Ok, here is my final build... Finally. I'm ready to order it, I'd just like some feedback if possible.

[MrCanEHdian]

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/kR73mG

So, assuming that link worked, that is the build.

I'm using Newegg.ca for everything, I'm very new to this and would prefer to deal with one re-seller.

I went with the Z97 because it was on sale and onle $30 more than the H97 I originally planned on going with, so someday I can SLI or overclock if I decide I want to.

I went with 16GB of RAM, because it may become relevant for gaming someday and RAM prices seem to be rising all the time.

I chose the i5 4690 because I won't be OCing, and it seems to be very good, and less expensive than the Xeon.

The GPU was on sale and came highly reviewed.

The HDD is simple and cheap, I don't need much more than that lmao. I won't be using an SSD since it's an additional cost I threw into RAM or something.

The monitor is a decent 1080p, if I understand, and can downsize it 720p if necessary, which is nice.

The case is a bit pricier than I originally intended, but has lots of fans and tons of excellent reviews.

The power supply was highly recommended by some and seems very good, plus it has 10 year warranty... Seems pretty awesome.

I just threw the keyboard in there to get a better idea of costs, I dunno what peripherals I'll use.

I'm uncertain whether to go with Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. I'm leaning towards Win7 because I'm familiar with it.

I'll be pretty much using this build for gaming, not much else that's intensive. No video editing or coding or anything like that.

*UPDATE*

Am I missing anything at all? I do have a different aftermarket cooler because the Vortex wasn't available. The 212 EVO weighs too much for my motherboard, I don't know if the 450g max weight is legit, on Gigabyte's website, but I figured I'd respect it and find a lighter cooler. Anyways, I'm only getting one to be on the safe side for cooling the CPU.

Thank you for your time .

 

[tiny voices]

I disagree with the reviews about the cards as a whole. The are fine cards. I used a 7870 for a long time and it was great. never had a single issue.

So take them with a grain of salt? That's good.

I prefer nvidia cards as a whole but those reviews I would disagree with AMD runs a bit hotter and uses more power but they are still powerful and have support for a lot of games that they run better then nvidia

Yes, the heat is kinda sketchy, can you buy GPU coolers? The extra power is no biggie to me, it barely impacts the electricity bill. So, some games run better on Nvidia and others on AMD? A lot of the R9 series GPUs have complaints of leaking oil and what not, stock fans breaking down, in the Newegg reviews.

No, you do not buy aftermarket coolers. AMD coolers are fine. Don't let anyone tell you they run hot. The R9 cards with non-reference coolers run perfectly cool. No problems.

 

[titanHUNTER]

The 212 eVO is fine for your board. BUT, an aftermarket cooler and an overclocking motherboard are pointless for a non- overclocking CPU.

I would get low profile RAM and only 8gb of it. DDR4 rAM will be out WAY before games actually benefit from more than 8gb RAM. Save a bit on the case, get an h97 motherboard, and get an XFX550w PSU.

Use the saved money to get a better GPU.

Well, the reason I was hoping to go with the Z97 is because it's only $30 more. I figured $30 now might be well-worth it down the road if I want to get a better, unlocked CPU and try SLIing. I'm torn between the RAM, some people say 8 won't be enough for long, but 16 does seem like overkill. So, the case won't have any airflow benefits or anything?

No, the Gold rating also doesn't have anything to do with heat.

You are 100% incorrect. There are plenty of cheaper PSUs that are amazing quality.

The Seasonic will be the same OR BETTER quality than that EVGA will be. Simple as that.

He was correct regarding the PSU and heat dissipation! SMH The less the efficiency, the more watts the PSU has to pull from the wall...the watts that are not used are dissipated as heat!

 

[titanHUNTER]

I disagree with the reviews about the cards as a whole. The are fine cards. I used a 7870 for a long time and it was great. never had a single issue.

So take them with a grain of salt? That's good.

