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FIRST BUILD! Suggestions?

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  • Gaming
  • Build
  • Components
Last response: in Components
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July 6, 2014 12:52:35 AM

Building this with mainly gaming in mind
l want to make sure I can play the latest games on the highest settings and keep my fps at 60+
Any and all opinions and/or suggestions would be greatly appreciated


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($259.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($6.96 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-Pro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($82.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290X 4GB Tri-X Video Card ($528.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair Air 540 ATX Desktop Case ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($43.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Asus PB278Q 27.0" Monitor ($454.99 @ NCIX US)
Sound Card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster Z 30SB150200000 OEM 24-bit 192 KHz Sound Card ($80.32 @ NCIX US)
Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse ($79.00 @ Amazon)
Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-M50WH Headphones ($139.00 @ Newegg)
Other: Corsair K70 RGB ($169.99)
Other: Zelman ZM-Mic1 ($8.00)
Other: Creative A550 5.1 ($60.00)
Total: $2614.15
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

More about : build suggestions

a b 4 Gaming
July 6, 2014 1:17:04 AM

Next time you post a build, select the BB code option, it makes it a lot easier to read, and leave in the code for the links.
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July 6, 2014 2:11:34 AM

you shouldn't really need a sound card
my opinion. personally i wouldn't get speakers. i would get a proper gaming headset, this would eliminate the need for speakers, mic, sound card.
i personally would go with liquid cooling. although a heatsink and fan will do
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Related resources
a b 4 Gaming
July 6, 2014 2:55:58 AM

You might want to look at 1866 or 2133 speed RAM.
It's also worth looking into paying an extra $50 to update to the haswell refresh i7-4790k and Asus Z97-Pro, as this will give you M.2/SATA Express. Personally i'd spend an extra $20 on top of that to get the Asus Maximus VII Hero.
I'd probably get a smaller HDD and larger SSD, but I only use my desktop for gaming, so 1TB will hold a pretty big games library, if you use your computer for other things this may not suit you.
The Zalman mic is really good for the price, I use one myself (paired with Audio-Technica's), but as it's multi-directional, it picks up every noise in your house. If my girlfriend is trying to talk to me from the kitchen, everyone i'm connected to can hear what she is saying. This doesn't happen with headsets, as they have uni-directional mics. I don't have an alternative for you, but it's something to be aware of.
I'd probably look at getting a better quality PSU like the EVGA G2.

If you can't increase your budget any, the first thing that I would drop would be the sound card. Not because it's bad, just because it's the easiest part to pick up in a month of so when you've saved up another $80. Personally I just use onboard sound and don't have a problem, but judging by the headphones you've selected your a bit of an audiophile. Otherwise the CPU cooler is a beast, and really only necessary for serious overclocks. Having it isn't a bad thing, but if you need to shave some $ this is where you could look. You could also save a few $ by getting the MSI 290x rather than the Sapphire, or getting a K70 rather than the K70 RGB.

Overall the build looks really nice, with only a few things I would change, but mostly for personal reasons and not because any of it is bad.
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July 6, 2014 6:42:07 PM

byza said:
Next time you post a build, select the BB code option, it makes it a lot easier to read, and leave in the code for the links.


Thanks! Much better

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July 6, 2014 6:52:48 PM

Jacob Bowerman said:
you shouldn't really need a sound card
my opinion. personally i wouldn't get speakers. i would get a proper gaming headset, this would eliminate the need for speakers, mic, sound card.
i personally would go with liquid cooling. although a heatsink and fan will do


I think I'll prefer the headphones+mic (although I'm going to look into getting a better mic) to a headset. And when I'm not worried about being loud I'd rather use speakers (I'll most likely be going with a cheaper set). They will also be used for my tv for movies.

I'm not sure I'm ready for liquid cooling on my first build. I'm not really into the idea of liquid being that close to $1,000+ worth of parts.

