Like the title states, I made a post in r/buildapc. If you would like to check that out, here's the link: http://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/2oy5t2/build_help_which_budget_options_are_worth_getting/
After further consideration, I've checked out a few other builds with similar price points ($1500-1800) and came up with this build: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/EdRadley/saved/4KVbt6
I would like to start collecting parts for the build soon, so any suggestions are much appreciated. I'm pretty much sold on getting the 4790K at this point because my brother will be able to visit a Micro Center to get me the ~$250 deal, but anything else that I may have overlooked will be what I'm really looking for.
I kind of explain that in the reddit post. I'd hopefully be streaming with OBS, playing at least one game, the most demanding afaik would be League of Legends, and other programs that complement the forementioned ones. Teamspeak/Vent, Google Chrome, and maybe Steam would the the usual suspects. I guess an easier question for you to answer for me would be is there a way to build a pc that can handle all of that without breaking the bank as much? I also left out a monitor on the listed build but I would like to get a new one since mine is from 2008 and I would like to dual monitor. I don't have experience overclocking or assembling a pc, so this will be a new adventure for me but I'm sure I can figure out most of the things I would need to do as I go.
Well, personally, I don't think that you would need the aftermarket cooler all that much considering the use that you mentioned. It would make the computer a bit quieter, but you could always add it after the fact if you need more than what stock gives you (I doubt you will with a 4790k).
Anyway, main thing is that I don't like wifi adapters like that. I prefer wifi cards. On top of that, I like the options that come with the Extreme6 (namely the 4x m.2 port and the plethora of sata ports), so the Extreme6 ac would be the mobo that I suggest. That is up to you though. Everything else looks good for the most part. You could grab an R5 instead of an R4, but either should be fine. Personally, I use a lot of storage, so getting a 3tb hdd for files instead of a 1tb would make sense for me, but again, depends on you. This build looks solid.
What do you do with the ports you mentioned? As far as I know all I would be putting inside the computer would be the parts listed and I don't plan on plugging anything besides usb drives into the computer. For the wifi, are you saying you don't like the antenna? I think they're a pain, so if there's an option that could go inside I would like to know about it.
I would go with Windows 8.1 as well. It's a faster OS. As for that CPU. The i7 might be faster, but this saves a few and is nearly the exact same speed. It will be faster when streaming compared to the i5 as well.
Op´s original build looks good to me, i would personaly only change the ram to low profile ones.
4790K is a great option if you do gaming and live streaming, or if you do some video rendering.
i5-4690K will be also totaly fine gaming, however if you can afford a 4790K without compromising on other parts, then by all means go for it! Especialy the $250,- deal. i would go straight for that, and not even look back to an i5.
My reason for not wanting 8.1 has to do with my familiarity with 7 and my problems using my friend's laptop that uses 8. I really like the start menu and would go with 10 if it was already out.
For the monitor, what options are there for dual systems for around the same budget? Also, would getting two R9 270x GPUs work better than a single GTX 970?
The 4790K is better if you plan to OC, but it is a lot more expensive than the Xeon. The Xeon will be a lot faster than the i5 when streaming or doing any productivity. So, I say the Xeon would be nice and then use the extra money to get a faster GPU.
http://startisback.com/ will fix your issues. Windows 8.1 will feel almost just like Windows 7, and it will be faster in games (several fps in many).
If you plan to stream do NOT use AMD cards in Crossfire. I say this because many stream in windowed mode and Crossfire doesn't even work in windowed mode. You should get the fastest single GPU that you can afford. I think one GTX 970 now will do fine. You can always add another after the fact and they will work in SLI when in windowed mode.
i definitely agree with the Xeon over the i5 for productivity and streaming. On the i5 you still can do streaming with Q-sync, however this does offcourse not work as well, as if you have an 8 threaded cpu like the Xeon of the the i7.
THe reason why i recommended the i7, is because "op" stated that his brother could bring one down from MicroCenter brand new for just $250,- and i think thats realy a steal. The Xeon 1231V3 is arround the same price, and the 4690K is just a few bucks cheaper then that.
With the 4790K you still have the overclock option if you ever tempt to play arround with it. But also the 4790K has a turbo clock at 4.4GHz stock out of the box. So you basicly dont have to overclock this chip.
If i look at the budget, there is basicly still room left for going with a better gpu.
My experience with Quick sync was pretty good. There wasn't a whole lot of documentation on setting up, but once it was setup I noticed basically zero performance hit. Image probably isn't as good as something like Shadowplay, h.264, or GameDVR, but it's pretty dang impressive.
I no longer use it though because Photoshop doesn't like having multiple GPUs active in one system at the same time.