My Computer Build Thoughts?

derickdude · Oct 20, 2014

Hello, I have been working on my first PC build since around July. I am hoping to keep it at a steady price around the $1000 range. This will be a gaming PC build to keep up with all the latest games on max settings. This is my build and I would really like everyone's input. Please tell me anything that I could change to make it better. Thank you. Should I keep my SSD? Is my CPU good enough? Is the case alright? How is my PSU? Is everything compatible?

Link to Build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DXCP7P

HVDynamo · Oct 20, 2014

Looks good. I do find it interesting that you are buying a pack of standoff screws. The standoffs you need should be provided with the case.

Thaisnang · Oct 20, 2014

I will not use a CX in 1000$ build and get a 990 MoBo instead of 970.
Other than that your build is good.
However I do recommend intel over AMD at this price point.
You can get a h97 in place of Z97. I added it it just in case you are thinking about doing SLI in future or upgrade to a broadwell unlocked i5 or i7.
And brass standoff screws?
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($187.97 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($107.93 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Team Elite Plus 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($65.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($58.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($329.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Antec One ATX Mid Tower Case ($45.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX TS 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($62.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Arctic Cooling Arctic F12 74.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($3.56 @ NCIX US)
Case Fan: Arctic Cooling Arctic F12 74.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($3.56 @ NCIX US)
Case Fan: Arctic Cooling Arctic F12 74.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($3.56 @ NCIX US)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($27.66 @ NCIX US)
Other: Brass Standoff Screws ($7.79)
Other: Cat6 25 Foot Ethernet Cable ($7.99)
Total: $1067.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-20 20:13 EDT-0400

Kingbob · Oct 20, 2014

To answer your questions:

The SSD is fine, it'll be good enough for the operating system to run noticibaly faster. Although the reliability of the SSD is not spectacular.

I have the same CPU, while it is not incredible, its a good bang for the buck and will run most games fine. Note that it does get hot, especially with an over clock (my 8350 hits the wall at 4.6-4.7 GHz).

The case is decent enough for the price, it should fit everything fine and it looks sleek which is nice.

Your PSU should be barely enough if you over clock. If possible and the price is right, a 550w or 600w is preferred, however not necessary.

The last thing is the motherboard. I would strongly recommend getting a 990FX board. For around $20 you can get the Asus 990FX Pro 2.0. It is a MUCH better motherboard and it is well worth the cost.

Good build overall though.

derickdude · Oct 20, 2014

HVDynamo :

Ya, I wasn't sure if it came with enough, with some research, I only saw it say 3:4, which I didn't understand, as it was a ratio. Do you happen to know why it said it as 3:4?

derickdude · Oct 20, 2014

Kingbob :

I don't think I will be overclocking, do you still believe that I should change my PSU? Also, do you think the SSD is large enough to put a few games on?

Kingbob · Oct 20, 2014

The SSD is more than enough, I have the same size and I have Windows 8.1, all of my programs (40GB+) and still have about 40GB left for games if I wanted.

You do not need a bigger PSU if you will be doing no-low overclocks. It is not the greatest PSU out there but it will be good enough for you.

Also, like I said before. I strongly recommend a different motherboard. You can currently get it for $10 more. I have this board and it is great (I know you wont overclock but it is a really solid board for it). Also, the customer support is great. I accidentally broke by board by overclocking and they replaced mine without any problems right around the holiday season. Cant say enough about ASUS.
Heres the link:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131851&cm_re=990fx_asus-_-13-131-851-_-Product

derickdude · Oct 20, 2014

Thaisnang :

I will not use a CX in 1000$ build and get a 990 MoBo instead of 970.
Other than that your build is good.
However I do recommend intel over AMD at this price point.
You can get a h97 in place of Z97. I added it it just in case you are thinking about doing SLI in future or upgrade to a broadwell unlocked i5 or i7.
And brass standoff screws?
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($187.97 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($107.93 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Team Elite Plus 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($65.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($58.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($329.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Antec One ATX Mid Tower Case ($45.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX TS 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($62.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Arctic Cooling Arctic F12 74.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($3.56 @ NCIX US)
Case Fan: Arctic Cooling Arctic F12 74.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($3.56 @ NCIX US)
Case Fan: Arctic Cooling Arctic F12 74.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($3.56 @ NCIX US)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($27.66 @ NCIX US)
Other: Brass Standoff Screws ($7.79)
Other: Cat6 25 Foot Ethernet Cable ($7.99)
Total: $1067.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-20 20:13 EDT-0400

Thanks for the help, but I would really rather stick with AMD, but I still will change the mobo and the PSU

derickdude · Oct 20, 2014

Kingbob :

The SSD is more than enough, I have the same size and I have Windows 8.1, all of my programs (40GB+) and still have about 40GB left for games if I wanted.

You do not need a bigger PSU if you will be doing no-low overclocks. It is not the greatest PSU out there but it will be good enough for you.

Also, like I said before. I strongly recommend a different motherboard. You can currently get it for $10 more. I have this board and it is great (I know you wont overclock but it is a really solid board for it). Also, the customer support is great. I accidentally broke by board by overclocking and they replaced mine without any problems right around the holiday season. Cant say enough about ASUS.
Heres the link:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131851&cm_re=990fx_asus-_-13-131-851-_-Product

Alright thank you for all the help!

I switched to the motherboard you suggested.

Thaisnang · Oct 20, 2014

derickdude :

Thaisnang :

Thanks for the help, but I would really rather stick with AMD, but I still will change the mobo and the PSU

Get this PSU--> XFX TS 550W 80+ Bronze
And This MoBo--> Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0 ATX AM3+

derickdude · Oct 20, 2014

Thaisnang :

derickdude :

Thaisnang :

Thanks for the help, but I would really rather stick with AMD, but I still will change the mobo and the PSU

Get this PSU--> XFX TS 550W 80+ Bronze
And This MoBo--> Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0 ATX AM3+

What do you think of this PSU?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817152028&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

Kingbob · Oct 20, 2014

My friend has that PSU, it works fine for him so far. The LED's are a little bright but like I said, it works fine.

derickdude · Oct 20, 2014

Kingbob :

Alright thanks I'll go with it, do you also happen to know what 3:4 means for the amount of standoff screws? My case says it comes with 3:4 and I'm not sure what that means, as it is a ratio.

Kingbob · Oct 20, 2014

The case will come with the required standoff screws. Not sure where you got the 3:4 ratio from, I didnt see it anywhere on the newegg product page.

Thaisnang · Oct 20, 2014

derickdude :

Thaisnang :

derickdude :

Get this PSU--> XFX TS 550W 80+ Bronze
And This MoBo--> Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0 ATX AM3+

What do you think of this PSU?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817152028&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

Go for it if you like explosions. Tier 5 PSU not good at all.

derickdude · Oct 20, 2014

Kingbob :

It was in the user manual online, here is the link. Page 7 has the included screws.

http://www.antec.com/pdf/manuals/One_Manual_EN.pdf

Kingbob · Oct 20, 2014

derickdude :

It means it comes with some of them preinstalled. Possibly in the ATX form factor.
Dont worry though, if it didnt have the right number of screws im sure there would be a lot of angry reviews.

derickdude · Oct 20, 2014

Kingbob :

derickdude :

It means it comes with some of them preinstalled. Possibly in the ATX form factor.
Dont worry though, if it didnt have the right number of screws im sure there would be a lot of angry reviews.

Ok then I guess I'll remove the screws from my partlist. Thank you so much for all of your help, I really appreciate it.

Kingbob · Oct 20, 2014

No problem, best of luck with the build!

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