Destroy my build - $3,000 gaming setup

[Sleepingforest]

Maybe you could look at Overlord Computer's monitors? They sell a 1440p panel with an overclockable PCB, which allows you to get around 90Hz on average, and for only around $100. The downside: they only come with a dual-link DVI input, and you have to fight pretty hard to get one, since they sell out fast and shipments come in comparatively infrequently.

 

[Stg-Flame]

Looks like I'm a bit late to the party, but the Asus monitor you have in your OP is the one I bought with my build and I must say that I've never been so happy with a monitor before. Not only is the 2560X1440 resolution amazing for gaming, the entire monitor feels like it was made strictly for gaming. The viewing angles are really good and the adjustments make it very easy to fit any height. I would definitely recommend the Asus monitor over that HP.

However, if you are dead set on a 30", I would just bite the bullet and exclude a monitor from your build at this time until you have the budget necessary to toss a 30" into the mix.

 

[Sleepingforest]

Looks like I'm a bit late to the party, but the Asus monitor you have in your OP is the one I bought with my build and I must say that I've never been so happy with a monitor before. Not only is the 2560X1440 resolution amazing for gaming, the entire monitor feels like it was made strictly for gaming. The viewing angles are really good and the adjustments make it very easy to fit any height. I would definitely recommend the Asus monitor over that HP.

However, if you are dead set on a 30", I would just bite the bullet and exclude a monitor from your build at this time until you have the budget necessary to toss a 30" into the mix.

But the HP has the same great viewing angles, the size, the resolution, but most importantly, lower input lag according to objective reviews. Really, the Asus offers no advantages except for imperceptibly better response time (the frames don't refresh fast enough as a whole for it to matter, and their actually both pretty close in that regard).

Furthermore, he has the budget to get a U3014 and eerything else he wants ($3000 for the full build, including a $200 motherboard, a $800 GPU, an i7-4770K, the parts he's already bought, and the monitor).

 

[PCJake]

But the HP has the same great viewing angles, the size, the resolution, but most importantly, lower input lag according to objective reviews. Really, the Asus offers no advantages except for imperceptibly better response time (the frames don't refresh fast enough as a whole for it to matter, and their actually both pretty close in that regard).

Furthermore, he has the budget to get a U3014 and eerything else he wants ($3000 for the full build, including a $200 motherboard, a $800 GPU, an i7-4770K, the parts he's already bought, and the monitor).

I have the budget for it, but I cannot ignore the advantage that comes with a 120/144Hz monitor, especially for my purposes. However, I also cannot bring myself to buy a 1080p monitor when I've been using a 16x10 monitor for so long (I know many will say the difference isn't that big of a deal, but I've used both and the difference is a big deal to me). I really want to know if anyone is developing a higher resolution + high refresh rate monitor.

I think I'm the type of gamer who could really benefit from the extra refresh rate. Sometimes I feel like I'm pushing 60Hz to its limits. I got skillz that killz: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEtt22QXHnA

 

[Sleepingforest]

I have the budget for it, but I cannot ignore the advantage that comes with a 120/144Hz monitor, especially for my purposes. However, I also cannot bring myself to buy a 1080p monitor when I've been using a 16x10 monitor for so long (I know many will say the difference isn't that big of a deal, but I've used both and the difference is a big deal to me). I really want to know if anyone is developing a higher resolution + high refresh rate monitor.

I think I'm the type of gamer who could really benefit from the extra refresh rate. Sometimes I feel like I'm pushing 60Hz to its limits. I got skillz that killz: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEtt22QXHnA

Man, do you just skim all but the last post (no offense, but this has happened to a lot of mine)? It's not 16:10, but it is 1440p: the Overlord Tempest X270OC. You can overclock it up to 120Hz (but no promises; 90Hz or so is more common). Best of all, it's still in stock for a scant $550. I mentioned it a few posts back.

