[MTS]

Hey guys, so I'm buying a new computer (obviously), and looking to build my own. I've only ever really bought laptops, aside from a desktop that was already made, so I'm kinda new to the whole 'buying computer hardware' thing, and am unsure of what works well together, or even which brands are all that reputable. I've done some searching on the net, and have come up with a preliminary components list:

SSD: Samsung 850 Pro 512 GB ($409)
CPU: Intel 6-core i7-5820K ($448)
GPU: nVidia 4GB GTX 980 Gainward ($709)
Memory: G-Skill Ripjaws 16GB kit 2400 DDR4 RAM (4GBx4) ($305)
Monitor: Samsung S27C570H ($318)
Motherboard: ASRock X99 Extreme 4 ($291)
Power Supply: Corsair 80+ Gold CS750M ($149)
Case: Carbide Series® Air 540 High Airflow ATX Cube Case ($189)
BR-Drive: SATA Blu-Ray Combo Pioneer ($57)
OS: Win 7 Premium ($104)


So tell me what you think, computer people. Good value for money? Suggestions for better/more efficient parts? Like I said, I'm kinda in the dark here and don't want to blow a heap of money to find that some parts don't play well together, or are just shit.

Oh, and I'll mostly be doing gaming, surfing the web and watching movies/TV shows. So nothing super intensive like video rendering or whatever (well, aside from gaming).

This post has been edited by MTS: 07 October 2014 - 06:05 AM

[Defiance]

If you have that kind of money to spend, go ahead. That said, for your intended uses, you are going a bit overboard.

You don't need more than 8gb RAM. 2400MHz is also overkill. Save yourself some money and get 2x4gb of 1866MHz. That alone should cut like $200.

You don't need that motherboard unless you plan to Crossfire or SLI (using multiple GPUs) which obviously isn't your intention. You can spend roughly $100-150 on a motherboard and be perfectly fine.

Jealous that you can afford to spend so much on a GPU. While technology is inevitably outdated as soon as you purchase it, that thing will last you for several years.

There's no need for an i7 when it comes to gaming. An powerful i5 would do just fine. You only need an i7 and 16gb of RAM if you're doing video editing type stuff.

Where are you looking at for prices? I recommend Newegg. Very reliable and their prices for everything you listed are cheaper.

EDIT: Here are the Newegg prices for the components you listed: SSD ($379); CPU ($389); GPU ($539-629); Memory ($269); Motherboard ($240); PSU ($109); Case: ($129); BR-Drive ($44); OS: ($99). Free shipping on everything too. So definitely look into that.

Also, be sure you go with 64 bit version of Windows 7.

This post has been edited by Defiance: 07 October 2014 - 08:15 AM

[Tsundoku]

I cast: Summon Silencer/Luci.

[Silencer]

Yup. I'm heading to bed and on my phone, but if you haven't talked to Luci yet, do so. He spec'd mine for me and he'll have a much better idea of pricing down under than most on the board.

I'll throw my two cents in tomorrow, but for the most part, Defiance is on the right track already. You're over-spec'd in several areas, and aren't necessarily looking at the most important numbers in others. Plus you may want to trade ssd size for a decent hdd that gives you plenty of storage. (But there are numbers on ssd drives you'll want to check other than size.)

But yeah, full post tomorrow. Also, ask Luci. XD

[Gnaw]

Defiance, on 07 October 2014 - 07:19 AM, said:

Where are you looking at for prices? I recommend Newegg. Very reliable and their prices for everything you listed are cheaper.

EDIT: Here are the Newegg prices for the components you listed: SSD ($379); CPU ($389); GPU ($539-629); Memory ($269); Motherboard ($240); PSU ($109); Case: ($129); BR-Drive ($44); OS: ($99). Free shipping on everything too. So definitely look into that.

Also, be sure you go with 64 bit version of Windows 7.

Very much in agreement on newegg. Just make sure you're buying from newegg themselves rather than one of their 'partners'. (Disturbing trend that seems to have went everywhere.) They have a very annoying newsletter you can sign up for, but it does give you access to the 'one day sales" they have. It would be worth your while to get that until you've made your purchases.

Disagree with the i5. Since you've obviously decided that you're not interested in a budget machine, get the i7.

