Build-A-Rig Round 1: The $1500 PCs and Interviews from Corsair and Zotac
by Ian Cutress on July 8, 2015 5:15 PM EST- Posted in
- Build-A-Rig
- Corsair
- ZOTAC
- Interview
Zotac’s Hey Good Lookin’
Out of the two, Chinny from Zotac sent me her build first and she extensively used the section labelled ‘extras’ in the spreadsheet we sent over. It’s clear that there’s a slightly different tack taken in the Zotac build, going for a more overall component strategy that still offers room to maneuver for the future, if not more so than the Corsair build, and looking good while doing so.
| Zotac's Hey Good Lookin' | |||
| Component | Selection | Price as Chosen |
90-Day Average |
| Processor (CPU) | Intel Core i5-4460 | $189.99 | $189.85 |
| Motherboard | GIGABYTE GA-Z79X-UD3H-BK | $139.99 | $138.17 |
| Graphics Cards (GPU) | Zotac GTX 970 AMP Extreme | $369.99 | $369.99 |
| Memory (DRAM) | Corsair Dominator Platinum 2x4GB DDR3-1866 C9 |
$99.99 | $104.27 |
| Storage (SSD/HDD) | Crucial BX100 500 GB SSD | $189.99 | $188.39 |
| Power Supply (PSU) | Rosewill Quark 750W Platinum | $139.99 | $135.31 |
| Chassis | NZXT S340 Black Steel ATX Mid-Tower |
$69.99 | $69.99 |
| CPU Cooling | Corsair Hydro Series H100i | $104.99 | $99.85 |
| Operating System | Windows 8.1 Full Version | $119.99 | $119.99 |
| Extras | SilverStone Sleeved 6-pin to 6-pin x2 |
$14.98 | $14.98 |
| SilverStone Sleeved EPS12V 4+4-pin |
$7.99 | $7.99 | |
| SilverStone Sleeved 24-pin |
$12.99 | $12.99 | |
| Samsung USB 2.0 External DVD Drive |
$23.99 | $23.82 | |
| DEEPCOOL RGB LED Strip with Controller |
$16.99 | $16.99 | |
| Total | $1,501.85 | $1,492.58 | |
Processor – Intel Core i5-4460 ($190)
Both companies here have gone with Intel processors, with the i5-4460 here being part of the Haswell refresh line. As mentioned in the interview, Zotac focused on more gaming than overclocking, and by virtue of a non-overclocking CPU and the liquid cooling down below, we might be entertaining a nice quiet build here. The Core i5-4460 sits at a base 3.2 GHz, offering turbo up to 3.4 GHz.
Motherboard – GIGABYTE GA-Z97X-UD3H-BK ($140, total so far $330)
Despite extensive motherboard coverage at AnandTech, we have not yet had the time to cover GIGABYTE’s new black edition motherboards. The idea is simple – more stringent pre-release testing and design similar to server motherboards in order to sustain motherboard longevity with a black color scheme to boot. The UD3H part of the name means that it sits in the lower half of the Ultra Durable line, though the UD3H models are often some of GIGABYTE’s best sellers.
Graphics Cards – Zotac GeForce GTX 970 AMP Extreme Core Edition ($370, total so far $700)
The biggest difference between the builds is the graphics card, showing how each of the companies handles the challenge. In this instance, Zotac has chosen their high end GTX 970 card with a factory overclock 1228 MHz on the core and up to 1380 MHz turbo, while using 1664 CUDA Cores and 4GB of GDDR5 running at 7200 MHz. On paper it will come reasonably close to the GTX 980 Ti that Corsair chose due to the speed bumps, but Zotac’s choice runs at $280 cheaper allowing other components more flexibility.
Memory – Corsair Dominator Platinum 8GB (2x4 GB) DDR3-1866 ($100, total so far $800)
The Dominator Platinum range is designed to be the most high profile kits in Corsair’s line up, especially when considering a sleek design. Zotac has chosen a DDR3-1866 C9 kit here, giving a good standard speed for almost everything. The choice of a 2x4 GB kit was a little surprising, as although it takes care of the dual channel nature of the platform, 8 GB might be quickly eroded by an enthusiast on day-to-day tasks (or a reviewer doing research and leaving 100 tabs open to play a game).
