Last check before ordering new gaming PC

Hey all,

After many months of long research (interrupted by college life, unfortunately), I have finally nailed down all the parts for my new build. You guys might remember my thread from a few months ago (here) that basically degenerated into a Z97 vs X99 debate. I went with Z97 finally, and I'm quite happy with the result. Hoping to play maxed out settings for 1080p for quite a while. If everything checks out, by next week my order will be placed.

Here is the parts I want to get: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/9bJPWZ

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD5H-BK ATX LGA1150 Motherboard

Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory

GPU: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB Gaming G1 WINDFORCE Video Card

Case: Corsair 450D ATX Mid Tower Case

PSU: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply

Total: $1453.93 CAD (Max budget was 1500$)

I already have keyboard, mouse, monitor, and OS (Windows 8.1)

I also already have storage in the form of a Seagate Barracuda 2 TB HDD and a Samsung 840 EVO 256 GB SSD.

I know I probably could have saved about 200$ by trimming down the i7-4790k to an i5-4690k and RAM from 16 GB to 8 GB, but in my opinion, 200$ for extra RAM security, higher stock CPU clock and hyperthreading are worth it. My primary purpose will be gaming, and I know some games benefit from the extra threads, especially games that are CPU bound like RTS and Simulation games. At 4 GHz, I don't think I'll have to overclock for a while, and knowing that current gen consoles use about 8 GB, I figured 16 GB will guarantee any issue with my PC will never come from RAM size, especially when I'm researching PC parts with dozens of tabs open and music/videos running in the background.

Gigabyte motherboard is a bit on the expensive side as well, but it has more ports than I'll ever need (which means it will be really expandable) and I get the extra reliability and stability I've gotten used to with my old Gigabyte mobo. The black edition I'm getting is also extensively pre-tested and comes with an extended warranty (5 years), which gives me extra peace of mind.

My hope is to keep the core of my PC (CPU/RAM/Mobo) around for many years and just periodically upgrade the GPU (or SLI). With the mobo, CPU and PSU that I have, I'm also happy with the fact that I have the capability to take on higher end cards down the line and SLI, since I may be considering a 1440p G-Sync monitor down the road. For now I am happy at 1080p, but in a couple years, selection and tech will have matured and make it much easier to jump into higher end monitors.

Any improvements, comments and suggestions are welcome,

Thanks :)

I don't see the point in spending over 130$ on a MOBO, it's not like you're going to 4 Way SLI...

That 750Watts PSU is for 3 Way SLI I guess?

Everything else looks fine I guess with that i7 and 16Gb of future proofing...

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/8CpMYJ here's how you really future proof your system for the next couple of years with the same budget limit.

@genius2365:

I'd personally go with cheaper RAM (Kingston still), cheaper mobo (a cheaper Gigabyte) and cheaper case. With that money saved, upgrade the GPU to a 980Ti.

@PredatorRules:

1) For mobo: Gigabyte is my preferred brand. If I look at what I have available here in Canada, this is what I get:

- the mobo you reccomended (Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard), which seems to have a high failure rate and mediocre reviews according to Newegg.

- Mobos in the 150-200$ range. Some are good and seem solid

- My mobo. For 50$ more over the previous catagory (which isn't much for me to be honest), I get a mobo that is more aesthetically pleasing than the mobos in the 150-200$ range, since the one I chose is all black with nice accents. I also get a mobo that's been tested extensively and proves its durability, as well as a mobo that comes with some more advanced features, like better audio, more ports, and some long-term features like M.2 and SATA Express. Since I'm planning on keeping my mobo and my PC for a long time, spending just 50$ more for bells and whistles as well as durability that may be useful down the road is not an issue for me.

You're probably right that a cheaper mobo would probably serve me and perform just as well as the one I chose, but I'm more than happy to pay just a bit more for little details that would give me peace of mind.

2) For PSU: I'm ordering all my parts from my aunt, who works at a distribution company. She has a good selection, and plus I get stuff slightly cheaper than what you see on my list and I save on shipping. The thing was, the higher quality PSUs (according to sites like JonnyGuru and Tom's Hardware tier lists) also happened to be the ones with more wattage. Turned out that the one I found had the best quality, and maybe a bit more wattage than I would need. Other PSUs with less wattage were of lesser quality, and I know the last part you want to skimp on is your PSU.

Just curious though: what is the general wattage overhead that is recommended for PCs? Most I would probably go for my new PC is a slight CPU and GPU overclock and a 2 way SLI.

3) As for your recommended build, it seems solid. It's just that I'd prefer to invest a bit more in the quality of my mobo and CPU before investing in more GPU power right away. GPUs are advancing much faster than CPUs right now (thanks Intel), and since a single GTX 970 is fine for me right now. I can always invest in more GPU power down the road, but whatever CPU and mobo I get now is the one I'm stuck with for a good while unless I make a whole new rig. The little touches like the M.2 slots, the improved audio, the extra FPS I'll get for hyperthreading for some games are stuff I'll notice for the whole life of my rig. I'm not sure I could stay the same for two AMD 290s, which will probably need replacing in about 2 years in order to keep up those high graphics settings.

@GTR12:

I'm guessing when you meant cheaper RAM, you also meant less RAM? Because the 16 GB of RAM I chose is 130$ and the cheapest ones are 110$ from Kingston. Not much savings there.

As for the mobo, pretty much see my above response to PredatorRules. Compared to the alternative motherboard here in Canada that I would get in the 150-200$ range, an extra 50$ for a more advanced an durable mobo with bells and whistles is nothing to me.

Case came down to aesthetics, unfortunately. My dad got my old PC with a window and now I can't live with a PC without one haha. And cases with windows tend to go 100$+ since they are higher end. I would appreciate suggestions for cases if you had though.

So, even if I did the cuts you mentioned, I would only end up with about 200$ (60$ for RAM to 8 GB + 75$ for Mobo + 60$ for Case, as an aggressive estimate).

980ti costs about 800$ here in Canada vs 400$ for 970. So I'd still be short 200$

Would the 980ti's benefits even be noticed on a 1080p 60 Hz monitor, like the one I have? Or is it more of a future-proof card that might be perfect should I decide to upgrade my monitor? I had considered the 980ti, but 400$ more for performance I wouldn't even notice on my current monitor would be wasted money, right? Right now, I'm thinking about waiting about a while and performing both a GPU and monitor upgrade to 1440p 144Hz G-Sync. That way the tech will have time to mature, drive prices down, more selection, etc. Do you think that is a good mentality, or is the 980ti worth it on the possibility that I might upgrade my monitor later on?

@genius2365:

Nope, just cheaper RAM, not less RAM ;)

But the cheapest is only $30 cheaper, and thats the Fury White (a colour is $30, wtf...)

As for case, take a look at the NZXT Source 210 (I like windowless cases that look like sleeper cases, so I cant comment too much)

As for GPU, DX12 will likely take the load off CPU's and increase GPU load for games and other things, thats the only reason I said 980Ti.

If you want to save some money on a mobo then get Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming 5.

"aesthetically" you mean that one time that you build it and the other time that you show it off to your friends? Got friends of mine that did the same thing with MSI Z97 Gaming 5.

I didn't touch the PSU and the case because they're fine and with case it's all about the looks aside that the 450D is great case in terms of cable management and airflow.

About i7 and hyperthreading - unless you're working with some heavy duty programs (servers or editing) games just don't gain any boost from it.

I don't see any need in replacing 2x 290s - you're future proofed for like 5 years with that setup.