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 .

 

[MrCanEHdian]

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.

I like their lower cost a lot. Are they made with quality parts or are they less reliable than Intels usually? Are all of their CPUs unlocked? I'm interested in AMD, but I've done so much research on Intel motherboards and none on AMD motherboards, but I could start reading about their motherboards.
Ya, I see what you're saying, the i5 would probably be best for me, as a noob with no overclocking experience. Thank you for all the help .

 

[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.

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!

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.

I like their lower cost a lot. Are they made with quality parts or are they less reliable than Intels usually? Are all of their CPUs unlocked? I'm interested in AMD, but I've done so much research on Intel motherboards and none on AMD motherboards, but I could start reading about their motherboards.
Ya, I see what you're saying, the i5 would probably be best for me, as a noob with no overclocking experience. Thank you for all the help .

If you have a GTX 760 and add to that an Intel i5-4670K or 4690K with 8 Gigs of ram, you will have a beast of a machine for awesome gaming! Also, as you stated, being an overclocking noob, leave well enough alone! These new CPUs and GPUs ramp themselves up enough for anyone to have a tremendous gaming experience. However, if you ever want to OC your GTX 760, just drop me a line at genojoe@live.com
They are easier then you think!

 

[Gracodana]

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!

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.

I like their lower cost a lot. Are they made with quality parts or are they less reliable than Intels usually? Are all of their CPUs unlocked? I'm interested in AMD, but I've done so much research on Intel motherboards and none on AMD motherboards, but I could start reading about their motherboards.
Ya, I see what you're saying, the i5 would probably be best for me, as a noob with no overclocking experience. Thank you for all the help .

If you have a GTX 760 and add to that an Intel i5-4670K or 4690K with 8 Gigs of ram, you will have a beast of a machine for awesome gaming! Also, as you stated, being an overclocking noob, leave well enough alone! These new CPUs and GPUs ramp themselves up enough for anyone to have a tremendous gaming experience. However, if you ever want to OC your GTX 760, just drop me a line at genojoe@live.com
They are easier then you think!

At this point I would say just choose a pc and I have a link to a great one down bellow, go with the 780 it's a beast and it fits in your budget so why not. The i5 4690k is a good OCer and I know you said you didn't think you would but this is almost just future proofing if you really dont want then I guess go with the non k version and H97 board but really I don't recommend that at all. I got an SSD in there and I don't know why nobody else did that before it will speed up your pc hugely. The PSU has a decent amount of headroom for upgrades and the case is so cheap and is very good to boot (a friend of mine has it). For anyone who tells you otherwise though people on this thread do realise it thank goodness windows 8.1 is a very nice and smooth operating system and I like using it a lot. The moniter I have here is just a bit bigger and has a nicer refresh rate and is only $10 more. You didn't include a mouse with your first build so if you don't need it just remove from the list the old keyboard is good but this one is a hell of a lot better as it's mechanical.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nFZgQ7

 

[tiny voices]

At this point I would say just choose a pc and I have a link to a great one down bellow, go with the 780 it's a beast and it fits in your budget so why not. The i5 4690k is a good OCer and I know you said you didn't think you would but this is almost just future proofing if you really dont want then I guess go with the non k version and H97 board but really I don't recommend that at all. I got an SSD in there and I don't know why nobody else did that before it will speed up your pc hugely. The PSU has a decent amount of headroom for upgrades and the case is so cheap and is very good to boot (a friend of mine has it). For anyone who tells you otherwise though people on this thread do realise it thank goodness windows 8.1 is a very nice and smooth operating system and I like using it a lot. The moniter I have here is just a bit bigger and has a nicer refresh rate and is only $10 more. You didn't include a mouse with your first build so if you don't need it just remove from the list the old keyboard is good but this one is a hell of a lot better as it's mechanical.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nFZgQ7

DO NOT use a CX PSU with a build of this quality.

 

[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!

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.

I like their lower cost a lot. Are they made with quality parts or are they less reliable than Intels usually? Are all of their CPUs unlocked? I'm interested in AMD, but I've done so much research on Intel motherboards and none on AMD motherboards, but I could start reading about their motherboards.
Ya, I see what you're saying, the i5 would probably be best for me, as a noob with no overclocking experience. Thank you for all the help .

