Gaming Build QC please.

[GTXJackBauer]

If you're going to purchase a GTX 780 3GB, wait! for the 6 GB version. Should be here soon! Why pay $550ish when you can get the 6 GB for the same when it's released.

 

[gravitywell]

If you're going to purchase a GTX 780 3GB, wait! for the 6 GB version. Should be here soon! Why pay $550ish when you can get the 6 GB for the same when it's released.

I was trying to decide between doing that, and getting the 3gb for a little less dough. I figured when it was released, this one would dip a bit in pricing.

Also, is there any weight to new Intel processors soon? I'd have the same strategy for the processor if that happened.

Also, Memorial Day sales are on the horizon too.

 

[gravitywell]

Update:

Decided to invest in the 4770k. I also found a Corsair Professional 750W for the same price after discount and rebate card.

Purchased the RAM, Cooler and PSU tonight via Newegg.

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($269.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (Purchased For $29.99)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (Purchased For $139.99)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($509.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT H440 (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For $96.83)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $89.99)
Total: $1416.76

 

[wingman99]

The list is looking good.

 

[gravitywell]

My brother owes me $500 by the end of the month. I'll add the other $50 to it and get the Processor, Motherboard and SSD. That'll leave me saving up for the GPU. Hopefully, by the time I gather the $520 for it, the new cards will be out.

 

[GTXJackBauer]

My brother owes me $500 by the end of the month. I'll add the other $50 to it and get the Processor, Motherboard and SSD. That'll leave me saving up for the GPU. Hopefully, by the time I gather the $520 for it, the new cards will be out.

Sounds like a great plan. Would be a bummer to spend say $550ish for a 3GB when the 6GB knowlingly is around the corner for the same price or grab the 3GB for a cheaper price but I would surely stick with the 6 GB.

 

[gravitywell]

Oh, and I need to pick up some thermal compound. I should have all the necessary cabling and such, right?

 

[EarthDog]

3gb is fine for 1080p... It's 2gb I would worry about these days at merely 1080p personally.

 

[gravitywell]

Ignore the work boots and backpack

 

[gravitywell]

With the introduction of the Z97 boards and incomming CPUs. How should I adjust my build? I understand if i get a Z97 board, my 4770k will work and I'll be able to upgrade again in the future. Is this recommended? Or, should I give it a few weeks and look at the Z97 processors as well?

 

[Theocnoob]

With the introduction of the Z97 boards and incomming CPUs. How should I adjust my build? I understand if i get a Z97 board, my 4770k will work and I'll be able to upgrade again in the future. Is this recommended? Or, should I give it a few weeks and look at the Z97 processors as well?

I cringed when I saw that picture of a Hyper 212... It's not going to cut it for a 4770K OC man. Those chips run hot. A hyper 212 would barely cut it for a 2600K OC to anything reasonably high. 4770K runs significantly hotter and has TIM instead of solder on the IHS. You want a big cooler. Noctua NHD14 or NHD15 are my recommendations. Best air coolers around. The 14 is more compact, so you might want to go with that one. You'll get a higher OC at lower temps with a big air cooler. I don't recommend 212's to anybody these days. Not even for 4670K's. I recommended 212's back when the 2500K was the gaming CPU choice to go with. It made sense. For these new chips it just doesn't cut it in my opinion. Can you possibly return the 212 to the retailer? If not, you should be able to sell it online on either this forum or one more local to you, as "BNIB" for maybe $5 off retail price. Someone will take it.

Z97 motherboards are out now. You can buy a Z97 board, a 4770K, then upgrade to a new CPU some day down the line if you wish. Mind you, given the pace at which Intel is improving these quad cores, the next gen won't be anything too impressive. Things have been pretty stagnant in the mainstream sector since Sandy Bridge.

The new K sku CPUs will be coming out some time in the summer afaik. They are codenamed "Devil's Canyon". The non K Haswell refresh chips will be out much sooner. Just around the corner. You do not want one of these if overclocking is something you want to do.

