Requesting custom PC build assistance

[Nads]

Alright I'm planning on building my first custom PC and I've been doing some research and milling around reddit.com/buildapc asking for recommendations. I have a budget of +/- $1000 and I'm looking for the ability to play current and next-gen stuff at near max quality, or as high as my budget will allow.

Here are the two builds I have been recommended for around the same budget:

Intel build:

PCPartPicker part list (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2eexq) / Price breakdown by merchant (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2eexq/by_merchant/) / Benchmarks (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2eexq/benchmarks/)

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54670k) ($224.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-z87extreme4) ($117.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f312800cl9d8gbrl) ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/kingston-internal-hard-drive-sh103s3120g) ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezex) ($59.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-gtx770dc2oc2gd5) ($329.99 @ NCIX US)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN3800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/tp-link-wireless-network-card-tlwdn3800) ($32.65 @ OutletPC)
Case: Antec Eleven Hundred ATX Full Tower Case (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-case-elevenhundred) ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cx750m) ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $1035.57
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-04 22:10 EST-0500)

AMD build:

PCPartPicker part list (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2eezY) / Price breakdown by merchant (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2eezY/by_merchant/) / Benchmarks (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2eezY/benchmarks/)

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-fd8350frhkbox) ($193.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 EXTREME4 ATX AM3+ Motherboard (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-970extreme4) ($99.49 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f312800cl9d8gbrl) ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/kingston-internal-hard-drive-sh103s3120g) ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezex) ($59.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 4GB Video Card (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvr929d54gdb) ($415.91 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN3800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/tp-link-wireless-network-card-tlwdn3800) ($32.65 @ OutletPC)
Case: Antec Eleven Hundred ATX Full Tower Case (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-case-elevenhundred) ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cx750m) ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $1071.98
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-04 22:11 EST-0500)

I will be adding an optical drive in there too.

I guess I want I would like to know is what you guys think, first of all, and should any changes be made?

Maybe a mix and match? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Edit: I was JUST recommended this build as well:

PCPartPicker part list (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2fFn3) / Price breakdown by merchant (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2fFn3/by_merchant/) / Benchmarks (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2fFn3/benchmarks/)

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54670k) ($224.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2) ($29.26 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-z87g45gaming) ($140.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f312800cl9d8gbrl) ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/sandisk-internal-hard-drive-sdssdhp128gg25) ($94.94 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st2000dm001) ($81.53 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-gtx770dc2oc2gd5) ($335.30 @ SuperBiiz)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN725N 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/tp-link-wireless-network-card-tlwn725n) ($8.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Nanoxia Deep Silence 1 ATX Mid Tower Case (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/nanoxia-case-nxds1b) ($99.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cx600m) ($52.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1093.96
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-05 19:45 EST-0500)

[Thulack]

What do you do on a normal basis on your computer?

[Nads]

What do you do on a normal basis on your computer?

Well I'm on a 2009 Asus laptop, so not as much as I'd like, obviously, but I want to be able to use the PC for all of my daily needs. Work, gaming, leisure, etc.

As far as gaming needs: I've never had a rig that could play the real current titles, and I'd like to experience that. AKA modded Skyrim at ultra settings for example-battlefield 4 high-settings-type rig.

In all honestly, $1k might be A BIT overkill for my needs, but I'm planning for futureability as well.

[citizen1080]

http://www.logicalincrements.com/

This is your gospel

[Ahldagor]

thank you for that site. been looking for it for a week now because I'm planning out a build over xmas

[Seredoc]

errrrrm...seems to me you're planning on running a current gen 64 bit OS with your setup.

Take your first build list. Remove the SSD and put that money towards 16gb(or for pimp mode, 32) of ram. You will have an easier time loading...just about everything and having that 90 bucks of leeway will help in the "oh shit I forgot to include 'this'" department.

Also, what is not included is the OS, monitor and other peripheral options.

If you have a mouse/kb then whatever, but what about monitor? 7.1 audio?...and that means speakers AND sound card(I know, blah blah blah integrated well EFFFFFF YOOOUUU the stutter is crap even on current mobos)

Suffice to say need more details to give best info

[Nads]

errrrrm...seems to me you're planning on running a current gen 64 bit OS with your setup.

