New Gaming/Work PC

[ranger10700]

Hi there AnandTech users

This is my first time posting here so I'm a little nervous, but am grateful for such a community to exist. My computers been on the fritz for a while and has gone through so many hand-me-down graphics card that it's starting to show negative side effects. So, a new PC is in order, no hand-me-downs.

My Budget:

$4000 - Slightly flexible, would be willing to up it to $4500 if it's really necessary.

Needed Parts:

Power Supply
Case
Motherboard
CPU
Heatsink for CPU
Memory
Primary Hard Drive
Primary Optical Drive
Video Card(/s)
Dual Monitors (Potentially three if i can find a nice flat desk that fits where i need it to fit)
Operating System - Windows 7 for now, will be windows 10 eventually
Snacks - yum

Extra Parts:

Additional 2x2TB hard drive
Audio Card
Speakers & Headphones (headphones need to be a large fit, i have a big head )
Microphone - Needs to be separate from headset if i start doing recordings.
Surge Suppressor - I live in Queensland, Australia and storms happen quite frequently, so this is a must.

Computers Uses:

Gaming, Work (programming and other game design stuff), Video Editing, Streaming, Recording

The list of extra stuff is as it sounds, extra. Main budget will go to the bulk of the PC, but if you can fit some or all of the extra stuff into the budget, you guessed it, bonus points.

More bonus points if you could help me out with any maintenance tips.

I understand this is a big list, so I thank anyone who is willing to help out or even point me in the right direction.

Thanks,

Ranger

 

[mfenn]

$4000, even $4000 AUD is a large sum of money for a PC. Are you wanting to spend that whole amount even if it means going completely off the deep end of the price/performance curve? Or are you willing to spend less if you can accomplish your goals for less?

 

[ranger10700]

Thanks for the reply

I should've specified that i'm willing to spend up to that, but if you can find a computer that does all that with a lower price tag then be my guest!

Performance is my main want especially in high-end games like GTA V and Witcher 3. I mostly made the budget $4000 for the sake of the extra stuff.

I'll also specify the vendor I will be primarily using for the sake of your time, but even US prices will suffice

http://www.msy.com.au/home.php

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Without going into specifics, we could probably nail down a preliminary budget amount for each component. For instance, you could probably pick a number between $200 and $300 for a good motherboard, without specifying make and model until later.

Right away, I will tell you from a few decades of experience that "surge suppressor" falls short. You want an "Uninterruptable Power Supply," "UPS" or battery-backup. It's an investment, and well worth it. Let's throw out a liberally padded figure of about $150. You'd choose the VA spec or wattage (~0.6 X VA-rating, if I'm not mistaken) to exceed the maximum draw of all equipment connected to it.

I can only imagine Queensland's weather, but I know Northern Virginia well. On an evening of "green lightning" and pervasive power-outages, I got tired of burning out my phone modem and putting my system at risk. So I ordered my first UPS.

Also, you don't mention using a solid-state drive or SSD. SSDs are revolutionary for opening a bottleneck in hardware architecture. I wouldn't build a computer these days without choosing an SSD for my boot-system disk. And also with that, I'd look again at my hard-disk desires to see if I couldn't reduce the number of HDDs while maintaining the total capacity. For instance, you can get a 4TB HDD (requiring GPT partitioning). You could then add a second, small SSD and cache the drive to obtain 80% of SSD speed. But that's just an option -- a possibility.

I think an e-mail advertisement from my favorite reseller today offered a 500GB Intel SSD for about $190. For a caching SSD, maybe $50.

All of this in USD, of course.

Right away, the SSDs and fewer HDDs will reduce power-consumption, so that the choice of graphics card(s) will be the major factor in choosing a PSU, and your choice of PSU plus the wattage of other peripherals will drive the size and choice of a UPS.

 

[ranger10700]

I wasn't sure what a UPS was until you explained it, and it sounds perfect. We don't generally have constant storms, but summer here is quite a heavy storm season so that sounds like a much smarter option. I'll have to do some more research into them, but i also take your word for the rating.

