Build Review - Gaming PC

[kighr]

Below is the build I'm planning to finalize tomorrow. Just wanted to throw it out there to see if there are any strong objections to components. Probably where I feel least strongly is the cooler.

Additionally, I was thinking of swapping the H440 for a Phantom 630 so if anyone has thoughts/experience there that would be much appreciated.

The rig will be used for gaming (near-term FarCry and Assassin's Creed), and I want max settings and 60fps. I only have 1080 monitors now, but I will likely upgrade to either 1440 or 5760x1080 later, and I'll add a second 970 for that.

Finally, I have Window 7...is it worth upgrading to Windows 8? And am I right to think there is no longer a need for dedicated sound cards?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Thermaltake Water 2.0 Extreme 81.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($137.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 7 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($369.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT H440 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($149.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1489.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-31 00:20 EDT-0400

 

[hairybalsagna87]

Personally I like the Phantom 630 better, but its what u like better. I think windows 8.1 is worth the upgrade and is better then 7 but some people disagree with me. I never use a dedicated sound card any more, the on board Realtek is is great and I use a Razer Tiamat 7.1.. Btw do you have a microcenter by you? look on there web site, you can get the cpu and mobo bundle for $309.98

 

[Broliinneed]

Nearly identical to the one that was suggested for me earlier, you even have the case I added.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/BYr9RB
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/BYr9RB/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.97 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-G55 SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($117.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($76.71 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.97 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($349.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT H440 (Blue/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($90.26 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1263.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-31 00:41 EDT-0400

I was told that the liquid cooling wasn't needed unless planning to overclock.

 

[Skylarz]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($329.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($69.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($137.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($369.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT H440 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($25.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1166.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-31 03:01 EDT-0400

CPU: Since you're doing over 1080p I think i7 should be your cpu instead because the cpu usage may hit 100%
CPU cooler: Extremely silent and great for overclocking
Mobo: ASUS mobos are the best and this one is a Z97 so also great for overclocking
Memory: Keep it simple and add another 8gb when you get another monitor (or just buy 16gb right now)
HDD: From my own experience I have 3TB right now with over a hundred games installed and I still have 1.5TB left so you can just uninstall if u need space
Case: I would buy a cheaper case because $200 for a case is not worth it. My usual range would be $50-$80 (corsair 200r/300r)
PSU: Your use of power is extremely low because intel and nvidia's 970 don't use a lot of power so the 550W from xfx is excellent for ur build

Oh and for the OS I'm using Win 7 and I might switch when the new OS comes out. The only reason I don't like win8.1 because it looks like a tablet. It's all personal choice

 

[kighr]

Thanks. I'll check out some of these other parts today.

last time I showed an i7 in my build, pretty much everyone suggested an i5.

 

[Skylarz]

Thanks. I'll check out some of these other parts today.

last time I showed an i7 in my build, pretty much everyone suggested an i5.

Ya next gen games are starting to recommend i7 for max quality