71-90K Hardcore Gaming/VFX/CGI Setup

[Nir-V-aNa]

1. What is your budget?
   • 70k-85K
2. What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)
   • CPU - Intel i5-750
   • Motherboard - Intel DH55TC (Gone kaput)
   • HP DVD-RW (Gone kaput as well)
   • GPU - XFX ATI HD 5770
   • RAM - Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1333Mhz
   • Monitor - Asus PA238Q
   • PSU - Corsair VX450
   • HDD - WD Caviar Blue 500gb
   • KB/Mouse - TVS-E Gold Mechanical/Logitech G400
   • Headphones - Corsair Vengeance 1500 7.1
   • Controller - Xbox 360 PC Controller
   • Tab - Wacom Bamboo
   • (please mention the rest in above format)
3. Which hardware will you be keeping (component name - component brand and model)
   • Monitor - Asus PA238Q
   • KB/Mouse - TVS-E Gold Mechanical/Logitech G400
   • Headphones - Corsair Vengeance 1500 7.1
   • Controller - Xbox 360 PC Controller
   • Tab - Wacom Bamboo
4. Which hardware component are you looking to buy (component name). If you have already decided on a configuration then please mention the (component brand and model) as well, this will help us in fine tuning your requirement.
   • CPU - Intel 3.5 ghz 4770k i7 4th gen - 22.3k
   • Motherboard - ASRock Z87 Extreme 6 - 15.6k
   • GPU - Sapphire Ati HD 7870 2gb gddr5 Flex Edition - 18.7k
   • PSU - Seasonic S12II 620 Watts - 5k
   • RAM - G-Skill RipJawsX 16gb (2x8) ddr3 1600 Mhz - 9.8k
   • HDD - Seagate Barracuda 1 tb- 4.5k
   • Cooler - Corsair H40 Cooler - 3.7k
   • Cabinet - CoolerMaster HAF 912 - 5k
   • Writer - LG DVD-RW - 1k
   • Total - ~85k (All prices from flipkart)
5. Is this going to be your final configuration or you would be adding/upgrading a component in near future. If yes then please mention when and which component
   • Yes, will upgrade the following within 6 months
   • SSD
6. Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)
   • Mumbai
   • Open to online purchase
7. Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TE market
   • No
8. What is your intended use for this PC/hardware
   • Gaming
   • VFX/CGI (Lighting/Rendering/Comp)
   • Browsing
   • Desktop Processing
   • HTPC
   • Download rig, 24x7 operation
   • Watching HD movies
9. Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.
   • Picked ASRock over MSI as I've been reading that MSI is bidding adieu to India and ASRock was fitting in my budget.
10. If you will be playing games then which type of games will you be playing?
    • BF4, BF3, Splinter Cell Blacklist, Skyrim etc.
11. What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage
    1. Gaming - 1920x1080 (Max my monitor supports as of now)
    2. Desktop - 1920x1080
12. Are you looking to overclock?
    • Surely, if someone experienced could help me out.
13. Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?
    • Windows 7 64 bit

[DOUBLEPOST=1380730792][/DOUBLEPOST]I've picked the config I'd like to buy trying to balance my gaming and animation needs. I started with a budget of 70k and have stretched it to my max limit . My current setup had restarting problems because of cpu heating issues and also I will be rendering on it so I have included a liquid cooler in this setup. Any suggestions for modifications are welcome. I would also like to know if there are better options in motherboards, ram, cooler and gpu in a similar price range. Thank you

 

[jhononweed]

• CPU - Intel 3.5 ghz 4770k i7 4th gen - 22.3k
• Motherboard - ASRock Z87 Extreme 6 - 15.6k Gigabyte Z87XUD3H or UD3H ( 15.5 K / ~12 K Rs )
• GPU - Sapphire Ati HD 7870 2gb gddr5 Flex Edition - 18.7k MSI GTX 760 Gaming / MSI TF3 7950 Boost / Wait for AMD R9 270/280X ( ~21K / 22 K Rs )
• PSU - Seasonic S12II 620 Watts - 5k
• RAM - G-Skill RipJawsX 16gb (2x8) ddr3 1600 Mhz - 9.8k
• HDD - Seagate Barracuda 1 tb- 4.5k WD 1TB Blue
• Cooler - Corsair H40 Cooler - 3.7k Corsair H100i
• Cabinet - CoolerMaster HAF 912 - 5k
• Writer - LG DVD-RW - 1k
• Total - ~85k (All prices from flipkart)

