My first gaming pc

smart94 · Oct 23, 2014

Hello guys,

So I'm going to build a gaming pc soon, though my knowledge of computers is really low, especially when it comes to building one (which components to use etc). So I wanted to ask on a forum and thought this would be a great one to help me make the right decisions.

So I've been looking around on youtube and google for some pc builds and I found this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO5U6vBvmx4

This is the build:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xsCPvK

Do you guys think this build is good? If not, what would you suggest?

I want to be able to play the newer games at 1080p 60fps+. Also, since I play Borderlands 2 a lot I would like to get a Nvidia card and compatible build, because of physx in the game. I don't know if you can achieve these with another card or not so that's kinda a question of itself aswell. Though when you can get a much better build for the same price when not using a Nvidia card I would rather do that!

My budget will be ~1000$ / 800 Euro.

Thank you in advance for trying to help me out!

HertzKnight · Oct 23, 2014

First off, do you want to SLI or overclock anything? Do you need an OS?

If you don't want to overclock stick with your i5 4690. Though I am going to say drop the GTX 980 to a GTX970 and get a better motherboard, better PSU, and a SSD. I recommend getting a H97 if you don't plan to overclock your CPU and a Z97 if you do.

Also instead get a SSD. Here is one I prefer either the Crucial MX100 or the Sandisk Ultra II.

I would avoid Thermaltake PSU. Here is a link to see what Power Supplies to look at. I always recommend either tier 1 or tier 2a. Also do yourself a favor and get a modular one. I made that mistake so many times. Its worth the extra money.

Here is an updated parts list.

Involving the Borderlands question, both cards run borderlands very well. I played it on an ATI 6870 and on my GTX 970 (the GTX 970 beats my 6870 out of the water, but hey thats a much better card.). This set up you will be able to play almost every game on ultra.

patrichpachich · Oct 23, 2014

Id rather get SSD, better mobo and PSU than spending $200 for 980, just for a 10% boost, just OC it.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($76.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($74.70 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($91.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($349.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair Graphite Series 230T Grey ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $992.63
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-23 08:44 EDT-0400

guanyu210379 · Oct 23, 2014

Sorry mate! if you live in Europe USD1000 is €1000.
That is why I always envy those in USA.

About your build
Get better i5 4590 or E3-1231V3 (depends on your budget)
Get H97 instead of B85 mobo
No need to go GTX980, GTX980 is only 10-15% faster than GTX970 but you must pay almost double of GTX970. So, yes, get GTX970 better. GTX970 is the best buy for now.
Do not go cheap for PSU, aim for better PSUs like XFX, Seasonic or Antec. 550W is ok.
The case is ok.

smart94 · Oct 23, 2014

HertzKnight :

Well, I do want to be able to overclock, and SLI means linking multiple graphic cards right? Because I want to be able to upgrade my pc if I want to.

Isn't the Sandisk a bit low budget? I mean, it has 240GB and costs $108 while the Samsung 840 Patrich suggested only has 128GB and costs $92. Also, what's the difference between the MSI GeForce and the EVGa GeForce?

Thank you for the quick responses

smart94 · Oct 23, 2014

guanyu210379 :

Hmm it does? Why's that? :l Because if you look at the tax rates it's 1$ = 0.72 Euro

Thanks for the tips regarding the GTX 980, I'll go with the 970 instead! Which power supply would be better to use? The SeaSonic G 550W (semi modular) or Corsair RM 650W (fully modular)?

patrichpachich · Oct 23, 2014

smart94 :

I am thinking if you dont have well knowledge on OCing. if its true then i dont recommend you to have a OCable rig. its just for PC enthusiasts . besides i5 lock + 970 is fine enough.
if you want to SLI in the future I recommend to get at least 700w PSU.

sandisk has higher failure rates than samsung evo, and lower quality thats why its cheap.
but if you want cheaper SSD get crucial mx100 as he suggested.

you could go in gpuboss.com to see their specific differences on variant card.
but on what i knew MSI is the best on GTX 970s

HertzKnight · Oct 23, 2014

smart94 :

Don't always assort price with whats the best out there. The Ultra II isn't on the same level as the Pro, it would be more on the EVO level; however, we are talking <20% performance increase that you will not see. I also disagree with the failure rate and quality bit on Sandisk, and still will recommend them. I would actually avoid Samsung right now due to their firmware issues and old data having speeds greatly reduced.