In terms of SSD, I completely forgot to mention it. A friend recommended a 64gb ssd for my current build which has worked out flawlessly, so I will definitely go for the 500gb ssd. I didn't even know there were 4TB HDD, so tick that off the bucket list

The whole caching SSD thing shouldn't be a problem, as long as I can find a good guide on how to actually do this. I will refer to your guidance on recommendations on what size is necessary for that to work. Any extra storage I need I will just buy portable hard drives as necessary for, or maybe even a NAS, budget allowing.

At this point I should probably also mention in terms of PSU that I don't need a silent build, but quiet enough to not be a nuisance is what I generally go for. I keep my computer on over night frequently for downloads, and the computer room is right next to my bedroom and the dining room, so it's not something i'm crazy about but I would prefer it to be as quiet as possible.

Feel free to poke me for more information

 

[escrow4]

The gaming box I built from MSY that can work equally as an excellent allrounder (with some notes)

- 5930K (you can save with a 5820K)

- Asrock X99 Extreme 4

- 16GB DDR4 2133MHz (2666MHz is only a bit more but I don't really OC anymore so, may want to consider 32GB at that budget)

- HAF XM (roomy, plenty of fans, very expandable)

- PSU isn't in MSY, I'd find a retailer that has Seasonic, pick up an 850w Gold/Platinum model

- GPU would be a 980, a Titan X is $1599 which is just retarded. I have a 780 Ti GHz which is now gone.

- G710+ and G502 for mouse/keyboard

- SSD/HDD - 500GB EVO 840, 850 Pro is slightly better, 6TB Greens are decent for bulk storage

You don't need a sound card. ALC 1150 is more than enough and that mobo is shielded. SNR is more than decent. Don't use headphones or a UPS so can't recommend there. Do note buying parts now is more expensive as the falling dollar has murdered prices. That 5930K is now a lot more - $100 or something.

 

[Cerb]

1. Are you planning to be overclocking?

2. More performance, or performance/AUD?

3. By streaming, do you mean having other people watch you play games? If so, that's really where performance that may cost a lot of extra money to get matters, more than the rest of it combined.

Definitely get a UPS, rather than just a surge strip. With today's prices, get a line-interactive AVR type, that also has MOV protection (basically all line-interactive desktop UPSes do; you typically have to get into big/expensive ones to not get it). I haven't looked, yet, but I have a hard time imagining decent ones being more than $150 AUD (they start at about $70 in USD).

IMO, partially ignore Escrow4's advice, in that mouse and keyboard are very personal, not merely bad/good. There are quite a few mice with good sensors out there, these days, and if you use low DPI, you have a realistically huge selection. How it fits your hand matters a lot. I held a demo G502 for maybe 10 seconds, and that's all it took to realize that it was going to give my wrist hell, and no sensor marketing can make up for that. Keyboards are 99% a matter of feel (I have a G710+, FI, and it can't hold a candle to my MX Red Ducky, and has worse feel than my CM QF TK, to say nothing of my IBMs...YMMV). There are a few that may give problems due to low worst-case rollover, but a good 2KRO layout is fine for many of us, and has been for decades, so even take that with a grain of salt (IE: Model M, Unicomp mechanicals). Also, there are plenty of good cases, from uATX on up, depending on wants.

 

[Cerb]

Dual Monitors (Potentially three if i can find a nice flat desk that fits where i need it to fit)

With such a budget, you might be able to spring for a multi-unit mount, removing the actual desktop space from the equation.

Audio Card

What do you want out of one, compared to onboard?

Speakers & Headphones (headphones need to be a large fit, i have a big head )

$100+ USD, going to non-gamer brands, opens the doors wide. As long as you don't also have unusually tall ears, it shouldn't be a problem. If you're looking for immersion, or generally for anything coming out to have some "body" to it, as a rule, circumaural, AKA around-ear, AKA over-ear, will do best. Supraural, AKA on-ear, can sound perfectly good, but there's a bit lacking starting from the lower mids on down, pretty much universally.

