Opinions on this rig?

[joehenson]

I've dreamed of having a gaming PC for ages. Now, I think I can finally afford one. However, I want this rig to last, and I want the parts to compliment each other. Also, I'd like to avoid bottlenecking as much as I can. The one part I'd like to keep in is the GTX 970. Unless there is a better option with a more feasible price.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/fR3Tt6

My budget is roughly $1500. Sorry if it's not the best, I'm kind of a computer newbie. Constructive criticism is appreciated.

Let me know what you think!

 

[tsuneo6]

is having a 144Hz screen important to you? because to get full advantage of that you would need some more graphics power if you want to play games on maxed out settings and at 144 fps
also, you can switch that CPU with an i5 4690k and get a decent z87 or 97 mobo, in games there wont be any difference in performance by switching to an i5 4690k

and that PSU, get a decent PSU of 550Watts to have some headroom., more info about that you can find here . this is very important.

 

[Brayden Moore]

You might want a power supply with a couple hundred more watts, just to be safe. I would recommend a corsair RM650, its 80 Plus gold certified, fully modular, and comes in at $104 which will still pretty much fit your budget. Otherwise, I think this rig will be a great build

 

[joehenson]

is having a 144Hz screen important to you? because to get full advantage of that you would need some more graphics power if you want to play games on maxed out settings and at 144 fps
also, you can switch that CPU with an i5 4690k and get a decent z87 or 97 mobo, in games there wont be any difference in performance by switching to an i5 4690k

and that PSU, get a decent PSU of 550Watts to have some headroom., more info about that you can find here . this is very important.

In short, I hadn't considered the 144Hz matter. To be frank, I wouldn't mind downgrading the monitor considering what you said. As for the CPU and mobo situation, I'll take your advice and go with you choices. Can you recommend a particular monitor?

You might want a power supply with a couple hundred more watts, just to be safe. I would recommend a corsair RM650, its 80 Plus gold certified, fully modular, and comes in at $104 which will still pretty much fit your budget. Otherwise, I think this rig will be a great build

I'll go with your recommendation on the PSU, many thanks!

 

[tsuneo6]

not a monitor expert to be quite honest^^
the most important part is the powe rsupply though. try getting something from xfx or seasonic or so.(I know xfx sells good 550watt PSu's for a reasonable price)

I myself have a 'cheap' lg 21" monitor and it's fine. it doesnt have the best reaction time etc but hey...it does the job and I cant complain. unless you are a very competitive gamer and want the best collors available etcetc...you should be fine with a 150 dollar screen.

 

[tsuneo6]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($123.79 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($76.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.67 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($349.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($90.26 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus VH238H 23.0" Monitor ($147.58 @ Newegg)
Total: $1264.23
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-19 20:29 EST-0500

smething like this. and it's under your budget by around $200.

 

[joehenson]

not a monitor expert to be quite honest^^
the most important part is the powe rsupply though. try getting something from xfx or seasonic or so.(I know xfx sells good 550watt PSu's for a reasonable price)

I myself have a 'cheap' lg 21" monitor and it's fine. it doesnt have the best reaction time etc but hey...it does the job and I cant complain. unless you are a very competitive gamer and want the best collors available etcetc...you should be fine with a 150 dollar screen.

Okay, I've done some tweaking. I'm even a hundred or so dollars under budget!

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/9qCYbv

Also, should I be investing any more money in cooling? I don't have plans to overclock as of right now, but that's always subject to change. For now, would I be better off using the extra bucks I saved on an SSD?

QUICK EDIT: Didn't see your reply. Reading it now.

 

[tsuneo6]

well noctua has some very solid air coolers like this one.http://pcpartpicker.com/part/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhd14
although that coolermaster hyper 212 plus should be sufficient and can handle mild overclocks.(nothing to serious though)

as for the ssd, that's always nice to have in your PC. I myself would go for a 250+ GB ssd.(at the very least 120GB)

 

[barto]

Tsuneo6 has a good build. My only suggestions are:

1. Increase speed of RAM. Haswell chips benefit from faster RAM.
2. Enough room for an SSD. 840 EVO

The SeaSonic PSU is a great PSU for a single card. Right now there are two good deals available for PSU. Corsair 650HX and EVGA 750 B2. This is more of an option for the OP.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($81.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($119.98 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $261.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-19 20:42 EST-0500


Edit: Change back the motherboard to Extreme4 or an Asus Z97-A.

 

[joehenson]

well noctua has some very solid air coolers like this one.http://pcpartpicker.com/part/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhd14
although that coolermaster hyper 212 plus should be sufficient and can handle mild overclocks.(nothing to serious though)

as for the ssd, that's always nice to have in your PC. I myself would go for a 250+ GB ssd.(at the very least 120GB)

Tsuneo6 has a good build. My only suggestions are:

1. Increase speed of RAM. Haswell chips benefit from faster RAM.
2. Enough room for an SSD. 840 EVO

The SeaSonic PSU is a great PSU for a single card. Right now there are two good deals available for PSU. Corsair 650HX and EVGA 750 B2. This is more of an option for the OP.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($81.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($119.98 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $261.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-19 20:42 EST-0500


Edit: Change back the motherboard to Extreme4 or an Asus Z97-A.

Duly noted.

The build so far: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/joehenson96/saved/c38xFT

I think that pretty much settles everything, right?

 

[barto]

Go and dominate all.

 

[tsuneo6]

Tsuneo6 has a good build. My only suggestions are:

1. Increase speed of RAM. Haswell chips benefit from faster RAM.
2. Enough room for an SSD. 840 EVO

The SeaSonic PSU is a great PSU for a single card. Right now there are two good deals available for PSU. Corsair 650HX and EVGA 750 B2. This is more of an option for the OP.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($81.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($119.98 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $261.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-19 20:42 EST-0500


Edit: Change back the motherboard to Extreme4 or an Asus Z97-A.

I always seem to forget about the benefit of RAM speed with Haswell chips. although I didnt know it would actually make a difference in gaming? I guess it's time for me to go read up hehe. tnx

 

[barto]

I always seem to forget about the benefit of RAM speed with Haswell chips. although I didnt know it would actually make a difference in gaming? I guess it's time for me to go read up hehe. tnx

The results aren't huge gains. But for only a few bucks more, I've always felt it was worth it.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7364/memory-scaling-on-haswell/10

 

[tsuneo6]

and often you can get higher speed RAM for the same price even.

*clicked pick as solution instead of clicking the link my fingers are still frozen*