gaming rig (1500 euro)

[Verwijderd]

Hey,

First of all I'm sorry this post is in English, but my Dutch is just not good enough (yet!). I'm going to buy this computer in the Netherlands and that's why I'm writing here.

I've put together a completely new desktop and I'd like to hear some comments/advice from you guys. Here is the info:

Use
The computer will be used mostly for gaming and software development, but I expect to do a little bit of photoshop and video editing too.

Cost
The intention is to spend about €1500. This includes a screen, a keyboard and a mouse (I have not picked any of them yet).

Preferences
Most importantly I care about the performance. Secondary comes noise, I'd like the system to be relatively quiet.

Overclocking
Not planning to overclock anytime soon. However I've tried to keep the possibility to do so with some components when the real price difference was minimal.

Build so far

#	Product	Prijs	Subtotaal
1	Intel Core i5 4670K Boxed	€ 189,50	€ 189,50
1	MSI Z87-G43	€ 86,04	€ 86,04
1	MSI GeForce GTX 780 Gaming	€ 429,55	€ 429,55
1	Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 ST3000DM001, 3TB	€ 89,85	€ 89,85
1	Corsair Carbide 500R Black	€ 93,-	€ 93,-
1	Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO	€ 24,95	€ 24,95
1	Corsair Vengeance CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9	€ 68,68	€ 68,68
1	Seasonic G-Serie 550Watt	€ 79,95	€ 79,95
1	Crucial M500 2,5" 240GB	€ 90,04	€ 90,04
Bekijk collectie Importeer producten		Totaal	€ 1.151,56

I haven't picked my screen yet, however I think I would prefer a 24'' IPS panel so any advice about that would be appreciated too.
Mouse and keyboard are not as important right now, I'll see what fits me best a little later ^^

So, any thoughts? Thanks!

[Kyle98]

Its is pretty nice build, but you could choose this ram, its cheaper and it has the same speeds.
pricewatch: Crucial Ballistix BLS2CP4G3D1609DS1S00CEU

Also you could better get this cpu cooler, its more silent and if u want to overclock its better.
pricewatch: Scythe Mugen 4 PCGH Edition

[mitsumark]

I think the best buy guide is exactly what you need and what you would like to spend (unless you need cuda cores for your video/photo editting software)
reviews: Desktop Best Buy Guide: maart 2014

Total system is 1100, add from the bottom (randapparatuur) a screen, keyboard and mouse and you're good to go.

PS: do you already have an OS and speakers?

[ShitHappens]

Most popular 24" IPS screen at this moment is pricewatch: Dell Ultrasharp U2412M Zwart
If you prefer 16:9 instead of 16:10, or want to save some money, this is also an option: pricewatch: Iiyama ProLite E2483HS-B1 Zwart

And what about some sound? Do you already have a set of speakers? Please note this main board doesn't have an optical output.
Also, this main board might have one small issiue regarding overclocking... Enabling the "MSI OC Genie" on this board could turn off any USB3 ports. (I have the Z77A version, which has this bug)

[ Voor 15% gewijzigd door ShitHappens op 02-04-2014 23:25 ]

[jorisderoo]

If you want a cheap IPS 24 inch panel i think this might be the best option: pricewatch: LG 24EA53VQ-P Zwart .
If you want a quiet system i would recommend the pricewatch: Fractal Design Define R4 Pearl Black which has special sound dampening material on the inside.

[KetchupFTW]

Good picks, but I would pick the Scythe Mugen over the Hyper EVO at all times.

[Verwijderd]

Thanks for answers everyone!

@Kyle98
I think you might be right about the ram, I've already been told I'm overpaying for the corsair vengeance. What about Crucial Ballistix Tactical BLT2C4G3D1608ET3LX0CEU? I like that these are low profile.

@ShitHappens
I'm not entirely sure what you mean about the missing optcial output of the motherboard, does that mean I have to get a sound card? What alternative MB would you recommend?

@mitsumark
I've got Windows 7. No speakers yet.

About the CPU cooler, I have a feeling that Scythe Mugen 4 PCGH Edition is a bit of an overkill for this setup. It's more expensive and I've had the pleasure of installing it once and that was no fun, that thing is monstrous Do you guys really think it will make a difference for this particual setup?

I like Dell Ultrasharp U2412M Zwart more than LG 24EA53VQ-P Zwart, I prefer 1920x1200 resolution. Furthermore the dell monitor seems to be getting a lot of nice reviews.

As for the sound, I don't have a set of speakers yet. I'm mostly using a headset, but I'd still like to pick up something with half-decent sound that's not too expensive, preferably about 50euro I guess.

