$1000 D3/Streaming PC - have some parts, need recommendations for the rest!

[MeatHead Gaming]

Hi all,

So after overclocking my ~3 year old i3/GTX460 PC, I realized it's not going to work for professional streaming and playing D3 at 1080p at max settings. I need a new system, one that I'll probably have for the next 3-4 years without upgrading again.

I've budgeted $1000 for this 'uber PC'. I have 15 years experience building systems, but I'm a bit out of the loop on the best bang for the buck currently, so I would really appreciate some recommendations on what I should get.

Budget: $1000 (have some parts already, see below)
Overclocking: most likely.
Brand preference: Intel/NVIDIA.
Goal: Diablo 3 max settings at 1080p + 1080p Twitch streaming via XSplit or ShadowPlay and quality 1080p local recording through XSplit.

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I already have:

OS/Program SSD : Samsung 840 Pro 128GB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820147192
Data HDD : WD Blue 1TB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822236339
DVD drive: forgot, but it's irrelevant (haven't inserted a DVD in years)
Have monitor.
Have speakers.
Have keyboard.
Have mouse.
Headset: Siberia V2 - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Webcam: Logitech C525 - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Case: Corsair 600T - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811139005

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Here's what I have $1000 to spend on:

*ORDERED* Power Supply: $110 AR - Corsair HX750 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139010

Processor: ?? Haswell? Sandy Bridge? Ivy Bridge?

Cooler: ??

Motherboard: ??

RAM: Either:
$90 - GSkill 2x4GB 1600 CL9 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231314
$86 - GSkill 2x4GB 1600 CL8 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231445
$90 - Corsair 2x4GB 1600 CL9 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145345

I've had very good experience with GSkill over the years, so no problem going that route, but not sure if I need CL8 or 9. Noticeable performance difference? What about OC implications?

Video Card: $340 - Gigabyte GTX770 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125463 *do I need the 4GB card for $400? Is there another card I should consider? Will the 750w PSU I linked be sufficient?*

Headset or MIC: I either need a new headset with a better mic (the headphones themselves work great), or a better external mic. I don't mind spending a bit extra for a good mic. Currently I'm using the mic in the webcam because the headphone mic is too quiet even boosted, but it's not the best quality and picks up a lot of surrounding noise.

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I looked at the midrange system recommendations, but wanted to know if I need to order anything special because I'll be streaming. My goal is to play at 1080 with all the settings turned up to the max for that resolution, including AA and the new 'Enable Reflections' feature, as well as stream at 1080p on Twitch. I have an XSplit license, but I'll give ShadowPlay a try as well if it'll be better.

TIA, would like to order today. I have some wiggle room in budget.

 

[Ken g6]

will it be enough to power a GTX770 that's a 450w card?

That stumped me for several minutes. That card has one 6-pin power connector, which can deliver only up to 75W and one 8-pin connector, which can deliver only up to 150W. That plus the 75W from the PCIe slot adds up to only 300W. So why did they call it a "450w card"?

WINDFORCE 3X 450W Cooling system

The cooler can theoretically cool a 450W card, but there are no 450W cards. So it makes this 300W card extra cool and quiet.

Now, as for that PSU, it could theoretically power two of those cards, plus the rest of the system. A lower-power PSU could also work. I suggest waiting to see what Mfenn comes up with later today in his stickied thread.

 

[mfenn]

OK, so you have ~$890 to spend, taking into account what you've already spent on the PSU? You can easily fit a machine capable of streaming Diablo III into that budget.

i5 4670K $240
ASRock Z87 Pro3 $90
G.Skill DDR3 1600 16GB $140 - streamers typically run a bunch of other programs while gaming (the streaming programs themselves, voice chat stuff, web browsers, encoders, etc.) so the extra RAM is helpful
Gigabyte GTX 770 $330 - though really you would probably be fine with a GTX 760 if you stick to Blizzard games
Arctic Cooling Freezer i30 $40
Total: $840

As for a new mic:
Blue Snowball Mic $60 - relatively inexpensive as far as "real" mics go, certainly way above a headset mic in terms of quality

 

[MeatHead Gaming]

Thanks for the recommendations. Any reason why the ASRock is recommended? Price? It doesn't have that many reviews... I've had a lot of experience with Gigabyte and Asus and like both.

 

[MeatHead Gaming]

Update: went over my budget, but I think it'll be worth it. I want a system I can use and OC and not have to upgrade for the next 3-4 years (like the one I currently have turned out). I got:

i7 4770k
Gigabyte GTX 770 (2gb)
8gb (2x4) GSkill cas8 DDR1600
Asus Z87 Pro

All in all $940, excluding the PSU I ordered. Still need to get CPU cooler, probably new TIM, and better mic. When all is said and done and you factor in the parts I already have, this is over a $2000 system. Sheesh.

 

[mfenn]

If you can cancel the motherboard and memory I'd highly recommend doing so and picking up the parts that I recommended. Those two parts are wasted money because:

- The performance impact of memory timings is barely measurable outside of synthetic benchmarks. Paying extra money for tight timings is a waste.
- The $170 ASUS Z87-PRO is full of extra features that you don't need and provides no performance impact.

You will never be able to tell the difference between what mobo you have in your PC. You will be able to tell the difference in what mic you are using. Nobody on Twitch cares if you get one more FPS because they are framerate locked anyway. They will turn off your stream if you have some horrible mic that makes your voice unintelligible.

 

[sm625]

Just upgrade your i3 to a used i5 or i7. The added performance of 4th gen is not worth the cost of a new motherboard, since neither D3 nor streaming requires more IPC than what a 1st gen i5 delivers. All you need is a couple more cores.

 

[MeatHead Gaming]

If you can cancel the motherboard and memory I'd highly recommend doing so and picking up the parts that I recommended. Those two parts are wasted money because:

- The performance impact of memory timings is barely measurable outside of synthetic benchmarks. Paying extra money for tight timings is a waste.
- The $170 ASUS Z87-PRO is full of extra features that you don't need and provides no performance impact.

You will never be able to tell the difference between what mobo you have in your PC. You will be able to tell the difference in what mic you are using. Nobody on Twitch cares if you get one more FPS because they are framerate locked anyway. They will turn off your stream if you have some horrible mic that makes your voice unintelligible.

A better mic is coming also.