PC Build Opinions

I was looking into building a mid-high end gaming PC, but with no idea of what parts to pick, I had a friend of mine come up with a list for me: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rKqP4D

I was just looking to get a second opinion before dropping $1k on this, and just had a few questions about it: (1) Overall, how is the build? (2) What kind of games would I be able to run on it? and (3) How useful exactly is an SSD?

Thanks in advance.

EDIT: Updated part-list here: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/yBxxzy

EDIT2: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Gs9wBm

 

SSDs are amazing. Drop the kingston though... Get a samsung 850 or 840 evo. You will be very satisfied with the choice.

 

I mean if you're worried about cost then there are a few things you could cut down on. You'd do just fine with an i5 as a CPU for example. You can definitely get a cheaper case. DVD drives are irrelevant these days (I personally have an external and have used it like once maybe twice). Network adapter is pointless, so is wireless unless you plan on using wireless. Finally if your case has proper ventilation then you don't need the case fan, though extra fans have never hurt anyone. Just be sure you have the connectors for it.

Your friend also forgot a main harddrive. A 512GB-1TB drive will set you down between 40 and 70, which should be fine with the price cuts I've suggested.

Regarding the SSD, I can vouch for the 850 Evo. I'd never use a regular drive again to boot Windows. My PC literally starts up in under 6 seconds.

 

I have an AMD 8 core processor, runs perfect.
And a 2gb Nvidia graphics card.
8gb of Ram
and 1 terabyte hard drive

Everything runs highest quality possibly with no issues at all.

 

[n4n0]

I can also vouch about the Samsung Evo SSD's. I've been running 2 of them in my pc for a few years now, and they're amazing drives. Last I checked, near the top of the charts for read/write speeds as well.

One of those, I can guarantee is money very well spent, and I would highly recommend picking one up.

 

Thanks everyone for the responses (especially Blupig for pointing out all the missing/unnecessary parts). It's not so much that I'm concerned about the cost as I'm very willing to spend a little more on each part for a better overall build considering I'm spending this much already and hoping to have it last for a while, if that makes any sense. That being said though, I've taken out some of the parts like the case fan/wired adapter, added in a harddrive (lol) and memory, which was also missing in the previous build, and changed the SSD to the samsung evo.

Here's the new updated partlist: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/yBxxzy

How does it look? Wasn't sure what to pick in terms of RAM/harddrive so I just went with what I saw in other builds. Also, how necessary would a CPU cooler be? Thanks again for all the help everyone.

 

[Mardoude]

I had quite a similar build made for me 2 months ago: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/9mZX6h

I'm able to run all steam games on high/ultra with good fps, seeing that your build is an upgrade from mine you shouldn't have many problems. (maybe some with the newer upcoming games)

SSDs are great, i dont know much about like the brands or anything but the samsung ssd should be an upgrade from the kingston. Either way it works perfectly.

Ram/HDD look good.

CPU fan might be optional? I went with the stock fan, i can hear my PC fans even through my headset sometimes. This might be an issue if you're looking to watch movies/videos without headphones or something. Otherwise the stock cpu cooler is fine.

 

I had quite a similar build made for me 2 months ago: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/9mZX6h

I'm able to run all steam games on high/ultra with good fps, seeing that your build is an upgrade from mine you shouldn't have many problems. (maybe some with the newer upcoming games)

SSDs are great, i dont know much about like the brands or anything but the samsung ssd should be an upgrade from the kingston. Either way it works perfectly.

Ram/HDD look good.

CPU fan might be optional? I went with the stock fan, i can hear my PC fans even through my headset sometimes. This might be an issue if you're looking to watch movies/videos without headphones or something. Otherwise the stock cpu cooler is fine.

Hey, thanks for the input, really appreciate it I added a CPU cooler and will probably end up buying all the parts sometime tonight unless there's something glaringly wrong/bad with it: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Gs9wBm

 

Hey, thanks for the input, really appreciate it I added a CPU cooler and will probably end up buying all the parts sometime tonight unless there's something glaringly wrong/bad with it: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Gs9wBm

That cooler is ridiculously expensive. I wouldn't even buy one tbh, I've never had an issue with stock fans so long as I don't overclock. I've got a stock fan on my i5 right now and I can't hear it. No idea what that other guy was talking about. Buy it if you want, but it'll be a waste if you're not overclocking (that CPU you have chosen isn't overclockable so I'm assuming you're not overclocking). If I were you I'd take that $60 and spend it on a better graphics card. You might want to take a look at AMD cards, you'll get more bang for your buck. I'm currently running a 280X and can definitely vouch for it. Other than that it looks good.

