PC Build Advice/Review Thread

[Isiolia]

If you can get a higher rated PSU for the same price (or similar), then go for it. The farther a PSU is from it's rated power, the more efficiently it runs. Power savings. Etc.

PSUs are most efficient around 50% capacity. 20% usage has around the same efficiency as 100%. So, at least as far as efficiency goes, you don't just want the highest rated unit at a given price point. Better to recognize the rating that'd suit your needs, and shop for quality.

[Jak]

I've asked around and gotten ideas on a few PC builds as I'm looking to have a friend show me the ropes to building a PC (he's built many of his own, so I'm in good hands). Sadly he doesn't have the time to really look into picking what I need.. and I'm clueless as to what goes with what. Aside from the fact that I'd like to stick to an nvidia gpu, windows 7, and have a good SSD for a few games.. I'm not sure what I need. My budget is around $1,500 which I've been told is pretty good.. but I have nothing so I'll basically need everything from the casing up. Would anyone be willing to help point me in the right direction of getting a decent setup with that budget? =-/

I'd like to try to make a PC that'll last 2-3 years like my last one did (and am currently still using.. which runs "most" new games at high/ultra graphics still.. but not all of them). Any help would be appreciated as I'm really unsure what I need.

[Mabubeezareel]

I've asked around and gotten ideas on a few PC builds as I'm looking to have a friend show me the ropes to building a PC (he's built many of his own, so I'm in good hands). Sadly he doesn't have the time to really look into picking what I need.. and I'm clueless as to what goes with what. Aside from the fact that I'd like to stick to an nvidia gpu, windows 7, and have a good SSD for a few games.. I'm not sure what I need. My budget is around $1,500 which I've been told is pretty good.. but I have nothing so I'll basically need everything from the casing up. Would anyone be willing to help point me in the right direction of getting a decent setup with that budget? =-/

I'd like to try to make a PC that'll last 2-3 years like my last one did (and am currently still using.. which runs "most" new games at high/ultra graphics still.. but not all of them). Any help would be appreciated as I'm really unsure what I need.

Assuming that you've got some accessories to re-use, such as mouse/keyboard/monitor/speakers, here's a really great build to start with that will last you for years:

349.98 - Intel Core i5-4670K Haswell CPU + GIGABYTE GA-Z87X-UD4H LGA 1150 Intel Z87 Motherboard combo
71.99 - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory
174.99 - SAMSUNG 840 Series MZ-7TD250BW 2.5" 250GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
96.98 - Western Digital WD Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive + ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner combo
89.99 - SeaSonic M12II 620 Bronze 620W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
33.99 - COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler
409.99 - EVGA SuperClocked w/ ACX Cooling 02G-P4-2774-KR GeForce GTX 770 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support Video Card
89.99 - Corsair Carbide 400R Case
99.99 - Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM

Subtotal = 1427.80
Shipping = 10.45
Total = 1438.25

You've got a little bit leftover in there for an extra case fan or other accessories. Also, the case is mostly a matter of preference, and we can recommend a few other cases if you don't care for the aesthetics of the 400R. I have it in my main rig though, and I think it's a stellar looking case that's also pretty dead silent.

Also, you may be able to find some better prices on some of those parts on Amazon (and better shipping if you have Prime), so feel free to browse there as well. You won't find a better deal on the CPU + Mobo though.

[Seiji Okita]

Assuming that you've got some accessories to re-use, such as mouse/keyboard/monitor/speakers, here's a really great build to start with that will last you for years:

349.98 - Intel Core i5-4670K Haswell CPU + GIGABYTE GA-Z87X-UD4H LGA 1150 Intel Z87 Motherboard combo
71.99 - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory
174.99 - SAMSUNG 840 Series MZ-7TD250BW 2.5" 250GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
96.98 - Western Digital WD Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive + ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner combo
89.99 - SeaSonic M12II 620 Bronze 620W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
33.99 - COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler
409.99 - EVGA SuperClocked w/ ACX Cooling 02G-P4-2774-KR GeForce GTX 770 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support Video Card
89.99 - Corsair Carbide 400R Case
99.99 - Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM

Subtotal = 1427.80
Shipping = 10.45
Total = 1438.25

You've got a little bit leftover in there for an extra case fan or other accessories. Also, the case is mostly a matter of preference, and we can recommend a few other cases if you don't care for the aesthetics of the 400R. I have it in my main rig though, and I think it's a stellar looking case that's also pretty dead silent.

