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Improvement for Skylake $4000 Gaming rig

N

nimbexmd

Junior Member
Hello All,

I'm a new builder with no recent experience in building. However, I have done a good bit of reading over the past few months about components and building. Here is the link to a build that I have planned out: (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/937b99) . Please note, I currently own an acceptable keyboard and mouse (Razer, recent last year).


  • CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($399.49 @ B&H)
    CPU Cooler: Corsair H110i GT 113.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($130.38 @ Newegg)
    Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 7 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($215.98 @ Micro Center)
    Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws 4 Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($145.78 @ Newegg)
    Storage: Samsung SM951 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($395.26 @ NCIX US)
    Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.44 @ OutletPC)
    Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($722.50 @ SuperBiiz)
    Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($722.50 @ SuperBiiz)
    Case: NZXT Phantom 820 (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($201.94 @ SuperBiiz)
    Power Supply: Corsair RM 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($152.78 @ Newegg)
    Optical Drive: LG UH12NS30 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($41.31 @ SuperBiiz)
    Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM (64-bit) ($140.38 @ SuperBiiz)
    Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($29.16 @ SuperBiiz)
    Monitor: Acer XB280HK bprz 60Hz 28.0" Monitor ($768.64 @ B&H)
    Total: $4119.54



MY GOALS:

  1. (1) Gaming - ability to run the 4K monitor (Gsync) reasonably smoothly on max settings, with some future proofing (1-3 years), on both CPU and GPU intensive games - current favs inclide upcoming Fallout 4, Witcher 3, Civilization series, SC2
    (2) Ability to online stream without significant cut in gaming performance;
    (3) Ability to do basic Video and photo editing;
    (4) Some multitasking capability, as above.
    (5) Approximate purchase date: Sept 2015 in USA

My Budget is $4,000, + or - $500. My goal is to attain the above, keeping in mind that I don't mind paying a small amount more for better performance, but not a marginal amount more for a significant less returns. I would like to keep the 2-GPU SLI in the build, would like a CPU that can overclock, interested in an SSD with high read/write rates, but I am not interested in paying extra money for sleeving, LEDs, and other items for visual appeal, unless they have a functional purpose that adds value / efficiency.

I am looking for feedback for potential issues prior to purchase on :


  1. (1) Cooling Adequacy and Layout - With the Corsair H110 cooling, the MSI 6G NVIDIA 980TI x2 custom cooling, and the current case with the preinstalled fans, I am open to suggestions on cooling layout within my case. I would be willing to purchase more fans, however, I am not interested in the time commitment needed for custom water or sub zero cooling;
    (2) Performance Bottlenecking - Are there any parts that stand out as not being "up to par with the others" in such a way that performance will "bottleneck," keeping in mind my goals above?
    (3) Multi monitor support - Would someone mind verifying that I could run a HP Pavilion 23xi with the proposed Acer XB280HK bprz 60Hz 28.0" Monitor (Gsync, 4K)? I believe I can (one uses HDMI, one Displayport 1.2). Specifically, I plan to purchase another 4K monitor (possibly a second Acer XB280HK) if I like the first one. Any problems with this setup (it would replace the HP).
    (4) Any recommended missing items? i.e. fans, fan controller, etc.


Thank you!
 
Wow! 4K gaming on max settings isn't really a common thing now, but it looks like you're spending money to make it a thing.

There are a couple of big choices to be made here. The first is whether you want a little extra speed from your cores (Skylake) or more cores (Haswell-E)? You can overclock Haswell-E pretty well, easily to 4GHz, so I'd say this is a judgement call based on whether you think games in the future will prefer more single-core speed or more cores. Also note that Haswell-E may slightly improve your video editing speed, while Skylake may improve your photo editing speed.

The second choice is between 980Ti and AMD Fury X. Here's a discussion of the merits at 4K. They come down on 980Ti if you overclock, but it's a tough call. Though not having to find space for two more water cooling fans might make it easier.

I've seen enough weird cases with Skylake and DDR4-1.35V that I'd suggest getting DDR4-2800 @1.2V instead, and then overclocking it with lower, custom voltage if you really want it faster.

Oh, and why does your build appear ~$400 lower in PCPartPicker than what you list? Are you excluding some stores or offers?
 
I would also strongly consider Haswell-E. The 5820K is actually a hair cheaper then the 6700K but is 6 cores. For streaming you really want the additional cores/threads, especially at 4k.
 
Yeah, I'd opt for a 5820K as well if you're willing to spend that kind of money. Over time more cores > slightly higher clock speeds.
 
Hello,

Thanks for your replies.


