New PC Build - Opinions Needed

[SamNabz]

Hi all,

Long time lurker, first time poster

I am looking to build a new rig to replace my current (old) one. I've put together a list @ PCCG and was looking for some opinions/suggestions.

List here: http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=wish_lists&wlcId=325742&action=wish_lists

You'll notice I have 2 GPUs, as I'm still undecided on which to go with.. I play all of the CODs + BF3/4 & CS:GO if that helps.

Note: I also have other peripherals that aren't included on that list (e.g. HDDs, monitor, keyboard, mouse etc).

I'm open to suggestions on all of the items I've chosen and am going for a white/black theme. I'll be adding white sleeving during the build process.

Total budget = $1400-1800.

Any feedback is appreciated.

Cheers, Sam.

 

[Feronix]

Welcome to the forums matey

I've moved your thread to 'New build advice' for now.

Out of the two, the GTX 760 is definitely the quicker card so I see no reason to go for the 750 Ti at all unless you're extremely concerned about your electricity build.
You could easily save some money on the PSU, as a proper 650 Watt unit would be more than sufficient for this build, even with the GTX760. With the 750Ti you'd probably get away with a quality 450 Watt unit although headroom is always better I guess.

You're also spending a lot of money on a motherboard that seems to be the odd-one-out in this list. Any specific reason that you chose this? It's not black/white either. You could probably get away with a board that's half the price.

 

[RamboOC]

I personally would use led lights over cathode lights for a number of reasons
LEDs are brighter, use less electricity, heat up less, last way longer and they wont have random spots where the light is dimmer than other parts, easier to mount, much more custom sizes

 

[JR23]

For that level and amount of hardware I would personally go ITX/mATX all day long. They aren't necessarily bad choices but your hardware isn't to my personal taste, luckily we aren't all the same and everybodies rig doesn't look like mine! Also the PSU seems like a monumental overkill somewhere in the 450-600 range I would say is far more appropriate. I'd be going allong the lines of...

http://www.pccasegear.com/sc/hUw

Sorry for making it a bit red and black by accident PCCG didn't have the Z97i AC so it just sorta happened, I think I stayed in budget despite finding room for a 280x, you'd have to get a budget 770 but I guess that could work also. It might not be the right thing for you but that's the direction i'd take it.

JR

 

[SamNabz]

Welcome to the forums matey

I've moved your thread to 'New build advice' for now.

Out of the two, the GTX 760 is definitely the quicker card so I see no reason to go for the 750 Ti at all unless you're extremely concerned about your electricity build.
You could easily save some money on the PSU, as a proper 650 Watt unit would be more than sufficient for this build, even with the GTX760. With the 750Ti you'd probably get away with a quality 450 Watt unit although headroom is always better I guess.

You're also spending a lot of money on a motherboard that seems to be the odd-one-out in this list. Any specific reason that you chose this? It's not black/white either. You could probably get away with a board that's half the price.

Hi Feronix,

Cheers for that. I had a feeling I posted it in the wrong section, but couldn't find this forum/area

I was definitely leaning more towards the GTX 760, just thought I'd get some opinions on the two. As for the PSU, I would like to run SLI in the not-to-distant future, so figured I'd go for a larger wattage one up front. However, do you think I could run 2x 760's on a 650W PSU?

As for the MOBO, I chose it as all of the rest had colours - e.g. red, orange, blue. I might take another look and settle for an all black one (if found).

I personally would use led lights over cathode lights for a number of reasons
LEDs are brighter, use less electricity, heat up less, last way longer and they wont have random spots where the light is dimmer than other parts, easier to mount, much more custom sizes

Thanks for the tip, Rambo. LEDs it is!

For that level and amount of hardware I would personally go ITX/mATX all day long. They aren't necessarily bad choices but your hardware isn't to my personal taste, luckily we aren't all the same and everybodies rig doesn't look like mine! Also the PSU seems like a monumental overkill somewhere in the 450-600 range I would say is far more appropriate. I'd be going allong the lines of...

http://www.pccasegear.com/sc/hUw

Sorry for making it a bit red and black by accident PCCG didn't have the Z97i AC so it just sorta happened, I think I stayed in budget despite finding room for a 280x, you'd have to get a budget 770 but I guess that could work also. It might not be the right thing for you but that's the direction i'd take it.

JR

Hey JR,

Thanks for the info and update list, mate. I'll review it and see if I can get something similar going whilst sticking to the black/white theme.

And just to confirm (re: case), are you saying that the CM690 III is too big for what I'm using? Main reasons for going for the CM690, is (I think) it looks good, and I will look at water-cooling further down the track.