Some not so light reading on the subject:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/593050/the...-audio-with-binaural-headphone-surround-sound
http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-2-17-2015
One caveat, regarding the chicolom FAQ section: low Ohm high-sensitivity tend to benefit from quality buffering, and are becoming increasingly common (there are only so many ways to handle sources that may be <3.5V p-p). No gain is needed for such newer headphones, just plenty of current to spare.

If you're looking for reasonably balanced and detailed sound, the AKG K240 mkII are a nigh-unbeatable value, it appears (put the velour pads on ASAP, and avoid the K240S due to lack of extra pads and cord). The pads can be swapped with BD DT770 pads for a bit more physical ear room and bass, at the expense of the airy highs. Given them a nice amp (low gain!), and they'll perform well above their price. In some ways it sucks they moved to making them in China, but I quickly found some brand new for around $100-120 AUD, which would not have been the case a few years ago.

They are pro headphones, though. While mids-oriented (as are all the good AKGs), they don't have any boomy-ness, a mid-bass hump, sibilant highs, etc., and may sound quite boring, relative to popular consumer market headphones and speakers. ATs, Senns, and Beyers that are comparable, and only slightly more costly in the U.S., seem to be 100-200 AUD more, from using what price comparison sites I could quickly find and make use of. If you already prefer a flatter, more neutral, sound, just go ahead and skip any headphone that isn't either a professional model itself, or that has a pro sister model (usually in that case, the pro models are cheaper, though--Sony and AKG do this a lot). Likewise, if you find such sound to be too bass-light, without listening with your bones, skip the pro models and stick to the consumer ones, because very few professional headphones will have tons of bass (a very small set of durable DJ headphones, which usually are poor performers in most other ways).

AKG's K612 Pro, Q701, Beyerdynamic's DT880, DT990, AT's ATH-m50x, and Sennheiser's HD598 are some others, not too expensive, worth looking into, and look to have prices similar to typical USD/AUD conversions, except for the K612 Pro (much like the K240 mkII). Sonys appear to be all over the map in terms of prices and availability, so I didn't put enough effort in to find any of the good ones, though I'm sure they're available to you, and make some good pro and consumer models of various kinds (some mentioned in the Head-fi links...IoW, I'm not mentioning Sony because I'm a USian trying to get a feel for prices, and can't, not because, say, an MA900 is not a worthy headphone).

For competitive use, a used pair of ATH-AD700 (not 700x!) are something to look for, but they are kind of bright. Likewise, a AKG K702 should be good, but while not exactly bright, they are far from enjoyable/immersing (the K7XX, which apparently equal the K702 65th Ann., fix all that, but the response change masks some of the finer details, so you'd need to spend time EQing to try to get some of it back). The enhanced soundstaging, for gaming, is mostly artificial, so the best cans for that have sacrifices in their other qualities, with the possible exception of expensive planar and electrostatic ones ($$$).

Microphone - Needs to be separate from headset if i start doing recordings.

As an added, "clip-on," the Mod Mic is popular. For a desk mic, there are many USB ones to choose from, with integrated ADCs and some combo of analog and digital calibration already built in, if you're going for quality first. Pick your price, and go hunting down reviews. The variety, at all but the lowest price points, is bewildering, today.

 

[Cerb]

At this point I should probably also mention in terms of PSU that I don't need a silent build, but quiet enough to not be a nuisance is what I generally go for. I keep my computer on over night frequently for downloads, and the computer room is right next to my bedroom and the dining room, so it's not something i'm crazy about but I would prefer it to be as quiet as possible.

Specific parts choices matter for this, but there are plenty of good options. IME, ASRock is the best motherboard brand to go with, to manage fans, with Asus 2nd, and everybody else far behind. They have simple but good control in the BIOS and their Windows apps, and good Speedfan compatibility, across product lines (with MSI or Gigabyte, FI, user fan control can vary a lot by specific motherboard model). With good parts choices, and a little effort in configuration, you can make even, "whisper quiet," a thing of the past, at idle, these days.

 

[ranger10700]

Thanks for all the info on audio and just everything general Cerb. To answer your questions:

1. I would prefer a CPU that works well when its not over clocked, as I'm not entirely comfortable with it as I've never done it before. However, if it is more cost effective, as long as it's a very stable overclock.

