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I need help immediately. Build starts tomorrow.

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  • Components
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August 20, 2014 5:09:19 PM

Hey guys! I am a long time lurker and am finally building a PC for my grandfather. It needs to be small, quiet, RELIABLE, and fast. I took a list of parts I liked to a custom PC shop in town. They modified it and sent this back to me. Here is the list of parts I will be ordering tomorrow.

Case: Corsair 350
CPU: i7 4790k
Mobo: Asus Gryphon z97 (not a lot of reviews I could find on it)
Ram: Corsair Vengeance 16gb 1600 (is 1600 ok? and please link exact ram recommended)
CPU cooler: Thermalright True Spirit 120
SDD: Samsung Evo 840 1TB
GPU: EVGA 780ti
Operating System: Windows 7 Pro
AntiVirus: Windows security essentials.
Power Supply: Cooler Master 725w (not sure which one, would like a diff brand plz)

What do you guys think about it and what would you change? I understand that this is too much storage (he only has about 115 gigs of data) and that the GPU is over kill (he only plays solitaire and real flight) lol. He is old and this is one of the last things he wants so I want to make sure it's as kick ass as possible. Please give me your recommendations on what you would change and why. Also, the PSU seems sketchy, would you please recommend another one? Price is not really an issue at this point. Thanks again!

You can also make a build in PCPartPicker and Link it here. Everything is appreciated.

More about : immediately build starts tomorrow

August 20, 2014 5:19:44 PM

With those specs I dont think the PC is really for your "grandfather", I think its for you, spending over $2k to play solitare and surf the web, you can do that for $350 from Dell or HP. I would build that in a larger Mid Sized or Larger case or you could run into some potential heat issues.
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August 20, 2014 5:26:10 PM

That is an insane build for your grandfather. I know you want it to be good, but I think you may have gone too far. That build will be better than 99% of computers. Anyway as for PSU's look at SeaSonic, XFX the high end Corsairs (not VS, CX, RM), EVGA G2 series or Rosewill Capstone.

If it's really for your grandfather you can build something that will be just as fast for what he wants for about a quarter of the price. It will have the same number of components so building it will be the same (if he's doing it for the experience). The components you selected won't run solitaire or the internet any faster than a build for a few hundred dollars given that these take so little processing power.
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August 20, 2014 5:26:17 PM

Sorry to burst your bubble, but I am dead serious. He had open heart surgery and now has an LVAD. He has been cheap his entire life and finally started spoiling himself this year. My uncles convinced him to get a Mac so we went and bought a top of the line Mac at the Apple Store a year ago and he has regretted it ever since. He now wants to go back to PC and wants to store all of his music and airplane magazines (converted on to thumbdrives on his computer) I told him that they would not take up too much space but he wants to be SURE that he has enough in the long run. .
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August 20, 2014 5:27:49 PM

avenseth12 said:
With those specs I dont think the PC is really for your "grandfather", I think its for you, spending over $2k to play solitare and surf the web, you can do that for $350 from Dell or HP. I would build that in a larger Mid Sized or Larger case or you could run into some potential heat issues.


^ Agreed, heavily.

Can you say "Take advantage of me please?" Because that's what that PC shop is trying to do, wow. You don't need any of that for what your grandfather does.
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August 20, 2014 5:28:50 PM

Any $500 Walmart or BestBuy box, and maybe an additional hard drive.
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August 20, 2014 5:38:54 PM

Hey guys, I appreciate the feedback so far. I understand that a $500 desktop would be fine. Believe me, my entire family has been telling him that. But he has worked hard his entire life and wants what he wants. Please understand what his goals are and help me help him.

Here is a pic of him holding the parts list and thats a pic of the mac.

Im not trying to fool you guys into helping me. I am legitimately trying to help him build his dream computer. Thanks again
elt


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August 20, 2014 5:42:00 PM

Thanks again guys. I should be ordering all the parts tomorrow and will post pics of it in here as well. So what do you guys think about the PSU ram and mobo? I am not a fan of the gryphon but I do like Asus.
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August 20, 2014 5:42:38 PM

Haha sweet photo. Anyway I get it if it's something he wants to leave to you, a friend of mine's grandparents did a similar thing, we're just letting you know that he won't notice a difference with something a lot cheaper. Anyway here is an overclockable build thats ready for another 780ti to drop in.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($224.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($128.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($78.30 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($118.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($609.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000G2 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($156.81 @ Newegg)
Total: $1565.03
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-20 20:44 EDT-0400
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August 20, 2014 5:44:58 PM

Well if going for it, it's a good build, for DRAM go with the GSkill Tridents 1866/8 2x8GB

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

For your rig a good 600 is plenty, look at the EVGA

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Would also suggest a little better cooler, the one chosen is basically no bettter than the stock cooler, take a look at the CM 212 EVO

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...