  • Re: lehtv, You found something I did not notice in regards to Dual SLI setup on PCIe slots. The board in my build, (Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 7), has PCIe slots as follows: 1 x16 @ x16, 1 x16 @ x8, and 1 x16 @ x4, with 3 additional PCI x1 slots. I found that the Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 motherboard supports 2 x16 PCIe slots @ x16 each and 2 x16 PCIe slots @ x8 PCIe. This represents an increase in price of $280, with the difference being that on the more expensive model, I can run x16/x16 SLI instead of x16/x8 SLI. However, multiple sources indicate that modern game performance is not affected in any significant way: Source 1 Source 2 . I am tempted to save money given the lack of performance gains. Anyone strongly disagree?


  • Re: Ken: Took your advice on the RAM; Will stick to the NVIDIA; Not sure why the link was incorrect. Here is the new tweaked build Skylake build link: (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/HxgMt6)


I have been considering Haswell-E i7 5930K / z99 combo (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ht3YFT) to replace the Skylake build I posted. These Skylake and Haswell-E builds are similar, except for some changes to SSD / RAM / motherboards for compatibility.


  • As far as I can tell, they are of similar price. The Skylake build I made is compatible with a much faster SSD and DDR4-2800 RAM, has faster 4-core base and OC clock speeds, while the Haswell-E build has slower SSD, DDR4-2133 RAM, but has 2 more cores.

My gut is to go with the Skylake - faster RAM / SSD / CPU; my use of video editing will be limited, and my streaming will be occasional. Additionally, I feel that modern and future games for the next few years are unlikely to utilize the extra 2 cores. Anyone strongly disagree?

Thanks - plan to order today during some of the labor day sales, so your responses are appreciated 🙂

Brandon
 
Seriously? And new builder? but that isn't as much of an issue as it used to be.

GL tell us how it works out.

And Pics.

Honestly, if your spending that much money on that system I'd get a WD Black and not go near a Blue, and a smaller SSD for the OS, and a different PSU, but it is your rig.

As it is a sale day I'm sure you will get more feedback.

I forget the version, but if I were doing what you are I'd slap a PCIE SSD in there.
 
Last edited:
Re: MongGrel: I have updated the build to Seagate Constellation ES.3 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive, which seems comparable to the WD Black in terms of reviews and performance.

I might be wrong, but the links I saw state that the Samsung SM951 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive IS a PCIe SSD that uses the M.2 PCIe interface, requiring "M.2 Interface: PCIe 3.0 x4 lanes, up to 32Gb/s". It is also super fast, and I don't mind shelling out the $ for 512GB. My Board apparently has "Dual PCIe Gen3 x4 M.2 Connectors with up to 32Gb/s Data Transfer (PCIe & SATA SSD support)" Please correct me if I am missing something in terms of full compatibility / support, as I've never worked with these.

What PSU would you recommend? The builds I have are under 800W, so I felt that a 1000W PSU is sufficient. Is there something I'm missing?

Brandon



MongGrel said:
Seriously? And new builder? but that isn't as much of an issue as it used to be.

GL tell us how it works out.

And Pics.

Honestly, if your spending that much money on that system I'd get a WD Black and not go near a Blue, and a smaller SSD for the OS, and a different PSU, but it is your rig.

As it is a sale day I'm sure you will get more feedback.

I forget the version, but if I were doing what you are I'd slap a PCIE SSD in there.
Click to expand...
 
nimbexmd said:
Re: MongGrel: I have updated the build to Seagate Constellation ES.3 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive, which seems comparable to the WD Black in terms of reviews and performance.

I might be wrong, but the links I saw state that the Samsung SM951 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive IS a PCIe SSD that uses the M.2 PCIe interface, requiring "M.2 Interface: PCIe 3.0 x4 lanes, up to 32Gb/s". It is also super fast, and I don't mind shelling out the $ for 512GB. My Board apparently has "Dual PCIe Gen3 x4 M.2 Connectors with up to 32Gb/s Data Transfer (PCIe & SATA SSD support)" Please correct me if I am missing something in terms of full compatibility / support, as I've never worked with these.

What PSU would you recommend? The builds I have are under 800W, so I felt that a 1000W PSU is sufficient. Is there something I'm missing?

Brandon
Click to expand...

Yeah the m.2 slot is PCIe and I wouldn't recommend a standard PCIe slot drive if you're using two video cards. Cooling could be affected.

But also the 6700K only has 20 PCIe lanes. For better performance (video and m.2) it's better with a 5930K and 40 PCIe lanes to feed that cutting edge hardware (I agree with above).
 
You seem to know a lot about gaming hardware so why the 60Hz monitor? They have a 200Hz monitor coming out soon, by Acer. Ultra Wide, iirc.

I would put a custom block on that chip. Go with a HK 3.0. I use one with a Swiftech 3x120mm Drive (rev.3) link Keeps my 6 core chip @ 1.355v 4.45GHz under 60*c in 70*f ambient temps all day long.
 
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