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Solth

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Aug 20, 2014
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This is my idea for a gaming build. It's been a few years since I last built a computer so i'm rusty at it. I did use pcpartpicker.com and it didn't have any problems with it. My question to the techies out there is this: are there any glaring problems that novice me missed? My max budget is $2,000, although I would like to come in under that. Currently i'm at ~$1,600. Thanks in advance.

CPU

Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor

CPU Cooler
Corsair H90 94.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler

Motherboard
Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard

Memory
Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory

Storage
Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

Video Card
EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Superclocked ACX Video Card (2-Way SLI)

EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Superclocked ACX Video Card (2-Way SLI)

Case
Cooler Master HAF X ATX Full Tower Case

Power Supply
EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 P2 1000W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply

Optical Drive
Whatever is on sale at Best Buy. I don't need a burner and I use my dvd rom about twice a year.

Operating System
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)

 
Solution
zeyuanfu

1, Air cooling WILL work, if you want to extend your budget a bit, you can get a liquid cooling set...
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zeyuanfu

zeyuanfu

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I would get the 4th gen of CPUs because they're newer and you can upgrade to Broadwell.
Also, unless you do heavy image/video rendering, you don't need an i7, an i5 would be fine.
 
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Shneiky

Shneiky

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Aug 21, 2011
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For the same price as a 3770k, you can get 4790k which runs 4 GHz out of the box and it is 5% more productive per clock.

Instead of 2 760s, get one 780. It will perform way more consistently, use less watts, make less noise and produce less heat.
 
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zeyuanfu

zeyuanfu

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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 @ Micro Center)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 7 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($174.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($87.92 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB Superclocked ACX Video Card ($719.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.78 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($98.24 @ Amazon)
Total: $1602.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-20 08:35 EDT-0400
Very future-proof build.
SLI will be possible if OP so desires.
 
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Solth

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Aug 20, 2014
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Thanks for the advice.



Two questions. First question: will the fan cooler work well enough? I was interested in trying out a liquid cooled system. I've always used fans before. Is liquid cooled needed for a gaming pc? Second question: if I decide to get more memory in the future, will I have to upgrade to windows 8 or will 7 handle 32 gb?
 
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zeyuanfu

zeyuanfu

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Jun 19, 2014
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1, Air cooling WILL work, if you want to extend your budget a bit, you can get a liquid cooling set, but it might leak, so keep that in mind. Liquid cooling is only needed if you extremely OC your CPU.
2, Windows 7 64-bit will support up to 192 GB of RAM.
 
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Solution
S

Solth

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Aug 20, 2014
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I don't plan on OC at all, so i'll go with air cooled.

Next question (sorry i'll have a bunch), the GeForce 780. Is it worth the extra $220? That's way more than I wanted to spend on a graphics card. Is it that much better than 2 SLI 760s? I don't even need to SLI, just a good card that's about or less than $500

Edit: Added another question
 
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zeyuanfu

zeyuanfu

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You don't even need an aftermarket cooler, stock is fine if you don't OC.
It's OK to have questions!
If you will only be gaming, 1 760 or 770 will be fine. SLI 2 760s if you wish. the 780 is only for people who do heavy graphics work and image/video rendering.
 
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Shneiky

Shneiky

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GTX 760 - 235

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-gtx760dc2oc2gd5

GTX 780 - 460

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-gtx780dc2oc3gd5

GTX 780 is cheaper and better than 2 x 760.

A 760 is starting to struggle with maxing out graphics in newer titles. 780 will last you a good couple of years more.

P.S Whoever says that 780 is only for people who do graphics work and image/video rendering is completely wrong. Premier Pro, After Effects, Photoshop are CPU based with GPU acceleration. Anything more than 760 does not increase performance. 3D Rendering engines 95% completely CPU based. The most famous GPU renderers are VRay RT and nVidia IRay and Furryball, but no one uses those for production renderers. For people who do heavy content creation - there is FirePro and Quadro.
 
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Solth

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$480 for a 780 is a lot better than the $700 one.

My next question is about SLI. Do it now, wait a little for the price to come down (I have to buy the parts in stages anyway), or don't bother with it at all?
 
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zeyuanfu

zeyuanfu

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Buy 1 780 now, use it, when it's only starting to get outdated, buy another one (at that time, it'll be cheap), and after a few years, get the latest-gen cards.
 
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Solth

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Good idea. Should I still stick with the 850w psu or get a stronger one since i'll eventually SLI the two cards? Also how much would I need for those 2 gpus, 1000w ?
 
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zeyuanfu

zeyuanfu

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850 watts will probably be fine, but you can go 900 or 1000 if you want to be safe.
 
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Solth

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Ok. Last question, I think. What version of Windows 7 do I need if I want to get 32 gb or more of memory? I was looking on microsoft's website and it says I need at least professional 64 bit. Does that sound right?
 
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Shneiky

Shneiky

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You only need a quality 850W PSU.

Anything from Seasonic, Corsair AX, HX, TX, RM (definitely avoid CX, VS, GS or whatever), Rosewill Capstone, XFX, be quiet! Straight Power E9, Dark Power P10 (but avoid POWER ZONE series, the POWER ZONE 1000W has voltage spikes, while the POWER ZONE 850W is very noisy) are some good ones on the top of my head.

As it goes to the Windows - you definitely need 64 bit professional or higher, if you wish to go 16 GB of RAM or higher.
 
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zeyuanfu

zeyuanfu

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Jun 19, 2014
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You don't need Professional, Home Premium 64-bit is fine.
 
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