If you have a GTX 760 and add to that an Intel i5-4670K or 4690K with 8 Gigs of ram, you will have a beast of a machine for awesome gaming! Also, as you stated, being an overclocking noob, leave well enough alone! These new CPUs and GPUs ramp themselves up enough for anyone to have a tremendous gaming experience. However, if you ever want to OC your GTX 760, just drop me a line at genojoe@live.com
They are easier then you think!

That's great! As long as I can enjoy strategy games, I'll be happy.

Wow, thanks for the help and the email address! If I ever do end up overclocking the GPU, I'll take you on your offer if it's still up. Thank you!

 

[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!

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.

I like their lower cost a lot. Are they made with quality parts or are they less reliable than Intels usually? Are all of their CPUs unlocked? I'm interested in AMD, but I've done so much research on Intel motherboards and none on AMD motherboards, but I could start reading about their motherboards.
Ya, I see what you're saying, the i5 would probably be best for me, as a noob with no overclocking experience. Thank you for all the help .

If you have a GTX 760 and add to that an Intel i5-4670K or 4690K with 8 Gigs of ram, you will have a beast of a machine for awesome gaming! Also, as you stated, being an overclocking noob, leave well enough alone! These new CPUs and GPUs ramp themselves up enough for anyone to have a tremendous gaming experience. However, if you ever want to OC your GTX 760, just drop me a line at genojoe@live.com
They are easier then you think!

At this point I would say just choose a pc and I have a link to a great one down bellow, go with the 780 it's a beast and it fits in your budget so why not. The i5 4690k is a good OCer and I know you said you didn't think you would but this is almost just future proofing if you really dont want then I guess go with the non k version and H97 board but really I don't recommend that at all. I got an SSD in there and I don't know why nobody else did that before it will speed up your pc hugely. The PSU has a decent amount of headroom for upgrades and the case is so cheap and is very good to boot (a friend of mine has it). For anyone who tells you otherwise though people on this thread do realise it thank goodness windows 8.1 is a very nice and smooth operating system and I like using it a lot. The moniter I have here is just a bit bigger and has a nicer refresh rate and is only $10 more. You didn't include a mouse with your first build so if you don't need it just remove from the list the old keyboard is good but this one is a hell of a lot better as it's mechanical.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nFZgQ7

That build is great, I love it, and for that price, I doubt I could beat it. The only problem is that I'm in Canada and I'd have to jack the price up $300 or so if I take exchange rates and our 13% GST/HST taxes, so I'd have to downgrade some stuff, probably the GPU.

I'm leaning towards a couple Gigabyte Z97 motherboards to open up the future to other options, but I am still looking to save a bit by going with a locked CPU for now. The main motive for going with a Z97 is that it'll allow me to SLI down the road, if I decide I want to.

I'll keep the build you suggested in mind, I like a lot of the components. Thank you very much for the help and time!

 

[MrCanEHdian]

At this point I would say just choose a pc and I have a link to a great one down bellow, go with the 780 it's a beast and it fits in your budget so why not. The i5 4690k is a good OCer and I know you said you didn't think you would but this is almost just future proofing if you really dont want then I guess go with the non k version and H97 board but really I don't recommend that at all. I got an SSD in there and I don't know why nobody else did that before it will speed up your pc hugely. The PSU has a decent amount of headroom for upgrades and the case is so cheap and is very good to boot (a friend of mine has it). For anyone who tells you otherwise though people on this thread do realise it thank goodness windows 8.1 is a very nice and smooth operating system and I like using it a lot. The moniter I have here is just a bit bigger and has a nicer refresh rate and is only $10 more. You didn't include a mouse with your first build so if you don't need it just remove from the list the old keyboard is good but this one is a hell of a lot better as it's mechanical.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nFZgQ7

DO NOT use a CX PSU with a build of this quality.

A lot of people say the CX series are garbage, would they be good for any build?

Also, I'm definitely leaning towards some nicely priced XFX PSUs or the EVGA G2 750 Gold plus, both are being kept in mind for now. I'm hoping to be able to order Tuesday, and if not Tuesday, then Friday.

 

[tiny voices]

A CX PSU is acceptable for an office build, or a no-GPU build. That's about it. They really are pretty awful.

I prefer Antec to all personally. XFX makes great stuff, but for the tie being I would stay away from EVGA until they prove themselves in the PSU sector. There have been plenty of Gold rated PSUs be junk in the long run. Corsair RM (except 1000w) for example.