2. Because of issues I've just realized with the AUD at the moment, I would prefer performance/AUD. Keep in mind $4000 is pretty much an upper limit, but definitely not what I want to pay unless that's really what is needed.

3. Yeah, specifically streaming with Open Broadcaster Software (at the moment is the plan) onto Twitch.tv. I will refer to your judgement on what you think is best for that.

In terms of keyboard and mouse, I'll take that off the list as you say it is quite a personal thing, and I should've kept it on my personal list.

With the sound card issue, I did a bit of research as on the options and it seems that most mother boards nowadays make the need for a sound card to essentially not exist. My main thought was for a 7:1 speaker system, but again it seems most of the newer mobo's have support for that already. If you can think of anything else or any more information on this, I would love to hear from you on that.

Thanks again for all your help, I really appreciate all this in-depth information and in terms of UPS and heaphones/mic, you have given me a LOT to think about.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Priority for a gaming rig:

CPU (preferably 6 core)
GPU
144Hz 1ms monitor
1000Hz Polling mouse or 500Hz (get use to a specific optics for muscle memory) i use two mice with the A6010 sensor at 800dpi in each machine
Mechanical Keyboard (Cherry MX Reds are the lightest and least tiresome in my experience)

 

[lehtv]

Priority for a gaming rig:

CPU (preferably 6 core)
GPU
144Hz 1ms monitor
1000Hz Polling mouse or 500Hz (get use to a specific optics for muscle memory) i use two mice with the A6010 sensor at 800dpi in each machine
Mechanical Keyboard (Cherry MX Reds are the lightest and least tiresome in my experience)

GPU > CPU.

Mechanical keyboard is not a priority. Anti-ghosting is. Rubber domes work fine for gaming.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

GPU > CPU.

Mechanical keyboard is not a priority. Anti-ghosting is. Rubber domes work fine for gaming.

Both points are arguable being that some games are more CPU bound while others are more GPU bound, and mechanical keyboards are better adopted by Quake and Unreal Tournament players

 

[mfenn]

Both points are arguable being that some games are more CPU bound while others are more GPU bound, and mechanical keyboards are better adopted by Quake and Unreal Tournament players

The CPU bound games don't benefit from 6-cores of a Haswell-EP as much as they benefit from the high clock speeds of a regular Haswell though.

Here's what I came up with as a start:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($469.00 @ PCCaseGear)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($85.00 @ IJK)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 KILLER ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($165.00 @ Umart)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($165.00 @ Umart)
Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($289.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($131.00 @ IJK)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($475.00 @ Umart)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($135.00 @ Centre Com)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($119.00 @ Umart)
Optical Drive: Pioneer BDC-207DBK Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($56.00 @ Umart)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($127.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Monitor: Dell U2713HM 60Hz 27.0" Monitor ($711.00 @ IJK)
Monitor: Dell U2713HM 60Hz 27.0" Monitor ($711.00 @ IJK)
Total: $3638.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-08 13:07 EST+1000

I added two 27" 1440p monitors in there to give you an idea of what kind of displays you could get on your budget. You'd only want to game on one, and if your upload is limited, it may actually make sense to go with 1080p screens for streaming purposes.

 

[Cerb]

Both points are arguable being that some games are more CPU bound while others are more GPU bound, and mechanical keyboards are better adopted by Quake and Unreal Tournament players

Mechanical keyboards feel nicer, and give a more sure keypress, for a long time, with quick/light presses. There is, however, no particular need for them. It's more that if you're stuck using something for a long period of time, it's easy to spend some money to make it a nicer experience. If you like typical long-throw keyboards, Cherry MXes tend to be an upgrade.

 

[ranger10700]

Monitor: Dell U2713HM 60Hz 27.0" Monitor ($711.00 @ IJK)
Monitor: Dell U2713HM 60Hz 27.0" Monitor ($711.00 @ IJK)

I added two 27" 1440p monitors in there to give you an idea of what kind of displays you could get on your budget. You'd only want to game on one, and if your upload is limited, it may actually make sense to go with 1080p screens for streaming purposes.

