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Destroy my build - $3,000 gaming setup

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PCJake

PCJake

Senior member
I'm building my next computer, everyone, and I want some critical comments. Or, if you think it's all good, please say so. Here we go:

My needs:

I will be using this system for gaming, first and foremost. I also record gameplay with FRAPS and edit it with Virtualdub. Next, I watch Netflix and Blu-rays on a near daily basis. Finally, overall system responsiveness (fast boot, no hangups while starting programs) is extremely important to me.

General information

I'm buying from the good ole' U.S.A. My brand preferences include Intel and NVIDIA. I'll overclock my CPU to get the most out of it, and also because I enjoy the overclocking process. I will be gaming at 1920x1200.

Important: I'm not just trying to throw money at Newegg and hoping to end up with a nice PC. I'm trying to be smart about it and not get more than I will benefit from (though I place value on build quality and long-term reliability, so I'll pay extra for that - even if it doesn't improve my system's performance, strictly speaking).

The Build

Intel Core i7-3930K 3.2GHz $569.99 Placeholder; going to change this to a i7-4930K when it's released.

I've done some research and have determined that games are starting to use more than four cores effectively (Battlefield 3 is one of the best examples). I'll just disable Hyper-Threading and overclock it for the best gaming performance.

ASUS P9X79 LE X79 Motherboard $224.99 If X79 boards are refreshed for IB-E release, then I'll switch to a newer one.

I've got an Asus board and I love it, and this X79 board has everything I want.

Noctua NH-D14 CPU HSF $79.99 Already own it.

This thing works like a charm, no reason to switch to anything else. Fits without issue in the Corsair 550D case, and won't interfere with the low-profile Crucial RAM I've selected.

Crucial Ballistix Tactical 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3 1600 PURCHASED for $99.99

These are perfect for me. 1600MHz and 8-8-8-24 timings at only 1.35 volts, and they're low profile for maximum compatibility with my Noctua NH-D14. Most people (in this thread, at least) seem to think that 16GB is a good amount; neither insufficient nor excessive. I agree with that.

EVGA SuperClocked GTX 780 $659.99

I don't want to use a multi-GPU setup because of inconsistent scaling, extra heat, micro stutter, and lower total dedicated memory.

SeaSonic X Series X650 Gold PSU PURCHASED for $109.99

I've had a chance to move all my components into my new 550D case, and this PSU is awesome to work with. The ribbon cables work perfectly and make cable management a breeze. I haven't heard any coil whine (and I'm generally able to hear high-pitched hums), nor can I hear the fan when it's spinning.

Samsung 840 Pro 256GB SSD $239.99 Already own it.

No reason to use anything different, this SSD is excellent. I'm looking forward to using it with native 6.0Gb/s ports for the first time.

Western Digital Black 1.5TB 7200 RPM 6.0Gb/s $99.99 Already own it.

I'll use this drive exclusively for FRAPS capture and file storage.

Corsair Obsidian Series 550D Tower PURCHASED for $129.99

Downsizing from the Cosmos 1000 was a great decision - this case is better in every single way for my purposes. I've removed the top HDD cage, replaced the front intake fans with Noctua NF-S12As, replaced the rear exhaust with a NF-A14, and added a NF-A14 as the bottom intake. I've got the side panel fan cover off for extra ventilation, but I left the top cover on so my cat can sit there. My GPU and CPU temps are 5-10°C lower than they were in the Cosmos 1000, and the only noise I hear from the case is a very low "whooshing" sound, which is both quieter and more pleasant than the noise that came from my Cosmos 1000.

HP w2408h 24" 1920x1200 monitor $469.99 Already own it

I've been using this monitor for five years and it's excellent. I want to upgrade to a monitor with a higher refresh rate, but that's not going to be part of this build. Right now all the monitors that are 120/144Hz natively only support up to 1920x1080, and that would be a step down from my HP. I'm hoping that higher resolution 120/144Hz monitors are going to be available within a year or so from now.