Go for better mobo from Giga ud3h series board, rock solid with super OC function's.
Hardcore gaming ? - Just buy 760 or 7950 and OC the hell out those or wait for new AMD cards.
Please Haswell needs better cooling solutions so go for better ones than what you choose.
Local prices would be far far lower than Flipkart prices but do check i7 price on flipkart which is right now @22.4K Rs after 5 % discount.
One more thing BF4 is multi core heavy as per Beta BF4 gaming benches and 780 fail's to hit 60 fps on it with 760/7950 hitting in mid 40's.....so get better card if you can afford.
Cheers !

 

[Nir-V-aNa]

Go for better mobo from Giga ud3h series board, rock solid with super OC function's.
Hardcore gaming ? - Just buy 760 or 7950 and OC the hell out those or wait for new AMD cards.
Please Haswell needs better cooling solutions so go for better ones than what you choose.
Local prices would be far far lower than Flipkart prices but do check i7 price on flipkart which is right now @22.4K Rs after 5 % discount.
One more thing BF4 is multi core heavy as per Beta BF4 gaming benches and 780 fail's to hit 60 fps on it with 760/7950 hitting in mid 40's.....so get better card if you can afford.
Cheers !

Hi,

Thanks for your reply. I have already maxed out my budget, actually stretching it a bit more than I should have. So replacing any component with anything that costs more is off the table for me. I actually have my eyes set on the Zotac GTX 760 Amp edition too, so I was wondering where I can cut back to fit it in. As I see it, I have two options in order for me to switch to the GTX 760 -

1. Get rid of the cooler.
2. Swap the Extreme 6 mobo for the Extreme 4 version, which costs almost 3.5k lesser.

Going by them, I find the second option to be preferable as i didn't find much of a difference in the specs of the 2 boards. The Gigabyte board that you have mentioned is listed at almost 3k more than the ASRock Extreme 6...as of now, my need to fit the components within my budget is higher than my need to overclock so unless it offers a significant advantage I would prefer to skip it. Is the Gigabyte GA-Z87-D3HP a good alternative? It's priced even lower than the Extreme 4 and it would allow me to upgrade to the GTX 760 and maybe even a slightly better cooler.

Also, is the HAF 912 the best cabinet in this range? Or does NZXT have any good alternatives? HAF 912 is good but I'm not a fan of it's looks

 

[bssunilreddy]

Hi,

Thanks for your reply. I have already maxed out my budget, actually stretching it a bit more than I should have. So replacing any component with anything that costs more is off the table for me. I actually have my eyes set on the Zotac GTX 760 Amp edition too, so I was wondering where I can cut back to fit it in. As I see it, I have two options in order for me to switch to the GTX 760 -

1. Get rid of the cooler.
2. Swap the Extreme 6 mobo for the Extreme 4 version, which costs almost 3.5k lesser.

Going by them, I find the second option to be preferable as i didn't find much of a difference in the specs of the 2 boards. The Gigabyte board that you have mentioned is listed at almost 3k more than the ASRock Extreme 6...as of now, my need to fit the components within my budget is higher than my need to overclock so unless it offers a significant advantage I would prefer to skip it. Is the Gigabyte GA-Z87-D3HP a good alternative? It's priced even lower than the Extreme 4 and it would allow me to upgrade to the GTX 760 and maybe even a slightly better cooler.

Also, is the HAF 912 the best cabinet in this range? Or does NZXT have any good alternatives? HAF 912 is good but I'm not a fan of it's looks

Intel Config:

• CPU - Intel Core i5 4570k -16500
• Motherboard - ASRock Z87M Extreme4 -9500 (mATX)
  
• GPU - Zotac GTX760 2GB -20000
  
• PSU - Seasonic X650-KM -7500 (Fully Modular with 5 year warranty)
• RAM - Corsair Vengeance 8GB 1600MHz -5200
  
• HDD - WD Caviar Black 1TB -6500
• Cooler - Corsair H40 Cooler - 3700
• Cabinet - Corsair 300R Windowed -5200
  
• Writer - Asus 24B5ST DVD-RW -1100
  
• Total - 75200.