I prefer nvidia cards as a whole but those reviews I would disagree with AMD runs a bit hotter and uses more power but they are still powerful and have support for a lot of games that they run better then nvidia

Yes, the heat is kinda sketchy, can you buy GPU coolers? The extra power is no biggie to me, it barely impacts the electricity bill. So, some games run better on Nvidia and others on AMD? A lot of the R9 series GPUs have complaints of leaking oil and what not, stock fans breaking down, in the Newegg reviews.

No, you do not buy aftermarket coolers. AMD coolers are fine. Don't let anyone tell you they run hot. The R9 cards with non-reference coolers run perfectly cool. No problems.

It depends on the air flow in your case and whether your PSU fan is facing up or down. They do not have heat issues, but they do exhaust a lot of warm air. If you do not have proper air flow, heat can and will build up, increasing the temp of the GPU. I recommend that you get a case with a side panel fan if you do plan on Crossfiring down the line.

 

[tiny voices]

Have you ever had any luck using a side panel fan with multi-GPU builds? I tried one with my gtx570s, and my temps went UP a few degrees. I have seen a few studies that show how it messes up the flow of sir from front to back and traps the hot air in the case.

I believe a side fan only really works for multi-GPU setups if you have reference coolers on the cards. For other style cards, all you really need is a strong top exhaust fan/fans as the hot air is blown up from the cards.

Also, you ALWAYS ALWAYS want the PSU fan facing down not up.

 

[tiny voices]

The 212 eVO is fine for your board. BUT, an aftermarket cooler and an overclocking motherboard are pointless for a non- overclocking CPU.

I would get low profile RAM and only 8gb of it. DDR4 rAM will be out WAY before games actually benefit from more than 8gb RAM. Save a bit on the case, get an h97 motherboard, and get an XFX550w PSU.

Use the saved money to get a better GPU.

Well, the reason I was hoping to go with the Z97 is because it's only $30 more. I figured $30 now might be well-worth it down the road if I want to get a better, unlocked CPU and try SLIing. I'm torn between the RAM, some people say 8 won't be enough for long, but 16 does seem like overkill. So, the case won't have any airflow benefits or anything?

No, the Gold rating also doesn't have anything to do with heat.

You are 100% incorrect. There are plenty of cheaper PSUs that are amazing quality.

The Seasonic will be the same OR BETTER quality than that EVGA will be. Simple as that.

He was correct regarding the PSU and heat dissipation! SMH The less the efficiency, the more watts the PSU has to pull from the wall...the watts that are not used are dissipated as heat!

You are neglecting MANY things like heasink quality, hybrid fans, fan speed, heat tolerances.

Just because a PSU wastes more watts as heat, DOES NOT mean it will run hotter. There was a test done by hardwaresecrets.com where they ran alot of PSUs through heat tests at load. The results were everywhere. Some platinum PSUs were hotter than some bronze ones, and vice versa. It is all about the PSUs cooling system, which varies for EVERY PSU. So a blanket statement like "more efficient PSUs always run cooler" is 100% not truth. The only truth you can say about it is that more efficient PSUs convert less energy to heat.

 

[MrCanEHdian]

Yeah, people like to hate AMD for no reason. I personally like their CPUs and GPUs quite alot.

Generally people seem to think and say that the 770 blows away the 280x, when in reality they are basically the same. Some games run better on the 770 and others on the 280x.

Would you recommend something like a Vishera FX 8350 over an i5 4590 or i5 4690 for gaming purposes?

I'm guessing the 280x is less expensive than the 770?

 

[tiny voices]

No, I would recommend the i5 simple because it runs cooler and is easier. If you are interested in overclocking, yes I recommend the 8350.

Yes the 280x is cheaper than the 770.

 

[MrCanEHdian]

I disagree with the reviews about the cards as a whole. The are fine cards. I used a 7870 for a long time and it was great. never had a single issue.

So take them with a grain of salt? That's good.

I prefer nvidia cards as a whole but those reviews I would disagree with AMD runs a bit hotter and uses more power but they are still powerful and have support for a lot of games that they run better then nvidia

Yes, the heat is kinda sketchy, can you buy GPU coolers? The extra power is no biggie to me, it barely impacts the electricity bill. So, some games run better on Nvidia and others on AMD? A lot of the R9 series GPUs have complaints of leaking oil and what not, stock fans breaking down, in the Newegg reviews.

