$1250 Build "Dire Wolf"

[mjm196]

Hello and thank you for viewing my first post here on toms-hardware!
Along with my first post, this will also be my first attempt to build my own computer.
After extensive searching and analyzing, here are the components I am looking to purchase.

1.) CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K
2.) FAN: CM Hyper 212 EVO
3.) MOBO: MSI Z97 PC MATE
4.) GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 980
5.) RAM: Crucial Ballistix 8GB
6.) SSD: Crucial MX100 128GB
7.) HDD: Western Digital Blue 1 TB
8.) CASE: Cooler Master HAF 912
9.) PSU: XFX Core Edition PRO550W
10.) ODD: Asus 24x DVD-RW

Now to the fun part, as a first time builder my questions may be somewhere out in left field so please bare with me!

- Will this build work and what can I expect from this build in terms of updating components and performance?
- Is there a case other than the one I have listed that is more visually appealing while keeping optimal case performance?
- I am in need of a good monitor, preferably 24", and I have no idea what I'm looking for.
- For some reason I think I am missing a power supply.
- Should I go with Windows 7 or 8 for gaming?
- I'm going to either have to use a wireless network card or usb, any suggestions?

I'm sure there are some things I've not taken into consideration so all enlightening is welcomed and greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Benab3]

Yes that build will work and performance nice. On an upgrading note further down the line, you can change your cpu to something like an i7 4790k but if you ever want to sli your gpus for maybe when a 980 isn't so top line you need a different mobo, I quite like the ASUS z97-A, if you never want to sli and you just want to get a better card, then keep this. IN your parts list your not missing a psu and on the windows note its personal preference really, I'm not a massive fan of windows 8 so I use 7. If you like 8 then go for 8.

 

[Novuake]

The board is terrible. Would not allow decent overclocking, nor would it allow you to SLI. So you may as well get a cheaper H97 chipset board and non-K CPU.
I would just spend a little more for a better board, should not be much more.

The rest looks good.
Get whichever Windows you prefer to use. There is not much of a performance difference.
Get an internal wireless card, USB wireless and online gaming don't play well together. Just spend around 15-25$ and you will get a decent one.

 

[LucoTF]

Hello and thank you for viewing my first post here on toms-hardware!
Along with my first post, this will also be my first attempt to build my own computer.
After extensive searching and analyzing, here are the components I am looking to purchase.

1.) CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K
2.) FAN: CM Hyper 212 EVO
3.) MOBO: MSI Z97 PC MATE
4.) GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 980
5.) RAM: Crucial Ballistix 8GB
6.) SSD: Crucial MX100 128GB
7.) HDD: Western Digital Blue 1 TB
8.) CASE: Cooler Master HAF 912
9.) PSU: XFX Core Edition PRO550W
10.) ODD: Asus 24x DVD-RW

Now to the fun part, as a first time builder my questions may be somewhere out in left field so please bare with me!

- Will this build work and what can I expect from this build in terms of updating components and performance?
- Is there a case other than the one I have listed that is more visually appealing while keeping optimal case performance?
- I am in need of a good monitor, preferably 24", and I have no idea what I'm looking for.
- For some reason I think I am missing a power supply.
- Should I go with Windows 7 or 8 for gaming?
- I'm going to either have to use a wireless network card or usb, any suggestions?

I'm sure there are some things I've not taken into consideration so all enlightening is welcomed and greatly appreciated. Thank you!

2/ There are much better coolers than the 212 evo now for the same price. If you're not into serious overclocking something like the raijintek themis would be ideal
3/ get a better motherboard like the Z97-a suggested, or the gigabyte gaming 5, or the asrock extreme 4
4/ Consider the 970 over the 980. Even a GTX 970 can push 1440p right now
8/ The Phanteks Enthoo Pro is a great case.

Everything else looks great. For monitors I'd suggest a 1440p resolution for a build like yours:

http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/monitor/#r=256001440&sort=a11

Operating system doesn't matter a whole bunch, windows 10 is just around the corner and will be a free upgrade for all 7 & 8 users anyway

 

[mjm196]

I'm glad to hear that this build will work! I am considering being able to sli down the road so I will take a look at the ASUS z97-A. I see that I do have a psu now, thank you for pointing that out. From what I've seen I think I'll go with Windows 7.

Remaining concerns:
- Is there a case other than the one I have listed that is more visually appealing while keeping optimal case performance?
- I am in need of a good monitor, preferably 24", and I have no idea what I'm looking for.
- I'm going to either have to use a wireless network card or usb, any suggestions?

