Puxorb's First Desktop PC

[puxorb]

A few months ago, my computer's GPU decided to kill itself. Unfortunately, it was a laptop with mostly soldered-on parts, so nothing was salvagable aside from some SSDs, and what was even MORE unfortunate was that it was only weeks after warranty expired.

Although I can still play some games like TF2 and Garry's Mod, my other games are simply too demanding to be run on an integrated gpu without massive lag. (Some games, not at all.)

A few months ago theharribokid made This Post and it received a lot of positive feedback. I figure that since this is a community of mostly gamers and content creators, that this would be the best place to ask for advice for a PC that is good for both of those things.

Here are some suggested parts from around the internet:

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master GeminII M4 58.4 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($33.60 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Taking Suggestions!
Memory: Corsair 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($0-Salvaged from my old computer)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB DirectCU II Video Card ($229.99 @ MIcro Center)
Case: Corsair 250D Mini ITX Tower Case ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Keyboard: Cooler Master Storm QuickFire Rapid Wired Gaming Keyboard ($76.19 @ NCIX US )
Monitor: Taking Suggestions!

Total: $879.71 with mail-in rebates.
I am trying to keep this all below $1000, (with/without monitor) so some things might need to be changed.

If you have any suggestions/advice, anything would be appreciated.
I am only slightly sure of what I am doing...

 

[Freyja]

Is there a particular reason you want to go with a mini-itx?

If you can spare the little bit of extra cash, getting a closed-liquid CPU cooler like the H100i (which should fit in your case if PCPartPicker is correct) would be probaby better. EDIT: I have been told otherwise by far more knowledgeable people. Please ignore.

Something like this is probably your best bet for motherboard.

Monitors really depend on what size/resolution you're aiming for too.

 

[puxorb]

Yeah, Mini ITX is the best for me since I attend some lan parties and I have a couple friends that live 5 minutes from my house. It's easy to just pack up a laptop and drive over to hang out, but moving a desktop is quite hard. Mini ITX will be good for me because it will be much easier to move my computer from my desk to my floor, or even my desk downstairs. Its just great overall for what I need it for.

As for the H100i, I was seriously looking into it. I have seen at least 3 PC builds with it, and it does certainly fit. Also, thanks for the motherboard recommendation, I am absolutely clueless when it comes to that part of a computer.

 

[InstantMuffin]

[...]If you can spare the little bit of extra cash, getting a closed-liquid CPU cooler like the H100i (which should fit in your case if PCPartPicker is correct) would be infinitely better.[...]

Those are actually a waste of money. And in most cases the pump is loud.
PSU can be a tad smaller as well.

 

[DonutVikingChap]

Those are really nice choices, actually! I think you got a great balance between price & performance. The only things I would change are:

1. The CPU: Why the old i5-4570? If you just want to save money by not going with the i5-4690K, you should probably get the new i5-4590 or the cheaper i5-4460 for better compatibily with new motherboards and because it's newer. And also, if you go for a non-K, you absolutely don't need a H100i as even the smallest air coolers will be enough to cool it non-overclocked.

2. The Case: The 250D is a really nice M-ITX case, but the Fractal Design Node 304 is a bit smaller and has a different inside layout that is sure to support that big graphics card and also supports normal-sized tower coolers, which leads me to...

3. The CPU Cooler: If you get the Node 304, you can get the extremely popular 212 EVO which is cheap and performs really well, or the Silverstone AR01 which is basically the same thing except it's a bit louder, performs a bit better and has better mounting. You can't put an H100i in the Node 304, but you wouldn't need to either since it's extremely overkill for something that's not an overclocked i7, a very overclocked i5 or a high-end AMD processor, even in such a tight case. (I personally have an H100 for my 3770K and it's running at lowest speed.)

4. The RAM: Why the Corsair "ValueSelect" crap? Corsair Vengeance is a more solid choise.


As for motherboard & monitor recommendations:

Motherboard: Assuming you go for a Haswell Refresh CPU you should obviously go for a H97 or Z97 motherboard to go along with it, depending on whether you go for a non-K or a K, respectively. There aren't a lot of good cheap choises for M-ITX, but one good choice for Z97 would be the ASUS Z97-I PLUS. It's not super cheap but it's really well balanced in terms of features, and for H97 a good choise would be the ASRock H97M-ITX/AC which also has built-in Wi-Fi (Not super good, but it could definitely come in handy if you're going to lan parties).

