New Gaming Build, CPU doubts

[Major Orange]

Hello everyone! I figured I should just make a new thread for this actually.
To summarize a long whiny story; I recently immigrated from Europe to America and left my computer to my brother there (he really could do with the upgrade anyway) and I only took my hard drives with me.
Now that I am in America I had been waiting a little bit on sales/new hardware to come out so I am a bit on the fence on choices. But let me get to the almighty list to help any questions:

#1. PC Usage: The intent is for gaming, quite a bit of it! Though probably not as intensive; Shogun 2, BF3 (and 4) Kerbal Space Program (helpI'maddicted), a heavily modded Skyrim, Borderlands 2, Bioshock Inf. but some later games too, I want to try Metro Last Light just to see what the hype's all about. And the WoD MMO when it comes out. Surfing, some video playback too and some light photoshop use. But no hardcore encoding or designing.

#2. Budget range: With the exchange rate as it is, I would say between $1500 to $2000 but I would rather stay underneath the latter. But I know I need monitor (..oh and a car >.>)

#3/4. Country: Uhmeruhkah! (USA) Have access to Amazon Prime by the way!

#5. Fanboy much? Not really a fanboy, but I have a small disliking of Intel only because they change sockets so much that you can not really upgrade without purchasing a new MB too. But I am realistic to see that AMD could do the same, so whatever would fit my budget and my needs.

#6. Using current parts: Yes! So I still have 2 HD103SJ's I think those used to be called Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB each. One has a Windows 7 license on it. Finally, a recently bought Logitech K310 keyboard.

#7. Overclocking or default: It is a little iffy for me. I definitely do not intend to do so off the bat. Perhaps a little down the road when I know I can safely do it. I have no real experience in overclocking.

#8. Resolution: 1920x1080 most likely. Previous monitor was 21'' or 22 and I'd like to at least go for a 22 or 23 as I am a bit used to that now.

#9. When to build: I had originally planned to way earlier, than thought to wait for Haswell (ha!) now I was thinking of waiting for the 4th of July period due to sales perhaps? But thing is, I have no computer but a crappy 4/5 year old netbook. So I think I should let it depend on the advice you guys have.

X. Software requirements: Already have Windows 7 and backed up all my important stuff on an external HDD.

Edit: Almost forgetting to explicitly mention the fact that I also actually need a monitor! Prefer 22'' or above. Advice, tips very much welcome! Research was very inconclusive for me when I followed the Newegg deals.

As an additional note: I have been doubting between the Corsair Carbide 500R and the Fractal Design R4. I should mention that the computer will most likely be on basement level in the vicinity of periodically noise making machines (like a boiler and air-conditioning unit). So I don't need whisper-quiet (but in the rare moments of silence I don't want a blearing computer either) my main concern is dust (it gets dusty here quicker) and then thermal cooling, though I should mention ambient temperatures are usually pretty low; upstairs is low 70s F so cooler here, for what it's worth.

I am pretty much stuck on my build thus far, the following is just an 'idea' from recent deals I saw today, but in no way is this hard set. I just like the 500R with its white colours and I read the PSU was a good bang for buck thing, on top of which the colour match!

GPU: $320 / 307 AR Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB (Sapphire-100351SR) (+4 games)

Case: $95 / 70 AR Corsair 500R White ATX Mid Tower

PSU: $120 / 100 AR PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk III Series 750W Modular 80 Plus Gold

Optical Drive: $15 LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer

Then I am absolutely lost on CPU choice, first I was considering the FX 6350, got that in my wife's computer and it's great! ..but! Then the 8350 is better.. but Intel is better gaming but higher prices and I just start foaming at the mouth. Halp.

If anyone would say "Such and such (e.g. case and GPU) are a really good deal go for it." since some parts are temporary deals, please do as I'm ready to order some parts already. Or instead if I should wait for new releases.

Thank you to any and all for your time spent reading and any advice or experiences you might have to offer to weigh in.

 

[Cerb]

PSU is overkill.

There's no good reason to go AMD, with such a budget.

Are you near a Microcenter?

Also, if it gets really dusty, consider a non-computer purchase of a HEPA filter. While not the quietest, the $100-300 Honeywell ones work well, and the filters last quite awhile, when outfitted with the carbon prefilters.

 

[Major Orange]

I already had a fear the PSU might be overkill. What about the current Antec Platinum that's on sale for 70 AR?

The AMD vs Intel with Budget is what I considered too in fact, which is why I am open to the idea afer all. Thank you for stipulating that.

