Help with two Gaming Builds

[freezeblade]

Need opinion and help to check prices and compatibility of parts for the two builds

Build 1: budget $1.5k, basic hd gaming, surfing

Asrock Z87 Extreme 4 + i5-4570 ~ $446
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO ~ $57
Corsair Vengeance 8GB ~ $115
Seagate 1TB ~ $ 70
Asus Geforce GTX 760 2GB ~ $403
BitFenix Raider Window (Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ~ $ 90
Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ~ $ 30
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ~ $ 120

Build Price ~ $ 1331


Build 2: slightly more powerful, need to run video editing and processing in the back ground while playing(basically gameplay recording) as well as gaming
Budget $1.7k

ASROCK z87 Killer +i7-4770~$485
Leadtek GTX 760 2GB OC~$337
G.Skill RipJaws-X DDR3-1866 CL10 8GB Dual Channel Kit [Red] @ $115
Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200rpm~$108
Samsung OEM Drive~$21
Corsair Carbide Spec-2~$84
Coolermaster V850 GOLD ~$219
Crucial M500 240GB ~ $175
Dell S2340L 23inch eIPS Panel ~ $209


Build Price~ $1753

need help of forum experts in tweaking the build to squeeze the value out without compromising on performance

 

[gs]

Get h97 killer or h97 gaming 3...new board..as the two model u state is bit old le..and is going to eol...as for display card both u can get leadtek/palit/zotac 760 and the $$ u save can invest on a ssd for the first unit..

 

[gs]

Another thing..more power doesn't mean good if u ar not using that many peripherals(harddisk or more power hungry card)base on ur specs a 600watt gold series is more den enough

 

[royfrosty]

Drop the idea of going for a z87 board.

Are you doing overclocking? I dont think so as your cpu selection does not allow it to do so.
Do you intend to go for dual card config? If not then your second build does not need up to a 850w. You only ned a 500w-600w psu.
What happen to your 1st build? Without a psu.
Second build you can go for gtx cards with the aid of shadowplay to record your games. But the first build you might wanna reconsider your gpu if its just basic gaming. Might wanna list down the games you wanna play instead.

Things to change for both.

Swap out both mobo for a b85 chipset. Asus b85 vanguard, msi b85 g43 gaming or ASRock b85 killer.

Or h97 chipset.

Swap out both cards. A lower tier card for the first rig if the games played arent demanding such as the 750ti or 270. A one tier higher card for slightly higher price and better performance, an r9 280x for the second rig.

Add in a Xigmatek Tauro 500w 80+ bronze for the first rig. And go for superflower hx600 for the second rig.

 

[Alternative X]

Toss out the CM Hyper Evo 212 and drop in a Crucial MX100 into the first build while you are at it.

 

[freezeblade]

thanks for the advice guys. main reason for my higher power supply is just in case i need to swap out parts for more hungry components in the future. also what is the diff btw the zz97 and h97 chipset. on the webpage it says that z97 is 4 x DDR3 3200+(OC) while h97 is 4 x DDR3 1600

 

[wkweewee]

thanks for the advice guys. main reason for my higher power supply is just in case i need to swap out parts for more hungry components in the future. also what is the diff btw the zz97 and h97 chipset. on the webpage it says that z97 is 4 x DDR3 3200+(OC) while h97 is 4 x DDR3 1600

Hi there hope I can help. A z chipset is most ideal with a cpu ending with a k (unlocked), for example 4690k, 4790k as they (z-k) are buddies for overclocking. A h chipset is used with a cpu with a non-k (locked) which more often than not have very limited, if any overclocking capability. If you buy a k series cpu and pair with a h series mother board or vice versa, it equates to a waste of money without maximizing the performance of the components.

As for ram speed, for haswell series builds, anything more than 1866mhz will have diminishing price to performance ratio. Actually our eyes can hardly pick out the difference between 1600mhz and 1866mhz ram speed. For z chipset, it allows high speed ram (through oc xmp profile in bios) to perform at their designated frequencies (1866mhz and above) so on and so forth. If you really want to witness a very clear speed boost, throw in an ssd as your os & gaming drive (given that the price of ssd has fallen quite alot these days).

