BF4 Gaming hardware upgrade OK?

[Altered]

OK I haven't kept up with all the new stuff but a friend is asking for help. He is not "into" OCing but he may play a little later. This is pretty much strictly for gaming, BF4 for starters. Budget is max $1600.00 After a few corrections where I knew it wouldn't be a great build he sent me this.

$194.99 ASUS MAXIMUS VI HERO LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

$339.99 Intel Core i7-4770K Haswell 3.5GHz LGA 1150 84W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80646I74770K

$649.99 GIGABYTE GV-N780OC-3GD REV2.0 GeForce GTX 780 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP Ready WindForce 3X 450W Video Card

$154.99 G.SKILL Sniper Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2400 (PC3 19200) Desktop Memory Model F3-2400C11D-16GSR

$099.99 Rosewill Xtreme Series RX850-S-B 850W Continuous @40°C ,80 PLUS Certified

$109.99 Microsoft Windows 8 Upgrade
$1,558.93

So what do you think? If you don't like it show me what you would do with $1600.00, for these parts above only, to have the best gaming setup.
Like I said I am not up on the latest stuff but would like to hear things like.
I would get this video card over that one because faster, more effective cooler, less power, better fans, etc etc
or
This is a better CPU for the slight $ difference it is faster, OCs way higher, much more efficient, etc etc

Now I was never a fan of Rosewill and I haven't really heard many that like Windows 8 so those two I feel are areas I wasn't liking to well. But I never used Windows 8 or much Rosewill products.

Personally I like Win 7 and something like a PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk II 950W $129.99

Lets hear constructive criticism so he can get a good quality no hickup build.

Thanks

 

[erocker]

Looks pretty darn good to me. That Rosewill PSU is fine.

I wouldn't change a thing.

 

[Altered]

Looks pretty darn good to me. That Rosewill PSU is fine.

I wouldn't change a thing.

Thanks

Thats what I wanted to hear but was not wanting to say it without a little bit more experience backing me up.

 

[Mindweaver]

Yea, I agree with erocker.

 

[Altered]

Yea, I agree with erocker.

Good deal. Im feeling better about it. When you dont know, being out of the game, things change quick so I was concerned.

Thanks

 

[Frick]

Wouldn't the R9 290X be faster than the 780? It comes out like this week.

 

[Xzibit]

Since BF4 will deploy Mantle. I would wait as long as I can to see the announcements from both sides.

If you need it now I would also consider saving over $300 and going for a OC R9 280X if you cant wait for price drops or R9 290/X.

 

[PopcornMachine]

Not a fan of Rosewill either, but if these guys say it's OK it's OK.

850W is probably the most will ever need also, even if you eventually double up on the GPU.

Not a big fan of Haswell, but you mobo choice is great. I think I have the cheapest ROG motherborad ever man in the Gene-Z. Nice to have a solid stable board.

Only other comment is you have no storage listed. If you want an SSD, get at least a 250GB.

 

[Altered]

Wouldn't the R9 290X be faster than the 780? It comes out like this week.

Im not sure myself.

Since BF4 will deploy Mantle. I would wait as long as I can to see the announcements from both sides.

If you need it now I would also consider saving over $300 and going for a OC R9 280X if you cant wait for price drops or R9 290/X.

I agree if it were my choice I would wait on the new cards. But this is for a friend and he wanted it last week.

Not a fan of Rosewill either, but if these guys say it's OK it's OK.

850W is probably the most will ever need also, even if you eventually double up on the GPU.

Not a big fan of Haswell, but you mobo choice is great. I think I have the cheapest ROG motherborad ever man in the Gene-Z. Nice to have a solid stable board.

Only other comment is you have no storage listed. If you want an SSD, get at least a 250GB.

Yeah that was my thinking on the PSU. But that is why I asked here about it. And I like you trust these guys after seeing what they have done for years. I know 850W was a little much but for the difference in price I figure hell he can add what ever he wants and I wont be getting a call.


