Gaming Build $1500-$2000 Budget

[Rgreen]

Hi all, thanks in advance for your feedback! I've spec'd out the following computer. Not including Monitor, optical drive, peripherals, and OS which i have already

Corsair Obsidian 750D Black ATX Full Tower Computer Case $159
CORSAIR HX series HX650 650W $119
ASUS Z87-PRO LGA 1150 Intel Z87 $199
Intel Core i5-4670K Haswell 3.4GHz $239
GIGABYTE GV-N78TOC-3GD GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB $699
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 $80
SAMSUNG 840 Pro Series MZ-7PD256BW 2.5" 256GB SATA III $219

To answer the build questions:

1. Used for Gaming (Skyrim, Hearthstone, Crysis3, Witcher2, Wildstar if i can get into beta!)
2. Budget is $1500-$2000
3. Buying Parts in US
4. Newegg in US
5. No specific brand preference just prefer quality and low noise levels with components
6. Using current optical drive, keyboard, mouse, and monitor
7. No Overclocking
8. Apple 27" Cinema Display@ 2560x1440
9. Plan to build in the next 2 weeks

I didn't include a "data" drive because i usually don't run a lot of games simultaneously and can utilize drives from an older existing tower if needed for additional storage, which is why i opted for the 256 Samsung 840 Pro.

So.. what'cha think of the build, for the money does it look good or are there components you recommend I reconsider on. One suggestion from a friend was upgrading to the i7-4770k but I'm not sure it's worth it considering I don't do much that would take advantage of hyper threading... Thanks!

Ryan

 

[Termie]

That's a very good build. Just three suggestions:

(1) The Obsidian 750D is nice, but it's very expensive. Part of that is for the sleek look. If you like it, by all means get it, but it won't keep components any cooler than cases half the price.

(2) The HX650 is known to have serious coil whine. You can get the HX750 for less at Newegg right now anyway, so just get that instead. It's based on a different platform (i.e., it's better).

(3) The 4670K is just as good in most games as the 4770K, with Crysis 3 being a significant exception. That game runs much better with hyperthreading.

 

[Rgreen]

1. Ya with the case it's mostly for cooling purposes. Do you have one you recommend? It really doesn't have to be nice looking for the money just functional.

2. Thanks for the suggestion I'll do that! Definitely trying to avoid coil whine with the components if possible.

3. Ya that's my understand, thanks for clarifying. Crysis3 was more just so I can see what it looks like with all graphics turned up, not a game I usually play.

Ryan

 

[Essence_of_War]

I concur with Termie's assessment of the case, PSU, and CPU. I included my suggestions re: case/PSU below.

I'd add that the MoBo, while very nice, probably costs too much for the additional benefit over MoBo's in the 100-130 range. If you aren't intending on a multi-gpu solution, you can save a good bit of money there, and move it to parts that will provide more benefit. Part of the MoBo choice is figuring out if you want to go with SLI/Xfire in the short term, since you're going with a single 780 Ti, you don't need much support in this department.

I'd also point out that unless you're using the SSD for fast scratch for photo/video editing, the benefits of the 840 Pro don't really outweigh the costs. I'd rather pick up the Crucial m500, or the Samsung 840 Evo, and pocket the difference.

I might try something like this:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($222.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Arctic Cooling ACFZI30 74.0 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Mwave)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($86.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB Video Card ($705.91 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($77.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1615.81
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-18 22:48 EST-0500)

The RAM is an excellent deal, but only if you act super soon.

The Fractal Design R4 is an excellent case.

It's possible that 2x 770 in SLI is more efficient for you than the 1x 780 Ti, but with a single GPU you won't have to worry about games that don't support AFR, SLI/Xfire driver issues, scalings, more expensive MoBo etc. And frankly you have the budget for the 780 Ti

Edit: A couple things have changed since I posted yesterday:
1) I think the RAM deal expired, I'd go with this G.Skill kit instead, 16 GB for $129 after promo
2) Seagate 2 TB is now $80 after promo
3) The HX750 that Termie mentioned is now $90 after promo & rebate, so you could def pick up either that or the EVGA I mentioned.
4) The SanDisk Extreme II, which benches neck-and-neck with the 840 pro, is $176 today. I still think the crucial is better value overall, but if you really wanted a pro-quality SSD, the extreme II is at least as good as the 840 pro, and today, quite a bit cheaper.

 

[Rgreen]

Great suggestions! I think my thought with the motherboard was in the future looking at upgrading to a 4k Monitor maybe the new Dell one, and adding another 780ti. It also had really good reviews but it's probably overkill you're right. I like the Fractal Design case you mentioned so I'm switched to that and the change in power supply.