 

[DragonFireXY]

But seriously dude go for the 780. It's worth it. You said you aren't worrying about Overclocking so a z97 is pointless and an i5 isn't going to bottleneck you for a loooooong time! A 780 is worth it IMHO.

 

[Gracodana]

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!

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.

I like their lower cost a lot. Are they made with quality parts or are they less reliable than Intels usually? Are all of their CPUs unlocked? I'm interested in AMD, but I've done so much research on Intel motherboards and none on AMD motherboards, but I could start reading about their motherboards.
Ya, I see what you're saying, the i5 would probably be best for me, as a noob with no overclocking experience. Thank you for all the help .

If you have a GTX 760 and add to that an Intel i5-4670K or 4690K with 8 Gigs of ram, you will have a beast of a machine for awesome gaming! Also, as you stated, being an overclocking noob, leave well enough alone! These new CPUs and GPUs ramp themselves up enough for anyone to have a tremendous gaming experience. However, if you ever want to OC your GTX 760, just drop me a line at genojoe@live.com
They are easier then you think!

At this point I would say just choose a pc and I have a link to a great one down bellow, go with the 780 it's a beast and it fits in your budget so why not. The i5 4690k is a good OCer and I know you said you didn't think you would but this is almost just future proofing if you really dont want then I guess go with the non k version and H97 board but really I don't recommend that at all. I got an SSD in there and I don't know why nobody else did that before it will speed up your pc hugely. The PSU has a decent amount of headroom for upgrades and the case is so cheap and is very good to boot (a friend of mine has it). For anyone who tells you otherwise though people on this thread do realise it thank goodness windows 8.1 is a very nice and smooth operating system and I like using it a lot. The moniter I have here is just a bit bigger and has a nicer refresh rate and is only $10 more. You didn't include a mouse with your first build so if you don't need it just remove from the list the old keyboard is good but this one is a hell of a lot better as it's mechanical.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nFZgQ7

That build is great, I love it, and for that price, I doubt I could beat it. The only problem is that I'm in Canada and I'd have to jack the price up $300 or so if I take exchange rates and our 13% GST/HST taxes, so I'd have to downgrade some stuff, probably the GPU.

I'm leaning towards a couple Gigabyte Z97 motherboards to open up the future to other options, but I am still looking to save a bit by going with a locked CPU for now. The main motive for going with a Z97 is that it'll allow me to SLI down the road, if I decide I want to.

I'll keep the build you suggested in mind, I like a lot of the components. Thank you very much for the help and time!

get a 4 gb 770 is my recommendation also I guess change the PSU I use a cx and it's fine but maybe for something like yours it makes a differance getting something a little more high end

 

[tiny voices]

I would DEFINITELY not recommend a CX PSU. Also, a 4gb 770 is pointless for 1080p. I would get a 2gb one, unless you plan to add another relatively soon for SLI. That is the only place it will really matter.

I lost $400 worth of parts to a cx600. THey really are barely average quality.

 

[Gracodana]

I would DEFINITELY not recommend a CX PSU. Also, a 4gb 770 is pointless for 1080p. I would get a 2gb one, unless you plan to add another relatively soon for SLI. That is the only place it will really matter.

I lost $400 worth of parts to a cx600. THey really are barely average quality.

actually if you plan on SLI only bother with 2gb games do take up more vram atm but with SLI you get the 4gb anyway

 

[tiny voices]

Nope, that is 100% false. Vram DOES NOT ADD when you have 2 cards. Two 2gb cards in SLI still only have 2gb vRAM. Google it. I promise this is 100% true.

This is how it has worked FOREVER with ANY multi-card setup. AMD or Nvidia.

 

[Gracodana]

Nope, that is 100% false. Vram DOES NOT ADD when you have 2 cards. Two 2gb cards in SLI still only have 2gb vRAM. Google it. I promise this is 100% true.

This is how it has worked FOREVER with ANY multi-card setup. AMD or Nvidia.

sorry my bad I forgot that. That is compleatly true

 

[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.

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!

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.

I like their lower cost a lot. Are they made with quality parts or are they less reliable than Intels usually? Are all of their CPUs unlocked? I'm interested in AMD, but I've done so much research on Intel motherboards and none on AMD motherboards, but I could start reading about their motherboards.
Ya, I see what you're saying, the i5 would probably be best for me, as a noob with no overclocking experience. Thank you for all the help .

