I am looking to build a new rig in late October (Australia) I need to replace my old gaming laptop which just isn't really able to keep up any more.
I was thinking of something along the lines of this, I just wanted to get opinions as to whether any parts seem out of place (either too good or bad in relation to the rest of the build)
The thing I am most unsure about is the ram, it is not significantly more expensive to get 2400 ram so I figured I might as well throw it in there, but it is 1.65V ram and I PCpartpicker says it's a potential issue. I don't mind overclocking, but I am not very experienced.
Why are you getting 16gb of ram in the first place? If you aren't doing anything else besides gaming, you can drop it to 8 gb. Put the saved money somewhere else, maybe a better psu?
This is what I put together for just about the same money:
http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/1BK5T
Changes and reasons:
CPU: I7-4770 (non-k) - This gives you 8 threads for more future proofing. Next year and the years after there will be lots of 8 thread games because the new consoles use 8 threads. 4 core/thread processors will be at a disadvantage. I bought the i5-3570k, but I wish I had gotten the 8350 looking back, but for your budget, the i7 is reachable.
Cooler: (non) - the selected processor isnt an overclocker, but it really is fast enough for any game. So a cooler is not needed.
RAM: I opted for the lower timings ram. lower CAS is more important than increased frequency. this is 1866 with 8 cas latency instead of the 10 or 11 yours had.
Motherboard: Asrock z87 extreme3: Chose this since you only wanted a single graphics card. It is a quality board but doesnt have all the features of the more expensive boards, but it does have the important ones.
HDD: I chose 2 HDD's instead of 1 because if that one drive dies, then you lose everything. Having two drives allows you to backup your data, and use the drives for difference purposes. Like one drive for games, and one drive for work, and the SSD for windows and games you want to load faster. Dividing tasks makes teh drives last longer and you can backup important files to multiple locations so you never lose them.
Case: I just like this case better. It's quiet and very functional.
If you wanted to spend more money, I would say get the K processor, a cooler, and a upgrading the motherboard if you want a high overclock.
If you stick with the GTX 770 not sure you need the 4GB unless you plan on SLI in the future even at 1440p on a single screen I think 2GB would be fine.
2gb vram will be obsolete late next year if you want to turn up all the features on games. HD textures and more advanced lighting effects are coming. If you plan on keeping a card for a few years, then you will want more than 2gb vram. If you like to upgrade every year or 2 years maximum, then 2gb vram is just fine.
I also think a 8350 is a better option over the i5, but if you got the money, then why not get an i7. Having 8 threads will become important for gaming in about a year from now. The games being developed for the new consoles will be running 8 threads, and more and more PC games will take advantage of 8 threads also.
I have an i5 3570k right now, but I wish I had gotten the 8350. The i7 was out of my budget at the time. I will probably upgrade to the 3770k some time next year when more 8 thread games come out.
I like the look of that, I think barring any unforseen circumstances I'll probably build it based on this link, clearly I should have put more thought into AMD, thank you very much for the advice.
The motherboard on that build has no internal usb3.0 which means the front usb3 on your case will be useless. Go with an asrock 990 extreme3. It is a much better board. Newer features and internal USB3 AND more USB slots on the back.
Also, if you re going to crossfire 7950's then you might as well get a gtx 780. It is still within budget. crossfire has framerating and microstuttering issues and not all games will use crossfire. A single more powerful card is always better than crossfire/sli if you can afford it. (I am not saying crossfire is evil, but you simply never have those problems with a single card.
Anyway, here is a modified build. Even if you dont want the gtx 780, get the asrock board.
http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/1CAcx
** I put in a fractal design define r4 case.. it saves money and the case is amazing. you dont need a full tower case, even with sli. The define r4 will do both. Just choose which you like the look of best.. I prefer quiet performance.