Haha I realise that your build seemed to up the specs of the components the aren't really worth your dollar.

 

[royfrosty]

thanks for the advice guys. main reason for my higher power supply is just in case i need to swap out parts for more hungry components in the future. also what is the diff btw the zz97 and h97 chipset. on the webpage it says that z97 is 4 x DDR3 3200+(OC) while h97 is 4 x DDR3 1600

There are only 2 things that are power hungry, 1 is CPU and the other is GPU.

The rest are not power hungry and requires very little power.

Technically speaking any CPU + GPU ranging from GTX760 and below a 500w is more than enough.

Unless you want a more powerful card such as the GTX770 and above then you will need a 600w to power.

Anything more for 2 GTX770 and above you will need a 850W PSU. 750w for dual GTX760 and below.

 

[wkweewee]

Hmm actually what software are you using for rendering? I am using cyberlink powerdirector 12 ultimate and my com is doing fine as I am doing video rendering of only up to 1080p only. Of course a higher clocked cpu (k or non-k) with high frequencies will definitely make rendering faster but I am not into it yet haha. Modern video editing softwares will make use of all the cores in the cpu and stretch them to their limit (abt 80-100% load on all cores). So for this you might want to consider a k cpu to go with your z motherboard or go for a x79 lga 2011 @.@ hexa or octacore system if you are a hardcore video editor.

And like what many have said, your power supply is an overkill unless you intend to sli or xfire mid-high end cards. 500-650w gold power supply is more than enough for majority, if not all types of single gpu system. But then again, no one in the right mind would install a titan on a lock cpu system hahaha.

Hmm why your build 1 no psu de and your build 2 you going for stock cooler @.@?

 

[freezeblade]

Hmm actually what software are you using for rendering? I am using cyberlink powerdirector 12 ultimate and my com is doing fine as I am doing video rendering of only up to 1080p only. Of course a higher clocked cpu (k or non-k) with high frequencies will definitely make rendering faster but I am not a hardcore haha. Modern video editing softwares will make use of all the cores in the cpu and stretch them to their limit (abt 80-100% load on all cores). So for this you might want to consider a k cpu to go with your z motherboard or go for a x79 lga 2011 @.@ hexa or octacore system if you are a hardcore video editor.

And like what many has said, your power supply is an overkill unless you intend to sli or xfire mid-high end cards. 500-650w gold power supply is more than enough for majority, if not all types of single gpu system. But then again, no one in the right mind would install a titan on a lock cpu system hahaha.

Hmm why your build 1 no psu de and your build 2 you going for stock cooler @.@?

haha mostly sony vegas. uhhh causee my friend is an idiot and i forgot to check. uhhh would the second build be likely to overheat or would it do just fine with stock cooling. but an unlocked i7 core with z97 chipset is so expensive. is the upgrade worth it? like how much does it cut rendering timings.

 

[wkweewee]

haha mostly sony vegas. uhhh causee my friend is an idiot and i forgot to check. uhhh would the second build be likely to overheat or would it do just fine with stock cooling. but an unlocked i7 core with z97 chipset is so expensive. is the upgrade worth it? like how much does it cut rendering timings.

Atas software spotted. Time diff can range from seconds to a few minutes to tens of minutes, depending on length and resolution of the final video. Effects become substantial at lengthy and high def videos. If one goes for a k cpu and a z chipset but doesn't know how to oc, it is definitely a waste. If you go for oc, I have nvr heard of any long term survivors who can pull through with stock to oc and video render. I would rather you go stock for build 1 and shift the cpu cooler down to build 2 to extend their live span by a bit lol. If you are really @.@, then just go for h and non k to spare you the pain technically and financially haha while sacrificing some wait time.