 

[PCJake]

Man, do you just skim all but the last post (no offense, but this has happened to a lot of mine)? It's not 16:10, but it is 1440p: the Overlord Tempest X270OC. You can overclock it up to 120Hz (but no promises; 90Hz or so is more common). Best of all, it's still in stock for a scant $550. I mentioned it a few posts back.

I read every word of every post, I promise. I'm still looking into Overlord monitors (hadn't heard of them before), I'll post back once I've learned more.

 

[Sleepingforest]

I read every word of every post, I promise. I'm still looking into Overlord monitors (hadn't heard of them before), I'll post back once I've learned more.

It's good to know I'm just overreacting and paranoid then. Sorry for jumping down your throat. :'(

 

[PCJake]

It's good to know I'm just overreacting and paranoid then. Sorry for jumping down your throat. :'(

Not at all, I can see where you could think I had ignored your post about the Overlord monitors when I said this:

I really want to know if anyone is developing a higher resolution + high refresh rate monitor.

Before I said that I had already gone to the Overlord website and taken a look at them - my initial impression was kind of negative, just because they're not natively 120Hz, but that's not totally fair of me - it is, by far, the best option for getting both high resolution and refresh rate.

That being said, I still stand behind my comment that I would like to see someone introduce a 1920x1200 resolution or larger native 120/144Hz monitor. I guess NVIDIA would have to remove that weird pixel clock limit, but I'm still in the process of trying to understand why it's there in the first place.

 

[mnewsham]

I thought GTX 780 was going to be titan like performance for 200-300 less. If that is the case a GTX780+30" should be in your budget.

 

[PCJake]

OK, I've made some significant changes for now. I decided that I'm not going to get a new monitor until natively 120/144Hz monitors become available in resolutions above 1920x1080 (unless I decide to get an Overlord monitor, but I've got to do some serious research on those before going that route). Hopefully, manufacturers are working on this already, but I might have to wait a while.

Along those same lines, I'm going to get a GTX 780, rather than the next-gen Titan equivalent - I won't need a Titan for gaming on a 60Hz, 1920x1200 monitor. If I get a larger monitor and need more power, I'll simply sell the GTX 780 and get the more powerful one.

So, there we go; it's now officially a ≈$2,500 gaming rig Still, I'm happy with these changes, and now I can save the $1,000 for the upgrades I really want a year or two down the road.

 

[mnewsham]

So, there we go; it's now officially a ≈$2,500 gaming rig Still, I'm happy with these changes, and now I can save the $1,000 for the upgrades I really want a year or two down the road.

Excellent decision that will provide much more power over the long run.

 

[Essence_of_War]

So, there we go; it's now officially a ≈$2,500 gaming rig Still, I'm happy with these changes, and now I can save the $1,000 for the upgrades I really want a year or two down the road.

That seems very wise to me.

 

[mfenn]

So, there we go; it's now officially a ≈$2,500 gaming rig Still, I'm happy with these changes, and now I can save the $1,000 for the upgrades I really want a year or two down the road.

Awesome! That's a really smart idea.

 

[PCJake]

Thanks everyone.

The Corsair 550D is coming tomorrow, and I've been thinking about how best to cool it. By default, it comes with two 120mm front fans and one 120mm rear exhaust. The stock fans spin at about 1100rpm.

Here's my plan: First, I'll replace the two front fans with Noctua NF-S12A FLX 120mm fans (I already own one, and they're designed for low-impedance case cooling). Next, I'll replace the rear exhaust with a Noctua NF-A14 FLX 140mm fan. I happen to own two of those already, so I'll mount the second one on the optional bottom intake grate (I'm mainly adding a fan on the bottom so the cool air isn't pushed out there, since it will be a positive pressure setup. I'll leave the side and top mounting spots covered. So, to restate, this will be my setup:

• Three intakes (2x 120mm front, a single 140mm bottom)
• One exhaust (140mm)
• Top and side mounting spots covered

So, again, this will be a positive pressure setup. I really just have to questions:

1. Will the low impedance NF-S12A 120mm fans give me any trouble with a positive pressure setup (will they have trouble pushing more air in, just by nature of their design?)
2. Any major issues with my approach in general?