I actually have no problem with the two monitors, but i do have two questions:

1. Because of issues with upload speeds, I do have a 1080p sreen atm that I am happy with and am wondering if it would cause any issues to have it as a third monitor, stream games on that, play games on one of the bigger screens and have the third for browsing or whatnot.

2. Is there any particular reason why you have gone with those monitors? I only ask out of curiosity for i have absolutely no idea about monitors.

Thanks again for all your replies everybody, all this discussion gets me excited.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

The CPU bound games don't benefit from 6-cores of a Haswell-EP as much as they benefit from the high clock speeds of a regular Haswell though.

DX12 might change that. Synthetically it looks like 6 cores and > will be the upper end for high end gaming.

This is a better review than the Anandtech review. They use a Haswell 5960X for an even base clock and just disable the cores.

http://www.legitreviews.com/looking...mance-3dmark-api-overhead-feature-test_160936

Mechanical keyboards feel nicer, and give a more sure keypress, for a long time, with quick/light presses. There is, however, no particular need for them. It's more that if you're stuck using something for a long period of time, it's easy to spend some money to make it a nicer experience. If you like typical long-throw keyboards, Cherry MXes tend to be an upgrade.

OP, here is a great Mechanical Keyboard Guide

 

[lehtv]

Both points are arguable being that some games are more CPU bound while others are more GPU bound

This doesn't change the fact that for a gaming PC, high end GPU with a mid range CPU is far better than a midrange CPU with a high end GPU. GPU horsepower and spending simply takes precedence over CPU. Once you have both in the high end segment - say, 4790K with 980 SLI - upgrading the graphics cards first will have greater impact than upgrading the CPU first. For instance, 4790K with 980 Ti SLI will be far better than 5960x with 980 SLI.

and mechanical keyboards are better adopted by Quake and Unreal Tournament players

Rate of adoption has nothing to do with anything. All you're saying here is "X is popular therefore X is good", or something to that effect - which is a fallacy.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

This doesn't change the fact that for a gaming PC, high end GPU with a mid range CPU is far better than a midrange CPU with a high end GPU.

Did you mean a high end GPU with a mid range CPU is far better than a mid range GPU with a high end CPU?

GPU horsepower and spending simply takes precedence over CPU. Once you have both in the high end segment - say, 4790K with 980 SLI - upgrading the graphics cards first will have greater impact than upgrading the CPU first. For instance, 4790K with 980 Ti SLI will be far better than 5960x with 980 SLI.

I wouldn't go with a 5960x and that's not what I meant by high end cpu priority. I wouldn't go with a quad core, personally. Hell, even with dual cores and DX12 there is a significant improvement in draw calls but the least chip to get would be Devils Canyon (4790K)

Rate of adoption has nothing to do with anything. All you're saying here is "X is popular therefore X is good", or something to that effect - which is a fallacy.

Rate? No. I simply meant that someone who double taps for gaming movement will adopt to a mechanical keyboard because they are better suited for the game-play. Of course that's niche gaming but imo i think mechanical keyboards offer more than rubber dome boards and are worthy of purchase.

 

[lehtv]

Did you mean a high end GPU with a mid range CPU is far better than a mid range GPU with a high end CPU?

Yes

Rate? No. I simply meant that someone who double taps for gaming movement will adopt to a mechanical keyboard because they are better suited for the game-play. Of course that's niche gaming but imo i think mechanical keyboards offer more than rubber dome boards and are worthy of purchase.

Perhaps you're right, in action packed twitch gaming, mechanical may be the most reliable. Still, it's far too niche to put in the list of priorities for the average gamer. Some gamers will prioritize other features like macro keys, backlight etc. - Steelseries Apex is a good example of a non-mechanical keyboard that offers a set of features not found in any mechanical keyboard, at least to my knowledge.

