Yo, me and a family member are getting our first custom computers

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=wish_lists&wlcId=492337&action=wish_lists
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=wish_lists&wlcId=493055&action=wish_lists

I want them both to be good gaming pcs, some of my questions are:
-Is the power supply enough for both builds?
-Is the zowie fk2 a good mouse compared to the fk?
-Is that benq 144hz monitor good, any advice on the Cooler Master Storm Quickfire RAPID-I Brown Switch?
-In general are the parts good for their price?
-Are those headsets fine?
-Any advice for better parts for similar prices or advice on where i can cut the cost and put it elsewhere

In terms of games both of them should be able to run tf2, cs, dota, borderlands well but i also want them to be able to do well with more taxing games like far cry or crysis

Thanks in advance

Budgets?
PCCaseGear only?

-HCG is good, RM is overpriced and oversized
-I don't care
-Yes and I can confirm that it is indeed a keyboard with brown switches.
-Apart from the RM, I think you're wasting money on full ATX cases and mobos and on 16GB RAM. Also if you can get a 2TB Toshiba DT for less than the Seagate do so.
-They are not headsets so yes. Don't buy headphones blind though.
-See above.

Budget:
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=wish_lists&wlcId=493055&action=wish_lists
2.5k, i'm grabbing a mouse pad and this keyboard in addition
https://www.umart.com.au/umart1/pro/Products-details.phtml?id=&id2=40&bid=12&sid=219286&Cooler%20Master%20Storm%20Quickfire%20RAPID-I%20Brown%20Switch

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=wish_lists&wlcId=492337&action=wish_lists
1.5k, probs getting a cheap $20 keyboard with this one

I'm ordering all of my stuff online to be delivered so any store in aus but would still prefer not to grab parts from 10 different places, i can pick up local from this store, not familiar with other stores in the Sydney region
https://www.umart.com.au/umart1/pro/index.phtml?bid=12

I forgot to ask, overclocking yes or no?

Rough draft for the 2.5k without overclocking.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($315.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: MSI B85M-E45 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($85.00 @ Centre Com)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($75.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($145.00 @ IJK)
Storage: Toshiba 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($130.00 @ IJK)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 390 8GB PCS+ Video Card ($464.00 @ PLE Computers)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($59.00 @ IJK)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($95.00 @ CPL Online)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($17.00 @ IJK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) ($129.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Monitor: BenQ XL2411Z 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($449.00 @ CPL Online)
Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-A700X Headset ($179.00 @ Centre Com)
Other: Zalman Microphone ZM-MIC 1 ($12.00)
Total: $2154.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-21 22:59 AEST+1000

I can easily bring the number of shops down later, just tell me how many is your max. If you prefer pickup umart got the same price on a lot of those parts aswell.

970 instead of 390 is an option if you mind the power consumption.

I wouldn't go for Win10 yet, but it's your choice. If you don't like the weird key policy after an upgrade to Win10 then go for it.

1.5k draft without overclocking.
Do they FK2 and QcK+ count towards the budget? Because that would mean it was over budget.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($315.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: MSI B85M-E45 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($85.00 @ Centre Com)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($75.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.00 @ IJK)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 390 8GB PCS+ Video Card ($464.00 @ PLE Computers)
Case: Silverstone PS08B (Black) MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($44.00 @ Umart)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($95.00 @ CPL Online)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($17.00 @ IJK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) ($129.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-A700X Headset ($179.00 @ Centre Com)
Other: Zalman Microphone ZM-MIC 1 ($12.00)
Total: $1514.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-21 23:11 AEST+1000

wow thanks for the quick reply

no overclocking for both
i'll tough it out with windows 10 or else id just grab 7
i'd prefer max 3-4 shops although i haven't heard many good things about cpl online
i'd prefer 970 over 390 if the benefits are good
the fk2 and qck+ don't need to count towards the budget
i have $150 worth of extra stuff for the 2.5k build to factor that in
i would be fine with umart pickup as long as its from this specific Hurstville one
https://www.umart.com.au/umart1/pro/index.phtml?bid=12