LG Black WH12LS39 Blu-ray drive $84.98 Already own it.

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer $90.99 Already own it.

Current total: $2,860.87

My first two PCs would have been pretty weak if I hadn't posted my plans here on the forums ahead of time - my bigger mistakes were promptly and bluntly corrected and I ended up with great computers. Be just as critical here, you won't hurt my feelings.
 
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The only comment I have is that the 27" widescreen monitors around feel curiously non-immersive to me. A 30" works better for me as a general purpose + gaming monitor, if you can only have one screen.
 
vbuggy said:
The only comment I have is that the 27" widescreen monitors around feel curiously non-immersive to me. A 30" works better for me as a general purpose + gaming monitor, if you can only have one screen.
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Noted. We'll see if anyone else comments about this.
 
I would still run a 1+TB HD for storage. Never know when you might get a digital camera, want to DL some movies, or even back up your smartphone.
 
mnewsham said:
I would suggest getting 2x8GB RAM instead of 4x4GB, it will allow you to upgrade down the line to 32GB if you feel it is needed.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820103036

Also, why the 850w PSU?

Your system will likely max out around 450-550w.
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Both legitimate points.

It seems unlikely to me that I would get 8GB and then decide that I need 32GB. But that's besides that point really - I'll do some measurements on how much RAM I actually use now before changing my list, but 8GB might be enough.

I filled out the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator after reading your post and your right, it's recommending 458w. I'll check out the lower watt PSUs on Newegg.

Sohaltang said:
I would still run a 1+TB HD for storage. Never know when you might get a digital camera, want to DL some movies, or even back up your smartphone.
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I've got a 1.5TB WD Caviar Black drive sitting around somewhere upstairs, so I'm good to go there.
 
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PCJake said:
It'll be a couple months before I'm ready to order, so I'm keeping the list flexible. This is an early draft.
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Almost everything we could possibly recommend will change in a few months. I'd recommend coming back then.

- New CPUs
- New GPUs
- New Motherboards
- Potentially totally different prices on SSDs and RAM

By the way, the Corsair AX850 is often cheaper than the inferior HX850. But yes, a nice 650W model is all you need.
 
Yeah...with Haswell dropping in a month this seems like a suboptimal time be planning a build in a month 🙂

The case jumps out to me as excessive. It seems like a lot of case that you won't really be using. I feel like the 300,400,500R would fit all of your stuff with high build quality and good cable management for ~100-175 USD less.
 
Essence_of_War said:
Yeah...with Haswell dropping in a month this seems like a suboptimal time be planning a build in a month 🙂

The case jumps out to me as excessive. It seems like a lot of case that you won't really be using. I feel like the 300,400,500R would fit all of your stuff with high build quality and good cable management for ~100-175 USD less.
Click to expand...

Haswell, eh? I don't like to plan on anything that isn't out yet, but I'll keep my eye on it.

I don't like the aesthetics of any of cases you mentioned, but I'm not ruling out getting a smaller case. I shall add that to my list of things to research further.
 
PCJake said:
It seems unlikely to me that I would get 8GB and then decide that I need 32GB. But that's besides that point really - I'll do some measurements on how much RAM I actually use now before changing my list, but 8GB might be enough.
Click to expand...

its 2x8 GB for total of 16GB not 8GB total.

I am simply recommending using 2 8GB sticks instead of 4 4GB sticks, that way you have more density.
 
PCJake said:
Haswell, eh? I don't like to plan on anything that isn't out yet, but I'll keep my eye on it.
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It is 3-4 weeks away I believe so if you can get everything but motherboard and CPU then wait for it to release you will get a nice 10-15% performance bump for "free".
 
PCJake said:
Haswell, eh? I don't like to plan on anything that isn't out yet, but I'll keep my eye on it.

I don't like the aesthetics of any of cases you mentioned, but I'm not ruling out getting a smaller case. I shall add that to my list of things to research further.
Click to expand...