Take your first build list. Remove the SSD and put that money towards 16gb(or for pimp mode, 32) of ram. You will have an easier time loading...just about everything and having that 90 bucks of leeway will help in the "oh shit I forgot to include 'this'" department.

Also, what is not included is the OS, monitor and other peripheral options.

If you have a mouse/kb then whatever, but what about monitor? 7.1 audio?...and that means speakers AND sound card(I know, blah blah blah integrated well EFFFFFF YOOOUUU the stutter is crap even on current mobos)

Suffice to say need more details to give best info

I haven't decided if I want to go Windows 7 or 8. I can get 8 pro through my university for like $15.

As for monitor I'm going to go for a 21.5" monitor, so 1920x1080 resolution.

Sound card I plan on investing in at a later date, any recommendations?

[BlkCamel]

I haven't decided if I want to go Windows 7 or 8. I can get 8 pro through my university for like $15.

As for monitor I'm going to go for a 21.5" monitor, so 1920x1080 resolution.

Sound card I plan on investing in at a later date, any recommendations?

As the title says, "DO NOT BUY WINDOWS 8"

If I were you I would cut my budget by $200.00 minimum.

You can build a PC that will run todays and tomorrows games at max settings for $800. Anymore and you are wasting your money by buying too early. PC Hardware prices drop fast and quickly become obsolete, you cannot future proof.*

*The future is unknown, manufacturers of today have no idea what you will need tomorrow.

Again going on the idea that we are not going to waste money, but maximize our half-life, I would recommend buying an AMD system.

Intel will post 15-20% performance gains on comparable AMD systems in benchmarks, there is no denying this. But 15-20% is not much in the computer world in the PC world. The It sector has a 3-5 year development cycle and there can be leaps and bounds in performance between the different cycles.

Texas Department of Information Resources "PC Life Cycles Guidelines for Establishing Life Cycles for Personal Computers" (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CEsQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dir.texas.gov%2FSiteCollectio nDocuments%2FDocument_Library%2FPolicy-Stds-Guides-Procs%2Fpc-cycle.docx&ei=U2GhUonjIoSoiALF64CYBw&usg=AFQjCNEN5gDTWhySNC8SXDJ0ViSKUL-2lA&sig2=Swco05VBa-80QYRDIrcK3A&bvm=bv.57752919,d.cGE&cad=rja)

Here are the things I would invest my money into.

AMD 8core processor
4 ram slots with ddr3 1600mhz capability
2x pci-express x16 slots
Any modern video card with minimum 1gb but prefere 2gb buffer x2(if you want to spend the money which you dont need to do) BTW I prefere Nvidia Cards but others will argue otherwise.
Sata II x4 (minimum prefere 6)
USB 2.0
SSD Sata 2 drive (32/64gb is fine, you want to install operating system files and core games only)
Dual monitors. If you don't already have this you need to spend your money here over any other peripherals. It makes a world of difference.

[Rust1d?]

First, you do want a cheap SSD, even if it is for simply booting. Grab a 128 on the cheap and a 2 TB HDD for all installs (you can still install programs you use alot on the SSD) but you can store all videos etc on the 2tb HDD.

Second, go AMD. Cheaper and you can put the money you save towards a better video card and more RAM. When I was at microcenter, the inter CPUs were all full and AMD empty. You can snag great deals there on AMD CPUs. Also AMD CPU/GPU's work well together.

If you get get 8 for $15 do it. Just install classic shell and gg.

Hope this helps!

[Nads]

Second, go AMD. Cheaper and you can put the money you save towards a better video card and more RAM. When I was at microcenter, the inter CPUs were all full and AMD empty. You can snag great deals there on AMD CPUs. Also AMD CPU/GPU's work well together.

If you get get 8 for $15 do it. Just install classic shell and gg.

Hope this helps!

I've been considering the AMD FX-8350, but I have a couple reservations:

1. I just read that AMD will no longer be producing CPUs, but will instead focus on APUs. Wouldn't that mean a loss of driver updates/support?

