Help a first time builder pick his parts =)

[Aidan Jurgens]

Hey guys,

I'm looking at building my first PC and have gone through the pcpartpicker process with a base of what I want. Here's the link http://nz.pcpartpicker.com/user/aidan.jurgens/saved/wxgZxr

If you could please give your overall opinions on the build and any recommendations would be appreciated!!! =D I'm not overly attached to any particular branding (amd, intel, nVidia, radeon) but I am leaning towards the 8core processor just for overall multitasking performance as well as adequate gaming use and ofcourse price. Recommend any part that will improve performance for relatively the same price!

Thanks in advance!

 

[alexandergc]

You might want to increase the amount of RAM in your system if you're doing multi-tasking.

The CPU and GPU are relatively well-matched against each other, so you shouldn't be seeing any bottlenecks there, but if you're gonna be running multiple programs to take advantage of the multiple cores you have, your RAM will be the biggest problem to system responsiveness.

That said, unless you're running software that specifically takes advantage of 8 cores on the AMD, you're better off getting a similarly priced Intel i5 or i7. The difference in power consumption would also save you money in the long run due to reduced heat load and all that good stuff that comes with using less power.

Refer to the Tom's Hardware CPU chart for more info.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html

In terms of gaming, you're gonna be pretty disappointed to see that the FX-8350 is only about equivalent to an i3-4370.
ANY Haswell i5 and above would outperform the 8350 in terms of gaming performance, not to mention the almost 50% difference in power consumption. (8350 is 125W TDP, the i5-4690 is 84W.)

Bottom line, if you're gonna be gaming mostly, get an Intel.
If you're running productivity software that can take advantage of multi-core configurations, the 8350 might suit you better.

 

[Aidan Jurgens]

When i say multi tasking I just mean running probably 2 monitors and a big screen tv at the same time and just having things like spotify on one, browser on another (with 50 tabs open haha) and gaming on the tv. i wont be playing too many high end games and im not a graphics fiend (but of course i can appreciate better graphics performance). My reasoning for the AMD CPU is i can get a better motherboard for price with this setup and when AMD finally release their new line of CPU's it'll be relatively cheap to upgrade ($300-$400 for newer processor). If the pros keep telling me to go haswell i5 tho i'll probably make the change. Thankyou for your advice!

 

[alexandergc]

if you have an upgrade path already planned out, there's no problem with going for the AMD FX.
just keep in mind that the workload you described isn't actually very heavily threaded, so the FX won't make much of a difference compared to an i5.

also, you're probably gonna need 16GB of RAM if you're running a triple monitor setup with that amount of browser tabs open.
you might also wanna look into getting the 4GB VRAM version of the 760 if you plan to game on the triple monitor set up.

Reference here: http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1790395/single-gtx-760-2gb-run-monitors.html

you should also confirm with your local PC shop if the GPU can run triple monitors.
get them to test it with a windows boot before you take the rig home.

Reference: http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2004638/gtx-760-2gb-triple-monitors.html

 

[bsod1]

'n' Number of monitors would want a strong GPU as opposed to multi-threaded CPUs. I would recommend an i5 with the 970 (or 980 if you don't mind spending a little extra) GPU from NVIDIA.

 

[bsod1]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($280.00 @ PC Force)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($160.55 @ PC Force)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($132.05 @ PC Force)
Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.95 @ Computer Lounge)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($75.05 @ PC Force)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($674.00 @ PC Force)
Case: BitFenix Shinobi ATX Mid Tower Case ($96.00 @ Paradigm PCs)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($132.05 @ PC Force)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($40.24 @ PB Technologies)
Total: $1699.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-21 21:44 NZDT+1300

 

[Tinkmaster Overspark]

unless you're doing hardcore video editting on a regular basis, i'd say just get a quad core, or maybe, MAYBE one of the six cores from intel. The problem with the six core ones is it makes you have to buy a more expensive motherboard and more expensive ram.

i7 4790k is my choice for you

 

[alexandergc]

unless you're doing hardcore video editting on a regular basis, i'd say just get a quad core, or maybe, MAYBE one of the six cores from intel. The problem with the six core ones is it makes you have to buy a more expensive motherboard and more expensive ram.

i7 4790k is my choice for you

i doubt OP needs the kind of power the 4790K provides.
he'd be more than well-served by the i5-4670 or 4690 non-K versions.

then, with some savings on the rest of his system, like the 750W oversized Corsair PSU (even with the power-hungry FX, his system is estimated for 400W only, so a 600W PSU would more than suffice), he would be able to budget a little bit more for the GPU upgrade to get a GTX 970 instead of the 760.