No, you do not buy aftermarket coolers. AMD coolers are fine. Don't let anyone tell you they run hot. The R9 cards with non-reference coolers run perfectly cool. No problems.

It depends on the air flow in your case and whether your PSU fan is facing up or down. They do not have heat issues, but they do exhaust a lot of warm air. If you do not have proper air flow, heat can and will build up, increasing the temp of the GPU. I recommend that you get a case with a side panel fan if you do plan on Crossfiring down the line.

How exactly do you get "good" airflow? Simply keep the PSU fan facing away from other components, and fans and some space in the and around the case? Well, I was looking at Z97s recently, and I guess I would SLI unless I went for an AMD GPU. I'm kinda torn, I was set on the GTX 760, but now I'm not so sure.

 

[MrCanEHdian]

I disagree with the reviews about the cards as a whole. The are fine cards. I used a 7870 for a long time and it was great. never had a single issue.

So take them with a grain of salt? That's good.

I prefer nvidia cards as a whole but those reviews I would disagree with AMD runs a bit hotter and uses more power but they are still powerful and have support for a lot of games that they run better then nvidia

Yes, the heat is kinda sketchy, can you buy GPU coolers? The extra power is no biggie to me, it barely impacts the electricity bill. So, some games run better on Nvidia and others on AMD? A lot of the R9 series GPUs have complaints of leaking oil and what not, stock fans breaking down, in the Newegg reviews.

No, you do not buy aftermarket coolers. AMD coolers are fine. Don't let anyone tell you they run hot. The R9 cards with non-reference coolers run perfectly cool. No problems.

What about Nvidia GPUs, are their stock coolers good too? And just for the sake of argument, do aftermarket coolers exist for GPUs?

 

[MrCanEHdian]

The 212 eVO is fine for your board. BUT, an aftermarket cooler and an overclocking motherboard are pointless for a non- overclocking CPU.

I would get low profile RAM and only 8gb of it. DDR4 rAM will be out WAY before games actually benefit from more than 8gb RAM. Save a bit on the case, get an h97 motherboard, and get an XFX550w PSU.

Use the saved money to get a better GPU.

Well, the reason I was hoping to go with the Z97 is because it's only $30 more. I figured $30 now might be well-worth it down the road if I want to get a better, unlocked CPU and try SLIing. I'm torn between the RAM, some people say 8 won't be enough for long, but 16 does seem like overkill. So, the case won't have any airflow benefits or anything?

No, the Gold rating also doesn't have anything to do with heat.

You are 100% incorrect. There are plenty of cheaper PSUs that are amazing quality.

The Seasonic will be the same OR BETTER quality than that EVGA will be. Simple as that.

He was correct regarding the PSU and heat dissipation! SMH The less the efficiency, the more watts the PSU has to pull from the wall...the watts that are not used are dissipated as heat!

You are neglecting MANY things like heasink quality, hybrid fans, fan speed, heat tolerances.

Just because a PSU wastes more watts as heat, DOES NOT mean it will run hotter. There was a test done by hardwaresecrets.com where they ran alot of PSUs through heat tests at load. The results were everywhere. Some platinum PSUs were hotter than some bronze ones, and vice versa. It is all about the PSUs cooling system, which varies for EVERY PSU. So a blanket statement like "more efficient PSUs always run cooler" is 100% not truth. The only truth you can say about it is that more efficient PSUs convert less energy to heat.

In that case, which ones have the best internal cooling systems?

 

[MrCanEHdian]

No, I would recommend the i5 simple because it runs cooler and is easier. If you are interested in overclocking, yes I recommend the 8350.

Yes the 280x is cheaper than the 770.

I'm not really big on overclocking, I've never done it... Or even owned anything better than a cheapish retail laptop. But I was going for a Z97 so I could overclock and SLI down the road, just to be safe, in case I need those things.

So, no real reason not to go with the 280x other than fanboy/girl reasons? Like, the 770 isn't made with higher quality parts or anything?

 

[tiny voices]

Nvidia coolers are perfectly fine. Not better or worse than AMD. Many are the same.