2. Reviews on the 8350 state that the processor gets loud and hot even when idle.

3. 8 cores is not really needed for gaming at the moment.

Also, what is classic shell? Thanks for your input!

[nilbog]

I've been considering the AMD FX-8350, but I have a couple reservations:

1. I just read that AMD will no longer be producing CPUs, but will instead focus on APUs. Wouldn't that mean a loss of driver updates/support?

2. Reviews on the 8350 state that the processor gets loud and hot even when idle.

3. 8 cores is not really needed for gaming at the moment.

Also, what is classic shell? Thanks for your input!

1. They should continue to support their existing products.

2. The processor itself is as hot and loud as the cooling method.

3. Most* games only use 2 cores.

http://www.classicshell.net/

[Rust1d?]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

Great cooler right here. Can usually get it cheap too. Never use a stock cooler. With AMD you will get the most bang for the buck. Did not hear about them not making CPUs anymore.

[Nads]

Might I ask for your valued opinion on any of the above, Nilbog?

[BlkCamel]

1. They should continue to support their existing products.

2. The processor itself is as hot and loud as the cooling method.

3. Most* games only use 2 cores.

http://www.classicshell.net/

As far as number 3 goes. This is correct, many of todays games are only coded for 1/2 cores. Although your computer will share the load this is not done efficiently if the game is not coded to do so.

BUT. and this is the big one. If you want to have a game loaded, the internet loaded on your favorite gif site, maybe a 1080p movie on your second monitor/tv, and someone in the back of the house is streaming a video that your computer is encoding on the fly. You will want that 8 cores then.

The above scenario is actually my living room setup. I have a Quad core and am starting to feel cappage with my current setup. I will be upgrading to 8core soon.

[Nads]

Here are the things I would invest my money into.

AMD 8core processor
4 ram slots with ddr3 1600mhz capability
2x pci-express x16 slots
Any modern video card with minimum 1gb but prefere 2gb buffer x2(if you want to spend the money which you dont need to do) BTW I prefere Nvidia Cards but others will argue otherwise.
Sata II x4 (minimum prefere 6)
USB 2.0
SSD Sata 2 drive (32/64gb is fine, you want to install operating system files and core games only)
Dual monitors. If you don't already have this you need to spend your money here over any other peripherals. It makes a world of difference.

I'm a bit apprehensive about going with an 8 core processor because I honestly don't do anything that requires that (streaming, rendering, video editing, 10x different things at once, etc.), but the price difference is very attractive while still maintaining great performance overall.

Also, what has your experience been mixing AMD CPUs with Nvidia GPUs?

[BlkCamel]

I'm a bit apprehensive about going with an 8 core processor because I honestly don't do anything that requires that (streaming, rendering, video editing, 10x different things at once, etc.), but the price difference is very attractive while still maintaining great performance overall.

Also, what has your experience been mixing AMD CPUs with Nvidia GPUs?

No problems anymore. Years ago 6+ they had some problems but they were mostly caused by motherboards. Most modern mobo support both AMD and NVidia based cards without any issues. I currently run the AMD Phenom II x4 950 BE w/ a Sparkle Nvidia 460 GTX with no issues(also needs updating).

[Nads]

No problems anymore. Years ago 6+ they had some problems but they were mostly caused by motherboards. Most modern mobo support both AMD and NVidia based cards without any issues. I currently run the AMD Phenom II x4 950 BE w/ a Sparkle Nvidia 460 GTX with no issues(also needs updating).

I just had someone recommend the AMD FX-8320 over the 8350; stating the 8350 was just an overclocked 8320 but much cheaper.

For everyday purposes that include gaming, work, etc. (no streaming, rendering etc.) it's going to come down to the i5 4670k vs. AMD 8320 vs. AMD 8350

Can't decide whether to go with a gigabyte GTX 770 vs. a non reference r9 290 GPU.

Thoughts?

[BlkCamel]

I just had someone recommend the AMD FX-8320 over the 8350; stating the 8350 was just an overclocked 8320 but much cheaper.

