Help building my first gaming rig

[Shogun]

The PC vs Console thread really got me going (although, I've been wanting to do this for some time) I want to build a nice gaming rig that I can use to play some PC exclusives on as well as not having to worry about it being slow as hell compared to my POS laptop.

What I want -

1. Must be able to run graphics at med/high settings. (770 card?)
2. I'd like to have good storage for movies/music (I don't know the advantages/differences of an SSD/HDD.
3. I'd like to have an HDMI port so I can move it into my living room on the big screen.
4. I do need a monitor. Undecided whether or not I want to run a dual/tri monitor setup yet.
5. I still burn CD's and Dvds. Will need a drive that supports both.
6. 8 GB of Ram at least with options to upgrade to 16gb in the future.

To sum It up I want a Rig that can do it all with little to no issues speed wise. I have a budget of around $1000, which is pretty flexible.

I also like pretty things. So I'm not afraid to spend a little more on a nicer case. Am a big fan of the Cooler Master Stryker case, I love the cases with the windows in the side with LEDS.

If anybody would like to help me I would greatly appreciate it. I just want to be apart of the PC master race.



EDIT:

This is build I am going with, unless I find good deals on better components.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/287w2
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/287w2/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/287w2/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-PRO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($174.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($86.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($312.99 @ B&H)
Case: Corsair Vengeance C70 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series SP120 Quiet Edition (2-Pack) 37.9 CFM 120mm Fans ($27.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $1268.85
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-26 20:46 EST-0500)

[hometeam]

Acer is better if you want to add more monitors later to do 4k gaming with your monster as **** 770 :P

[Shogun]

Yeah I think I'm getting 2 monitors.

So, those of you who are more informed than I am. I have read through a ton of the parts and picked what I thought would do well for me. With my current build, what type of system and performance am I getting? Have I done well with Price/bang for my buck?

[hometeam]

System will beast for a long time. Great build. Especially to keep stock.

edit: My only thought. If you are going to stay stock, if you can get the non K CPU cheaper, do so.

[notorious]

I can't find a benchmark for an ATI 8650M.


Does anyone know anything about this mobile card? It uses 2 GB of GDDR5 ram, but it's in a $500 laptop.

Something doesn't add up.

http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-17...spiron-17-3721

[Shogun]

Originally Posted by hometeam

System will beast for a long time. Great build. Especially to keep stock.

edit: My only thought. If you are going to stay stock, if you can get the non K CPU cheaper, do so.

I mentioned yessterday that I do plan on overclocking now

[Shogun]

Does anybody here water cool their systems? Will my Evo cpu cooler do just as well?

[hometeam]

Originally Posted by Shogun

Does anybody here water cool their systems? Will my Evo cpu cooler do just as well?

I water cool mine. And your air cooler will not do just as well. The h60 will get you 5 degrees cooler, and something like the h100i (what I use) was able to let me overclock my 3930k to over 5 GHZ stable without overheating. SO that gives you an idea. When you watercool, make sure your radiators can fit in your case.

I have since turned it down for longevity, but these easy install closed loop water coolers are nearly as good as a custom watercooling loop.

NZXT is taking preorders for a plug-n-play GPU watercooler that releases dec 10. DAMN I want it.

[jd1020]

The EVO WILL do just as good if not better than the H60.

http://www.overclockersclub.com/revi...r212_evo/4.htm

1 degree lower, in half the tests, for nearly double the price. Those closed looped prefilled watercoolers are a rip off. They cost way too damn much for what they offer in cooling.

Save the money.

OCing isn't an exact science. You can build 3 identical computers with identical coolers and not achieve the same OCs. The EVO can get you to a stable 4.4-4.5ghz OC, which is perfectly fine.

[Imon Yourside]

Originally Posted by notorious

I can't find a benchmark for an ATI 8650M.


Does anyone know anything about this mobile card? It uses 2 GB of GDDR5 ram, but it's in a $500 laptop.

Something doesn't add up.

http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-17...spiron-17-3721

http://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Rad...M.87211.0.html

Decent, but I wouldn't expect great gaming performance from it.

[hometeam]

Originally Posted by jd1020

The EVO WILL do just as good if not better than the H60.

http://www.overclockersclub.com/revi...r212_evo/4.htm

1 degree lower, in half the tests, for nearly double the price. Those closed looped prefilled watercoolers are a rip off. They cost way too damn much for what they offer in cooling.

Save the money.

OCing isn't an exact science. You can build 3 identical computers with identical coolers and not achieve the same OCs. The EVO can get you to a stable 4.4-4.5ghz OC, which is perfectly fine.

