The thread that is now the unofficial PC builds thread :P
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I am being offered a new PC as a present and this is the make of the one I am currently looking at. I would replace the video card at a later date:
The PC is primarily for work but I hope that once I upgrade the Video card to a GTX at a later date that I can play Rome 2 in high settings with a lot of units and ARMA 3 in high settings. Is this system ok for that?
I am just curious if this is a decent enough rig?
The PC is primarily for work but I hope that once I upgrade the Video card to a GTX at a later date that I can play Rome 2 in high settings with a lot of units and ARMA 3 in high settings. Is this system ok for that?
CPU
Intel Core CPU - Haswell
Intel Core i7 4770 Quad Core CPU, 3.4GHz, 8MB Cache, Socket LGA1150, 22nm, up to 3.9GHz with turbo boost
MOTHERBOARD
Z87 Chipset Motherboard
RAM
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 PC-12800 (1600MHz) 240-pin
VIDEO CARD:
Integrated (Onboard) Graphics Intel® HD Graphics HD4600
1200MHz with D-Sub, DVI-D and HDMI outputs
(I am planning on replacing this at a later stage)
HARD DRIVE:
3.5" 1TB / 1000GB SATA III 7200rpm HDD
DVD SOUND AND NETWORK
24x CD/DVD +RW /-RW drive
Onboard motherboard
Onboard motherboard
CASE AND PW SUPPLY:
ATX Midi Tower Case Black
* 600W Gaming PSU with 12cm Silent Fan
* Front USB x 2 / HD Audio & Mic
* Case may slightly vary
Intel Core CPU - Haswell
Intel Core i7 4770 Quad Core CPU, 3.4GHz, 8MB Cache, Socket LGA1150, 22nm, up to 3.9GHz with turbo boost
MOTHERBOARD
Z87 Chipset Motherboard
RAM
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 PC-12800 (1600MHz) 240-pin
VIDEO CARD:
Integrated (Onboard) Graphics Intel® HD Graphics HD4600
1200MHz with D-Sub, DVI-D and HDMI outputs
(I am planning on replacing this at a later stage)
HARD DRIVE:
3.5" 1TB / 1000GB SATA III 7200rpm HDD
DVD SOUND AND NETWORK
24x CD/DVD +RW /-RW drive
Onboard motherboard
Onboard motherboard
CASE AND PW SUPPLY:
ATX Midi Tower Case Black
* 600W Gaming PSU with 12cm Silent Fan
* Front USB x 2 / HD Audio & Mic
* Case may slightly vary
I am just curious if this is a decent enough rig?
http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/QZC8xr
This is the current build I'm planning to do, but I'm wondering if anyone can offer some suggestions to maybe lower the price a little? There's obviously not much I could do given that I want to stick with the 970. Should I consider going to a 4690K instead? Also how does Windows 8.1 (I've never used it) compare to 7? I've read it has some trouble with certain games.
This is the current build I'm planning to do, but I'm wondering if anyone can offer some suggestions to maybe lower the price a little? There's obviously not much I could do given that I want to stick with the 970. Should I consider going to a 4690K instead? Also how does Windows 8.1 (I've never used it) compare to 7? I've read it has some trouble with certain games.
Well, I figured it would be better to post here than make my own thread, not to mention now that I already have posted it here, making a new thread would be pointless. 
(My apologies though.)
(My apologies though.)
ThegnAnsgar said:
When you have that kind of money you may as well get the best of the best. i7, on average, will be "better" than an i5 mainly in the heat dissipation and overclocking headroom departments.
From what I can tell right now, emphasis on now, 7 = 8 in terms of the ability to play games on it. You're not gaining or losing anything. In the future this may change with Windows 10, so starting with 8.1 may be the better option (since it has a free upgrade, apparently).
@Rejenorst and ThegnAnsgar
Both of you have picked motherboards that don't perfectly fit with your CPU. If you want to overclock, get a 'k' CPU and a fitting 'Z' chipset (The newer i5-4690k and i7-4790k are better suited for overclocking and need the Z97 chipset.) If you don't want to overclock get an i7 or i5 without the 'k'-suffix or a Xeon with a 'B' or 'H' chipset.
@ThegnAnsgar
I'm not so sure about Canadian prices, but your RAM seems pretty expensive to me. Are you sure you need that? Also, you seem to have forgotten a CPU cooler. The stock one won't get you far if you want to overclock.
@Amon
If you lack performance, it's quite easy to test which component is producing a 'bottleneck'. Play your most demanding game with low grade of detail and low resolution. If you still don't get playable FPS, it's your CPU. If it's only the additional graphic details and higher resolutions that's causing the trouble, it's your GPU's fault.
I'm guessing your CPU should still last a few years. It can also be overclocked if needed. If you lack performance, it's probably your GPU. Try OC'ing it. A suitable replacement could be a R9 280 which are incredibly cheap at the moment (~170€). But they'll be out of stock, soon.
EDIT:
@Jhessail
Depends. There are server CPUs with even more cores. If you mean games, however, a i7-4970k might still be stronger, since most games can't utilise more than 4 cores and are more dependent on frequency (is that the right word?).