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a c 522 4 Gaming
July 6, 2014 6:58:38 PM

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Cooling MX4 4g Thermal Paste ($6.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-Pro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($148.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290X 4GB Tri-X Video Card ($528.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair Air 540 ATX Desktop Case ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($43.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Asus PB278Q 27.0" Monitor ($454.99 @ NCIX US)
Sound Card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster Z 30SB150200000 OEM 24-bit 192 KHz Sound Card ($80.32 @ NCIX US)
Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse ($79.00 @ Amazon)
Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-M50WH Headphones ($139.00 @ Newegg)
Other: 5.1 speakers logitech x-540 ($200.00)
Other: Corsair K70 RGB ($169.99)
Other: Zelman ZM-Mic1 ($8.00)
Total: $2890.16
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
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July 6, 2014 7:03:25 PM

Pondering said:
Take a look at the EVGA G2 750 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

The RM series 650 Watts+ isn't as good quality as rest of the RM series nor is it comparable to the higher end corsair power supplies.



Thanks! Can't beat a 10 year warranty
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a c 522 4 Gaming
July 6, 2014 7:04:26 PM

Best 750 on the market.
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July 6, 2014 7:09:05 PM

Chewy44 said:
Jacob Bowerman said:
you shouldn't really need a sound card
my opinion. personally i wouldn't get speakers. i would get a proper gaming headset, this would eliminate the need for speakers, mic, sound card.
i personally would go with liquid cooling. although a heatsink and fan will do


I think I'll prefer the headphones+mic (although I'm going to look into getting a better mic) to a headset. And when I'm not worried about being loud I'd rather use speakers (I'll most likely be going with a cheaper set). They will also be used for my tv for movies.

I'm not sure I'm ready for liquid cooling on my first build. I'm not really into the idea of liquid being that close to $1,000+ worth of parts.



i mean just in my opinion i don't see the point in getting headphones + mic when your getting a headset anyways. but seriously i installed water-cooling into my $3.3k build 1 week ago. i was scared/worried but trust me its honestly nothing to be scared about. its a lot easier then you think it is. honestly its just a few screws, connect the hoses. attach the clamps. pour in the liquid, plug in the power. turn on.

besides with liquid cooling you only install the psu and liquid cooling first. and you move the liquid cooling parts away from the psu and you run it for 24 hours using the jumper cable supplied with the kit. so you run it for 24 hours to test for leaks, and if there isn't you know its fine and if there is then it leaks on no hardware ^.^
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July 6, 2014 8:06:21 PM

Jacob Bowerman said:
Chewy44 said:
Jacob Bowerman said:
you shouldn't really need a sound card
my opinion. personally i wouldn't get speakers. i would get a proper gaming headset, this would eliminate the need for speakers, mic, sound card.
i personally would go with liquid cooling. although a heatsink and fan will do


I think I'll prefer the headphones+mic (although I'm going to look into getting a better mic) to a headset. And when I'm not worried about being loud I'd rather use speakers (I'll most likely be going with a cheaper set). They will also be used for my tv for movies.

I'm not sure I'm ready for liquid cooling on my first build. I'm not really into the idea of liquid being that close to $1,000+ worth of parts.



i mean just in my opinion i don't see the point in getting headphones + mic when your getting a headset anyways. but seriously i installed water-cooling into my $3.3k build 1 week ago. i was scared/worried but trust me its honestly nothing to be scared about. its a lot easier then you think it is. honestly its just a few screws, connect the hoses. attach the clamps. pour in the liquid, plug in the power. turn on.

besides with liquid cooling you only install the psu and liquid cooling first. and you move the liquid cooling parts away from the psu and you run it for 24 hours using the jumper cable supplied with the kit. so you run it for 24 hours to test for leaks, and if there isn't you know its fine and if there is then it leaks on no hardware ^.^


I'm not getting a headset at all...