For everyday purposes that include gaming, work, etc. (no streaming, rendering etc.) it's going to come down to the i5 4670k vs. AMD 8320 vs. AMD 8350

Can't decide whether to go with a gigabyte GTX 770 vs. a non reference r9 290 GPU.

Thoughts?

This is the problem, because I am in between cycles I am not up to date on the new technology. The FX Chips have just recently come out over the last 2 years and I have not looked into them. Same with the Intel. I do not research performance and start building my system until 1-2 months from the actual purchase date, so my prices are consistent and I know what is available in my window.

As far as graphics cards, I would suggest getting highest ammount of Ram you can(2gb+), as fast as you can (ddr5), and highest bit you can (256minimum prefere higher+).


Hope some of this helps.

[Thulack]

I just had someone recommend the AMD FX-8320 over the 8350; stating the 8350 was just an overclocked 8320 but much cheaper.

For everyday purposes that include gaming, work, etc. (no streaming, rendering etc.) it's going to come down to the i5 4670k vs. AMD 8320 vs. AMD 8350

Can't decide whether to go with a gigabyte GTX 770 vs. a non reference r9 290 GPU.

Thoughts?

Honestly with the way you sound like you want to use your PC it doesnt matter what you choose it will be 10x more then you need.

[Knuckle]

for your budget, stick with the intel processor, reconsider the GPU for a 760 series nvidia gpu. Reason being, that extra 80 bucks provides marginal benefit compared to the 760 series gpus. And I doubt your GPU will be your bottle neck. I'd also consider beefing up that secondary or primary drive for more memory, 1TB isnt as much as it used to be. I find my 500GB of drive space running short and I have to decide what games to uninstall since a game after patches can easily run 30gb. Not to mention you want to have a minimum of 10% hard drive space free in any scenario.

Also make sure to get windows 7. i work with verizon which has a slew of windows 8 tablets and phones, much like the cpu OS, even with 8.1, windows 7 is king, providing you with the current security updates and playability of XP, there's no reason to go windows 8, especially with their classic game compatibility issues.

[BlkCamel]

Honestly with the way you sound like you want to use your PC it doesnt matter what you choose it will be 10x more then you need.

:D I have to agree here. Although I would still recommend AMD processor, then use money for a Dual monitor setup.

[Thulack]

Personally i bought a amd x3 chip that i could unlock 4th core on so got a quadcore 3.2ghz for 40 bucks. ive used a GT 620 and HD4870 in the last year both worked fine but failed after awhile(older cards to begin with) upgraded to a 7790 over blackfriday but havent installed it yet. Never had a need for more then 8gb of ram so thats what i go with.

[Nads]

Alright these are the two builds I have come up with based on all of the feedback I have received from various sources. As always, critiques are welcome and encouraged,

Intel Build:

PCPartPicker part list (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2gnvX) / Price breakdown by merchant (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2gnvX/by_merchant/) / Benchmarks (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2gnvX/benchmarks/)

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54670k) ($224.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2) ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87-HD3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gaz87hd3) ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f312800cl9d8gbrl) ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/kingston-internal-hard-drive-sh103s3120g) ($89.35 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezex) ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvn770oc2gd) ($339.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-N10 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-wireless-network-card-pcen10) ($13.70 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Two ATX Mid Tower Case (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-case-threehundredtwo) ($46.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cx600m) ($52.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-optical-drive-drw24b1stblkbas) ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1042.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-07 14:19 EST-0500)

AMD Build:

PCPartPicker part list (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2gmAS) / Price breakdown by merchant (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2gmAS/by_merchant/) / Benchmarks (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2gmAS/benchmarks/)

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-fd8320frhkbox) ($129.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2) ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99X EVO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-m5a99xevor20) ($114.97 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f312800cl9d8gbrl) ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/kingston-internal-hard-drive-sh103s3120g) ($89.35 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezex) ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvn770oc2gd) ($339.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-N10 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-wireless-network-card-pcen10) ($13.70 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Two ATX Mid Tower Case (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-case-threehundredtwo) ($46.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 750W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cx750) ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-optical-drive-drw24b1stblkbas) ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $964.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-07 14:20 EST-0500)

[Rararboker]

I'd personally go with the Intel option and change the case to a HAF-922 + extra fans&filters.