[rickboy333]

If you don't do overclock the Mugen 4 is overkill. The EVO make 9 DB noice so i don't know why the Mugen 4 make less noice than the EVO ? If you overclock a little bit (or overclock in the future) than the EVO does fine. The Mugen 4 is for the heavier overklok.

The low profile Ballistix are faster because of there lower CAS timing than the black ones.

[masquerate]

how about this?

#	Product	Prijs	Subtotaal
1	Intel Core i7 4770K Boxed	€ 279,50	€ 279,50
1	MSI Z87-G43	€ 86,04	€ 86,04
1	MSI GeForce GTX 780 Ti Gaming 3GB	€ 594,98	€ 594,98
1	Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 ST3000DM001, 3TB	€ 89,85	€ 89,85
1	Corsair Carbide 500R Black	€ 93,-	€ 93,-
1	LG 24EA53VQ-P Zwart	€ 146,20	€ 146,20
1	Scythe Mugen 4 PCGH Edition	€ 36,50	€ 36,50
1	Crucial Ballistix Tactical BLT2C4G3D1608ET3LX0CEU	€ 60,45	€ 60,45
1	Seasonic M12II 620W	€ 67,95	€ 67,95
1	Crucial M500 2,5" 240GB	€ 91,04	€ 91,04
Bekijk collectie Importeer producten		Totaal	€ 1.545,51

i7 4770K: u said u wanted to photoshop and maybe edit video's, then this would be a smarter option then the I5 4670K because it has better hyperthreading.
780TI: this is a killer gaming videocard, it is the best right now. so i would recommend taking this if ur target is 1500 euro's.
ur target price is 1500 euro's, this is 45 above it but includes the screen.
hope this helps you!

good luck

[Redesign1]

I would recommed instead of buying a nvidia 780ti
a amd r9 290(x?)
same performance less pricy

[masquerate]

amd r9 290 or 290X makes more noise and gets alot hotter.
yes you will be cheaper, around 100-150 euro.
but there is a big definetly a difference in performance where the 780TI is better then the amd r9 290x.
it consumes less power, makes less noise and creates less heat.
since heat and noise are very important i would recommend the 780TI since it is just simpely better and fits within ur budget.

[Ossi]

Looks like a fine setup!
I would take a look at this article for information about harddisc's.
http://tweakers.net/nieuw...jn-het-betrouwbaarst.html

Also, if the main purpose of the computer is developing, i would go for 16GB RAM.

[masquerate]

an option would indeed be switching the Ram.

#	Product	Prijs	Subtotaal
1	Crucial Ballistix Tactical BLT2C8G3D1608ET3LX0CEU	€ 113,80	€ 113,80
Bekijk collectie Importeer producten		Totaal	€ 113,80

would be a good option, but then you would go another 50 euros above ur budget.

[Thomg]

The PSU you selected in the FP is actually much better for your needs.
pricewatch: Seasonic G-Serie 550Watt

[.ScorpionSquad]

I'd recommend spending slightly more on your keyboard, mouse and display. You'll have to cut into the budget of the actual PC, but, for example, a mechanical keyboard is just so much more comfortable and longer lasting. Worth every penny, same goes for the mouse and monitor. For your use, I'd pick an IPS panel with low imput lag as a priority (1440p might be slightly above your budget depending on how much you're willing to spend, however, definitely useful).

Also, it is pointless to get an GTX 780 Ti if you're planning to run your games at a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. Just get a GTX780 or an R9 290. On that kind of resolution you won't be able to recognize the difference when comparing with their higher-end and much pricier counterparts. (As soon as your GTX780/ R9 290 is insufficiënt, a GTX780 Ti will be as well).

Some grammatical errors made by my fellow dutchies make me cringe .

[CH4OS]

For no overclocking and gaming, with a bit of Photoshop and later maybe some video editing, I wouldn't buy an i7. The i7 is overpriced for that and the performance gain over an i5 is just to small to justify an i7.

I'd rather buy an i5 (non K because no overclocking!) with a motherboard based with H87 chipset or even B85.
Your only motivation to buy an aftermarket cooler is because they are more silent, but you also said that noise isn't a big problem. I'd stay with the stock cooler than, to save a few euro's and spend it in something like the monitor, keyboard or mouse.

narpendyah, have you also thought about what kind of monitor you'd like? Because nowadays there are also monitors with a 120Hz refreshrate, so you'd have a much smoother looking game over 60Hz monitors.
And with a 1500 euro's budget, I think there's enough room for a 120Hz monitor.

[ Voor 4% gewijzigd door CH4OS op 03-04-2014 19:46 ]

[Kyle98]

@masquerate 16gb for gaming is way to overkill, 8gb is enough and if it isn't enough you could just pick another set of 8 gb.

