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PC build specs, are they good?

Tags:
  • Gaming
  • Intel i7
  • Gtx
  • Build
  • Components
  • Asus
Last response: in Components
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September 6, 2014 4:20:26 AM

I'm planning to build this PC soon: Main goal to run GTA V, Battlefield 4 and Bioshock on ultra graphics and 1080p res on 60+ fps mostly.

CPU:
i7-4770 PRICE: ~ $350

GPU:
ASUS GTX-750 TI 2GB PRICE: ~ $160

MOBO:
GA-X99-Gaming G1 PRICE: ~ $450

RAM:
Kingston Technology HyperX 16 GB Kit (4×4 GB Modules) 16 Quad Channel Kit PRICE: ~ $200

HDD:

Western Digital Velociraptor 600 GB SATA III 10000 RPM PRICE: ~ $280

CASE:
Corsair 450D PRICE: ~ $140


TOTAL PRICE (MAX): ~ $1580


Sorry I suck at PC building. I'm a newb!

I still think this is too expensive. Could anyone suggest a better/cheaper set-up?

More about : build specs good

a b 4 Gaming
a b Ĉ ASUS
September 6, 2014 4:46:59 AM

Wow. This is really unbalanced. You should get: i5 + 280x + $150 mobo + 2x4GB 1866 + 1TB HDD 7200rpm + 250gb SSD

What country are you in?
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September 6, 2014 5:01:23 AM

envy14tpe said:
Wow. This is really unbalanced. You should get: i5 + 280x + $150 mobo + 2x4GB 1866 + 1TB HDD 7200rpm + 250gb SSD

What country are you in?


Hello. Thanks for the reply. I live in Hungary.
Thanks for the specs there but could you be more specific with the brands and types (model names) please?
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a b 4 Gaming
a b Ĉ ASUS
September 6, 2014 5:43:07 AM

Don1001 said:
envy14tpe said:
Wow. This is really unbalanced. You should get: i5 + 280x + $150 mobo + 2x4GB 1866 + 1TB HDD 7200rpm + 250gb SSD

What country are you in?


Hello. Thanks for the reply. I live in Hungary.
Thanks for the specs there but could you be more specific with the brands and types (model names) please?


That is difficult to give specifics cuz prices are different in each country. This is a general suggestion:
i5-4690k
CPU cooler: Cooler Master EVO
Z97 Asus-A
2x4GB 1866 ...Corsair, G. Skill, Patriot.
280x. Sapphire, Asus, or Gigabyte.
1TB Western Digital Blue
Samsung EVO 840 250GB
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September 6, 2014 5:47:43 AM

envy14tpe said:
Don1001 said:
envy14tpe said:
Wow. This is really unbalanced. You should get: i5 + 280x + $150 mobo + 2x4GB 1866 + 1TB HDD 7200rpm + 250gb SSD

What country are you in?


Hello. Thanks for the reply. I live in Hungary.
Thanks for the specs there but could you be more specific with the brands and types (model names) please?


That is difficult to give specifics cuz prices are different in each country. This is a general suggestion:
i5-4690k
CPU cooler: Cooler Master EVO
Z97 Asus-A
2x4GB 1866 ...Corsair, G. Skill, Patriot.
280x. Sapphire, Asus, or Gigabyte.
1TB Western Digital Blue
Samsung EVO 840 250GB


Thx. Can you say a price for this (total) pls?
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a b 4 Gaming
a b Ĉ ASUS
September 6, 2014 5:56:37 AM

Can you make another build and I'll comment. Prices depend where you buy them and the range is huge.
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September 6, 2014 6:14:37 AM

Hi there

I was looking over your specs, and see some issues with some of your choices. I'll do my best to give you some advice, but also keep in mind one of the joys of building your own custom computer is planning out your "dream" rig!

Keeping in mind that your primary goal is to run GTA V, Battlefield 4 and Bioshock on high settings with good frame rates, I think we can spec out a monster rig based on the Z97 platform that will give you a better performance per dollar ratio.

While the X99 platform is the latest and greatest, it really doesn't offer enough performance increase over the the Z97 platform to warrant the extra expense... at least in regards to your goals.

So let's look at some parts!

CPU: i7-4790k (Devil's Canyon) This is the flagship gaming processor, a Haswell refresh with a stock speed of 4ghz. It costs about the same as the 4770 you were looking at and it's unlocked for overclocking. If you live near a Microcenter you can pick one up for about 280.00USD an amazing deal on this CPU.

For more info on the comparison see:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/core-i7-4790k-devil...

GPU: Since your goals are gaming based we need to beef up this hardware, the bulk of your gaming demands fall squarely on the shoulders of your graphics card.

Since we are going to save some money by going with the Z97 platform as apposed to the X99 platform let's shift some of those resources to exactly where you need them.

You were looking at the ASUS GTX-750 TI 2GB for about 160 USD, I suggest the ASUS GTX770-DC2OC-2GD5 G-SYNC.

While the GTX 770 costs about twice as much the difference between these 2 cards is like night and day, and I promise you will be much happier with your new PC investment with this card in it.

