New Gaming build needed soon

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cheapfrag2

Reputable
May 17, 2014
14
0
4,510
Approximate Purchase Date: this week

Budget Range: approximately $1500

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Surfing the web, office applications

Are you buying a monitor: No

Parts to Upgrade: All

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: amazon, microcenter, newegg, any

Location: North NJ

Parts Preferences: Intel CPU

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution: (1920x1080) Asus VS247H-P 23.6-Inch Full-HD LED-Lit LCD Monitor

Additional Comments: Looking to replace my 7 year old home-built PC

---------------------------------------
Looking to build a gaming PC that also is a great overall PC for surfing and MS Office apps too.
This is what I am thinking so far:

Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz LGA 1150 $279.99 (Microcenter)
Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD5H LGA 1150 ATX Intel MB $124.99 (Microcenter)
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1866 Model F3-14900CL8D-8GBXM $89.99 (newegg)
SAMSUNG 840 EVO MZ-7TE250BW 2.5" 250GB SATA 6Gb/s SSD $129.99 (amazon)
Windows 8.1 64-bit $99
ASUS R9290XDC2OC4GD5 AMD Radeon R9 290X 4GB GDDR5 $492.99 ($569.99 - $20 rebate - 10% discount) (Microcenter)

I used a Gigabyte MB in my last build... no complaints but also have no allegiance if someone has a better MB.

Is 8 GB more than enough RAM or should I go up to 16 GB?

There is 290X too much power for my resolution... would a 290 be better suited (obviously cheaper)? I also see a Diamond 290X for around $421 at microcenter after rebate and discount -- why is that so cheap?

As far as a case, I never really cared much about my case... it's just a box to hold the more important parts but I have decided I want something a little better looking (not flashy though). I used an Antec P180B in my last build --- big and heavy and boring. I think a Mid-tower would be good but no window needed or lights, but maybe something a little nicer looking - silver metal look or white. Any suggestions?

Also need a power supply. I used a Corsair 620HX in my last build. Any suggestion on wattage needed and a very reliable Power Supply?

Need a DVD-RW drive and a storage HDD too?

Thanks in advance.

-------------------------------8/6/14 updated---------------------------
$279.99 Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz LGA 1150 (microcenter)
$119.99 Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 7 LGA 1150 ATX Intel MB (microcenter)
$89.99 G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1866 Model F3-14900CL8D-8GBXM (newegg)
$299.99 Toshiba 512GB Q Series Pro (microcenter)
$109.99 EVGA Supernova 850 G2 PSU (newegg - after $30 rebate)
$94.99 Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower (Amazon)
$15.99 Samsung SH-224DB24x DVD Burner OEM (microcenter)
$99.00 Windows 8.1 64-bit
$383.99 XFX R9290AEDFD Radeon 290 4GB DDR5 Video Card (microcenter -after 10% discount and $30 rebate)
 
Solution
gamer1357


I would recommend saving the $50 on the ssd and getting the samsung 840 evo...
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)

i5 is seriously all you need for gaming.

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($71.74 @ OutletPC)

Overkill for cooling, but one of the best and will give you a good overclock at low temps.

Thermal Compound: Gelid Solutions GC-Extreme 3.5g Thermal Paste ($12.98 @ OutletPC)

Very highly rated thermal paste

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-GAMING 7 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($157.99 @ Newegg)

I like gigabyte as well. The Gaming 7 has digital voltage regulation.

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.99 @ Newegg)

8GB is all you need. Most games don't even use 4GB.

Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($97.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.24 @ Amazon)

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Dual FTW ACX Video Card ($484.99 @ Newegg)

I prefer nvidia, and the 780 is way overkill for one 1080p monitor. But it fit in your budget. Honestly, I'd get a 770, and spend the saved money on good speakers, headset, mouse, keyboard, or something.

Case: Fractal Design FD-CA-CORE-3500-BL ATX Mid Tower Case ($67.99 @ NCIX US)

Very nice budget case. If you've never used Fractal you have to give it a try.

Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($83.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Seasonic is one of the best psu brands. Very reliable and high quality.

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($93.94 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series SP120 High Performance Edition (2-Pack) 62.7 CFM 120mm Fans ($27.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1461.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-05 14:17 EDT-0400

And, you don't need an optical drive.
 
