new build advice please

bullet420 · Jan 24, 2015

i am putting together a new build and these are the parts i am looking at, will they all work together? total price is around $850. i would like to shave couple hundred of this price, so any advice will be very helpful. i am not stuck totally with this list,but would like around the same performance and future upgrade ability. this will be a gaming pc for my son. thanks for your insight in advance,here's my list:

asrock Z97 extreme 6 lga 1150 intel board
intel core i5-4690k devils canyon quad core 3.5 ghz
radeon R9-280 3gb 384 bit gddr5 express 3.0 x16 hdcp ready crossfire video card
g.skill ripjaws X series 16gb(2x8gb) 240 pin ddr3 sdram ddr3 1600 memory
rosewill photon series 850w continous,80 plus gold certified single +12v rail,atx12v

davidarad02 · Jan 24, 2015

it will work together, but for 850 you can build something like this:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($74.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Corsair Force LS 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($332.50 @ Directron)
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $894.27
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-24 11:16 EST-0500

DonkeyOatie · Jan 24, 2015

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($166.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($61.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($64.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cougar Spike MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX Power Supply ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($13.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.75 @ OutletPC)
Total: $774.49
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-24 11:17 EST-0500

If 1080p gaming is what you want to do, this will do it. Monitor and keyboard extra.

To cut back further, leave out the SSD. and the OS if you already have one. I would upgrade to a GTX 970 if you have the budget.

For gaming, an i5, 8Gb of RAM, a H97 motherboard, and a 450 - 600W PSU is plenty.

bullet420 · Jan 24, 2015

davidarad02 :

thanks for quick reply, forgive me if i ask stupid question, i know just enough to get me in trouble,lol. the asrock has dual lan and i not sure what that means ,but i was assuming that both lans can be used at same time to get better speeds? i have comcast business internet here at 75/15 speeds. also i have case and hard drives

davidarad02 · Jan 24, 2015

the dual LAN will let you connect 2 different ethernet cables into the same computer, and that is only useful if you need crazy internet speeds, like if you are running a big server or using a NAS. if you are not using those, 1 lan port is just fine.

bullet420 · Jan 24, 2015

DonkeyOatie :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($166.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($61.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($64.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cougar Spike MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX Power Supply ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($13.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.75 @ OutletPC)
Total: $774.49
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-24 11:17 EST-0500

If 1080p gaming is what you want to do, this will do it. Monitor and keyboard extra.

To cut back further, leave out the SSD. and the OS if you already have one. I would upgrade to a GTX 970 if you have the budget.

For gaming, an i5, 8Gb of RAM, a H97 motherboard, and a 450 - 600W PSU is plenty.

thanks for reply, is the 15-4440 as good as the 15-4690k? i think i read somewhere that the K means it is unlocked and can be overclocked? not that i have any idea how to do that.

bullet420 · Jan 24, 2015

davidarad02 :

aw i see, yes i will be running a minecraft server,but had planned on using a dedicated machine for that, this build will be for my son and then i will get his hand me down,(hp pavilion,i3-3240 3.4ghz and 8 g ram)and this pc will be used for server(dell,pentium dual core e5700@3.0ghz and 7 g ram)

davidarad02 · Jan 24, 2015

bullet420 :

DonkeyOatie :

thanks for reply, is the 15-4440 as good as the 15-4690k? i think i read somewhere that the K means it is unlocked and can be overclocked? not that i have any idea how to do that.

the 4690k is slightly faster then the 4440, but VERY slightly. the main feature of the 4690K is that little k. that means, that with z series boards (z87 and z97) you can overclock the cpu. overclocking is basically turning up the clock speed of the CPU, which will make it faster. since the 4440 is locked, its not overclockable.

DonkeyOatie · Jan 24, 2015

bullet420 :

You suggested that you wanted to reduce cost significantly. and maintain performance. The CPU I suggested is only a little slower than what you had, it does not require a more expensive Z97 chip-set motherboard to overclock, to take advantage of it's capabilities, and it does not need an aftermarket CPU cooler (which an overclocked i5 would) and it does not need a beefed up PSU.

On top of all that, for most current games, the limiting factor in the system is the GPU. The CPU I suggested is capable of driving two of the best NVidia GTX 980 GPUs together. Overclocking helps only with CPU limited applications. A few games are like that, but the vast majority are not.

You wanted upgrade, this motherboard will upgrade to a Xeon 1231 (similar speed, four cores and four hyperthreads) or the yet-to-be-released Broadwell range. The motherboard can take another 8Gb of memory, You can replace the GPU when needed.

You want to consider a total re-build in about three years and save your pennies now to put towards it.

Here's some benchhmarks which show the very limited benefit for overclocking in general for gaming. http://www.anandtech.com/show/8227/devils-canyon-review-intel-core-i7-4790k-and-i5-4690k/5

Note that the SLI systems are still GPU limited (changing CPU does not change performance much)

Raiin · Jan 24, 2015

dont cheap out on the Psu man, you will regret it.

here is the build i put together, is faster and less than 700$, should last your son a long time, this Pc will run every game at 60+Fps 1080p
max settings no problem.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/k6mZHx

bullet420 · Jan 24, 2015

DonkeyOatie :

bullet420 :

You suggested that you wanted to reduce cost significantly. and maintain performance. The CPU I suggested is only a little slower than what you had, it does not require a more expensive Z97 chip-set motherboard to overclock, to take advantage of it's capabilities, and it does not need an aftermarket CPU cooler (which an overclocked i5 would) and it does not need a beefed up PSU.