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August 20, 2014 5:47:21 PM

byza said:
That is an insane build for your grandfather. I know you want it to be good, but I think you may have gone too far. That build will be better than 99% of computers. Anyway as for PSU's look at SeaSonic, XFX the high end Corsairs (not VS, CX, RM), EVGA G2 series or Rosewill Capstone.

If it's really for your grandfather you can build something that will be just as fast for what he wants for about a quarter of the price. It will have the same number of components so building it will be the same (if he's doing it for the experience). The components you selected won't run solitaire or the internet any faster than a build for a few hundred dollars given that these take so little processing power.


I bought an RM650 from Corsair. Is it bad?
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August 20, 2014 5:49:06 PM

I am an old school Halo 1 player who still lans regularly on the OG xboxes. I have no desire to keep it. We will probably just sell it cheap to a family friend like we are doing with the mac. I believe they spent around 3k on it last year and are selling it for $1,000 because are cleaning lady offered them that much. I am sure they would have sold it even cheaper if she would have offered less.

Wouldnt a 1000 watt psu not run efficiently with such a light load? I thought I had read somewhere that a 750 would be the sweet spot. I am not too up to date with this PC stuff. Just trying to help the old man out.
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August 20, 2014 5:50:48 PM

Linkdeutscher said:
byza said:
That is an insane build for your grandfather. I know you want it to be good, but I think you may have gone too far. That build will be better than 99% of computers. Anyway as for PSU's look at SeaSonic, XFX the high end Corsairs (not VS, CX, RM), EVGA G2 series or Rosewill Capstone.

If it's really for your grandfather you can build something that will be just as fast for what he wants for about a quarter of the price. It will have the same number of components so building it will be the same (if he's doing it for the experience). The components you selected won't run solitaire or the internet any faster than a build for a few hundred dollars given that these take so little processing power.


I bought an RM650 from Corsair. Is it bad?


No the 650's and under are good, 750+ is bad, I should have been more clear and it's good that you bought it up. I just couldn't be bothered writing more.
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August 20, 2014 5:52:00 PM

byza said:
Linkdeutscher said:
byza said:
That is an insane build for your grandfather. I know you want it to be good, but I think you may have gone too far. That build will be better than 99% of computers. Anyway as for PSU's look at SeaSonic, XFX the high end Corsairs (not VS, CX, RM), EVGA G2 series or Rosewill Capstone.

If it's really for your grandfather you can build something that will be just as fast for what he wants for about a quarter of the price. It will have the same number of components so building it will be the same (if he's doing it for the experience). The components you selected won't run solitaire or the internet any faster than a build for a few hundred dollars given that these take so little processing power.


I bought an RM650 from Corsair. Is it bad?


No the 650's and under are good, 750+ is bad, I should have been more clear and it's good that you bought it up. I just couldn't be bothered writing more.

Is it because of the fan kicking in late? Anyway thanks, got a little freaked out there.
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August 20, 2014 5:53:30 PM

again, thanks for all the help guys! I am still confused on what to do with the mobo.

So a corsair 600-750 psu should be great for this? and what mobo/ram combo would you recommend? I was told that this cooler might not be enough. What do you guys think of the evo 212 or corsair 100 water cooler? I could do either, just depends on what you guys recommend. I just want to make sure there are no clearance or compatibility issues.
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August 20, 2014 5:59:17 PM

He won't notice the performance difference on any build you get him, so I would just spend some of the money to make it look insanely sick (LED lighting, custom water cooling, matching colors across the whole system)
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August 20, 2014 5:59:41 PM

RunningRiot4Fun said:
I am an old school Halo 1 player who still lans regularly on the OG xboxes. I have no desire to keep it. We will probably just sell it cheap to a family friend like we are doing with the mac. I believe they spent around 3k on it last year and are selling it for $1,000 because are cleaning lady offered them that much. I am sure they would have sold it even cheaper if she would have offered less.