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Here's my suggestion:

The i7 is overkill, but I kept it just as something to see how the budget works around it. Obviously the budget itself is over the number you were hoping for.

Cooler, cm212 evo would do fine.

ASRock z97 extreme4 is a motherboard with plenty of features which is nice to have.

RAM, 16gb ram. I haven't really seem a huge need for this, but it's nice to have if you're multitasking in the background with a bunch of browser tabs and what not. Just tried to make it fit.

SSD, it's an ssd.

HDD, its a HDD.

GPU, r9 290x is around the level of the gtx 780Ti, slightly worse @1080p but it's still fine, it's overkill @1080p anyways. Probably won't notice the difference outside of numbers... It does run warmer than 780Ti by a decent margin. I'd imagine the cooler will be working a bit when you're gaming.

PSU, Supernova NEX is still within the top 2 tiers of PSUs, it'll do fine. You could go with a xfx 650w if you want.

Windows is windows.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($339.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($143.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($139.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($73.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.24 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 290X 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($479.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit) ($104.51 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1549.64
 
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@ t3nn1spr3p:
Are there any negatives to using the Intel Core i7-4790K? I figured given the price (only $40 more than the i5-4690K at newegg) and the bundle savings of $60 for buying a motherboard at Microcenter that the cost would be same and I would get a more powerful CPU.

As far as the motherboard, I had originally looked at the Gaming 7 but since the UD5H had more reviews and better reviews at newegg, I thought I would go with the UD5H instead. I don't see much difference in the comparison chart at the Gigabyte web site... any big differences between the 2?

I was actually thinking of increasing the size of the SSD drive so that I wouldn't have to worry about installing productivity apps on it but have a hard time picking a good performer while balancing cost. Looked at the MX100, Toshiba Q-series, Samsung EVO and PRO, Sandisk X210. MX100 seems like a great price but I also want high performance.

 
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I see the 4690k as $230 on newegg, and the 4790k as $340.

So, the downside is that extra $110.

What bundle are you getting at Microcenter? And, is there a bundle with the i5 as well?

And there's hardly any difference between any motherboard at equal prices. Reviews also don't mean much. You'd trust random people buying off newegg to choose parts for you? Also, I've purchased and built 3 full rigs off newegg, and never once left a review on anything.

SSD's all have very fast and very similar performance. I chose the pro only because it fit in your budget. I'd go with the EVO personally. But the MX100 is fine too. You will not notice a difference in gaming, operating system, productivity apps, or anything.
 
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Microcenter has the following bundles:
i7-4790K & GA-Z97X-Gaming 7 for $400
i7-4790K & ASRock Z97 Extreme 4 for $365

i5-4690K & GA-Z97X-Gaming 7 for $320
i5-4690K & ASRock Z97 Extreme 4 for $285
 
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Both the cases suggested are rather boring looking... i wanted to get something a little nicer looking... brushed aluminum or white. Any suggestions for a good case that can fit a 290X under $150?
 
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the aerocool predator x3? or the corsair 450D or nzxt h440
 
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OK, here's my latest list of components. What do you think?
$279.99 Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz LGA 1150 (microcenter)
$119.99 Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 7 LGA 1150 ATX Intel MB (microcenter)
$89.99 G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1866 Model F3-14900CL8D-8GBXM (newegg)
$299.99 Toshiba 512GB Q Series Pro (microcenter)
$109.99 EVGA Supernova 850 G2 PSU (newegg - after $30 rebate)
$94.99 Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower (Amazon)
$15.99 Samsung SH-224DB24x DVD Burner OEM (microcenter)
$99.00 Windows 8.1 64-bit
$383.99 XFX R9290AEDFD Radeon 290 4GB DDR5 Video Card (microcenter -after 10% discount and $30 rebate)
 
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No need for a i7 really, get a i5 4690k, but the rest look okay , with the money from a i7 to a i5 , you can get a ssd?
 
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I would recommend saving the $50 on the ssd and getting the samsung 840 evo instead.
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Electronics-EVO-Series-2-5-Inch-MZ-7TE500BW/dp/B00E3W19MO



 
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