Build-in-Progress Reviews & Suggestions

[thenoobpunisher]

I'm in the process of putting together an ultimate gaming build over the summer. This will be the first PC that I've put built, so I'm not quite as familiar with specifics, brands, speeds, etc. Basically I just want a PC that's ridiculously amazing - not a budget build - with lightning-fast speed and the graphical capability of simultaneously running 2 monitors (one for playing games on max settings @ 60+ FPS and the other for web browsing & basic desktop functions). This PC will be my gaming system for the next few years so want to make sure that it's future-proof and won't need to be upgraded any time soon, while still keeping up a high performance. I will also probably end up needing a wireless network adapter in the future.

Full List: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/g88qBm

Notes:

• ■ Don't bother with critiquing parts that are marked "(Purchased)" or parts that are peripherals.
  ■ Yes, I know that there are no case fans listed yet. I recently decided on another NZXT case and I still need choose the fans for it.
  ■ Don't worry about the CPU cooler being marked as incompatible with the case or certain parts being marked as $0.00.

 

[pigsinspace72]

Did you already buy the 4770k? Also why 2 different size monitors?

 

[i7Baby]

For gaming, you won't need an i7 or top end motherboard.

Get an i5 4690k and ASRock Z97 Extreme 4 instead per http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/mainstream-gaming-z97-motherboard,3824.html

And you'll only need 8gb ram

I'd prefer the Ausu GTX780. But that's just my preference - cool and quiet.

The 780 needs a 600W psu. Get a good quality one per http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1804779/power-supply-unit-tier-list.html

eg Corsair TX, HX or AX, Seasonic, Antec HCG, XFX - all made by Seasonic

I'd just get one 60Hz, 24in monitor eg Asus 248

Do you need a blu-ray writer? DVD writers are only $20.

 

[badboyrog2]

your rig look good so far...but i do not like the mobo / memory /cpu cooler colors mixed ( red with blue???)
do you do some video editing / cfd ??? because i7 cpu not necessary at all for gaming

 

[Martell1977]

I would swap out the GTX 780 for a R9 290x from Sapphire, ASUS or XFX. The 290x is more powerful but for the same or similar price as the 780.

 

[muneebansari]

Brother, I was in the same boat as you were. Had the same requirements and similar (no) restrictions on budget. After lots of research, I got myself an awesome PC. Specs below. Couldn't be happier.
http://pcpartpicker.com/b/g7Yrxr

Some suggestions (considering you haven't purchased anything):

For Future Proofing:
Mobo: Go with a Z97 Board. You can upgrade to Broadwell in 2015 if you feel like it
PSU: Go with at least 850W or, better yet a 1000W PSU in case you want to SLI another 780 later. Definitely 1000W if you want to SLI and overclock since you have listed 4770K.

Quality:
I went with Asus + Corsair Combo. Considered the best money can buy.
So I would switch the RAM and SSD to Corsair .. no sacrifice on performance compared to G.Skill and Samsung but for a better post-sales service with Corsair (they replace non-Corsair damaged parts in case a Corsair part damages it!)

Optimization:
GPU: I went with Asus 780 3GB DirectCU II because its considered the most overclockable out of all 780s. I already have it at 1230 MHz GPU Clock and 7200 Hz for mem clock. Performance difference on Furmark is from Average 68 FPS on default clocks to average 84 FPS on overclock.
And stick to Nvidia. As much as I love the underdogs, AMD is nowhere near Nvidia (PhysX, ShadowPlay, In-house-streaming, better driver support). And I don't wanna start a fan-boy war .. but I would still go with Nvidia.
HDD: WD Caviar Black is overkill. Go with Caviar Blue. Try getting 2 TB instead of 1. I have my PC for a week and its already running out of storage (thanks for the Steam sales)
Monitor: I went with Dell specifically because of the thin bezel so I can Nvidia Surround later and the fact that its the best IPS display with a gaming-grade GTG response time and input lag. I even managed to overclock it to 74 Hz so the games look even more beautiful. Read the TFTCentral review for U2414H, it has less input lag than Asus VGE248Q (144Hz). I'm absolutely killing it in Titanfall (thanks to the overclock) and Witcher 2, Dark Souls 2 never felt more immersive thanks to the beautiful IPS

Aesthetics:
One more reason why I went with Asus and Corsair is because now the insides of my PC are all Red and Black which looks absolutely gorgeous. And the outsides are all green (Razer) which is calming for the eyes during long hours of gaming (longest run I have had is 12 hours).