Storage – Crucial BX100 500GB SSD ($190, total so far $990)
One obvious element where Zotac’s build has a one-up is in the SSD. A 500GB model should be plenty for a gaming user to install an OS, software, and at least four or five large triple-A titles. Kristian reviewed the BX100 here, and the final words for that review stated that the BX100 is a good performer for all workloads and the overall value is ‘simply outstanding’.
Power Supply – Rosewill Quark 750W Modular, 80PLUS Platinum ($140, total so far $1130)
Another on-paper boost for Zotac over Corsair’s build is the power supply, with the 750W Quark having both a higher power rating and migrating 80PLUS from Gold to Platinum, indicating higher efficiency. There are more facets to a power supply than simply power rating and efficiency, although given Zotac’s room to breathe a bit in this build, having a beefier power supply should allow for additional upgrades later on in the build’s life.
Chassis – NZXT S340 Black Steel ATX Mid-Tower ($70, total so far $1200)
Here’s a question for you – should a PC just be a thing under the desk, used and not seen, or should it be bling with lights and features? The NZXT S340 is arguably in the middle of both of these binary extremes as the frontage is sleek and offers few indications to what lies within, but the windowed side panel shows off the insides, warts and all. Actually not all, as the power supply is hidden by the base, assisting with how some power cables end up strewn across the platform.
CPU Cooling – Corsair Hydro Series H100i ($105, total so far $1305)
Another boost to Zotac is the cooling, with the H100i being a double 120mm radiator design for additional cooling capabilities. This might seem a little odd to be paired with a non-overclocking processor, though it follows Zotac’s mandate of a clean design while still allowing the potential for the system to be quiet. The audible nature of this system then comes down to how the graphics card performs under load.
Operating System – Windows 8.1 Full Version ($120, total so far $1425)
Rather than go OEM, Zotac has chosen the full version of Windows 8.1, giving both 32-bit and 64-bit versions on a full license. This means full support from Microsoft in the event of an issue, as well as an upgrade to Windows 10 when it is released.
Extras – ($77, total so far $1502)
2x SilverStone PP07-IDE6B Sleeved 6-pin to 6-pin Cable ($7.50 ea)
SilverStone PP07-EPS8B Sleeved EPS12V 4+4-pin Cable ($8)
SilverStone PP07-MBB Sleeved Motherboard 24-pin Cable ($13)
Samsung USB 2.0 External DVD Write SE-208GB/RSBD ($24)
DEEPCOOL RGB LED Strip with Remote Controller ($17)
The sleeved cables Zotac has chosen are direct replacements for the cables for the power supply. These are individually sleeved cables rather than a single bulk cable, giving a look that many enthusiasts seem to enjoy. This goes in hand with the RGB LED strip included, allowing the final owner of the build to select the base internal color of the system against the black of the motherboard/graphics card and silver of the DRAM.
The external DVD drive here adds an interesting dynamic, as Zotac put the reason for including it ‘in order to install an operating system’, which is a fair point. Operating systems are not distributed on USB stick (yet) so an optical drive is required, although we did not state it was in our build requirements. Zotac is thinking ahead, plus the drive can be used with a laptop or other devices around the home.
