Gaming Rig Review/Guidance

[RyanEsau]

Intro
Hey guys, recently in the past few months I have been learning and messing around with my computer, originally was cleaning but ended up going further and disassembled and reassembled for full-cleaning so now I'm looking into getting some pc parts to build a gaming pc to finally play my library of steam games. (Also planning to get/play ARMA III with my friend in the summer with this build)

Build (2/14/15)
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (Purchased For $0.00)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($6.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PROFESSIONAL ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Trident X 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($155.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($349.99 @ B&H)
Case: Corsair SPEC-03 Red ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99)
Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($104.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($52.89 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) (Purchased For $0.00)
Monitor: AOC G2460PG 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($449.99 @ Best Buy)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($34.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Red 52.2 CFM 120mm Fan ($14.18 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Red 66.4 CFM 140mm Fan ($15.71 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Red 66.4 CFM 140mm Fan ($15.71 @ OutletPC)
Headphones: Logitech G35 7.1 Channel Headset ($129.99 @ Logitech)
Other: Corsair Carbide Series® SPEC-03 Red LED Mid-Tower Gaming Case ($0.00)
Total: $1746.27
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-15 04:33 EST-0500

Preferences
Processor - Intel
GPU - EVGA(1st) / MSI (2nd) / Asus (3rd) I love the color scheme (Red/Black) of MSI Cards and I love their features.
Tower - Not changing. (My ideal for the tower was - 3.0 USB Ports and Looks,I don't want/need a Full ATX Tower as I'm not one to be overclocking and I don't need extra space for cooling/extra hdd spaces (I'm a space-monitoring person, I probably wouldn't even go over 250 GB yetalone 500 GB.)
RAM - Corsair or G.Skill
Motherboard - Reputable Brands
HDD - Samsung or Toshiba
Monitor - AOC or any Reputable Brand, 24'in Max

Primary Usage - Gaming (Well only usage really lol)
My current ideal budget right now is between $1600-$1800, $2,100 at the most but rather not go over $2,000 as I'd also like to buy ARMA III Deluxe + DLC Bundle ($179.96 Total) for myself and a friend for us to play together when I'm all set-up, so I need to make room for that with my budget.

[strike] G-Sync
I learned about G-Sync and I was initially hooked upon learning about it, but after further in depth learning, it seems it's still coming (Being pre-integrated into new monitors) and currently only one monitor is supported (ASUS VG248QE I believe). Paying $200-300 for a monitor followed by $200 for a kit to install G-Sync seems a bit much too me, is G-Sync worth it getting when it becomes pre-integrated into newer and newer monitors being released?[/strike]

HDMI
Just a small query, if I choose to get a monitor with dual-hdmi (x2 HDMI Ports) would this enable me to use HDMI alongside also plugging in HDMI (Monitor to say PS3) and allow me to record the output with appropriated software.

Memory (RAM)
I'd also like to point out since I know alot of people would probably be against it, I have chosen 16GB of DDR3 1600Mhz RAM for the very reason that I noticed browsing some games (Steam for example) such as Grand Theft Auto V specifically state (Under Recommended) that you have 8GB of RAM so to combat this I want to make sure I have more than that and additionally I also want to make sure I can:

1. Run games without problems and have fast loading times (I was told HDD/SSD doesn't make much difference in loading times for games)
2. Run additional programs while playing such as Skype, Recording Software, Streaming (Not likely but just putting it out there), and maybe occasionally tab out of game and browse internet with full speed.
3. Have faster browsing speeds, tranfsering files speeds, uploading/downloading speeds.
Transfer speeds I'd assume be dependant on the SATA of your HDD/SSD but I assume it's memory dependant partially as I assume it requires allocated memory to for it's process.
Upload/Download is Internet dependant but I assume it's partially affected by having allocated memory for it's process.
4. That I can share my screen through skype without issues / lag in-game (I'm pretty skype share screen takes like 2GB of RAM, I have 4GB of RAM currently and I believe it would take like 35-50% of that which makes me lag in-game since it leaves like no RAM really)

Plus it doesn't really seem to be a big cost difference so why not right? May be overkill as some say, but I'm perfectly fine with overkill in this case. (Amount of RAM). I don't think I'll be going over 16GB though unless I actually do need it or maybe if I just find a amazing deal on another set of 2 sticks of 8GB (Or even 1 Stick).

Recording Capability
Also I'd to be able to record without issues/fps drops/lag if applicable. I don't record often, very rarely, but I would like to be able to record with high quality without problems with my gaming rig, maybe even stream (probably not stream). Would I need a sound card for recording/streaming? I read that is really the only main reasoning for having a sound card apart from being a audiophile (I'm not a audiophile btw)

Solid State Drive
I've been looking into getting a solid-state drive since a friend told me about them, I've been looking at Samsung in specific, 850 Evo and 850 Pro EVO Series,I think my ideal would be a 1TB 850 Evo just to have and so I can install huge games and just leave them installed without it consuming needed space but for now (Budget) I was thinking 500-512GB.

