First Build, Critique?

[Volganofe]

Hey guys,

I'm new here.. I was referred by my friend. I'm looking for some feedback on a build that I am contemplating. Am I missing anything? I've got all the peripherals already I wanted to know whether or not all I need to do is hook it up and turn it on? Also, with that PSU and everything else, does it leave me room to add a second GTX 770 in the future?

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2OpQ9

or below:
CPU Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core $319.99
CPU Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing $29.99
Motherboard Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD4H ATX LGA1150 $169.99
Memory Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 $159.99
Storage Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM $88.98
Video Card EVGA GeForce GTX 770 4GB $427.99
Wireless Network Adapter TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 $32.99
Case Cooler Master Storm Stryker (White) ATX Full Tower $152.04
Power Supply EVGA 1000W ATX12V / EPS12V $175.98
Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) $84.99

 

[VirtualLarry]

Did you read the Newegg reviews for that board? Seems like a kind of high number of 1-egg reviews. Might be something to be concerned about. Then again, it's hard to know how many bad Newegg board reviews are because of user error or n00bness.

Assuming that you get a good-quality board, it doesn't look too bad.

Consider a Microcenter bundle for the CPU + board if you are looking to save some money.

I would have said the 1000W PSU is overkill, but if you actually drop in a second video card then it would be useful.

I'm also not entirely sure about EVGA PSU quality. Their budget supplies get good reviews (I bought their 430W recently, haven't used it yet), but Aigo, the Cases and Cooling Mod, doesn't seem to be a big fan of EVGA PSUs.

EVGA video card, on the other hand, is great. Might want to double-check if that model number has lifetime warranty or not. Some do, some only have three years. It generally depends on the model number suffix.

 

[deerslayer]

If it were my build, I would pick up a SSD for the boot drive.

I can't comment on the EVGA psu either. I have no experience with them.

Do you have an optical drive to use for windows install or do you plan to use a flash drive?

 

[Essence_of_War]

Could you please answer the questions here? I will help us give you advice/recommendations.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=24043454&postcount=1

I have a number of recommendations, mostly relating to price/perf.

1) Do you need the i7-4770k? It's a lot of extra money over the i5-4670k for very little benefit, unless you play exclusively Crysis 3.
2) The RAM looks overpriced, I'd pick up this set instead for $125
3a) That's a lot for a 1 TB HDD. For ~$30 less I'd get either a WD Blue or a Seagate Barracuda that will perform identically.
3b) No SSD???
4) There is no reason to get that 770 when the Gigabyte one is $100 cheaper .
5) I think that's a lot for a case if you're on a budget. Esp when high quality cases like the Corsair 330R and the Fractal R4 are $80 and $90 respectively.
6) PSU is overkill in wattage (even for 770 SLI) and expensive. You probably want ~800W to give yourself a buffer, 850W SeaSonic for $115 is much more affordable, and a very high quality unit.

That's a total of ~$400 (included swapping i7 for i5)

That is enough to go 770 SLI NOW! :awe:

 

[mjd]

I agree with Essence of War especially on case and PSU. I just built a machine using a Corsair 300R case and it was excellent (and often on sale).

 

[Essence_of_War]

I just built a machine using a Corsair 300R case and it was excellent (and often on sale).

The 300R (I originally linked to the 330R, but checking my own link, it appears to be sold out now) is an eminently reasonable $70 as well!

 

[Volganofe]

Did you read the Newegg reviews for that board? Seems like a kind of high number of 1-egg reviews. Might be something to be concerned about. Then again, it's hard to know how many bad Newegg board reviews are because of user error or n00bness.

Assuming that you get a good-quality board, it doesn't look too bad.

Consider a Microcenter bundle for the CPU + board if you are looking to save some money.

I would have said the 1000W PSU is overkill, but if you actually drop in a second video card then it would be useful.

I'm also not entirely sure about EVGA PSU quality. Their budget supplies get good reviews (I bought their 430W recently, haven't used it yet), but Aigo, the Cases and Cooling Mod, doesn't seem to be a big fan of EVGA PSUs.

EVGA video card, on the other hand, is great. Might want to double-check if that model number has lifetime warranty or not. Some do, some only have three years. It generally depends on the model number suffix.

Appreciate the input, I chose the board because it had a high pcpartpicker rating. And budget isn't an issue, if I buy this build I am definitely going with the 770 SLI..