Overall Build
| Zotac's Hey Good Lookin' | |||
| Component | Selection | Price as Chosen |
90-Day Average |
| Processor (CPU) | Intel Core i5-4460 | $189.99 | $189.85 |
| Motherboard | GIGABYTE GA-Z79X-UD3H-BK | $139.99 | $138.17 |
| Graphics Cards (GPU) | Zotac GTX 970 AMP Extreme | $369.99 | $369.99 |
| Memory (DRAM) | Corsair Dominator Platinum 2x4GB DDR3-1866 C9 |
$99.99 | $104.27 |
| Storage (SSD/HDD) | Crucial BX100 500 GB SSD | $189.99 | $188.39 |
| Power Supply (PSU) | Rosewill Quark 750W Platinum | $139.99 | $135.31 |
| Chassis | NZXT S340 Black Steel ATX Mid-Tower |
$69.99 | $69.99 |
| CPU Cooling | Corsair Hydro Series H100i | $104.99 | $99.85 |
| Operating System | Windows 8.1 Full Version | $119.99 | $119.99 |
| Extras | SilverStone Sleeved 6-pin to 6-pin x2 |
$14.98 | $14.98 |
| SilverStone Sleeved EPS12V 4+4-pin |
$7.99 | $7.99 | |
| SilverStone Sleeved 24-pin |
$12.99 | $12.99 | |
| Samsung USB 2.0 External DVD Drive |
$23.99 | $23.82 | |
| DEEPCOOL RGB LED Strip with Controller |
$16.99 | $16.99 | |
| Total | $1,501.85 | $1,492.58 | |
When we do a direct comparison to Corsair’s build, the clear indicators of the CPU and GPU are hard to ignore. On paper, the Corsair build should come ahead in performance fairly easily depending on the resolution. But in order to do that, Corsair has had to skimp on certain areas to fit everything in. Most noticeably is perhaps the look, to which end Zotac has produced a system which should mesh together, but also in other day-to-day areas such as storage. Implementing a 500GB SSD allows the winner of the Zotac system room to breathe for software selections, whereas the Corsair winner might have to chop and change titles depending on what they play. This brings up the interesting idea of upgrades, as storage is perhaps a thing first on the Corsair list – in terms of the Zotac build, I might put memory up there as a primary choice as personally 8 GB is barely enough for my ultrabook, let alone a gaming PC.
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LeonMoreno - Thursday, July 9, 2015 - link
Sorry, but Zotac's build is complitely not thought-out, even nonsensical. Non-K, low clocked i5 with 970 is fine with me, only in an under $1K setup. Major flaws are: overpriced z97 board for non-K CPU, overpriced, overpowered PSU (bear in mind PSUs got a bracket when they hit their top efficiency), no point in non-K CPU watercooling when GPU stays aircooled (will be a weak point when gaming, my personal wish is to see one day GPUs with quiet, double 12cm fans for affordable price). RAM is also over the top, nice looking but You could find something cheaper, faster and still esthetic. Basically Zotac rig looks like designed by someone who never owned a PC, but rather works in funeral home. At least put some white or red or blue for contrast for Christ's sake?etamin - Thursday, July 9, 2015 - link
You sir sound like a typical inexperienced builder with an inflated ego. The Zotac build has many upsides and If you can't see them, of course you will favor the raw performance capabilities of the Corsair build.LeonMoreno - Thursday, July 9, 2015 - link
Are You trolling Me or what? What exactly are those upsides, other than aesthetics? Where did I mention favoring Corsair rig? Actually havn't looked at Corsair design that much, just noticed that after lots of deliberation and for slightly over 1K, I managed to build a PC with 4690K and 970, I just would not justify nearly 500$ or 33% more for PCs looks. Yes, Corsair's choice is not optimal, but I was reffering to Zotac's build. It could be done better, also it will be too dark inside if You plan to show it off. And watercooling a 88W CPU is waste of money when GPU stays cooled with 10cm high speed fans in a gaming PC.Fiernaq - Thursday, July 9, 2015 - link
For a pure gaming rig at that cost I'd probably go a slightly different route but there's nothing terribly wrong with either Dustin's or Chinny's builds. I'll try to add an actual parts list in later but for now this is probably what I would look for in a $1500 gaming build:Case: Inexpensive but not rinky-dink. I'd probably want to spend between $80-$100 here.
MB: Socket 1150 for the CPU. There are a lot of things to consider here but most of them are desired rather than required. I'd put an upper limit of about $150 here but would hope to spend a bit less, maybe $120 or so.
CPU: Intel i5-4690K. No question. It hits the sweet spot for the price and desired use.
CPU Cooler: Air for sure; maybe a Cryorig R1? I'd rather not drop down to a 212+ but there's not a whole lot of good options in the $40-$60 range I'd like to be in for this build.
