After 3 days of research I've put together a computer, looking for opinions

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Cori W

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Well, pretty much as the title says, I've spent the last 3 days researching computer components and putting stuff together for my first ever custom built computer. (Previous computer was an office computer with an AMD HD 5570 in it.)

Now before you take a look at the list and give me your feedback I would like to stress the point that this computer is not going to be overclocked.

UPDATE: THIS PART LIST IS OUTDATED, NEW ONE IS A FEW POSTS DOWN.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.75 @ DirectCanada)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($31.06 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($105.14 @ DirectCanada)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Memory Express)
Storage: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($119.99 @ Memory Express)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($87.99 @ Canada Computers)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($269.99 @ NCIX)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ Memory Express)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Quiet Edition (2-Pack) 39.9 CFM 120mm Fans ($23.05 @ DirectCanada)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Quiet Edition (2-Pack) 39.9 CFM 120mm Fans ($23.05 @ DirectCanada)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan ($14.76 @ DirectCanada)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan ($14.76 @ DirectCanada)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($119.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($56.90 @ DirectCanada)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($97.99 @ NCIX)
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($139.99 @ Canada Computers)
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($139.99 @ Canada Computers)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($68.38 @ Newegg Canada)
Mouse: Logitech M185 Wireless Optical Mouse ($31.95 @ Amazon Canada)
Speakers: Creative Labs GigaWorks T20 Series II 28W 2ch Speakers ($99.99 @ Memory Express)
Headphones: Logitech G930 7.1 Channel Headset ($104.99 @ DirectCanada)

Total: $1944.69

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-30 03:13 EDT-0400)

So that's what I've got, all feedback and recommendations are welcome, a few things I would like to say about this build is that I know the 750W power supply might be a bit much, but better safe than sorry.

The reason you see two monitors listed is because I'm planning on running two of them, one for gaming and the other for web browsing, watching videos, etc.

There are a lot of case fans because I've been planning on replacing all the stock fans that come with the case for better air flow, once again better safe than sorry.

One thing I did have some trouble with though was whether I should get monitors with built in speakers or get separate speakers, for now I've decided on separate ones as the monitors I picked have a 5x higher contrast radio than the ones that had built in speakers.

The only thing that I'm really still sort of conflicted on is the motherboard, it's a good motherboard for my taste but at the same time I've heard that it can sometimes have issues with SSD's, and the other thing I'm not really sure about is the mouse, as much as I wanted a proper wireless optical gaming mouse, there was no way I wanted to spend more on a mouse than I did on the keyboard.
 
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c4capricorn
the overall built is very good. here are my opinon/suggestions.

1- why dont go for the 770 instead of 760?
2- Keeping same spec monitors for two different tasks ??
3- in built speakers dont allow u to upgrade.. better to get separate speakers with a little cost of desk space. :)
4- Gigabyte mobos are good and pretty reliable. go with it.
5- mouse is good to go
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c4capricorn

c4capricorn

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the overall built is very good. here are my opinon/suggestions.

1- why dont go for the 770 instead of 760?
2- Keeping same spec monitors for two different tasks ??
3- in built speakers dont allow u to upgrade.. better to get separate speakers with a little cost of desk space. :)
4- Gigabyte mobos are good and pretty reliable. go with it.
5- mouse is good to go
 
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Cori W

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Thanks for your input, the primary reason I chose the 760 over the 770 is because of the price, really I only wanted to spend about $1200 on the case and everything in it, but with this set up it's already at $1360. As for the monitors, I don't know, I just really want 2 monitors, and figured since that monitor is relatively cheap compared to some of the other ones I'm seeing, I may as well just go with two of them.
 
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Cori W

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Well, after further thought I think I'm going to throw in the extra $140 for the GTX 770 instead of the GTX 760.
 
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Cori W

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Here's a bit of an updated version of the part list, quite a few changes. (Unlocked CPU + MB, GTX 770 GPU, less Case Fans, 750W PSU, changed the mouse)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($236.98 @ Newegg Canada)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($31.06 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($138.12 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Memory Express)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($87.99 @ Canada Computers)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($389.99 @ NCIX)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ Memory Express)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Quiet Edition (2-Pack) 39.9 CFM 120mm Fans ($23.05 @ DirectCanada)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan ($14.76 @ DirectCanada)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($118.80 @ Newegg Canada)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($69.98 @ NCIX)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($97.99 @ NCIX)
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($139.99 @ Canada Computers)
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($139.99 @ Canada Computers)
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($68.38 @ Newegg Canada)
Mouse: Corsair Vengeance M65 Wired Laser Mouse ($70.33 @ Newegg Canada)
Speakers: Creative Labs GigaWorks T20 Series II 28W 2ch Speakers ($99.99 @ Memory Express)
Headphones: Logitech G930 7.1 Channel Headset ($104.99 @ DirectCanada)

Total: $2027.37

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-01 05:32 EDT-0400)

At this point I'm fairly happy where everything is at, the last few things I need to decide before I actually purchase the parts is whether I actually want an SSD (Since it seems about 20% of the reviews on SSD's have been sort of negative), whether I want monitors with IPS (I've been hearing lots of mixed opinions about this), and whether I want to go with a GTX 770 4GB instead of 2GB as well as upgrade the PSU to 850W just in case I want to SLI in the future.
 
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Cori W

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Wait, what will be causing the bottleneck? I've had a few other people who have said this will work just fine, nobody has said anything about a bottleneck.

The only bottleneck I can see at the moment is if I want to SLI, in which case I would need the 4GB GPU's instead of 2GB.

EDIT: Oh and by the way, I've decided to get that CPU and MB over the earlier 2 I had picked so that I have the option to overclock in the future if I decide I want to.
 