I would personally go with something like a Z97-A from ASUS and a 4770K. And maybe consider a bigger cooler for your CPU.

Have you decided to hold off the SSD for now? That's cool. WD Caviar blacks are pretty peppy HDD's so you should get decent performance out of them. Once you go SSD you'll never go back though.

 

[wingman99]

I would wait a few weeks till devils canyon is released June 2.

 

[gravitywell]

I cringed when I saw that picture of a Hyper 212... It's not going to cut it for a 4770K OC man. Those chips run hot. A hyper 212 would barely cut it for a 2600K OC to anything reasonably high. 4770K runs significantly hotter and has TIM instead of solder on the IHS. You want a big cooler. Noctua NHD14 or NHD15 are my recommendations. Best air coolers around. The 14 is more compact, so you might want to go with that one. You'll get a higher OC at lower temps with a big air cooler. I don't recommend 212's to anybody these days. Not even for 4670K's. I recommended 212's back when the 2500K was the gaming CPU choice to go with. It made sense. For these new chips it just doesn't cut it in my opinion. Can you possibly return the 212 to the retailer? If not, you should be able to sell it online on either this forum or one more local to you, as "BNIB" for maybe $5 off retail price. Someone will take it.

Z97 motherboards are out now. You can buy a Z97 board, a 4770K, then upgrade to a new CPU some day down the line if you wish. Mind you, given the pace at which Intel is improving these quad cores, the next gen won't be anything too impressive. Things have been pretty stagnant in the mainstream sector since Sandy Bridge.

The new K sku CPUs will be coming out some time in the summer afaik. They are codenamed "Devil's Canyon". The non K Haswell refresh chips will be out much sooner. Just around the corner. You do not want one of these if overclocking is something you want to do.

I would personally go with something like a Z97-A from ASUS and a 4770K. And maybe consider a bigger cooler for your CPU.

Have you decided to hold off the SSD for now? That's cool. WD Caviar blacks are pretty peppy HDD's so you should get decent performance out of them. Once you go SSD you'll never go back though.

Man, i wish you were around a few weeks ago. Lol. I bought it through Newegg. I've had it out of the box, just to look at it, but it's never been removed from the plastic shell inside. I've never returned anything to them, I'll have to look into that.

I'm still aiming towards the 840 EVO for the SSD. 250gb and then a Caviar Black as a storage.

I also want a wireless card, i know a few motherboards have them onboard, or i can get a PCIe wireless card. Which is recommended? Is one more cost-effective or performance-wise better than the other?

 

[GTXJackBauer]

You should be ok with the 212. Its a good air cooler. Don't know why there's such a backlash about it. Its closely comparable to those other CPU air coolers as well. If you want really good temps go water.

I would wait for the Devil's Canyons. Grab the i7-4790k and a Z97 MB. They will be faster on base and turbo clocks and apparently run cooler.

ntel has not released any of the new Haswell Refresh K series processors just yet as those are still a bit off. The Intel Core i7-4790K and Core i5-4690K are expected and are code named Devil’s Canyon by Intel. The Core i7-4790K is supposed to have a base clock speed of 4.0GHz and a max burst frequency of 4.4GHz, whereas the Core i5-4690K is expected to ship with a base clock of 3.5GHz and a max turbo frequency of 4.0GHz. These two 88W TDP processors are designed from the ground up for overclocking and have highly culled based on their overclocking potential. Other than being cherry picked as being good overclockers they also have an improved thermal interface material on them. The early rumors of Intel going back to solder appear to have been incorrect, but any improvement will be welcomed. If you are looking for a binned processor that was designed for overclocking we highly suggest waiting for the unlocked Devil’s Canyon processors to come out this summer. Word on the street is that these processors will appear around Comuptex, which would be mid-June.