 

[Volganofe]

Could you please answer the questions here? I will help us give you advice/recommendations.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=24043454&postcount=1

I have a number of recommendations, mostly relating to price/perf.

1) Do you need the i7-4770k? It's a lot of extra money over the i5-4670k for very little benefit, unless you play exclusively Crysis 3.
2) The RAM looks overpriced, I'd pick up this set instead for $125
3a) That's a lot for a 1 TB HDD. For ~$30 less I'd get either a WD Blue or a Seagate Barracuda that will perform identically.
3b) No SSD???
4) There is no reason to get that 770 when the Gigabyte one is $100 cheaper .
5) I think that's a lot for a case if you're on a budget. Esp when high quality cases like the Corsair 330R and the Fractal R4 are $80 and $90 respectively.
6) PSU is overkill in wattage (even for 770 SLI) and expensive. You probably want ~800W to give yourself a buffer, 850W SeaSonic for $115 is much more affordable, and a very high quality unit.

That's a total of ~$400 (included swapping i7 for i5)

That is enough to go 770 SLI NOW! :awe:

I wanted the processor so hopefully it would take another year for it to be outdated, plus I plan on streaming my games. I see what you mean with the RAM, its only expensive because it's a big name, sold at Best Buy, etc. I picked the hard drive because it was the highest rated on pcpartpicker, but you're right. I wanted the EVGA because it has 4gb ram.. The case I liked it because it has a lot of fans built into it, and I want to make sure that it stays cool so the life of the entire system is prolonged. For two of the EVGA 770s, 1000 watts is too much?

I really appreciate the input though!

 

[nwo]

Did you read the Newegg reviews for that board? Seems like a kind of high number of 1-egg reviews. Might be something to be concerned about. Then again, it's hard to know how many bad Newegg board reviews are because of user error or n00bness.

From what I see, most of them are newegg customer service complaints, RMA, or DOA related. You won't be able to avoid those kinds of issues regardless of which board you choose.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

And budget isn't an issue............

If that's true or even close to true, there is absolutely no reason not to get an SSD, at least for the operating system and most/all applications. It will add to the responsiveness of the system more than reaching for the fastest CPU.

 

[Cerb]

I wanted the processor so hopefully it would take another year for it to be outdated, plus I plan on streaming my games.

That last part is important, and might make the i7 worth buying. Are you also going to be recording them locally, as well? If so, get yourself an HDD just to record to, as well.

The Crucial M500 240GB, for an OS drive, is currently $125. Run, do not walk, to pick one up. That will be big enough for Windows, plus a few games at any given time.

 

[VirtualLarry]

The Crucial M500 240GB, for an OS drive, is currently $125. Run, do not walk, to pick one up. That will be big enough for Windows, plus a few games at any given time.

That's a really good idea. SSDs speed up daily PC usage, and largely eliminate app-loading lag. They also make malware / virus scans much faster.

 

[mfenn]

For two of the EVGA 770s, 1000 watts is too much?

Yep. It's about double what you actually need.

I agree with Essence overall. It is pretty much a mistake to NOT get an SSD at this point for anything but the lowest budget level (which you're not in).

 

[Volganofe]

Okay, guys.. I was unaware that an SSD was much faster than an HDD. I just chose the HDD because that what I was used to, and have in my current computer (which thanks to VirtualLarry, is back in action). I'm definatly going to grab an SSD and would probably settle at a 850w, power supply. Really appreciate all the feedback you all have given.

 

[Cerb]

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/182?vs=807

There's a really basic comparison between a fast HDD and the recommended SSD. The >100x random performance different is not an exaggeration. You don't see reviews comparing HDDs to SSDs with the same tests, because the results are laughable, with the HDDs being left so far behind. SSDs don't speed up everything, but they're too cheap not to put into a new build, if you can afford to, and they do speed up every single situation where you would have had to wait on an HDD.

 

[deerslayer]

Okay, guys.. I was unaware that an SSD was much faster than an HDD.

You will be pleasantly surprised.

 

[Essence_of_War]

I wanted the processor so hopefully it would take another year for it to be outdated, plus I plan on streaming my games.

If you're streaming, the i7 makes sense, I don't know much about shadow play, but it's possible that SLI'd 770s + Shadow Play + i5 might be more cost effective than single 770 + i7 + streaming. You're probably good to go either way though.