No the 280x or 770 isn't better quality. They are just different. I would get a 280x simple because it is cheaper.

 

[MrCanEHdian]

Nvidia coolers are perfectly fine. Not better or worse than AMD. Many are the same.

No the 280x or 770 isn't better quality. They are just different. I would get a 280x simple because it is cheaper.

I'm somewhat inclined to go with Nvidia, but it might have a lot to do with the fanboys' advice. But saving money for the same performance is always nice.......

 

[tiny voices]

Yeah, the only reason to get a 770 over a 280x when the 280x is cheaper is because of fanboy-ism.

 

[MrCanEHdian]

Yeah, the only reason to get a 770 over a 280x when the 280x is cheaper is because of fanboy-ism.

Hmmm, well I'll be ordering pretty soon, within the upcoming weeks. I'm going to take some time to review and research AMD GPUs, and then decide which one to go with. Thank you for all your valuable help! It's been great chatting with you.

 

[tiny voices]

Always glad to help!

 

[ccasystems]

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/kR73mG

So, assuming that link worked, that is the build.

I'm using Newegg.ca for everything, I'm very new to this and would prefer to deal with one re-seller.

I went with the Z97 because it was on sale and onle $30 more than the H97 I originally planned on going with, so someday I can SLI or overclock if I decide I want to.

I went with 16GB of RAM, because it may become relevant for gaming someday and RAM prices seem to be rising all the time.

I chose the i5 4690 because I won't be OCing, and it seems to be very good, and less expensive than the Xeon.

The GPU was on sale and came highly reviewed.

The HDD is simple and cheap, I don't need much more than that lmao. I won't be using an SSD since it's an additional cost I threw into RAM or something.

The monitor is a decent 1080p, if I understand, and can downsize it 720p if necessary, which is nice.

The case is a bit pricier than I originally intended, but has lots of fans and tons of excellent reviews.

The power supply was highly recommended by some and seems very good, plus it has 10 year warranty... Seems pretty awesome.

I just threw the keyboard in there to get a better idea of costs, I dunno what peripherals I'll use.

I'm uncertain whether to go with Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. I'm leaning towards Win7 because I'm familiar with it.

I'll be pretty much using this build for gaming, not much else that's intensive. No video editing or coding or anything like that.

*UPDATE*

Am I missing anything at all? I do have a different aftermarket cooler because the Vortex wasn't available. The 212 EVO weighs too much for my motherboard, I don't know if the 450g max weight is legit, on Gigabyte's website, but I figured I'd respect it and find a lighter cooler. Anyways, I'm only getting one to be on the safe side for cooling the CPU.

Thank you for your time .

don't get 16gb ram it's pointless, I understand you wanted to future proof but put that money into a gtx 770 or R9 280x. Also that keyboard is good for the price I have it and it's nice to type on and the LED's arn't bad ether.

I wouldn't say it's pointless...extra ram can always be used for hard drive cache, which makes quite a difference in a lot of applications including online MMO games. Go with windows 8.1, you can make it run just like 7, but leaner and with more features.

 

[Genocide Joe]

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/kR73mG

So, assuming that link worked, that is the build.

I'm using Newegg.ca for everything, I'm very new to this and would prefer to deal with one re-seller.

I went with the Z97 because it was on sale and onle $30 more than the H97 I originally planned on going with, so someday I can SLI or overclock if I decide I want to.

I went with 16GB of RAM, because it may become relevant for gaming someday and RAM prices seem to be rising all the time.

I chose the i5 4690 because I won't be OCing, and it seems to be very good, and less expensive than the Xeon.

The GPU was on sale and came highly reviewed.

The HDD is simple and cheap, I don't need much more than that lmao. I won't be using an SSD since it's an additional cost I threw into RAM or something.

The monitor is a decent 1080p, if I understand, and can downsize it 720p if necessary, which is nice.

The case is a bit pricier than I originally intended, but has lots of fans and tons of excellent reviews.

The power supply was highly recommended by some and seems very good, plus it has 10 year warranty... Seems pretty awesome.

I just threw the keyboard in there to get a better idea of costs, I dunno what peripherals I'll use.

