First Time Build for Gaming

[jedifan42]

Hello everyone, first time forum user here. I've been looking into building my first computer lately and while I've settled on a parts list that I think will fit my desires while also allowing room for future upgrades in terms of graphics, memory, and storage, I'd definitely appreciate some feedback from people who've done this before.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($249.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($149.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($108.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($83.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 Ti 3GB Video Card ($218.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Azza Solano 1000R ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 650W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($48.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($88.88 @ Outlet PC)
Other: Rosewill Mounting Kit for 3.5" Drive Bay ($9.99)
Total: $1234.75
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-09 23:58 EDT-0400)

Some brief background, as I mentioned in the title this build will be used almost exclusively for gaming. At this time I'm not looking to overclock as I'm already moving into uncharted territory with attempting this build and would prefer to take things one step at a time. As far as budget goes, while I don't want to find my costs spiraling out of control, if I can replace a component on my list with something else for $20-$30 more without having to upgrade, and more importantly up-price, a bunch of other parts on my list then I'm all for it.

 

[Tradesman1]

I'd suggest going the K, it's within your price wall and can OC later (i.e. for most, just setting the multiplier to 4 or 41 is all you need to OC to that - no other adjustments needed and will have the option to go higher in the future, also would change the mobo, maybe to the Asus Z87-A, I won't build on MSI, poor QC and support. Might also look to 1866/9 DRAM, basically the same price and more bandwith/little better overall performance

 

[jedifan42]

I'd suggest going the K, it's within your price wall and can OC later (i.e. for most, just setting the multiplier to 4 or 41 is all you need to OC to that - no other adjustments needed and will have the option to go higher in the future, also would change the mobo, maybe to the Asus Z87-A, I won't build on MSI, poor QC and support. Might also look to 1866/9 DRAM, basically the same price and more bandwith/little better overall performance

Thanks, good to know. Actually switched my planned build over to a i5-4670K, good deal cheaper, only slightly slower clock speed than the i7-4770/4770K, and uses same socket so didn't have to change anything else.

Looking at the specs for both the 4770 and 4670K, Intel says they only support DDR3-1333/1600, though from looking at one of your other posts it would seem that's not necessarily the case. I took a look at the specs for the ASUS Z87-A and in the list of supported memory all speeds higher than 1600 are marked with an (OC). Does memory speed higher than 1600 only work using Intel CPUs if overclocked or should it be fine as is?

Finally, looking ahead at the possibility of overclocking and adding in additional HDDs and/or SSDs in the future, I used an online Power Supply Calculator to find out what sort of power needs I would potentially have. While I may have overestimated the power needs of certain components, the final recommended power was around 1100W. For now, the 650W PSU should be fine for the initial build, but I'm wondering if it makes sense to go ahead and get a PSU that can fully support what I may add in the future or to wait and upgrade later if the need arises.

 

[Tradesman1]

Generally mobo makers add the (OC) after a given, supported DRAM freq to let folks know than an OC of the CPU MAY be required to run at the full freq, in large part this has just been around for ever....i.e. with the older 775 mobos you'd see the (OC) next to any any freq that was over and above the mobos FSB....say you had a Q6600 and a mobo that that ran on a stock 1066 FSB - the CPU ran at 2.4 and you could run DRAM up to 1066 - then you want DRAM that runs 1333 to run it, the FSB has to at least equal the DRAM freq to run the DRAM at full freq....raising the FSB to 1333 also raises the CPU core speed (here to 3 GHz from 2.4 GHz - thus OCing the CPU (could of course then lower the multiplier - but in effect to run DRAM at a higher freq must OC the rig - Many believe it means you have to OC the RAM - which is incorrect

Any way, today it's different but basically the same, Intel Haswell CPUs have a native MC (memory controller) freq is 1600, most of the better Haswell's can handle up to about 1866 with no OC and some can go higher, but get an entry level Intel Haswell and it might night be able to run 1866 - and they can't really be OCed.....The K model CPUs can handle most any DRAM - the 4670K can typically run up to 2666 DRAM and many higher, many of the 4770Ks can handle a fair amount of 3000 and up DRAM

For PSUs what you list will carry your rig, I normally suggest a bit more, so you can add on later, 1100 will carry a very serious SLI or XFire rig (3way), one thing on PSUs always check what the continuous power is, many these days advertise at peak power - i.3. one advertised at 800 Watts, might actually be more like a 650 continuous

 

[sacara21]

I would suggest getting a better GPU. If you want to stay on an Nvidia card, then I would go with the EVGA GTX 760. Its only $30 more than the one you have listed

 

[sacara21]

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.98 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($83.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 4GB Video Card ($309.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Azza Solano 1000R ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ Microcenter)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($48.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1232.86

Here I tried to come up with something that was similar to your build but included the gtx 760.

