[New PC Build] - all comments welcome

[kirilus]

1. Games (strategy, new shooters) / light Photoshop usage / lots of music
2. $1000 +/- 40%
3. US
4. N/A
5. No brand preference

6. Current build, still works (barely), not sure which parts can use:
GA-P35-DS3L, E8400 Wolfdale @3.6GHz, Patriot Viper 4GB, * Edit: EVGA GeForce GTS 450 Superclocked 1024 MB *, WD Raptor 150GB, CORSAIR 620HX, ZALMAN 9500AT, Antec P182

7. Overclocking - if recommended, otherwise default for more stability
8. 22" 1680x1050 with a possible monitor upgrade later
9. Now -- next 3 months

X. Needs to be quiet, I have JVC 480W audio system (not just speakers) - do I need an audio card? Is water cooling worth it?

Thank you for all feedback and comments!

 

[denis280]

you should fill this up.http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=62434

 

[mfenn]

The Corsair HX620 and Antec P182 are certainly worth reusing. Do you have an optical drive? That's worth reusing as long as it's SATA.

You should also be able to reuse your HSF provided you get a new bracket. Socket 1150 uses the same mounting geometry as 1155/1156.

Note*: Customers that purchased coolers before the inclusion of support for socket 1155/1156, can purchase the separately sold ZM-CS5A or ZM-CS5B mounting kit for installation onto socket 1155/1156.

As for the sound system, what kinds of inputs do you have?

Build:
i5 4670K + ASRock Z87 Pro3 combo $317 AR
Kingston DDR3 1600 16GB $113
Sapphire 7970 3GB $300 AR
Samsung 840 EVO 250GB $190
WD Blue 1TB $70
Reuse DVD? else Lite-ON DVD Burner $15 AP
Reuse PSU $0
Reuse case $0
Total: $1005 AR AP

 

[kirilus]

Thank you for the feedback!

I have a small correction. My old card actually died and I replaced it with EVGA GeForce GTS 450 Superclocked 1024 MB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 2DVI/Mini-HDMI SLI in 2011.

As for the sound system, it is connected with a simple cable - red and white audio inputs to an audio out in a PC.

Thanks again!

The Corsair HX620 and Antec P182 are certainly worth reusing. Do you have an optical drive? That's worth reusing as long as it's SATA.

You should also be able to reuse your HSF provided you get a new bracket. Socket 1150 uses the same mounting geometry as 1155/1156.

As for the sound system, what kinds of inputs do you have?

Build:
i5 4670K + ASRock Z87 Pro3 combo $317 AR
Kingston DDR3 1600 16GB $113
Sapphire 7970 3GB $300 AR
Samsung 840 EVO 250GB $190
WD Blue 1TB $70
Reuse DVD? else Lite-ON DVD Burner $15 AP
Reuse PSU $0
Reuse case $0
Total: $1005 AR AP

 

[DSF]

So you are willing to spend anywhere between $600 and 1400?

 

[kirilus]

Yes, depending on cost/benefit of what I am getting. It is really more on the + side though.

So you are willing to spend anywhere between $600 and 1400?

 

[Essence_of_War]

Build:
i5 4670K + ASRock Z87 Pro3 combo $317 AR
Kingston DDR3 1600 16GB $113
Sapphire 7970 3GB $300 AR
Samsung 840 EVO 250GB $190
WD Blue 1TB $70
Reuse DVD? else Lite-ON DVD Burner $15 AP
Reuse PSU $0
Reuse case $0
Total: $1005 AR AP

:thumbsup:

Seems sick! And right in the middle of the OP's budget!

 

[kirilus]

Thank you for confirming. Is it the right time to buy now or wait a month or two? Is something new/better coming out soon?

:thumbsup:

Seems sick! And right in the middle of the OP's budget!

 

[lehtv]

AMD's new cards probably coming out sometime soon but not sure when. But the prices for the current gen AMD cards just dropped, making them pretty appealing. You could swap the $300 7970 for a $220 7950, overclock that to 7970 speeds. That 7970 is only 15% faster while costing 35% more so if your intention is to get maximum bang for buck the 7950 is definitely it

I'd buy an aftermarket cooler right away.
Freezer i30 $30

 

[sm625]

You're overpaying for storage. No one needs $300 worth of storage especially if its not a NAS. If you're using that large of an SSD consider going the NAS route with no local HDD. If this PC is the only one in your home (no NAS) then you should be fine with a 128GB SSD, as long as you know how to clear caches and uninstall programs and basic stuff like that. Make sure you install and run windirstat every 6 months.