Monitor: This is definitely the most difficult choice as it depends a lot on your preferences. In my opinion, the absolute best gaming experience is achieved with a nice low-response-time 144Hz monitor like the BenQ XL2411Z.

I have two monitors, an XL2411T (Old version of the XL2411Z that is basically the same) and an Ezio Foris FS2331. The XL2411T is a 144Hz TN-panel while the FS2331 is a 60Hz VA-panel. (Both are 1920 x 1080.) The FS2331 has slightly better color reproduction and much better viewing angles thanks to it being VA, but the XL2411T is still infinitely nicer to play games on since motion feels much smoother and responsive and it's easier to see things happening while the screen is moving thanks to low response times (= no motion blur). The biggest downside in my opinion is simply the price since it's almost twice as expensive.

Basically, there are three types of monitors I can recommend:

1. A cheap, standard 60Hz TN-panel monitor with no frills

2. A nice 60Hz IPS-panel monitor with great viewing angles and color reproduction

3. A nice 144Hz TN-panel monitor with much smoother motion and low input lag

As for resolution, i think 1920 x 1080 is really all you really need. Don't go lower, though.


Then there's also the whole deal of having two (or more) monitors to think about - which is really awesome to have in my opinion (and most people's opinions here, as you'll probably hear), especially from a productivity standpoint when you're making maps.

It makes it way easier to multitask and lets you have more windows on screen at the same time, and you can also use it while you're gaming to have some windows on the second monitor while playing on your primary monitor, like Skype or a steam chat! And obviously if you have three, you can go nuts and use Nvidia Surround.

But since you're trying to stick to 1000 dollars, two monitors is probably way out of your price range. So here's my full price list recommendation for you as it currently stands:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($184.99 @ NCIX US) (Because it's nice and cheap and you don't need to think about overclocking)
CPU Cooler: Silverstone AR01 81.4 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg) (Because it has really solid mounting that might be good when you're moving the case)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($88.98 @ Newegg) (Because it's cheaper than the ASUS H97 counterpart and has Wi-Fi)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($84.72 @ Amazon) (Because it's cheap & reliable and I don't think the heatsink will interfere with the AR01)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB DirectCU II Video Card ($229.99 @ Micro Center)
Case: Fractal Design Node 304 (White) Mini ITX Tower Case ($83.70 @ Mwave) (Because it supports bigger air coolers and is more compact than the 250D)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($47.99 @ Micro Center) (Because it's a bit cheaper than the modular version and the modularity doesn't help a lot in the Node 304)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: BenQ XL2411Z 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($239.35 @ TigerDirect) (This is all up to you)
Keyboard: Cooler Master Storm QuickFire Rapid Wired Gaming Keyboard ($76.19 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1205.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-22 09:43 EDT-0400

This list a bit more than 1000 dollars with the monitor, but I hope all this helps as a guideline! Good luck with your build!

 

[Freyja]

Thanks Donut, I actually learned a lot too. I've been trying to build my own and not very good at scaling stuff down to Puxorb's budget apparently. I'll have to get you to look over my build too

 

[Ravidge]

www.logicalincrements.com/ is a pretty good resource for these kinds of things, at least to get a starting point for your build around a expected price (it even has different regions/countries).
I think it updates at least once a month or so.

 

[puxorb]

Like I said, kinda a noob at this

But thank you for the suggestions, and Donut, I will be looking into all of those things.

Also, the other day I had the opportunity to use an ultrawide IPS monitor, and OH MAN, if it wasn't $500 I would certainly pick it up.

Edit: Oh man, that Fractal Case is absolutely Gorgeous. I will definitely consider it.

 

[puxorb]

So I am posting this as an update:

I am going to go with the list that DonutVikingChap has picked out simply because I cannot find anything that was a better deal. (THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU) Speaking of better deals, since he has showed me these components a few of them have actually gone on sale, saving me another $20-$30.

So thank you to all that helped!



Now the only thing that remains is the monitor.