2.5k build: Win10 and reduced to 3 shops. CPL only for CPU and PSU. Can't change that without paying more.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($315.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: MSI B85M-E45 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($85.00 @ Centre Com)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($75.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($145.00 @ IJK)
Storage: Toshiba 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($130.00 @ IJK)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($519.00 @ IJK)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($59.00 @ IJK)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($95.00 @ CPL Online)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($17.00 @ IJK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home Full (32/64-bit) ($149.00 @ IJK)
Monitor: BenQ XL2411Z 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($449.00 @ IJK)
Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-A700X Headset ($179.00 @ Centre Com)
Other: Zalman Microphone ZM-MIC 1 ($12.00)
Total: $2229.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-22 00:01 AEST+1000

1.5k build: Win10, added FK2. Dropped down to 380 to meet the budget. 960 is the slightly slower nVidia alternative. Can't get rid of CPL completely without increasing the price. Should be <1500$ including the QcK+. Same case now aswell because why not.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($315.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: MSI B85M-E45 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($85.00 @ Centre Com)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($75.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.00 @ IJK)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 380 2GB Video Card ($289.00 @ Centre Com)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($59.00 @ IJK)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($95.00 @ CPL Online)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($17.00 @ IJK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home Full (32/64-bit) ($149.00 @ IJK)
Mouse: Zowie FK2 Wired Optical Mouse ($95.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-A700X Headset ($179.00 @ Centre Com)
Other: Zalman Microphone ZM-MIC 1 ($12.00)
Total: $1469.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-22 00:12 AEST+1000

so i can actually cut out the fk2 and qck and just add the fk2 to the first build, will that allow the 2nd build to get the radeon 390, also what was the main difference between the 390 and 970, the quality for the 390 looks abit better but yeah it does require more power
now that i think about it i'm not incredibly fussed with power usage, which one would you recommend if the power wasn't an issue

Still 1550$. But if you get the PowerColor 390 instead of the MSI 390 or 970 the total would still be under 4000$.
I didn't read your previous post properly. The only advantages of the 970 are: It's smaller and uses less power. The 390 is cheaper and faster. For the PowerColor vs other 390s it's just the size. That thing is huge. A really long triple slot cooler. Definitely stays cool though.
Are you going to use any PCIe cards? It would block all except the bottom slot and that's PCI, so if you need PCIe instead you'll need a different motherboard. Won't cost much or change anything else.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($315.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: MSI B85M-E45 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($85.00 @ Centre Com)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($75.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($145.00 @ IJK)
Storage: Toshiba 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($130.00 @ IJK)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 390 8GB PCS+ Video Card ($464.00 @ PLE Computers)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($59.00 @ IJK)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($95.00 @ CPL Online)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($17.00 @ IJK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home Full (32/64-bit) ($149.00 @ IJK)
Monitor: BenQ XL2411Z 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($449.00 @ IJK)
Mouse: Zowie FK2 Wired Optical Mouse ($95.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-A700X Headset ($179.00 @ Centre Com)
Other: Zalman Microphone ZM-MIC 1 ($12.00)
Total: $2269.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-22 00:54 AEST+1000

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($315.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: MSI B85M-E45 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($85.00 @ Centre Com)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($75.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.00 @ IJK)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 390 8GB PCS+ Video Card ($464.00 @ PLE Computers)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($59.00 @ IJK)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($95.00 @ CPL Online)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($17.00 @ IJK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home Full (32/64-bit) ($149.00 @ IJK)
Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-A700X Headset ($179.00 @ Centre Com)
Other: Zalman Microphone ZM-MIC 1 ($12.00)
Total: $1549.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-22 00:55 AEST+1000

Yeah i'll probs grab the PowerColor then, for pci cards i haven't even considered them but better safe than sorry for the future, so i'll grab a different motherboard for both builds

Huge thanks Setsul

A lot of cards are available in both PCI and PCIe versions.