Is there any reason with this setup i couldn't easily add a second 780 ti with the Ram, PS, mobo, and CPU choices?

Ryan

 

[Termie]

Great suggestions! I think my thought with the motherboard was in the future looking at upgrading to a 4k Monitor maybe the new Dell one, and adding another 780ti. It also had really good reviews but it's probably overkill you're right. I like the Fractal Design case you mentioned so I'm switched to that and the change in power supply.

Is there any reason with this setup i couldn't easily add a second 780 ti with the Ram, PS, mobo, and CPU choices?

Ryan

Running dual 780 Ti cards on an HX750 would be cutting it close, but it should work. That's a very high-quality 750W unit. Paired with an OC'd 4670K, I'd estimate the system would use about 650-700W at load.

The Z87-Pro is excellent, and the Newegg website has a coupon code bringing it down to $170 right now.

 

[Essence_of_War]

Is there any reason with this setup i couldn't easily add a second 780 ti with the Ram, PS, mobo, and CPU choices?

CPU/RAM would be fine. 750W PSU should be fine for SLI'd 780 Ti's. I would consider stepping up to the HX850 or this SeaSonic unit, also on sale.

You'd need to make sure your MoBo supports SLI and at least two full PCI slots @ 8x/8x. Splitting the difference between the Asus Pro and the AsRock Pro3/4 gets you to the AsRock Extreme4 which supports 8x/8x SLI.

If I wanted to do 2x SLI, that'd probably be my pick. The Asus Pro supports it too, but it comes with some other features like built-in WiFi (dual band, but only up to 'n' rather than 'ac', bummer ), and Bluetooth that may or may not be worth the extra money to you.

Edit: Sort of ninja'd by Termie, didn't see the coupon on the Asus Pro, good catch! If you needed wifi, I would probably just go with the Asus Pro since the cost diff is about the cost of a PCI wifi card.

 

[mfenn]

Edit: Sort of ninja'd by Termie, didn't see the coupon on the Asus Pro, good catch! If you needed wifi, I would probably just go with the Asus Pro since the cost diff is about the cost of a PCI wifi card.

I disagree with this somewhat. If you buy a PCIe WiFi card like the 802.11n Rosewill N600PCE or the Intel 7260 AC, then you are set for the useful life of that WiFi technology. If you rely on having WiFi integrated into the motherboard, you have to buy a more expensive mobo every time you upgrade.

 

[Meghan54]

Personally, EoW, I've never been a huge fan of the FSP Aurum platform, the platform of that EVGA 650. I'd much rather spring for a power supply with a bit better voltage regulation and build quality like the aforementioned HX750 or the Seasonic G-series. You're spending the bucks on a 780 Ti, why skimp on the power supply?

I'd lean towards this Seasonic G-series:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151118

Better build internally than the EVGA (Seasonic actually puts heatshrink around the wires where they're soldered to the main board, something FSP doesn't do on the EVGA above), better voltage regulation than the EVGA, cheaper than the Corsair.

As for the motherboard, OP, buy what you want. Sure, AsRock is a decent brand and getting better all the time--and I've built a dozen or so with AsRock boards, but it's still the stepchild of Asus. Looks to me like you're wanting a "nice" system so buy the mb you like.

Myself, I've run 4 generations of Asus's Gene series....exorbitantly priced but stable as an anvil and I like the look. (Have owned one from S1366, 1155, 2011, and 1150 and have had zero issues with any of them.) And every one of those boards OC'd like a dream. Quite decent audio from them, too. But to each his own.

I'd probably stick with the 4670k like Termie suggested. I've used both the 4670k and 4770k, my current cpu, and really the extra cost is questionable as to value. It's nice I have it, but worth the extra $$? Probably not.

Your choice in RAM is fine. I'd go with 2 x 4GB sticks myself. I'm running 16GB of RAM and only God knows why. Does look cool to have all the slots populated, but I've never hit/used 8GB of RAM, so the 16GB is rather pointless, except for bragging "rights"....and even that is pretty silly. Given RAM prices, I'd stick with 8GB as a 2 x 4GB set. (I bought that 16GB, a 4 x 4GB set of that 30nm Samsung stuff, back when it was cheap. Wouldn't do it today.)

 

[Essence_of_War]

I disagree with this somewhat. If you buy a PCIe WiFi card like the 802.11n Rosewill N600PCE or the Intel 7260 AC, then you are set for the useful life of that WiFi technology. If you rely on having WiFi integrated into the motherboard, you have to buy a more expensive mobo every time you upgrade.