AMD Config:

• CPU - AMD FX 8350 -12500
  
• Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3 -5800 (8+2 Power phases)
  
• GPU - Zotac GTX760 2GB -20000
• PSU - Seasonic X650-KM -7500
• RAM - Corsair Vengeance 8GB 1600MHz -5200
• HDD - WD Caviar Black 1TB -6500
• Cooler - Corsair H40 Cooler - 3700
• Cabinet - Corsair 300R Windowed -5200
• Writer - Asus 24B5ST DVD-RW -1100
• Total - 67500.

 

[jhononweed]

Hi,

Thanks for your reply. I have already maxed out my budget, actually stretching it a bit more than I should have. So replacing any component with anything that costs more is off the table for me. I actually have my eyes set on the Zotac GTX 760 Amp edition too, so I was wondering where I can cut back to fit it in. As I see it, I have two options in order for me to switch to the GTX 760 - Why do you want to go for Zotac brand ? Warranty ? When better MSI card is available for less price over Zotac's AMP version.AMP card is inferior to MSI/Asus card's.MSI gaming is available for under sub 21Krs or get AMD 7950 and OC the hell out of it to get 7970 performance at 7950 price.

1. Get rid of the cooler. If you are going to OC your chip then you need better cooler.Save money and buy when you can afford but you need better one than what you listed in your original post.If you don't want to OC then get non K version of i7.
2. Swap the Extreme 6 mobo for the Extreme 4 version, which costs almost 3.5k lesser. Go for Asrock ext 4 then but you will get Giga UD3H/XUD3H is ~12/15.5K Rs from Mumbai's lamington market.Flipkart prices are rubbish as they have higher spec/better board Giga xOC at 18.5K over UD3H at 19.6K Rs lol

Is the Gigabyte GA-Z87-D3HP a good alternative? It's priced even lower than the Extreme 4 and it would allow me to upgrade to the GTX 760 and maybe even a slightly better cooler. D3HP is decent board but UD3H is better for OC an i7 with multi GPU support plus It has very good VRM cooling's and better components over Asrock ext4/6 which throttles voltage.

Also, is the HAF 912 the best cabinet in this range? Or does NZXT have any good alternatives? HAF 912 is good but I'm not a fan of it's looks I find Corsair 300R/400R more appealing over CM's HAF series but either one will do the job for you.So get which ever is cheap.

If you are open to AMD configuration then you can get kickarse rig at less price.Let us know if you have AMD in your option or not.

 

[Nir-V-aNa]

Hi,

Sorry for the late reply, I don't have a machine at hand presently as you already know

I have already ordered the i7 4770k processor so it's too late for an AMD config. I used to be an AMD fan till a few years ago but my i5 served me so well these past 3 n a half years I decided to stick with Intel. I am yet to finalize the Mobo, but as of now only the GAZ87MD3H and the ASRock Extreme 3 seem to fit my budget and since you have recommended Gigabyte over ASRock I will go for Gigabyte. Isn't there any UD3H board for MAX 10-12k? I am going to overclock but it will be only under some experienced supervision and that isn't happening anytime soon. I have also checked local rates from Lamington Rd and the rates are more or less the same. Some are cheaper locally, some are cheaper online.

As for the GPU, yes, the only reason I have chosen Zotac over MSI is warranty. It's not only that Zotac is offering 5 yrs of warranty but as I mentioned in an earlier post, I've been reading that MSI is shutting shop in India. Whether it's true or not, it puts me in a situation where I have to choose between 5 yrs and 0 yrs of warranty. What would you suggest? I'm totally 50-50 on this.

And finally, since the cooler doesnt seem to be good enough I've decided to upgrade that as well. I was pretty set on Corsair H70 until I came across the CoolerMaster Seidon 120M which is in the same range. Which among the two is better? When I googled them it threw up results comparing the Seidon 120M with the H60 which leads me to believe that the H70 is slightly better?

#bssunil

Thank you for the suggestions buddy. I decided to go with the i7 over the i5 since even though the i5 is good enough for any games that I might play on it, I am into some heavy duty rendering in 3D and so I decided to go for as much processor firepower that I could afford.