 

[Cerb]

Cost-reduced variant:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($469.00 @ PCCaseGear)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 612 PWM 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($49.00 @ Umart)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.00 @ Umart)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($175.00 @ IJK)
Storage: OCZ ARC 100 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($245.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($131.00 @ IJK)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($505.00 @ Umart)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($135.00 @ Centre Com)
Power Supply: Silverstone 600W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($105.00 @ Umart)
Optical Drive: Pioneer BDC-207DBK Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($56.00 @ CPL Online)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($127.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Monitor: Dell P2414H 60Hz 23.8" Monitor ($275.00 @ CPL Online)
Monitor: Dell P2414H 60Hz 23.8" Monitor ($275.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $2676.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-09 01:51 EST+1000

- 24" PWM-free low-input-lag monitors that match sRGB very well. I also saw the LG 24MP55HQ-P for under $200 AUD. I can't confirm input lag for it, but if it also is low input lag (I'm thinking there's a good chance it's the same basic display as the Dell), that would be $150 saved, with just some sacrifice on stand versatility (but, it does support VESA mounting).
- A slightly cheaper motherboard.
- Faster RAM. 1333MHz is a bit slow for Haswell, however faster than necessary 2133MHz may be (but, it's a very small price increase over 1600MHz, so why not?).
- A GTX 970 that will turn fans off at idle, but still has power and OC headroom.
- A more value-oriented big cooler, that should still be able to remain pretty quiet with moderate CPU power usage (I don't see a need to go all SPCR crazy here, but a big heatsink with wide fin spacing for decent money looks good to me).
- A slightly cheaper PSU (unless they've changed recently, it aught to be an Enhance).
- A slightly cheaper SSD (personally, I would spend a little more for Crucial or Sandisk, based on Murphy's Law intersecting the rare need to RMA in a timely fashion ).

Keeping the i7 mostly in case of overhead from streaming. There are still plenty of reports of bugginess with Shadowplay, after all. Also, yes, you want an aftermarket cooler, regardless of overclocking or even noise. Intel abuses their thermal management when they bin i7-4790Ks, and the retail cooler commonly causes temp-throttles on less-than-ideal samples, and also cripples Turbo Boost. So, a nice cooler has a better chance than not of improving stock speed performance, on top of allowing room to overclock (just turn on Multicore Enhancement ), and keep it from getting too loud.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I wasn't sure what a UPS was until you explained it, and it sounds perfect. We don't generally have constant storms, but summer here is quite a heavy storm season so that sounds like a much smarter option. I'll have to do some more research into them, but i also take your word for the rating.

In terms of SSD, I completely forgot to mention it. A friend recommended a 64gb ssd for my current build which has worked out flawlessly, so I will definitely go for the 500gb ssd. I didn't even know there were 4TB HDD, so tick that off the bucket list

The whole caching SSD thing shouldn't be a problem, as long as I can find a good guide on how to actually do this. I will refer to your guidance on recommendations on what size is necessary for that to work. Any extra storage I need I will just buy portable hard drives as necessary for, or maybe even a NAS, budget allowing.

At this point I should probably also mention in terms of PSU that I don't need a silent build, but quiet enough to not be a nuisance is what I generally go for. I keep my computer on over night frequently for downloads, and the computer room is right next to my bedroom and the dining room, so it's not something i'm crazy about but I would prefer it to be as quiet as possible.

Feel free to poke me for more information

On the UPS angle, I've used APC, Belkin, Tripplite and CyberPower. Be careful in your choice there: CyberPower had a model which wasn't totally compatible with Active-PFC PSUs. The symptoms were subtle; the troubleshooting didn't even point to it, and I was lucky to come across forum posts about it.

For "PSU" I'd steer anyone toward Seasonic, or brands like XFX likely to be rebadged/rebranded Seasonic PSUs.

You should be able to connect the UPS via a proprietary cable to a USB port on the computer, install the manufacturer's software, and tweak the settings to shut down both the computer and then the UPS to avoid battery-drain. Without this feature and after some unattended situations for a couple thunderstorms, you will wonder why the batteries didn't last for three to five years. After that, replacement battery cells can be had from either the manufacture or aftermarket operations like "RefurbUPS.com." There should be similar aftermarket battery specialists in Australia -- the closer to Queensland, the better, because those things are a bit heavy and add to shipping costs.