 

[freezeblade]

since this is my first build I'm not really sure how to oc my cpu. is it recommendable to do it to boost processing power to reduce render times and to do it safely?

also build 2 is mine while the first one is a friend that asked me for help. I've decided to put my psi to a corsair 650 silent gold and my mobo to a as rock z97 with 4790k. also is over clocking like reversible like can i turn it off when i just wanna do normal gaming. which cooler system should go for, not water cooled since i don't think i can maintain that

 

[wkweewee]

since this is my first build I'm not really sure how to oc my cpu. is it recommendable to do it to boost processing power to reduce render times and to do it safely?

also build 2 is mine while the first one is a friend that asked me for help. I've decided to put my psi to a corsair 650 silent gold and my mobo to a as rock z97 with 4790k. also is over clocking like reversible like can i turn it off when i just wanna do normal gaming. which cooler system should go for, not water cooled since i don't think i can maintain that

Hmm haha I am abit confused about your 2nd paragraph but are you saying that you are going for asrock z97 and 4790k? If that is the case, I believe that almost all the z boards will have their own software suite (either from driver cd/manufacturer's website) and they do allow you to do oc with just a button's click away. Do note that more often than not, while you do get a boost in clock frequency with lots of convenience, it will definitely not be as good as those who do manual oc due to the preset high cpu voltage those software suites allocate which limits how far you can go. Anyway, a closed loop water system (like from therma, corsair, cm etc) does not require any sort of maintanence other than cleaning the radiator fans lol.

*i5-4690k is very powerful too, if you know how to oc properly you can save yourself some bucks haha.

Cheers.

 

[freezeblade]

okay thanks so much. think i will go with the h100 from corsair. another request for you lovely people, my friend needs a setup and I'm trying to think of one for him. he says he wants a i5 core, a 120 ssd and 8gb ram. he plays games(dota 2, tomb raider, saints row 4) but nothing ridiculously powerful. so help with budget build within 1.2k using those parameters?

 

[Alternative X]

CPU+ Mobo: MSI B85-G41 PC MATE+ i5 4460 (351)
RAM: 2X KINGSTON PC 12800/1600MHZ DDR3 CL11 VALUE RAM (4GB) (108)
GPU: MSI R9 270X 2GB GAMING (329)
SSD: CRUCIAL MX100 128GB (115)
HDD: TOSHIBA 1TB 7200RPM (71)
DVD-RW: SAMSUNG 24X DVD-RW (25)
PSU: SEASONIC S12G-Non MODULAR 550W (105)
Case: DEEP COOL TESSERACT (65)
OS: WINDOWS 7 HOME PREM (120)

Total cost: $1289

Buy at PC Themes, #04-15, and ask for discounts. DIY yourself. If you can't into DIY, go to PC Care & Solution at #02-32 and ask Nigel to help you assemble for a fee.

 

[xtNero]

Isn't Trade Pac the more ideal choice if your chosen option is to D.I.Y?

 

[Alternative X]

The shop that you buy from is up to you, but if you want good aftersales service, Tradepac may be unsuitable for you.

 

[wkweewee]

okay thanks so much. think i will go with the h100 from corsair. another request for you lovely people, my friend needs a setup and I'm trying to think of one for him. he says he wants a i5 core, a 120 ssd and 8gb ram. he plays games(dota 2, tomb raider, saints row 4) but nothing ridiculously powerful. so help with budget build within 1.2k using those parameters?

Hi there the H100 is not a bad choice for a closed loop but you can further improve its cooling performance (by a bit) with popular thermal compound like the MX4 (though there is no harm using its stock thermal paste).

As for where to buy from, its all up to you to do your homework and your part . Do be cautious when making your purchase. Check whether each individual component is intact together with their accessories and whether or not are they sealed (if you intend to diy). Mobo, gpu, psu, ram, hdd/ssd and etc must have local distros stickers. Remember to get a receipt/receipts for the components you buy (all must be in). Please don't be too excited only to realize that you have left out something in the process.

Cheers.

 

[freezeblade]

just wondering if i were to purchase parts from amazon which parts would be the best to buy there

 

[Ark Law]

SSD

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