What kit did you use?
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July 6, 2014 8:25:52 PM

byza said:
You might want to look at 1866 or 2133 speed RAM.
It's also worth looking into paying an extra $50 to update to the haswell refresh i7-4790k and Asus Z97-Pro, as this will give you M.2/SATA Express. Personally i'd spend an extra $20 on top of that to get the Asus Maximus VII Hero.
I'd probably get a smaller HDD and larger SSD, but I only use my desktop for gaming, so 1TB will hold a pretty big games library, if you use your computer for other things this may not suit you.
The Zalman mic is really good for the price, I use one myself (paired with Audio-Technica's), but as it's multi-directional, it picks up every noise in your house. If my girlfriend is trying to talk to me from the kitchen, everyone i'm connected to can hear what she is saying. This doesn't happen with headsets, as they have uni-directional mics. I don't have an alternative for you, but it's something to be aware of.
I'd probably look at getting a better quality PSU like the EVGA G2.

If you can't increase your budget any, the first thing that I would drop would be the sound card. Not because it's bad, just because it's the easiest part to pick up in a month of so when you've saved up another $80. Personally I just use onboard sound and don't have a problem, but judging by the headphones you've selected your a bit of an audiophile. Otherwise the CPU cooler is a beast, and really only necessary for serious overclocks. Having it isn't a bad thing, but if you need to shave some $ this is where you could look. You could also save a few $ by getting the MSI 290x rather than the Sapphire, or getting a K70 rather than the K70 RGB.

Overall the build looks really nice, with only a few things I would change, but mostly for personal reasons and not because any of it is bad.


Why go with a larger SSD? What do you store on yours?


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a b 4 Gaming
July 6, 2014 9:40:23 PM

Chewy44 said:
byza said:
You might want to look at 1866 or 2133 speed RAM.
It's also worth looking into paying an extra $50 to update to the haswell refresh i7-4790k and Asus Z97-Pro, as this will give you M.2/SATA Express. Personally i'd spend an extra $20 on top of that to get the Asus Maximus VII Hero.
I'd probably get a smaller HDD and larger SSD, but I only use my desktop for gaming, so 1TB will hold a pretty big games library, if you use your computer for other things this may not suit you.
The Zalman mic is really good for the price, I use one myself (paired with Audio-Technica's), but as it's multi-directional, it picks up every noise in your house. If my girlfriend is trying to talk to me from the kitchen, everyone i'm connected to can hear what she is saying. This doesn't happen with headsets, as they have uni-directional mics. I don't have an alternative for you, but it's something to be aware of.
I'd probably look at getting a better quality PSU like the EVGA G2.

If you can't increase your budget any, the first thing that I would drop would be the sound card. Not because it's bad, just because it's the easiest part to pick up in a month of so when you've saved up another $80. Personally I just use onboard sound and don't have a problem, but judging by the headphones you've selected your a bit of an audiophile. Otherwise the CPU cooler is a beast, and really only necessary for serious overclocks. Having it isn't a bad thing, but if you need to shave some $ this is where you could look. You could also save a few $ by getting the MSI 290x rather than the Sapphire, or getting a K70 rather than the K70 RGB.

Overall the build looks really nice, with only a few things I would change, but mostly for personal reasons and not because any of it is bad.


Why go with a larger SSD? What do you store on yours?





OS and games, but i only have OS and games, everything else is on my laptop. Levels, zones, cut-sceans etc load a lot faster from the SSD.
The 120gb will still hold quite a few games, OS is ~20gb, leaving 100gb for games and programs. Say your average game is ~15-20gb (many AAA's are larger) thats only 5 games, assuming no programs are stored on it. For you that might be enough, but I tend to switch between games, rather than just play one game to completion, and I only move the game to my HDD when i've completed it.
It's not a huge difference, loading a match on battlefield is probably around 10+ seconds faster than my friend on a HDD, and it just makes it feel a lot snappier and as though you spend more time playing games than waiting. If you've got applications on the SSD they will also load noticeably faster.
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