Any ideas on how to save money in this build?

Jarell420 · May 12, 2015

Hey guys, haven't posted in a while, but I am currently in the process of buying new components for my new pc. My PC that i built back in 2011 is still doing great, but it lacks the power I need in a computer. I have started to stream and also play competitively on CS GO (ESEA) and I am looking for a system that will be able to stream 720p/1080p with ~300 fps in CS GO.

I chose to go with these components because I feel that it would be the best build, but I think I need some more insight. I went with 16gb of ram because the current 8 I have right now is usually only leaving me with 2 gbs of ram available after having a lot of my main applications open. I also am considering the i5 4690k and overclocking it with a swiftech 240x (4.5-4.9 ghz on load) The R9 290x is a good choice, but i'm thinking about just buying the r9 290 because the price and differences in performance are too small. I definitely need a 240 gb ssd for some vital programs I already have installed on my 1TB Seagate. A 1TB WD caviar blue seems like a good amount of storage for gameplay and a f*** ton of games. I went with the enthoo pro because it seems like the best case on the market right now for $100 when it comes to custom water cooling and modding of the case itself.

I guess the main question is how do you guys think of my build and what do you think I can do to keep the same performance but also lower the base price?

I ALSO WILL NOT BE USING ANY PARTS OF MY OLD PC FOR MY NEW!
(giving this computer to my brother)

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mQmJXL

UPDATE 5/12/15: I have just ordered an i7-4790k, the phanteks enthoo pro, and a ud3h-bk gigabyte board. I need advice on what next I should buy

chris987 · May 12, 2015

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/9Y3JkL
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/9Y3JkL/by_merchant/
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($68.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($102.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $171.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-12 02:58 EDT-0400

have these instead! cooler will still bring great results and psu is top notch quality and even suffice for a crossfire setup and still save a few bucks!

CTurbo · May 12, 2015

This is cheaper AND better

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($316.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($32.50 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z97X Killer ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($121.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Mushkin Chronos 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($295.59 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 750W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($83.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1203.41
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-12 03:02 EDT-0400

synphul · May 12, 2015

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright TRUE Spirit 140 POWER 73.6 CFM CPU Cooler ($46.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($135.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Silicon Power S60 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($82.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290X 4GB Tr-X OC Video Card ($299.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($102.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1161.31
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-12 03:56 EDT-0400

That's not a bad price for the above with the gtx 970 and i7. For a cpu cooler if you're looking for higher performance air cooling the true spirit 140 power matches and slightly beats out the nh-d14 for less money. The only 'issue' for most people is the height since it runs 172mm tall, taller than most air coolers. The enthoo pro is a wider than average case though and can easily fit it. CTurbo's psu isn't a bad rec either. Either that or the evga gold 850 for roughly the same price as your original psu would be better quality choices.

No need for $170 cooler for either the i5 or i7 even max overclocked (unless it's competition overclocking in which case you're probably going to go extreme with ln2 or something out of the norm for raw bench's, not daily use).

Jarell420 · May 12, 2015

Thanks for the answers guys! The build with the i7 and the 970 seems like the best atm, but that cpu cooler seems really lacking to me. I'm trying to achieve a high overclock on my CPU to increase my FPS on CS:GO (which is a cpu dependent game)

I'd also like to throw out that I'm not into AsRock boards and would rather prefer gigabyte, msi, or asus preferably with something that has good audio drivers and the best overclocking ability.

That Spirit 140 also seems to only have a 2 star review

synphul · May 12, 2015

Here's some reviews of the true spirit 140 power.

http://www.dvtests.com/thermalright-true-spirit-140-power-test-review/
http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=269339
http://www.nikktech.com/main/articles/pc-hardware/cpu-cooling/cpu-air-coolers/3854-thermalright-true-spirit-140-power-cpu-cooler-review
http://www.overclock.net/t/1477785/thermalright-true-spirit-140-power
http://www.guru3d.com/news-story/thermalright-true-spirit-140-bw-rev-a.html
http://tweakers.net/pricewatch/378347/thermalright-true-spirit-140-power.html

It got 2 stars from 1 reviewer on superbiiz, I wouldn't be that concerned with it honestly. Considering all the rest of the review sites gave it 4/5 to 5/5 (or max) ratings, I'd say the lone customer review is the odd man out.

