Gaming PC 2014 $2000

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1

Disclaimer, dealing with a novice....

Looking for some help with building my first PC build. Although the primary use for this PC will be gaming, I also would like it to be a decent workstation. I'm not quite comfortable with overclocking yet so I am trying to avoid it in this build. Being that this is my first build I am open to any and all constructive criticism. 

Current Build

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor

Heatsink: (Still choosing)

Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Gene Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard 

RAM: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 780 ti 3GB

Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case

Power Supply: Corsair RM 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular

OS: Windows 8.1 64 bit

Although I have allowed myself a $2000 budget, cheaper is always better. Thanks for the help!

 

 

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Do you have external storage options? because you might want to either get a 2TB HDD for storage or a 2nd 1TB drive, it might seem like you will never fill it but a year from now you will likely fill that single HDD. Especially with newer games taking up more space.

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If you don't plan on overclocking at all, I'd recommend getting a Xeon E3-1230v3 and a Asus Gryphon board. And 16GB of memory is not needed for gaming, 8GB will do just fine.

4

No I don't sadly. What 2TB HDD would you recommend?

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Would 8GB be enough in workstation applications?
 

6

Depends on the application, if you are going to be work with CAD or video/image editing then you would want 16GB, if your not going to be doing any of that then 8GB will be perfect.

7

Yeah, but he wants a workstation too. So depending on the application, He may benefit from it. I know I would up doing better with 16 gigs due to Serato liking to analyze FLAC's BEFORE they can be played live. also helps in video creation. However, Kiaxa is right with the xeon, you may be able to even get a slightly higher performing xeon without the added cost of the I7's iGPU.  If you do not want to overclock, an I7 is wasted money.

EDIT: I think we all posted at once

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Could you guys recommend a specific board for the xeon?

 

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I would get at least a 128GB SSD for Windows, and to install a couple of programs on. It will almost fast as light. Some choices:

1.http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-HyperX-2-5-Inch-SH103S3-120G/dp/B007R67FNA/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1397320651&sr=8-12&keywords=128GB+ssd

2. http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Electronics-MZ-7PD128BW-Series-2-5-Inch/dp/B009NB8WR0/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1397320651&sr=8-7&keywords=128GB+ssd

3. http://www.amazon.com/ADATA-Premier-2-5-Inch-Internal-ASP900S3-128GM-C/dp/B007RHT48S/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1397320651&sr=8-10&keywords=128GB+ssd

And keep the 16GB of RAM. It will keep you happy when you have to do a lot of multitasking and productivity. And don't get the Xeons, either. Since you said you would be gaming, Xeons, for some reasons, aren't good with games. 2 TB HDD:

1.http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Barracuda-3-5-Inch-Internal-ST2000DM001/dp/B005T3GRN2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397320851&sr=8-1&keywords=2TB+HDD

2.http://www.amazon.com/WD-Green-Desktop-Hard-Drive/dp/B008YAHW6I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1397320862&sr=8-2&keywords=2TB+HDD

The Seagate has a huge sale going on right now, but only have a couple in stock.

 And did you intend to geta Mini ITX board? Here's a standard to fit inside the mid-tower case, which is my case:

1.http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130693

And since this is your first build, here are some videos:

1.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4Js2A1qdB8 From Tek Syndicate

2.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMRvz_IYSgM From LinusTechTips

And now, for the heatsink. A good heatsink is supposed to have some weight to it, but not weigh a ton.

For extreme cooling:

1.http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018

For standard cooling:

1.http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835288003

And please stay away from Cooler Master fans. They are VERY loiud; I can hear mine right now like it;s right next to me.

And if you want to get into water cooling:

1.http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181010 Corsair kit

2.http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106220 Thermaltake kit

Both are good kits, but I would recommend Corsair. Much of my products are Corsair, and have had NO problems whatsoever. I did have to RMA a headset, and they had the best customer support I have ever dealt with.

And so ends my longest and most in depth reply.

 

10

Any board will work with a Xeon just fine

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A Xeon 1230v3 is the same as an i7 4770 but it doesn't have an iGPU and its cheaper. A Xeon will be perfectly fine for gaming

12

And for the graphics card, get the one with the EVGA ACX Cooler. It will be quiet AND keep things cold.

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Thanks for all the help, I really appreciate it. I will take the items into consideration.