~$1500 PC Build

[windsurfer20]

Hello, I am looking to build a new pc, mainly for gaming. I'd like to be able to play most games at 1080p max settings with a decent fps. My budget is $1500 but can be a bit higher if it will be worth it (futureproofing etc.). I have a good monitor/keyboard/mouse so the money is just for the tower.

The parts of my current PC that are newest and possibly (not likely) useable temporarily in new build to save on money and to upgrade later are: an OC GTX 560, 560W coolmaster PSU, DVD drive/burner, 500GB harddrive with windows 7 (probably upgrade to 8.1 later). Other components need upgrading no matter what.

I live in Canada so parts are slightly more expensive than US. But so far I have come up with:
- MSI GTX 970 (~$400), though they are sold out everywhere it seems (maybe use old GPU til I can find one.
- i5 4690k (~$250), is the extra money really worth it for i7 4770 or better?
- Corsair H100i cooler (~$95)
- Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD (~$140)
-G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB memory (~$86)
- Asus Z97-A mobo (~$155), possibly go with cheaper one?
- PSU, 560W too low? if not (~$75)
- Case, suggestions would be nice, most likely be my last decision (~$150)
Total = ~$1351

Any suggestions/advice is welcome, if you have any more questions please ask.
Thankyou.

 

[dottorrent]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($248.98 @ DirectCanada)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Seidon 240M 86.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($99.99 @ Memory Express)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H-BK ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($159.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($89.13 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($115.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.95 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX Video Card ($369.99 @ Memory Express)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($82.99 @ Canada Computers)
Optical Drive: Asus DVD-E818AAT/BLK/B/GEN DVD/CD Drive ($19.35 @ Vuugo)
Total: $1371.34
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-16 16:08 EDT-0400

I find this to be a better bet.

 

[windsurfer20]

Thanks for the quick reply, if I decided to put another $200 or so into that build would there be a big difference? If so what would you change?

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Look at the bottom of this page, you will see 8 or 9 other $1500 builds

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($248.98 @ DirectCanada)

Motherboard: MSI Z97-GD65 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.78 @ DirectCanada)

Memory: Mushkin Redline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($119.99 @ Amazon Canada)

Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($138.98 @ DirectCanada)

Storage: Seagate 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($109.98 @ Amazon Canada)

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($407.95 @ Vuugo)

Case: Phanteks Enthoo Luxe ATX Full Tower Case ($169.99 @ Amazon Canada)

Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ NCIX)

Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.95 @ Vuugo)

Total: $1505.59

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-16 16:33 EDT-0400

Cooler Option 1 - Swiftech H240-X ($150) or H220-X ($140)

Cooler Option 2 - Cryorig R1 Ultimate or even Phanteks PH-TC14-PE (about 1.5C behind R1)

The why's

1. Proven gaming oriented Motherboard with identical feature set, equal or better components than the Asus Hero but $40 less

2. 2133 memory is sweet spot and Mushkin (Hynix Modules) has fastest timings on market

3. The SSD (15.5 secs) is only slightly faster booting windows than an SSHD (16.5 secs) But what games don't fit on the SSD will not gain any advantage,. the SSHD will automatically place frequently used games in the fas SSD portion of the drive. If ya need to drop costs to make budget, dropping the SSD is how I'd do it.

4. PSU will handle that 2nd GPU you gonna get next year :

5. Case has built in fan controller, built in color chane LED system and LEC controller plus pump and reservoir mounts if you want to water cool.

6. Avoid the EVGA model, its defective .... both the MSI and Gigabyte break 1500 Mhz
http://www.guru3d.com/news-story/evga-geforce-gtx-970-acx-has-misaligned-gpu-vs-heatpipes.html

7. The H100i is a noise machine. If you don;t want to get the Swiftech which kick's it's tail, grab the Cryorig Air cooler which also kicks its tail ....

http://www.hitechlegion.com/reviews/cooling/liquid/40870-swiftech-h220-x-open-loop-240mm-cpu-cooler-review?showall=&start=3

Tho this cooler looks very hawwwwt in the Luxe case

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/phanteks-cpu-cooler-phtc14pe

 

[windsurfer20]

Awesome, thanks for the detailed response. I plan on overclocking the CPU and GPU at some point, so I would like a good cooling system. Can the H240 X cool both? And possible an extra gtx 970 in the future?

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Yes..... Unlike every other AIO on the market, the Swiftech unit:

-Is all copper / brass unlike the cheap Asetek units that mix copper and aluminum (mixed metal promotes galvanic corrosion)
-Has great pump with 2 meters pressure
-Loop can be opened and you can add more blocks....see hitechlegion review above.

So you install the H240-X as per instructions....as the review says its one of the simplest installations. Then when you ready:

-Buy a waterblock for each 970 (backplate recommended) ....Swifteck Komodo or EK good choices
-Buy a radiator (UT60-280 would cover it)
-Buy 6 barbs, 6 clamps and the MCP pump adapter (and some extra coolant) and you're done

IMORTANT: Run the coolant to the GFX cards in parallel..... in other words, split the flow going into the cards and send half the flow to each card.