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Building my first gaming rig, need confirmation on compatibility

markisacat
By markisacat
in New Builds and Planning
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Hello!

 

This is my first time building a computer.  I've done a lot of research but I'm sure that I still missed something.  I'd like confirmation that everything should work together, and that it's a reasonable build.  I also welcome any suggestions if I've chosen anything that doesn't make sense for some reason.

 

As per the thread recommendations:

 

1. Budget & Location

I don't have a particular budget, though around US $3,000 is what I was expecting.  I'm willing to spend a bit more or less if it makes sense.

 

2. Aim

This will primarily be a gaming computer.  I play games like Skyrim and Dragon Age: Inquisition.  I highly value immersion and like to amp up the graphics.  I heavily mod games, often times with larger textures and more detailed environments.  I also would love to get through a game of Civ V using a large Earth map with ~ 20 civs, but can't ever do it because the time between turns becomes unbearable in the mid-game.  Not sure if anything can really help that though.

 

3. Monitors

Right now I have 3 1080p LG monitors.  They are nothing special, but are VESA mountable, which is a must.  I don't feel the need to upgrade my monitors right now, but would like to be able to use all 3 while gaming if I can.  One day I will consider 4k stuff, so would like to plan ahead for it, though it's not a deal-breaker for me right now.

 

4. Peripherals

I already have a mouse / keyboard that I prefer right now.  I also have Windows 8.

 

5. Why are you upgrading?

I enjoy gaming as a hobby, but have a Mac Pro tower right now that I use in my profession.  I run windows on Bootcamp, which works, more or less, but it doesn't quite satisfy my high quality graphics and immersion modding needs.

 

I plan to continually upgrade this computer as time goes by to keep it current, so I don't mind spending a bit more money to "future-proof" it even if I don't get an immediate performance benefit.

 

Here is my parts list.  I tried using pcpartpicker, but I'm not sure if this will display properly in the post.  I'll try editing it if it looks weird:

 


 
CPU: Intel Core i7-5930K 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor  ($552.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler: Corsair H110 94.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($109.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Asus X99-A ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($249.99 @ B&H) 
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Primo ATX Full Tower Case  ($240.49 @ Amazon) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit)  ($134.95 @ B&H) 
Total: $2128.04
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-26 23:57 EDT-0400
 
 
(The four SSDS I plan to put in RAID 0 to decrease load times.)
 
My primary concerns are:
- Will the aftermarket cooling fit properly in the case?
- Is 16GB RAM going to be enough when I'm modding lots of high res textures (going up to 32GB is not really all that more expensive)?
- I don't fully understand power supplies.  Will this one work?
 
And if anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear them.
 
Thanks!
 
~Mark
 
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you don't need that many SSDs they're already fast.

 

PC part picker automatically check compatibility, so it should be fine.

 

that PSU will work, i'd suggest getting all the DDR3 you can now while it's cheap.

 

 

yes, the cooler will work if it is top mounted, not rear mounted.

We can't Benchmark like we used to, but we have our ways. One trick is to shove more GPUs in your computer. Like the time I needed to NV-Link, because I needed a higher HeavenBench score, so I did an SLI, which is what they called NV-Link back in the day. So, I decided to put two GPUs in my computer, which was the style at the time. Now, to add another GPU to your computer, costs a new PSU. Now in those days PSUs said OCZ on them, "Gimme 750W OCZs for an SLI" you'd say. Now where were we? Oh yeah, the important thing was that I had two GPUs in my rig, which was the style at the time! They didn't have RGB PSUs at the time, because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big green ones. 

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The CPU cooler will work, more ram would be better? Your PSU can be lower Wattage

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CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($89.99 @ Newegg) 

Motherboard: MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($100.98 @ Newegg) 


Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($98.98 @ OutletPC) 


Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card  ($329.99 @ Amazon) 



Optical Drive: LG UH12NS30 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer  ($42.99 @ Directron) 

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit)  ($87.99 @ NCIX US) 


Other: RGB Lights ($20.00)

Total: $1368.65

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-27 00:21 EDT-0400

Jesus, you have a lot of cash to splash around (HA I RHYMED). I'm too lazy to change this post, but use a i7-4790K and one or two GTX 980s. Oh yeah, X99 is completely ridiculous for gaming alone, save up some that money, buy some video games to play, or better yet spend it on your girlfriend! Or bills! So you know, you don't get thrown out onto the street and have all of your shit repossessed!!

Follow the topics you create using the "Follow" button in the top right corner!

One day I will have my GTX 970. One day. PC specs are at my profile.

Not sure how to check what part works with what? Check out my compatibility guide!

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I've got a few points in the original build posted:

 

1. single ssd would be enough, just increase the capacity to 500+ gb for storage space for other games. also, add at least 1tb mechanical drive for mass storage like movies and other stuff.

 

2. i7 4790k would be enough for gaming. so change the motherboard to z97-lga1150, and your ram to ddr3 but still 16gb is MORE than enough

 

3. and about the videocard, it really depends on your monitor set-up. a gtx 980 4gb is enough for 1080p to 1440p gaming but if you're planning to game in a 4k monitor, i suggest having gtx 980s in SLI. even a 750w power supply is enough for the SLI system.

 

4. everything else is fine.

 

(Sorry for bad english, not my native language) 

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This is your first build and you're going X99? Balls! As far as components, everything is compatible. I'd recommend getting one SSD with a higher capacity and a larger HDD for storage. Might actually lower the cost of the build, too.

 

X99 is the latest platform and I think it's going to be awesome and future-proof, even though that's not possible. :) 

Steven Johnson

Project Red Arctic (Build Log): http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/336079-project-red-arctic-x99-define-r5-custom-loop/||   Project Black Pilot (Build Log): http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/338798-project-black-pilot-300-budget-build-amd/

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  • Author

Hey thanks I really appreciate all the suggestions.  And so quickly too!  This seems like a really great forum.

 

I had no idea that X99 was so ambitious!

 

As for the SSD's, there were a few recommendations to get a larger HDD for storage.  As I don't really store lots of movies or anything, I've never come close to using 1TB.  As I understand, the only real advantage of getting an HDD over an SSD is price / GB.  Do I have that correct, or is there another reason to get an HDD for storage, rather than just a single larger SSD?

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