you taking the time to help me out.

I looked at your suggestions and here is what I'm getting from it, please let me know if I'm on the wrong path.

For video and photo editing, the processor is more important than the graphics card?

Too big of an SSD drive is overkill as you only need the OS and main games/applications installed on it and then photos/videos can be stored on the regular drive?

Black and red is BA color scheme.

I have a question about the graphics card you suggested. When I read the reviews, they were very positive, but when I looked on newegg, there were a lot of negative reviews on the card. Is this maybe a case of the vendor vs. the product?

Also, my wife was hoping to build a new computer for her too (she has a Sony VAIO laptop from 2010). All she would need for her rig would be a system that can play League of Legends and The SIMS 3 at full settings (and possibly The SIMS 4 when that comes out) and then some intermittent photo editing. For hers, here is what I was thinking (sorry if I should be making a new thread on this since it's a different build):

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core $199.99
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing $29.98
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 $49.99
Memory: G.Skill Trident X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 $84.99
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" SSD $79.99
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM $52.91
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB $129.99
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower $44.99
Power Supply: Silverstone 500W ATX12V / EPS12V $79.99
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer $16.98
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) $84.98
Total Cost: $854.78

How do you think that would fair for her needs? Is it still too much? I'm trying to build hers as cheap as possible while still being able to give her what she needs.

Thanks again for all your help!


-mmhinge
 
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Computersloeber

Computersloeber

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Aug 27, 2013
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For video and photo editing the processor is indeed more important that the graphics card.
The SSD doesn't need to be extremely big it has to be big enough to store the OS and some games/apps.
But if you want to install most of your apps on it then I would suggest a 240Gb one. 120Gb will be enough if you want a couple of games/apps on it.
A game is about 7Gb, apps are about the same or less, but windows can get quite big depending on what you install:
http://www.intowindows.com/windows-8-install-size/

About the graphics card, I don't know if its the poor quality control of Gigabyte or just a lot of people complaining. I never read newegg reviews as I don't trust them. What I know is that the quality of the R9 290x is lower then the Gtx 780 or Gtx 780 TI. This means that more quality control is needed and some vendors have poor quality control. So that might be why Gigabyte has so many bad reviews. The sites that post professional reviews usually get a good model that works because otherwise the site would give them a bad review. What I said about the quality is not based on anything scientific or something :p it's just that more people have problems with AMD. nVidia usually gives less problems, but you will need to play a lot extra for that.
If you are really worried about getting a broken card and having to RMA it, ASUS or Sapphire might be a better brand regarding customer service:

Gigabyte is a good brand but I never owned one so I have no idea why people have so many problems with the model. Regarding that the ASUS is about the same price get that one you can almost never go wrong with ASUS and Sapphire.

For your wife's computer you can actually build it cheaper if you want.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PrLGnQ
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PrLGnQ/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock B85 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($78.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.91 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($88.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $771.79
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Still a quad core i5, cheap but good motherboard a quality psu, this should run LoL and Sims3/4 easily.
 
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