Solid stable board is awesome and I hope that is how his works out.

Thanks for all the info and responses.

 

[m1ch]

great build overall (just I'm not Rosewill fan). however, BF4 launches in 2 weeks which may be long enough to wait for R9 290X and see if it's worth it

 

[Dent1]

OK I haven't kept up with all the new stuff but a friend is asking for help. He is not "into" OCing but he may play a little later. This is pretty much strictly for gaming, BF4 for starters. Budget is max $1600.00 After a few corrections where I knew it wouldn't be a great build he sent me this.



So what do you think? If you don't like it show me what you would do with $1600.00, for these parts above only, to have the best gaming setup.
Like I said I am not up on the latest stuff but would like to hear things like.
I would get this video card over that one because faster, more effective cooler, less power, better fans, etc etc
or
This is a better CPU for the slight $ difference it is faster, OCs way higher, much more efficient, etc etc

Now I was never a fan of Rosewill and I haven't really heard many that like Windows 8 so those two I feel are areas I wasn't liking to well. But I never used Windows 8 or much Rosewill products.

Personally I like Win 7 and something like a PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk II 950W $129.99

Lets hear constructive criticism so he can get a good quality no hickup build.

Thanks

I think your current rig is more than OK. Seems like a pointless upgrade for 1 game.

Maybe change the video card and you're good to go. No need for an entire build.

 

[Altered]

great build overall (just I'm not Rosewill fan). however, BF4 launches in 2 weeks which may be long enough to wait for R9 290X and see if it's worth it

I understand 2 weeks doesn't seem long. I guess he was just really wanting to make sure it was up and running, tweaked to his liking, before the first day on BF4. This will maybe allow for a faulty part to be replaced and still be ready to play. Also the new cards could have any type of unknown problem where the one he chose has a pretty good reputation at this point. Personally I would wait but its not for me.

I think your current rig is more than OK. Seems like a pointless upgrade for 1 game.

Maybe change the video card and you're good to go. No need for an entire build.

He has been ready for a upgrade for quite some time. He plays other games but that is the game on his mind currently. I sort of figured if it can max that game he should be fine for most any other game.

I know his PSU is 6 years old and only a 650W. It may not run the new video card and it sure isn't guaranteed to last another day. His current CPU is also quite old Core 2 Quad I believe and he is still on DDR2. So he doesn't have much choice at this point. Changing CPU dictated new board and ram.

 

[TheoneandonlyMrK]

Nice build and fine for bf4 there's many a way to reduce cost though without killing performance, 3770k radeon 7970 and not so oc based a mobo

 

[erocker]

I have to agree with some others with the video card. At least make that your last purchase and hopefully prices may come down. $650 for a video card isn't a very good value.

 

[Dent1]

I know his PSU is 6 years old and only a 650W. It may not run the new video card and it sure isn't guaranteed to last another day. His current CPU is also quite old Core 2 Quad I believe and he is still on DDR2. So he doesn't have much choice at this point. Changing CPU dictated new board and ram.

I see, the rig is for your friend. I misunderstood and thought it was for you.

If he has a Core 2 Quad, then its probably time for a new build.

 

[Lionheart]

Yup I agree with everyone else, great build but wait till AMD release their new R9 290X & 290 for prices to drop

 

[Altered]

Nice build and fine for bf4 there's many a way to reduce cost though without killing performance, 3770k radeon 7970 and not so oc based a mobo

We started with a lower budget then he decided the He** with it and said it may be years before he wants to do it again. Good advise on a lower budget build though.

I have to agree with some others with the video card. At least make that your last purchase and hopefully prices may come down. $650 for a video card isn't a very good value.

I agree as well that is a lot of dough for a card but he wanted a SLI setup with two $300.00ish cards and I talked him out of it. I didn't want to deal with it and I know he wasn't going to need more than one good card. He likes gaming not benching etc. and needs a system you turn on and play if you know what I mean.

I see, the rig is for your friend. I misunderstood and thought it was for you.

