Building my first gaming rig

[ryuxdragonx]

Hi all,

I'm new to the world of custom PC.

I'm starting to compile a list of hardware for my first custom gaming rig in the near future. This is supposed to be purely for gaming and entertainment with a dual monitor setup, just like my current work station.


CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: Corsair Neutron Series GTX 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card
Case: Cooler Master CM 690 II (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: Cooler Master Silent Pro M 700W 80
Optical Drive: Asus BW-16D1HT Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Professional (64-bit)
Monitor: ViewSonic VX2370Smh-LED 23.0" Monitor x2
Keyboard: Corsair Vengeance K95 Wired Gaming Keyboard
Mouse: Logitech G500s Laser Gaming Mouse Wired Laser Mouse

I looked up the cost and I think I need to shave some things (maybe run a single monitor) to get it down to 1.7k. Any advice on what I should change?

Any comments on this build? Your help would be appreciated!

 

[jiaweiii]

Are you overclocking ? If not dont need the i5 4670k cpu and msi z87 mobo board bt if you overclocking i think you will need a water cooler which will increase budget if nt overclockimg get i5 4570 and msi b85 g43 gaming

 

[ryuxdragonx]

I'm new to this so I don't plan on overclocking.. I'm not familiar to overclocking and tbh I'm quite intimidated by liquid cooling setup. Planning to go with fan cooling.

Ah I see. Would anything else be too overkill?

 

[royfrosty]

The strange thing is if you are getting a 2 monitor setup I don't think gtx760 is a good idea.

And yes at 1.7k I dont think is gonna fit everything that you listed.

My recommendations for a single monitor gaming rig.

And with the budget i don't think you need over clocking also.

1.7k
MSI b85m g43 + i5-4570 ~ $356
Kingston hyperX genesis blue 2x4gb kit ~ $99
WD blue 1tb ~ $78
Corsair Force LS 120gb ~ $141
Gigabyte r9 28x 3gb oc 3x windforce ~ $425
Superflower hx600 600w 80+ gold efficiency ~ $109
Fractal design arc midi ~ $129
Windows 8 home ~ $120
Samsung ODD ~ $21
Dell s2340l 23inch IPS panel ~ $215

TotAl ~ $1693 buy at tradepac. diy

 

[jiaweiii]

Whats yr budget and what games you planning to play ssd get plextor 128gb convergent gt discount 139 i think go for 1tb wd blue to further reduce budget video card for my opinion asus seems more overpriced i think gigabyte msi or even zotac are better choice

 

[ryuxdragonx]

The strange thing is if you are getting a 2 monitor setup I don't think gtx760 is a good idea.

And yes at 1.7k I dont think is gonna fit everything that you listed.

My recommendations for a single monitor gaming rig.

And with the budget i don't think you need over clocking also.

1.7k
MSI b85m g43 + i5-4570 ~ $356
Kingston hyperX genesis blue 2x4gb kit ~ $99
WD blue 1tb ~ $78
Corsair Force LS 120gb ~ $141
Gigabyte r9 28x 3gb oc 3x windforce ~ $425
Superflower hx600 600w 80+ gold efficiency ~ $109
Fractal design arc midi ~ $129
Windows 8 home ~ $120
Samsung ODD ~ $21
Dell s2340l 23inch IPS panel ~ $215

TotAl ~ $1693 buy at tradepac. diy

Ah thanks! I might still get 1tb for my games but I think I would still need another 2tb for media storage.

I went with dual monitor because I'm used to 2 screens but I guess you're right that with this card, I'm better off with single monitor.

May I ask if theoretically (if it's a 2.5k budget), I wanna go triple monitor setup, what graphics card would you recommend? Single card or SLI setup?

 

[ryuxdragonx]

Whats yr budget and what games you planning to play ssd get plextor 128gb convergent gt discount 139 i think go for 1tb wd blue to further reduce budget video card for my opinion asus seems more overpriced i think gigabyte msi or even zotac are better choice

I wouldn't be committing to this for at least another 6 months to a year, and I know that many hardware would have changed by then. I'm not hugely concerned with price (though of course I need a limit to work with), so I'm putting it around 1.7k.

I'm more concerned with getting a suitable build.

I play a some RPG (my recent favourite is still the Mass Effect Trilogy), NBA2K, F1 2013. I have a backlog of games on Steam like BioShock Infinite, The Witcher, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings and many more (I don't even remember).

I'm currently a console gamer but I would like to move up to better graphics, so max resolution as much as I can on PC. Ideally, this should last me for about 2-3 years before I need to change out any parts.

Hope I clarify myself.. Thanks for all your comments too man!

 

[jiaweiii]

Ah thanks! I might still get 1tb for my games but I think I would still need another 2tb for media storage.