Without another shop and avoiding CPL your best option is the ASRock B85M Pro4.

I'm really not sure which current generation game to use a benchmark, I guess 60+ fps on medium settings for CS, or 30+ fps on GTAV medium setting. But my focus is more on the tf2, CS, dota.

Here's the plan: TF2 loves CPU, CS doesn't need much GPU and neither does GTA V only on medium settings. In fact even a 265 is enough for 60fps on medium and 30fps on high. 3/4 of the 270X's performance, 3/5 of the price. That frees up some money to go balls to the wall on the CPU. i5-4690K because why the hell not. Unless you don't want to overclock of course.
Now with the 265 you can get a CX430M, cheaper and semi-modular. One drawback though: If you ever upgrade to a GPU that needs two power connectors you'll have to use a molex to pcie 6/6+2/8 pin adapter.
I changed the case aswell mostly for two reasons: It's cheaper and got dust filters.
It only supports coolers up to 155mm. This is slightly less than the "big enough for 99% of all coolers" 160mm. For example the 212 Evo won't fit. I don't like that thing anyway. But there's the Cryorig H7 which replaced the Enermax ETS-T40-TB as my recommendation in the "Yes I know it's 30-35$ and the 212 Evo is often on sale for 25$, but it's cooler and quieter"-category. Bonus: It's only 145mm tall so no problems here.

In the end it's 5$ over budget, but keep in mind that thing will only need one GPU upgrade to last until the next decade.
Without further ado:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.50 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A (NFC Express Edition) ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($59.00 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin ECO2 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R7 265 2GB Video Card ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H22 ATX Mid Tower Case ($33.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $555.34
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-21 15:47 EDT-0400

If you absolutely must keep it below 550$ get a Hitachi Desktar E7K100 or simply a smaller HDD. If 240GB are enough you could drop the HDD and the cooler, you can get both later once the need arises, and get a 850 Evo.

.

The -frag guy was at it again. Well guess what, I just +fragged every post.

#644
I don't care about the mobo, but could you buy some GPUs and SSDs for me?

Also is 76$ some kind of Australian meme?

EDIT: Seriously, I'd buy a few, but I need an Australian adress to ship it to.

The GPU on that build went up about 50 bucks, making it around 610 dollars instead, any workaround you can offer for that?
Sorry if i'm asking too much, just want to make sure i'm doing everything right.

No, 50$ more is a dealbreaker. It's not just the GPU. I haven't checked shipping but
-the GPU went up 20$ (+10$, -10$ MIR)
-RAM went up 4$
-Combo deal CPU + mobo 25$ MIR is gone -> +15$ (CPU 10$ cheaper at SuperBiiz)

You've got two options:
-Wait for deals or
-Quick and dirty workarounds if you want to buy it right now

Of course dropping down to a 260X would still be more than enough for 30fps in GTA V on medium, but I promised 30fps on high and 60fps on medium and I'll be damned if I can't deliver.
Take the price increase of GPU and CPU (+35$), different RAM (+2$ to old price but -2$ to new price) and drop the cooler for now (-34.50$). Total +2.50$. Still over budget but it's bearable.
You don't need the cooler until you overclock and when that time comes you can buy it and easily swap the stock cooler for it.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A (NFC Express Edition) ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($59.00 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R7 265 2GB Video Card ($119.99)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H22 ATX Mid Tower Case ($33.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $557.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-22 04:37 EDT-0400

Other 265s, just in case:
Sapphire Radeon R7 265 same price
another Sapphire Radeon R7 265 4$ more.

I know it's not 550$ anymore and I am deeply ashamed.
Sometimes you get the deals, sometimes you don't.

It''s all good man, thanks for your help. I'm pretty excited.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xNkNbv

$1K budget, mostly taken from stuff Setsul has posted before. I'd use it for streaming/recording, modern games, and maybe-possibly Vive/Rift. More importantly, I'd like to get a comfortable 144+fps in slightly older games such as TERA and STALKER CoP.