 

[n4n0]

That cooler is ridiculously expensive. I wouldn't even buy one tbh, I've never had an issue with stock fans so long as I don't overclock. I've got a stock fan on my i5 right now and I can't hear it. No idea what that other guy was talking about. Buy it if you want, but it'll be a waste if you're not overclocking (that CPU you have chosen isn't overclockable so I'm assuming you're not overclocking). If I were you I'd take that $60 and spend it on a better graphics card. You might want to take a look at AMD cards, you'll get more bang for your buck. I'm currently running a 280X and can definitely vouch for it. Other than that it looks good.

EVERY CPU is overclockable. Just because it isn't a "K" tagged CPU does not mean it can't be overclocked, it just isn't intended for extreme OCing like a "K" chip would be.

 

[Mardoude]

That cooler is ridiculously expensive. I wouldn't even buy one tbh, I've never had an issue with stock fans so long as I don't overclock. I've got a stock fan on my i5 right now and I can't hear it. No idea what that other guy was talking about. Buy it if you want, but it'll be a waste if you're not overclocking (that CPU you have chosen isn't overclockable so I'm assuming you're not overclocking). If I were you I'd take that $60 and spend it on a better graphics card. You might want to take a look at AMD cards, you'll get more bang for your buck. I'm currently running a 280X and can definitely vouch for it. Other than that it looks good.

You're probably right, I may just be mixing up the case fans with the CPU fan, they all sound the same.

If OP is set on buying a CPU cooler
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2
was recommended to me numerous times and it seems to have really good reviews.
You'd have to figure out if its compatible or not, it should be though.

 

You're probably right, I may just be mixing up the case fans with the CPU fan, they all sound the same.

If OP is set on buying a CPU cooler
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2
was recommended to me numerous times and it seems to have really good reviews.
You'd have to figure out if its compatible or not, it should be though.

I bought all the parts yesterday and was actually considering buying the 212 hyper evo, but was worried about the size so I ended up getting a water cooler which was on sale for only like $10 more.

I did have a question about the cpu cooler though - I started putting everything together last night and when I was putting the thermal paste on, I spread the whole tube (the one that came with the cooler) evenly across the whole cpu because the two videos I were following did it that way. But after searching a bit more I found that the optimal way to apply thermal paste is to just use a little bit and put a dot or a line in the center. Would it be worth reapplying new paste? I don't know what kind of differences in temperature/performance can arise from applying too much paste nonoptimally.

 

I bought all the parts yesterday and was actually considering buying the 212 hyper evo, but was worried about the size so I ended up getting a water cooler which was on sale for only like $10 more.

I did have a question about the cpu cooler though - I started putting everything together last night and when I was putting the thermal paste on, I spread the whole tube (the one that came with the cooler) evenly across the whole cpu because the two videos I were following did it that way. But after searching a bit more I found that the optimal way to apply thermal paste is to just use a little bit and put a dot or a line in the center. Would it be worth reapplying new paste? I don't know what kind of differences in temperature/performance can arise from applying too much paste nonoptimally.

You should be fine but you may want to consider reapplying if you notice strange crashes or other issues due to heat.

 

You should be fine but you may want to consider reapplying if you notice strange crashes or other issues due to heat.

Yeah, I also went back to the Micro Center I bought the parts at and talked to some people there. They said worst case I would have to reapply paste 2-3 years down the line due to oils from my finger degrading the paste (because I had no idea what I was doing and didn't use a plastic bag or anything), but there shouldn't be any real differences in performance. I guess this can be closed now as I finished building the PC. Thanks to everyone who provided input

 

[Austintheman]

The pcpart you linked (and i assume you purchased) isn't very 'balanced' for gaming.

You don't need an i7 to game and you don't need the 4gb version of a 960. Should have downgraded to an i5 and went with a 390/970 instead. Also could have ditched the CX power supply, it should be ok but those aren't really meant to be placed in high end builds.

anyways have fun, it's not bad it just could have been improved.

 

The pcpart you linked (and i assume you purchased) isn't very 'balanced' for gaming.

You don't need an i7 to game and you don't need the 4gb version of a 960. Should have downgraded to an i5 and went with a 390/970 instead. Also could have ditched the CX power supply, it should be ok but those aren't really meant to be placed in high end builds.

anyways have fun, it's not bad it just could have been improved.

Yeah I really don't know anything about parts or what's good so one of the employees there helped me a bit in choosing ones for a better overall build when I brought the partlist with me (or he could have just been trying to upsell me, who knows). I'll update with the actual partlist I ended up buying in a bit, I did upgrade to a 970 though.

EDIT: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/L9W6wP