Is this a good high end gaming build?

[hummerh1]

Hi everyone, I am new to the forums. I will be building a new gaming rig soon and would like everyone's input. Will this build be able to handle games at Ultra settings for the next 2-3 years at least? I would like to spend $1500 max. Also, is there any possible build that would have equal performance at a lower price? If you have any recommendations for parts better than what I have chosen, please let me know. Thanks

PCPartPicker part list: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/NyyRqs
Price breakdown by merchant: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/NyyRqs/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($248.98 @ DirectCanada)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Memory Express)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($228.77 @ DirectCanada)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($84.70 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($64.99 @ Canada Computers)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.98 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($439.95 @ Vuugo)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($116.50 @ Vuugo)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($119.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.95 @ Vuugo)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($103.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $1516.77
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-20 18:35 EDT-0400

 

[Rowan Byrne]

Hey,
SO i think that this all depends on opinion. If you looking to play games that involve loading times, like BF4, you would want a better SSD. Sadly the V300 series has some bad rep. I would go for a samsung 840 series. Often what you see with price may look good, but in the end your wasting 64 bucks on a crappy SSD. If your going to spend 230 dollars on a CPU, go for an i7 and downgrade the video card. 340 range is good for a CPU that will offer you 2-3 years to support better threaded games. Feel free to reply/pm if your interested in chatting. (I also build custom PCs, so I have a good Idea about these things)

 

[okcnaline]

For the same performance, this is cheaper and you actually still get as good.
If you want a $1500 computer, you can get an i7 with a GTX 980.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($94.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ECS Z97-MACHINE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($91.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($74.70 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card ($349.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 500R Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 760W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($184.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1358.57
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-20 18:56 EDT-0400

 

[hummerh1]

Hey,
SO i think that this all depends on opinion. If you looking to play games that involve loading times, like BF4, you would want a better SSD. Sadly the V300 series has some bad rep. I would go for a samsung 840 series. Often what you see with price may look good, but in the end your wasting 64 bucks on a crappy SSD. If your going to spend 230 dollars on a CPU, go for an i7 and downgrade the video card. 340 range is good for a CPU that will offer you 2-3 years to support better threaded games. Feel free to reply/pm if your interested in chatting. (I also build custom PCs, so I have a good Idea about these things)

Helpful information, much appreciated. Should I instead get an Asus z97-a instead of the Maximus VII Hero, so I will be able to fit an i7 4790k into my build? This way I might be able to keep the 970...

 

[Rowan Byrne]

The 970, in my opinion is not the right move... I would say go with a windforce card for GTX 780 and maybe the TI. Also, I have 2 Asus Direct CUII mods by asus, but I would say a windfore 780 or 770 would fit your budget well. Are you going to build this yourself?

 

[hummerh1]

For the same performance, this is cheaper and you actually still get as good.
If you want a $1500 computer, you can get an i7 with a GTX 980.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($94.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ECS Z97-MACHINE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($91.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($74.70 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card ($349.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 500R Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 760W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($184.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1358.57
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-20 18:56 EDT-0400

Thanks for the recommendations. Regarding that motherboard however, I quickly looked up reviews on Newegg and it doesn't seem to be very good (of course I could be mistaken). Do you have any other recommendations for a motherboard? Thanks again

 

[Bobtheblowfish]

For the same performance, this is cheaper and you actually still get as good.
If you want a $1500 computer, you can get an i7 with a GTX 980.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($94.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ECS Z97-MACHINE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($91.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($74.70 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card ($349.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 500R Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 760W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($184.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1358.57
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-20 18:56 EDT-0400

if you payed attention to the thread. He's in Canada and if you convert your pricing it actually becomes more expensive. r

 

[Rowan Byrne]

any x79 can be good, but if you are really gonna blow some cash, the x99 hype is real.

 

[hummerh1]

The 970, in my opinion is not the right move... I would say go with a windforce card for GTX 780 and maybe the TI. Also, I have 2 Asus Direct CUII mods by asus, but I would say a windfore 780 or 770 would fit your budget well. Are you going to build this yourself?