As stated before, don't worry about overclocking. It will probably be a while, before that really bottleneck and an OC won't really save it much. Also if you don't know what you are doing, you can destory your

Now for GPUs the MSI GTX 970 is one of the best ones. EVGA is always a good brand, though they had a bit of an issue with one of their cards and their heatsinks (This was a minor issue nothing to say don't get that GPU), but I believe that has been fixed. I went with the EVGA mainly for looks, but your case doesn't have a window. I have a MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G and can say works like a beast! Either go with EVGA, Gigabyte, or MSI (again I have MSI, so I can personally say its amazing).

I don't think you will need to SLI in the near future. Unless you are going to run a 3 monitor gaming setup. Which then you may want to in the future.

Also where do you live? If you live in the States the links I sent you have the prices on their website. If you live in a foreign country, pcpartpicker actually has multiple countries that will have the best prices available in that country.

Now if you want to SLI in the future go with a 750W PSU, though I have heard that you could go with a 650W with GTX 970s. Please make sure your +12V rails has at least 55+ Amps (from my understanding you want 60, but I haven't seen how much Amps it takes for a single GTX 970) on it if you want to SLI in the future. Also Seasonic makes the Corsairs higher end PSUs, so I would go with the 650W+ Corsair.

smart94 · Oct 23, 2014

HertzKnight :

smart94 :

Don't always assort price with whats the best out there. The Ultra II isn't on the same level as the Pro, it would be more on the EVO level; however, we are talking <20% performance increase that you will not see. I also disagree with the failure rate and quality bit on Sandisk, and still will recommend them. I would actually avoid Samsung right now due to their firmware issues and old data having speeds greatly reduced.

As stated before, don't worry about overclocking. It will probably be a while, before that really bottleneck and an OC won't really save it much. Also if you don't know what you are doing, you can destory your

Now for GPUs the MSI GTX 970 is one of the best ones. EVGA is always a good brand, though they had a bit of an issue with one of their cards and their heatsinks (This was a minor issue nothing to say don't get that GPU), but I believe that has been fixed. I went with the EVGA mainly for looks, but your case doesn't have a window. I have a MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G and can say works like a beast! Either go with EVGA, Gigabyte, or MSI (again I have MSI, so I can personally say its amazing).

I don't think you will need to SLI in the near future. Unless you are going to run a 3 monitor gaming setup. Which then you may want to in the future.

Also where do you live? If you live in the States the links I sent you have the prices on their website. If you live in a foreign country, pcpartpicker actually has multiple countries that will have the best prices available in that country.

Now if you want to SLI in the future go with a 750W PSU, though I have heard that you could go with a 650W with GTX 970s. Please make sure your +12V rails has at least 55+ Amps (from my understanding you want 60, but I haven't seen how much Amps it takes for a single GTX 970) on it if you want to SLI in the future. Also Seasonic makes the Corsairs higher end PSUs, so I would go with the 650W+ Corsair.

I live in the netherlands, I don't think there's a option on pcpartpicker to see what the prices are for the Netherlands.

So you're saying that the Corsair RM 650W could withstand two GTX 970's if I want to SLI in the future?

HertzKnight · Oct 23, 2014

No, I said I "heard", so it has not been confirmed. Now the 2xGTX 970 probably will be fine to be powered by 650W PSU; however, I am unsure about the Amperage. So if you are planning to do SLI, you should go with a tier 1 750W+ PSU.

It doesn't look like Netherlands has pcpartpicker; however, a quick search brought these two sites. Hopefully this can help you out:
http://tweakers.net/
http://www.alternate.nl/html/index.html

I hope this helps you out.

guanyu210379 · Oct 27, 2014

smart94 :

If you are familiar with the prices, you will notice that we have 1 to 1 conversion from USD to €.
Things which are e.g. USD400 will cost €400 by us in general.
I dunno why.

Sorry I could not follow up your thread in the last 3-4 days because I was on a business trip.

Like the guys said already. 650W should be enough for 2xGTX970 in SLI mode but 750W is better.
I would pick Seasonic or XFX better than Corsair.
I think XFX 750W XXX is quite a good deal from alternate.nl for €98,90.
Do not use PCPartPicker for price reference in Holland, better use things like alternate.nl, etc.

Search

My first gaming pc

smart94

Reputable

guanyu210379

HertzKnight

Honorable

patrichpachich

Distinguished

guanyu210379

Illustrious

smart94

Reputable

smart94

Reputable

patrichpachich

Distinguished

HertzKnight

Honorable

smart94

Reputable

HertzKnight

Honorable

guanyu210379

Illustrious

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page