First time build! Going all out. What do you think?

[sl461]

Hi guys,

This is my first time building my own PC. I have saved up and I want to make an investment on this PC as I am also an aspiring digital artist as well as a dedicated game.

The only issue is, this build is very expensive at around $2500 ($2600 with new headphones). Is/are there any part(s) I can change to save money without losing much value?

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/sl461/saved/K6QMnQ

 

[EdwinAndrew]

What type of programs are you going to be running on this computer and also what is ur max budget?

 

[Archgaull]

I noticed that you hadn't selected a CPU cooler, so I added the Corsair H100i. Also, just by changing some brands around (All of them are reputable, you were just overpaying a tad bit much with other brands) I saved you about $120 and gave you an extra 1TB in storage space, but I put the extra cash towards the Corsair. You can drop it and save $110, but I recommend having some sort of cooling in there.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($368.32 @ TigerDirect Canada)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($116.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z97 Killer ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($142.95 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($146.82 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($143.98 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($183.98 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 980 4GB Video Card ($649.95 @ Vuugo)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($88.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($108.34 @ TigerDirect Canada)
Monitor: Dell U2415 60Hz 24.1" Monitor ($383.33 @ Amazon Canada)
Keyboard: SteelSeries APEX Wired Gaming Keyboard ($99.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse ($69.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $2583.60
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-03 22:48 EST-0500

 

[sl461]

What type of programs are you going to be running on this computer and also what is ur max budget?

I'm going to be using this PC not just for gaming but also digital art, illustration and 3D sculpting. So I need the extra horsepower. Max budget is about 3000 at this point seeing as how I can't really cheap out any further.

 

[sl461]

I noticed that you hadn't selected a CPU cooler, so I added the Corsair H100i. Also, just by changing some brands around (All of them are reputable, you were just overpaying a tad bit much with other brands) I saved you about $120 and gave you an extra 1TB in storage space, but I put the extra cash towards the Corsair. You can drop it and save $110, but I recommend having some sort of cooling in there.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($368.32 @ TigerDirect Canada)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($116.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z97 Killer ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($142.95 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($146.82 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($143.98 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($183.98 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 980 4GB Video Card ($649.95 @ Vuugo)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($88.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($108.34 @ TigerDirect Canada)
Monitor: Dell U2415 60Hz 24.1" Monitor ($383.33 @ Amazon Canada)
Keyboard: SteelSeries APEX Wired Gaming Keyboard ($99.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse ($69.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $2583.60
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-03 22:48 EST-0500

Thanks for the tips Archgaull. I actually ended up switching some parts yesterday so take a look at what I have now (it's more expensive though). I went with the cooler you suggested.

It's very similar to your revised part list but I am going with the higher end Dell U2713HM because I'm going to be doing a lot of digital graphics work, not just gaming.

I purchased four parts yesterday, including the samsung EVO 500gb SSD, two Corsair case fans, and the Corsair Vengeance 16GB Memory.

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/sl461/saved/K6QMnQ

Let me know what you think and if I could make ANY last revisions to save $$.

 

[Archgaull]

It seems like a good build. You could get some G.SKILL RAM to save like $15, but aside from that, nothing jumps out at me.

 

[sl461]

It seems like a good build. You could get some G.SKILL RAM to save like $15, but aside from that, nothing jumps out at me.

Thanks man. I'm very excited about this build (also daunted by the price tag). Already ordered the Corsair ram yesterday but luckily the price difference isn't that drastic between that and the one G Skill.

 

[opio]

Find RAM that has the lowest CAS latency possible.

On benchmark leaderboards (I have a 4770k clocked @ 4.0ghz and DDR3 @ 1866mhz CAS 9) I outperform people that have their cpu's clocked 500mhz higher and their ram runny at 2400mhz+, the reason? CAS latency and timings of ram.

 

[TofuLion]

i suggest going with GTX 970 SLI instead of a single 980. better performance at the resolution, but its just a suggestion. on bf4 the 980 gets ~70 fps and the 970 SLI gets ~120 fps. it would be just a bit more future proof is all

 

[sl461]

Find RAM that has the lowest CAS latency possible.

On benchmark leaderboards (I have a 4770k clocked @ 4.0ghz and DDR3 @ 1866mhz CAS 9) I outperform people that have their cpu's clocked 500mhz higher and their ram runny at 2400mhz+, the reason? CAS latency and timings of ram.

I've already ordered my Corsair RAM. It has CAS 10

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-memory-cml16gx3m2a1600c10r

What do you think I should have gotten instead?

 

[sl461]

i suggest going with GTX 970 SLI instead of a single 980. better performance at the resolution, but its just a suggestion. on bf4 the 980 gets ~70 fps and the 970 SLI gets ~120 fps. it would be just a bit more future proof is all

I debated this for a long time but my friend advised me against SLI because not all games support it and I might just end up having to resort to using one video card anyway. Not to mention, I am building this PC not just for gaming but also my graphic/3d rendering work which is pretty much outside the domain of SLIs.

