Need some opinions on this build please

[maloney]

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/merlonii/saved/#savedbuild_1883977


Please help me out with this build, I'm not sure if everything would work together or if its overkill on anything. I already bought the case and power supply so anything else could be changed.

I play a lot of different games, but with this build, would like to play Arma 3, Farcry 4, and eventually The Witcher 3 on max setting without any problems.

This will be my first build, so any opinions and tips would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[bob4933]

1) you need about 250w, so 750 is overkill


2) 2400 ram will yield no benefit over 1600 ram, ergo is overkill

3) h105 is lesser than a d14 and more expensive

4) don't need an i7 for games

5) 850 isn't going to net you great gains over cheaper solutions

 

[maloney]

Thanks for the advice

 

[Theocnoob]

Actually faster RAM can yield as much as an entire extra FPS in some games. Given the miniscule price difference between 1600 and 2400 these days, I say just go for it. It won't conflict with his CPU cooler. What's the harm?

 

[HANDxOFxGOD]

Based on the insignificant performance boost with overclocking a CPU these days, I'd say just cool on air. Maybe get a Hyper 212. Also... if it's a gaming build... you should save $100 and go with the highest end i5.

 

[Theocnoob]

There are 4C8T Xeons in the $240 range that would work nicely if no OC is to be done. Definitely a better choice than an i5 if running stock.

 

[maloney]

Based on the insignificant performance boost with overclocking a CPU these days, I'd say just cool on air. Maybe get a Hyper 212. Also... if it's a gaming build... you should save $100 and go with the highest end i5.

@HANDxOFxGOD Thanks for the advice. I'm not sure if I'll be overclocking, I don't know anything about it really. I wanted a good i7 for a couple reasons but I keep hearing people say to just get i5 for gaming. I would like to play a game on one monitor and watch a stream or do some work on the other, plus i use photoshop a lot. Also seeing that The Witcher 3's recommended system requirements include an i7, I definitely want to be able to run that game on ultra without a problem. I'll look more into the cooling systems, thanks again! Every bit of advice means a lot to me.

 

[maloney]

There are 4C8T Xeons in the $240 range that would work nicely if no OC is to be done. Definitely a better choice than an i5 if running stock.

@Theocnoob Looking into the xeons now. I only saw a few but they were all $350 and the i7 4790k is only $340, I'm going to do some more research though....Thanks man!

 

[Theocnoob]

Go on PCPartpicker and go to CPUs and type Xeon. There are many Xeons. A lot of them are just over $200.

 

[HANDxOFxGOD]

I'm not sure I'd personally be able to play a video game and do homework/watch a show at the same time... but hey... to each his own. lol. An i5 would work fine with what you're doing unless you're playing a demanding game like Shadow of Mordor. You'd have to shut everything else down and dedicate your processing power for a title like that. But something like WoW you could stream at the same time easily. Good luck with your build!

 

[EarthDog]

Holy cow....

1. There are performance gains with ram over 1600Mhz. The sweetspot for price and performance seems to be at 1866Mhz. Much over that the little gains for the little price difference. That said, the differences arent much in most cases, 1-4/5%. Now when using multiple GPUs or an iGPU, it makes a much bigger difference.
2. Overclocking the CPU DOES yield more than negligible performance increases in a lot of titles, particularly MMO's, RPGs, and some FPS too. How much or how little depends on the game, settings, etc.

 

[rayraysfunhouse]

A guy I follow on youtube that does alot of reviews and things of that nature did a very good comparrison of RAM at 4 different speeds. 1333, 1600, 1866, and 2133 the difference from the bottom to the top was on 3 FPS. Nothing that is going to be extremely noticeable.

I'm with E_D on the overclocking. If done properly it will allow for better performance. If you plan on overclocking personally I would look at the i5 4670k or the 4690k. Both are great cpus that will allow for overclocking. The i7 is still a little overkill for gaming and you will still be able to multitask nicely even with the i5(depending on the game)

I've never been a fan of the fans you have chosen. They do look awesome but are way overpriced for case fans in my opinion.