Sound Card
I have never used a sound card before but I was looking into them recently and they seem to be a waste as onboard audio does well from what I read and sound cards are mainly for audiophiles and professional recording qualities/musicians. So if you could share you thoughts, that'd be much appreciated. I most likely probably won't get a sound card this build as it's beyond low priority since I don't record often but I may get it later this year just to have so when I do record.

[strike] Upgrading to Windows 8.1[/strike] Sticking with Windows 7 and will upgrade to 10 later shortly after release.
[strike]I have used Windows 7 (Home Premium/Ultimate, currently on Ultimate) for years and nothing else but with the newer games coming out and DirectX 12 later this year, since I read that it won't be supported on 7 I'm going to just go ahead and upgrade to Windows 8.1.[/strike]

Final Note
I would like to point out, as you may be able to tell with some of my hardware choices, I choose some of the most recent to-date hardware, reasoning for this is (Especially with the GPU) I want to stay modern and make sure I can last a few years and be able to play games on at least High =/= Max settings without issues, hardware specifications slowly creep up and up so I'd rather not go with like a GTX 550 Ti and then it ends up falling under minimal within the following year. (Just a example). Honestly I probably would (probably will in the future) go with EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Classified (Whatever is the best Base Clock Speed,idc about Boost since I don't want to overclock) but that's kinda out of the budget with the list I created.

 

[Bossyfins]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nvmvhM

Same build, better cooler, and cheaper, but same in quality psu/

 

[RyanEsau]

Im not exactly understanding what you mean when you say is it possible to have a drive that wont be read by the current OS. If you get two drives you can install the OS and programs on the SSD and install only games on the HDD. You don't need to mess with another OS. Dual booting is a totally different situation.

Meaning, for example, you have 2 solid state drives. (1TB and 120GB), The 1TB is used by your chosen OS (Windows 7) and for your program files,data,documents,games etc. The 120GB is hidden from Windows 7 and can't read/written to under any circumstances and is only accessible by powering on the computer and going to Boot Device (Selecting which Drive to boot into) and or BIOS ofc. This way you have your primary all-around drive and a secondary drive for fumbling around with other Operating Systems such as Linux or testing new upcoming ones such as Windows 10. (Tech Previews)

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nvmvhM

Same build, better cooler, and cheaper, but same in quality psu/

Based around gamer1357 and your recommended builds, I changed mine a bit so it's cheaper as well. I didn't add a CPU Cooler though, if I need one (If my friend didn't include a fan, he said he included heatsink) I'll just use the front case fan that I was going to use for the bottom of the case or is that a bad idea and I should go with a non-led fan for the CPU?

Also, one last question ~
What sound card would you recommend for better quality recordings? (Just for recording videos for YouTube and such, I assume having a sound card will provide better quality sound compared to motherboard built-in sound.) Additionally, is a professional microphone (Such as Blue Yeti for example) the only liable option for HQ Voice Recording for the same purpose (YouTube and such)?

 

[Bossyfins]

Im not exactly understanding what you mean when you say is it possible to have a drive that wont be read by the current OS. If you get two drives you can install the OS and programs on the SSD and install only games on the HDD. You don't need to mess with another OS. Dual booting is a totally different situation.

Meaning, for example, you have 2 solid state drives. (1TB and 120GB), The 1TB is used by your chosen OS (Windows 7) and for your program files,data,documents,games etc. The 120GB is hidden from Windows 7 and can't read/written to under any circumstances and is only accessible by powering on the computer and going to Boot Device (Selecting which Drive to boot into) and or BIOS ofc. This way you have your primary all-around drive and a secondary drive for fumbling around with other Operating Systems such as Linux or testing new upcoming ones such as Windows 10. (Tech Previews)

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nvmvhM

Same build, better cooler, and cheaper, but same in quality psu/

Based around gamer1357 and your recommended builds, I changed mine a bit so it's cheaper as well. I didn't add a CPU Cooler though, if I need one (If my friend didn't include a fan, he said he included heatsink) I'll just use the front case fan that I was going to use for the bottom of the case or is that a bad idea and I should go with a non-led fan for the CPU?

Gamer means, you have like a 120 gig ssd, and you put windows on it for the boot timesetc, THEN you have a second regular HDD, the disk ones, and have that for storage. Best of Both worlds


As for the CPU cooler, I really don't recommend you take a random heat sink, unless you know what it is. Also, any fan should work, even if it is an LED one.

 

[RyanEsau]

Gamer means, you have like a 120 gig ssd, and you put windows on it for the boot timesetc, THEN you have a second regular HDD, the disk ones, and have that for storage. Best of Both worlds


As for the CPU cooler, I really don't recommend you take a random heat sink, unless you know what it is. Also, any fan should work, even if it is an LED one.

