Decent balanced rig?

Dark Lord of Tech

Retired Moderator
Nice build , just changed the PSU.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.99 @ Micro Center)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX Video Card ($329.98 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1078.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-11 10:18 EDT-0400
 

bignastyid

Titan
Moderator
The PSU isn't good and the EVGA ACX cooler isn't as good as its counterparts from Asus, Gigabyte and MSI. I also added faster ram and a better cpu cooler
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($73.80 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($339.98 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX TS 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($90.26 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1122.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-11 10:41 EDT-0400
 

alkarnur

Honorable
Feb 5, 2013
15
0
10,520
Generally good build. I'd keep the CPU.

CPU: Noctua NH-D15
I'd recommend the NH-D15, especially over the NH-D14, as it is compatible both the mainstream sockets from AMD and Intel as well as Intel's 2011 socket CPUs.

MB: Asus Z97-WS
I'd choose a Mobo from ANYBODY but ASRock as I've had an extremely bad experience with their Z77-WS. I'd pick a full-ATX Z97 from Asus with 4 full PCIe slots with the capability to provide a 4-way GPU setup with 8x for each GPU. It would also have a PLX chip for LGA2011-like GPU scaling for 3-way and 4-way SLI/Crossfire. Such a MB would cost about double the one you put in your build, i.e. about $289. But it would give you a lot more futureproofness by way of support for 3- and 4-way SLI/CFX while still costing many hundreds of dollars less than an X99/Haswell-E platform.

System Drive: ~128 / ~256 GB Samsung 840 EVO SSD
I'd either replace or complement that 1TB HDD with 128 or 256GB Samsung 840 EVO. I think any mid or high-end PC nowadays should have even a low-cap SSD.

GPU: Sapphire R9 290X Tri-X
I'd replace that GTX 970 with a $399 R9 290X. The extra $70 is more than made up for with the extra performance, and even more so when adaptive refresh rates are taken into account (which give smoother apparent refresh rates for the same FPS). And, when FreeSync monitors start shipping in a few months, their difference in pricing compared to G-Sync monitors will lead to savings that are much greater than the extra $70 you spend now (probably about $200 price difference when compared to G-Sync monitors).
So go for a Sapphire R9 290X Tri-X b/c it is the quietest and best cooled 290X on the market).

Case: NZXT H630 Silent Case, Black.
Case is good. But when choosing cases I now use the "biggest sandbox" philosophy. Meaning the case must have room for any parts I might add later, however improbably. The case must have at least 8 expansion slots to support a maximum of 4 GPUs. It must have room for a full, custom liquid cooling system. The idea is to never have to rebuy a case ever again. I recommend the NZXT H630. It's only a bit more expensive than the one you picked.

PSU:
Either PSU you picked is good. I have the Corsair CX600 in my LAN Party / mini-ITX rig. It has performed flawlessly for about a year and a half now.
However, as in the case of the case, you can choose the PSU according to another line of thinking: maximum futureproofness. You can choose to spend about $299 on a 1500W modular PSU and permanently remove the PSU off the checklist of any future rigs you might build. The choice is up to you.


CONCLUSION:
I think the best solution though is to switch the MB, the HDD, the GPU and the Case. Add an SSD (and possibly remove the 1TB HDD), and keep the ~600W PSU and worry about the 1500W PSU later. This build should cost about $300 more (for MB, SSD, GPU, Case) and have tons of additional futureproofness.