 

[jedifan42]

Guess I should post my newly tweaked build first, realized PC PartPicker didn't have the exact case I wanted listed, the version with blue LEDs has a better deal than the one with red LEDs, why, I'm not sure.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($108.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($83.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 Ti 3GB Video Card ($230.91 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Fortress 750W 80 PLUS Platinum Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($48.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($88.88 @ Outlet PC)
Other: Rosewill Mounting Kit for 3.5" Drive Bay ($9.99)
Other: Case: AZZA Solano 1000 ($79.99)
Total: $1149.69
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-11 00:21 EDT-0400)

I also upgraded the PSU to 750W, found a pretty in-depth review stating that it wan pretty close to rated efficency, but want to leave a bit of wiggle room in the system.

Couple questions about your suggestions. First off I saw that you chose Windows 7 for the OS. I've been waffling back and forth between 7 and 8, especially since this is for gaming and most of the differences between 7 and 8 seem to be visual, much of which seems to be reversable in Windows 8 through 3rd party programs. That being said, there does seem to be some basis for Windows 8 giving slightly better FPS, we're talking 5-10% and it also appears that Windows 8 gives you the ability to reinstall the OS on a different computer without purchasing a new license, assuming you remove it from the prior machine. Granted, this is all based on information posted by others and not from experience so if you have a particularly strong reason for going with Windows 7 I'd be happy to hear it.

Secondly, I noticed that you added a CPU cooler to the parts list. My (quite possibly flawed) understanding was that as long at the CPU is not marked "OEM" then it will come packaged with its' own cooler. Granted, I would imagine that more powerful cooling systems can be purchased which would improve CPU performance and extend its' lifespan and the one you picked is ~$30, right in my threshold for upgrading components to get a good deal of improvement. However I'm wondering how much "Bang for my Buck" I'll get from buying a separate CPU cooler.

Finally regarding Video Cards. The GTX 760 does look pretty nice and from some of the stuff I've read it sounds like that extra gig of RAM can make a big difference with high settings and large numbers of textures. That being said it is a rather large price bump over the GTX 660 Ti, almost $80, factoring in the NewEgg combo deal I had for the video card and the memory. I had already figured that several years down the line I'd upgrade the video card so I guess this really becomes a question of the effectiveness of future proofing and whether the $80 now is worth it or if the price of maybe a GTX 770 or even GTX 780 will drop enough in the future to make it worth waiting. Any thoughts?

 

[sacara21]

About Windows 7... I have only heard horror stories about windows 8 and gaming, but I have heard recently that more people are moving towards it. Honestly, its just personal preference. I simply put windows 7 because that is what I would do. Regarding the claims about higher FPS and being able to move it from one machine to another, I have no idea. Sorry I can't help you there.

The PSU looks good. Platinum certified, 750W, but the only downside is it is non-modular. Cable management might be a bit of a pain but shouldn't be too bad if you have a spacious case.

And yes, I did add an aftermarket CPU cooler. Yes, they do come with a stock cooler, but it is noisy and inefficient. I chose the 212 EVO because it is a simple air cooler that is relatively quiet. It's good enough for mild overclocking as well. What I mean by that is 4.0GHz would be too much for that simple air fan and heat-sink. And also people have talked about how the Haswell chipset has higher heat output. But I haven't noticed any problems with temps in my own personal machine ( I run a i5-4670k with the 212 EVO). And for $30 this is a great fan, and great for you, it's right in your price point. I would suggest picking it up. Relatively easy to install and is a good temporary cooler if you plan on overclocking in the future.

And finally for the GPU. The reason I put the 760 is that if this computer is that you said in your original post that this rig will be exclusively for gaming. With that being said, when you are building a gaming machine the one place where you really don't want to skimp is your GPU. Gaming is very taxing on your GPU and not so much on your processor. You are already spending $230 on your CPU and $230 on your GPU. Some people would tell you that if your budget is really that taxed then you should downgrade the cpu and mobo to a z77 and 3570k to use that extra money to put towards your GPU. But I would not condone that, I would say stick with the newer chipset. Basically what I'm saying is, put the extra money into the GPU. You will not regret it. If you don't want to get the 4GB version you can get the 2GB for $249.99. Yes, that's 1GB of VRAM less, but its still a better and newer card to begin with.

I can only offer advice based on my limited knowledge. It's really up to you. I hope my opinion gave you some guidance. Good luck with your build.

 

[Tradesman1]

Jedifan4

Your latest looks pretty good, you've put the time and research in and think you'll be happy with it, there will always be others that tell you they can list a better rig for you and they well might, but in the end - it's your rig and YOU have to be happy with it....and you never know what the future will bring...your needs requirements may change, etc, and if you decide to upgrade any in the future can always sell what you are upgrading from and chances are good whatever you upgrade to will be cheaper in the future than it is now 😉