850 pro is not a good buy right now. Get an EVO series. The difference in speed is not going to be noticeable. The SSDs have reached speeds such that the bus is the chokepoint now. The (very real) performance bump in the 850 does not justify the excess price for most uses.

RAM, I'm a big fan of Kingston because they honor the warranty regardless of where you bought the product. You have it, it's bad, they replace it. I like companies with that attitude.

and you're not NA? never mind on newegg then.

[firvulag]

You will save money also, if you reduce the size of your SSD. You don't need one that big if you're only using it for the operating system. The savings can be put towards getting a fairly large (2-3 TB) hard drive for storage of films, music etc.

[Abyss]

Needs more torque.

Also, lasers.

[QuickTidal]

Abyss, on 07 October 2014 - 02:58 PM, said:

Needs more torque.

Also, sharks with frickin' lasers on their heads.

Fixed.

[nacht]

You should consider buying a high end system directly from a manufacturer.
In my experience, building a system can be frustrating (reliability. time, cost and noise wise), if your objective is to play games and not to build systems.

http://www.tomsguide...eview-2219.html

You can add several upgrades on top of the base system.


Regarding your list, I think it is missing

1. Fans (case supplied fans are often not high quality)
2. High capacity SATA drive (512GB drive will not be enough period)
3. I didnt do the research on your power supply but it is very important that it should be able to supply the sum of all power ratings of the components (plus some margin). I found that this is a major source of reliability issues.
4. Might have to add a good wireless and or network adapter.

[Defiance]

Reliability and noise can certainly be an issue if you build your own computer (then again, these can be problems with pre-built PCs as well), but time is a very negligible factor and cost is a reason to build your own computer. I saved at least $500 when I built my gaming PC, and its specs will pale in comparison to what MTS is looking at. It'll take maybe 2 hours building your computer for the first time. More if you have absolutely no clue what you're doing, but there are so many online guides/tutorials that it's arguably simpler than assembling furniture. Read up a little beforehand and you'll be fine.


In argument of purchasing something pre-assembled, however, is warranty. You can purchase warranties on individual parts through Newegg and other sites, but that can end up being a real hassle if multiple things start to go wrong.

This post has been edited by Defiance: 08 October 2014 - 01:54 AM

[Tarthenal Theloman Toblakai]

it generally doesn't cost much more to buy a user specified system from a good shop. So maybe do that, it will have a 2-3 year warranty usually, and be neater inside (which matters if you ever open it up, or simply have a huge tower like mine with a glass side). I would get slower RAM, yours looks way overspecced, I just yesterday, bought 16gb or ram, Corsair Vengeance 1600 for half the price of yours and thats faster ram, and more ram than what I need really (but I am giving my 12gb of ram to my little bro for his first gaming pc :-)). I second those saying get a roughly 120gb SSD and a huge very good HDD, or maybe a hybrid, for games, films etc. next is a thing you missed, a custom cooler, I tend to buy a huge cooler that just fits in my case, but this safe guards your shiny new CPU, I got an 8 core black edition AMD core last year, and literally got the biggest cooler I could fit. Saves it being noisy and keeps things cool better than stock which is a given. Plus, it looks great! Now I haven't got the greatest rig of all time, but its pretty damn good, I would say you are buying the more expensive Intel core, for little gain, unless you are buying for business, or are literally gonna use it 24/7, you can get an equivalent or better AMD core, for the the same or less. But thats just me, If you want the best, Intel is correct :-). The rest looks pretty much there, but I try to get the best makes, even if it sacrifices the spec slightly, just to make sure it lasts better, runs quieter, etc.

Also get Windows 8, its FUCKING AWESOME. Plus on an SSD instant start up and shutdown is a thing. SO. DAMN. SLICK! :-) And your want a Ben Q monitor if you are paying all this money out man, like this one (same as mine) Awesome Ben Q monitor of greatness. Or the newer one which is EVEN BETTER (but may be one step too far in cost lol)

Hope some of this helps, sounds like you pretty much know what you are doing though, shop around for prices for sure though, some of your stuff sounds a little high, but I am in the UK, so can't suggest much for you store wise

Also if you build your own, buy some really good thermal compound for mounting the CPU/cooler. like thermal goodness. The stock crap you get is for the bin IMO

This post has been edited by Tarthenal Theloman Toblakai: 08 October 2014 - 03:50 PM

[A Demon Llama!]

