Any Where I Could Improve My Build?

Jack Poole

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Aug 9, 2014
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Hello, I am building a gaming PC and I was wondering if there was any place where I could improve on the parts. Also, if you think there is a spot where there is a cheaper part that gives that same performance, thats great! The PSU is 750W because in the future I will get another 970, thanks! http://pcpartpicker.com/p/KYPP99 ( also have Windows 8.1 and a 1TB HDD)
 
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($208.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($83.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($319.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Inwin G7 ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 750W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $885.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-23 10:55 EST-0500

saved you 130$, you wont need 250GB SSD since you can go with 120GB SSD+ 1TB HDD in RAID.picked cheaper case since paying 110$ is outrageous for a metal'n plastic box,which got NOTHING TO DO WITH GAMING AND DOESNT IMPROVE PERFORMANCE IN ANY WAY, gigabytes 970 is also 30$ cheaper.
 


I would not recommend placing an SSD and an HDD in RAID. I do agree you don't necessarily need 250gigs for a boot drive - save some money and get a 120 gig SSD, and use the 1TB HDD you have for storage. I also agree with previous posters - why buy a "k" chip and not have the cooling to use it? You need an aftermarket CPU cooler to OC it. If you're not going to OC, why buy k? And you -probably- don't need a Z97 chipset either - you could probably do an H chipset.

Also, while I agree you shouldn't pay too much for a case, it does indirectly improve performance by keeping your components cool. The best GPU in the world will throttle if you don't have adequate cooling. Same with your CPU (which I assume you want to OC).
 
Check this out: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qzyvNG

Basically same amount as money as you were going to spend, but I included a top tier CPU cooler (so you can OC that processor), opted for a smaller SSD to use as a boot drive, and kept your case. Looking at that case, its not cheap, but I think it will provide a good platform for what you want to do. You can have the H100i in the top, 2x 120mm fans in the front to bring air into the case, and the 140mm in the back to exhaust.

I would also check out the GA z97 SLI MoBo, which is on sale right now for 88 I think - save ya 30-40 bucks.
 


to keep GPU cool get a high quality aftermarket cooler instead of case, buying a case over 100$ is like shooting yourself in the leg,sure you can do it if you got enough $ to cover hospital costs.
 
I think I would take Random5's suggestion and opt for the cheaper GA 970...I was nervous because it didn't have many reviews on pcpartpicker.com or newegg, but all the reviews it does have are positive. And it is $30 bucks cheaper.
 
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($67.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Intel 530 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($68.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($319.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cougar Spike MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 750W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $748.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-23 11:19 EST-0500

economic gaming beast.
 
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.92 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Mwave)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($69.93 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($319.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cougar Spike MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 750W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $841.79
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-23 11:22 EST-0500

if you plan to OC and wont mind paying 100$ more.
 


Random5 - I'm assuming he wants to OC. If so, I stand by my recommendation. You swapped out his 4690k for a i4440 - if he's not going to OC, I agree with what you're doing.

But if he is going to OC, he needs an aftermarket CPU cooler ( a good one, 4th gen i5s run hot, right?), and he needs a case that can support the kind of cooling, especially if he lives somewhere with high ambient temps.
 


He said he wants to eventually SLI - you can't do that in that case, right? And while I don't have personal experience OCing 4th gen i5s, it seems like an awful lot of folks have been opting for AIO water cooling instead of air. You sure you can those RAM chips under that air CPU cooler?

You clearly know a lot - I'm not disputing that - but I want to make sure we're taking into account what the OP wants to do. That said, the wisdom of upgrade paths (like allowing for SLI) is debatable, and maybe its worth informing them about that.
 


Alright I'll adjust the build a little.
 
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($88.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($69.93 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($319.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Directron)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 750W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $868.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-23 11:39 EST-0500

170$ cheaper than your build bro.
 


I like this build a lot; I think you're smart to get the gigabyte 970, smart to get a small SSD, you have a nice CPU cooler to OC that thing, and a great power supply (that PSU is a steal, its a quality super superflower I believe).
 
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