1300 / 1400$ 1st. gaming pc build opinions

[Reno M]

Hey guys, thanks for checking this thread out. I am going to be building my first computer, so I am very excited. Anyway since you guys are a lot more experienced then I am, I would like to ask some questions.

1) Is this build futureproof, would it be good for gaming for 3-4 years?
I mean games like battlefied in 4 years on medium to high settings.

2) Are there any parts that I could save some money on?

3) Any parts that offer better performance, or better quality for the same price?

4) Should I wait for Mantle to come out? Should I go for a six core processor, since the new consoles are able to play more graphic intense games now too? Are there other great parts that I should look at during these holidays, because I will be checking out sales a lot. I will probably start building this the 1st of january to start my new year.

5) I would like suggestions for the motherboard too, I did not know wich one to choose so I went
with the "Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard"

6) Does anyone know if all the parts will fit, and not block each other. Also would a second video
card fit, if I want to add an extra one down the road.

5) Any other tips / opinions would be great, I will take them all in to account.



I will be doing some overclocking on my CPU and GPU. Also, i'll be running a 1920*1080 16:9 monitor. I am also going to be doing some 3D rendering using cinema 4D and probably create video content using Adobe After Effects.

So without further ado, here is my build:
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/tysukenl/saved/2JEa

Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor
Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card
Corsair CX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply
Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case
Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer

I want to let you guys know that I appreciate you all a lot. Please give me feedback and tips, this is a lot of money for me and I want to spend it the right way.

Greetz, Reno

 

[enemy1g]

No one can tell you for certain whether X PC will be able to run Y game in 4 years. Chances are you'll end up SLIing or replacing your GPU before your CPU, though. I have a similar build, i5-4670k, SLI 780s, and I'm hoping to run games on ultra/high years later, and if not, then I'll pony up and buy whatever's performing better at the time. All of your parts should be compatible, I would recommend an AX860 (yeah I know, adding to the budget) if you plan on adding a second GPU, that way you'll have plenty of head room to OC.

If you're doing a LOT of rendering you'll benefit from an i7, but if it's casual rendering and whatnot, you should be fine with the i5. In the case that you are only sticking to a single card, I would look into a TX750 or a AX750 (if they still are produced).

Other than that, I think the build looks good.

 

[Reno M]

I will only be doing casual rendering. But you are saying that I cant run a 780 in SLI with this current PSU? Btw, can someone tell me something about holiday deals of amazon? Will they be worth waiting for?

 

[aithos]

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/tysukenl/saved/2JEa

Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor
Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card
Corsair CX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply
Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case
Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer

I have a couple suggestions for you, but first things first: as other have said, you can't really predict where gaming will be in the future. Generally, if you buy a top end video card (or a step down) you will be good for 3-4 years with decently high settings. But that isn't a guarantee, something earth shattering could happen in two years and obsolete everything, we just don't know.

As for the rest: your build is decent but I'd consider swapping out a couple parts if your budget can make it work. Here is what I'd consider:

i5-4670k -> i7-4770k
Corsair h100i -> Coolermaster Glacer 240L
Asus z87-A -> Asus Maxims VI Hero
Corsair 8GB 1600 -> Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB 1866
Kingston 120gb ssd -> Samsung 840 250gb ssd
WD 1TB black -> WD 2TB black
Gigabyte GTX 780 -> EVGA GTX 780 superclocked
Corsair CX750 -> Corsair RM 750

This will likely increase your cost by a couple hundred bucks, but here is why:

1) You mention doing video encoding and 3d rendering. Since you're not going to do it a ton you don't need more than 4 cores (extra cores don't matter for gaming beyond 4). However, having multithreading will make a big difference in those tasks so bumping up to the 4770k isn't a lot of money but wil give you some benefit. If you do very little of these tasks (once a month) then sticking with the i5 is fine. But if you do it weekly then the money will be worth it.

2) You mention overclocking. The Asus z87-A is a solid motherboard if you don't intend to overclock, for $50ish dollars the Hero is a better overclocking board with nice features that you might want. It also looks pretty cool and is part of their ROG brand if that matters to you at all.

3) The AIO water cooling market is getting more popular, but the Swiftech H220 and it's replacement in the USA the Glacer 240L are MUCH better than any of the offerings from Corsair or the other Asetek re-brands. It is more reliable, has a better/quieter PWM pump and it's performance is better. Put simply: don't get an AIO if it's not the one I listed, go with a Noctua u14s air cooler instead.

4) 16gb of memory, 250gb of SSD space and 2TB of storage should be standard in any build that isn't under $1000. 3D rendering, Games and modern tasks are increasingly taking more memory, you also want more RAM than video memory. If you consider SLI later that's 6GB minimum + 4gb for OS, so 8gb is not enough. I have a 120gb SSD and I can only keep Steam, WoW, Diablo III and LoL on my computer. When I wanted to try Aion I had to delete WoW to install it, when I didn't like it had to delete it and reinstall WoW again. Games are often 10-30gb (or more, Aion was 50gb) and you'll fill your 120gb faster than you think. 1TB is also not much if you keep music, movies and video editing on it. I have two additonal drives 1TB and 500gb that are both full, I'm getting a 3TB external and a 2TB internal for my next build.

5) I prefer EVGA as a brand for GPU, the Gigabyte is a solid card and its up to you. I think EVGA has the best software in the market, their cards are often some of the best overclockers (especially the classified) and they have great support and reliability. The superclocked was under $500 this weekend on Newegg and is a screaming deal right now.

The PSU at 750 watts bronze is not a very efficient PSU. The RM, HX or AX series are all better. I'm getting a Corsair AX1200i for my SLI 780 system because overclocking your GPU and CPU uses considerably more power. If you intend to overclock that 750 will not be enough. I'd also look at a full tower case if you intend to get a second GPU, mid towers are a bit small and really make heat bad with a lack of space and fans. The corsair 750d isn't very expensive, isn't huge compared to some of the other cases on the market but has decent cooling and plenty of room for water cooling if you go that route later.

 

[Reno M]

The maximum range of my budget is 1400$ I simply can not go over it at the moment. What if I would just stay with a single 780? Would the 8GB of ram good? I really dont need much more then 1TB of room, I already have 1 TB HDD laying next to me that I will re-use from my old computer. About the video editing, it will be a hobby thing, since I am going to be quite busy with college.

I should indeed change the PSU. But many of the options you offered me, would indeed give me a lot more performance, but also are out of my budget range. Also, I might just go for the EVGA SC 780 edition, seems like its better indeed.

I would just like this build to be seen as 1000$ build, but with an extra high video card.

EDITED BUILD VERSION:
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/tysukenl/saved/2JEa

Also, would an SLI / Crossfire configuration of 2 cards with a total of 500$ - Price of one GTX 780 outperform it in the future too, or would the single gtx 780 be better in the future?