Gaming rig from scratch help needed

**BODYCOUNT02** · 03-02-2015, 05:11 PM

Ok so its been a while since i even took apart a tower , so any suggestions on how to get aquainted with putting together a rig would be much appreciated.
Anyway, to the meat of this post. I want to build a tower completely from scratch, I have no old parts laying around. I have about a 1500$ budget to build a new rig from scratch. These are a few of the builds my friend helped me put together. Any new suggestions( missing anything) or modifications are extremely welcome. Also i was thinking about SLI but honestly I am not sure. Again thank you for helping me out

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mny8yc

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/69tkRB

Keep in mind that i have not build a pc in probably about 12 years.

**BODYCOUNT02** · 03-02-2015, 05:21 PM

*EDIT* The motherboard price and the GPU are not showing up for some reason, so I am open to replacements. I do not want to spend more than 1500 but a little bit over is fine, a little under is preferred :D. Thanks guys

**BODYCOUNT02** · 03-02-2015, 05:32 PM

last one i swear lol. this one is a bit pricey, im not sure what to reduce to get it to budget...

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/74KcP6

**ModJPB** · 03-02-2015, 07:27 PM

That last one is a much better build.

Do you need to have wifi? It is a desktop so you wouldnt be moving it around, so why not just use an ethernet cable? Connecting by cable is better for gaming.

The ssd drive you chose is an older model, did you look at the samsung 840 evo or 850 series. They should be around the same price as you chose. Also I would bump the ssd drive up to at least 256gb and get a smaller hdd if you dont need the backup storage memory. FYI ssd drives start to slow down after they reach half full (or half empty depending on how you look at it.) Get an ssd drive twice as big as you anticipate needing.

If you really need to cut the budget... Get an i5 4670k, still overclockable and has 4 real physical cores. I havent used an optical drive in over two years do you really need it? You can install windows from a usb flash drive instead of optical. As mentioned before skip the wifi and use ethernet cable. last resort, the gtx 960 is still pretty fast.

**BODYCOUNT02** · 03-02-2015, 11:10 PM

This is the one id really like but its extremely over budget
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/gNFKbv

**Mokona512** · 03-03-2015, 01:46 PM

What other tasks besides gaming will you be doing? (will you be doing any server type workloads or doing some video editing, or creating and rendering 3D models?)

If your focus will be primarily on gaming, then you can go for a build like this, and overclock the crap out of the CPU and GPU

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/cRbT3C

This build assumes that you already have a copy of windows 7, or 8

Keep in mind that the parts list that you linked to, are missing prices for some components such as the videocard and motherboard.

**Mokona512** · 03-03-2015, 02:01 PM

(annoying 5 minute edit limit)

For a system build, you can cut costs by skipping the DVD drive, especially since the OS can be installed from a flash drive more quickly, and that will probably be the only time you ever use the DVD drive :)

If you do not have an extra copy of windows either from a broken system, or if you are planning to replace your current system and sell off the parts, then you can add a copy, and then go with a lower cost mid sized ATX case with support for a 140mm fan in order to stay within your budget.

**Scipio** · 03-03-2015, 02:49 PM

I would preferably skip the OS, or if you must, get Windows 8. Like Mokona mentioned you should have extra copies of them somewhere, and Windows 8 is better than 7 because the upgrade to Windows 10 is free with 8, and 7 is set to be outdated within a couple of years.

Wifi card is unnecessary, since you'd want a solid ethernet connection on most games.

Will you really need a 2 TB HDD? This would all depend on the work you use the computer for, but as a gaming rig it's pretty much useless. I would buy a 1 TB or skip a HDD altogether and get a bigger SSD.

**ModJPB** · 03-03-2015, 07:08 PM

You can delete the intel ethernet card. The motherboard you chose has the same intel ethernet chip already built onto the motherboard.

I would stay with the H80i or some other watercooling system. Not only does it cool better, it will be much quieter than an air cooler. After a week your ears will thank you.

Do you have any hdd or dvd drive you can salvage from an old system to reuse.

**BODYCOUNT02** · 03-05-2015, 01:17 PM

I need a monitor unfortunately since I don't have one laying around . Any suggestions as to what I should get around the same price or lower? Also in regards to the ram I heard it can boost performance if I split it 4 ways instead of 2 8gigs.