I'm assuming that'd mean great fps in TF2 as well.

The PSU is from my current pc and only about 3 months old, but I don't know how sufficient 500W would be. I plan to OC, but if means the difference between needing a new PSU or not, I'd hold off on it (as well as getting a better fan.) Otherwise if the PSU isn't salvageable at all, I can drop the SSD to stay in budget.

PSU should be fine.
You could get "only" 1600MHz CL9 RAM or 1866MHz CL10 slightly cheaper than the kit you picked.

One thing that would make significant difference is getting the i7-4790K from microcenter, either directly or via https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapcproxy.
With that you should have enough money left for a nice cooler, e.g. Phanteks PH-TC14PE or Noctua NH-D14.

Thank you!!
I think I'm gonna switch to a 970 off of gpushack since I really like my CRT for fps games and no 390 supports analog output.

I see the point, active converters would have a bit of lag but still, seeing someone get a more expensive yet slower GPU hurts me no matter what reasons they might have.

So I've almost got all of my parts but i'm having issues getting the power supply Antec HCG-520 for both of my builds as cpl can't get a hold of them, they have given me the option to get the Antec HCG-520M instead so i wanted to know if this power supply is fine or if there is a better alternative, they can give me the 520M for nothing extra. If there are better alternatives then it can be from anywhere in AUS in the $125 range.

They are identical, except the M is semi modular, obviously a step up from non-modular. So for the same price, yes please. For 95$ you won't find another semi modular PSU in AUS that's not garbage tier. Are you sure it won't be 109$ though? If so, you can get it from IJK for 104$.

My friend wants a new pc, he can do NZD$2000 which is ~1300 USD, but his budget is pretty flexible. He mainly plays guild wars 2 which is quite cpu heavy, but he does want a decent gpu as well. He wants a whole build, so assume he's carrying nothing over. Yes SSD. He isn't interested in overclocking so a stock cooler is probably fine. He's not bothered by how quiet or loud it is, as long as it isn't overheating and throwing sparks at him. No peripherals, just a tower. IDK if pcpartpicker works for nz but pricespy.co.nz works well for finding prices. He wants it quite soon, ready to use before the 23rd roughly.

Budget shouldn't be a problem so let's focus on performance.
i5 should be enough.
Define decent GPU.
SSD size? HDD?
µATX ok or SLI/Crossfire or lots of PCI(e) cards planned?

Decent GPU meaning preferably something high end, like a 970 or something, but whatever has best price/performance. I'll ask specifically but let's assume 256gb for the ssd, 2tb or so would probably be fine for HDD. Microatx should be fine, he's not interested in crossfire/sli and doesn't require a lot of pci slots. If there's room to splurge I think he'd want an i7, but overall he's not too fussed.

Edit: He said he's fine with 120gb for ssd and 1tb for hdd. He might want to put a wireless card in so maybe something with one spare pci slot?

So pretty much standard?
I haven't gone over all prices and specific parts yet since I don't know which shops he'll be ordering from.

i5-6500/6600 if he thinks he'll need it. I don't think an i7 would do anything for GW2.
Some mobo
8GB DDR3 or DDR4, DDR4 still a bit more expensive in NZ
850 Evo 120GB
WD Blue or Seagate Barracuda 1TB
R9 390 or GTX 970, depending on the shop->price
N200, maybe PS08B
CX430, 500B, CX430M, HCG-520 or HCG-520M

Nothing terribly exciting.

I'm only going to look up specific parts and prices once it's clear when he's going to order. No point in including any deals that'll be gone by the time he orders.

tyvm, he wants to order parts ASAP. Also he is interested in playing upcoming games like fallout 4, if that makes any difference.

Nope, 6500/390 should destroy anything.
Which shops?

Probably any stores will be fine, he'll be ordering parts online