Building first desktop in the next two months - need advice

[BurtKocain]

I became interested in building my own PC a few months back. I'd like to have a panacea PC that will run games at near top-of-the-line speeds and graphics for the next year or two, plus be good for storing music, movies, etc., and I could use for any office or school work I may have. My budget is about $1500. I came across a site called LogicalIncrements - I'm looking in the outstanding range in the link below.

http://www.logicalincrements.com/#ssdInfoToggle

I already started planning which parts I'll probably use as well.

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/BurtKocain/saved/#savedbuild_1097053

I plan on getting Windows 7 for cheap from my school. Does this setup look good? I don't live near a microcenter (nearest one is about 500 miles away...), so I'll have to get most of these online. Would it be wise to add in a fan cooler or a thermal compound (not sure what the latter would useful for)?

Any input is greatly appreciated.

 

[CTurbo]

Looks good. I could make a few small changes, but it's a pretty solid build already.


Oh wait I just noticed that is the regular 4670 and not the 4670k. Were you planning on overclocking? You have to have the 4670k if you want to overclock. If not, you can get a much cheaper motherboard and cpu cooler.


Here is the K model

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3Il82
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3Il82/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3Il82/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($47.91 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-GD65 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($142.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.43 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 290 4GB DirectCU II Video Card ($429.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill THOR V2 ATX Full Tower Case ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 650W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: HP DVD1265I DVD/CD Writer ($39.99 @ Best Buy)
Monitor: Asus VE248Q 24.0" Monitor ($167.99 @ NCIX US)
Wireless Network Adapter: Belkin E9L6000 802.11a/b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($45.99 @ Mac Mall)
Keyboard: Gear Head KBL5925W Wireless Standard Keyboard w/Laser Mouse ($27.24 @ Amazon)
Total: $1461.48
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-11 23:12 EDT-0400)

 

[CTurbo]

Here is my take. I'm not a fan of overclocking so I saved enough money to add a ssd for windows and double your storage. I also threw in an i7(Xeon) and a better psu.


PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3Ilm8
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3Ilm8/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3Ilm8/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1240 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($267.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI H87-G43 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($74.79 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($66.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($83.97 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($379.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill THOR V2 ATX Full Tower Case ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Platinum 650W 80+ Platinum Certified ATX Power Supply ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: HP DVD1265I DVD/CD Writer ($39.99 @ Best Buy)
Monitor: Asus VE248Q 24.0" Monitor ($167.99 @ NCIX US)
Wireless Network Adapter: Belkin E9L6000 802.11a/b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($45.99 @ Mac Mall)
Keyboard: Gear Head KBL5925W Wireless Standard Keyboard w/Laser Mouse ($27.24 @ Amazon)
Total: $1434.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-11 23:20 EDT-0400)

 

[BurtKocain]

Looks good. I could make a few small changes, but it's a pretty solid build already.


Oh wait I just noticed that is the regular 4670 and not the 4670k. Were you planning on overclocking? You have to have the 4670k if you want to overclock. If not, you can get a much cheaper motherboard and cpu cooler.


Here is the K model

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3Il82
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3Il82/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3Il82/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($47.91 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-GD65 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($142.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.43 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 290 4GB DirectCU II Video Card ($429.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill THOR V2 ATX Full Tower Case ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 650W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: HP DVD1265I DVD/CD Writer ($39.99 @ Best Buy)
Monitor: Asus VE248Q 24.0" Monitor ($167.99 @ NCIX US)
Wireless Network Adapter: Belkin E9L6000 802.11a/b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($45.99 @ Mac Mall)
Keyboard: Gear Head KBL5925W Wireless Standard Keyboard w/Laser Mouse ($27.24 @ Amazon)
Total: $1461.48
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-11 23:12 EDT-0400)

Thanks for the reponse.

How much of a difference does overclocking really make? All it does is increase speed, right? At the expense of power usage of course. How much extra power does it require? Would my speed be good/great without it?

You mentioned a cheaper motherboard. Does the more expensive one come with any additional features other than allowing overclocking that the cheaper one doesn't?

 

[logainofhades]

Did some build modification, and was able to squeeze in a 290x and a 240gb SSD, while staying close to original budget.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($244.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock B85 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($83.98 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 290X 4GB PCS+ Video Card ($527.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.50 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Dell E2414H 24.0" Monitor ($148.00 @ B&H)
Wireless Network Adapter: Belkin E9L6000 802.11a/b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($45.99 @ Mac Mall)
Keyboard: Gear Head KBL5925W Wireless Standard Keyboard w/Laser Mouse ($27.24 @ Amazon)
Total: $1497.62
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-12 11:29 EDT-0400)

 

[BurtKocain]

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/BurtKocain/saved/#savedbuild_1097053

With your recommendations, I revised my parts list. Let me know if all of these are compatible with one another.

 

[logainofhades]

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/BurtKocain/saved/#savedbuild_1097053

With your recommendations, I revised my parts list. Let me know if all of these are compatible with one another.

Yes they are compatible, but here is a modified version, that I believe will be better for you overall. For about the same cost, you have i7 performance and an option for SLI/CF. 😉

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($244.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($18.15 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($66.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.44 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 290 4GB DirectCU II Video Card ($429.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill THOR V2 ATX Full Tower Case ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.50 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Pioneer BDR-208DBK Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($65.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Monitor: Asus VE248Q 24.0" Monitor ($187.99 @ NCIX US)
Wireless Network Adapter: Belkin E9L6000 802.11a/b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($45.99 @ Mac Mall)
Keyboard: Gear Head KBL5925W Wireless Standard Keyboard w/Laser Mouse ($27.24 @ Amazon)
Total: $1526.22
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-12 11:55 EDT-0400)

 

[CTurbo]

How much of a difference does overclocking really make? All it does is increase speed, right? At the expense of power usage of course. How much extra power does it require? Would my speed be good/great without it?

You mentioned a cheaper motherboard. Does the more expensive one come with any additional features other than allowing overclocking that the cheaper one doesn't?

Overclocking does not make that much difference. It is not worth all the extra cost. These Intel cpus are plenty fast enough without being overclocked. The Z87 motherboard offers two features that the H87 motherboard does not. Overclocking, and SLI/crossfire support. If you will not be doing either, the H87 or even B85 motherboard will be fine. The Xeons that we are offering you are i7s in disguise. They would perform just like an i7 4770 in all tasks. The only difference between the 1230v3 and 1240v3 is 100mhz. I still like my $1434.90 build the best. That 650w Antec psu is top notch quality and is $5 less than that Rosewill. It's hard to pass that up.