Also, you may be able to find some better prices on some of those parts on Amazon (and better shipping if you have Prime), so feel free to browse there as well. You won't find a better deal on the CPU + Mobo though.

I second this, great build. And dead on about the prices... Unless you are near a Microcenter lol... or an Ebay master.

[Oreth]

Howdy,

I got some help some months back but decided not to buy an parts as money was low and i wanted to wait and see what new stuff was coming out! Below is my current system build and what I was looking to upgrade in this system CPU, GPU, SSD & RAM (Maybe New RAM).

I have had some cooling issues with the system and not a lot of space to put in extra fans / coolers because of the tower size. Because of this i bought a brand new CoolerMaster HAF X Full Tower (http://www.coolermaster.com/product/...wer/haf-x.html)

Processor: Intel Core i7 2600k 3.40ghz 8M cache + Stock Cooler
Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth p67 Revision
RAM: 16GB Corsair Vengance
Graphics: Radeon HIS HD6950 2GB
OS HD: Intel X-25 80GB SSD
HDD: 2 x Western Digital Caviar 6gb/s 1Tb drives RAID 1
Power supply: Antec 900w High current Gamer PSU
Case: Antec DF-10 (Mid Tower)
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit
Optical: DVD RW / Bluray Player
Monitor: LG 23" W2353V-PF

From asking around initially iv been told there would be little point in upgrading my CPU to Ivy Bridge as i would see little return. Instead get a decent CPU cooler and over clock my current CPU to 4.5Ghz. To do this im looking at the CPU cooler - http://www.hardwareversand.de/Intel+...8BW%29.article

I guess where im looking for some real advice would be on the GPU as that seems to be what is slightly holding me back right now! For the GPU im looking at the GTX 770 (http://www.hardwareversand.de/2048+M...ayPort.article) or the ATI HD 7970 (http://www.dabs.ie/products/sapphire...or-x-8DC1.html).

Iv pretty much always been an ATI guy but can change no problem just depending on whats better. What is currently considered the best? ATI or Nvidia?

Main game is going to be FFXIV and any future FPS games! Seems Nvidia is winning with FFXIV right now but i can see passed that if ATI is the better long term choice!

Thats it really except for SSD & Monitor suggestions overall I do want to O/C the system so any advice on additional system fans would be welcomed.

Thanks!

[Jak]

Thank you guys. I took what you said along with the help of a friend. I ended up with a couple of things you recommended. The end build was this..

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($279.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-C ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($135.66 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($70.33 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($126.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($126.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: Rosewill RNX-N600UBE 802.11a/b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($27.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($93.49 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($127.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-14D1XT Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1674.37
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-18 11:19 EDT-0400)

Now there are a few things I might change up.. but I don't think I'll be disappointed. I probably could have cut corners a few times but meh.

[Tyche]

Assuming that you've got some accessories to re-use, such as mouse/keyboard/monitor/speakers, here's a really great build to start with that will last you for years:

349.98 - Intel Core i5-4670K Haswell CPU + GIGABYTE GA-Z87X-UD4H LGA 1150 Intel Z87 Motherboard combo
71.99 - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory
174.99 - SAMSUNG 840 Series MZ-7TD250BW 2.5" 250GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
96.98 - Western Digital WD Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive + ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner combo
89.99 - SeaSonic M12II 620 Bronze 620W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
33.99 - COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler
409.99 - EVGA SuperClocked w/ ACX Cooling 02G-P4-2774-KR GeForce GTX 770 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support Video Card
89.99 - Corsair Carbide 400R Case
99.99 - Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM

Subtotal = 1427.80
Shipping = 10.45
Total = 1438.25

You've got a little bit leftover in there for an extra case fan or other accessories. Also, the case is mostly a matter of preference, and we can recommend a few other cases if you don't care for the aesthetics of the 400R. I have it in my main rig though, and I think it's a stellar looking case that's also pretty dead silent.

Also, you may be able to find some better prices on some of those parts on Amazon (and better shipping if you have Prime), so feel free to browse there as well. You won't find a better deal on the CPU + Mobo though.

This is pretty close to my build. slight differences, i run a 3670k with a noctua d14 cooler and 660ti packed in a 500r. Also use an asus board. It's really damn solid. I have the 3670k at 4.5ghz with no issues.

[Kalmado]

I'm looking ahead to build a gaming desktop. I'd like to be as cheap as humanely possible, but without compromising quality. Keep in mind I have no clue what's good/not to get. Many have said(and I've read) intel 1-5 or better for cpu. I'd really like to get my build under $700. Give me some feedback about this build that I created without knowing wtf I'm doing!