I went with dual monitor because I'm used to 2 screens but I guess you're right that with this card, I'm better off with single monitor.

May I ask if theoretically (if it's a 2.5k budget), I wanna go triple monitor setup, what graphics card would you recommend? Single card or SLI setup?

Sli setup i dont think any card can run tri monitor ona single gpu

 

[jiaweiii]

To add on if you getting 2tb get wd 2tb green more energy saving hehe

 

[ryuxdragonx]

To add on if you getting 2tb get wd 2tb green more energy saving hehe

I see I see. Thanks thanks! I've been spoon fed by Apple for too many years that I'm quite clueless about all these stuff.

I'm a graphic designer so I've been working off my iMac for many years, never needed to (and never had the chance to) change any of my hardware.

Another even more budget option would be to pour the money for my potential new workstation into this rig as well, and set up triple monitor with SLI and core i7 for my graphics work, though it would be hard to imagine myself working off windows OS

 

[jiaweiii]

Haha but your graphics work its intensive use or just average ?

 

[ryuxdragonx]

Haha but your graphics work its intensive use or just average ?

Time = money to me - the faster I can work the more I'm getting for my time.

Some days I may be dealing with 100 page book that has over 100 high resolution photo, while other days are like big format ads or a poster.

If I'm doing graphic work with this rig I would need 12gb ram on top of the core i7. Adobe suite is really memory intensive.

 

[royfrosty]

It will be a jump from apple to windows.

But lets say you are a designer and use many editing softwares. Best is get the i7 with 16gb ram. For a 3 panel setup:

MSI B85m G43 + i7-4770 ~ $487
ADATA 8gb 1600mhz x2 ~ $170
WD Green 2tb ~ $110
Plextor m5s 128gb ~ $139 (convergent promo)
Gigabyte R9 28XOC 3gb 3x windforce x 2 in XFIRE mode ~ $850
Corsair RM850 850w 80+ Gold Efficiency PSU ~ $207
Fractal Design Arc Midi ~ $129
Windows 8 Home ~ $120
Samsung ODD ~ $21
Dell u2312HM 23" ips Panel x 3 ~ $744

Total cost ~ $2977 buy at tradepac DIY.

 

[ryuxdragonx]

It will be a jump from apple to windows.

But lets say you are a designer and use many editing softwares. Best is get the i7 with 16gb ram. For a 3 panel setup:

MSI B85m G43 + i7-4770 ~ $487
ADATA 8gb 1600mhz x2 ~ $170
WD Green 2tb ~ $110
Plextor m5s 128gb ~ $139 (convergent promo)
Gigabyte R9 28XOC 3gb 3x windforce x 2 in XFIRE mode ~ $850
Corsair RM850 850w 80+ Gold Efficiency PSU ~ $207
Fractal Design Arc Midi ~ $129
Windows 8 Home ~ $120
Samsung ODD ~ $21
Dell u2312HM 23" ips Panel x 3 ~ $744

Total cost ~ $2977 buy at tradepac DIY.

Haha you have the price list on your table. thank for the info! I can't really see myself working on windows though. Workflow wise, that's too big a jump.

Gonna stick to single monitor i5 build.

You're awesome buddy

 

[Jian19]

I think a i7 and 16gb ram is impt for ur rig..

 

[royfrosty]

Yeah i7 would be a better choice for your usage. Make use of the hyperthreading.

 

[ryuxdragonx]

@royfrosty @Jian19 - Yup I know i7 (hyperthreading) and 16gb is important if I'm combining my graphics work station and gaming rig into 1.

I'm gonna stick with i5, 8gb & single screen for purely gaming and entertainment.

I would get another high powered macbook for my graphics work. If budget is an issue I would rather cut down on my gaming rig because I can't compromise on the tool for my trade.

I can live with a smaller storage on my macbook if I throw archives into another drive on my gaming rig instead.

 

[ryuxdragonx]

I think that the Mac OS is better and more stable for doing design work. Plus I'll definitely need a laptop for portability.

 

[royfrosty]

@royfrosty @Jian19 - Yup I know i7 (hyperthreading) and 16gb is important if I'm combining my graphics work station and gaming rig into 1.

I'm gonna stick with i5, 8gb & single screen for purely gaming and entertainment.

I would get another high powered macbook for my graphics work. If budget is an issue I would rather cut down on my gaming rig because I can't compromise on the tool for my trade.

I can live with a smaller storage on my macbook if I throw archives into another drive on my gaming rig instead.

Ah i see. Alright that explains everything clearer.

The i5 rig i recommend you is an gaming rig. Go ahead and enjoy it.

 

[ryuxdragonx]

Ah i see. Alright that explains everything clearer.

The i5 rig i recommend you is an gaming rig. Go ahead and enjoy it.

Yup thanks man you've been great! Really cleared it up for me.