[CH4OS]

Well, memory isn't expensive, and there's a budget which can support it. So I'd rather give the PC 16GB of RAM instead of just 8. My PC has 16GB of RAM (4x4GB) since I bought my i5 2500, and I must say, I still enjoy it every day.

By using 2x 8GB of RAM the PC would also have dual channel RAM, which is quite a performance boost, for free.

[ Voor 20% gewijzigd door CH4OS op 03-04-2014 19:51 ]

[masquerate]

@ cptChaos, i totally agree with you, this budget allows it and he wants to photoshop/video edit. so i really would recommend taking 16GB ram, even if it is not needed right now. It will greatly benefit him in the future.


The 780TI i would still stick with it since the budget allows it and you'll be able to run everything for the next couple of years on the highest settings.

I7 i would also stick with it purely for the hyperthreading over the I5, as he wants to photoshop and video edit, and we do not know if he will do it more in the future. the budget allows it and it is best to be safe with the choice, so you got room for what you want to use the PC for in the near future.

[CH4OS]

@Masquerate, TS is not sure if he's going to edit video's, so buying an i7 for an uncertainty is a bit dull to me. If the program supports Intel's Quick Sync, then I don't even see a reason to buy a i7 at all. Hyperthreading is nice and dandy, but with Quick Sync support the encoding times go down by half. The i5 has the same integrated GPU as the i7, so buying an i7 for that... No, I wouldn't do that.

Another note; hyperthreading support isn't that good for gaming, in most games hyperthreading just degrades performance a bit, so I wouldn't even think about taking an i7 for a gaming PC. I hear responses like "true, but in the future gaming will have better multithreading support..." for a few years now and I must say; even in reviews I don't see that. Even the Best Buy Guides on Tweakers.net itself never mention it.

So if it would be true, the game industry would already have adapted multithreading technology, which clearly doesn't as of right now and I doubt it probably will.

[masquerate]

@ CptChaos,

U have got a really good point there with the I7 vs I5, Let the TS decide which he would think he needs.

[!mark]

masquerate schreef op donderdag 03 april 2014 @ 19:56:

The 780TI i would still stick with it since the budget allows it and you'll be able to run everything for the next couple of years on the highest settings.

In that case i would just spend that 150-200 euro on something else(or keep it). 780ti is probally like 10-15% faster than a 780 but it's almost 50% more expensive.

The Ram you can always upgrade, if you take 8GB(2*4) now you can always add 8GB more for a total of 16GB. Ram is expensive these days

[Thomg]

Unless you can get a great deal on a 780Ti ( like I did, 480€ ) it's just not worth the money. Invest in other parts.

[Verwijderd]

Hey guys, again thanks for all the responses.

I have to say that I don't like the i7 suggestion. PS and video editing are definitely not going to be my main activities so I would rather save the money.

!mark schreef op donderdag 03 april 2014 @ 21:58:
In that case i would just spend that 150-200 euro on something else(or keep it). 780ti is probally like 10-15% faster than a 780 but it's almost 50% more expensive.

The Ram you can always upgrade, if you take 8GB(2*4) now you can always add 8GB more for a total of 16GB. Ram is expensive these days

I absolutely agree with this, this is what I was thinking too.

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CptChaos schreef op donderdag 03 april 2014 @ 19:43:
narpendyah, have you also thought about what kind of monitor you'd like? Because nowadays there are also monitors with a 120Hz refreshrate, so you'd have a much smoother looking game over 60Hz monitors.
And with a 1500 euro's budget, I think there's enough room for a 120Hz monitor.

I would love to have 120Hz monitor but I think it's a little too expensive for me And as ScorpionSquad has mentioned, I do think I would like to get a mechanical keyboard and a nice mouse too. So far I'm leaning towards the Dell Ultrasharp U2412M Zwart the most.

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ShitHappens schreef op woensdag 02 april 2014 @ 23:18: Please note this main board doesn't have an optical output.

I am still a little confused about what exactly does this mean, can someone explain it to me? Does this mean that I won't be able to use the standard 3.5 audio jack?

[ShitHappens]

You're able to use the standard 3.5mm analogue audio jacks. But, because you've mentioned this is going to be a gaming rig, I was thinking about using a surround-sound system. Most people prefer to use an optical connection (aka Toslink), or a dedicated sound card, because most 3.5mm jacks on main boards aren't of high quality.
But that depends on how much you're going to spend on a sound system. A simple €20 set of stereo speakers aren't quite worth it to spend money on a sound card.

[Verwijderd]

Ah I see, thanks for the explanation.
I'm not planning to get expensive speakers, I don't think my roommate would appreciate it too much anyway I am mostly going to be using my headset, so I think this is going to be just fine.