Yep, I need help with building a new PC too...

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Sentient6

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Well, it's more like advice on which parts to get. I want to build a gaming PC that will last a few years before I need to upgrade - I got my last PC ~6 years ago (and a new graphics card~2 years ago) and it's still doing pretty well, performance-wise. The only reason I'm upgrading is because my motherboard is basically fried - meaning my main goal is a new MB and a new CPU and I thought I might as well get a new graphics card as well to upgrade the system.

Anyway, money is an issue, so the aim here is to get the most bang for my buck. I don't have a set number as a limit, but I really want to save wherever I can.. Here's what I have in mind so far:

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K. I'm pretty sure that I want an i7, and the selection available to me is pretty narrow. What's the difference between a 4790 and a 4790K? Is it significant? And when buying a CPU, I have a choice between a "box" and a "tray"... whaaa?

Motherboard: No freaking clue. One of the main reasons I need advice on this... I know very little about motherboards beyond which ones will fit the CPU I want.. =/ Help.

Graphics card: GeForce GTX750 TI 2GB DDR5. Not the strongest out there right now, but I read good reviews, and it's significantly cheaper than others (a 770 card can cost almost double, and a 780 series card almost 4 times as much (yeah, PC components are pretty pricey here). Anyway, is it a good choice for a gaming PC? And is there significant difference between cards from different manufacturers (because there is some price difference)? Someone told me it's best to get a card from the same manufacturer and the MB (ie both from Gigabyte) - is it true?

Memory: right now I have 8GB DDR2 @ 800MHz. I'm not sure which manufacturer, I believe it's Kingston. Is it going to be adequate, or do I need to upgrade that as well?

Power: I have a ThermaltakeToughpower 650W. I really hope this is going to be enough, because not getting a new one would really help me keep the budget.

Case: No idea if it even has a model or whatever, but I think the case is pretty solid. It has a big-ass fan on the side, and plenty of ventilation from the back (and room to install another fan if needed). Right now it holds an ATX-sized MB and a NVIDIA GTX560 graphics card, so size shouldn't be an issue... Right?

HDD: Would I need to format/reinstall the OS after I put in the new hardware? Someone once told me that I would.. Hate formatting my PC.. Although I have two HDDs, one with the OS (Windows 7), the other for general stuff (like my Steam account and music and what not)..

Right, sorry for the wall of text, I just really don't want to end up in the situation where I regret buying a certain part (I still kinda regret not getting a 560 TI back when I got the 560 I have now). I'm not a complete moron when it comes to computers, but hardware is kinda my weak side, so I'll take all the advice I can get. Thanks in advance!
 
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Eximo
Modern motherboards use DDR3, so your old ram won't work.

If your primary purpose is gaming, an i7 is a bit overkill. If you want longevity before your next upgrade I think it is a wise choice.

Generally your Windows license is tied to the Motherboard. If you have the retail box for Windows, you should be able to load that onto a new system. But you won't be able to use the old one at the same time.

TP 650W is not the best powersupply out there. If it is six years old a replacement would be advisable.

GTX750Ti would be a little faster then what you have now. GTX760 would probably be a better choice if you want it to last a while.

Difference between the K and and non-K version of that CPU is that K series chips have the ability to...
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schau314

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Cpu: The xeon 1231 v3 is a great choice to get i7 performance without the price of an i7,

Motherboard: For the i7, choose a z97 motherboard, for the xeon choose the h97.

Graphics card: For one monitor at 1080p or below a 750 ti will be good. The r9 270x and gtx 760 and good contenders past this.

Memory: You will need ddr3, good news is that ddr2 sells for a good price.

Power: Keep if it isn't too old

case:Fine

Hdd: You may need a new os if you bought an oem copy. IF not I would ask in the os or storage forum.
 
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rdizz81

rdizz81

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For what it's worth if you go with a good cooler and a Z97 board you can overclock the i5 4690k and get almost the same performance out of it as the i7 and upgrade later if you wanted. save yourself $100

Right now the MSI gaming 5 And the Asrock extreme 4 are getting great reviews. As far as the GPU what are you using now. Want to make sure the 750 is a viable upgrade for you. I personally love the Antec cases but there are some 39$ cooler masters that will work just fine.

Check out this site pcpartpicker.com not only can you build a computer there it will only allow you to choose compatible pieces as well. And imo yes Format and install fresh copy of windows.
 
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Eximo

Eximo

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Modern motherboards use DDR3, so your old ram won't work.