If you have a GTX 760 and add to that an Intel i5-4670K or 4690K with 8 Gigs of ram, you will have a beast of a machine for awesome gaming! Also, as you stated, being an overclocking noob, leave well enough alone! These new CPUs and GPUs ramp themselves up enough for anyone to have a tremendous gaming experience. However, if you ever want to OC your GTX 760, just drop me a line at genojoe@live.com
They are easier then you think!

That's great! As long as I can enjoy strategy games, I'll be happy.

Wow, thanks for the help and the email address! If I ever do end up overclocking the GPU, I'll take you on your offer if it's still up. Thank you!

In regards to your decision about AMD vs. Intel for the CPU, have a look at this video. I have been following this guy for some time and he is not a fanboy either way. He rates things as he sees them and some do not like his blatant honesty at times, but I prefer it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26UKz42uQ1Y&list=PLZT_SZiFdpEk8hqQ5p_TeflRj0R70FeTu

BTW, overclocking a GTX is simple and you reap some free benefits from your card. Feel free to email me with advice and/or overclocking.

 

[MrCanEHdian]

A CX PSU is acceptable for an office build, or a no-GPU build. That's about it. They really are pretty awful.

I prefer Antec to all personally. XFX makes great stuff, but for the tie being I would stay away from EVGA until they prove themselves in the PSU sector. There have been plenty of Gold rated PSUs be junk in the long run. Corsair RM (except 1000w) for example.

So you'd recommend an Antec above all? Any in particular, if you don't mind me asking? I'm interested in 600w-750w for headroom and future upgradeability.

 

[MrCanEHdian]

But seriously dude go for the 780. It's worth it. You said you aren't worrying about Overclocking so a z97 is pointless and an i5 isn't going to bottleneck you for a loooooong time! A 780 is worth it IMHO.

The 780 is great, don't get me wrong, but it is expensive. That being said, I won't write it off completely. I won't be getting the GPU until probably a week after I get the original build. Paypal only let me send $1,000 to my account, so I'm limited, and it takes them 8 business days to get everything done. I've already missed some nice sales unfortunately.

I was hoping for a z97 for SLIing purposes, and a Gigabyte Z97 currently $10 off is only like $20-$30 more than the Gigabyte H97, so I figured the extra $30 or so might be worth it for the option to SLI/CrossFire, or OC.

 

[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!

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.

I like their lower cost a lot. Are they made with quality parts or are they less reliable than Intels usually? Are all of their CPUs unlocked? I'm interested in AMD, but I've done so much research on Intel motherboards and none on AMD motherboards, but I could start reading about their motherboards.
Ya, I see what you're saying, the i5 would probably be best for me, as a noob with no overclocking experience. Thank you for all the help .

If you have a GTX 760 and add to that an Intel i5-4670K or 4690K with 8 Gigs of ram, you will have a beast of a machine for awesome gaming! Also, as you stated, being an overclocking noob, leave well enough alone! These new CPUs and GPUs ramp themselves up enough for anyone to have a tremendous gaming experience. However, if you ever want to OC your GTX 760, just drop me a line at genojoe@live.com
They are easier then you think!

At this point I would say just choose a pc and I have a link to a great one down bellow, go with the 780 it's a beast and it fits in your budget so why not. The i5 4690k is a good OCer and I know you said you didn't think you would but this is almost just future proofing if you really dont want then I guess go with the non k version and H97 board but really I don't recommend that at all. I got an SSD in there and I don't know why nobody else did that before it will speed up your pc hugely. The PSU has a decent amount of headroom for upgrades and the case is so cheap and is very good to boot (a friend of mine has it). For anyone who tells you otherwise though people on this thread do realise it thank goodness windows 8.1 is a very nice and smooth operating system and I like using it a lot. The moniter I have here is just a bit bigger and has a nicer refresh rate and is only $10 more. You didn't include a mouse with your first build so if you don't need it just remove from the list the old keyboard is good but this one is a hell of a lot better as it's mechanical.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nFZgQ7

That build is great, I love it, and for that price, I doubt I could beat it. The only problem is that I'm in Canada and I'd have to jack the price up $300 or so if I take exchange rates and our 13% GST/HST taxes, so I'd have to downgrade some stuff, probably the GPU.

I'm leaning towards a couple Gigabyte Z97 motherboards to open up the future to other options, but I am still looking to save a bit by going with a locked CPU for now. The main motive for going with a Z97 is that it'll allow me to SLI down the road, if I decide I want to.