 

[jhononweed]

I have already ordered the i7 4770k processor so it's too late for an AMD config. I used to be an AMD fan till a few years ago but my i5 served me so well these past 3 n a half years I decided to stick with Intel. I am yet to finalize the Mobo, but as of now only the GAZ87MD3H and the ASRock Extreme 3 seem to fit my budget and since you have recommended Gigabyte over ASRock I will go for Gigabyte. Isn't there any UD3H board for MAX 10-12k?

Very good choice by going over i5 and you have brightly invested for future needs.I have i7 and i love it along with Fx rig.
D3H is little brother of XUD3H with 2 sata ports less and onboard buttons like power/reset.Check official gigabyte site for more details....you can get Asrock4 Ext in 12K bracket but i would say go for Gigabyte UD3H board....solid board which can withstand abuse of high overclocks and i find D3H software much better than Asrock but both boards are good....
http://www.gigabyte.in/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4518#ov

You will get MSI warranty from respective official dealer....i see plenty of MSI products selling every where so i doubt MSI will withdraw RMA rights.MSI gaming is better variant of 760 over Zotac's AMP but it's your choice , buy either of them and be happy.If you are undecided then wait for a month or so to see what AMD's new cards have price tag on them.If you can afford them then its better or else you can grab 7970 at cheap price.....
I have no idea about CM snidon120M but can say Corsair AIO coolers are trouble free till now for me plus they have 5 year warranty.....Nochtua D12 air coolers are beast as per reviews and few user have them over corsair AIO one's.

 

[Nir-V-aNa]

Hey,

This is the rig I finally decided to go with -

• CPU - Intel 3.5 ghz 4770k i7 4th gen - 23.3k
• Motherboard - Gigabyte GAZ87MD3H - 9.5k
• GPU - Zotac Geforce GTX 760 2gb - 20k
• PSU - Corsair TX650 - 6.3k
• RAM - Corsair Vengeance 16gb (2x8) ddr3 1600 Mhz - 10.4k
• HDD - Seagate Barracuda 1 tb- 4.5k
• Cooler - Corsair H70 Cooler - 4.9k
• Cabinet - Nzxt Guardian 921 - 4.8k
• Writer - LG DVD-RW - 1k

I tried going for the PSU suggested by @bssunil but it's out of stock. So is the Seasonic S12II 620. So I settled on the Corsair TX650. Good choice? For the cabinet I went for the Nzxt Guardian 921 over the coolermaster haf 912 as their price is the same and the guardian looked better. I also liked the fact that the front is covered so better dust protection and it has an lcd display with thermal sensors which indicate the temperatures of the any 3 components of my choice (cpu, hdd, gpu etc). I considered going for the nzxt phantom 410 but didn't find it worth the extra money. Thought I'd spend the savings from that on upgrading my hdd to 2 tb. Or would it be wiser to upgrade the PSU instead? If so then which one? I still have TODAY to change my mind about some of the components. Any suggestions for the better?

 

[Crazy_Eddy]

The current TX650 version (lets call it 'V3') is a step down in quality compared to its predecessor. Its pretty much the same as the low end GS series. Looks like only warranty and the fan used are different between the TX and GS.

@cyberwarfare mentioned the new Cooler Master V650S in another thread which looks good. Maybe he can comment on price and availability.

 

[Nir-V-aNa]

Hi,

I'm sorry for all the indecisiveness, presently I'm like a kid in a candy store who wants every thing. I got a quote from Prime for the Gigabyte Z87-D3HCP board which is about 1-1.5k more than the GA-Z87M-D3H. Worth the extra?

I also checked for the CoolerMaster V650S, and that too, is unavailable

So other than that, which what is my best bet for the PSU?

 

[cyberwarfare]

Nir-V-aNa
if you'd like to get the cm 650w v series, you can give the coole master rep on the foum a PM. ill ask him to get in touch with you.

The v series is superior to almost all other PSU's currently out there. johnny guru also feels that way, so much so that he wants to get married to them

also as far as the board is concerned, have a look at the asus maximus vi gene. its priced around 16k and is one of my favourite boards out there. the asus z87 gryphon is also a solid board.