In my opinion 120 SSD in not enough. I got a 120 SSD and regret all the time (even though I have 3 more HDD in as well) that I didnt go for the 240 at the time. I was also going to suggest buying some cooling paste too.

This post has been edited by A Demon Llama!: 08 October 2014 - 05:31 PM

[nacht]

Defiance, on 08 October 2014 - 12:49 AM, said:

Reliability and noise can certainly be an issue if you build your own computer (then again, these can be problems with pre-built PCs as well), but time is a very negligible factor and cost is a reason to build your own computer. I saved at least $500 when I built my gaming PC, and its specs will pale in comparison to what MTS is looking at. It'll take maybe 2 hours building your computer for the first time. More if you have absolutely no clue what you're doing, but there are so many online guides/tutorials that it's arguably simpler than assembling furniture. Read up a little beforehand and you'll be fine.


In argument of purchasing something pre-assembled, however, is warranty. You can purchase warranties on individual parts through Newegg and other sites, but that can end up being a real hassle if multiple things start to go wrong.

i think it will take more than a few hours (at least for me because I am bit of a kludge with my fingers, dropping screws etc.) The process is not complicated but it could end up consuming some time.
Also for reliability sake, you might want to put on anti-static gloves and/or grounded wrist straps/


Dont forget the time to install Windows, hunt for the latest drivers, install all other application software.
Sometimes you forget stuff you need and have to make multiple visits to the store.


Also, recommend wireless mouse and keyboard, and some small cable management stuff (velcro straps etc).

Personally, I don't like Samsung. I have seen various reliability issues with the brand.

[Defiance]

Windows 8.1 is a hard sell due to all the crap Windows 8 received when it was released. It's regarded by the public as the second coming of Vista, and not without good cause. However, the Windows 8.1 changes were enough to make me try it out, and as someone whose favorite OS has been Win7 I've never looked back. You can avoid the signature tile BS completely and use it just like Win7. My favorite thing is just how god damn fast it is. I can boot up my computer in ~10 seconds. This is with a SATA 6Gb/s, not an SSD. Not that boot times alone are enough to sell an OS, but my experience with 8.1 has been great.

Never had issues with Samsung myself, but everyone will have their horror stories. I personally refuse to ever purchase another HP product.

Your case should come with ties for cable management. Cable management itself isn't too difficult, and many of the more expensive cases are designed around this. I know my case has a false side which allows me to neatly tuck away the majority of my cables behind it.

Thermal compound is a great idea, especially if you intend to overclock. Always worth the extra $10 or so to protect a $300 processor.

I've never needed a grounding strap when assembling a PC and I don't know of anyone who has. However, I have heard horror stories online of static electricity completely frying an essential component. It might be worth the peace of mind, especially for what you're going to be forking out, to spend the $10 for a wristband. If you don't purchase one, be sure to touch a metal object beforehand. Don't assemble on the carpet. I assemble all of my stuff naked in the kitchen.

This post has been edited by Defiance: 08 October 2014 - 08:28 PM

[Abyss]

Defiance, on 08 October 2014 - 08:23 PM, said:

... I assemble all of my stuff naked in the kitchen.

TMI!!!!!!!


... i don't even understand most of upthread but i do know i wouldn't want to be naked anywhere near something called 'thermal compound'.

A grounding strap on the other hand... hey some people pay good money for that sort of thing.

[A Demon Llama!]

I see worry shes thinking of something clever to say.

[Nicodimas]

Buy an Apple..

Best use of your money.

I included a link--->
http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/imac

It's really neat, these come preassembled!

This post has been edited by Nicodimas: 08 October 2014 - 11:39 PM

[nacht]

And don't forget the cables, especially SATA cables. I dont think the hard drives come with the cables.

[Defiance]

Hard drives don't, but I've never purchased a motherboard that didn't come with more than enough SATA cables.

[Silencer]

Nicodimas, on 08 October 2014 - 11:36 PM, said:

Buy an Apple..

Best use of your money.

I included a link--->
http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/imac

It's really neat, these come preassembled!

Ban.