Need Computer Build Advice

[thececilmaster]

I've been playing on a low-end laptop for a while now, and am finally able to look at getting a nice gaming desktop. I'm not that great at builds yet, and was wondering what the Forums thought of my build, so if you would be so kind as to comment, critique, and help me with my build, that would be greatly appreciated.

Build link: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/thececilmaster/saved/V4fV3C

[Kiraii]

If no one here replies and you really want experienced opinions on your build then try going to the PCMasterRace reddit.

If there is better and cheaper they can let you know.

[SYLUX6574]

seems fine for gaming. but you don't really need the touch screen monitor.

Edit : if it was me, I would get a better CPU fan, especially if you are running games that need a lot of processing power

Edited November 4, 2014 by SYLUX6574

[OptimumBow0]

Here's the processor I've got: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-fd6300wmhkbox

 

It has 6 cores and is much cheaper, but yours has effectively 8 cores (with hyperthreading), so the one you've chosen does have greater processing power.

 

I don't want to con you out of performance like that, but if you'd like to save money, just consider that one.

 

As for the case, you can do much better than that for $30-40 more (I found some pretty sweet cases on Amazon just today).

 

Other than that, killer build.

[painterman]

Drop that i7 for a i5, the price diference is not worth the extra 1-2 fps you migth gain. that should get you a better graphics card, go for a gtx770-780 on nvidia or for r9 280x/285-290 on amd. On the power supply modular alwais is the best, you can lower it to 700w and even lower if using a gtx660.The touchscreen is fancy but not worht, but thats your choice

[taiiat]

your parts are kind've out of balance.

 

if you want to buy a 4770k, buy a 4790k instead. (if available in your area)

however unless you're going to be doing Video Editing or other intensive Application work, the performance difference between a 4790k and a 4690k is difficult to notice. games will normally see a single digit percent difference.

(in other words, unless you do intensive application work, buy a 4690k instead of a 4790k. 4670/4770 being the Haswell alternates if Devil's Canyon Processors aren't available in your area).

 

and, if you want to buy a high end Processor like that to start with, buy a Z97 Chipset Motherboard rather than a H97 Chipset.

in layman's terms, it's a better Chipset.

 

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Edit: oh, right, CPU Cooler. that Cooler is a bit skimpy. the Hyper 212 Evo is generally considered to be the air CPU Cooler of champions.

though a midrange Closed Circuit Liquid Cooler would be my reccomendation. such as an H80i, or other analogues from other companies. they're all mostly pretty similar, choose which one you like most.

don't forget to make sure that the Radiator fan(s) are good quality Pressure fans.

 

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and with top of the practical line components there, your GTX660 doesn't balance either. i'd suggest a GTX970 as a really good balance. as a general rule though, i'd suggest atleast a $200-250 GPU to pair with the rest of your system.

 

a Corsair 200R might be a little bit cramped to setup in.

you also don't have any Fans listed. you'll definitely want some more, or even to replace most/all of the included Fans with any case you buy.

this is a great inexpensive fan that should be damn quiet, move a lot of air, and last a long time. they come in various colors, and versions without LED's as well. so pick your poison.

there's also a thousand other Fan products that should be able to hit the inexpensive, moves air well, fairly quiet, and should last plenty long enough bullet points.

just about any fan can be almost dead silent if you manage their voltages though. a Fan Controller Hub or 4 pin connected management through software are both fine options for this.

 

instead of that PSU, i'd aim your more in the 650-750w range, but aim for something that's like, 80+ Gold or Et Cetera. even a 650 is overkill, but keeping PSU's inside ranges where it's certified for is a safe bet to keep Efficiency up.

oh, and pretty much everyone considers Modular PSU's a better choice, and i'd agree. cables you dont' need not being there is great. semi-Modular is fine too, because it's not like you can not use the 24pin connector anyways, so the essentials will just be hard connected.

 

 

lastly, i'm going to admit i'm a bit of a fanboy about this, but Samsung dominates the SSD market. 840 and 850 Evo's are leading the market for affordable SSD's, and 840/850 Pro's leading the market for enterprise grade awesomeness.

in other words, i'm recommending a 250gig 840/850 Evo as your SSD.

but most any will perform fine, so it's not a big deal.

 

a touchscreen Monitor is... unnecessary, but that's on you.

 

----------

 

now, in complete contrast, if a budget is important, you theoretically could go towards AMD. however, an FX-9590 would be like, the only CPU you should be buying there.

don't let people fool you, AMD has fine budget products. but they're budget products. if you want top dollar performance, you will need a 9000 series Vishera Processor. (FX-9xxx).

 

i don't really want to explain why this is the case, because it will start a pointless flamewar (of people trying to tell me insider Industry information is wrong, lol). but i will bet all of my vital organs that this is the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Edited November 5, 2014 by taiiat

[-FrostByte-]

you could get a lenovo gaming labtop with =/= or even better specs for around the same price

 

look up the y50 (i think thats what its called)

[EntityOmega]

you could get a lenovo gaming labtop with =/= or even better specs for around the same price

 

look up the y50 (i think thats what its called)

Laptops are much harder to upgrade in the future, and generally the parts are underclocked and just slower than their desktop brothers, due to battery conservation and heat buildup. Gaming on a laptop is of course possible, but if you want real performance for your budget, laptops just can't compare to desktops.

