Critique for a ~1250$ Gaming Build By A First Timer

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LokiSkywalker

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Oct 30, 2014
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I'm planning on getting this together by a month. I have been reading up builds here on the forums and component reviews and this is what I have come up with.
I'd like to run it through you all before starting purchasing.
Approximate Purchase Date: This November (sorry, but that's as specific as I can get seeing it's my father who'll do the actual purchasing)
Budget Range: 1220 - 1250$ (I'm from India)
System Usage: Pure Gaming

CPU
Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core

GPU
MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V

Motherboard
Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150

Memory
G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600

Storage
A-Data Premier Pro SP600 128GB 2.5" SSD
Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM

Case
Cooler Master HAF XM (Black) ATX Mid Tower

Monitor
Asus VS228H-P 21.5"

I really can't decide on a PSU so any help is welcome.
I plan on over clocking this system eventually and will get a cooler then but will the stock cooler suffice for now?
I hope the components are compatible. Also, please help me with the case. I'm not sure if this is the best bang for buck I can get.
Thanks in advance!

PS: I know the price is off the budget but I got the components off pcpartpicker where it says 1220$. Slight deviations are fine but I can't exceed 1250$.
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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Jul 27, 2011
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Yeah I would agree, I would put that money elsewhere, particularly in the PSU. I would also get a better SSD (can't stand Sandforce based drives). The Seasonic is a good choice for PSU but it's very low end. For that budget you can definitely get better like the EVGA G2/P2 series or the Seasonic X series.

Here's what I would suggest for your build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.97 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U9B SE2 37.9 CFM CPU Cooler ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($123.79 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($120.83 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($348.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1223.52
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-30 14:34 EDT-0400
 
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fport

fport

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This appears to be a very solid, well researched build eking out the maximum value from the budgeted dollars. It seems somewhat future proof in capability and expansion options. It would take a very experienced gamer/builder to sharpen the pencil on this and get a better priced set of components with the same potential and proven reliability that these exhibit.

dariens007: What happens if he wants to record his gaming? Would the 16GB be a good investment then?

Seasonic is a great choice for a PS. In the future another 970 might show up and you'll be ready for that as well. I'm a fan of modular units.

My concern is the 21.5" monitor. The user interface with the computer is through the mouse, keyboard and monitor. That's a very popular and well regarded monitor - a solid choice but in the future you will probably be looking at something larger.

There you have it. More doubt and uncertainty to add to your own while getting confirmation that there is nothing really wrong with your build. In the end, it is best to have a system in hand to play on and look forward to remedying any shortfalls you encounter when you encounter them.


 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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There's absolutely no such thing as future proofing - it's very much a myth. There's two things that are certain though - one is that high end CPUs hold their value over time (people still play games on Q6600s as proof), and the other is that having a build that allows for future expansion will ensure system longevity.

dariens007: What happens if he wants to record his gaming? Would the 16GB be a good investment then?
Click to expand...

Still not really worth it in my opinion, you can always add more if needed later on.

Seasonic is a great choice for a PS. In the future another 970 might show up and you'll be ready for that as well. I'm a fan of modular units.
Click to expand...

The S12 series are decent but they are not modular in any way. If you've got money to spare in your budget I'd get full modular without even thinking about it. Get the Seasonic X series or like I said the EVGA G2 / P2 series. Those are just about as good as it gets right now.

My concern is the 21.5" monitor. The user interface with the computer is through the mouse, keyboard and monitor. That's a very popular and well regarded monitor - a solid choice but in the future you will probably be looking at something larger.
Click to expand...

Asus makes solid displays, I have a couple and that's all we buy where I work so I am in agreement there. Eizo, Asus, Acer, LG, Samsung, and BenQ are the brands I would go to for monitors. I would avoid Hannspree, AOC, Planar and the other cheap, low end junk. If a deal sounds too good to be true on a monitor, it usually is.
 
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dariens007

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well from the programs that i have used, recording gameplay footage is more cpu intensive than memory intensive. i didn't notice my ram going up really. and recording your gameplay on a separate harddrive from where the game is being read from greatly increases the performance more than adding memory. which he has that terabyte in his build so hopefully he'll record his games on to that hdd.

adding 16GB in my opinion will not increase the performance of recording his games enough to justify the price. also he is getting a gtx 970 and he can use hardware accelerate h.264 to record his games and you dont need that much memory to use it. so i think 8gb is plenty.
 
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LokiSkywalker

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Oct 30, 2014
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Thanks a lot everybody! About the RAM, I won't be making any upgrades in the next 3-4 years and that's why I decided to go for 16 now. Is it still too much? Gaming performance is my sole concern and with recommended requirements for many games already at 8, I thought 16 would be better.
For the PSU, wil the EVGA G1 650W do? I know I'm cutting costs here but it does appear adequate.
A case recommendation please. The one I chose and the recommended one are both not available in India. Cooler Master HAF 912 sounds good to me and is easily available too but will my components fit? When a fan is mentioned as optional, does this mean they'll provide it but I can remove it or that I can attach one if I want?
I'll defintely go for a 24" monitor. Thanks!
 
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fport

fport

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fport said:
This appears to be a very solid, well researched build eking out the maximum value from the budgeted dollars. It seems somewhat future proof in capability and expansion options. It would take a very experienced gamer/builder to sharpen the pencil on this and get a better priced set of components with the same potential and proven reliability that these exhibit.

g-unit1111 replied:
There's absolutely no such thing as future proofing - it's very much a myth. There's two things that are certain though - one is that high end CPUs hold their value over time (people still play games on Q6600s as proof), and the other is that having a build that allows for future expansion will ensure system longevity.

Perhaps 'future proof' is a trigger phrase. I meant, headroom, for RAM, ability to SLI and upgrade the CPU. All the products seemed to have solid ratings as well. In the 10-30 dollar variant competition price range around his motherboard and PS I really had no idea what's available.

I'm glad you dropped in to recommend some options.

The Q6600 failed me when I went to do digital editing using a specialist tool and it now resides in a buddy's gaming machine. I used it for years before that.

For the OP LokiSkywalker, a couple of youtube videos on builds using the Haf will clear up any doubts.
I wanted a RAVEN 03 so bad I screwed all sorts of things up trying to put in an E-ATX mb. I certainly could have saved myself a lot of grief.

 
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dariens007

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the HAF would be fine and it comes with 2 fans, one for intake in front and one for outtake in back. and you can add more fans or upgrade the fans if you like

650w power supply should be fine. since you are trying to hold on to this build for a number of years 16GB should be a safer bet than 8GB. some of these games coming out have crazy requirements like 6GB of ram so it's warranted
 
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