Need advice on a new gaming build

[entropy1982]

Hi guys,

I have been totally out of the game for a good 3 years now so please excuse any ignorance that may come through in this post.
I am trying to build a new gaming PC which will be driving a 30 inch monitor (2560X1600 resolution.)
Budget: No more than $2500 including taxes, shipping etc.
I am willing to sacrifice some extra money to make putting it together easier and from previous experience, I want to try to never open it until I give it to my parents and buy another computer, which is what I've done with my last 4 (less maintenance the better)

here is the most current list of components I am thinking about getting:
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Entropy1982/saved/3EgD

Case Fans: Not sure what i'd need for a different case.

Any other general advice would be much appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

 

[Cerb]

Any overclocking (I think that's the only important sticky survey question not answered)? Any other needs?

Given your budget, look at the other Phantom lines, as well, like the 530 (more rounded) and 630 (like the 410). The differences are mostly aesthetics, but there are other differences, internal and external, too (such as USB placement). They're good cases, you're just paying a bit extra for the aesthetics.

 

[mfenn]

I agree with Cerb on the overclocking question. Without it, there's not much point in the fancy mobo, K series CPU, or big water cooler.

 

[entropy1982]

I do plan on overclocking. But I'm not looking to push the envelope too much. Just a moderate to high overclock. Nothing extreme.

Here is the build I am thinking so far: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Entropy1982/saved/3EgD

 

[mfenn]

That's a good start, but I'd make a few changes:
- Mobo: Unless you need a whole bunch of eSATA ports, the ASRock Z87 Killer has a very similar featureset for $125.
- PSU: That Seasonic is really expensive relative to what you need. 850W is totally reasonable for GTX 780 SLI, but you don't need to spend $190 to get there. The Seasonic M12II 850W at $110 AR is just as good. The ~5% efficiency difference isn't going to make back the $80.

 

[entropy1982]

That's a good start, but I'd make a few changes:
- Mobo: Unless you need a whole bunch of eSATA ports, the ASRock Z87 Killer has a very similar featureset for $125.
- PSU: That Seasonic is really expensive relative to what you need. 850W is totally reasonable for GTX 780 SLI, but you don't need to spend $190 to get there. The Seasonic M12II 850W at $110 AR is just as good. The ~5% efficiency difference isn't going to make back the $80.

Thanks so much for your input. I have made both changes to the build. Anything else you would recommend?
Any fans I might want to get that wont come with the case?
Also, what are people using these days for thermal paste? Are they still using as5?

 

[entropy1982]

Mfenn,

I did have a small question. One of the reviews of that motherboard states:
Cons: SLI power connector on bottom of board couldnt be installed in my case(NZXT Phantom) without modification because the PSU is in the way. Ugly stickers on bios chips.

This may be problematic since I am getting a phantom case.

Any thoughts on that?

 

[entropy1982]

Here is my current list of components:
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Entropy1982/saved/3EgD

The few things I'd like some insight on are:

1. How many and which case fans should I get that do not come with this case?

2. Please check the brands of my build (mainly the video cards.) Are there any brands which would be better to get the same version of?

3. I haven't built a pc in a few years now. Are people still using artic silver 5 for paste?

4. Am I missing anything or is this pretty much ready to order?

Edit: This computer will mainly be used for gaming/browsing/very light photoshop
I plan on doing a moderate overclock (nothing extreme)

Thank you for your time.

As a friendly warning, please do not create multiple threads on the same build. It splits up the discussion into different threads which causes confusion and avoidable restatement of facts. I have merged the two threads.

mfenn
General Hardware Moderator

 

[DesiPower]

It comes with a front 200mm and a rear 140mm, that enough imho. looks like the only other empty slot is the side one, I don't care much for them...

Why the heck do you need 2 780?? which game will use it and what resolution are you planning to play at? but its your choice... I believe they are better if not same compared to 280x, ony thing better is 290x, but they are almost $100 more...

Arctic silver still the go-to brand imho

You are missing optical drive (ASUS Blu-ray burner would be my choice) and maybe a SATA cable...

 

[nwo]

Motherboard comes with two SATA cables, so you shouldn't need to order any extras.

You will need an optical drive if you plan on installing a Windows OS.

Brand names look very good. Gigabyte for the cards, Seasonic PSU, ASrock z87 mobo, can't go wrong with any of them.

The other thing I would recommend is getting at least a 120GB SSD. Either use it as a boot drive for OS or as a cache drive (lookup Intel SRT).

If you choose to add the SSD and optical drive, you will be short 1 SATA cable.

 

[entropy1982]

It comes with a front 200mm and a rear 140mm, that enough imho. looks like the only other empty slot is the side one, I don't care much for them...