On amazon, it got 5/5 stars from 5 users.
http://www.amazon.com/Thermalright-True-Spirit-140-Power/dp/B00IYEEOMO

badboyrog2 · May 12, 2015

''The only 'issue' for most people is the height since it runs 172mm tall'' thats a big big issue man!
no the cryorig H7 is the way to go

and get this psu if you want to crossfire or sli
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Pz2H3C
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Pz2H3C/by_merchant/

Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($102.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $102.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-12 18:12 EDT-0400

synphul · May 12, 2015

The op had listed the enthoo pro as their case which lists cpu cooler height tolerance as 193mm. So not an issue at all.

http://www.phanteks.com/enthoo-pro.html

The h7 is ok for a budget cooler but like the 212 evo it also won't touch a true spirit 140 power which has been shown to perform as good or better than the nh-d14, the nh-d14 itself, the nh-d15, dark rock pro 3, phanteks tc14pe or a host of other air coolers.

The dark rock pro 3 is 163mm (6.42") tall and has over an inch of room to go before hitting the side cover of the enthoo pro. The true spirit 140 power at 172mm is 6.77" tall. Even with an inch of clearance, that means there's tons of room in the case to fit an extra .35".

CTurbo · May 12, 2015

The 4790k does not NEED to be overclocked. You will BARELY notice a difference between 4.4ghz and 4.8ghz. It is absolutely not worth the money.

Plus, a 4690k + $180 cooler will achieve roughly the same clock speeds as the 4790k and a $30 cooler.

Jarell420 · May 12, 2015

I'm liking the answers guys, I think i am going to go with an i7, but Im still considering if I want a gtx 970 or an r9 290. I am trying to save the most money I can without sacrificing much performance.

Jarell420 · May 12, 2015

Also would the true spirit interfere with the ram slots at all? I have a hyper 212 evo and it blocks the 1st channel of my ram on my motherboard

CTurbo · May 12, 2015

If you are truly trying to save the most money without sacrificing performance, you are thinking the wrong way about it.

This build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($241.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PERFORMANCE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($315.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $637.93

Would outperform this build by a long shot. It wouldn't even be close.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($316.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($32.50 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($135.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Tri-X OC Video Card ($253.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $739.36
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-12 21:14 EDT-0400

CTurbo · May 12, 2015

And the CRYORIG H7 shouldn't interfere with RAM on any ATX board

Jarell420 · May 12, 2015

@CTurbo I don't understand, how does the xeon perform better than the i7?

jediTT · May 12, 2015

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($32.50 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($135.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Silicon Power S60 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($82.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($332.27 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec HCG M 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1121.09
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-12 21:22 EDT-0400

CTurbo · May 12, 2015

The point is, you're putting too much stock in cpu clock speed when it's really the video card that makes all the difference.

The difference between the GTX970 and the R9 290 is greater than the difference between the 4790k's clock speed and the 1231v3's clock speed.

synphul · May 12, 2015

I haven't used it personally but a couple of those who reviewed it on intel systems said no ram clearance issues. Considering you're going with crucial ballistix sport (according to the original build you listed), it should be a non issue anyway. Ballistix sport are low profile memory modules.

I didn't have any issue with the 212 evo using low profile ram on a z97, I had two 4gb sticks of geil evo corsa which have a med/tall heat spreader. Those didn't want to fit in slot 1 so much without being pushed over a bit by the 212 evo fan. The two 4gb sticks of team dark ram I picked up were standard ram without tall heat spreaders and fit fine so long as I put the ram in before attaching the fan. You have to take the fan off the evo anyway to tighten the two right side screws. Most larger air coolers hang over the ram slots, the nh d14, d15, phanteks etc. My dark rock pro 3 covers all 4 slots entirely but has enough clearance to fit over g.skill ripjaws x which have medium sized heat spreaders on them. They're not super tall like the trident (though at least tridents have removable heatsinks) but they're taller than ballistix sports. Only real issue is if I decide to upgrade my ram and add to it I'll have to remove my cooler to do so.

jediTT · May 12, 2015

I have a Cryorig H7 with 4 sticks of Corsair Vengeance on an Asus Z97-A, no issues at all.

Jarell420 · May 12, 2015

@CTurbo, the game I mainly play is a cpu dependent game to achieve high FPS. I have a 6870 HD atm and an i5 2500k OC'd to 3.8ghz and i achieve 300+ FPS in this game. The main reason why I am trying to upgrade it to achieve that 300+ FPS while live streaming on twitch at the same time. The CPU is something I would rather spend more on than a Graphics Card is what I am trying to say.

As to synphul and jedi, thanks I shouldn't have a problem cause my ram is going to be LP

badboyrog2 · May 12, 2015

''The op had listed the enthoo pro as their case which lists cpu cooler height tolerance as 193mm. So not an issue at all.''
yes on this pc case it will fit ... i am agree

Jarell420 · May 13, 2015

SO I was just able to buy the i7, my chassis, and the gigabyte ud3h-bk mobo to go with my black and white theme.

What would you guys suggest that I buy now?

jediTT · May 13, 2015

GTX 970, or 980 if you have the budget for it.

Any ideas on how to save money in this build?

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