Wouldnt a 1000 watt psu not run efficiently with such a light load? I thought I had read somewhere that a 750 would be the sweet spot. I am not too up to date with this PC stuff. Just trying to help the old man out.


Hard to say exactly which would be more efficient as it depends at the load it's running at. Under full load the 1000w would probably be more efficient but at low load a 750w would probably be better. Anyway i'd only put in a 1000w if you were going to add a second GPU, otherwise as Tradesman said, a 600w would be better.
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August 20, 2014 6:04:00 PM

The Gryphon is a great mobo, if unsure look to the Asus Z97-Pro or up to the Hero (have both of mine in sig)
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August 20, 2014 6:25:17 PM

If you're going to be selling it, i'm just going to throw this build out as a suggestion. It's still really powerful, more powerful than a lot of people's dedicated gaming rigs.
Going for an i5 xxxxK chip is only needed if you are going to overclock. If it's not overclocked it performs at the exact same speed as the non-K version. The same thing goes for Z series motherboards, they only improve performance for overclocking. When not overclocking an H series motherboard will get the same speeds. I'm not trying to convince you to get lower end parts, i'm just explaining that there is absolutely no benefit to getting these parts if the PC will not be overclocked.
As for the GPU an R9 270x will play all current games at high settings. Anything above this level really starts to get diminishing returns on your money and you really need to be playing AAA games to see any difference in the performance of the computer. Also MSI make some of the quietest coolers on the market.
The PSU is great quality, i've selected something semi-modular so it will be neater and easier to build with, even though it will cost more than non-modular.
The case is a very good case, I just changed it from the Phanteks as the Phanteks is a full tower case which is huge, the 300R is a mid tower, which is the size I think of as the 'standard' computer tower. I changed the RAM to fit the new colour scheme and I added an EVO as it will be quieter than the stock cooler, even though it is not 'needed'.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty H97 Killer ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($76.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($118.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270X 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 300R Windowed ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($76.49 @ Amazon)
Total: $893.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-20 21:23 EDT-0400
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August 20, 2014 7:00:23 PM

Thanks for the response. That rig looks awesome. I should have mentioned, he will not budge on the i7-4790k, the 1 TB SDD, and the evga 780ti.

So right now it looks like this

i7-4790k
Corsair 350D... unless you guys know of another case that is better that is under 17inches tall. We were thinking of the 250d actually
EVGA 780ti.. Do we need it superclocked or anything like that.
Corsair 600-750 watt PSU... please send me an exact model. I get confused with all the different models
Corsair vengeance ram, 16gigs 1600. There were a lot of different ones on pc part picker, still confused on which one to buy
Evo 212 Cooler or corsair h100
Samsung ssd 1TB

If someone could throw something together on PcPartPicker for me I would really appreciate it. I plan on making post on reddit, with the build process and a pic of my grandpas huge smile when we finish. Thanks again and I will credit you on there as well.
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August 20, 2014 7:11:12 PM

The corsair 250D is a solid case but you need to have a mini-itx motherboard in that case. It can fit everything else (the liquid cooler you have picked out will fit in the case but in might be a close fit with a motherboard).

You should ask if he's worried about system noise or just wants it to look good because that will affect the choices a little.
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August 20, 2014 7:14:19 PM

definitely needs to be pretty quiet. I figured he would never have it under full load so it would remain mostly silent. I asked him again about the case and the 350D windowed is what he wants. If you look at the picture I posted of his mac, you will see a shelf, it is 18 inches high so we are looking for a case that will fit under that.
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August 20, 2014 7:21:38 PM

Here is the build on partspicker

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($231.91 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus GRYPHON Z97 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($162.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($440.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB Dual Classified ACX Video Card ($679.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 350D Window MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Micro Center)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $2089.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-20 22:19 EDT-0400

I included both coolers so you can choose. both will fit, the H100i will have a bit of a cleaner look, both should be pretty quite as they won't be under load.
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August 20, 2014 7:24:56 PM

Well, here's one for grandpa.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/WhQYRB

It's pretty much a straight up high-end gamer's rig, and you should overclock the heck out of it. The picture gave me a good laugh so I had to post. Good luck.