Why the heck do you need 2 780?? which game will use it and what resolution are you planning to play at? but its your choice... I believe they are better if not same compared to 280x, ony thing better is 290x, but they are almost $100 more...

Arctic silver still the go-to brand imho

You are missing optical drive (ASUS Blu-ray burner would be my choice) and maybe a SATA cable...

Hi DesiPower,

Thanks for your reply. I am running 2560X1600 resolution. I have noticed that at high settings, it's hard acheiving even 50 FPS on some games with one 780. I am simply going off those benchmarks to be honest. Any particular asus burner you recommend?

Thanks again

 

[entropy1982]

Motherboard comes with two SATA cables, so you shouldn't need to order any extras.

You will need an optical drive if you plan on installing a Windows OS.

Brand names look very good. Gigabyte for the cards, Seasonic PSU, ASrock z87 mobo, can't go wrong with any of them.

The other thing I would recommend is getting at least a 120GB SSD. Either use it as a boot drive for OS or as a cache drive (lookup Intel SRT).

If you choose to add the SSD and optical drive, you will be short 1 SATA cable.

Hey NWO,

I put a 500gb drive in there if you notice. I have a 240 ssd in my current comp which I will likely put into this comp. But having a 500gb SSD should be fun too

 

[DesiPower]

Hi DesiPower,

Thanks for your reply. I am running 2560X1600 resolution. I have noticed that at high settings, it's hard acheiving even 50 FPS on some games with one 780. I am simply going off those benchmarks to be honest. Any particular asus burner you recommend?

Thanks again

aren't that many to choose from, based on Newgg's reviews I would go for this, that's what I have right now. Really good and fast reading (couples with DVDFab it works wonders ), never tired write.

 

[Doppel]

Damn, that machine is going to destroy games.

 

[DesiPower]

Damn, that machine is going to destroy games.

lol, I was thinking the same, since OP is going all in, could a i7 benefit him in anyway?

Also OP, the cooler is HUGE, if you are not big into OCing, might causing headache installing and later playing around too. CM Hyper 212 should is good enough if you are not big on OCing

 

[entropy1982]

lol, I was thinking the same, since OP is going all in, could a i7 benefit him in anyway?

Also OP, the cooler is HUGE, if you are not big into OCing, might causing headache installing and later playing around too. CM Hyper 212 should is good enough if you are not big on OCing

Hm, interesting comment about the cooler. Ease of installation is very important to me. I'd sacrifize a couple 100 mhz to save some time on installation. Is it really tedious to install that cooler?

In regards to i7 - I totally don't mind the extra 80 bucks or whatever it is, but people in other threads have told me that unless i'm doing some crazy photoshop design or something the hyperthreading will simply not be utilized. If you guys feel i'd utilize it in anyway I wouldn't mind going for the i7.

Thoughts?

 

[DesiPower]

Hm, interesting comment about the cooler. Ease of installation is very important to me. I'd sacrifize a couple 100 mhz to save some time on installation. Is it really tedious to install that cooler?

In regards to i7 - I totally don't mind the extra 80 bucks or whatever it is, but people in other threads have told me that unless i'm doing some crazy photoshop design or something the hyperthreading will simply not be utilized. If you guys feel i'd utilize it in anyway I wouldn't mind going for the i7.

Thoughts?

Then you should like CM Hyper 212, its heaven sent, size vs cooling capacity is awesome!

That's what I have heard too, most games done utilize the HT..

 

[entropy1982]

Then you should like CM Hyper 212, its heaven sent, size vs cooling capacity is awesome!

That's what I have heard too, most games done utilize the HT..

So I did a little research.
http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/33067-cooler-master-hyper-212-vs-the-noctua-nh-d14/

I would certainly like the fact that the Noctua makes less noise, as well as the possible higher overclock. Does anyone here know if there are any issues with the RAM/case/mobo combo I chose when putting in the Noctua? If I would have to do some special modifications, I would probably forego the noctua.

Thoughts?

 

[lehtv]

I would certainly like the fact that the Noctua makes less noise, as well as the possible higher overclock. Does anyone here know if there are any issues with the RAM/case/mobo combo I chose when putting in the Noctua? If I would have to do some special modifications, I would probably forego the noctua.

The case will fit the D14 fine, and the D14 won't interfere with that RAM and motherboard.

But as far as I can tell, nothing you do requires more than 8GB of RAM.

I also don't see the point in a 500GB SSD. It's not that important to have capacity, the main thing is to have enough for your OS, programs and games. You don't have to fit all games onto it, just the ones that benefit. I'd get Crucial M500 240GB $125. If you still want to splurge on a huge SSD, Crucial M500 480GB is much better per dollar than the Samsung 840 Evo.