After checking out some monitors from my friends, I love how clean and crisp a nice IPS monitor looks....but I also love the high refresh rate of a 120Hz monitor. (so smooth :O) So as you can probably imagine, this is quite hard for me to decide.

Another option that I really liked was a 21:9 2560x1080p ultrawide IPS monitor. This offers a very nice widescreen cinematic experience and gives a ton of room for editing programs. Since I simply do not have enough room for 2 monitors on my desk at the moment, this seems like the best choice. The only downside is that the cheapest one with the best reviews is around $370, which brings my budget up to $1350. Does this seem like a good choice to anyone?

 

[DonutVikingChap]

So I am posting this as an update:

I am going to go with the list that DonutVikingChap has picked out simply because I cannot find anything that was a better deal. (THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU) Speaking of better deals, since he has showed me these components a few of them have actually gone on sale, saving me another $20-$30.

So thank you to all that helped!



Now the only thing that remains is the monitor.

After checking out some monitors from my friends, I love how clean and crisp a nice IPS monitor looks....but I also love the high refresh rate of a 120Hz monitor. (so smooth :O) So as you can probably imagine, this is quite hard for me to decide.

Another option that I really liked was a 21:9 2560x1080p ultrawide IPS monitor. This offers a very nice widescreen cinematic experience and gives a ton of room for editing programs. Since I simply do not have enough room for 2 monitors on my desk at the moment, this seems like the best choice. The only downside is that the cheapest one with the best reviews is around $370, which brings my budget up to $1350. Does this seem like a good choice to anyone?

Well, I saw LinusTechTips do a review of an ultrawide IPS monitor ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnrxNfxRK_4 ) which he absolutely loves and endorses the heck out of, but that monitor has a resolution of 3440 x 1440 rather than 2560 x 1080, which is a huge difference, and it also costs more than your entire computer ($1399!!)

So, what monitor are you looking at exactly? I'd imagine one of the things that makes the monitor he reviewed so great is the massive resolution and being able to have so much stuff on screen at the same time, and I'm not sure it'd exactly be the same effect when the monitor is still only as tall resolution-wise as a standard 16:9 1080p monitor. I'm not sure though, and it might still be a good compromise for achieving a double-monitor-like experience with only one.

 

[puxorb]

The 34um95 was actually the very first ultrawide monitor I had seen. (the 3440x1440p one) It was way too expensive though, so I just didn't consider it. The ultrawide monitor I saw in person was either an LG or AOC ultrawide 29" but I can't remember which one it was.

Both models have a 5ms response time so they are actually pretty good for gaming, even high action gaming like first person shooters. The only problem is that the LG one is $500 and the AOC one is around $350. I am thinking of waiting a few more paychecks and getting one though, because of how amazing it actually looks. There is another model that is only $250 but it has a 14ms response time which is a bit too long for my taste.

 

[DonutVikingChap]

The 34um95 was actually the very first ultrawide monitor I had seen. (the 3440x1440p one) It was way too expensive though, so I just didn't consider it. The ultrawide monitor I saw in person was either an LG or AOC ultrawide 29" but I can't remember which one it was.

Both models have a 5ms response time so they are actually pretty good for gaming, even high action gaming like first person shooters. The only problem is that the LG one is $500 and the AOC one is around $350. I am thinking of waiting a few more paychecks and getting one though, because of how amazing it actually looks. There is another model that is only $250 but it has a 14ms response time which is a bit too long for my taste.

Yeah, you should definitely not get a monitor with anything higher than 5ms response time in this day & age in my opinion, even if you're not gaming.

Most "gaming" monitors (144Hz and such) are usually 2ms or 1ms GtG response times and also have other features that are only made to reduce motion blur, and even then a lot of CRT enthusiasts still think it's crazy how people use monitors with even the slightest hint of motion blur, so having something as high as 14ms seems absolutely ridiculous by comparison.

5 milliseconds is absolutely okay though, especially if gaming isn't your main focus, so if you really liked the 21:9 experience you could definitely go for it.

Personally, If I were you I would've bought an XL2411Z any day of the week at that price tag, but that's mostly because I'm very into having the best possible stuff for competitive gaming. So if you don't care too much for that, the 21:9 option could be a great balance between productivity and a cool gaming experience (although not as smooth).