I wanted the EVGA because it has 4gb ram..

I haven't seen any actual benches of 2 GB vs. 4 GB VRAM on the 770 that give a noticeable difference. I suppose it's possible that you might see a divergence at higher resolutions (2560x1440 or higher) but if you're going to be gaming at 1920x1080 or 1920x1200, I probably wouldn't worry about 2 vs. 4 GB VRAM, and I'd worry more about cost, cooler type, etc.

For two of the EVGA 770s, 1000 watts is too much?

Note that the graph mfenn posted is total system power under crysis 3 load. Total system power is 310 W for a single 770, adding another 770 might get you to like 500ish W. It's possible that "power virus" type scenarios (Furmark + IBT/prime95) you could get to higher system draws, but even if you're planning on OC'ing everything, 1000W is still overkill.

I'll also re-iterate everyone else's claim that you won't regret spending a bit of money on an SSD. It really does a big difference.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Good SSDs are: Crucial M500, Samsung 840 EVO (*), Samsung 840 Pro, Seagate 600, Toshiba.
Avoid the cheaper Kingston V300 drives for now, they have switched to asnyc NAND and are only about half of their reviewed speeds now. Also avoid OCZ, as they recently went bankrupt, and are having their assests purchased by Toshiba.

(*) Samsung 840, 840 EVO, use "TLC" NAND, which is not as durable as MLC NAND used in the other drives. If you have a write-heavy workload (such as recording games to your SSD), then I would avoid TLC-based drives.

 

[Essence_of_War]

Let me piggyback on VirtualLarry's list:

I'd add the SanDisk Ultra Plus and the Intel 530 Series SandForce drives.

I'd also separate the 840 Pro, and group it with the SanDisk Extreme II and the Corsair Neutron GTX as "Good, but expensive, and intended for write-heavy, pro-quality, workloads".

 

[mfenn]

If you're streaming, the i7 makes sense, I don't know much about shadow play, but it's possible that SLI'd 770s + Shadow Play + i5 might be more cost effective than single 770 + i7 + streaming. You're probably good to go either way though.

ShadowPlay uses the h.264 encoder unit on the GPU, so it is not nearly as intensive as traditional software-only streaming solutions. It's a fixed-function block on the GPU as well, so adding more shaders doesn't really help. So I'd say i5 + 770 (or 780) given that the resolution is 1080p.

 

[VirtualLarry]

does shadowplay integrate with twitch.tv yet though?

 

[mfenn]

does shadowplay integrate with twitch.tv yet though?

It does.

 

[Volganofe]

Okay folks, I took you suggestions and for $200 less I am going to get a lot more machine than what I had before.. I appreciate the help, and I'm going to be picking the parts on Wednesday/Thursday.

Total: $1453.68

CPU Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core $179.99
CPU Cooler Cooler Master Seidon 120M 86.2 CFM Liquid $64.99
Motherboard Asus Z87-PRO ATX LGA1150 $134.78
Memory Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 $139.99
Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 $139.99
Storage Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" SSD $69.99
Video Card MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB $259.99
MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB $259.99
Wireless Network Adapter TP-Link TL-WN881ND 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 $14.99
Case Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 (Black) ATX Mid Tower $99.99
Power Supply CoolMax 1000W ATX12V / EPS12V $88.99

I have an optical and hard drive at my house I will use, if I decide not to, I will pick one up.. If you guys have any more suggestions on this new build which I have put together I'll take your advice! Like I said, if not, I'm picking this stuff up Wednesday from Microcenter. I decided to go with a 1000w PSU so I have room to upgrade in the future. I've been finding it pretty unlikely that I'll be streaming my games so I think an i5 will do just find (and you can't beat the price for the CPU/Mobo package). I know the RAM is overkill, and the two 760s are overkill but I really want to play at %200 resolution

 

[Cerb]

Definitely change out your SSD, since you don't know what one you'll get. For only a few bucks more, you can get the Crucial M500, which will be worlds better if your luck would have been to get the async V300 variant.

 

[JEDIYoda]

6) PSU is overkill in wattage (even for 770 SLI) and expensive. You probably want ~800W to give yourself a buffer, 850W SeaSonic for $115 is much more affordable, and a very high quality unit.

I always chuckle when people say things like that is PSU overkill..well duh...let him get what he wants!
Technically it is not overkill!!