 

[Nir-V-aNa]

Hi cyber,

Thanks, is there any possibility of me picking up the PSU by tomorrow by any chance? If yes, I'll go for it eyes closed. I did consider the Asus Gryphon but I avoided Asus and MSI because of RMA issues with MSI shutting down its operations in India and Asus being handled by Rashi if I'm not mistaken.

 

[Crazy_Eddy]

if you'd like to get the cm 650w v series

The v series is superior to almost all other PSU's currently out there.

The 650W is from a new 'VS' series not the V series. V - Seasonic, 700W and above. VS - Enhance, 450 - 750W. Jonny hasn't reviewed it yet, but it still looks good considering they haven't skimped on part quality. The V series is definitely available, but not sure about the VS hence I asked

 

[cyberwarfare]

Hi cyber,

Thanks, is there any possibility of me picking up the PSU by tomorrow by any chance? If yes, I'll go for it eyes closed. I did consider the Asus Gryphon but I avoided Asus and MSI because of RMA issues with MSI shutting down its operations in India and Asus being handled by Rashi if I'm not mistaken.

Yes there is a chance of getting the V series tommorrow. Ill send you a pm with a number, if your from mumbai, give the person a call and he will help you out
Rashi does handle ASUS rma anymore, its handled by Digicomp and a few others. I honestly suggest the gryphon unless you plan on doing a lot of overclocking.

The 650W is from a new 'VS' series not the V series. V - Seasonic, 700W and above. VS - Enhance, 450 - 750W. Jonny hasn't reviewed it yet, but it still looks good considering they haven't skimped on part quality. The V series is definitely available, but not sure about the VS hence I asked

I realise that, i meant the v700. its a bit overkill, but its steady powersupply[DOUBLEPOST=1381948722][/DOUBLEPOST]^EDIT - I mean rashi does NOT handle ASUS rma anymore. sorry typo

 

[Nir-V-aNa]

Hey guys, I spoke to Sanket from Cooler Master. The VS650 isn't available in India yet, won't be available for another couple of months. So that's out of the equation. Sanket suggested the V700 but said that's close to 10k, twice my original budget. Bar that, what's my best bet?

 

[Crazy_Eddy]

^ Corsair HX650 , about 8k.

 

[Nir-V-aNa]

Hey guys,

I'm posting from the new machine now

Unfortunately, I had run out of time for any further discussion and simply HAD to place the order by thursday. So it was too late by the time I read Eddy's suggestion for the HX650, buying the less favored TX650 instead. It's probably nowhere near the HX650 in terms of quality but I hope it isn't bad. Another thing being, I squeezed and squeezed my budget like a tube of toothpaste nearing it's end and got the budget from 70k to 85k, thought that's as far as I could go but still ended up paying 90k in the end. @cyberwarfare 's suggestion to go for the Asus Z87 Gryphon piqued my interest and when he said Rashi doesn't handle RMA for Asus anymore, I read up on it's reviews and really liked it so I went ahead and bought it. Bought everything from @primeabgb , who provided great service once again. Assembled, installed and delivered everything within 12 hours of placing the order so a special mention for them. Since I received the entire machine assembled, I didn't get a chance to photograph the components individually but I must say the Nzxt Guardian 921 cabinet looks exceptional with the led fans and thermal display. So does the Zotac card and the Vengeance ram.

Since I hadn't bought any major hardware in the past 3-4 years, I had no clue that mobos nowadays do not come with PS2 ports. I have a TVS-E Gold keyboard (which I love) and was quite disappointed at the thought of having to buy a new keyboard, when I suddenly recollected one of my friends using a ps2 to usb converter. So I went and bought an el cheapo converter and the day was saved. Another issue I'm facing is I'm unable to install Geforce Experience. I keep getting the message installation failed, halfway through. It was one feature I was really looking forward to, so that's rather disappointing.

And last but not the least, I'd like to thank each and every one of you for bearing with my fickle mind and suggesting all the hardware. This is my 3rd setup based on recommendations by folks from TE and I'm really grateful for it. Thank you, @Crazy_Eddy , @Gannu , @jhononweed , @cyberwarfare and @bssunil . Reps for everyone

 

[jhononweed]

I'm posting from the new machine now

Enjoy the new beast !! Money well spent brother.