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Help me help my friend with his first pc build :)
A friend wants help with his pc build, so ill just copy and paste what he needs to know from another forum that he posted on.
This is the build I am currently looking into.
> -CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor
-CPU Cooler: Scythe Mugen 3 PC Hardware Edition
-Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-D3H
> -Memory: Crucial Ballistix Tactical 8GB (2 x 4GB)
> -Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB (7200RPM) HDD
> -Storage 2: Crucial M4 128GB SSD
-Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 (2-way SLI (two cards))
-Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (w/ window)
> -Power Supply: SeaSonic 750 (80 Plus GOld Certified)
> -Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST (DVD/CD Writer)
I need some more advice on the italic components (with an '>' in front).
First of all, the 'CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor';
I thought a bit of video editing here and there wouldn't really matter, but it seems like the
hyper threading is worth it. Now I am debating whether or not to get an i7 processor.
I know the hyper threading will not have any significant impact on gaming,
and in my previous thread I did say I would primarily use this pc for gaming,
though I would preferably spend another 100 euros and get an i7 processor.
So my question is, which i7 processor would you recommend me for this build?
Secondly, the 'Memory: Crucial Ballistix Tactical 8GB (2 x 4GB)';
I do do a lot of multitasking on my current pc, so I am interested in getting 16GB ram.
I currently have 12GB 1333MHz DDR3 installed in my mac, and I often use up to 9GB of it.
I know there is a difference between 1600MHz and 1333MHz, and DDR3 and DDr5,
though is it such a big difference that I don't need that extra few GB's of memory?
Next, the 'Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB (7200RPM) HDD';
There seems to be a rule out there, 'if you get an HDD, go for a Western Digital HDD'.
In the build I was recommended, they recommended the Seagate Barracuda.
There must be a reason why they recommended this instead of the Western Digital.
And what is this reason, if any?
Next, the 'Storage 2: Crucial M4 128GB SSD';
In my previous thread I was recommended to go for the Crucial M4, I did my research and
this seems to be the way to go. Though why did Tweakers recommend me to go for the
Plextor PX-128M5S 128GB SSD?
Once again, Next, the 'Power Supply: SeaSonic 750 (80 Plus GOld Certified)';
I was recommended me to go for the Seasonic G-serie 650Watt. 650Watt does seem a bit
too little for my build. On a website which calculates the estimate wattage, it came out on
658Watt. Because of this estimate I decided to go for the Seasonic 750Watt power supply.
Was this a good idea?
And last but not least, the 'Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST (DVD/CD Writer)';
Tweakers did not include an optical drive, though I might need to have one some time in the
future, so I decided to buy the Asus DRW-24B1ST. Is this the best, cheap optical drive out
there in your opinion?
If you'd be willing to answer all my questions I'd be very grateful! Thank you!
Comments
OS X uses memory very differently from Windows.
If you have the budget for it, 16G won't hurt anything, but don't come away thinking your need 16G based on what your Mac uses - it's Apples and Oranges (pun loosely intended). 8G is more than enough for virtually everyone unless you happen to be multitasking large 64-bit apps. Video editing ~may~ hit it, provided your using a 64-bit native program.
If you think you want an Intel - stick with the K edition. It's only about $20 more than the non-K edition of the similar clockspeed, and will allow you to overclock in the future if you feel the need to. Plus there will only be a single K-edition model in each line (i5/i7) - so it makes selection much easier.
Storage drive: I would get whatever is on sale that day. There is not much difference in them to be honest. Your getting it for bulk storage, not fast access speed or anything, so price per TB means more than anything here.
SSD: There are a few more opinions out there on these. This you are getting for performance reasons, but there are also stability, warranty, size, and price to consider as well. I have had excellent luck with the Crucial brand, and the M4 is a very safe bet if your looking to buy. It may not be the fastest or the cheapest at any given time though. It has recently been upgraded to the M500 series, which has received good reviews as of late too. I would put the Samsung 840 line out there as well. SSDs come all down to the controller and firmware really.
650W is plenty enough for any single-GPU build, even those using big single GPUs. If you really are planning on SLI, you may want to bump that up. The thumbrule I use is:
GPU TDP + CPU TDP + 100W (everything else) = minimum size.
Double the number if you plan on overclocking the component.
Intel CPUs are around 77W TDP, I round that up to 100W for ease of math
The 770GTX has a TDP of 230W, I'll say 250 for ease of math
250x2 + 100 + 100 = 700W, with no overclocks
SeaSonic is a good brand, but if you are considering that SLI build, I would bump that up to at least the 700-800W range for those 770's, and farther if you are looking at any overclock at all on anything.
That being said, I recommend against SLI. If you are wanting to spend $800+ on video performance, get a single Titan and be done with it. Sure, you may not have quite as much raw video performance, but you also won't have driver headaches, problems with air flow and installation, problems with power, problems with poor SLI performance in some games, the bigger power supply requirement, the more expensive motherboard requirement, the bigger case, more heat and noise, etc etc
If you can get away with it, one faster card is preferable to two slower cards, and with the 770, you have a bit of headroom with a single Titan.
Optical Drive: They are $20 - get whatever is cheapest and matches your case. You will probably use it once or twice in the entire life of the computer, so don't sweat this one too much.