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/kalmado/saved/1ZGW

[Pharaun]

You don't need the wired ethernet card, the mobo has a built in port. Are you planning on Overclocking at all? If not you can go for a cheaper CPU. You can also bump your video card up to 760 for pretty much the same price.

[Kalmado]

You don't need the wired ethernet card, the mobo has a built in port. Are you planning on Overclocking at all? If not you can go for a cheaper CPU. You can also bump your video card up to 760 for pretty much the same price.

I'm too much of a noob regarding overclocking, but possibly in the future? Unless it's not that important and I can cut some costs without sacrificing too much quality. I forgot to mention, but I'm not a huge pc gamer(yet), but I do want to run games at a high quality. My current pc is a phenom q4 with a raedon 4830 from 4 years ago.

[Tyche]

If you have an aftermarket fan, overclocking is stupid easy. Some mobos make it as easy as flipping a switch (literally).

Also, amazon has the black corsair 500R with USB 3.0 on sale for $80, free shipping. I have the white version and love it.

[Kalmado]

I forgot to mention I have a Microcenter in driving distance so I'll have to compare pricing with their in-store prices and pcpartspicker/newegg/amazon/etc. I'm mostly concerned with choosing the right product. For instance, is a nvidia card truly that much better than an Amd(cost vs. quality)? Four years ago when I bought my HP I didn't understand much about hardware and figured a Q4 with an upgraded graphics card was good enough. Boy was I wrong!

[Buffy]

How's this CPU?

Already have a motherboard that will fit it.

[Pruviant]

This is pretty close to my build. slight differences, i run a 3670k with a noctua d14 cooler and 660ti packed in a 500r. Also use an asus board. It's really damn solid. I have the 3670k at 4.5ghz with no issues.

How do you like that 660ti? Mine is on the way to me now and curious as to how it looks. (i.e. what games you play/settings it can handle)

[Tyche]

It runs ffxiv on max without issue. Ran tomb raider on max as well.

[Pruviant]

It runs ffxiv on max without issue. Ran tomb raider on max as well.

Thanks, exactly what I was looking for ... it is replacing a Radeon 6450 so I played phase 3 on minimum settings. Looking forward to getting more out of the visual aspect of 14

[Oreth]

So iv decided to go with a single Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB Vapor-X GHz Edition!

Im also looking into getting a 27" monitor as id like to game at the bigger resolution of "2560x1440" . Is there any potential problems with running a high resolution such as that with games on the single card? Will it struggle or will it be ok?

Cheers!

Howdy,

I got some help some months back but decided not to buy an parts as money was low and i wanted to wait and see what new stuff was coming out! Below is my current system build and what I was looking to upgrade in this system CPU, GPU, SSD & RAM (Maybe New RAM).

I have had some cooling issues with the system and not a lot of space to put in extra fans / coolers because of the tower size. Because of this i bought a brand new CoolerMaster HAF X Full Tower (http://www.coolermaster.com/product/...wer/haf-x.html)



From asking around initially iv been told there would be little point in upgrading my CPU to Ivy Bridge as i would see little return. Instead get a decent CPU cooler and over clock my current CPU to 4.5Ghz. To do this im looking at the CPU cooler - http://www.hardwareversand.de/Intel+...8BW%29.article

I guess where im looking for some real advice would be on the GPU as that seems to be what is slightly holding me back right now! For the GPU im looking at the GTX 770 (http://www.hardwareversand.de/2048+M...ayPort.article) or the ATI HD 7970 (http://www.dabs.ie/products/sapphire...or-x-8DC1.html).

Iv pretty much always been an ATI guy but can change no problem just depending on whats better. What is currently considered the best? ATI or Nvidia?

Main game is going to be FFXIV and any future FPS games! Seems Nvidia is winning with FFXIV right now but i can see passed that if ATI is the better long term choice!

Thats it really except for SSD & Monitor suggestions overall I do want to O/C the system so any advice on additional system fans would be welcomed.

Thanks!

[Arkanna]

That card will handle 2560x1440 in pretty much any current game, with maxed settings. I have a 7970 and a 2560x1440 monitor myself, and I run BF3 maxed just fine.

[Oreth]

That card will handle 2560x1440 in pretty much any current game, with maxed settings. I have a 7970 and a 2560x1440 monitor myself, and I run BF3 maxed just fine.

Pefect thanks! Looking forward to getting my new system setup and running especially on a bigger resolution!

[izembo]

recommended psu for i5 4670k and a gtx 650ti ssc 2gb?