Hi Rowan, thanks for the suggestion. I have looked at some benchmarks of the 970 and it performs almost on par with the 780 TI (sometimes even better). I was going to go with the gtx 770 but this was before the 970 and 980 were released. Where I live I can pick up a 970 for about $50 more than a 770, is it worth it? And yes, I will be building this myself. Thanks again

 

[hummerh1]

For the same performance, this is cheaper and you actually still get as good.
If you want a $1500 computer, you can get an i7 with a GTX 980.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($94.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ECS Z97-MACHINE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($91.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($74.70 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card ($349.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 500R Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 760W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($184.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1358.57
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-20 18:56 EDT-0400

if you payed attention to the thread. He's in Canada and if you convert your pricing it actually becomes more expensive. r

Yes, that is correct I am in Canada so it will become more expensive.

 

[Rowan Byrne]

Yeah that should be worth it. The main difference between them is power effieciency

 

[Kohwali]

I'd suggest this gaming build for under $1500

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($94.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($164.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($159.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($349.99 @ B&H)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 Blackout ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 P2 1000W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($169.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1373.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-20 19:29 EDT-0400

Went a bit overkill on the PSU so you can choose to grab another 970 in the future and have two way SLI.
I left some budget space for your monitor, OS, and peripheral choices. And I chose the Samsung EVO as Samsung SSDs have the lowest RMA rate and perform very well on benchmarks. The Samsung Pro have the fastest r/w speeds, but aren't as budget friendly.

Good luck!

 

[okcnaline]

Still managed to be cheaper... XD
The ECS motherboard I mentioned has its honors from Tom's Hardware most valuable mobo. Just an interesting fact... But I have changed the motherboard to something in the same page, but would seem more proper. Here:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($258.32 @ TigerDirect Canada)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($93.98 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($154.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($84.70 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.98 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card ($421.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: Corsair 760W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($209.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.95 @ Vuugo)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($103.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $1471.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-21 00:49 EDT-0400

 

[RazerZ]

Hi everyone, I am new to the forums. I will be building a new gaming rig soon and would like everyone's input. Will this build be able to handle games at Ultra settings for the next 2-3 years at least? I would like to spend $1500 max. Also, is there any possible build that would have equal performance at a lower price?

Yes it's possible:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($196.98 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($127.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($84.70 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.98 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($411.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($84.98 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($17.09 @ DirectCanada)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($103.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $1151.67
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-21 01:00 EDT-0400

 

[okcnaline]

I won't say the i5-4460 would be better performance, and I don't trust MSI. But yes, that would also work.

 

[RazerZ]

It won't be better, but it will be very similar with savings of over $400. Nothing wrong with MSI.

 

[Kohwali]

I think MSI is good...

 

[okcnaline]

Well, I heard of problems with them... So how is the quality of MSI products these days?

 

[Kohwali]

As long as its not Gigabyte, it should be okay.

 

[okcnaline]

What?! Gigabyte is simply the best aftermarket cooler there is. They're the best ones with 3x fans!

 

[Kohwali]

I quickly looked up reviews on Newegg and it doesn't seem to be very good (of course I could be mistaken). Do you have any other recommendations for a motherboard? Thanks again

Most motherboards get destroyed by Newegg ratings, just a heads up.

 

[RazerZ]

Agreed. Take customer reviews with a grain of salt.

 

[Kohwali]

What?! Gigabyte is simply the best aftermarket cooler there is. They're the best ones with 3x fans!

3 fans does not equate to better performance as witnessed here: http://youtu.be/MtIl-W4hqrA

Keep in mind that because they have 3 fans, the card will also be much longer than the others (312 mm). You may need to remove hard drive cages to fit it inside your case.

EDIT: But it will be fine within the Design R4.

Gigabyte has a semi-bad reputation for cheap parts as well as poor customer service. I'm not being biased, but that's simply what others warned me when I was assembling my first build.

 

[hummerh1]

Well, after hearing all of your ideas, I made some changes to the original build. I ended up being well under my budget and even added a Wi-Fi adapter (although it probably isn't the best ). Although with this new build, I'm not so sure about the power supply. EVGA doesn't strike me as a company who makes good PSU's. What are your opinions? Here it is:

PCPartPicker part list: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/dLTgCJ
Price breakdown by merchant: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/dLTgCJ/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($248.98 @ DirectCanada)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($33.07 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($154.79 @ DirectCanada)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($84.70 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($82.99 @ Canada Computers)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.95 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($396.95 @ Vuugo)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($94.99 @ Memory Express)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.95 @ Vuugo)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($107.99 @ NCIX)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN722N 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($13.50 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $1377.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-21 19:40 EDT-0400

 

[Kohwali]

According to @SR-71 Blackbird, EVGA's B2, G2, and P2 are all good.

EDIT: So get this one instead http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-220g20750xr