I'm not sure which 21:9 monitor is the best choice, though. LG is usually a more reputable brand than AOC, but some of AOC's stuff is really great value without any noticeable compromises, so you'll have to do some research on that.

Good luck anyway and I hope you find a monitor that suits you!

EDIT: I just looked at a bunch of reviews of the AOC monitor and it seems pretty good! If you can get it for as cheap as PCPartPicker lists it, it's probably a really good value compared to the LG model!

EDIT 2: Btw, I forgot to mention that your games will run slightly slower on the 21:9 monitor since it's a higher resolution than standard 1920 x 1080, so if you end up getting slightly lower framerates than others with similar hardware, that'll probably the reason. (With that computer you'd probably only notice it in extremely demanding games like BF4 though.)

 

[puxorb]

Yep, I have factored all of this in when I was considering it. In fact its the whole reason I went with the gtx 760 over the 750ti even though its $100 more. The 760 does way better then even a 670 at larger resolutions so if I ever wanted a 2560x1080 or 2560x1440 monitor I would have some actual power behind it.

Also I read somewhere that response time at around 5-10ms on a 60Hz monitor is only around 1 frame, which is not bad at all. And I am not into competitive gaming at all so this monitor should suit me pretty well.

 

[Freyja]

From what I've researched into looking at my own 1440p monitors (3x), I understand that you'd actually need a really hefty card, or even 2 just to run games at max at a decent FPS, so I'm not sure based on that that your rig could handle a 21:9 1440 monitor. I'm probably wrong, but I'd expect you'd probably want some more power behind it, and sticking with 1080 would be smarter (and a lot cheaper).

 

[DonutVikingChap]

From what I've researched into looking at my own 1440p monitors (3x), I understand that you'd actually need a really hefty card, or even 2 just to run games at max at a decent FPS, so I'm not sure based on that that your rig could handle a 21:9 1440 monitor. I'm probably wrong, but I'd expect you'd probably want some more power behind it, and sticking with 1080 would be smarter (and a lot cheaper).

Yeah, he was considering a 21:9 1080p monitor, not 1440p as that model costs $1399.

Yep, I have factored all of this in when I was considering it. In fact its the whole reason I went with the gtx 760 over the 750ti even though its $100 more. The 760 does way better then even a 670 at larger resolutions so if I ever wanted a 2560x1080 or 2560x1440 monitor I would have some actual power behind it.

Also I read somewhere that response time at around 5-10ms on a 60Hz monitor is only around 1 frame, which is not bad at all. And I am not into competitive gaming at all so this monitor should suit me pretty well.

I think you're mixing up response time and input lag, which are two completely different things. 5-10ms response time results in noticeable motion blur (ghosting) in motion, while 5-10ms input lag is the delay between the monitor receiving information and it displaying it on-screen. 10ms for input lag is great and very low, while 10ms for response time is very long and bad.

Also, the GTX 670 is actually more powerful than the GTX 760, it's just older (600-series). The 760 is even the same exact GPU (GK104) as the 670, except slightly tweaked. It shouldn't perform better than the 670 in higher resolutions since it has the same amount of VRAM (2GB), so I don't know where you're getting that from? It is indeed a lot better than the 750ti though.

 

[puxorb]

UPDATE:

I got my new monitor today!

Not only is this thing a total beast for gaming:

But also web browsing:

And here is what hammer looks like:

Its so gorgeous! Still waiting for my computer parts though. Should be about 1-2 weeks for everything else. (I derped out and got the wrong motherboard )

 

[YM]

Dude... use independant window layouts.

 

[puxorb]

Thanks, will do.

 

[DonutVikingChap]

UPDATE:

I got my new monitor today!

Not only is this thing a total beast for gaming:
<pic>

But also web browsing:
<pic>

And here is what hammer looks like:
<pic>

Its so gorgeous! Still waiting for my computer parts though. Should be about 1-2 weeks for everything else. (I derped out and got the wrong motherboard )

Awesome! Which model did you get?

 

[puxorb]

Awesome! Which model did you get?

LG 29um65, it was on sale, about $120 off the original price and brand new.

Also, for YM: