New build with Xeon and GTX 970 for gaming

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oomfaloompa2

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Mar 15, 2015
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Alright. After much research (seriously, I have been planning to build a computer since like January...) and after finally realizing that for what I want, I will have to spend $1300-1400, I have come up with this build on pcpartpicker. I am pretty proud of getting it down so low and I want to buy from newegg and amazon. So now I am here just to get approval from y'all before I pay the big bucks.

I decided to go with the xeon because I don't really plan on OCing the CPU and I can get a cheaper motherboard. I don't know. Maybe getting a xeon isn't the best idea, but I feel as if when it comes to hyperthreading vs potentially higher clock speeds, I would go with hyperthreading.

And I chose the 970 vs the 390 mostly just because I am a Nvidia follower, but it also is basically the same in terms of performance so meh...

Other than that, I don't really know much about monitors and optical drives and the sort, so I just went with the cheapest I could find that still had good ratings.

Alright, well here it is:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($252.43 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($89.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($50.30 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($50.49 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($319.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Cooler Master VSM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($118.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VX228H 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Thermaltake POSEIDON Z Wired Gaming Keyboard ($65.97 @ Amazon)
Total: $1275.10
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-30 16:23 EDT-0400

I would just like this critiqued before I go for it. Thanks, all :D
 
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IntelTurtleFan

IntelTurtleFan

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Apr 10, 2015
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Build looks excellent except the PSU and I would also invest in a better SSD. Better get the EVGA GS 550W or 650W for a penny more (it might also be good to get some nicer RAM)l:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($242.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($86.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($64.68 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.78 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($314.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.89 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($89.75 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus VX228H 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($139.99 @ Best Buy)
Keyboard: Thermaltake POSEIDON Z Wired Gaming Keyboard ($65.97 @ Amazon)
Total: $1259.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-30 16:32 EDT-0400


Or from newegg and amazon.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($252.43 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($89.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($70.78 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($50.49 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($319.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($90.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($118.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VX228H 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Thermaltake POSEIDON Z Wired Gaming Keyboard ($65.97 @ Amazon)
Total: $1326.57
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-30 16:37 EDT-0400
 
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oomfaloompa2

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Mar 15, 2015
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So why do you suggest a different power supply (the SSD I can understand spending a bit more)? I have looked up reviews on the Cooler Master VSM series power supplies, and as far as I can tell, they seem to be pretty decent. I suppose the power output isn't the highest, but I don't plan on doing SLI, so I figured 650W would be sufficient.

Now, I am no expert at all at power supplies. I am just trying to understand why this is bad (or not good) and what makes good ones good.

Thanks for the reply
 
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IntelTurtleFan

IntelTurtleFan

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Apr 10, 2015
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You do not get a full modular unit that way however. Read my PSU tier list in my signature it is a tier 3 unit. You want tier 2 or 1 if you are going to have any kind of gaming system. The SSD from Samsung is faster and more reliable than the Kingston.
 
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Zerk2012

Zerk2012

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Oct 6, 2014
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You need to work on your teir list that is the same PSU's
 
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oomfaloompa2

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Mar 15, 2015
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So, before we get too deeply into the "who has the biggest stick" contest, can we go back to my question of why the Cooler Master VSM isn't a good power supply?

I do appreciate y'alls input though. I would just like to learn from mistakes that I haven't made yet rather than to wait for them to happen
 
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oomfaloompa2

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Mar 15, 2015
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So it should be good then? I updated the build to take in the 850 Evo SSD:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($252.43 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($89.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($70.78 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($50.49 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($319.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Cooler Master VSM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($118.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VX228H 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Thermaltake POSEIDON Z Wired Gaming Keyboard ($65.97 @ Amazon)
Total: $1295.58
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-30 17:26 EDT-0400
 
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oomfaloompa2

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Mar 15, 2015
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Well I think that that is good enough for me. Thanks for the suggestion on the SSD. Made me look more deeply into the Kingston. And also now I know where to find PSU reviews lol
 
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freeskier93

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I would recommend adding an aftermarket cooler. Although I never tried the stock cooler it likely won't be able to keep it cool enough to sustain its turbo speed. I have a hyper 212 evo and my E3-1231 v3 will run at its 3.8 turbo frequency all day long if need be.
 
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oomfaloompa2

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Mar 15, 2015
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Alright. I'll start with just the stock cooler and see how that does. It's relatively cheap to get a new fan. It's simple to change out the fan, yeah?
 
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