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Cori W

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To clarify, I'm not going to be doing SLI right away as it's too expensive, I'm planning on adding a second GPU later down the road when the computer starts to have trouble with newer games.
 
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refllect

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By the time your computer starts to have trouble with newer games, buying another 700 series GTX card will be really not worth it compared to a newer generation video card. Also your processor and everything else about your system will get outdated and it will be better to just build a new one.

Usually the most cost efficient way to go about building computers is to build one that just meets what you need and then to replace everything with a new one after 2-3 years. It's better than building one that exceeds your needs to try and futureproof it.

Do you really need a $2000 computer now? If not, spend less and replace it sooner.
 
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Cori W

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Well, I've been justifying the price with the fact that I hoped this computer would last at least 5 years, hopefully more (Was being optimistic and hoping around 8 - 10 or so)

The computer I have now is a simple office computer that I put an AMD Radeon HD 5570 in to, and it's lasted 5 years now, so I figured if I got better hardware than what this has in it then the computer should last 8 - 10 years, I'm not really a hardcore gamer or anything I just want the computer to be able to keep up with the games that I do play.

All that being said I'm not the guy that wants to be getting a new computer every few years, I would rather just get 1 that can last a really long time, and on the later end of those 8 - 10 years it doesn't even have to run newer games at max settings, as long as it can still simply run them I'm happy.

Now I'm not saying that nothing will break in that time, I don't mind replacing some Case Fans, HDD, maybe a PSU, I just want the bulk of it to last.

Well, with all that being said I'd like to hear your opinion on what I'm trying to do.

EDIT: Plus I've already applied for a $2500 loan so yeah...
 
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refllect

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I'd rather have a new $1000 computer every 2 years than a $3000 computer every 6 years. Because at the beginning, both will be able to do exactly what I need them to do. And at the end of the 6 years, the $3000 computer won't be able to even keep up with the new $1000 computer. It won't be a little worse. It will be much worse. Plus you can sell your old computer when you get a new one saving even more money. If you're gonna keep it for 8-10 years that thing will be ancient and unable to do anything pretty much. Think about how computers were in 2003.

The only reason you should spend so much on a computer now is if you absolutely need all of that power now. That only happens if you're doing some work other than gaming or if you absolutely need multiple monitors at 1440p or you're streaming on top of everything.
 
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Cori W

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Alright well you've made me doubt what I've been doing now, so what sort of build would you recommend? I don't even know where to begin to downprice on this thing.
 
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Cori W

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Although to be honest I'm really happy with that RAM, HDD, Case, Optical, OS, Monitors (2), Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers, and Headset. That all comes to $1117.83, so much for it being a $1000 computer...
 
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refllect

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Tell me what games you intend to run and what else you intend to do and I can suggest to you a system that will be able to do that for 2-3 years easily. Do you get the newest games as they come out?

Also you will probably end up spending more this time and then you can recycle the PSU, Case, Monitors, Keyboard ect so when you replace your computer, you don't have to spend as much
 
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Cori W

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Well, I'm typically a fan of more Alpha games, which are usually unoptimized, and I'm also very interested in for example Star Citizen which if I recall correctly should come out in 2015 or so and has been said to require 8GB of RAM, as for the newest games, I don't typically go for like the newest shooters and stuff like that, but do play shooters sometimes. Like I said I'm not really a hardcore gamer, but some of the games I do play are like I said in an unoptimized state so they do need a bit more power than if it was optimized.

Other than gaming I usually really only do online stuff, web browsing, youtube, etc. But I have dabbled in video game development a couple times, nothing too intense but I figure I should throw that out there.

A couple things I feel are a must for me though because they're the reasons I wanted a new computer in the first place are 2 1080p Monitors, 8GB of RAM, 2TB HDD, Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer, Windows 7, Microsoft Sidewinder X4 Gaming Keyboard, a Gaming Mouse, good Speakers and Headset.

And also I'm really liking the NZXT Phantom 410 (White) case, I'd like to keep that on the list.

EDIT: Also I'd like it to be capable of overclocking, just in case I decide to do that in the future.
 
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refllect

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To game on 2 1080p monitors you'll need more than 2 GB of vram and also a wider memory bus so a GTX 760 won't be suitable. To stay around that budget range, I'd strongly recommend a Radeon 7970.

For your purposes, I don't think there's much cost to cut from the build. So my recommendation would be to stay with your build but change out the video card. When you go to replace your computer in 3 years time, you'll probably only have to spend around $1000 or maybe less.
 
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Cori W

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I had thought I said this earlier but I can't seem to find it, but I'm actually only planning on gaming on 1 of the Monitors, the other one will be for web browsing etc, while I'm gaming on the other.

EDIT: In other words, at no point will I have a game on both screens simultaneously.
 
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refllect

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Radeon is just better value than Nvidia at around that price point so I see no reason not to go with the 7970, but if you prefer Nvidia, then get a GTX 760 with 4 GB of vram for around $280

Another idea would be to go with a FX-6350 and overclock it. Use the money you saved on a GTX 770. But the 4 GB versions are all over $400
 
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Cori W

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Honestly I don't really care if I go with Nvidia or AMD, I've heard AMD is better for overclocking where as Nvidia is better for not overclocking, heck the card I have right now is AMD and I've never had any issues with it, hmm maybe I will go with the 7970.
 
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refllect

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I think a 7970 would be a much much better choice.

There's one here for $275
http://us.ncix.com/products/?usaffiliateid=1000031504&sku=70111&vpn=AX7970%203GBD5-2DHV3&manufacture=PowerColor&promoid=1190

Or you can get a nicer one for $305
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202008&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=
 
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