Just before I read your reply on my thread I put this list together:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1hcOl
But after reading this reply, I am definitely going to change some things,
seeing as you seem to have a lot of knowledge on this matter.
---
Coming back on your reply,
I did some more research and 16gb does sound a bit overkill for my needs,
I'll go for the 8GB now and in the future I can always upgrade.
I'm definitely going for the i7-4770K
Currently the Seagate Barracuda I'm looking into is 0.038 euro/GB,
that's in the top three best euro/GB in my country, so that sounds about right.
I still have to look into sales though.
Lots of people seem to recommend the Crucial M4, so I think I'll stick with that for now.
Later today I'll do my research on the Samsung 840 line SSD's.
700 ~ 800 Watt definitely sounds right for the power supply.
I've chosen a SeaSonic 750Watt 80 PLUS GOLD certified.
For now I'm not sure if I'll overclock any components,
I'll probably do so in the future some time. I also took possible overclocking
into consideration when choosing this power supply. Good idea?
'Sure, you may not have quite as much raw video performance,
but you also won't have driver headaches, problems with air flow and installation,
problems with power, problems with poor SLI performance in some games,
the bigger power supply requirement, the more expensive motherboard requirement,
the bigger case, more heat and noise, etc etc'
The driver problems are my only real concern, though my thought on this is that
either it's a big new release and it requires a lot of raw power or it's an indie
or just a less well known game, though those games often don't have amazing
graphics so I'll only need one GTX 770 anyway.
I might be completely wrong on this one, though from what I've read that
sounds about right, right?
I've chosen to get the Fractal Design Define R4, which is a huge case with
lots of room. So I think the airflow nor the installation will be as much of a problem (?).
If I go for a big enough power supply, will there be any problems with power?
The motherboard has no problems with a 2-way SLI GTX 770 running on it, I've read.
The more heat Is also a small concern, though if I have good fans and
good airflow, that won't be such a big problem. Also the Gigabyte GTX 770
has 3 fans 'in' it, in suppose to other GTX 770's. Will this solve the trick?
And finally, the noise is also a small problem, though the case I'm going for
has noise padding all around in the inside. I'm not sure if this is some gimmick
or it actually works though
For SLI - unless your driving games across multiple monitors at very high resolutions, I would totally ignore it. A 770 has more than enough raw power to drive any game at 1080p resolution at very high, if not MAX MAX, detail, and will continue to do so for a long time.
For the power supply/overclocking. If your planning on overclocking, build it in now. It's pretty silly to buy an adequate power supply now, then find out it can't hang with an overclock only to have to upgrade it again later. Do it once, and do it right, in my opinion.
Additionally - I'll throw in a few words about overclocking. When I build a new PC, I usually overclock it right off the bat, just to see where I can comfortably set it. Then I put it back at stock. I don't run it overclocked all the time. I only turn on the overclock when I am running something that definitively benefits from it (i.e. video compression going from 115 minutes to 75 minutes, or significant changes in game graphics settings... not just going from 124 to 156 FPS).
When the PC gets a bit longer in the tooth - several years from now, it may be that you need to leave the overclock on more or less full time, but also be aware that overclocks aren't static. Just because your hardware overclocks at some level when it's new doesn't mean it will do so several years from now, or maintain that overclock for several years (or even days). Silicon degrades with heat, overclocking produces more heat, and it's only guaranteed to run at it's stock speed.
If you can afford all the extras then just buy them, yes you don't need SLi but if you have the money and want two 770 in Sli then buy the extra card.
Yeah i know, some are going to say overkill but who gives a feck it's your money, right?
The ddifference between a 780 and a titan is the vramm. 780 has 3gb and titan has 6gb. Vramm comes into play in multi monitor abd higher res setups. I would definitely get the 780 over over 770 over everything else unless your multi monitoring and would be mpee beneficial to invest into a titan.
Other than that go for ripjaws or corsair vengeance ram x2 8gb (16gb) 1866mhz. Look up a decent psu which can also power a sli for the future. In case a few years down the line you want to add another 780. I have 3 ssds in my pc . 1x 180gb ssd for just the OS. And x2 ssd 120gb in a raid 0 to run my games or anything I need to read and write at fast levels.
Always think about cooling closed loops for cpu are fairly decent. Think about pull and push fans to ensure you have a decent cooling setup going.
Cpus are not a big deal if you gaming i5 is sufficient i7 is no difference in games its more for programming amd video editing etc. New haswell chips run quite hot dont expect much room for overclocking. I would go for the new chips from intel coming out in september. X79 2011 sckets mobos should work with the new chips coming out in september. But not 100%.
Anyways good luck and also thinl about a decent theme if I get a chance I wipl upload some pics of my build!.
Monitor wise a 24 inch benq with 144hz and 3d ready is a decent single monitor set up.
I prefer Seagate myself, most of my friends use them (then again, I have built half their computers). Both brands are really good in anyway so get the cheapest which isn't a green.
And do consider a small SSD, it will give you a lot more performance then more ram memory. An 80 or 120GB SSD for windows and your high performing games will cut any loading time down by a lot and make the computer feel a lot faster. Regular HDs are really slow and perfect for movies, music and games that don't demand so much and rarely load but for you OS and favorite games it wont cut it.