**AOD_Sworn Assassin** · 03-05-2015, 01:31 PM

Originally Posted by AOD_BODYCOUNT02

I need a monitor unfortunately since I don't have one laying around . Any suggestions as to what I should get around the same price or lower? Also in regards to the ram I heard it can boost performance if I split it 4 ways instead of 2 8gigs.

I run a macbook pro connected with a minidisplay port to hdmi cable to my 52" flatscreen.. so if u have a TV u may only just need a cord :)

**BODYCOUNT02** · 04-11-2015, 08:25 PM

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VTBmHx

Ok so im about to start ordering the parts, made a few changes according to some of you guys suggestions, I would like to know what you all think?

Also, can anyone suggest a good motherboard so i can possible use SLI with nvidia? Im kinda queasy about using AMD....

So hopefully this is one of the last revisions, other than that is there ANYTHING else i need to get that I may have missed? Keep in mind that I have no other parts or anything. Thanks XD

**Mokona512** · 04-12-2015, 03:11 PM

For your budget, if you move to nvidia, you will be going over your $1500 budget, as you would be likely going with a GTX 970

The motherboard should work fine for SLI, but the power delivery may limit your overclocking (I would not recommend pushing that CPU beyond 1.35V, though that should still allow you to get around 4.5GHz), if you need better power handling, then the ASUS Z97-A LGA 1150 may be a good choice.

**Mokona512** · 04-12-2015, 03:26 PM

Wanted to add that you can also upgrade to an R9 290x for a few more dollars.

**Mokona512** · 03-05-2015, 01:35 PM

That is only if you have quad channel memory. additional memory sticks on the same channel, only reduces performance slightly (added latency).

if you do not mind a smaller size, but still 1080p, then an IPS panel can offer good quality (though it is a little more expensive)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824009484

Other than that, for a better static contrast ratio, you are looking at possibly taking a risk with a display with only a 1 year warranty
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824005646

**Mokona512** · 03-05-2015, 02:01 PM

If extra funds are needed, you can also skip one of the case fans since the case comes with 2 already, and the liquid cooler will act as one of the exhaust fans.

**ModJPB** · 03-06-2015, 11:47 PM

Originally Posted by AOD_Mokona512

If extra funds are needed, you can also skip one of the case fans since the case comes with 2 already, and the liquid cooler will act as one of the exhaust fans.

Good Eye!! I didn't notice that. Actually skip both fans. With the two that come with it, the water cooler fan, and the power supply fan (install it upside down), there should be enough flow.

A samsung 850 evo should be cheaper than the pro. The performance difference would not be noticeable.

You could also be fine with a lower wattage power supply. I am using a Seasonic 550watt for 4years now that is running an AMD 8320 at 5GHz, water cooled triple radiator, overclocked and overvolted 7870 GPU and VRAM, and overclocked RAM, with a total of 10 fans and the PSU never gets hot or has ever given me any issues. 550watt would work but if you want to play it safe 650watt will be plenty.

I have the RAT3 mouse from your listing. Probably the best mouse I have ever owned!!! Despite the description, the palm rest can be adjusted. remove the pinky rest and there is a screw holding the palm rest in place. take the screw out move the palm rest to where you want it, then put the screw back in and done.

One more thing. You can go down to 8GB of Ram (Two 4GB sticks, 4Gbx2). I have a laptop and desktop running 8GB and both run everything on max settings without a hiccup. If this is purely a gaming PC then there are no games on the market that will benefit from 16Gb of RAM. Battlefield4 and Planetside2 are some of the only games that can access more than 3.5GB of ram and even those two don't go much higher than that. If in a year or two when DirectX12 comes out and games start to actually need more memory then you can always decide to upgrade later with the two empty slots.

Total savings above about $150

**Vonarus** · 03-10-2015, 10:36 AM

You can get a Define R5 case for the same price; windowed for $10 more; but I don't recommend windowed cases now days, most of them scratch very very easily. The motherboard is what screams out at me in this build, it is very overpriced and I don't like the reviews on it. Consider the Gigabyte GA-Z97-D3H, which you're going to be able to get at least $30 cheaper.

**ModJPB** · 04-17-2015, 09:31 PM

All looks good. You get my seal of approval.

While installing, see if it is possible to run the h80i as an intake. Using the outside cooler air rather than warm inside case air on the radiator can get you several degrees cooler. If you need more exhaust, remember you can mount two fans on top of the case.

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