Both of you have picked motherboards that don't perfectly fit with your CPU. If you want to overclock, get a 'k' CPU and a fitting 'Z' chipset (The newer i5-4690k and i7-4790k are better suited for overclocking and need the Z97 chipset.) If you don't want to overclock get an i7 or i5 without the 'k'-suffix or a Xeon with a 'B' or 'H' chipset.
@ThegnAnsgar
I'm not so sure about Canadian prices, but your RAM seems pretty expensive to me. Are you sure you need that? Also, you seem to have forgotten a CPU cooler. The stock one won't get you far if you want to overclock.
@Amon
If you lack performance, it's quite easy to test which component is producing a 'bottleneck'. Play your most demanding game with low grade of detail and low resolution. If you still don't get playable FPS, it's your CPU. If it's only the additional graphic details and higher resolutions that's causing the trouble, it's your GPU's fault.
I'm guessing your CPU should still last a few years. It can also be overclocked if needed. If you lack performance, it's probably your GPU. Try OC'ing it. A suitable replacement could be a R9 280 which are incredibly cheap at the moment (~170€). But they'll be out of stock, soon.
EDIT:
@Jhessail
Depends. There are server CPUs with even more cores. If you mean games, however, a i7-4970k might still be stronger, since most games can't utilise more than 4 cores and are more dependent on frequency (is that the right word?).
In Vain said:
Thanks, I managed to cut down the price by $100.
Splintert said:
Awesome
Thank you.In Vain said:
Thank you for the heads up I really appreciate the advice. The chipset I am getting sadly isn't the K variant. I would love to get the Z97 for future upgrades as well but this may drive the current price to high. The motherboard I listed was an upgrade option while the original MB that came with that package was the All-in-one Intel H87 Chipset Socket 1150 Motherboard but I decided to up that for 25 dollars to the Z87.
For my own part I am not to interested in overclocking (at this point) provided the rig I have listed is enough for me not to have to worry about upgrading for at least another 1-2 years (with the exception of the video card).
I just hope this rig is a sufficient all rounder.
The Z87 has some overclocking features afaik but I assume they are not as good as the Z97.
http://www.intel.com.au/content/www/au/en/chipsets/performance-chipsets/z87-chipset.html
The current CPU I am getting is a tad limited in how far it can be overclocked afaik.
Don't worry, your 4770 will run on that Z87 mobo just fine. It's just that that CPU can't be (properly) overclocked anyway, so you won't be able to use the main advantage the Z87 chipset has over H87 or B8*. So, if the Z87 mobo is not qualitatively better than the other one, it's a waste of money.
The '9' chipsets (e.g. H87 or Z97) are for the new 'Haswell refresh' CPUs like i5 4*90 (/k) or i7 4790 (/k). The 4770 is 'half' a generation older. If you can, get a newer CPU (like the i7 4790). At least in my country, they cost roughly the same.
If you could scrape together some additional money for a mid-range GPU, you could also choose a Xeon E3-1231. It's basically a somewhat lower-clocked i7 without the integrated GPU but for a great price.
The '9' chipsets (e.g. H87 or Z97) are for the new 'Haswell refresh' CPUs like i5 4*90 (/k) or i7 4790 (/k). The 4770 is 'half' a generation older. If you can, get a newer CPU (like the i7 4790). At least in my country, they cost roughly the same.
If you could scrape together some additional money for a mid-range GPU, you could also choose a Xeon E3-1231. It's basically a somewhat lower-clocked i7 without the integrated GPU but for a great price.
This sounds like you're using some kind of a pre-selected part picker. Aren't those usually horribly overprized?
Spose I could potentially upgrade to a Intel Core i7 4770K 3.5GHz Unlocked Multiplier for 55 dollar difference.
Also a GT610 1GB upgrade only costs 39 dollars more so will probably add that.
I can't go much higher than any of those specs at the moment and as long as I can run the aforementioned two games in high settings I probably won't need to.
I am very tight with cash. PC prices here in AUS are generally more expensive than in other countries. The items would be coming in from Sydney where its cheaper and are being purchased over the net.
So far the source I have found is the cheaper/est I could find.
Also a GT610 1GB upgrade only costs 39 dollars more so will probably add that.
I can't go much higher than any of those specs at the moment and as long as I can run the aforementioned two games in high settings I probably won't need to.
I am very tight with cash. PC prices here in AUS are generally more expensive than in other countries. The items would be coming in from Sydney where its cheaper and are being purchased over the net.
So far the source I have found is the cheaper/est I could find.
Just going to drop this here, my i7 3820 goes to 4.6GHz by enabling turbo boost and picking the power or something like that preset from BIOS. Though it isn't stable because it doesn't get enough power, which again could be fixed by changing a number around but I can't be arsed.
I don't think you'd even want to go much higher than 4.6GHz, so the unlocked CPU's aren't THAT necessary.
I don't think you'd even want to go much higher than 4.6GHz, so the unlocked CPU's aren't THAT necessary.