Triple monitors needs lots of GPU power, especially if you're gonna be running programs on all three of them, or gaming across three screens.

if OP plans to game on a single screen, and leave the other two open for browser and other stuff, the 760 would be barely enough for the current generation of games @High/Medium settings, i guess...

 

[Tinkmaster Overspark]

unless you're doing hardcore video editting on a regular basis, i'd say just get a quad core, or maybe, MAYBE one of the six cores from intel. The problem with the six core ones is it makes you have to buy a more expensive motherboard and more expensive ram.

i7 4790k is my choice for you

i doubt OP needs the kind of power the 4790K provides.
he'd be more than well-served by the i5-4670 or 4690 non-K versions.

then, with some savings on the rest of his system, like the 750W oversized Corsair PSU (even with the power-hungry FX, his system is estimated for 400W only, so a 600W PSU would more than suffice), he would be able to budget a little bit more for the GPU upgrade to get a GTX 970 instead of the 760.

Triple monitors needs lots of GPU power, especially if you're gonna be running programs on all three of them, or gaming across three screens.

if OP plans to game on a single screen, and leave the other two open for browser and other stuff, the 760 would be barely enough for the current generation of games @High/Medium settings, i guess...

good point, i like a GTX 970 being added to that build a lot, although if he was gaming on multiple monitors a single one will struggle on the highest settings (depending on resolution). but a single one can handle one monitor even at 1440p from the benchmarks ive seen (40+ fps, not 60+ but anything over 30 is fine for a budget) my point being a single GTX 970 handles one screen very well

 

[Aidan Jurgens]

hmmmm im really liking the sound of the GTX 970. Especially since i can get it sent over from amazon.com at over $200 cheaper than the price above which is only $50 more expensive than my current price for the 760. What a bargain. Im from New Zealand so prices tend to get a little inflated if i buy locally. But with the help you guys have given me and the recommended parts i can find them cheaper from overseas and probably keep the overall cost relatively the same and better performing.

There's things i've added to the build (for example the 750watt PSU) only because the price difference over here is around $20 for a 500watt so i figured why not get the bigger one and rule out all power issues for $20.

The funny thing is after to looking further into pricing from america, i could afford the i5 4690k which would just blow the AMD away wouldnt it? would give me plenty of futureproofing and running along side the above mentioned GTX 970 would round the build off to be pretty decent right?

 

[Tinkmaster Overspark]

Personally, I would only buy intel and i would avoid AMD for a gaming PC (at the moment, from what ive heard, i may be incorrect but AMD's only advantage over intel is low end budget multi core CPUs for video editting rigs), so yeah it would do very well for quite a while

 

[alexandergc]

hmmmm im really liking the sound of the GTX 970. Especially since i can get it sent over from amazon.com at over $200 cheaper than the price above which is only $50 more expensive than my current price for the 760. What a bargain. Im from New Zealand so prices tend to get a little inflated if i buy locally. But with the help you guys have given me and the recommended parts i can find them cheaper from overseas and probably keep the overall cost relatively the same and better performing.

There's things i've added to the build (for example the 750watt PSU) only because the price difference over here is around $20 for a 500watt so i figured why not get the bigger one and rule out all power issues for $20.

The funny thing is after to looking further into pricing from america, i could afford the i5 4690k which would just blow the AMD away wouldnt it? would give me plenty of futureproofing and running along side the above mentioned GTX 970 would round the build off to be pretty decent right?

ah...New Zealand...land of weird PC parts prices. 😛
and if it's only $20, go for the 750W then, but i would personally use the money to get a better 80Plus certification on a 600-650W PSU. It should also be noted that the power draw is always an estimate. PC parts, especially the CPU and GPU are able to draw on a lot more power than their TDP would lead you to expect, which is why for a 400W estimate, a 600W PSU would be optimal.

In any case, the 750W Corsair would be a pretty good choice.

Personally, I would only buy intel and i would avoid AMD for a gaming PC (at the moment, from what ive heard, i may be incorrect but AMD's only advantage over intel is low end budget multi core CPUs for video editting rigs), so yeah it would do very well for quite a while

Not exactly true, but true for the most part. AMD CPUs are best used for highly-threaded workloads where power consumption is not an issue. This usually means video editing, high performance computing and other professional applications that have been optimised to make use of every available core.

On the other hand, if you ignore the price differential, Intel CPUs would kick around a comparable AMD in most workloads and do it with much less power consumed.