That's fair, but the in terms of costs "today" going from the Extreme4 to the Asus Pro is ~$20 and gets you BT and 'n' WiFi. Sticking with the extreme4 and picking up a 'n' WiFi card costs ~$20. Unless OP is planning on switching MoBos next year, it seems weird to be worried about saving them $20ish on their NEXT build when they both have equal costs now.

 

[hackerballs]

My chime in:
1: Why are you buying a "k" CPU when you said "no overclocking"? You could save a few bucks buy not buying the "k"

2: At the very least, fill your RAM slots just to take care of the dirt. (You don't want people to snicker behind your back saying..."there goes the dirty slot now") Seriously, 16 gigs cause there is no reason not too. Might not use it today but think back three years ago when we all used 4 and it is not enough today. Hmmmm

3: Haven't come across a better cooling case than the Coolermaster HAF full tower. But in any scenario you will have to look at this for a number of years so LOVE your case! Worth the extra money for sure.

4: Crysis 3 under load with a 780 or 780 Ti will use approx. 350 watts each, (http://anandtech.com/show/7492/the-geforce-gtx-780-ti-review/15 ). Why are you pissing around with the bare minimum 750W? spend here on a great quality PSU. think big as a PSU will degrade over time. A 1000W comes to mind with dual GPU's as the extra cost is minimal but worth it.
Buy a 750W if you are going single core...here is a calculator to check and as a general rule I would double the result. (PSU's are more efficient if used at half load) http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

4: if you are going with WiFi, then a PCi card is fine or you could just buy the $20 USB wifi http://www.newegg.com/Wireless-Adapters/SubCategory/ID-31?Tpk=wifi%20adapter&Order=RATING A cable hookup is better.

 

[mfenn]

4: Crysis 3 under load with a 780 or 780 Ti will use approx. 350 watts each, (http://anandtech.com/show/7492/the-geforce-gtx-780-ti-review/15 ). Why are you pissing around with the bare minimum 750W?

This is just plain wrong. The power draw numbers in that article are for the total system measured at the wall, not the GPU itself. In fact, the chart clearly shows that a fully-loaded GTX 780 Ti SLI system only draws 556W at the wall. Figure an 85% efficiency power supply and you're talking 473W DC.

 

[mfenn]

That's fair, but the in terms of costs "today" going from the Extreme4 to the Asus Pro is ~$20 and gets you BT and 'n' WiFi. Sticking with the extreme4 and picking up a 'n' WiFi card costs ~$20. Unless OP is planning on switching MoBos next year, it seems weird to be worried about saving them $20ish on their NEXT build when they both have equal costs now.

Why not set yourself up to save a few bucks down the line if there's no disadvantage to doing so?

 

[hackerballs]

asking for trouble if you will not overpower your 780's x 2 but suit yourself (wasn't kidding about x2 your draw...473 x 2 =946 ...in this day and age WHO buys Minimum for a great gaming rig?) but suit yourself's anyway you look at it, 750W is weak for 780Ti SLI

This is MHO only...feel free to disagree

 

[mfenn]

asking for trouble if you will not overpower your 780's x 2 but suit yourself (wasn't kidding about x2 your draw...473 x 2 =946 ...in this day and age WHO buys Minimum for a great gaming rig?) but suit yourself's anyway you look at it, 750W is weak for 780Ti SLI

This is MHO only...feel free to disagree

Claiming that an incorrect statement is "your humble opinion" does not somehow magically make it valid. Your claim that GTX 780 Ti SLI draws 946W is wrong.

GTX 780 Ti SLI draws 556W from the wall while gaming.

 

[hackerballs]

So your plan would be to buy a 557W PSU? I was just using the 473w that you mentioned! AT the wall, so WHAT? Fine, go bare minimum and watch things burn...

and it's just not "my opinion" that one would need a "SAFETY MARGIN"

I have no wish to argue with you, recommend a 557W to the op and end this, have a nice day

 

[Termie]

I'm actually going to go out on a limb and suggest that Anandtech's Bench is wrong on this. There's simply no way that 780Ti SLI uses 556W. Note that a single 780Ti uses 50W more than a single 780, and yet in the Bench, 780Ti SLI somehow uses just 20W more than 780 SLI.

Clearly, this is incorrect. I'd wager that 780Ti SLI would use closer to 650W, just like 290X CF, considering 780 Ti power draw is nearly identical to a single 290X.

Hopefully, Ryan will catch on to this error and fix it.

 

[lehtv]

Clearly, this is incorrect. I'd wager that 780Ti SLI would use closer to 650W, just like 290X CF, considering 780 Ti power draw is nearly identical to a single 290X.

