Just looking for some build Ideas for a new rig that I plan to build this summer.
I want to go Intel and Nvidia, and I only plan to do 1080p gaming.
Any builds or recommendations are appreciated, thanks!
Maximum performance:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3zWmh
Balanced build:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3zWqe
Includes an SSD and a slightly better motherboard
Both builds use a reference GPU cooler, as the blower fan will dump heat out the rear of the chassis.
You can save money by purchasing a lower quality case, such as the Cooler Master Elite 120. That will enable you to squeeze in further considerations.
Berserker has provided you with 2 really good builds here. Personally, I'd vouch for the maximum performance configuration. You can easily add an SSD later and it would be the better long term solution that should last you for the next few years before you have to think about upgrading (except for the SSD whenever you get the money). I don't have experience with MSI mobos, but I'd say that the motherboard is not the highest concern in your case since you won't be overclocking to the max anyway.
I have to agree with you here. I built a $1000 build about a year and a half ago with an i5 3570k, HD 7950, and no SSD. And yeah, boot times and load times in game are far from the greatest (especially since I have a caviar green lol), but i'm able to get better performance in games; I've never felt the need to upgrade my graphics card or CPU..
As I recommend for every Intel gaming build for around this budget, forget the K CPUs and the Z87 motherboards, go for the i5-4570 instead with a good H87 board and more than adequate stock cooler (whcih can always be changed later). Save yourself a large chunk of cash for other/better more important components that will get you more performance per dollar than you could get otherwise.
The result: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3A1mN
Nearly the exact same CPU performance, 128GB SSD + 1TB HDD, and a 4GB GTX 770.
Overclocking can easily expand the lifespan of your CPU by 1 or 2 years. The SSD, while it is an awesome convenience, isn't necessary and can easily be added afterwards. Also, the 4GB gtx 770 is absolutely useless in this case and is not an upgrade, at all. VRAM bottlenecks on a single GPU setup do not happen as long as you play your games at normal fps, period. And the OP won't go SLI in a mini-itx case (obviously). The 4670k with the low profile noctua cooler is better balanced, more quiet, cooler and the better long term solution. If you were able to somehow squeeze in a 780 into the budget of the OP by using the i5 4570 it would be a viable choice, but not with the build you posted.
On Haswell, OCing doesn't go as far as it did with Ivy and even lesser so than Sandy. I looked into this when building my ITX gaming rig near the end of last year and the gains in gaming from OCing the 4670K were nothing to shake a stick at and certainly would not extend the life of the system by 2 years just from OCing. With Sandy, yeah it was possible, but not so much with Haswell.
Thus, instead of gaining a few fps in some games by spending $60+ on a K CPU, Z87 board and aftermarket cooler, I'd rather gain 20+fps by spending that money on a better GPU, or take the minor fps hit and have a much snappier system by including an SSD.
I tried including a GTX 780 with my build and it would be possible but only by going a little over the budget and removing the SSD. So I agree with you there, that does makes it even more worth it (dropping the OCing). Here's that build for reference: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3A1kP
As for the GPU, for 1080p gaming, I agree 2GB is enough - for now. The reason I suggested the 4GB card is because it opens the door for the user to upgrade to higher resolution display(s) in the future. The 4GB card wasn't much more expensive and leaves room for more potential down the road. Isn't longevity something we're trying to strive for here? IMO if the cost difference isn't significant, then it's worth it to have that extra headroom available.
Also, speaking of noise, the fans on most GPUs are typically quite a bit louder than the stock Intel CPU cooler, especially when running a demanding game. When not running or doing anything demanding, the fans (including the CPU fan) idle down anyways.
In my Node 304 I can barely hear anything at system idle. The 3 fans on the Gigabyte windforce 7950 still drown out the almost silent Intel cooler at idle (and they're pretty quiet at idle to begin with). The stock Intel cooler really isn't that loud IMO.
I would agree that 4670 (non-K) and a H87 would be suitable for gaming. However, most motherboard chipsets below the Z series do not have appropriate heatsinks. I just think that's a basic consideration when it comes to longevity. Too often I hear of motherboards being fried because of not having adequate cooling.
If you think it is worth the risk, you could almost certainly get an R9 290(non-x) in the build.
Skyrim with some high res texture mods would be an exception. There are always exceptions. Probably not worth building a system around one game though unless it's your favorite game of all time. Personally I'd just go for a 780 since it is obviously a better card and the 770 has some driver issues. Minor issues but still... issues.
Haswell parts are far from being power-hungry like the AMD FX CPUs. Running a non-k part, as long as the case airflow is decent, there shouldn't ever be an issue with it.
There are countless motherboards out there without VRM heatsinks that have been running and will run non-stop for years on end. I'm not saying to buy the cheapest motherboard available, but if you're not overclocking, the heatsinks are not necessary. There is no "risk".