About the parts.

 

CPU: Great CPU, I have the 3770k, and never go above 20% usage on photoshop, gaming, only about <50% on even video editing etc. Performs great in tests and benchmarks, and overclocks well. It is true that for GAMING, there is barely any noticeable difference from i5 to i7. Gaming henges much more on your graphics card. However, if you plan on streaming with a codec that uses your CPU, or doing lots of video editing, or other applications, then you will benefit from the i7. I know I do, but I use some other CPU intensive applications, and my friends with the i5's work just as well as mine for gaming. Our CPU's are  similar, so I know that they will perform similarly.

CPU cooler is very meh. You should probably spend a few more $$$ on that... If you want your case interior to be a little cooler, i reccomend a closed loop water setup, I have the Corsair H60 and overclocked to 4.1 ghz I hover at 35c-45c while gaming, 55c max, 25c- 35c while idle. Those are EXCELLENT temperatures. The cooler, the longer your parts will last and stay healthy. You would get similar temps on your CPU. If you don't a closed loop cooler, some of Noctua's products like  these are considered some of the best out there. I think some other people have posts above mine with other cooler suggestions. I prefer the closed loop water systems myself, keeps my internal case temps lower.

Good ram. I also have 2x8gb sticks, also at 1600 mhz. Don't be lured into high clock speed ram, most of the time they suffer high CAS latencies and have extremely negligible performance gains (<3%) for up to $50 more.

You may start to suffer soon in the graphics card area. I run a 560ti 2GB and VERY OC'D, so its comparable to a 660ti... And while I run Warframe at a steady 60FPS (1080P), on games like Battlefield 4, Titanfall, etc. I am starting to have to either deal with <50FPS or turning down graphics options. The 660 you picked is already 2 generations old, I HIGHLY recommend either getting a 700 or 900 series. To solve my own graphics card woes (OH NOZ ONLY 55FPS!!!!!!!) I recently puchased an Asus Strix 970 from my local microcenter (after waiting for nearly a month and a half for them to be in stock) for $330. The card is much more expensive, but has more than twice the processing power, and will continue to run games flawlessly for a few years to come (if you don't upgrade to a 2k/4k monitor or run multiple monitors). Link to the a comparison of the average benchmarks of the cards:  Here. I would recomend an R9 290(or 290X) if you like Radeon at all, a GTX 970(The Strix I bought is a 970, and has a cooler that is efficient enough to allow the fans to remain OFF unless the card is under a lot of load, completely silent. Can't wait), a 780ti (prices have dropped a lot since the 900 series came out) or a GTX 770. A 760 will be good for NOW, but in a year you will start to wish you had payed a bit more. Think of the future, and what will last you longer.

SSDs are great. I love them. But if you play more than a few games, or have an extensive music collection, or record videos, you may find yourself wanting a few TBs lying around. I personally prefer to have my OS(Windows/Linux/Mac/Whatever you want) and a few select games with long loading times on my SSD, and store nearly everything else on a 2TB HDD. Everything will be fast, because the OS is separate from the other data, and each hard disk can process different data. Everything seems instant to me, even though the majority of my data is on a regular HDD and not my HyperX SSD. 

EDIT: Just looked at your part list again, you actually already have the HDD as well. Fantastic. I still recommend splitting your data wisely. Running games on the HDD seems nearly as fast as on the SSD because the games are loading separate from the drive the OS is on.

 

Pretty good case. I have a Corsair case as well, and enjoy the matte black look, and the steel chassis. Also it has great airflow and good cable management. Also, corsair cases usually come with fans, and they are quite decent. I'm sure it will say what it comes with when you buy it, but you may want a few more depending on where they are mounted, and how many they supplied. Thousands to pick from, Noctua makes some of the best ones, but corsair themselves have some amazing fans. I like the high pressure ones, and the silent ones.

Wifi adapter seems fine, don't have anything to say about that.

Monitor is touchscreen, all up to you. For gaming, a 27" is best (for ME, MY opinion), and as low of a refresh rate as possible.

OK power supply, the higher the rating (bronze, silver, gold, platinum) the better at power efficiency/heat buildup/etc they will be. Something to think about, a gold/platinum power supply, while a bit more pricy, will probably save you money in the long run in your power bill. Also, fully modular is best, as you only have to attach the cables you NEED, and allows for much better cable management. But for the most part, the PSU you picked is perfectly OK.

Any questions, feel free to msg me.

Also, remember to use Reddit and other forums as well for advice, there are thousands of people out there with tons of experience building PCs other than just us Warframe nerds.

Edited November 5, 2014 by EntityOmega

[thececilmaster]

Thanks for the many (bad grammar intentional) help guys! I will be looking at all of your guys' suggestions (there is so much text here, and it all showed up after I left for work... I'll be a little while reading and researching). 

[EntityOmega]

Glad I could type up that page for you :P