For such a high-powered rig that uses dual 780's, I'd get a more efficient unit. XFX Pro 850W Black Edition $115 AR

Finally, a 4670K seems a bit "underkill" when considering how high end everything else is. I mean, there is benefit to having a 4770K in some games, and the number of those games can only increase in the future.

 

[entropy1982]

The case will fit the D14 fine, and the D14 won't interfere with that RAM and motherboard.

But as far as I can tell, nothing you do requires more than 8GB of RAM.

I also don't see the point in a 500GB SSD. It's not that important to have capacity, the main thing is to have enough for your OS, programs and games. You don't have to fit all games onto it, just the ones that benefit. I'd get Crucial M500 240GB $125. If you still want to splurge on a huge SSD, Crucial M500 480GB is much better per dollar than the Samsung 840 Evo.

For such a high-powered rig that uses dual 780's, I'd get a more efficient unit. XFX Pro 850W Black Edition $115 AR

Finally, a 4670K seems a bit "underkill" when considering how high end everything else is. I mean, there is benefit to having a 4770K in some games, and the number of those games can only increase in the future.

Thank you for your advice. I changed my config to the 4770K and put the crucial 480gb version of that drive. I know what you mean with not having to store all the games on that drive. I just really like not having to think about which drive to put things on. I think the extra 130 bucks will make my user experience overall better. I think i will actually keep the noctua, because even on their site they are indicating that the RAM is compatible with the D14 with no modifications. Any other changes you would make to the current build?

 

[nwo]

I hate my CM 212+... Installation was a pain in the ass, cooling is mediocre at best, even with two fans. I'd recommend you look into something else.

Installation of my Corsair H60 was a breeze, which almost didn't even require a screwdriver to install the backplate and CPU block on the motherboard. So if you are looking for something simple to install which will not interfere with any components, I would highly recommend it. I also have the old version of it, so the new version must be even better.

If you want a mosta CPU cooler, this would do the trick:
http://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Fr...rds=CPU+cooler

Honestly, I do not see the CPU cooler as being the limiting factor in OCing. The heat transfer is so poor between the CPU and the HSF, that you can't really go wrong with an aftermarket air cooler due to the fact that the heat transfer from CPU to HSF will almost always be the limiting factor.

I would also not recommend a 4770k. HT is not going to make a noticeable difference in games now or for a while. And by the time HT starts to make a difference in games, you will probably be overdue for a CPU upgrade.

 

[entropy1982]

I hate my CM 212+... Installation was a pain in the ass, cooling is mediocre at best, even with two fans. I'd recommend you look into something else.

Installation of my Corsair H60 was a breeze, which almost didn't even require a screwdriver to install the backplate and CPU block on the motherboard. So if you are looking for something simple to install which will not interfere with any components, I would highly recommend it. I also have the old version of it, so the new version must be even better.

If you want a mosta CPU cooler, this would do the trick:
http://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Fr...rds=CPU+cooler

Honestly, I do not see the CPU cooler as being the limiting factor in OCing. The heat transfer is so poor between the CPU and the HSF, that you can't really go wrong with an aftermarket air cooler due to the fact that the heat transfer from CPU to HSF will almost always be the limiting factor.

I would also not recommend a 4770k. HT is not going to make a noticeable difference in games now or for a while. And by the time HT starts to make a difference in games, you will probably be overdue for a CPU upgrade.

Thank you for your feedback. Just from knowing myself, this computer will stay unopened (unless something breaks) for like 3 to 3.5 years after which I will give it to my parents or a friend which is what I have done within the last decade of building my PCs. I just hate messing with it once it's all put together. So an extra 50 or 80 bucks here and there is more than worth it for me if it means not having to take the CPU off an extra time etc. But you are certainly not the first one to say that I will basically get 0 benefit from 4770K vs 4670K... so confused

 

[nwo]

I see the updated list now. Everything looks good. That's a pretty nice price on the 480GB SSD.

Don't forget to order an extra SATA cable unless you have a spare laying around somewhere.

Go with the 4770k if it will make you feel better. Seems like $$ is not an issue. I wouldn't say the benefit would be 0 but it's definitely not going to be noticeable unless you are encoding videos and using applications which fully utilize HT.

 

[entropy1982]

I see the updated list now. Everything looks good. That's a pretty nice price on the 480GB SSD.

Don't forget to order an extra SATA cable unless you have a spare laying around somewhere.

Go with the 4770k if it will make you feel better. Seems like $$ is not an issue. I wouldn't say the benefit would be 0 but it's definitely not going to be noticeable unless you are encoding videos and using applications which fully utilize HT.

Thanks so much for your time.

 

[entropy1982]

Changed my case to the 630 - I figure more room will make for an easier time.

Edit: Everything ordered! Thanks so much guys, I really appreciate all of your help!