Unfortunately the nearest Microcenter is apparently a three hour car ride away. Which we might go near at some point, however that is not a certainty right now. Only unless I could get most if not all of my stuff there at a very good deal might I be able to convince people to take me there (no DL/car yet)

I was looking into filters and thought maybe to go after the DEMCI filters mentioned a set/kit would be about 50 dollars. In about two weeks stuff not cleaned would have a thin layer of dust here is all. So with enough maintenance I can handle it. We have a compressor Thanks for the tip though it is worth a consideration maybe.

 

[Termie]

You should buy that Corsair Carbide 500R today. It's a one-day deal. It has better cooling than the R4, but isn't as quiet. For your purposes, neither sounds that critical. You like the style, so get the Carbide.

As for everything else, yes, jump on that Radeon HD7970 soon too, that is an incredible deal, even better if you get it with the Borderlands combo for $305AR.

I really don't think the FX6350 or 8350 belong in a build that you're spending this much money on. I'd get the 3570K or 4670K - there are some incredible deals on the 4670K with a motherboard - just check hot deals.

Now, as for the power supply, 750W is quite a lot of power, but honestly, that's a very good deal. As an alternative, here's a Seasonic Gold modular for $105, but no rebate involved: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151118

 

[Cerb]

^ What he said, but also consider the i7-4770K, since you do have a fairly high budget. It would be worth saving money not getting, but also might be nice to have.

Hard to beat, without a Microcenter near by:
http://promotions.newegg.com/intel/13-2602/index.html
The Gigabyte and ASRock are both feature-packed, and seem to be good boards, thus far.

Also, still somewhat overkill, but yet another PSU, this time $95 AMIR: Seasonic MII 750

The rebates on these 700+ and 800+ PSUs right now makes them too tempting.

 

[Major Orange]

Oh thank you so much. Currently in the process of ordering just the case and the GPU as those are big spends. I'll sign up as a new account for newegg for the extra discount and get that taken care off to begin with.

The PSU my main concern is; so long as it is very reliable (like a Seasonic ) but also at least to some degree efficient, hence the Gold or Platinum. I thought the PC and Power cooling was basically a seasonic.

Right now I could get the 650w Plus Gold cert. Seasonic for 95 without rebates due to the $10- off if I order that first. Should I just roll with that?

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Yeah, the others have posted about that New Egg Promotions combo deal, i see a 4670K with a MSI G45 board for 320$ and if you already have DDR3 then you are good on a platform upgrade!

 

[Major Orange]

For now I've got the GPU and case coming in. I might jump on the MB+Haswell after all a bit later, I suppose there is no better performance - let alone deal available. What are my main concerns or things to look for with those motherboard selections though?

and if you already have DDR3 then you are good on a platform upgrade!

I think I'm missing the point here, but I do not have any RAM currently if that's what you mean.

I might keep searching for a great PSU deal or I will jump on the 650 Seasonic for 95 with the discount.

RAM choice and amount along with monitor left then I think. But I can wait for good deals.

Thank you for chiming in all.

 

[Termie]

Want a good monitor at a "hot deal" discount? Check out the Dell S2340L 23" LCD at Newegg for $140 (it's $50 off!): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824260105

It's an IPS panel, so it will blow away any similarly-priced monitor using a TN panel.

For the PSU, there's nothing fantastic right now worth jumping on, unless you want that Silencer. Every month or so the Seasonic X-series goes on sale. Based on my review of the recent hot deals, I'd say you might have to wait another few weeks.

All of the motherboards in Newegg's sale are good quality - they really only differ in features, and potentially overclocking ability. I'd just get the MSI Z87-G45 board.

 

[DSF]

Also, the difference between 80+ Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Titanium, Adamantium, Uranium and Kryptonite is pretty meaningless during everyday operation.

 

[Major Orange]

Also, the difference between 80+ Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Titanium, Adamantium, Uranium and Kryptonite is pretty meaningless during everyday operation.

Yeah thanks for the reminder actually. I saw some comparisons about idle loads etc. Seasonic still remains the top performer there.

So I should most likely go with the MSI board and the 4770K. Its painful seeing a 110 dollar difference and .1ghz, but I looked at the AT benchmark comparison, though no gaming references yet.. there did seem to be quite a difference between the two.

Also thanks for pointing out that monitor Termie! Although the Dell brand makes me twitch (and have a series of other bad responses) I'm finding good reviews on. Cheaper alternatives (on sale at newegg) have more mixed reviews or odd looking specs.