I'm uncertain whether to go with Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. I'm leaning towards Win7 because I'm familiar with it.

I'll be pretty much using this build for gaming, not much else that's intensive. No video editing or coding or anything like that.

*UPDATE*

Am I missing anything at all? I do have a different aftermarket cooler because the Vortex wasn't available. The 212 EVO weighs too much for my motherboard, I don't know if the 450g max weight is legit, on Gigabyte's website, but I figured I'd respect it and find a lighter cooler. Anyways, I'm only getting one to be on the safe side for cooling the CPU.

Thank you for your time .

don't get 16gb ram it's pointless, I understand you wanted to future proof but put that money into a gtx 770 or R9 280x. Also that keyboard is good for the price I have it and it's nice to type on and the LED's arn't bad ether.

I wouldn't say it's pointless...extra ram can always be used for hard drive cache, which makes quite a difference in a lot of applications including online MMO games. Go with windows 8.1, you can make it run just like 7, but leaner and with more features.

If I may add my two cents.

I have been an avid PC gamer since 1999, and have built countless PC's for personal use as well as for friends. I have been down the AMD/Intel route where it comes to CPUs and GPUs. I have run single cards and both Crossfire/SLI combinations, and have settled in firmly with the following:

Go with the Intel CPU and the NVidia GPU. Buy the best single card solution that you can afford at the time, and then, IF DESIRED...add a second GPU later on. I am currently using a single GTX 780 and will NOT be adding a second one to my build, as the single 780 dances circles around anything else I have built.

I have recently built a 780 SLI rig for a friend and was able to compare it side by side with my single 780 with him sitting next to me. Yes, his benchmarking scores are higher than mine across the board as it comes to FPS. However, neither him nor I can see a single difference when gaming as both the single and SLI builds are smooth as silk.

Also as far as ram goes. 8 gigs is all that you currently need unless you are planning to do video rendering. If your main focus is gaming, 8 is certainly enough, as while gaming I have never seen ram usage hit the 3 gig level. It has always been 2.6 at max; that said, if the dollar amount is minimal I would go with the 16 for future-proofing. IF the dollar amount is minimal.

Lastly, go with Windows 8.1 and download a free software called Class Shell at www.ninite.com

This uses far less resources and allows your 8.1 to look and behave exactly like Win 7. I went to 8.1 kicking and screaming but figured I should try it before beating it up and will never look back.

PS, slip an SSD into your build and you will surely have a happy face on!

 

[MrCanEHdian]

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/kR73mG

So, assuming that link worked, that is the build.

I'm using Newegg.ca for everything, I'm very new to this and would prefer to deal with one re-seller.

I went with the Z97 because it was on sale and onle $30 more than the H97 I originally planned on going with, so someday I can SLI or overclock if I decide I want to.

I went with 16GB of RAM, because it may become relevant for gaming someday and RAM prices seem to be rising all the time.

I chose the i5 4690 because I won't be OCing, and it seems to be very good, and less expensive than the Xeon.

The GPU was on sale and came highly reviewed.

The HDD is simple and cheap, I don't need much more than that lmao. I won't be using an SSD since it's an additional cost I threw into RAM or something.

The monitor is a decent 1080p, if I understand, and can downsize it 720p if necessary, which is nice.

The case is a bit pricier than I originally intended, but has lots of fans and tons of excellent reviews.

The power supply was highly recommended by some and seems very good, plus it has 10 year warranty... Seems pretty awesome.

I just threw the keyboard in there to get a better idea of costs, I dunno what peripherals I'll use.

I'm uncertain whether to go with Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. I'm leaning towards Win7 because I'm familiar with it.

I'll be pretty much using this build for gaming, not much else that's intensive. No video editing or coding or anything like that.

*UPDATE*

Am I missing anything at all? I do have a different aftermarket cooler because the Vortex wasn't available. The 212 EVO weighs too much for my motherboard, I don't know if the 450g max weight is legit, on Gigabyte's website, but I figured I'd respect it and find a lighter cooler. Anyways, I'm only getting one to be on the safe side for cooling the CPU.