mlln//
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August 20, 2014 7:28:54 PM

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mm9pQ7

I chose faster Ram because it's barely more expensive. I know he has his heart set on the 780ti but if you can wait a couple months Nvidia will probably launch their next lineup of cards (the 800 series) in September or October.
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August 20, 2014 7:39:52 PM

Dude, you all are awesome! Thank you for taking time and actually helping us with this and posting the builds. I am beyond thankful. I would love to be able to wait until september or october but with his health we never know how much time he may have. With the LVAD I believe the longest person who has had it lived like 7 years. We are around the 3 year mark now. I think he is ready to pull the trigger and start playing some solitaire at 3,000 fps :) 
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Best solution

August 20, 2014 7:45:32 PM

RunningRiot4Fun said:
Dude, you all are awesome! Thank you for taking time and actually helping us with this and posting the builds. I am beyond thankful. I would love to be able to wait until september or october but with his health we never know how much time he may have. With the LVAD I believe the longest person who has had it lived like 7 years. We are around the 3 year mark now. I think he is ready to pull the trigger and start playing some solitaire at 3,000 fps :) 


Good luck. Let us know how it goes.
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August 20, 2014 8:33:58 PM

Alright guys, I have looked at everything you all have mentioned and have put it all together in one list. Here it is

http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/

I have left out 2 parts. The Mobo and the CPU cooler. For the motherboard we had originally picked the Gryphon, I would like to stay in the asus family if possible. Will this mobo be solid for our needs? or will there be a bunch of added software? Please list another mobo if you think it will be better and let me know why. I have had conflicting answers about what cooler would be best. Someone recommended the Corsair H105. I am not sure if it will fit and I read that it comes with more software to control it :/  is there a better option out there? what do you guys think about air cooling? I want to make sure that whatever I pick will fit in the case. I also changed the ram speed.

Thanks again for any future answers. I will add what you guys recommend and post the final build in a new thread tomorrow morning. I wil ask for any last second changes before I head out around noon to get the parts. Thanks again and sorry for the long thread.
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August 20, 2014 8:46:06 PM

The mobo is great. And either of those coolers on the list will do a good job. The H100i is a premium cooler, while the EVO is a (fantastic) budget cooler so obviously the H100i will cool better.
According to the Corsair website, the following Corsair liquid coolers fit the 350D: H55, H60, H75, H80i, H90, H100i, H110
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August 20, 2014 8:54:01 PM

The gryphon? I was kind of hoping to find one with wifi built in and made by Asus and would take advantage of the ram speeds. I like how the h100i looks. I am not familiar with closed loop cooling units. Do you think that it will be quiet enough without changing the fans? Any chance it may leak in the case? if so I might be better off with air. I really liked the bequiet darkrock 2 cooler. Loved the style.


Edit: still worried about the room for mounting the coolers. Would hate for them to come in and not fit.
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August 20, 2014 9:03:39 PM

Barely any chance it will leak in the case. And the radiator is big enough that you can run the stock fans slower to be quiet and still get great cooling.
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August 20, 2014 9:08:06 PM

thanks for the reply. Any other opinions on the mobo and cooling unit? I am still thinking of the 100i in a pull setup. hopefully it will be quiet and still have enough clearance.
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August 20, 2014 9:10:49 PM

Just get a wifi adaptor, that way if there is ever a problem with it, it can be swapped.
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-wireless-network-card...

As for the RAM speed, i'd stick with the Vengeance Pro, it's better quality RAM and there have been a ton of tests that show that higher frequency RAM isn't really much, if at all faster for most tasks.
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August 20, 2014 9:18:34 PM

Ok, So the Gryphon it is! I have 2x8 gigs of vengeance 2133. you really think it would be better to get 16 gigs of vengeance pro if its only at 1600?
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August 20, 2014 9:24:23 PM

The RAM you linked runs at 1866 but regardless yes, you can always OC the Vengeance Pro, it's what it is designed for and the gryphon will only operate up to 1866 so there is no point getting higher frequency RAM.
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August 20, 2014 11:33:46 PM

I dont think we want to OC anything at the moment. Just want something fast and reliable out of the box. Since this case has a window I would at least like it to look nice. Also worried about ram clearance with a air cooler.
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