I'll keep the build you suggested in mind, I like a lot of the components. Thank you very much for the help and time!

get a 4 gb 770 is my recommendation also I guess change the PSU I use a cx and it's fine but maybe for something like yours it makes a differance getting something a little more high end

The 4gb model is nice, but I only intend on using one monitor with a max of 1080p. Isn't 4Gb a little overkill unless you're using 2-4 monitors or a 4k monitor? Also, no offense, but I've heard nothing but bad things on here about Corsair's CX series PSUs. I think I will avoid them and play it safe.

 

[MrCanEHdian]

I would DEFINITELY not recommend a CX PSU. Also, a 4gb 770 is pointless for 1080p. I would get a 2gb one, unless you plan to add another relatively soon for SLI. That is the only place it will really matter.

I lost $400 worth of parts to a cx600. THey really are barely average quality.

I would consider a 2gb 770, although it's way more than I need, if one was on a decent sale, I'd be down to fork over the extra cash. I am planning on ordering everything but the GPU seperately, and building without the GPU, and then adding the GPU a bit later on because I'm afraid to miss out on some nice sales.

I was hoping for a Z97 so I could have the option to SLI down the road, that makes the GTX 760 more attractive to me, two working in tandem are supposed to be really awesome.

So, you had a CX series PSU and it damaged some of your hardware? Did the warranties cover the damage? That's awful :/.

 

[MrCanEHdian]

Nope, that is 100% false. Vram DOES NOT ADD when you have 2 cards. Two 2gb cards in SLI still only have 2gb vRAM. Google it. I promise this is 100% true.

This is how it has worked FOREVER with ANY multi-card setup. AMD or Nvidia.

I've seen that in here a lot, people think it'll double the Vram and they always get the exact same answer. Not that I don't appreciate their input, but it's good to know it's false.... Instead of spending hundreds of dollars and find out the hard way.

 

[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!

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.

I like their lower cost a lot. Are they made with quality parts or are they less reliable than Intels usually? Are all of their CPUs unlocked? I'm interested in AMD, but I've done so much research on Intel motherboards and none on AMD motherboards, but I could start reading about their motherboards.
Ya, I see what you're saying, the i5 would probably be best for me, as a noob with no overclocking experience. Thank you for all the help .

If you have a GTX 760 and add to that an Intel i5-4670K or 4690K with 8 Gigs of ram, you will have a beast of a machine for awesome gaming! Also, as you stated, being an overclocking noob, leave well enough alone! These new CPUs and GPUs ramp themselves up enough for anyone to have a tremendous gaming experience. However, if you ever want to OC your GTX 760, just drop me a line at genojoe@live.com
They are easier then you think!

That's great! As long as I can enjoy strategy games, I'll be happy.

Wow, thanks for the help and the email address! If I ever do end up overclocking the GPU, I'll take you on your offer if it's still up. Thank you!

In regards to your decision about AMD vs. Intel for the CPU, have a look at this video. I have been following this guy for some time and he is not a fanboy either way. He rates things as he sees them and some do not like his blatant honesty at times, but I prefer it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26UKz42uQ1Y&list=PLZT_SZiFdpEk8hqQ5p_TeflRj0R70FeTu

BTW, overclocking a GTX is simple and you reap some free benefits from your card. Feel free to email me with advice and/or overclocking.

Thank you for that link! It's hard to find unbiased information, this is really great.

Can you overclock the GPU from the BIOS? I will, thank you .

 

[MrCanEHdian]

A CX PSU is acceptable for an office build, or a no-GPU build. That's about it. They really are pretty awful.

I prefer Antec to all personally. XFX makes great stuff, but for the tie being I would stay away from EVGA until they prove themselves in the PSU sector. There have been plenty of Gold rated PSUs be junk in the long run. Corsair RM (except 1000w) for example.

What is Antec customer support like? I know some companies are supposed to have dreadful support, a lot of Newegg reviews say SeaSonic has awful support.

I found this one
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371056&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&PageSize=10&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&IsFeedbackTab=true#scrollFullInfo

Antec EarthWatts Platinum Series EA-650 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS PLATINUM

From my basic, noob outlook, it looks good, is decently reviewed and has the bonus of being 80 plus platinum.