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Post pics when you get it

 

[PCJake]

I got my 550D today, and the engineering on it is fantastic. I can see the logic behind everything they did.

Here's a diagram of the fan setup I'm planning, and some thoughts below it:

• The 120mm front intakes would both be NF-S12A fans - these are low impedance fans that should simply bring air into the case.
• The 140mm bottom intake would be an NF-A14. The blade design on this should create a more focused, straight-line type of flow. So, not only would it draw cool air in from the bottom, it should also direct the cool air from the 120mm front fans towards the top of the case.
• The rear 140mm exhaust would also be an NF-A14. Not much to say here. My NH-D14 CPU cooler should pull in the cool air from the front, exhaust it towards the back, and then the NF-A14 rear exhaust should pull it out of the case.

There we go. Is this logical?

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Pretty soon you'll have your side cover off for maximum cooling... hehe

 

[PCJake]

Pretty soon you'll have your side cover off for maximum cooling... hehe

Hmm, I'm not sure I follow...are you just suggesting that four fans is lotsa fans?

 

[Sleepingforest]

I'm a fan of the TJ08e for this very reason: the fan flow is very simple and effective. It's literally a straight line of fans. 200mm intake -> CPU Cooler -> (optional) Exhaust

 

[PCJake]

I'm a fan of the TJ08e for this very reason: the fan flow is very simple and effective. It's literally a straight line of fans. 200mm intake -> CPU Cooler -> (optional) Exhaust

So are you saying you agree with my plan? You guys are being so cryptic ^_^

 

[Termie]

I'm a fan of the TJ08e for this very reason: the fan flow is very simple and effective. It's literally a straight line of fans. 200mm intake -> CPU Cooler -> (optional) Exhaust

It's also about half the size of the 550D...

But seriously, you can't get linear airflow in an ATX case - especially now that the standard format is a bottom-mounted PSU.

Look at what Anandtech says on the issue in its Rosewill Line-M review: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6798/rosewill-line-m-case-review-wherefore-art-thou-microatx/6

Your personal favorite even gets a shout out, Sleepingforest!

 

[Sleepingforest]

Hey, you have one too Termie. Back on topic: I'm not making fun of the 550D, I'm just noting one good design. I'm sure Corsair did a solid job with the 550D, it just requires a bit more thought and fans to get the same effect.

If you eliminated optical drives or left just one at the bottom (with a converter to 2.5" bays if wanted), you could get a straight shot from front to back with good design. OBSERVE MY ASCII POWER:

Exhaust <- CPU Cooler <- Intakes
^
Graphics
^
PSU

Drives float around in the bottom right (partially hit by the bottom of two intake fans).

 

[PCJake]

Hey, you have one too Termie. Back on topic: I'm not making fun of the 550D, I'm just noting one good design. I'm sure Corsair did a solid job with the 550D, it just requires a bit more thought and fans to get the same effect.

If you eliminated optical drives or left just one at the bottom (with a converter to 2.5" bays if wanted), you could get a straight shot from front to back with good design. OBSERVE MY ASCII POWER:

Exhaust <- CPU Cooler <- Intakes
^
Graphics
^
PSU

Drives float around in the bottom right (partially hit by the bottom of two intake fans).

OK, I'm going to assume you don't think there's anything fundamentally wrong with my planned setup - thanks for the tip about putting a fan near the top optical bay slots, but since there aren't any mounting spots there I probably won't mess with it.

 

[Sleepingforest]

I was more talking about case design rather than your personal case--your setup is fine. In general, having less HDD racks and drives in the way will allow for better airflow though.

 

[PCJake]

I was more talking about case design rather than your personal case--your setup is fine. In general, having less HDD racks and drives in the way will allow for better airflow though.

Yeah, I've already removed the top cage. Should help a bit.