A comparison of the 2 cards can be found here:

http://www.hwcompare.com/17293/geforce-gtx-750-ti-vs-ge...

MOTHERBOARD: You had selected GA-X99-Gaming G1, and while it is certainly a nice board, being X99 and, more specifically, the required DDR4 Memory of that platform, will cost you heavily.... for increases that won't really benefit you in your usage goals.

Take a look at the ASUS Maximus VII Formula an awesome higher end Z97 board and the perfect home for that i7-4790k CPU. You can pick one up for about 340 USD. There are certainly cheaper options, but this is really a rock solid gaming board with everything you could want in a gaming board, and then some.

Just do a little reading and comparing and I am sure you'll see why I suggested it for this build.

http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/MAXIMUS_VII_FORMULA/

RAM: You were looking at some Kingston HyperX DDR3 at around 200 USD, but the board you were planning on using required quad channel DDR4... which could easily have cost you 400+ USD.

For the build that I am proposing I'll suggest you go with G Skill 16GB (2 x 8GB) Trident x PC3-21300 DDR3 2666MHz CL12

It's a dual channel kit that is plenty fast for gaming, and leaves you some room to expand if you feel the need to later down the road.

HD: This is another area that we can certainly maximize your performance gains in.

You were looking at the Western Digital Velociraptor 600 GB SATA III 10000 RPM for about 280 USD, not a bad drive, but when compared to a set up consisting of a 250 GB Samsung 840 evo SSD for your Primary drive (OS and core apps/games) and a 3 TB Seagate Barracuda 7200 RPM ST3000DM001 for your secondary drive (Storage and installs)... I believe MC Hammer said it best, "Cant Touch This".

You see huge gains in read and write speeds with the SSD, which equal much shorter load times. Sure you lose 350 GB of space on your primary drive, but you trade that 350 GB for 3TB of space with the Seagate 7200 RPM drive, while slightly slower then the 10000 RPM WD drive, but the difference will be barely noticeable, if at all, AND you save about 50 bucks!

Samsung Evo 840 250 GB can be had for about 140 USD

3 TB Seagate Barracuda 7200 RPM ST3000DM001 goes for about 105 USD

CASE: I'll leave this one alone, I have difficulties choosing cases for myself, and case choice is something you need to research and decide for yourself.


Just add a decent CPU cooling solution a decent 800 watt or better power supply and you have a very nice rig, by any standards, that will give you the high end gaming experience you are after, along with anything else you should decide to throw at it , and should serve you well for several years.

I'd suggest NZXT Kraken X61 RL-KRX61-01 280mm All-In-One for a cooling solution, at 130 USD it is a little more then an air cooling solution but in terms of effectiveness it will dominate any of it's air competitors.

I didn't add up the price of all the parts for you, but I am sure it's comparable to what you had planned...

Hope this helps.




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September 6, 2014 6:26:00 AM

H4rdware said:
Hi there

I was looking over your specs, and see some issues with some of your choices. I'll do my best to give you some advice, but also keep in mind one of the joys of building your own custom computer is planning out your "dream" rig!

Keeping in mind that your primary goal is to run GTA V, Battlefield 4 and Bioshock on high settings with good frame rates, I think we can spec out a monster rig based on the Z97 platform that will give you a better performance per dollar ratio.

While the X99 platform is the latest and greatest, it really doesn't offer enough performance increase over the the Z97 platform to warrant the extra expense... at least in regards to your goals.

So let's look at some parts!

CPU: i7-4790k (Devil's Canyon) This is the flagship gaming processor, a Haswell refresh with a stock speed of 4ghz. It costs about the same as the 4770 you were looking at and it's unlocked for overclocking. If you live near a Microcenter you can pick one up for about 280.00USD an amazing deal on this CPU.

For more info on the comparison see:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/core-i7-4790k-devil...

GPU: Since your goals are gaming based we need to beef up this hardware, the bulk of your gaming demands fall squarely on the shoulders of your graphics card.

Since we are going to save some money by going with the Z97 platform as apposed to the X99 platform let's shift some of those resources to exactly where you need them.

You were looking at the ASUS GTX-750 TI 2GB for about 160 USD, I suggest the ASUS GTX770-DC2OC-2GD5 G-SYNC.

While the GTX 770 costs about twice as much the difference between these 2 cards is like night and day, and I promise you will be much happier with your new PC investment with this card in it.

A comparison of the 2 cards can be found here:

http://www.hwcompare.com/17293/geforce-gtx-750-ti-vs-ge...

MOTHERBOARD: You had selected GA-X99-Gaming G1, and while it is certainly a nice board, being X99 and, more specifically, the required DDR4 Memory of that platform, will cost you heavily.... for increases that won't really benefit you in your usage goals.

Take a look at the ASUS Maximus VII Formula an awesome higher end Z97 board and the perfect home for that i7-4790k CPU. You can pick one up for about 340 USD. There are certainly cheaper options, but this is really a rock solid gaming board with everything you could want in a gaming board, and then some.

Just do a little reading and comparing and I am sure you'll see why I suggested it for this build.

http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/MAXIMUS_VII_FORMULA/

RAM: You were looking at some Kingston HyperX DDR3 at around 200 USD, but the board you were planning on using required quad channel DDR4... which could easily have cost you 400+ USD.