Hope this helps.

 

[thenoobpunisher]

Did you already buy the 4770k? Also why 2 different size monitors?

Yes I already have the the CPU. The 24" monitor is for gaming and the 21.5" is just for web browsing, basic tasks, and watching videos in HD.

 

[thenoobpunisher]

For gaming, you won't need an i7 or top end motherboard.

Get an i5 4690k and ASRock Z97 Extreme 4 instead per http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/mainstream-gaming-z97-motherboard,3824.html

And you'll only need 8gb ram

I'd prefer the Ausu GTX780. But that's just my preference - cool and quiet.

The 780 needs a 600W psu. Get a good quality one per http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1804779/power-supply-unit-tier-list.html

eg Corsair TX, HX or AX, Seasonic, Antec HCG, XFX - all made by Seasonic

I'd just get one 60Hz, 24in monitor eg Asus 248

Do you need a blu-ray writer? DVD writers are only $20.

Need? What is this "need" you speak of? :lol: If you haven't realized, I'm kind of going for the enthusiast/extremist build here. I already know that much of it is overboard.

• 
  ■ I already have the processor, and I may use it for multimedia (most likely video editing) in the future. I'll be going to college soon and I might take a few computer courses. If not, I might take a few courses outside of school.
  ■ The RAM is high, although I want smooth and quick operating while I'm playing games and doing other tasks back and forth.
  ■ Currently I'm thinking of going with an even larger power supply in case of future upgrades, which means another GTX 780 in SLI. The estimated wattage would be about 707W, so I want plenty of room for even more add-ons and accessories.
  ■ The 24" monitor is purely for games, mainly PC gaming and probably a bit of Basically I want a monitor that's a good size, has an amazing display, and virtually no video lag. I'm kind of trying to minimize lag, both video and internet-wise, as much as possible here for an optimal gaming experience and so that multiplayer matches aren't behind but up-to-date as much as possible. The 21.5" is just for basic multitasking while gaming, like internet browsing, running other programs, and basic desktop use. Pretty much all I need for this is a basic HD monitor that isn't very expensive.
  ■ The blu-ray writer was actually a gift. I told the person buying it exactly which optical drive I wanted but I ended up with the DVD & Blu-ray

■

 

[thenoobpunisher]

your rig look good so far...but i do not like the mobo / memory /cpu cooler colors mixed ( red with blue ??? )
do you do some video editing / cfd ??? because i7 cpu not necessary at all for gaming

I'll probably end up doing some other tasks besides gaming in the future, such as a bit of video editing, photo editing, and running a small game server.

Yeah I know that the red looks kind of funky in the middle of a blue setup, but I doubt that it will really be that visible after everything is put together. I'll be putting in blue LEDs too, so that will probably fade out any bit of red that still pops through.

 

[thenoobpunisher]

I would swap out the GTX 780 for a R9 290x from Sapphire, ASUS or XFX. The 290x is more powerful but for the same or similar price as the 780.

I've kind of decided to go with Nvidia since it seems that their graphics cards get the job done pretty well when it comes to game graphics. Also I'll probably add a second 780 later on.

 

[thenoobpunisher]

Brother, I was in the same boat as you were. Had the same requirements and similar (no) restrictions on budget. After lots of research, I got myself an awesome PC. Specs below. Couldn't be happier.
http://pcpartpicker.com/b/g7Yrxr

Some suggestions (considering you haven't purchased anything):

For Future Proofing:
Mobo: Go with a Z97 Board. You can upgrade to Broadwell in 2015 if you feel like it
PSU: Go with at least 850W or, better yet a 1000W PSU in case you want to SLI another 780 later. Definitely 1000W if you want to SLI and overclock since you have listed 4770K.

Quality:
I went with Asus + Corsair Combo. Considered the best money can buy.
So I would switch the RAM and SSD to Corsair .. no sacrifice on performance compared to G.Skill and Samsung but for a better post-sales service with Corsair (they replace non-Corsair damaged parts in case a Corsair part damages it!)