[Nads]

Also, for $10 more I can go from a 2g to a 4g Gigabyte GTX 770. Overkill, or better in the long run?

[Thulack]

Also, for $10 more I can go from a 2g to a 4g Gigabyte GTX 770. Overkill, or better in the long run?

your already spending a G on a new PC. 10 dollars really matter that much you to at this point?

[Nads]

your already spending a G on a new PC. 10 dollars really matter that much you to at this point?

Yeah it does actually. ~$1k or not, I'm going to try and trim as much off as possible, just like any rational person would.

[Thulack]

Yeah it does actually. ~$1k or not, I'm going to try and trim as much off as possible, just like any rational person would.

No offense man but your already spending 1k on a pc that your gonna use like 30% of the power of. If you never have plans of doing graphic arts, video editting, streaming or any of the other thigns you mentioned you dont need half the power your pushing out.

[Thulack]

The "great build" on the logical increments site bob posted would be good enough for what you want to do. mind you still cheaper then that since you get all those pieces for cheaper atm. Building for the future is kind of a joke when it comes to PC's caues your spending that 300 dollars now for item to last you 2-3 years when a year that item will be 1/2 the price it is now.

[Nads]

Good points. I'm not buying anything till at least the end of the month, so a lot could change before then. Appreciate the insight.

[Thulack]

Being a AMD fan this is what i would do you your 2nd build being someone who likes to save money:

Switch CPU to: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113291
saves you 100$

Switch Video card to: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150641
saves you 200$ ( I bought 2x of the 1GB models of these over blackfriday for a mining machine i'm building so can let you know in a few weeks how they holding up.)

Can use: http://www.overclock.net/t/502403/graphics-card-ranking-5th-time-and-last-updated-daily
to checkout video card rankings.

[Nads]

Are there any specific reasons you are an AMD fan? Or is it just what you have always used?

I don't have a preference really, since this is the first time I've had a choice.

[Thulack]

Well have been building PC's for over 10 years now and AMD usually were always cheaper so i went with them and i have never had any issues with over 20 builds i've done so really no reason to switch from them now. Intels are nice in the laptops ive had but for building personally just have always gone with AMD for the price.

[citizen1080]

Well have been building PC's for over 10 years now and AMD usually were always cheaper so i went with them and i have never had any issues with over 20 builds i've done so really no reason to switch from them now. Intels are nice in the laptops ive had but for building personally just have always gone with AMD for the price.

qft

[Nads]

Well have been building PC's for over 10 years now and AMD usually were always cheaper so i went with them and i have never had any issues with over 20 builds i've done so really no reason to switch from them now. Intels are nice in the laptops ive had but for building personally just have always gone with AMD for the price.

There's talk about AMDs with 6-8 cores having a harder time running older games (EQ for example) than, say, the intel i5. Have you noticed any such thing between your built PCs with AMDs and your Intel Laptops (assuming you have "older" games loaded on both)?

[Thulack]

Well i dont have any 6-8 core CPU's but never had a issue with playing any game(EQ,WoW,Aion,Rift,Diablo 2, Guildwars 1+2) on my AMD's. Some games take alittle tweaking but nothing someone who can build their own PC can't handle. I've also had the same games loaded on whatever laptop i was using at the time which all my laptops have had intel CPU's and never really noticed a huge difference.

[citizen1080]

There's talk about AMDs with 6-8 cores having a harder time running older games (EQ for example) than, say, the intel i5. Have you noticed any such thing between your built PCs with AMDs and your Intel Laptops (assuming you have "older" games loaded on both)?

My main machine (this one) runs an AMD hexcore and I have had no issues running eq1. The multicore issue can happen with any cpu. Just use winEQ or whatever it is that locks it to one core.

[Runya]

I personally stick with ASUS boards since thier compatability i believe has been the best for awhile now~