Advice for building a Gaming PC

MTHW10 · Dec 27, 2013

Sniper · Dec 28, 2013

Hi, one thing that I would change, actually its a must imho :) get a SSD drive + the 1TB Drive for storage, I believe Samsung 840 EVO comes hight recommend.

MTHW10 · Dec 28, 2013

Sniper said:
Hi, one thing that I would change, actually its a must imho :) get a SSD drive + the 1TB Drive for storage, I believe Samsung 840 EVO comes hight recommend.

Thanks, I'll add that to the list :).

Sniper · Dec 28, 2013

I guess you already have monitor, mouse etc?

Also I don't think you need 32GB ram, 8GB is more than enough for gaming unless you plan to use virtual machines, video editing or rendering, 16GB if you really want more ram.

MTHW10 · Dec 28, 2013

Sniper said:
I guess you already have monitor, mouse etc?

Also I don't think you need 32GB ram, 8GB is more than enough for gaming unless you plan to use virtual machines, video editing or rendering, 16GB if you really want more ram.

Yea, getting some hand me downs. Good idea for the ram, ~~I'll just buy 4 8 GB memory cards and use 2 for a future project. (Dedicated Server) :3~~ (Ram always get cheaper, I'll buy it when I need it.)

Big B · Jan 10, 2014

While the Z77/Socket 1155 isn't bad, just know that Intel's lastest CPU revisions with the Haswell (4xxx CPUs) and the Z87 chipset might offer a little longer lifespan.

Also, if you're considering overclocking, consider a stronger CPU cooler. If not overclocking, alternatives to the stock cooler can allow for quieter operation. Pretty much any high-end cooler and many closed-loop water cooling kits (eg. Corsair H-series and Antec Khuler series) are still affordable and under $100. If you do spring for watercooling, do note that your case selection won't accomodate anything larger than a 120mm radiator+fan combo.

Just a few thoughts, but nothing that's throwing up red flags.

MTHW10 · Jan 11, 2014

Big B said:
While the Z77/Socket 1155 isn't bad, just know that Intel's lastest CPU revisions with the Haswell (4xxx CPUs) and the Z87 chipset might offer a little longer lifespan.

Also, if you're considering overclocking, consider a stronger CPU cooler. If not overclocking, alternatives to the stock cooler can allow for quieter operation. Pretty much any high-end cooler and many closed-loop water cooling kits (eg. Corsair H-series and Antec Khuler series) are still affordable and under $100. If you do spring for watercooling, do note that your case selection won't accomodate anything larger than a 120mm radiator+fan combo.

Just a few thoughts, but nothing that's throwing up red flags.

Thanks for the advice, I'll try to implement these ideas into the list, I might have to redo most of the list if I get a new mobo. Thanks anyway :)

Edit: Updated List

Wicked Mystic · Jan 14, 2014

MTHW10 said:
Hi, I want build a pretty powerful gaming PC between the budget of $1,000 - $2,000. This will be my first build and I have done some research; I currently have a list of parts that I think are pretty good. If there are any parts that are better and cheaper, please let me know. Thanks in advance. :)

Storage

Samsung 840 EVO - $160
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Electronics-EVO-Series-2-5-Inch-MZ-7TE250BW/dp/B00E3W1726?tag=vig-20

Memory

Kingston HyperX Beast 16 GB Kit (4x4 GB) 2400MHz - $390
http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-2400MHz-PC3-19200-KHX24C11T3K4-16X/dp/B00A771ZR8/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1388703436&sr=1-1&keywords=KHX24C11T3K4/16X

Total: $2,031
The prices of the parts might of changed.

TLC memory cells sre lot less durable than MLC cells. And while you can get MLC SSD's cheaper than Samsung Evo, that means Samsung Evo is expensive crap. Avoid at all costs.

You really need 16 GB for gaming? I say 2*4 GB is enough. Even if you want 16 GB, there is no reason to buy 4*4GB, buy 2*8GB.

MTHW10 · Jan 14, 2014

Wicked Mystic said:
TLC memory cells sre lot less durable than MLC cells. And while you can get MLC SSD's cheaper than Samsung Evo, that means Samsung Evo is expensive crap. Avoid at all costs.

You really need 16 GB for gaming? I say 2*4 GB is enough. Even if you want 16 GB, there is no reason to buy 4*4GB, buy 2*8GB.

Ok, so no Samsung EVO for me. But when I was looking at the ASUS website, there was a QVL (Qualified Vendors List) that only supported certain memory layouts in order to get the maximum overclocking speed. Here's a link, don't really understand it much: http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/MAXIMUS_VI_HERO/#support

Wicked Mystic · Jan 15, 2014

MTHW10 said:
Ok, so no Samsung EVO for me. But when I was looking at the ASUS website, there was a QVL (Qualified Vendors List) that only supported certain memory layouts in order to get the maximum overclocking speed. Here's a link, don't really understand it much: http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/MAXIMUS_VI_HERO/#support

QVL memory lists are totally useless. There is no guarantee that listed memory will work on motherboard. I never look at them.

Also, memory overclocking does not help that much and Intel recommends using only 1.5V DIMMs. So I recommend DDR3-1600 1.5V and 8GB size. 1 or 2 sticks is your decision.

Advice for building a Gaming PC

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