 

[ranger10700]

Cost-reduced variant:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($469.00 @ PCCaseGear)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 612 PWM 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($49.00 @ Umart)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.00 @ Umart)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($175.00 @ IJK)
Storage: OCZ ARC 100 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($245.00 @ Centre Com)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($131.00 @ IJK)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($505.00 @ Umart)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($135.00 @ Centre Com)
Power Supply: Silverstone 600W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($105.00 @ Umart)
Optical Drive: Pioneer BDC-207DBK Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($56.00 @ CPL Online)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($127.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Monitor: Dell P2414H 60Hz 23.8" Monitor ($275.00 @ CPL Online)
Monitor: Dell P2414H 60Hz 23.8" Monitor ($275.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $2676.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-09 01:51 EST+1000

- 24" PWM-free low-input-lag monitors that match sRGB very well. I also saw the LG 24MP55HQ-P for under $200 AUD. I can't confirm input lag for it, but if it also is low input lag (I'm thinking there's a good chance it's the same basic display as the Dell), that would be $150 saved, with just some sacrifice on stand versatility (but, it does support VESA mounting).
- A slightly cheaper motherboard.
- Faster RAM. 1333MHz is a bit slow for Haswell, however faster than necessary 2133MHz may be (but, it's a very small price increase over 1600MHz, so why not?).
- A GTX 970 that will turn fans off at idle, but still has power and OC headroom.
- A more value-oriented big cooler, that should still be able to remain pretty quiet with moderate CPU power usage (I don't see a need to go all SPCR crazy here, but a big heatsink with wide fin spacing for decent money looks good to me).
- A slightly cheaper PSU (unless they've changed recently, it aught to be an Enhance).
- A slightly cheaper SSD (personally, I would spend a little more for Crucial or Sandisk, based on Murphy's Law intersecting the rare need to RMA in a timely fashion ).

Keeping the i7 mostly in case of overhead from streaming. There are still plenty of reports of bugginess with Shadowplay, after all. Also, yes, you want an aftermarket cooler, regardless of overclocking or even noise. Intel abuses their thermal management when they bin i7-4790Ks, and the retail cooler commonly causes temp-throttles on less-than-ideal samples, and also cripples Turbo Boost. So, a nice cooler has a better chance than not of improving stock speed performance, on top of allowing room to overclock (just turn on Multicore Enhancement ), and keep it from getting too loud.

Alright, so I see the main cost comes from the monitors in the other build, but that's a good thing because I normally buy monitors and peripherals last anyway. Here are just some comments i'd like to make.

- I'll probably go for the slightly more expensive mobo, I don't think I really need an X99 like some other people have been telling me.
- No problem with the RAM.
- You're right about Crucial, especially with an SSD. I'l probably go for their one just for the peace of mind.
- With the graphics card, I was doing some reading on it and some various sources say it struggles runniing things at 1440p. I have been a 1080p gamer for as long as I can remember, so my ultimate dream is to play GTA V and Witcher 3 at 1440p on high settings, so if I should fork out for a more expensive card or even wait until the next-gen graphics cards, I will. Again, I will refer to your judgement on that.
- To minimize fan noise I'll probably try to hide the computer away from my microphone and what not anyway.
- Most people say it's best to go for a big PSU for safety, but I see you've gone for something a bit more reasonable. I'd just like to hear your thoughts on why if at all possible.

Thanks again for all your help

 

[Yuriman]

Personally, I like Cerb's build. OP might even consider a single 27" screen and reuse his current monitor as second screen.

 

[mfenn]

DX12 might change that. Synthetically it looks like 6 cores and > will be the upper end for high end gaming.

This is a better review than the Anandtech review. They use a Haswell 5960X for an even base clock and just disable the cores.

http://www.legitreviews.com/looking...mance-3dmark-api-overhead-feature-test_160936

Might, but probably not. The thing to understand about these benchmarks is that they are not meant to be indicative of any real game. They are purposefully contrived benchmarks meant to test the draw call limitations of the driver. They have no bearing on anything else.