Then just go with the 650D. It looks exactly like the 800D, but isn't as massive: http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Obsidi...s=corsair+650D

There really is no benefit to having a huge case unless you need the space for drives. The 650D is plenty big for multiple graphics cards, if you ever went in that direction. Also, consider that cooling of components in a huge case is often suboptimal due to undirected airflow.

And trust us, in 3-4 weeks, you will be buying Haswell, not Ivy Bridge.
 
With a budget that big, you should go with a Dell U3014 monitor ($1500 or so). It's 2560x1600 and has an overdrive mode for games.

If you want to stick to 27" 1440p, I'd recommend the HP ZR2740W instead: it has lower input lag than pretty much every 27" IPS panel on the market (even some TN panels, I believe).
 
Sleepingforest said:
With a budget that big, you should go with a Dell U3014 monitor ($1500 or so). It's 2560x1600 and has an overdrive mode for games.

If you want to stick to 27" 1440p, I'd recommend the HP ZR2740W instead: it has lower input lag than pretty much every 27" IPS panel on the market (even some TN panels, I believe).
Click to expand...

I'm still not clear on why the HP is better. It's got 12ms response time whereas the ASUS has 5ms.

And as far as the U3014 goes...I have a big budget, but it's not unlimited. That monitor is $1,000 more than the one I'm looking at. Is there something inherently wrong with 27" monitors? I've had a few comments about that choice but I'm still unsure.
 
PCJake said:
I'm still not clear on why the HP is better. It's got 12ms response time whereas the ASUS has 5ms.

And as far as the U3014 goes...I have a big budget, but it's not unlimited. That monitor is $1,000 more than the one I'm looking at. Is there something inherently wrong with 27" monitors? I've had a few comments about that choice but I'm still unsure.
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well quality wise dell is probably going to be your best bet in terms of colour and OSD options.

they have a 27" 2560x1440 LED for $849.99

As well as a 30" 2560x1600 LED for $1249.99

Or if you are for example wanting to do two applications side be side on a single monitor for cheap dell also has a 29" 2560x1080 LED for $699.99
 
BTRY B 529th FA BN said:
The 800D is nice but it has terrible air-flow. If you haven't re-considered already...
Click to expand...

Definitely reconsidering. I can see the practicality of getting a smaller case...but it's going to feel weird going from my giant Cosmos 1000 to something smaller...it'll feel like I'm going in the wrong direction, even if that's dumb.

It's probably how people feel when they sell their old Cadillac and get something smaller.
 
PCJake said:
Definitely reconsidering. I can see the practicality of getting a smaller case...but it's going to feel weird going from my giant Cosmos 1000 to something smaller...it'll feel like I'm going in the wrong direction, even if that's dumb.

It's probably how people feel when they sell their old Cadillac and get something smaller.
Click to expand...

Hey, just remember all the big fancy multi hundred thousand dollar sports cars are 2 seaters and usually about the size of a ford focus 😉

Seriously though, A large case can be okay, but at least get a better case for air cooling, unless you plan on doing a nice water loop, then the 800D might be good cause it has the room for radiators and such.
 
mnewsham said:
Hey, just remember all the big fancy multi hundred thousand dollar sports cars are 2 seaters and usually about the size of a ford focus 😉

Seriously though, A large case can be okay, but at least get a better case for air cooling, unless you plan on doing a nice water loop, then the 800D might be good cause it has the room for radiators and such.
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Yeah, I've considered working with water cooling, but I've always decided against it just because of the simplicity of air cooling. Frankly, though, the 800D appeals to me so much (whereas nothing else I've looked at does), that I might just learn water cooling. Could be fun anyway.
 
PCJake said:
Yeah, I've considered working with water cooling, but I've always decided against it just because of the simplicity of air cooling. Frankly, though, the 800D appeals to me so much (whereas nothing else I've looked at does), that I might just learn water cooling. Could be fun anyway.
Click to expand...

If you like minimalist case design check out Lian-Li very high quality cases. You can also look at some Mountain Mod cases.
 
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