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Started by Tberg86 | | 7 answers
First time builder here needing some thoughts
Hey guys first time builder here just looking for some thoughts on my rig I have assembled so far. Just some things to keep in mind my budget is about $1200, I'm Canadian and therefor to avoid dutys and shipping fees I'm only buying from canadian sites so prices will be a bit higher and lastly I'm building purely for gaming and longevity (my current PC is 6 years old). Heres what I have:


http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/Aidsy/saved/4Iwd
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May 18, 2014 8:38:54 AM

The amount of Vram a card uses doesn't determine it's performance. If you want a step up for the GPU you could switch it to a 280x or a GTX 770, but the amount of vram each has is irrelevant unless you plan on using multiple monitors. That's when you would need a 4GB version.
May 17, 2014 7:21:49 PM

Awesome guys thanks a ton for all the help and feedback very much appreciated, I'm gonna add the SSD for sure. Just a question about the 2GB Vram, is it viable in the long term sense? I just wonder because it seems some games such as skyrim, BF 4 are using over 2 more closer to 3GB already, I just want this card to stand up for the forseeable future.

Best solution chosen by Tberg86

May 17, 2014 6:49:43 PM

Here's what I would go with:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($257.75 @ Vuugo)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.79 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($159.75 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 Low Profile Blue 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($78.16 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($96.78 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB ACX Video Card ($269.04 @ TigerDirect Canada)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Canada Computers)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Pro 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Memory Express)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.75 @ Vuugo)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($103.52 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $1244.51
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-17 21:47 EDT-0400)

You don't need 4GB of Vram for one monitor and also Z97 boards are nice to have. Also that PSU isn't meant for overclocking and the one I listed has Gold+ efficiency and is 750W so you can add a second 760 later on and sli the two.
May 17, 2014 6:42:29 PM

Tberg86 said:
also is there a brand I should be looking for or just the cheapest 128GB SSD I can find?


A boot drive is the drive that you put your OS on. The reason you would want an SSD as a boot drive are the fast boot times. (Mine boots in under 2 seconds with an SSD)

Also, Samsung 840 drives are arguably the best, but they are more expensive. I would shell out the extra money for these. This is what allows my quick boot times. If that's too expensive, then I heard good things about Adata drives. but I have not had much experience with them
May 17, 2014 6:12:02 PM

also is there a brand I should be looking for or just the cheapest 128GB SSD I can find?
May 17, 2014 6:08:27 PM

Yeah? Alright maybe I'll look into that, not exactly sure what a boot drive does but I'll look it up. thanks again.

May 17, 2014 6:04:23 PM

Looks good. It you are willing to pay the extra little bit I would get an SSD as a boot drive, but don't get anything under 120 GB.

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