 

[Culbrelai]

I find it funny that suddenly the performance standard of DDR3 RAM (the ideal) is 1866 mhz. It used to be 1600 or even 1333. Perhaps the memory manufactures and certain enthusiast 'tech' oriented forum(s) are colluding, attempting to get people to purchase more expensive memory unnecessarily to try to make up for the falling memory prices?

Overclocking CPU > fast RAM.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

I find it funny that suddenly the performance standard of DDR3 RAM (the ideal) is 1866 mhz. It used to be 1600 or even 1333. Perhaps the memory manufactures and certain enthusiast 'tech' oriented forum(s) are colluding, attempting to get people to purchase more expensive memory unnecessarily to try to make up for the falling memory prices?

Overclocking CPU > fast RAM.

Perhaps you're just paranoid.

 

[EarthDog]

Yeah, forums are doing that Cul...

Just look at the data on 1333 MHz ram versus 1866 in gaming performance. Also the difference in pricing between 1600 and 2400 has dropped dramatically recently.

I think there is a now dead Ebola thread in General Discussion that needs more paranoia...

 

[Culbrelai]

Just look at the data on 1333 MHz ram versus 1866 in gaming performance. Also the difference in pricing between 1600 and 2400 has dropped dramatically recently.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7364/memory-scaling-on-haswell/7

Lol.

It's alright, I guess running websites does cost money, gotta get it somehow, dontcha =P

 

[EarthDog]

Exactly. A couple of percent to a few. As I said, the difference in pricing has gone down quite a bit so you are only paying a few % more for a few % of possible performance increases. Not to mention if you rock multiple GPUs, or use an iGPU, faster memory benefits even more.

Since the conclusion of that article escaped you...:

Avoid DDR3-1333 (and DDR3-1600)

While memory speed did not necessarily affect our single GPU gaming results, for real-world or IGP use, memory speed above these sinks can afford a tangible (5%+) difference in throughput. Based on current pricing, after the Hynix fire, it may be worthwhile, as memory kits above DDR3-1600 are now around the same price...

...In light of daily workloads, a good DDR3-1866 C9 MHz kit will hit the curve on the right spot to remain cost effective. Users with a few extra dollars in their back pocket might look towards 2133 C9/2400 C10, which moves a little up the curve and has the potential should a game come out that is heavily memory dependent. Ultimately the same advice also applies to multi-GPU users as well as IGP: avoid 1600 MHz and below.

 

[Culbrelai]

'Around the same price'

More like $20 difference. Of course, if you want to throw away $20 for 2 FPS... instead of putting it somewhere more worthwhile.

 

[bob4933]

Not too long ago, there was a marked difference between 1333 and 1866, hell even 1600. With a wide margin between them, it would be prudent for gaming to get lower frequency, cheaper ram. HOWEVER, on pretty much any given day, theres some 1866 and higher (2400 in some cases) that is still below the 70$ mark, and for that, you may as well spend the 5$ to get the "good stuff". I don't disagree with cul, he's pretty correct. I've seen tons and tons of benchmarks where faster ram does... pretty much nothing in most cases; however, why not get the better ram for the same cost?

This about sums it all up, sorted in price, lowest to highest, cheapest is 64$ which is 1333, for 70$ you can have your pick of 1866, 2133, 2400 or lower CL offerings. Pretty "Worth it" in that regard.

http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/memory/#Z=8192002&sort=a10

 

[EarthDog]

Or just keep going with another post after I said move on... LOL! Regardless, well summarized and I am leaving that post.

Cleaning up the useless mess.

As was stated earlier there are many situations, but perhaps not the MAJORITY of, where faster ram can show a tangible benefit. With the meager differences, why not spend $5 more for faster ram?

Only when DDR3 was released several years ago was 1333Mhz viable. With SB and its IMC and ability to handle 2133+ the move shifted to 1600Mhz. Since the ram prices are all so close...... well, its been said a few times.