 

[TofuLion]

MOST games do support SLI. but you're probably right, better off not worrying about configuration problems and not to mention the 970 has the .5 GB of VRAM issue, and 1440p might actually make use of the full 4 GB. the 970 is far superior in price to performance. $350 (single 970) for ~60 fps, $550 (980) for ~70 fps, $700 (970 SLI) for ~120 fps. but if performance is more of a concern than price, you might be better off with the 980

 

[sl461]

MOST games do support SLI. but you're probably right, better off not worrying about configuration problems and not to mention the 970 has the .5 GB of VRAM issue, and 1440p might actually make use of the full 4 GB. the 970 is far superior in price to performance. $350 (single 970) for ~60 fps, $550 (980) for ~70 fps, $700 (970 SLI) for ~120 fps. but if performance is more of a concern than price, you might be better off with the 980

Yeah for now I'm going to stick with the 980 but now I'm having doubts about the Corsair Vengeance 16GB DDR3 do you think I should have gotten another RAM? I might look into exchanging the product once I receive it if I am convinced another will do a better job for around the same price

 

[TofuLion]

MOST games do support SLI. but you're probably right, better off not worrying about configuration problems and not to mention the 970 has the .5 GB of VRAM issue, and 1440p might actually make use of the full 4 GB. the 970 is far superior in price to performance. $350 (single 970) for ~60 fps, $550 (980) for ~70 fps, $700 (970 SLI) for ~120 fps. but if performance is more of a concern than price, you might be better off with the 980

Yeah for now I'm going to stick with the 980 but now I'm having doubts about the Corsair Vengeance 16GB DDR3 do you think I should have gotten another RAM? I might look into exchanging the product once I receive it if I am convinced another will do a better job for around the same price

you're right. this set is a few bucks more, but very high performance.
http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f317000cl9q16gbzh

 

[opio]

Find RAM that has the lowest CAS latency possible.

On benchmark leaderboards (I have a 4770k clocked @ 4.0ghz and DDR3 @ 1866mhz CAS 9) I outperform people that have their cpu's clocked 500mhz higher and their ram runny at 2400mhz+, the reason? CAS latency and timings of ram.

I've already ordered my Corsair RAM. It has CAS 10

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-memory-cml16gx3m2a1600c10r

What do you think I should have gotten instead?

Any one of these sets, seeing as you're going all out and have a 2x8 set, CAS latency and timings are important, past 1866mhz it's allll bout the timings baby

 

[sl461]

MOST games do support SLI. but you're probably right, better off not worrying about configuration problems and not to mention the 970 has the .5 GB of VRAM issue, and 1440p might actually make use of the full 4 GB. the 970 is far superior in price to performance. $350 (single 970) for ~60 fps, $550 (980) for ~70 fps, $700 (970 SLI) for ~120 fps. but if performance is more of a concern than price, you might be better off with the 980

Yeah for now I'm going to stick with the 980 but now I'm having doubts about the Corsair Vengeance 16GB DDR3 do you think I should have gotten another RAM? I might look into exchanging the product once I receive it if I am convinced another will do a better job for around the same price

you're right. this set is a few bucks more, but very high performance.
http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f317000cl9q16gbzh

Actually I got the Corsair for about 175 which is the same price as that G skill you linked to. I decided to buy that instead. Thanks for the awesome suggestion, I'm getting a superior part for the same price! Amazon won't let me cancel the order now but I can return it once I get it.

 

[sl461]

Find RAM that has the lowest CAS latency possible.

On benchmark leaderboards (I have a 4770k clocked @ 4.0ghz and DDR3 @ 1866mhz CAS 9) I outperform people that have their cpu's clocked 500mhz higher and their ram runny at 2400mhz+, the reason? CAS latency and timings of ram.

I've already ordered my Corsair RAM. It has CAS 10

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-memory-cml16gx3m2a1600c10r

What do you think I should have gotten instead?

Any one of these sets, seeing as you're going all out and have a 2x8 set, CAS latency and timings are important, past 1866mhz it's allll bout the timings baby

True, I ended up going with http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f317000cl9q16gbzh for the same price I got the Corsair for with better specs. I'll be returning the latter. Thanks for your input!

 

[opio]

any time man

check this out too

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835146036&cm_re=nzxt_kracken-_-35-146-036-_-Product

I have two 760's in SLI cooled by a pair of corsair H55's, whether you're going to have 1 card or more than 1 check it out!

Not sure if it'll work with 900 series cards, but either way you should look into liquid cooling your GPU, or at least getting an aftermarket GPU air cooler