 

[Cerb]

So I should most likely go with the MSI board and the 4770K. Its painful seeing a 110 dollar difference and .1ghz, but I looked at the AT benchmark comparison, though no gaming references yet.. there did seem to be quite a difference between the two.

It's Hyperthreading, not the 100MHz.

 

[mfenn]

Also thanks for pointing out that monitor Termie! Although the Dell brand makes me twitch (and have a series of other bad responses) I'm finding good reviews on. Cheaper alternatives (on sale at newegg) have more mixed reviews or odd looking specs.

Dell is one of the best monitor manufacturers out there. They make consistently good monitors across all sizes, though you do usually pay extra. It's a no brainer at $140 though.

 

[mfenn]

Also, here's a build for you:

i5 4670K + MSI Z87-G45 Gaming $320
Sillicon Power DDR3 1600 8GB $48
Sapphire 7970 already bought $307 AR
Corsair Neutron GTX 120GB $125
Existing HDDs $0
Lite-ON DVD Burner $18
Rosewill Capstone 650W $68 AP
Corsair 500R already bought $70 AR
Total: $956 AR AP

That will do what you want. You could certainly spend more (bigger SSD, more RAM, i7), but it's not really needed.

 

[Major Orange]

I am/was just too judgmental when it comes to (old) Dell and their OEM desktops etc. and let that bleed over to all their products. I think I will I go on that monitor after all then.

Also, here's a build for you:

i5 4670K + MSI Z87-G45 Gaming $320
Sillicon Power DDR3 1600 8GB $48
Sapphire 7970 already bought $307 AR
Corsair Neutron GTX 120GB $125
Existing HDDs $0
Lite-ON DVD Burner $18
Rosewill Capstone 650W $68 AP
Corsair 500R already bought $70 AR
Total: $956 AR AP

That will do what you want. You could certainly spend more (bigger SSD, more RAM, i7), but it's not really needed.

On the subject of 4670k vs 4770k I have still been tremendously doubting and trying to find out what difference it would make effectively for me. Does anyone have any opinions about these two cpus in comparison?

Extraordinary find on the RAM! I was unsure if 16gb would be worth it or not, I suppose for games its VRAM (especially for Skyrim mods) that matters and not regular ram. Though I am still leaning that way with the Patriot Viper at 2x8 as I do dive into Photoshop every once in a while doing some volunteering designing work.

The Lite-on dvd and Rosewill Capstone I am not too keen on. The LG is one that I know and will most likely get and I would prefer to go with a modular psu for cable management -- although I just looked up reviews and I am amazed at its efficiency.. and at that price!

The SSD reminder I am thankful for as I had entirely overlooked that! It looks too good to be true, but I will have to look through some reviews. Thank you mfenn once again.

 

[Cerb]

On the subject of 4670k vs 4770k I have still been tremendously doubting and trying to find out what difference it would make effectively for me. Does anyone have any opinions about these two cpus in comparison?

The i7-4770K is the fastest overclockable CPU for LGA1150, and the only overclockable LGA1150 CPU with Hyperthreading. It also costs more, because of it. Since you have a budget high enough that going with the i7-4770K over the i5-4670K doesn't take away from anything else important, it's purely a matter of choosing higher value or higher raw performance. Neither will be a bad choice, especially given the Microcenter-like promo.

Extraordinary find on the RAM! I was unsure if 16gb would be worth it or not, I suppose for games its VRAM (especially for Skyrim mods) that matters and not regular ram.

Yes, but if you want it, more won't hurt.

A couple good current options, for more:
8GB Crucial DDR3-1333 CAS 9 - $94 (for two)
Kingston 16GB (2x8) DDR3-1600 CAS 10 - $100

 

[BrightCandle]

The big difference between the 4770 and the 4670 is the hyperthreading. Hyperthreading exposes each core of the CPU to the operating system twice, effectively telling the operating system that it has 8 cores. The reason for doing this is that these two front ends can share the CPUs execution ports and in a multithreaded program produce a decent increase in performance.

In games you can see anywhere from an average of around 5% higher frame rates to as much as about 30% faster. You see similar things in heavy applications, anywhere from no benefit at all right up to about 30% quicker. Whether the hyperthreading helps really does depend on the particular application, but its well worth it if you have the budget spare and in your case you do.

 

[Major Orange]

Ouch, I see the MSI board just went out of stock after I clicked it. Sadly, I have to wait in the meantime regardless for my funds to transfer from my European bank account to paypal so I could not do anything about it unfortunately.

