First Computer Build Compatibility

[Ethzshadow]

As this is my first computer build I've done quite a bit of research but I'm still not sure if everything here will work together.

My build is:

- Intel Core i5-4690K Processor 3.5 GHz LGA 1150 BX80646I54690K

- EVGA GeForce GTX 960 SuperSC ACX 2.0+ 2GB GDDR5 128bit, PCI-E 3.0 Dual-Link DVI-I, 3 x DP, HDMI, SLI, HDCP, G-SYNC Ready Graphics Cards 02G-P4-2966-KR

- ASUS Z97-A LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

- Seagate 1TB Desktop HDD SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive (ST1000DM003)

- 2x Kingston HyperX FURY 4GB 1600MHz DDR3 CL10 DIMM - White (HX316C10FW/4)

- Seasonic M12II 620 BRONZE ; SS-620GM2 80Plus Power Supply

- NZXT H440 Mid Tower Case (White) (Has 3 120mm fans and 1 140mm fan built in)

- ASUS VS239H-P 23-Inch Full-HD LED IPS Monitor

If you guys have any recommendations for changes or fixes I would like it to keep my budget about the same. But as I stated before, this is my first build and I'm kinda a computer noob at the moment.

I also plan on overclocking my cpu and I've heard that its better to get a better thermal paste and an aftermarket cpu fan.

 

[Rhezner]

there are a few things that i would definitely change. ie. amaount of RAM, CPU, GPU etc

give me a budget an i can build something for you on pcpartpicker.com

 

[DaronMal]

Memory works best in a dual or quad channel configuration, so 2 sticks of 2GB would technically perform faster than 1 stick of 4GB. Yes, if you want to OC, it's recommended you get an aftermarket CPU cooler, you dont really need thermal paste, the stuff it comes with is fine, but you can get it if you want.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($149.99 @ Mwave)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury White 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT H440 (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($108.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($78.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Monitor: Asus VS239H-P 23.0" Monitor ($139.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $971.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-04 22:30 EDT-0400

 

[Rhezner]

the build above has some issues.

4gb of ram is way too small for a build in this price range 8gb minimum.

the motherboard is overkill.

the case is overkill

the GPU is too cheap and the CPU is too overkill.

Just give me a budget.

 

[DaronMal]

the build above has some issues.

4gb of ram is way too small for a build in this price range 8gb minimum.

the motherboard is overkill.

the case is overkill

the GPU is too cheap and the CPU is too overkill.

Just give me a budget.

That's his build, I just built it for him on pcpartpicker so everyone has the same build to work off of. But I agree, it's really unbalanced.

 

[Rhezner]

oh sorry, I thought you had changed it but i guess not.

 

[Ethzshadow]

Meant to put that I have two sticks of RAM, and I'll definitely pick up a cpu cooler, I was thinking a hyper 212 evo? Would that be enough for some OCing? And my budget is about $1075, $1100 at most.

 

[Rhezner]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/4G7kZL
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/4G7kZL/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($166.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($67.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.49 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 390 8GB PCS+ Video Card ($309.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Antec Neo Eco 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Acer G257HU smidpx 60Hz 25.0" Monitor ($259.99 @ B&H)
Total: $993.18
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-04 22:44 EDT-0400

this build is worlds better and you can add an ssd like the bx100 or the 850 evo if you want one.

 

[DaronMal]

Meant to put that I have two sticks of RAM, and I'll definitely pick up a cpu cooler, I was thinking a hyper 212 evo? Would that be enough for some OCing? And my budget is about $1075, $1100 at most.

With $1k you can get a very good build, and yes, the CM Hyper 212 EVO is fine for overclocking, basically anything BUT the stock cooler will be good for overclocking.

 

[DaronMal]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($25.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($67.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.49 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($102.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 390 8GB PCS+ Video Card ($309.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($66.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($82.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Monitor: Acer G257HU smidpx 60Hz 25.0" Monitor ($259.99 @ B&H)
Total: $1240.09
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-04 22:48 EDT-0400

Slight modification to add the unlocked CPU and CPU Cooler and a more reliable PSU. If this is over your budget too much, the SSD can be removed.

 

[Rhezner]

the supernova nex is a tier 3 PSU

and i think the e3 1231 v3 is better in that price range but the i5 4460 is all he really needs.

 

[DaronMal]

the supernova nex is a tier 3 PSU

and i think the e3 1231 v3 is better in that price range but the i5 4460 is all he really needs.

I totally didnt mean to pick that one...there's like 90 different SuperNOVA's and I picked the worst lmao. Good catch.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($25.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($67.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.49 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($102.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 390 8GB PCS+ Video Card ($309.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($66.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Acer G257HU smidpx 60Hz 25.0" Monitor ($259.99 @ B&H)
Total: $1237.09
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-04 23:00 EDT-0400

There, the correct PSU I meant to pick the first time. He said he wanted to OC, so I added the 4690k back.

 

[Ethzshadow]

I personally don't really understand as much about the motherboard and PSU, so I'll go with those instead. But I do want to know why that motherboard is better than the one I selected and if it would be easy to upgrade from that one. The RAM I'll probably keep the Hyperx Fury 4gb x2 as it is made to OC to DDR3-1833 when plugged in and I really like their brand as customer support and value goes. How come you switched to the Radeon R9 instead? And are you aware that the 960 I have chosen has better cooling and is SuperClocked? And why do you think I should change screens? As I don't really find the 10ms response time to 3ms response time as well as 2" increase worth another $115? I'm not really trying to prove you wrong and me right, but I would at least like to know why these are considered better than my build.