For the build that I am proposing I'll suggest you go with G Skill 16GB (2 x 8GB) Trident x PC3-21300 DDR3 2666MHz CL12

It's a dual channel kit that is plenty fast for gaming, and leaves you some room to expand if you feel the need to later down the road.

HD: This is another area that we can certainly maximize your performance gains in.

You were looking at the Western Digital Velociraptor 600 GB SATA III 10000 RPM for about 280 USD, not a bad drive, but when compared to a set up consisting of a 250 GB Samsung 840 evo SSD for your Primary drive (OS and core apps/games) and a 3 TB Seagate Barracuda 7200 RPM ST3000DM001 for your secondary drive (Storage and installs)... I believe MC Hammer said it best, "Cant Touch This".

You see huge gains in read and write speeds with the SSD, which equal much shorter load times. Sure you lose 350 GB of space on your primary drive, but you trade that 350 GB for 3TB of space with the Seagate 7200 RPM drive, while slightly slower then the 10000 RPM WD drive, but the difference will be barely noticeable, if at all, AND you save about 50 bucks!

Samsung Evo 840 250 GB can be had for about 140 USD

3 TB Seagate Barracuda 7200 RPM ST3000DM001 goes for about 105 USD

CASE: I'll leave this one alone, I have difficulties choosing cases for myself, and case choice is something you need to research and decide for yourself.


Just add a decent CPU cooling solution a decent 800 watt or better power supply and you have a very nice rig, by any standards, that will give you the high end gaming experience you are after, along with anything else you should decide to throw at it , and should serve you well for several years.

I'd suggest NZXT Kraken X61 RL-KRX61-01 280mm All-In-One for a cooling solution, at 130 USD it is a little more then an air cooling solution but in terms of effectiveness it will dominate any of it's air competitors.

I didn't add up the price of all the parts for you, but I am sure it's comparable to what you had planned...

Hope this helps.

Thank you so much for the detailed answer!





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September 6, 2014 6:26:31 AM

I messed up the quotes somehow, so

Thanks for the detailed answer, H4rdware!
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September 6, 2014 6:27:41 AM

No problem, happy gaming!
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a b 4 Gaming
a b Ĉ ASUS
September 6, 2014 6:33:12 AM

H4rdware said:
No problem, happy gaming!


You recommend a i7 and 2x8GB RAM? For gaming purposes this is not needed at all. You will not get higher settings or fps with those. Also, a single GPU system does not need more than 650W. I'd suggest a 600-700W PSU. Plenty of power. So, i5 + 2x4GB + 650W PSU = saves a lot of money and games the same.
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September 6, 2014 7:06:56 AM

The reason for my recommendations are to offer the original poster a high end gaming experience and a rock solid higher end PC at a comparable price point to what he had originally planned, to facilitate any future expansions he might want or need to make as his needs and/or goals might change and to insure a certain level of future proofing for his investment.

While an i7 might seem like overkill to you, and most games are only optimized for 2 cores, how long do you think that will be the case in what is now considered a "next gen" gaming marketplace?

The envelope is constantly being pushed, so it's my feeling that building a system based on what most games need RIGHT NOW is only setting yourself up for needed upgrades in the future.

When building a PC a little more spent now = less in the long run in terms of new builds.

It's been my experience that economy builds suffer in terms of longevity, and while they might be fine for what you are playing today... they could very well develop performance issues with the games you want to play 2 years from now.

So is saving 200 or so USD now worth the expense and/or headache of needing an upgrade to get the performance you are going to want/need in the foreseeable future?

I guess that falls on the individual's plans, experience and budget.

My recommendation is just that, a recommendation, for a system in the stated price range that exceeds his needs and goals across the board, offers some degree of futureproofing insurance against emerging game tech and as such my recommendation remains the same.

While your recommendation is a fine gaming rig, given the option to upgrade to the rig I suggested, for a couple of hundred USD, for me, would be a no brainer.

But in the end, options are good, and exactly what the original poster is after, thanks for the input.



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September 6, 2014 8:06:35 AM

I feel compelled to tell you that I still have an older rig that I built in 2010 consisting of:

i7 920 Clocked to 4 ghz
ASUS Sabertooth X58 MOBO
6 Gigs of Corsair Vengence DDR3 1600
ASUS GTX 760 2GB (later upgrade)
Samsung 840 EVO 250 GB (later upgrade)

I keep it around for the kids when they come by, or for my wife if she wants to play anything her laptop has troubles with and to this day it still plays just about everything maxed out with good frame rates. Sure a little tweaking of setting here and there is required at times but it even runs Skyrim heavily modded with very Hi Res textures and Realvision ENB at a solid 30 to 40 FPS.

My point being that you can certainly put something together cheaper, and that your rig doesn't need to be comprised of all the latest and greatest parts to offer you a great gaming experience, but building something on the higher end now, like this rig was in 2010, will go along way to ensure that you are not building another one 2 years from now.

On that note, Don, let us know what you decide to build. :) 
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