looking forward to build new TowerPC!

[xiaodouya]

Hi guys,

I need your expertise to build a new Tower PC!

The games I would love to play are upcoming Total War: Rome 2, Final Fantasy XIV Online, perhaps the next COD/Battlefield too.

My fren recommended an GTX770 and cautioned me on haswell CPU getting heated easily. All these concerns may affect the budget overall, nevertheless, I am still looking under 1.2k-1.4k. If you could help me to suggest a great config that could address these concerns, I appreciate it!

 

[wuweiz]

What r the things u do not need? Eg: mouse, keyboard, monitor, hdd, psu, casing, DVD rom, OS?

Doing over-clocking? If not, no worries about Haswell overheating.

 

[xiaodouya]

oh everything except mouse, keyboard and monitor.

the whole tower that includes hdd, cpu, psu, dvdrom (are the trends now on bluray/dvd hybrid?), os (anything on this)

 

[wuweiz]

Doing over-clocking?

 

[xiaodouya]

nope, not doing any overclocking.

wuweiz, i m looking at ur build. was it built a year ago?

 

[wuweiz]

One to 2 mths ago. Without SSD n DVD drive n no OS. Around 1.4k. Without CPU cooler around 1.34k bah. Ur budget quite hard to squeeze in gtx 770 actually.

I see what I can recommend in around an hr time when I have assess to my desktop. Now on mobile. :x

One yr ago still no Haswell. Lol.

 

[xiaodouya]

thanks for the help!

lol i didnt know ur CPU was haswell, i only knew the terms not the models thats y i need your expertise!

in that case,
1) heck my budget, i m looking for hybrid ssd/hdd too, could you give me a rough budget that includes hybrid ssd/hdd, gtx770, haswell cpu?
2) do the games i mentioned really need gtx770?

 

[wuweiz]

Depends on what settings u wanna play in. Lol. Med settings, gtx 760 should be fine. I assume u playing on a 1920x1080 monitor.. Right?

How much space do u need on your SSD? Do a rough estimate on the application+OS u have currently. Not sure how much size u need.

FYI (assuming u dunno) SSD only use to store n load up applications. Don't save files on it. Will shorten the lifespan.

For now, I estimate the cost (with gtx 770) to be around 1.5 to 1.7k. Lemme look at the price list first for a closer quote bah.

 

[xiaodouya]

Yes, the monitor I will be using is a Dell 2408WFP, projecting a resolution up to 1920 x 1200.

I know the SSD fact you mentioned, but I have no idea what size are sold and how much sizes used for OS/applications. perhaps I need up to 100gb only for SSD? 20 for OS and 80 for app?

Sure, I am still keen on GTX770!

 

[Entry Level PC]

Tower PC go Dual GPU SLI lah.

 

[twasken]

Tower PC go Dual GPU SLI lah.

At TS budget of 1.2-1.4k, the most he can SLI is a 650ti Boost. Even then, single GPU option still more stable than SLI/Crossfire with the unsettled driver problems from both camps.

Edit: Provided TS willing to make do with micro stutter with SLI, otherwise I think solo card still better.

 

[xiaodouya]

i m still new to Dual GPU SLI. Could you enlighten me more on this? i understand the concept is like dual core processor, ensuring things run faster than a single GPU. However, is it still possible if i get GTX770 now and in X years time, I see the graphics card running slow in that era and goes on to get another GTX770, is this still Dual GPU SLI?

 

[wuweiz]

My recommendations:

Mobo+CPU: Asrock B85M-Pro4 + i5-4570 - $388
Gfx: MSI GTX 770 2GB Twin Frozr - $669
RAM: Corsair Vengence 1600MHZ 8GB (2x4GB) - $95
SSD: Plextor M5S 128GB - $139
HDD: WD Caviar Blue (1TB) - $85
Casing + PSU Bundle: Sharkoon T28 + Seasonic M12II 620W 80+ (Mod) - $195
DVD ROM: LG 24x DVD-RW Sata OEM - $25
OS: Win 7 Home Premium (64bit) - $120

Total: $1,716

Quote from PC Themes price list.. Go and neg lower bah..

Don't bother with SLI/Crossfire... GTX 770 enough to last you a few years..

Edit: Changing the gfx to MSI GTX 760 2GB Twin Frozr @$409 will bring total cost to $1,456..

 

[twasken]

Leadtek GTX 770 going at $588, if want to bring cost lower but still want a 770.

 

[xiaodouya]

My recommendations:

Mobo+CPU: Asrock B85M-Pro4 + i5-4570 - $388
Gfx: MSI GTX 770 2GB Twin Frozr - $669
RAM: Corsair Vengence 1600MHZ 8GB (2x4GB) - $95
SSD: Plextor M5S 128GB - $139
HDD: WD Caviar Blue (1TB) - $85
Casing + PSU Bundle: Sharkoon T28 + Seasonic M12II 620W 80+ (Mod) - $195
DVD ROM: LG 24x DVD-RW Sata OEM - $25
OS: Win 7 Home Premium (64bit) - $120

Total: $1,716

Quote from PC Themes price list.. Go and neg lower bah..

Don't bother with SLI/Crossfire... GTX 770 enough to last you a few years..

Edit: Changing the gfx to MSI GTX 760 2GB Twin Frozr @$409 will bring total cost to $1,456..

looks good!

whats the difference between MSI and Leadtek on GTX770? couldnt find any performance comparison online.

Also, for the RAM do I need 16gb?

 

[wuweiz]

looks good!

whats the difference between MSI and Leadtek on GTX770? couldnt find any performance comparison online.

Also, for the RAM do I need 16gb?

Not sure about leadtek warranty. It's a cheaper brand. Some people use it without problems. U can check the warranty period. Palit warranty is 2 yrs while other brands r 3 yrs.

And u dun need so much ram if u r not doing any intensive photoshop/video editing.

 

[sHrike]

Why do u need such a big case?

 

[xiaodouya]

@sHrike is Sharkoon T28 too big? whats a smaller option then?

@wuweiz I think I may need 16gb!
Is there a 2nd variant of MSI GTX770 as I see a different pricing when twin forz is not mentioned?
Also, besides PC themes, what other shops to go?

 

[wuweiz]

@wuweiz I think I may need 16gb!
Is there a 2nd variant of MSI GTX770 as I see a different pricing when twin forz is not mentioned?
Also, besides PC themes, what other shops to go?

Eh.. Then u might wanna go for kingston value ram.. A few dollars cheaper..

U can check the pricelist in hwz.. It has a few shops there and their price list..

Twin Froz is unique to MSI lah.. U can check from the price lists if there's OC or non-reference cards in there..

 

[xiaodouya]

Eh.. Then u might wanna go for kingston value ram.. A few dollars cheaper..

U can check the pricelist in hwz.. It has a few shops there and their price list..

Twin Froz is unique to MSI lah.. U can check from the price lists if there's OC or non-reference cards in there..

Sure! will go for Kingston for ram.

I checked the list and PC Themes does provide comprehensive parts than other shops. I also found other variant of the graphics card, and figured out why you asked the other time whether I wanted OC.

Another question: If I don want any OS, how does the end product look like? Do I get a ms-dos version and I can install my OS at home?