If your primary purpose is gaming, an i7 is a bit overkill. If you want longevity before your next upgrade I think it is a wise choice.

Generally your Windows license is tied to the Motherboard. If you have the retail box for Windows, you should be able to load that onto a new system. But you won't be able to use the old one at the same time.

TP 650W is not the best powersupply out there. If it is six years old a replacement would be advisable.

GTX750Ti would be a little faster then what you have now. GTX760 would probably be a better choice if you want it to last a while.

Difference between the K and and non-K version of that CPU is that K series chips have the ability to overclock. You would then need a matching motherboard (Z97) and a decent aftermarket cooler for overclocking to make sense.
 
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Sentient6

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Thanks for the advice!

For the motherboard I think I'm gonna go with the MSI Gaming 5, like rdizz81 suggested - the reviews are good, and the price is very.. agreeable.
For the GPU I'm gonna have to go with a GTX760. I've looked up some more benchmarks, and the difference between it and a 750ti seems to justify the higher price. Gonna consult my budget on this. Worst case scenario I get a 750ti now (now gonna go over 1080p anyway, it's the max resolution of my monitor) and upgrade in a year or two...
Memory - ok, I'll need to upgrade that as well. Any specific advice on what to get, to compliment the MB? I'm guessing if I want this purchase to last, I'm gonna need to go with 16gb, not just 8gb, right?
EDIT - actually, if I do go with 8gb (budgetary constraints) is it better to go with a single 8gb card or 2x4gb?

Last question - does it really matter if the MB and the graphics card are from the same manufacturer? Like I said, someone told me it's preferable if they're both of the same brand - is it true..?
 
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Eximo

Eximo

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Ideally you should always have two identical memory sticks in a dual channel capable system. Here, you can play around with this build by clicking the edit button. Just tossed the case and drive in there, you can use what you already have.

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/8XnzhM) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/8XnzhM/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i74790k) | $322.99 @ NCIX US
**CPU Cooler** | [Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/phanteks-cpu-cooler-phtc14pebk) | $64.99 @ Newegg
**Motherboard** | [MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-z97gaming5) | $137.99 @ NCIX US
**Memory** | [G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f314900cl9d8gbxl) | $79.99 @ NCIX US
**Storage** | [Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7te120bw) | $80.99 @ NCIX US
**Video Card** | [Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB DirectCU II Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-gtx760dc2oc2gd5) | $229.99 @ NCIX US
**Case** | [BitFenix Comrade ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/bitfenix-case-bfccom100wwxs1rp) | $39.99 @ NCIX US
**Power Supply** | [XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1650snlb9) | $49.99 @ NCIX US
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $1006.92
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-29 14:34 EDT-0400 |
 
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rdizz81

rdizz81

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hehe... here ya go. easier to read

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/8XnzhM
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/8XnzhM/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($322.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($137.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($80.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB DirectCU II Video Card ($229.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: BitFenix Comrade ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1006.92


Personally i would go with a 770 superclock, as the 750ti is not far off of a 760. and the 770 is not that much more.
 
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Sentient6

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Shame I can't just order it like this - I live in Israel, and it's gonna be cheaper to get the parts here, even if they're a bit more expensive, because of the shipping price... Anyway, now I at least have a clear picture on which parts I want to get.

Final (probably) question - for gaming, if I had to choose between 8gb RAM and a better GPU (like a 760 or 770) and 16gb RAM and a 750ti, the former would be preferable, right? Because 16gb ram is pricey... =)
 
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Sentient6

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Thought so. Another question - GTX770 2GB vs GTX760 4GB - any major performance difference? Can't find a proper benchmark comparing the two.. The 770 is slightly more expensive, for what it's worth.

To make it clearer - the cardsI'm looking at are

MSI Nvidia GeForce GTX760 Gaming 4GB OC GDDR5; and
MSI NVIDIA GeForce GTX770 Gaming 2GB OC GDDR5
 
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Sentient6

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Got it. SO, the (almost) final build would be

CPU: i7 4790K
MB: MSI Z97 GAMING 5
RAM: Corsair 8GB DDR3 1600MHz
GPU: it's gonna be either the GTX750 ti or the GTX770, depending on how much money I'm gonna be able to sped in the end (the 770 is almost twice the price of the 750)..
...

Now that I look at it, the price totals to ~$1,100 (or $1,350 with the 770) ... And that's without the case, power unit or SSD/HDD... Yeah, electronics are expensive here.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who helped me out (special mention goes to rdizz81)! Now to go ask my parents for extra cash =)
 
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