If he has a Core 2 Quad, then its probably time for a new build.

No problem at all. Yup "time for a new build" that is what I said when this started.

Yup I agree with everyone else, great build but wait till AMD release their new R9 290X & 290 for prices to drop

Just not my choice. If it was me I would wait he does not want to wait hoping prices drop and hoping these cards are better than what he has picked. He wants it now so that is the price he has to pay. He said hes making good money and wants to get this one.

Thank you all for your input.

 

[CrAsHnBuRnXp]

Id personally go for Win8 retail or just get windows 7 retail. Maybe try and get an SSD to help with load times for BF4.

 

[DF is BUSY]

may i suggest adding a SSD in there somewhere? also if its strictly for gaming wouldnt a i5 be viable? unless b4 has HT going on and such.

also, if you or you friend have a .edu email address, i think microsoft can hook you up with a reduce priced OS

 

[Altered]

Id personally go for Win8 retail or just get windows 7 retail. Maybe try and get an SSD to help with load times for BF4.

may i suggest adding a SSD in there somewhere? also if its strictly for gaming wouldnt a i5 be viable? unless b4 has HT going on and such.

also, if you or you friend have a .edu email address, i think microsoft can hook you up with a reduce priced OS

He intends to get a SSD but he wanted to get this part of the system figured out and ordered. He has a RAID setup he plans to move to this machine anyway.

Not sure how or if BF4 uses HT. This is just the game he is looking forward to currently so the better chip he can get now should cover any new games for the near future as well.
I am more than sure less processor would easily work. But as he said I have the cash now and I may not later. So he went ahead and went for the best choice he could manage now hoping it will last longer before needing upgraded.

Good point on the .edu email I will check with him on that as well.

Thank you both.

Great help TPU I appreciate it very much. Always has been a great community.

 

[CrAsHnBuRnXp]

Currently in the beta the CPU uses about 80-90% CPU usage on my i5 even after the performance updates that needed to be addressed in the beta and from what i hear its going to take advantage of multi cores pretty well. I dont see an i7 hurting in this case.

 

[Aithos]

Here is what I would look at with that budget:

Asus Maximus VI Formula ($300) or Asus Z87-Pro ($185)
Intel i5-4670k ($230) or Intel i7-4770k ($340)
Corsair AX760i PSU ($185)
EVGA GTX 780 Superclocked ($660)
Corsair Vengeance Pro 16gb 2133 ($190)
Windows 7 Pro/Ultimate 64

Here is why:

First of all, the power supply is the heart of your system and getting a Rosewill just isn't going to cut it in the long run. I'd take the 80+ platinum Corsair with less watts any day of the week and twice on Sunday. I like the 860 and the 1200 even better but they are a significant jump in price for little benefit unless he wants to overclock and run multiple GPUs later.

CPU/MB - If he intends to OC his CPU then springing for the VI Formula is a better board than the Hero, otherwise the z87 pro is a little less expensive and has all the same performance with extra features and less money. Likewise, there isn't a lot of performance difference between the i5-4670 and the i7-4770k except for the hyper threading. If he overclocks they both do ok but not amazing because of the change from solder to TIM under the headspreader. Unless he plans to do a lot of multi-threaded apps (most games aren't) then saving the 120 bucks there gives you more money for other components.

Memory - My preference, Corsair have been a top memory brand forever it seems and their 2133 is a sweetspot for performance. Most 2400 chips sacrifice cas for speed and in real world performance it doesn't help you. I wish I had the link I saw with comparisons from 1600-3000 memory, but I decided on 2133 myself except I'm doing 32gb.

GPU - Plain and simple EVGA make the best nVidia cards and their superclocked card is only 10 dollars more than the reference except it's nearly as fast as a Titan. The extra jump to the classified isn't currently worth the cost IMO, but I trust EVGA and their software is the best on the market as well.

OS - Windows 8 sucks, the new directx version is a minor update and won't really impact performance. Stick with Windows 7 if he already has it and don't bother wasting a hundred bucks on the upgrade. If he is on Vista or older I'd still recommend the Windows 7 choice.

