Build Ready: Any Constructive Criticism ?

jay2017 · Jul 31, 2014

This will be my first build of my own.. I have an $1100 budget and plan on using the system for moderate gaming, a little programming and maybe some video editing.

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Q2yYmG) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Q2yYmG/by_merchant/)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($339.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver Arctic Alumina Premium Ceramic Polysynthetic 1.75g Thermal Paste ($4.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($72.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.92 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB DirectCU II Video Card ($249.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($88.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($34.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $1073.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-31 10:23 EDT-0400

OcelotRex · Jul 31, 2014

I'd be interested in your choice for a case and monitor, but other that that it looks pretty solid. I own a GTX 760 (MSI branded) paired with a i5-3570k on a Z77 chipset, all stock with no overclock, and it games solidly at 1080p. Some games that are poorly optimized (Assassin's Creed 3 recently) have to be turned down to keep the frame rate smooth but I prefer the higher frame rate over more bells and whistles. Arkham Origins, Far Cry 3, and Crysis 3 all played swimingly at 1080p.

If your monitor is a higher resolution I'd suggest dropping another $60-80 on the AMD R9 280X.

jay2017 · Jul 31, 2014

I'm sorry I'll be buying the case and monitor elsewhere.
The case is: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-300rwindowed
monitor: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/acer-monitor-umvh6aa003

OcelotRex · Jul 31, 2014

jay2017 :

With that 1080p monitor the GTX 760 will be a good card. I assume you're going for the hyper-threaded i7 for your video editing role, otherwise you could save $100 and drop to the unlocked i5 and get a beastly video card.

I like the Motherboard because there are three slots between the top PCI-Express slot and the second one for a SLI configuration. Eventually the 760 is going to age and you will have 2 choices - sell the card and get a new single solution or buy a second 760 and run it along with your first. Your case is big enough and your Motherboard looks primed for that. You might need a bigger PSU, something to consider today if you're thinking of going SLI in the future. If you want to increase the resolution of that monitor one day you'll need more power as well.

The ASUS card has a dual fan (axial I think is the term) cooling system that dumps heat into the case. When 2 cards are in such proximity it can lead to higher temps in one card over the other. Some people recommend a blower style (radial I think is the term) like this one from EVGA. This card will pull in cool air and exhaust it out the back of the case instead of dumping it in the case. Usually, these blower style coolers run warmer than the open, dual-fan models and are noisier. A solution to running two ASUS cards might be to add more air moving over the cards.

Of course if you're not considering SLI none of that matters. These are just a few things I wished I would have considered before going with my last build.

jay2017 · Jul 31, 2014

OcelotRex :

jay2017 :

With that 1080p monitor the GTX 760 will be a good card. I assume you're going for the hyper-threaded i7 for your video editing role, otherwise you could save $100 and drop to the unlocked i5 and get a beastly video card.

I like the Motherboard because there are three slots between the top PCI-Express slot and the second one for a SLI configuration. Eventually the 760 is going to age and you will have 2 choices - sell the card and get a new single solution or buy a second 760 and run it along with your first. Your case is big enough and your Motherboard looks primed for that. You might need a bigger PSU, something to consider today if you're thinking of going SLI in the future. If you want to increase the resolution of that monitor one day you'll need more power as well.

The ASUS card has a dual fan (axial I think is the term) cooling system that dumps heat into the case. When 2 cards are in such proximity it can lead to higher temps in one card over the other. Some people recommend a blower style (radial I think is the term) like this one from EVGA. This card will pull in cool air and exhaust it out the back of the case instead of dumping it in the case. Usually, these blower style coolers run warmer than the open, dual-fan models and are noisier. A solution to running two ASUS cards might be to add more air moving over the cards.

Of course if you're not considering SLI none of that matters. These are just a few things I wished I would have considered before going with my last build.

Wow that was very informative. Thanks alot, even though I don't think I'll SLI.

OcelotRex · Aug 1, 2014

jay2017 :

No problem. The processor is about as beastly as you'd want to go for light video editing. As an owner of the GTX 760 I can confirm it's a great card just don't expect to max out everything in 1080p with the most demanding games.

A quick note on the Hyper 212; it's awesome. My house stays around 21-23 degrees C and my idle temps on my core i5 are below 30 (28ish). Full load is below 60. This is in a Silverstone Micro-ATX tower with the two stock 120mm fans. I like it a lot, though it heavy.

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Build Ready: Any Constructive Criticism ?

jay2017

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OcelotRex

OcelotRex

Honorable

jay2017

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OcelotRex

Honorable

jay2017

Reputable

OcelotRex

Honorable

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