First gaming rig - mid range

[JunaC]

Hey guys,

I'm building my first gaming rig - well, the first one built by myself, and I'd like some feedback on the components I've chosen. I just want to check I won't be throttling any of the components, my cooling is efficient, particularly when overclocking my CPU, and whether my PSU will suffice.

• 
  GPU: Nvidia GeForce 760
  CPU: Intel Core i5-4670k
  Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero
  RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws X DDR3-1866 CAS 10
  PSU: Corsair RM750
  Hard Drive: WD 2TB Caviar Black WD2002DAEX
  SSD: Intel 530 180GB
  Case: Corsair Carbide 300R
  Heatsink: NH-U14S
  Fan: Corsair Air Series SP120 (twin kit)

I've also been advised to use Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste. Is it worth it over the NT-H1 paste that comes with the heatsink?

Thanks in advance.

 

[camohanna]

Drop the fancy motherboard and upgrade to a 770. Also get a solid 650w psu (i suggest the evga supernova 650w) and get a 120gb samsung 840 evo ssd. I suggest just getting the hyper 212 evo cooler so you can spend more on the other components.

Another important question: how much are you spending?

 

[camohanna]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2CWQC
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2CWQC/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2CWQC/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: GeIL EVO Veloce Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($88.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($345.66 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1105.57
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-17 18:00 EST-0500)

 

[JunaC]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2CWQC
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2CWQC/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2CWQC/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: GeIL EVO Veloce Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($88.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($345.66 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1105.57
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-17 18:00 EST-0500)

Thanks a lot for the extensive response.

I've been aiming to spend up to £1000, and your suggestion is significantly cheaper than what I've got at the moment. I'm from the UK so I'll have to explore alternative suppliers for the components you've picked but thanks a lot.

Do you think 650W is enough, even if I want to overclock the CPU?

 

[PepitoTV]

Happily PcPartPicker has its UK version

Here would be my suggestion for an £1000 rig:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£167.99 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£23.90 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: Gigabyte G1.Sniper Z87 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£111.28 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£62.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£61.20 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£43.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card (£377.94 @ Aria PC)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case (£61.98 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£81.84 @ Scan.co.uk)
Total: £993.11
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-17 23:25 GMT+0000)

 

[camohanna]

Sli ready, i personally cant justify getting a 780 as you are paying 100 for minimal performance gains.

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2CXRI
Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2CXRI/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2CXRI/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£167.99 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£23.90 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£108.90 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£59.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£70.09 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£43.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (£279.32 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case (£61.98 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 850W 80+ Silver Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£95.82 @ Scan.co.uk)
Total: £911.98
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-17 23:36 GMT+0000)

 

[camohanna]

To explain the 770 vs 780 thing in this article (http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/geforce_gtx_770_review,13.html) , the 770 gets 84 fps and the 780 gets 94 fps. This is roughly 12% performance increase for around 30% price increase. Personally i do not see any reason to get the 780 when the 770 can easily obliterate most games on ultra settings.

 

[sora]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2CWQC
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2CWQC/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2CWQC/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: GeIL EVO Veloce Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($88.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($345.66 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1105.57
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-17 18:00 EST-0500)

Thanks a lot for the extensive response.

I've been aiming to spend up to £1000, and your suggestion is significantly cheaper than what I've got at the moment. I'm from the UK so I'll have to explore alternative suppliers for the components you've picked but thanks a lot.

Do you think 650W is enough, even if I want to overclock the CPU?

It should be but I suggest getting a 850W PSU just for the ability to overclock further and also have upgrade space.

 

[camohanna]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2CWQC
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2CWQC/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2CWQC/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: GeIL EVO Veloce Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($88.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($345.66 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1105.57
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-17 18:00 EST-0500)

Thanks a lot for the extensive response.

I've been aiming to spend up to £1000, and your suggestion is significantly cheaper than what I've got at the moment. I'm from the UK so I'll have to explore alternative suppliers for the components you've picked but thanks a lot.

Do you think 650W is enough, even if I want to overclock the CPU?

It should be but I suggest getting a 850W PSU just for the ability to overclock further and also have upgrade space.

650W will handle an i5 clocked to max as well as the gpu overclocked to the max as well. If you dont plan on sli, stick with a 650w power supply.

 

[JunaC]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2CWQC
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2CWQC/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2CWQC/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: GeIL EVO Veloce Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($88.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($345.66 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1105.57
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-17 18:00 EST-0500)

Thanks a lot for the extensive response.

I've been aiming to spend up to £1000, and your suggestion is significantly cheaper than what I've got at the moment. I'm from the UK so I'll have to explore alternative suppliers for the components you've picked but thanks a lot.

Do you think 650W is enough, even if I want to overclock the CPU?

It should be but I suggest getting a 850W PSU just for the ability to overclock further and also have upgrade space.

650W will handle an i5 clocked to max as well as the gpu overclocked to the max as well. If you dont plan on sli, stick with a 650w power supply.

At the moment I don't plan on sli, so I'll stick with the 650W PSU you suggested if you think that's fine.

I realise my original RAM may have been unnecessarily high end, but can I upgrade to a decent 16gb for much more?

I heard the i5 4670k runs pretty hot, even without overclocking. Will that heatsink be able to cope? Also, will I need the twin corsair fans? I was planning on having a 140 and 120 on the front and bottom of the case as inputs and two 120 fans on the rear and top as exhausts.

Thanks again, JC.

 

[camohanna]

The hyper 212 evo will keep it nice and cool. AS long as the cpu is under 80c its fine. It is pointless getting 16gb ram, i can tell you this from experience. I am running 4gb ram in my rig, running all the latest games and barely hitting 70% usage. 8gb is the "sweetspot" for gaming. If you (somehow) find that you are hitting that 8gb ceiling, you can get another 2x4gb kit so you are running 16gb.

tl;dr just get 8gb ram, its plenty

Also, stock case fans should be fine until you overclock, and if you find temps are too high, you can always add in fans later.

 

[JunaC]

It's definitely worth upgrading to the 770 though, isn't it? Is the motherboard much of a downgrade, or does it not really matter?

Thanks once again.

 

[camohanna]

It's definitely worth upgrading to the 770 though, isn't it? Is the motherboard much of a downgrade, or does it not really matter?

Thanks once again.

Its personal preference. The Asus motherboard is a very high end one, so you are paying a premium for that as well as the "ROG" branding. The ASRock motherboard i listed has the same features and will perform the same for a cheaper price. The ASRock board is by no means a cheap board and it is solidly build.

Either choice is good, it just depends on what you want.