3 Gaming Builds Please help me pick One

LordVex209

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So iam trying to build a new PC and i want it to last me like 5-6 years like this one and no i dont need to play games on ultra for all 6 years i kinda want it like this 1-2yrs ultra 3-4yrs high 5-6yrs medium i've made 3 different builds.

But if you guys come up with a better one or want to mix and match parts please do as long it doesn't go above 1200$. thanks for any help or advice.

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/LordVex/saved/2yCFf7 #1
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/LordVex/saved/96H8TW #2
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/LordVex/saved/F2yqqs #3
 
Solution
If, in two years, you feel like you need it, then go for it. It all depends on how much you can compensate for and what not.

Maybe come back in the time you are ready to add and ask for advice.
Here's my suggestion:

It's similar to luca's build, but I just modified it to be a bit more balanced in my opinion.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($234.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($130.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Tri-X Video Card ($379.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: BitFenix Shinobi Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($52.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1185.89
 

misfitkid86

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i'd say the first one is by far the best, but do you really want a blue ray drive? you could save like $30 if you switch to a dvd, if you did that than i'd say improve the cooling to something like an h100i for better overclocking. other than that not bad at all!
 

LordVex209

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Hmm i guess i could do that i mean ill probably wont be using blu-rays anytime soon and im all for making my cpu run cooler
 
No I use a 650W with the same exact GPU , Its fine and Dandy . Should give you substantial increase in FPS and Overall performance for a few more bucks

 

LordVex209

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Lowered the speed of the ram any thoughts on why?

 
The performance difference between 1600 -> 2133 is marginal. Probably around 4-5fps. Unless you're running <30fps, there difference wouldn't really be noticed in most cases. Especially with the power of the rest of the system, you'd be able to run 30fps for years, sacrificing quality if need be.

If you want to go for the higher speed ram, it's not that much more expensive anyways. It might still be within your budget.
 

LordVex209

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Yea ill probably will go for the 2133 and the price jump isn't that bad

 

LordVex209

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would there be a major difference between the h80i to the h100i?

 

LordVex209

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Ah ok ill use a 650W then but ill make it fully modular and Gold+ my nit picks nothing against that psu

 

LordVex209

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So lower cas= better performance? so if i can find 2133 ram at an cas 9 i should be good right?

 

Not in all cases , you can still get a higher Freq Ram and underclock it . Its all down to your preference mate

 
The g.skills from Luca's build are actually 2133Mhz cas9.

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f32133c9d8gxl

As for the ram speeds to cas latency, 1600 Cas9 is considered minimum for most things.

As speeds get higher, cas latency needs to get higher to be stable. 1866Mhz cas10 is roughly the same performance as 1600 Cas9. Cas 11 2133Mhz is roughly around the same as 1866Mhz cas10. With the speed going up, and the latency going up 1 notch at a time, the overall speed still declines. But performance differences aren't going to be that much different. With 2133 Cas9, it's more likely going to be equivalent to 1600 cas7 or so, but slightly slower. Performance is still faster, but it's still not going to be that much faster. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.
 

LordVex209

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Hmm ok

 
I believe the cm 212 evo would perform better than the h60. You should look around on that front, I'm not really entirely sure on that one. I personally also prefer air cooling over water. At the price of the h60, you could get the noctua NH-DH14 would performs very well. It's almost on level with some of the more expensive water coolers.

If you're going with a supernova nex psu, get the 750w one. Otherwise, go with a XFX 650w.

But to be honest, if you're going to overclock in the future, the build I suggested would do much better. If you're not going to be overclocking much, what you're looking at, plus the changes I'm suggesting with the cooler and power supply would be good enough.
 

Thats a gold Certified one , That should be very sufficient
 

LordVex209

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Maybe some mild OCing but nothing to crazy, you know what i think i will go for the Noctua but a couple of questions would it fit in the case i picked and can i change the fans on it?

 

LordVex209

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Alright cool then ill use it and its actually quieter than the water-cooled one