Antec TruePower Classic series TP-750C 750W 80 PLUS GOLD

This one looks good too, basically the counterpart to the EVGA G2 in terms of wattage, efficiency, and price.

 

[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.

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!

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.

I like their lower cost a lot. Are they made with quality parts or are they less reliable than Intels usually? Are all of their CPUs unlocked? I'm interested in AMD, but I've done so much research on Intel motherboards and none on AMD motherboards, but I could start reading about their motherboards.
Ya, I see what you're saying, the i5 would probably be best for me, as a noob with no overclocking experience. Thank you for all the help .

If you have a GTX 760 and add to that an Intel i5-4670K or 4690K with 8 Gigs of ram, you will have a beast of a machine for awesome gaming! Also, as you stated, being an overclocking noob, leave well enough alone! These new CPUs and GPUs ramp themselves up enough for anyone to have a tremendous gaming experience. However, if you ever want to OC your GTX 760, just drop me a line at genojoe@live.com
They are easier then you think!

That's great! As long as I can enjoy strategy games, I'll be happy.

Wow, thanks for the help and the email address! If I ever do end up overclocking the GPU, I'll take you on your offer if it's still up. Thank you!

In regards to your decision about AMD vs. Intel for the CPU, have a look at this video. I have been following this guy for some time and he is not a fanboy either way. He rates things as he sees them and some do not like his blatant honesty at times, but I prefer it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26UKz42uQ1Y&list=PLZT_SZiFdpEk8hqQ5p_TeflRj0R70FeTu

BTW, overclocking a GTX is simple and you reap some free benefits from your card. Feel free to email me with advice and/or overclocking.

Thank you for that link! It's hard to find unbiased information, this is really great.

Can you overclock the GPU from the BIOS? I will, thank you .

Enjoy the video, I know I did. We will download two free programs to O'clock the GPU, EVGA Precision X and GPUZ. From here we will change a few of the values and you're done. Yes, it is that easy. No need to do a thing in the BIOS.

 

[MrCanEHdian]

A CX PSU is acceptable for an office build, or a no-GPU build. That's about it. They really are pretty awful.

I prefer Antec to all personally. XFX makes great stuff, but for the tie being I would stay away from EVGA until they prove themselves in the PSU sector. There have been plenty of Gold rated PSUs be junk in the long run. Corsair RM (except 1000w) for example.

SeaSonic M12II 620 Bronze 620W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE

This one is very highly reviewed, 620W is a bit low, but still, people seem to like it a lot.

 

[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!

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.

I like their lower cost a lot. Are they made with quality parts or are they less reliable than Intels usually? Are all of their CPUs unlocked? I'm interested in AMD, but I've done so much research on Intel motherboards and none on AMD motherboards, but I could start reading about their motherboards.
Ya, I see what you're saying, the i5 would probably be best for me, as a noob with no overclocking experience. Thank you for all the help .

If you have a GTX 760 and add to that an Intel i5-4670K or 4690K with 8 Gigs of ram, you will have a beast of a machine for awesome gaming! Also, as you stated, being an overclocking noob, leave well enough alone! These new CPUs and GPUs ramp themselves up enough for anyone to have a tremendous gaming experience. However, if you ever want to OC your GTX 760, just drop me a line at genojoe@live.com
They are easier then you think!

That's great! As long as I can enjoy strategy games, I'll be happy.

Wow, thanks for the help and the email address! If I ever do end up overclocking the GPU, I'll take you on your offer if it's still up. Thank you!

In regards to your decision about AMD vs. Intel for the CPU, have a look at this video. I have been following this guy for some time and he is not a fanboy either way. He rates things as he sees them and some do not like his blatant honesty at times, but I prefer it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26UKz42uQ1Y&list=PLZT_SZiFdpEk8hqQ5p_TeflRj0R70FeTu

BTW, overclocking a GTX is simple and you reap some free benefits from your card. Feel free to email me with advice and/or overclocking.

Thank you for that link! It's hard to find unbiased information, this is really great.

Can you overclock the GPU from the BIOS? I will, thank you .

Enjoy the video, I know I did. We will download two free programs to O'clock the GPU, EVGA Precision X and GPUZ. From here we will change a few of the values and you're done. Yes, it is that easy. No need to do a thing in the BIOS.

Wow, that's ridiculously easy haha.

By the looks of this video, Intel excels at all games and pretty much always beats AMD by at least a little bit.