That sounds pretty ideal when you put it that way but my question on that path is, taking that route doesn't that also lose some speed in-game? (Game Loading Times). From my understanding, while it is mainly and generally based around your Free Allocated RAM that speeds up load-in/loading times, the hard drive cache (Disk, the MB Cache) / ssd makes a difference as well.
______________
______________

Well it's likely the heatsink for the CPU that came with it and thanks, wasn't sure if a LED Fan was a bad option for a CPU Cooler.

 

[Bossyfins]

Ok let me make a diagram

SSD(Windows) - > Launcher(launches faster because its held on the SSD) - > You press launch or what ever

HDD(Games and stuff) -> Game Files(The files that let you play) -> PC boots the game directly from the HDD, not through the SSD.


Thats how I think of it, Also, I usually get a bigger SSD, so I can put my favorite games on that, allowing me to play faster!


Hope this clarifies.

 

[RyanEsau]

Ok let me make a diagram

SSD(Windows) - > Launcher(launches faster because its held on the SSD) - > You press launch or what ever

HDD(Games and stuff) -> Game Files(The files that let you play) -> PC boots the game directly from the HDD, not through the SSD.

So it's like because of the time it takes to 'access' the files from the specified drive it results -

SSD (Games) > Read files off drive > Launches files > Loading > Done

HDD (Games) > Reads files off drive > Launches file > Loading > Done (Slower due to slower access time compared to SSD)

I watched a couple of videos on YouTube and noticed it makes a noticeable difference in games and a huge difference with few select games (I guess games that use a ton of resources?). Also it seemed to make a small difference in FPS. (Noticeable but very slight difference).

Thats how I think of it, Also, I usually get a bigger SSD, so I can put my favorite games on that, allowing me to play faster!

Well that's what I'm looking to have, a big enough ssd so I can install games without worrying about space ever running out, but I want to ensure I can get ARMA III Deluxe w/ DLC (2 Copies) in the summer so I'm watching the budget and accounting it. I'll upgrade to a 1TB SSD later in the year but for the build I'll just use 512GB (Or 500, but in this case, its 512).

 

[Bossyfins]

You can also take 2 250 gig ssds, and put them in raid

 

[RyanEsau]

You can also take 2 250 gig ssds, and put them in raid

Samsung 850 Pro comes in 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB(1,024GB) so if I did do that it would still be 512GB. Do they make these hard drives odd-numbered so that they accommodate to how Windows reads data? (Like when you buy a 500GB HDD but its only 450GB Available on Windows)

 

[Bossyfins]

Ok think of it this way.

Raid forssds = 250gigssd x 2 = 500 gig ssd total

SO you get 500 gigs of ssd space. Now, when you install windows, windows takes a part of the SSD to hold the windows files. If that answers your question

 

[RyanEsau]

Ok think of it this way.

Raid forssds = 250gigssd x 2 = 500 gig ssd total

SO you get 500 gigs of ssd space. Now, when you install windows, windows takes a part of the SSD to hold the windows files. If that answers your question

Yeah, I understand that but what I'm referring to ~

You have a 500 GB HDD (Or SSD) -
Operating Systems take up a chunk considerably and read the data differently resulting in less space than advertised like

The above is a HP Pavilion Media Center M8724f PC, Seagate 500GB HDD ST3500620AS

This is my current pc (It's Old). So I was referring to how It's a 500GB HDD but only it's only '452 GB' of space. Are the drives with odd numbers (128 GB,256 GB,512GB and so on) made to accommodate to this so you have closer to full size capacity?

 

[Bossyfins]

hmm, I do suck in this type of discussion, my only reasonable answer to this is because the HDD is partitioned.

 

[RyanEsau]

hmm, I do suck in this type of discussion, my only reasonable answer to this is because the HDD is partitioned.

Found something from a quick search from Seagate, http://knowledge.seagate.com/articles/en_US/FAQ/172191en?language=en_US

So I guess it is as I thought, the data is read differently by the BIOS/OS. Also compared to the example they gave

Example:
A 500 GB hard drive is approximately 500,000,000,000 bytes (500 x 1,000,000,000).

500,000,000,000 / 1,048,576 = 476,837 megabytes (MB) = 465 gigabytes (GB)

My HDD is 452.89 GB and has a FACTORY_IMAGE Partition which is 12.87 which equals together to 465.76. So based off what they said I guess '465 GB' actually is '500 GB' but its just in the BIOS/OS method of reading the data.

Learn something new everyday


Also, curiously now. When you buy hard drives/solid state drives, are they bare drives w/ no data or partitions? I'm assuming you only get a Factory Partition (Recovery?) with pre-built pc's.