Hopefully, Ryan will catch on to this error and fix it.

Yeah, something's fishy. Guru3D got 617W for the whole system off the wall.

 

[mfenn]

I'm actually going to go out on a limb and suggest that Anandtech's Bench is wrong on this. There's simply no way that 780Ti SLI uses 556W. Note that a single 780Ti uses 50W more than a single 780, and yet in the Bench, 780Ti SLI somehow uses just 20W more than 780 SLI.

Clearly, this is incorrect. I'd wager that 780Ti SLI would use closer to 650W, just like 290X CF, considering 780 Ti power draw is nearly identical to a single 290X.

Hopefully, Ryan will catch on to this error and fix it.

Ryan actually explains it in his article. The short version is that the cards are throttling in an SLI config.

As for the GTX 780 Ti SLI, here we see power level off at 556W, 20W more than the GTX 780 SLI. Some (if not most) of that is going to be explained by the increased CPU power consumption from the GTX 780 Ti SLI’s higher framerates. Coupled with that is the fact that in SLI setups these cards get hotter, and hence have to downclock a bit more to maintain equilibrium, which helps to offset the increased power requirements of GTX 780 Ti and keep the SLI results so close to the GTX 780 SLI results.

 

[mfenn]

So your plan would be to buy a 557W PSU? I was just using the 473w that you mentioned! AT the wall, so WHAT? Fine, go bare minimum and watch things burn...

and it's just not "my opinion" that one would need a "SAFETY MARGIN"

I have no wish to argue with you, recommend a 557W to the op and end this, have a nice day

And yet you keep coming back. I'm not arguing with you out of spite, I'm refuting your objectively false statements.

Let's go over this again:

1. I did not say "you should use a 557W power supply with no safety margin". Please argue against my actual points using logic and evidence rather than constructing straw man arguments.

2. I said "Your claim that GTX 780 Ti SLI draws 946W is wrong," and "This is just plain wrong. The power draw numbers in that article are for the total system measured at the wall, not the GPU itself. In fact, the chart clearly shows that a fully-loaded GTX 780 Ti SLI system only draws 556W at the wall. Figure an 85% efficiency power supply and you're talking 473W DC." Both of these statements are backed up by evidence (your own link in fact).

3. My original post about power requirements was in response to you ever so rudely suggesting that Essence's 750W recommendation was too low and that a 1000W power supply is necessary. Your recommendation has been shown to be without basis in fact.

 

[Termie]

Ryan actually explains it in his article. The short version is that the cards are throttling in an SLI config.

Good to know. It's tricky to have a universal bench procedure, because eventually it "breaks". He's going to need a faster cpu and likely a 4K resolution to get a good reading on 780ti power use in SLI.

I've found that nearly every game released this year is cpu bottlenecked at 1080p when running with 780ti levels of performance. You'd need double the resolution to use twice that power.

...on second thought, why isn't this affecting his R290X CF system?

 

[Essence_of_War]

He's going to need a faster cpu and likely a 4K resolution to get a good reading on 780ti power use in SLI.

I'm somewhat confused, mfenn/ryan are indicating that the cards are heat throttling, not running into CPU bottlenecks, right?

 

[Termie]

I'm somewhat confused, mfenn/ryan are indicating that the cards are heat throttling, not running into CPU bottlenecks, right?

The power levels are measured in Crysis 3, on a 4960X@4.2. That's a fast CPU, but look at the performance results:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7492/the-geforce-gtx-780-ti-review/8

At 2560x1440, the 780 SLI pair scales at 1.78x versus a single 780. The 780 Ti SLI pair scales at 1.62. Now, if this were heat related, it would likely affect both sets of cards. My hunch is that this isn't heat-related, but rather the CPU bottleneck in Crysis 3, which is extremely CPU-intensive. Also note that the 290X pair, which of course is relatively notorious for throttling, uses far more power than the 780Ti pair, but has lower performance - thereby skirting the CPU bottleneck, I presume.

Either way, back to the original question, assuming you have a cooling setup that can accommodate 780Ti SLI and a game that can fully utilize that power, 780 Ti SLI would use quite a bit more than 556W.

 

[Essence_of_War]

Ah! I see!

Man, Crysis 3 is vicious isn't it? I just assumed that the combination of hi-res and an OC 4960, especially given how well Crysis 3 scales with CPU cores, that there would be no CPU bottleneck.

 

[alangrift]

Here's an idea google and find a website where you can put anything you want in the PC and the website will tell you what that particular PC you created would be great for.