Source

 

[Theocnoob]

Man, i wish you were around a few weeks ago. Lol. I bought it through Newegg. I've had it out of the box, just to look at it, but it's never been removed from the plastic shell inside. I've never returned anything to them, I'll have to look into that.

I'm still aiming towards the 840 EVO for the SSD. 250gb and then a Caviar Black as a storage.

I also want a wireless card, i know a few motherboards have them onboard, or i can get a PCIe wireless card. Which is recommended? Is one more cost-effective or performance-wise better than the other?

Motherboards with wifi/bluetooth/nfc tend to be higher end (although there is a Z87-A with NFC).

Honestly, it's just easier to get a PCIE add-in card. Intel makes a good product. That's probably who I'd go with for an add in card. A little pricy but you get what you pay for.
You do know, though, that wireless will never be as fast as wired, nor will it ever be as reliable. If a wired connection is possible, even if you have to use a 30 foot cable, I would choose wired personally.

As far as Newegg taking returns, for a $30-35 item, it's not worth the bother. Just keep the 212 as a spare or sell it privately for $25 is my advice. You can still overclock with it you just won't get very far at all. Especially on an i7.

 

[gravitywell]

CPU Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core $269.99
CPU Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing (Purchased) $29.99
Motherboard Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 $149.99
Memory G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 (Purchased) $139.99
Storage Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" SSD $139.00
Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM $144.00
Case NZXT H440 (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower (Purchased) $96.83
Power Supply Corsair 750W ATX12V / EPS12V (Purchased) $89.99

I removed the graphics card, waiting to see about the 6gb offerings over the next couple of weeks.

 

[gravitywell]

My router is downstairs, and I'm upstairs. I'd have to see where my room is in comparison to the router and running cat5e through the floor joists. It shouldn't be too difficult, except getting me off my rear to actually do it.

So, waiting on the cpu and waiting on the gpu.

Patience is a virtue. So I'm told.

 

[Theocnoob]

My router is downstairs, and I'm upstairs. I'd have to see where my room is in comparison to the router and running cat5e through the floor joists. It shouldn't be too difficult, except getting me off my rear to actually do it.

So, waiting on the cpu and waiting on the gpu.

Patience is a virtue. So I'm told.

Waiting for Devil's Canyon eh? Wise decision.

And don't worry about running cables. I have 2 friends who each have their own little versions of "space command" at home. SO many systems running... SO much cabling everywhere...

And to answer your earlier question, you don't NEED to pick up thermal compound unless you have a preference for one specific model of TIM over another. I like MX-4 but Noctua's TIM is just as good. Just a little runny. If you get an NHD14/15 you can use the included TIM. They give you enough to remount like 10 times.

For help putting your build together, you might want to check this video out:

rofl... Ok, just kidding. THIS video is a good video though:

 

[GTXJackBauer]

So, waiting on the cpu and waiting on the gpu.

Patience is a virtue. So I'm told.

Good move imho. As for the 6GB GPUs, EVGA has one here. Its a GTX 780 but if you're looking for a 780Ti model they say they will come out later on but not sure when.

 

[Theocnoob]

You should be ok with the 212. Its a good air cooler. Don't know why there's such a backlash about it. Its closely comparable to those other CPU air coolers as well.

Comparable? To an NHD14? It has maybe half the heat dissipation capabilities of a D14. Something in the area of 30%+ cooler temperatures vs a 212 on the same cpu with the same volts IME.

As far as "if you want really good temps go water"... I don't agree with that. Going proper water with all the blocks and fittings and res and pump and tubing is prohibitively expensive for the average user. You can go AIO water and get slightly better temps than big air without spending much more cash though.

Either way, if he wants a good overclock, he's not going to get it with a hyper 212. Maybe Devil's Canyon will run miraculously cool, I don't know, but if history has shown anything it's that these core i5/7 2nd 3rd and 4th gen have been running hotter with each successive gen. Apparently devil's canyon nixes the on die VRM and improves the IHS attachment method so who knows? I just know that I personally would throw bigger guns than a 212 at the job.