Right now I think I will have to jump on that monitor first thing as that has two days left on it. Hopefully, maybe the MB comes back and I will have to jump on that too (I secretly liked the red too). RAM and PSU will have to wait.

Lastly, thank you both for clearing up the difference between those processors.

Edit: Forgot to ask, but I have also been gradually trying to look into different fans/coolers to purchase to go with the setup as I would like to aim for a positive pressure/air and whether or not also an aftermarket cpu cooler should be part of that. Any suggestions, ideas on that?

 

[Cerb]

If not overclocking, and aftermarket cooler is only useful to (a) reduce noise when under load (to which end, not all are better than the stock fan), or to (b) keep temps acceptable in hot/humid environments (an unusual problem in the U.S. and Europe, except for embedded gear).

Positive pressure is all about case fans, and to a lesser degree, video card and PSU fans, which also account for some exhaust.

 

[Major Orange]

Thank you very much Cerb for clearing that up for me. It has been something I could not quite make a clear decision on as of late. I do not intend to overclock so long as the CPU would pass muster. So I should probably only look into an extra case fan or two from what I gather. - Should I later make a thread (in the cases & cooling section ?)about that once I have the case to discuss / inquire how to set up my fans?

 

[Cerb]

That 500R should come with 3 120mm fans, plus the 200mm side fan, so you aught to be OK, as far as having enough fans, and it will have positive pressure from the start. You can probably set them to the slowest speed, and be just fine.

 

[mfenn]

The Lite-on dvd and Rosewill Capstone I am not too keen on. The LG is one that I know and will most likely get and I would prefer to go with a modular psu for cable management -- although I just looked up reviews and I am amazed at its efficiency.. and at that price!

LG is totally fine too for the optical drive. I would not be surprised if the two are manufactured in the same factory.

As for the PSU, I don't see what there is to dislike. 5 minutes of extra work (if that) one time is a small price to pay IMHO.

Actually, given the changes in pricing, I would say that another good option costs even less: Corsair TX650 V2 for $57 AR AP.

 

[Major Orange]

That 500R should come with 3 120mm fans, plus the 200mm side fan, so you aught to be OK, as far as having enough fans, and it will have positive pressure from the start.

Thank you for pointing that out! I double-checked and did not realize until then, the side fan had me doubting if that was good placement, but I thank you for the reassurance.

As for the PSU, I don't see what there is to dislike. 5 minutes of extra work (if that) one time is a small price to pay IMHO.

Very very true. Though this is going to be my first (possible due to case) attempt at cable management.

Actually, given the changes in pricing, I would say that another good option costs even less: Corsair TX650 V2 for $57 AR AP.

Yes and now thanks to your amazing deal finding skills I am undecided between this one or the capstone. Mostly due to efficiency.

I realize modular is just a luxury, but if in the long run the 11 dollar difference would be better spent on the Capstone vs. the Corsair... the only other issue would be surge protection, which it seems like the Corsair has? Though of course I am planning to plug the power into a surge protector strip.

All things considered right now, I am almost ready to pull the trigger on:

Monitor: Dell S2340L $140
Optical Drive: LG 24X DVD Burner - GH24NS95 $15
PSU: CORSAIR TX650 V2 650W or Rosewill CAPSTONE-650 $57 or $68

I will just have to hold off on Motherboard + CPU for two-ish more days. The 4770K probably proving more useful when it comes to 'future-proofing'.

 

[Major Orange]

Boom! Let me just breathe here for a second, but I pulled the trigger as soon as I got the auto-notify, thank bleep for that stuff:

CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-4770K 3.5GHz
Mobo: MSI Z87-G45 <3 the red accents and slight cheaperness
Monitor: Dell S2340L 23'' IPS Panel
Total: $550

(+
Sapphire 7970 already bought $307 AR
Corsair 500R already bought $70 AR
; $927 AR)

Sorry for the double posting. But thank you guys for the help so far, special mention to Termie for pointing me to that amazing monitor deal and Cerb for just generally being exceptionally helpful. mfenn for being an overall good deal hunter! Now I will just patiently wait for a PSU (/doubting between Capstone or TX) and a RAM (16gb) deal.

 

[Termie]

Glad we could help.

Now, as for a good deal on 16GB of RAM, I think you can end your search right here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148655

Use code EMCXPVR73 and buy two, and you have 16GB of Crucial Ballistix high-performance RAM (DDR3-1600, Cas 8) for $96.

As between the TX and Capstone, I'd get the Capstone. It's more efficient, just slightly more expensive, and comes with four PCIe power cables, which means Crossfire is an option down the line.