 

[Fourstaff]

Here is what I would look at with that budget:

Asus Maximus VI Formula ($300) or Asus Z87-Pro ($185)
Intel i5-4670k ($230) or Intel i7-4770k ($340)
Corsair AX760i PSU ($185)
EVGA GTX 780 Superclocked ($660)
Corsair Vengeance Pro 16gb 2133 ($190)
Windows 7 Pro/Ultimate 64

Here is why:

First of all, the power supply is the heart of your system and getting a Rosewill just isn't going to cut it in the long run. I'd take the 80+ platinum Corsair with less watts any day of the week and twice on Sunday. I like the 860 and the 1200 even better but they are a significant jump in price for little benefit unless he wants to overclock and run multiple GPUs later.

CPU/MB - If he intends to OC his CPU then springing for the VI Formula is a better board than the Hero, otherwise the z87 pro is a little less expensive and has all the same performance with extra features and less money. Likewise, there isn't a lot of performance difference between the i5-4670 and the i7-4770k except for the hyper threading. If he overclocks they both do ok but not amazing because of the change from solder to TIM under the headspreader. Unless he plans to do a lot of multi-threaded apps (most games aren't) then saving the 120 bucks there gives you more money for other components.

Memory - My preference, Corsair have been a top memory brand forever it seems and their 2133 is a sweetspot for performance. Most 2400 chips sacrifice cas for speed and in real world performance it doesn't help you. I wish I had the link I saw with comparisons from 1600-3000 memory, but I decided on 2133 myself except I'm doing 32gb.

GPU - Plain and simple EVGA make the best nVidia cards and their superclocked card is only 10 dollars more than the reference except it's nearly as fast as a Titan. The extra jump to the classified isn't currently worth the cost IMO, but I trust EVGA and their software is the best on the market as well.

OS - Windows 8 sucks, the new directx version is a minor update and won't really impact performance. Stick with Windows 7 if he already has it and don't bother wasting a hundred bucks on the upgrade. If he is on Vista or older I'd still recommend the Windows 7 choice.

My take: Rosewill is fine, its a decently built power supply which should last years and years. No need to spend money on fancy digital power. Hero is a very good board for buck, certainly no need to go one step up unless you need the features. They should overclock to more or less the same since motherboard plays quite a minor part in Z87 overclocking when power delivery is decent. Likewise, Z87 doesn't really benefit from faster ram for gaming ( Anandtech and Tomshardware did a good article on that), if you are working with memory intensive programs you can see a few % better performance from fast rams.

As for Win8, I think its personal. Its here to stay whether we like it or not, so might as well get used to it. Plus "booting" from Win8 is insanely fast, I personally think its worth a try at least.

 

[TheMailMan78]

There are better PSU's out there so IMO I wouldn't cheap out on the PSU. Its the most important part of any PC. I would look into a quality Seasonic if I were you. I wouldn't go for anything less that a gold rating. As for the rest of the build I like it!

As for the OS I would go Windows 8 without a doubt. It loves SSD's. Hell its designed for them AND its FAR more secure and quick than Windows 7. At this point you would be a fool to use Windows 7.

 

[MxPhenom 216]

There are better PSU's out there so IMO I wouldn't cheap out on the PSU. Its the most important part of any PC. I would look into a quality Seasonic if I were you. I wouldn't go for anything less that a gold rating. As for the rest of the build I like it!

As for the OS I would go Windows 8 without a doubt. It loves SSD's. Hell its designed for them AND its FAR more secure and quick than Windows 7. At this point you would be a fool to use Windows 7.

This. Especially for BF4, if the benchmarks from the beta were anything to conclude for the final game. There was like a 20% boost in performance with Windows 8 over 7.

Some concluded it to be from the way Windows 8 handle DirectX over 7, and how 8 has support for DirectX 11.2 which is what BF4 is said to be running on.