Perhaps these questions should be directed towards electronics but I will leave them out here for anyone who would like to give their suggestions. Thanks

 

[-HH-]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($222.75 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($115.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Fury White Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($139.79 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($158.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($100.75 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($328.99 @ Directron)
Case: Corsair Air 540 ATX Mid Tower Case ($124.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX XTR 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($66.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($264.99 @ B&H)
Total: $1553.18
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-06 04:29 EST-0500

including monitor!

 

[mjm196]

Awesome, I like the case and have updated my MOBO. I want to stick with the 980 so I won't have to worry about upgrading for a while.

-Will I only need 1 raijintek themis cooler?
- The site you listed only list 27" monitors. I'm guessing that's because of the resolutions 2560x1440. Perhaphs I should go with a 27"? Seems a bit like overkill but then again I guess it would be ok
- Still wondering about the network card

 

[mjm196]

Why the 970? Wouldn't the 980 be better?

 

[LucoTF]

Why the 970? Wouldn't the 980 be better?

If you're planning to play on a 24" monitor then you won't see a difference between the two, even a 970 is overkill for 1080p / 60fps right now

 

[Novuake]

Why the 970? Wouldn't the 980 be better?

If you're planning to play on a 24" monitor then you won't see a difference between the two, even a 970 is overkill for 1080p / 60fps right now

This is true. Its like less than 10% performance difference but the GTX980 is a lot more expensive.

I usually just tell people to get one GTX970 now and then upgrade with another one down the line, you would get a lot more performance for a small cost more.

 

[LucoTF]

Awesome, I like the case and have updated my MOBO. I want to stick with the 980 so I won't have to worry about upgrading for a while.

-Will I only need 1 raijintek themis cooler?
- The site you listed only list 27" monitors. I'm guessing that's because of the resolutions 2560x1440. Perhaphs I should go with a 27"? Seems a bit like overkill but then again I guess it would be ok
- Still wondering about the network card

Yes you only need one CPU cooler. The Themis performs easily as well as the 212 evo but is 2mm shorter, $10 cheaper, and easier to mount.

HOWEVER if you plan to do do serious overclocking then neither the themis nor the 212 evo will cut it, these haswell chips need a lot of volts to reach the higher clocks. Personally I don't think the ~300mhz performance gains from using a $70 cooler justify it's price over a $21 cooler.

 

[-HH-]

Why the 970? Wouldn't the 980 be better?

If you're planning to play on a 24" monitor then you won't see a difference between the two, even a 970 is overkill for 1080p / 60fps right now

Expanding on this the GTX 980 has better performance ye, but you will only notice this at resolutions above 1080P.

The memory buff on the GTX 980 means it can cope a bit better along with everything else on the cards.

None the less, unless you are running 1440P/4K you won't get much performance benifit from a GTX 980 if any.

 

[LucoTF]

This is true. Its like less than 10% performance difference but the GTX980 is a lot more expensive.

I usually just tell people to get one GTX970 now and then upgrade with another one down the line, you would get a lot more performance for a small cost more.

Yeah this. If you change the power supply here to a good 750w (along with the motherboard change) it would make the jump to SLI really easy too.

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-110b20750vr

For performance-per-dollar the gtx 970 is way ahead of the 980

 

[mjm196]

Cool thanks for the clarification everyone! Makes a lot more sense now

 

[shiva92]

Don't get MSI mobo. Get ASUS Z97-A. If you are not planning for 1440p gaming, GTX 970 will be the best choice. If you are planning for UHD gaming in the future, you might need to get another GTX 980 so it is better to get a 650 Watts Seasonic 80+ Bronze/Gold rated PSU. Other than these two things, your build looks good.

 

[-HH-]

Don't get MSI mobo. Get ASUS Z97-A. If you are not planning for 1440p gaming, GTX 970 will be the best choice. If you are planning for UHD gaming in the future, you might need to get another GTX 980 so it is better to get a 650 Watts Seasonic 80+ Bronze/Gold rated PSU. Other than these two things, your build looks good.

XFX is Seasonic IO.

You may notice 3-5 fps MAX from motherboard change and that's from your cheapest to your most expensive, so you may notice a tiny tiny difference in performance but I personally like the Krait.

As per graphics cards, bench marks dont show everything and I think a 980 WOULD be better at 1440P due to higher pixel count however the 970 will run fine...