Thank you for your time .

don't get 16gb ram it's pointless, I understand you wanted to future proof but put that money into a gtx 770 or R9 280x. Also that keyboard is good for the price I have it and it's nice to type on and the LED's arn't bad ether.

I wouldn't say it's pointless...extra ram can always be used for hard drive cache, which makes quite a difference in a lot of applications including online MMO games. Go with windows 8.1, you can make it run just like 7, but leaner and with more features.

What?! The extra RAM can be used by the HDD to actually improve performance in some cases? That seems pretty significant, although, I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with 8GB for now.

But, people say that some games run poorly or not at all on 8.1.

 

[tiny voices]

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/kR73mG

So, assuming that link worked, that is the build.

I'm using Newegg.ca for everything, I'm very new to this and would prefer to deal with one re-seller.

I went with the Z97 because it was on sale and onle $30 more than the H97 I originally planned on going with, so someday I can SLI or overclock if I decide I want to.

I went with 16GB of RAM, because it may become relevant for gaming someday and RAM prices seem to be rising all the time.

I chose the i5 4690 because I won't be OCing, and it seems to be very good, and less expensive than the Xeon.

The GPU was on sale and came highly reviewed.

The HDD is simple and cheap, I don't need much more than that lmao. I won't be using an SSD since it's an additional cost I threw into RAM or something.

The monitor is a decent 1080p, if I understand, and can downsize it 720p if necessary, which is nice.

The case is a bit pricier than I originally intended, but has lots of fans and tons of excellent reviews.

The power supply was highly recommended by some and seems very good, plus it has 10 year warranty... Seems pretty awesome.

I just threw the keyboard in there to get a better idea of costs, I dunno what peripherals I'll use.

I'm uncertain whether to go with Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. I'm leaning towards Win7 because I'm familiar with it.

I'll be pretty much using this build for gaming, not much else that's intensive. No video editing or coding or anything like that.

*UPDATE*

Am I missing anything at all? I do have a different aftermarket cooler because the Vortex wasn't available. The 212 EVO weighs too much for my motherboard, I don't know if the 450g max weight is legit, on Gigabyte's website, but I figured I'd respect it and find a lighter cooler. Anyways, I'm only getting one to be on the safe side for cooling the CPU.

Thank you for your time .

don't get 16gb ram it's pointless, I understand you wanted to future proof but put that money into a gtx 770 or R9 280x. Also that keyboard is good for the price I have it and it's nice to type on and the LED's arn't bad ether.

I wouldn't say it's pointless...extra ram can always be used for hard drive cache, which makes quite a difference in a lot of applications including online MMO games. Go with windows 8.1, you can make it run just like 7, but leaner and with more features.

What?! The extra RAM can be used by the HDD to actually improve performance in some cases? That seems pretty significant, although, I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with 8GB for now.

But, people say that some games run poorly or not at all on 8.1.

You have to manually set up a HDD cache, and in my experience they make very little to no difference.

I have never had an issue with any game on 8.1. My games all run perfectly.

 

[Genocide Joe]

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/kR73mG

So, assuming that link worked, that is the build.

I'm using Newegg.ca for everything, I'm very new to this and would prefer to deal with one re-seller.

I went with the Z97 because it was on sale and onle $30 more than the H97 I originally planned on going with, so someday I can SLI or overclock if I decide I want to.

I went with 16GB of RAM, because it may become relevant for gaming someday and RAM prices seem to be rising all the time.

I chose the i5 4690 because I won't be OCing, and it seems to be very good, and less expensive than the Xeon.

The GPU was on sale and came highly reviewed.

The HDD is simple and cheap, I don't need much more than that lmao. I won't be using an SSD since it's an additional cost I threw into RAM or something.

The monitor is a decent 1080p, if I understand, and can downsize it 720p if necessary, which is nice.

The case is a bit pricier than I originally intended, but has lots of fans and tons of excellent reviews.

The power supply was highly recommended by some and seems very good, plus it has 10 year warranty... Seems pretty awesome.

I just threw the keyboard in there to get a better idea of costs, I dunno what peripherals I'll use.