Optimization:
GPU: I went with Asus 780 3GB DirectCU II because its considered the most overclockable out of all 780s. I already have it at 1230 MHz GPU Clock and 7200 Hz for mem clock. Performance difference on Furmark is from Average 68 FPS on default clocks to average 84 FPS on overclock.
And stick to Nvidia. As much as I love the underdogs, AMD is nowhere near Nvidia (PhysX, ShadowPlay, In-house-streaming, better driver support). And I don't wanna start a fan-boy war .. but I would still go with Nvidia.
HDD: WD Caviar Black is overkill. Go with Caviar Blue. Try getting 2 TB instead of 1. I have my PC for a week and its already running out of storage (thanks for the Steam sales)
Monitor: I went with Dell specifically because of the thin bezel so I can Nvidia Surround later and the fact that its the best IPS display with a gaming-grade GTG response time and input lag. I even managed to overclock it to 74 Hz so the games look even more beautiful. Read the TFTCentral review for U2414H, it has less input lag than Asus VGE248Q (144Hz). I'm absolutely killing it in Titanfall (thanks to the overclock) and Witcher 2, Dark Souls 2 never felt more immersive thanks to the beautiful IPS

Aesthetics:
One more reason why I went with Asus and Corsair is because now the insides of my PC are all Red and Black which looks absolutely gorgeous. And the outsides are all green (Razer) which is calming for the eyes during long hours of gaming (longest run I have had is 12 hours).

Hope this helps.

• ■ Would it really make a difference if I just went with a Z87 for a couple of years (I already have it by the way)?
  ■ I do plan on adding another 780 in the future, and probably more accessories. In terms of the graphics card, for now I'm planning on a 3GB 780, but EVGA also has a 6GB for about another $80. I'm having a hard time choosing whether I should get the 3 or the 6. I'll want to run current and new games on max settings at >60 FPS. Suggestions?
  ■ The RAM was chosen based on speed, having 16GB obviously, and having a low profile for that honking CPU cooler. Originally I was looking at Corsair Vengeance, but it had those stupid spikes coming out of the top and I doubted that it would fit.
  ■ I already have one WD Black hard drive, but I'll take your advice for additions, since I'll likewise end up running out of room because of Steam sales. Hit me up on Steam if you need more friends for AAA multiplayer games in the future.
  
  
  
  Disclaimer: No, this is not a real stripper, and it's not even a woman.
  ■ The 24" Asus monitor is for gaming. What I want out of the monitor I use for gaming is being able to play with high quality graphics and nearly no video lag (also have to use a wireless internet connection down the road so if any suggestions for preventing internet lag and maintaining a quick, strong connection during multiplayer matches that would be greatly appreciated).
  ■ Lastly I doubt that I'll be overclocking anything because I would have no idea what to do, I don't want to break anything, the CPU goes up to about 4GHz on turbo, and the graphics card is already pretty powerful anyways. Also does overclocking really shorten part lifespan?
  

 

[muneebansari]

Need for Z97: No (specially since you have the Z87 already) It's only good if you want to upgrade to Broadwell later.
EVGA 780 6GB: Just so you know, you need more RAM for multi-monitor or 1440p/2K/4K resolutions. 2GB is good for 60+ FPS 1080p at max settings for games out now and available in the foreseeable future. But if you still want 6GB then: http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/asus_geforce_gtx_780_strix_6_gb_graphics_card_review,1.html

Monitor: Lag-free and High-Quality graphics are two ends of the spectrum. You need a TN display for lag-free yet horrendous graphics and IPS display for lagged yet gorgeous graphics. The Dell I mentioned is right in the middle. A beautiful IPS with gaming-grade (lack of) lag. Target 8 ms GTA response for your casual competitive gaming. 1 ms 144hz combo is for professional competitive gaming like MLG. Do consider that you're planning to do some editing and graphics work later .. color reproduction matters a lot then and the TN will screw you over in that.

Oveclocking: Not overclocking a K series processor or GPU is like being married to a stripper and not getting free lap dances.
Although CPU clocking requires some knowledge.
GPU overclocking is trivial .. it's about moving around some sliders until the display adapter fails and then moving the sliders one notch back.
And no .. it doesn't impact the lifespan (if you don't get greedy and over-volt the C/GPUs). If it did, all the manufacturers wouldnt overclock the reference design out of the box and they wouldn't provide overclocking utilities like Asus' GPU Tweak and Precision X and wouldn't design overclock able components (Z and X series mobos and K series processors).

Internet Connection:
Nothing you can do there mate. It depends on how good your connection is, how good game servers are (unless it's P2P) and how good your buddies/opponents connection is.Just get a Wireless N or AC adapter when you feel like it, put all the torrents on pause .. game away and pray that the other factors don't screw you up with lag.