I looked the other night at the h60, before I suggested he adopt it over the evo. I found several tests getting 5 degrees better, at lower noise. When I checked the other night, it was the same price as the air cooler.

I will never air cool a CPU ever again. And with the new NZXT closed loop water block, it really has me considering selling my 670 and picking up an r290x to watercool.

edit; after looking again, JD is correct in the fact that the h60 is twice as much. It is the price I thought it was, but the EVO I looked at was 60 dollars as well.

You can always upgrade your cooler later if you are having trouble achieving big overclocks.

[jd1020]

Originally Posted by hometeam

I looked the other night at the h60, before I suggested he adopt it over the evo. I found several tests getting 5 degrees better, at lower noise. When I checked the other night, it was the same price as the air cooler.

I will never air cool a CPU ever again. And with the new NZXT closed loop water block, it really has me considering selling my 670 and picking up an r290x to watercool

Gonna have to provide a link to an H60 that only costs $30 and provide a chart that shows a 5 degree difference. Because I have never seen either.

[hometeam]

Originally Posted by jd1020

Gonna have to provide a link to an H60 that only costs $30 and provide a chart that shows a 5 degree difference. Because I have never seen either.

You where right about price, I was thinking 212 was 60.

Here is something I found in 2 seconds.

Almost every review and forum post I read about the H60 said that the 212 Evo was much better. Surprisingly, I found out that the old H60 (the one with plastic tubing) was much more efficient. I think this has to do with the fact that I have 2x GPU's producing heat in my system. I'm guessing that most of the reviewer's rigs did not have a GPU or even a case.

Before installing the H60, I recorded some temps of my system under load. My room is 21c or around 71f. These were the maximum temps

GPU 0 - 70C

CPU 0 - 78C
CPU 1 - 75C
CPU 2 - 75C
CPU 3 - 70C

My CPU is an Intel i7 3770k overclocked to 4.5 GHz. It also downclocks to 1.9 GHz. In order to install the H60, I had to remove one of the top case fans on the Zalman Z9+ to make the radiator fit on the rear exhaust fan mount. The H60, like the 212, has two fans in push-pull. Also, I only recorded the temps of the #0 GPU. These are the max readings with an H60:

GPU 0 - 66C

CPU 0 - 68C
CPU 1 - 66C
CPU 2 - 68C
CPU 3 - 63C

As you can see, the H60 keeps the maximum temps of both the CPU and GPU much lower than when the Hyper 212 Evo was installed. I hypothesize that this is due to the 212 absorbing some of the heat that the twin GTX 660's were emitting just inches away. I also think that the extra space where the 212 once was allows the air to circulate much better inside the case.

Obviously different setups are going to change variables, such as GPU's, case setup etc.

[jd1020]

Originally Posted by hometeam

You where right about price, I was thinking 212 was 60.

Here is something I found in 2 seconds.



Obviously different setups are going to change variables, such as GPU's, case setup etc.

1 random forum post...

Do more research on the subject. The overwhelming majority you'll read on the subject and charts you'll see is that the H60 is no better than a good air cooler, like the 212 EVO. To believe you'll get a 4-10C difference by getting the H60 is just laughable.

But hey, it's not my money...

Here's a review straight from a newegg post comparing it to a STOCK cooler:

(Stock: ~ 70-72C full load; max out at 74)
(Corsair - 66-69C full load; max out at 72)
(Stock: ~ 29-31 idle)
(Corsair ~ 30-32 idle)

Do I believe that you'll only get 3C better performance compared to a stock cooler? NO!

It's reeruned to think that.

The H60 is an entry level water cooler, doesn't get much lower on the water cooling totem pole, and the 212 EVO is one of, if not the best air cooler you can get.

[jd1020]

Here's another chart.

There is no comparison with the H60 but it has an H80 in the chart and the H80 only gains 3C on the EVO... The only difference between the H80 and H60 is, I believe, that the H80 has a thicker radiator so it will get you just slightly lower temps than a H60.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/artic...-Review/1407/6

[hometeam]

I just watched a comparison and in the guys system the h80 made a 10-12c difference over hyper 212 evo.

Again, it has everything to do with your case and configuration. I understand the difference in coolers. I am just the kind of guy that will pay extra for better performance, especially since I do such a big OC. I had my 3930k UNLOCKED all 6 cores at 5.1 GHZ stable. Was hitting around 80c under full load. I turned it down to 4.6 and now runs about 71c max (highest core)

Value-wise, the 212 is definitely better, because its next to free.