I'm uncertain whether to go with Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. I'm leaning towards Win7 because I'm familiar with it.

I'll be pretty much using this build for gaming, not much else that's intensive. No video editing or coding or anything like that.

*UPDATE*

Am I missing anything at all? I do have a different aftermarket cooler because the Vortex wasn't available. The 212 EVO weighs too much for my motherboard, I don't know if the 450g max weight is legit, on Gigabyte's website, but I figured I'd respect it and find a lighter cooler. Anyways, I'm only getting one to be on the safe side for cooling the CPU.

Thank you for your time .

don't get 16gb ram it's pointless, I understand you wanted to future proof but put that money into a gtx 770 or R9 280x. Also that keyboard is good for the price I have it and it's nice to type on and the LED's arn't bad ether.

I wouldn't say it's pointless...extra ram can always be used for hard drive cache, which makes quite a difference in a lot of applications including online MMO games. Go with windows 8.1, you can make it run just like 7, but leaner and with more features.

What?! The extra RAM can be used by the HDD to actually improve performance in some cases? That seems pretty significant, although, I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with 8GB for now.

But, people say that some games run poorly or not at all on 8.1.

You have to manually set up a HDD cache, and in my experience they make very little to no difference.

I have never had an issue with any game on 8.1. My games all run perfectly.

I agree...I have not had one problem myself with 8.1

 

[MrCanEHdian]

Yeah, people like to hate AMD for no reason. I personally like their CPUs and GPUs quite alot.

Generally people seem to think and say that the 770 blows away the 280x, when in reality they are basically the same. Some games run better on the 770 and others on the 280x.

Well, in that case, for gaming, would you be more inclined to recommend AMD CPUs? Since the GPUs run the same basically, the AMD prices are better but Nvidia has sweet deals like free games. On the other hand, AMD gives away bundles of games, which is sweet, even get to choose which games. But not all cards support it :/.

 

[Genocide Joe]

Yeah, people like to hate AMD for no reason. I personally like their CPUs and GPUs quite alot.

Generally people seem to think and say that the 770 blows away the 280x, when in reality they are basically the same. Some games run better on the 770 and others on the 280x.

Well, in that case, for gaming, would you be more inclined to recommend AMD CPUs? Since the GPUs run the same basically, the AMD prices are better but Nvidia has sweet deals like free games. On the other hand, AMD gives away bundles of games, which is sweet, even get to choose which games. But not all cards support it :/.

After building MANY PCs using both AMD and Intel CPUs, as well as, AMD and NVidia GPUs, I would certainly go with an Intel CPU and an NVidia GPU. This is of course based upon personal opinion and customer feedback. My most requested and praised "gaming" builds were a 4670K CPU and a GTX 780 GPU with 8 Gigs of ram and an SSD.

 

[tiny voices]

I have nothing against AMD CPUs. I quite like them. I like the idea of something being less expensive and through overclocking, getting very good performance out of it. That is not for everyone though, and in the case where the person would rather mess with overclocking as a hobby, and not for real performance, or not overclock at all, an i5 fits the bill.

 

[MrCanEHdian]

Yeah, people like to hate AMD for no reason. I personally like their CPUs and GPUs quite alot.

Generally people seem to think and say that the 770 blows away the 280x, when in reality they are basically the same. Some games run better on the 770 and others on the 280x.

Well, in that case, for gaming, would you be more inclined to recommend AMD CPUs? Since the GPUs run the same basically, the AMD prices are better but Nvidia has sweet deals like free games. On the other hand, AMD gives away bundles of games, which is sweet, even get to choose which games. But not all cards support it :/.

After building MANY PCs using both AMD and Intel CPUs, as well as, AMD and NVidia GPUs, I would certainly go with an Intel CPU and an NVidia GPU. This is of course based upon personal opinion and customer feedback. My most requested and praised "gaming" builds were a 4670K CPU and a GTX 780 GPU with 8 Gigs of ram and an SSD.

8GB of RAM eh? Good, glad that's still enough. I'm definitely leaning towards Intel, but no so much towards Nvidia. Although, my build currently has a GTX 760. Thank you for the feedback, I will keep this in mind!