On top of all that, for most current games, the limiting factor in the system is the GPU. The CPU I suggested is capable of driving two of the best NVidia GTX 980 GPUs together. Overclocking helps only with CPU limited applications. A few games are like that, but the vast majority are not.

You wanted upgrade, this motherboard will upgrade to a Xeon 1231 (similar speed, four cores and four hyperthreads) or the yet-to-be-released Broadwell range. The motherboard can take another 8Gb of memory, You can replace the GPU when needed.

You want to consider a total re-build in about three years and save your pennies now to put towards it.

Here's some benchhmarks which show the very limited benefit for overclocking in general for gaming. http://www.anandtech.com/show/8227/devils-canyon-review-intel-core-i7-4790k-and-i5-4690k/5

Note that the SLI systems are still GPU limited (changing CPU does not change performance much)

thankyou, i really appreciate the info, as my son is only 7, i dont need to do any overclocking, but do want the abilitly to upgrade in couple years

Raiin · Jan 24, 2015

bullet420 :

DonkeyOatie :

bullet420 :

You suggested that you wanted to reduce cost significantly. and maintain performance. The CPU I suggested is only a little slower than what you had, it does not require a more expensive Z97 chip-set motherboard to overclock, to take advantage of it's capabilities, and it does not need an aftermarket CPU cooler (which an overclocked i5 would) and it does not need a beefed up PSU.

On top of all that, for most current games, the limiting factor in the system is the GPU. The CPU I suggested is capable of driving two of the best NVidia GTX 980 GPUs together. Overclocking helps only with CPU limited applications. A few games are like that, but the vast majority are not.

You wanted upgrade, this motherboard will upgrade to a Xeon 1231 (similar speed, four cores and four hyperthreads) or the yet-to-be-released Broadwell range. The motherboard can take another 8Gb of memory, You can replace the GPU when needed.

You want to consider a total re-build in about three years and save your pennies now to put towards it.

Here's some benchhmarks which show the very limited benefit for overclocking in general for gaming. http://www.anandtech.com/show/8227/devils-canyon-review-intel-core-i7-4790k-and-i5-4690k/5

Note that the SLI systems are still GPU limited (changing CPU does not change performance much)

thankyou, i really appreciate the info, as my son is only 7, i dont need to do any overclocking, but do want the abilitly to upgrade in couple years

do you need a complete build with M/K, OS, DVD/CD, Monitor?

bullet420 · Jan 24, 2015

Raiin :

thankyou for the list,with so many options, i'm pulling out whats left of my hair,lol

bullet420 · Jan 24, 2015

Raiin :

bullet420 :

DonkeyOatie :

bullet420 :

You suggested that you wanted to reduce cost significantly. and maintain performance. The CPU I suggested is only a little slower than what you had, it does not require a more expensive Z97 chip-set motherboard to overclock, to take advantage of it's capabilities, and it does not need an aftermarket CPU cooler (which an overclocked i5 would) and it does not need a beefed up PSU.

On top of all that, for most current games, the limiting factor in the system is the GPU. The CPU I suggested is capable of driving two of the best NVidia GTX 980 GPUs together. Overclocking helps only with CPU limited applications. A few games are like that, but the vast majority are not.

You wanted upgrade, this motherboard will upgrade to a Xeon 1231 (similar speed, four cores and four hyperthreads) or the yet-to-be-released Broadwell range. The motherboard can take another 8Gb of memory, You can replace the GPU when needed.

You want to consider a total re-build in about three years and save your pennies now to put towards it.

Here's some benchhmarks which show the very limited benefit for overclocking in general for gaming. http://www.anandtech.com/show/8227/devils-canyon-review-intel-core-i7-4790k-and-i5-4690k/5

Note that the SLI systems are still GPU limited (changing CPU does not change performance much)

thankyou, i really appreciate the info, as my son is only 7, i dont need to do any overclocking, but do want the abilitly to upgrade in couple years

do you need a complete build with M/K, OS, DVD/CD, Monitor?

no i have monitor,hard drive ,dvd r/w and tower(not sure what tower it is,but its got apevia on the fans and lots of fancy blue lights and gauges)

DonkeyOatie · Jan 24, 2015

I'm teaching my Middle School students how to build and maintain their gaming PCs. They start at about 11.

For what your son needs, you could probably drop down to an i3 4150. It should do the business for the next two or three years (for him). In three years time you should consider a complete rebuild looking at the best available for the price at the time.

That means that you want a decent case that will last 'forever'. I'd spend about $50. You should also get a Tier 1 or Tier 2 PSU from this list, and at least 450W. A Seasonic 620W would be a great unit. You could consider a 256GB SSD only; I'm assuming fewer big applications.

Like this:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($104.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($61.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP600 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($87.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($13.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $643.79
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-24 15:01 EST-0500

Add a HDD later as needed, upgrade GPU, RAM, CPU, and eventually motherboard.

Raiin · Jan 24, 2015

how long exactly do you want the PC to last without any need of an upgrade? what kind of resolution is your monitor running?
why price range do you want to keep the PC/Budget, everything is possible

Search

new build advice please

bullet420

Distinguished

DonkeyOatie

davidarad02

Admirable

DonkeyOatie

Champion

bullet420

Distinguished

davidarad02

Admirable

bullet420

Distinguished

bullet420

Distinguished

davidarad02

Admirable

DonkeyOatie

Champion

Raiin

Reputable

bullet420

Distinguished

Raiin

Reputable

bullet420

Distinguished

bullet420

Distinguished

DonkeyOatie

Champion

Raiin

Reputable

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page