 

[mfenn]

You're overpaying for storage. No one needs $300 worth of storage especially if its not a NAS.

Speak for yourself. I have 6 TB + 256GB SSD in my rig and it feels a little cramped.

 

[mfenn]

Thank you for the feedback!

I have a small correction. My old card actually died and I replaced it with EVGA GeForce GTS 450 Superclocked 1024 MB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 2DVI/Mini-HDMI SLI in 2011.

As for the sound system, it is connected with a simple cable - red and white audio inputs to an audio out in a PC.

Thanks again!

Don't worry abotu the GTS 450, it's still quite slow. The 7970 is quite a lot faster and is well within your budget. As for audio, you should be able to reuse that exact setup for the new PC.

 

[kirilus]

Thank you everyone again for the feedback. I am now at a point where I urgently need to order parts as my old system is giving me problems...

I have a slightly bigger budget of 1200 to 1400 to spend. If there is anything that mfenn suggested that can be improved with more $ - please let me know.

Thank you!!!

 

[Essence_of_War]

Mfenn's build is very good.

Maybe add on a new case if you'd like (or would use) front panel USB 3.0? You can pick up the 400R for $99.

Perhaps a nicer monitor? The dell u2412m can be obtained for $250 on amazon warehouse deals (returned, opened, and repackaged). Great monitor, 1920x1200.

Alternatively, pocket the money and set it aside for a gpu upgrade in a year or two?

Or if you don't have one already, a usb 3.0 enclosure and spare drive for back-ups.

At around the price range you're looking at, for single-monitor gaming, diminishing returns start to set-in.

 

[kirilus]

OK, so I started to add things to cart and noticed that CPU combo was not available.

Intel Core i5-4670K = 240
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116899

ASRock Z87 PRO3 = 100 AR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157370

Still a best choice?

I also wanted to ask about water cooling - is it a good choice for the kind of processor or should I just stick to air?

Thanks!

 

[kirilus]

New combo one new egg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...=Combo.1420822

 

[SolMiester]

Id go for a GTX760 with only 16x10 LCD panel and you can use the 450 as PhyX...

 

[kirilus]

Id go for a GTX760 with only 16x10 LCD panel and you can use the 450 as PhyX...

what does "you can use the 450 as PhyX" mean? )

 

[SolMiester]

You can use your existing GPU (GT450) as a dedicated physics card in games that support it, so the workload isnt burden by the main cards GPU..batman AC, borderlands etc...

 

[kirilus]

You can use your existing GPU (GT450) as a dedicated physics card in games that support it, so the workload isnt burden by the main cards GPU..batman AC, borderlands etc...

Very interesting idea, thank you for suggesting!

Will ASRock Z87 Pro3 or ASUS Z87-A LGA boards support this setup? Is it difficult to configure?

Lastly, what power supply do I need with this setup?

Thanks!

 

[kirilus]

I will also be looking to buy a new PSU and case. Any specific suggestions that you guys can offer?

My current PC sometimes freezes / blue screen-s during games at peaks of activity and sometimes does not want to start at all, so I am thinking it may be due to power supply.

 

[SolMiester]

The ASRock Pro3 only has 1 GPU slot, you will need the Pro4 with 2, 1 for dGPU and 1 for dGPU Phyx..
As for the PSU, that looks fine to me, I would suggest the mbo could be your current issue, freezing is usually a memory issue in my experience...BSOD are usually driver API issues, so check driverss for updates

 

[mfenn]

Id go for a GTX760 with only 16x10 LCD panel and you can use the 450 as PhyX...

I don't think that this is a good idea because you'll end up with a much slower primary GPU (GTX 760 versus 7970). Not worth it IMHO for the few games that support PhysX.

 

[mfenn]

I will also be looking to buy a new PSU and case. Any specific suggestions that you guys can offer?

My current PC sometimes freezes / blue screen-s during games at peaks of activity and sometimes does not want to start at all, so I am thinking it may be due to power supply.

Your case and power supply are both very good. No sense in blindly replacing the power supply until you have a known good new system to test against.

 

[mfenn]

New combo one new egg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...=Combo.1420822

That's a more expensive than the Pro3 combo was, but it is a good board nonetheless. I'd try to find something a little less expensive however. If you don't mind giving up overclockability, the i5 4670K + ASRock Fatality H87 combo for $310 is good. Otherwise, check out the i5 4670K + Gigabyte GA-Z87M-D3H combo for $325.