 

[Ethzshadow]

Thanks TechNeeeQ, just finalizing the build tonight. (And still doing so) Should be ordering tomorrow as to have all my pieces by Friday and Monday. Gonna have time to enjoy my new computer before school starts up. And also I'm looking for a keyboard, mouse, and cheap dualspeaker set up (For when I have a friend over and my headphones aren't an option) within a $60 setup range, preferably mostly white with some black to match the rest of my build.

 

[Rhezner]

@Ethzshadow

the monitor picked is 1440p vs 1080p which is a huge difference, it is also ips.

@TechNeeQ

he is spending a bit too much on the CPU and too little on the GPU, a 4460 and a 290 would game way better.

and he is spending way too much on the motherboard so no his original build is not balanced.

just get this
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/4G7kZL

 

[DaronMal]

I personally don't really understand as much about the motherboard and PSU, so I'll go with those instead. But I do want to know why that motherboard is better than the one I selected and if it would be easy to upgrade from that one. The RAM I'll probably keep the Hyperx Fury 4gb x2 as it is made to OC to DDR3-1833 when plugged in and I really like their brand as customer support and value goes. How come you switched to the Radeon R9 instead? And are you aware that the 960 I have chosen has better cooling and is SuperClocked? And why do you think I should change screens? As I don't really find the 10ms response time to 3ms response time as well as 2" increase worth another $115? I'm not really trying to prove you wrong and me right, but I would at least like to know why these are considered better than my build.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($25.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury White 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($48.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 390 8GB Video Card ($329.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($66.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Asus VS239H-P 23.0" Monitor ($139.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1100.29
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-04 23:28 EDT-0400

Motherboards and PSU's are somewhat the same, they can both be ranked in tiers, based on build quality, stability, etc. I chose a new one, it's one of the best motherboards without going into the ridiculous ones. A bit expensive, but it will probably serve you until it's outdated. The Radeon R9 390 is a far better card overall, it will run hot, but the CM Hyper 212 EVO will help that, along with the case fans. I changed your screen back to the original one because it was a big price jump for not much gain.

 

[Ethzshadow]

What I don't understand is that the R9 390 has a much slower clock speed then the GTX 960 SC+ I've picked, so how can it be faster.

 

[DaronMal]

What I don't understand is that the R9 390 has a much slower clock speed then the GTX 960 SC+ I've picked, so how can it be faster.

4x the memory, makes loading WAY faster. It's like RAM, but 100% dedicated to graphical processing, instead of sending it to the RAM, then sending it back, it's stored on the card itself, and stores a lot more than the 960, meaning it can handle higher loads of quality like HD textures. The R9 390 also has 4x the memory interface, meaning it can transfer the data faster, 4x faster than the 960, meaning it's memory is 4x that of the 960 overall. It's weaker in a few ways to the 960, but by very little, but where it's better than the 960, it's FAR better. Much better deal overall.

 

[Rhezner]

clock speed and number of cores do not determine how powerful a processor is, the r9 390 is WAY better than a 960

Just look at it vs tha gtx 970 which is a tier above the 960
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZqkid-z40s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9cKZiJw6Pk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udXCusTnRsY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZWqxclHV_Y

you need to look at benchmarks to determine how powerful a processor is.

 

[Ethzshadow]

Alright, I can understand that, but I am curious. What does the clock speed affect then?

 

[DaronMal]

Alright, I can understand that, but I am curious. What does the clock speed affect then?

Clock speeds can't really be compared when talking about 2 separate architecture's together. Yes, the 960 technically will be fast, but that's like comparing a cheetah (GTX 960) to a jet (R9 390). Yeah, cheetah's are fast, but jets are faster. They're newer, more efficient, better technology.

 

[Rhezner]

Alright, I can understand that, but I am curious. What does the clock speed affect then?

Clock speed affects performance but cant be used to compare different CPUs.

a 5960x has 8 cores at 3ghz and an fx 8350 has 8 cores at 4 ghz. The 5960x costs about 7x as much. But the 5960x blows the 8350 out of the water

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117404&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-PC&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-PC-_-pla-_-Processors+-+Desktops-_-N82E16819117404&gclid=CjwKEAjwxYGuBRCtoqjkrIPDqDwSJAAnd-rCM8NVg-rntsXF-TrJ6IHbyBcreWgw4wwt7gsYEjugxxoCWNTw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113284&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-PC&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-PC-_-pla-_-Processors+-+Desktops-_-N82E16819113284&gclid=CjwKEAjwxYGuBRCtoqjkrIPDqDwSJAAnd-rCpPANYC3gd_Yu3WldHyYDRvQRGSXryqXSKIGCVTZekBoCZ_Dw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

when you increase the clock speed of a CPU you increase its performance but you cant use this to compare completely different architectures

all of this applies to GPUs as well

 

[Ethzshadow]

Can I? And do I want to overclock the R9 390?

 

[Rhezner]

yeah you should overclock your GPU. Just look up some guides on how to do it. It is basically free performance.

 

[Rhezner]

and i would recommend the 1440p ips monitor in this build with an r9 390.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/4G7kZL