-----------

UPDATED LIST

Due to the lack of black or black/white MOBO's available, I've decided to compromise and add in a little bit of yellow - MOBO, PSU & sleeving (white/yellow).

Updated List (with changes from above comments): http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=wish_lists&wlcId=326531&action=wish_lists

By downgrading the PSU, MOBO and CPU cooler, I was able to upgrade the GPU and add an SSD, yet still stay well within the budget. So I was wondering if I should also upgrade the RAM to 16GB instead of the current 8GB listed?

Again, I'm still open to any/all suggestions.

Cheers, Sam

 

[JR23]

Hey JR,

Thanks for the info and update list, mate. I'll review it and see if I can get something similar going whilst sticking to the black/white theme.

And just to confirm (re: case), are you saying that the CM690 III is too big for what I'm using? Main reasons for going for the CM690, is (I think) it looks good, and I will look at water-cooling further down the track.

All I was trying to get at (and I probably took it a little too far) is that everything should be in sensible proportion to make not only a compact rig but something that is balanced to the eye. I can see now that if you were thinking of starting small and then filling out to have SLI and watercooling why you went a little bigger but even then you could easily get the power without going full ATX.

I'm sure you have a sensible upgrade strategy planned after your first purchase but if you can fiddle around in order to buy better hardware over the same period of time it would make a lot of sense. For example a single 780/290 would be perhaps on par in performance terms most of the time but a lot easier to cool as you don't get the whole SLI stacking problems and in the future much easier to watercool. You'd only have to buy one block, there are millions available and you could get away with a smaller pump and have a simpler cleaner loop and in turn a smaller case and PSU with less cables. I realize it would totally ruin your current budget however you could always rock integrated graphics or the stock CPU cooler for a while when your saving up and still have lots of fun right now with new hardware.

Even with water cooling in mind i'd still go for a smaller case and motherboard. For $269 you could even get a Maximus VII Gene, perhaps a white case and make a really strong themed white/red/black build that was just that little bit more compact because you will only need two 240mm radiators to handle your parts which would fit no problem into something 350D sized.

But that's just my personal onion.

JR

 

[SamNabz]

Thanks again, JR. I definitely see your point and will take that all into consideration before I move ahead and make any purchases. You've got me thinking now I would really like to stay away from a red build as they seem overdone and aren't entirely to my liking. But in saying that, they do look great still.

I did try to post an updated wishlist earlier today, but since I'm new and a link included in the post, I assume it is awaiting approval.

 

[Feronix]

What about the Gigabyte Z87X-HD3:
http://www.newegg.com/global/uk/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128675

Z87X-UD3H:
http://www.newegg.com/global/uk/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128592

Or Asus Sabertooth Z97 Mark 2
http://www.newegg.com/global/uk/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132132

The second Gigabyte board does have blue accents but considering they are all on the heatsink plates, they would be easy to mod. Also, scrolling through Newegg makes me think that the site you're using is a bit on the expensive side?

 

[SamNabz]

What about the Gigabyte Z87X-HD3:
http://www.newegg.com/global/uk/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128675

Z87X-UD3H:
http://www.newegg.com/global/uk/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128592

Or Asus Sabertooth Z97 Mark 2
http://www.newegg.com/global/uk/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132132

The second Gigabyte board does have blue accents but considering they are all on the heatsink plates, they would be easy to mod. Also, scrolling through Newegg makes me think that the site you're using is a bit on the expensive side?

Hey Feronix,

Thanks for the suggestions, mate.

I was actually looking at the Gryphon/Sabertooth MOBO's and found the Z87 chipset had an armor kit which is mostly black. I know the kit itself is a bit of a joke, but I'm leaning towards going the ASUS Gryphon Z97 + Armor Kit so I can stick with the white/black theme I initially wanted (JJ from Asus confirmed the Z87 armor kit is compatible with the newer Z97 board).

As for pricing, I live in Australia and have been using PC part compare websites to fetch pricing (within Australia), and PC Case Gear is cheaper on some items and slightly more expensive on others. However, the difference is very minor so I prefer to purchase most of the hardware from the one place.

The Newegg prices are great, but the shipping costs to Australia are too high unfortunately.

 

[Feronix]

Ahh that's fair enough, I didn't spot your location there. Sorry!

The Gryphon would be awesome and go well with the theme, however, please don't use an mATX board in a full ATX case, it will look empty and slightly ridiculous. What about a Corsair 350D or the Fractal Arc Mini R2?

 

[SamNabz]

Not a problem. Thanks for all the help. I've finally chosen all of the parts (including a different case) and will be ordering the products this week.

I will be sure to post a build log once the hardware starts to arrive.