Parts Suggestions $1700-$1800 Highly Upgradable PC

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
W

williamjestes101

Reputable
Jul 28, 2014
2
0
4,510
Hello Everyone,
So I have been working on a computer build for a few weeks and I have really narrowed it down. I will be gaming and also using blender for 3D modeling. I have two builds that I am trying to decide upon. One is using a GTX 770 and the other an R9 290X. Both have an intel i7-4790k. These are obviously very different builds and in order to fit the 290X build into my price point I had to downgrade a few parts. Here are the PC Part Picker List.
GTX 770 Build: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/williamdjestes101/saved/twvqqs
R9 290X Build: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/williamdjestes101/saved/KJcRsY

As you can see with the 290X build I only have a 120GB SSD and a 1TB HDD. I have a 256GB SSD on the 770 build and a 2TB HDD. My RAM is also slower on the 290X build at 1600MHz instead of 1866MHz. Am I buying too nice of a CPU?
I just want some opinions on if you think I am spending my money in the correct places. I want it to be as upgradable as possible and as (I hate this word) futureproof (it hurts to say that word) as possible.
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
Karsten75

Karsten75

Judicious
Oct 15, 2009
6,909
0
36,960
I don't build or design AMD systems, I just don't think they deliver bang for the buck. :)

However, for the Intel build, I'll propose something slightly different. I've not added all the fluff you had in your build (I've neither the time nor inclination, but you can add it back if you wish) :)

The Kingston SSD in your build is utter rubbish. They swapped out the components after they gave review copies to the websites. You can Google " the make and "Bait and Switch" and you should get some hits. If you have money, invest it in a larger capacity SSD. The case I think is "huge* maybe too big - I think you might want to check out something like a mid-sized Deep Silence case from Nanoxia (just check GPU clearances, but I think you should be OK) Spare buying thermal paste, the cooler comes with it pre-applied. Save on buying fans from the get-go, buy them later if you need them - that sort of thing.

Here's my proposal. The motherboard has more memory lanes and now that I think about it, you should probably buy a 4-DIMM kit since it's quad-channel board. I think it will perform very well.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4820K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($318.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X31 69.5 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($73.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock X79 Extreme4 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($142.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Mushkin Chronos 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($50.40 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 290X 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($509.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G-750 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($114.99 @ SuperBiiz)
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: $1679.30
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-28 19:27 EDT-0400

Here is an older build I built last year and it's performance index.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4820K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($318.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock X79 Extreme6 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($214.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Tactical 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($84.26 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Tactical 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($84.26 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Tactical 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($84.26 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Tactical 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($84.26 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($247.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 4GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($384.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro (OEM) (64-bit) ($129.98 @ OutletPC)
Other: Intel BXTS13X Liquid Cooling Thermal Solution for Socket LGA1150/ LGA2011 / LGA1366 / LGA1156 / LGA1155 ($81.99)
Total: $1940.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-28 19:35 EDT-0400

 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Xavier Bouttier

Xavier Bouttier

Distinguished
Sep 10, 2013
524
5
19,115
Heya mate!

You made the right choice in coming here for advice, I had built my first system thanks to the input from here, and shitloads of youtube videos :p

Im an Nvidia fan myself, and my system is currently running on a gtx770 as well, and its a beast of a card, have yet to play a game it cant handle :) (and for futureproof, when games become MUCH more demanding, can always get another one down the road, when it will also be dirt cheap, for SLI, and BAM you got yourself another couple of years of awesome gaming ahead of you.)

I made this little pick for ya:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown 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 ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 7 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($184.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($88.97 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($328.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 500R White ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($119.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $1564.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-28 20:00 EDT-0400

I went with MSI for the mobo instead of your choice, because i think they have made huge leaps in reliability for overclocking on their gaming edition MOBO's, and I think they are extremely 'value for money', the BIOS is great, the layout is great, the board is just beautiful.

I also gave more RAM since you said you want to do 3D modeling, would think you need more than 8GB for that? But what do I know, I'm just a gamer^^ (so you can always go back to 8GB and cut the price there)

For the PSU I am not familiar with EVGA's PSUs so I went with Corsair which I have found to be very reliable and stable.

The case you chose was indeed a beast. I chose the 500R series midi case, I have built a couple of systems in that case, and everything fits like a charm. Especially love the cable management in the back.

I also went with closed circuit water cooling since I am assuming you want to overclock? If not, then you can save on the chip, and get a locked one.

Anyways, best of luck on your build! The GTX770 is sure not to disappoint!

EDIT 1: For the case, you can always get the same one in black if you're not a fan of the white :)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
W

williamjestes101

Reputable
Jul 28, 2014
2
0
4,510
Thanks for those options guys. I also posted this on the Linus Tech Tips Forums and got a bunch of responses (not as helpful as yours) and decided to change to a 290 instead of a 290x. I will post my final solution in a few weeks once I actually buy the pars.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom