PC Build: Help Needed

Irish Kelly

Reputable
May 6, 2014
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4,530
Hi all! I'm looking to build a new pc and could use some advice and build suggestions. I put together one, but I'm no expert on this stuff. Change and mod my set-up however desired or scrap it completely.

The pc will be used primarily for gaming, but also some light-medium video editing. I'm not sure if I will be overclocking anything or not, but I wouldn't mind having the option. I want to be able to play current games on the highest settings I can manage on my budget and don't want to be forced to upgrade too fast. I do not need an OS, monitor, etc., just the hardware and case.

For my budget, I'd love to spend somewhere around $1500 to $2000 (definitely wouldn't complaint if it was on the lower end of the spectrum though). I just want to get the best bang for my buck. So, please look over what I have selected and let me know what you think. As I said before, feel free to do a complete overhaul as I'm not dedicated to any certain item or brand. Thanks!

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.94 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($79.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($88.97 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB Superclocked ACX Video Card ($689.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Phantom (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($100.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 850W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($67.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-AC68 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($97.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1915.80
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-07 17:17 EDT-0400)
 
Best bang for the buck right here:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($78.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($139.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($399.99 @ TigerDirect)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($399.99 @ TigerDirect)
Case: NZXT Phantom (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($100.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Rosewill 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN881ND 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($18.93 @ Amazon)
Total: $1915.82
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-07 17:52 EDT-0400)

Dual 290s in Crossfire will give you max out graphics even at 1440p for a long time :) Also gave you a power supply fully capable of handling the 290s even at max load, and 16GB of RAM for the larger video editing you may do. This setup will last you a LONG time :)
 
Solution


I've never run a crossfire/SLI set-up before so the unknown is a little intimidating. How much of a performance increase would I see running two Radeon 290's instead of a single GeForce 780 ti?
 
Assuming the game supports Crossfire, which most new ones do, you'll see quite a bit more performance. Definitely noticeable. And a single 290 (for games that don't support Crossfire) performs about equally to a 780.

And Crossfire setup is extremely simple, as AMD links them together over the PCIe slots, with no actual connector. Then all you have to do is enable Crossfire, and you're good to go :)