RAM: 2x4GB DDR3-1866 is actually a very good choice for this build although there are cheaper options even if you stay with Corsair. Expect about $60 for this.
GPU: GTX 980. A 970 is to low and a 980ti is too high for 1440p on mid/low or 1080p on high which is about where I'd expect to be in this price range and the cost difference is also about right with a decent 980 such as the ASUS Strix coming in at around $500.
SSD: Go with a 500GB one. Seriously. Steam. 'nuff said. If this wasn't a gaming computer then 256GB would be plenty. $200ish should do the trick.
PSU: 600W should be plenty but this is one area where I would definitely ask about expected upgrade plans as the addition of a second GTX 980 card a year later would probably demand a bigger PSU and I'd rather get that now instead of having to upgrade both components simultaneously.
Optical Drive: Get one. $20 for a regular DVD super-multi or splurge on a blu-ray if it's something important to you.
OS: Win7 OEM. Why bother with anything more?
A comment about the RAM since I know someone will ask - as a gamer with a recently built $2000+ computer who only put 2x4GB in it, I haven't needed more. A good chunk of my gaming is triple-A titles and I even keep a browser open on the second monitor sometimes with a few tabs open and not once has memory been an issue or even close to an issue for me. That said, I also work in IT and my laptop at work most assuredly has 12GB of RAM so I can run a VM with Win10 and at that point even 12GB is the minimum I'd want just to run one VM at a time. Likewise, if I streamed my gaming to Twitch or did other RAM intensive stuff I would probably want more than 8GB but the posted design specifications for this contest did not mention any of that kind of thing so for a pure gamer I think 8GB is fine.
Fiernaq - Thursday, July 9, 2015 - link
WTB an edit button for typos. Also an expandable comment box so I don't have to type everything up in Notepad and copy/paste.Fiernaq - Friday, July 10, 2015 - link
And here's what I came up with. I've set everything to override to Newegg prices and everything else on the checklist should be good as well. One question I couldn't find a mention of is shippingPCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/4hWd23
CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($93.04 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H-BK ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($161.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 4GB Twin Frozr Video Card ($519.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1512.95
Comments: The NH-D15 is probably overkill for the amount of overclocking most people making this computer would bother with but that also means you can run it at lower RPMs most of the time. A 550W PSU should be just about perfect for this build but if you're worried that overclocking will require more then you could bumpt up to the 650W version of the same PSU for just $10 more. If you're looking at the total cost and saying "It's over $1500", well, unlike some people, I included an optical drive and besides, it's still well within the 3% margin and you could build this for significantly less if you bought some items from other vendors such as NCIX. Or you could drop to the CoolerMaster 212 Evo CPU cooler if you're still worried about staying within budget.
Impulses - Tuesday, July 14, 2015 - link
The Thermalright TRUE Spirits have been around for a few years and are often overlooked, but for precisely $45-55 they perform much closer to the premium $70+ HSF units than a $30 212+.Fiernaq - Thursday, July 16, 2015 - link
I may give those a try at some point. Went over some reviews of them and as usual in the air cooling segment nobody can seem to agree on how good they actually are but at least nobody thinks they're terrible. Most of the reviews seemed to put it at least as good if not slightly better than the 212 Evo and some reviews were much better. Doyll from overclock recommended them which is usually a good sign.Stuka87 - Thursday, July 9, 2015 - link
I really like the idea of this contest.Wanted Chinny to win, but Dustin's choice of components is going to win from a performance standpoint. Although I think Chinny's will be the nicer looking of the two.
Uplink10 - Thursday, July 9, 2015 - link
My thoughts:-GIGABYTE GA-Z97X-UD3H-BK is a mistake, $140 is too much for a motherboard, you can get similar for $90
-CORSAIR Dominator Platinum 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866, $84 is too much better to buy this kit "ADATA XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 " for $43
Buying K processors and Z motherboards is also a mistake because that is the way today's customers are being cheated into paying more just so they have the option to raise the max frequency to an unspecified one. And that is not why people first started to overclock.