I'm building my new gaming rig this summer and it's been a looooooong time since my last build so I could really use some feedback!
1. Budget & Location Located in Oslo capital of Norway, using the Norwegian Kroner (NOK) currency.
My budget is about 20000 NOK, which is currently about 2700 USD. My plan is to order a lot from the states, since most agree that the NOK/USD rate will improve in my favor fairly soon. So my actual budget might be closer to 3000USD
2. Aim This will mostly for gaming, but also everything else^^' I do a lot of programming, but not to the extent that it should have a bearing on how i build my rig. I'm also a clinical multi-tasker, often gaming while browsing with 30+ tabs, while watching a show while Skyping...
The main goal of this build is to have a good foundation to continue expanding upon. I plan on overspending on certain things (motherboard, power supply, GPU, etc.) in order to make it easier to upgrade/expand next year. 3. Monitors The plan is to use two old HP w2207h monitors I have leftover from an old rig, until 4k gaming monitors become a bit more affordable. 4. Peripherals I have mouse, keyboard, headset and speakers from previous builds that I can still use, but the Corsair K70 RGB is tempting^^' But that's later, for now I have what I need.
(btw, if you know where I can get a Nordic set of Corsair keycaps for K70/K95, that is also relevant information^^) 5. Why are you upgrading? My current "gaming rig" is a 5 years old ASUS ROG G73Jh laptop, which I bought before starting the Norwegian mandatory military tour. No desktops in the barracks^^'
In addition to the outdated hardware, the Graphics Drivers are from 2011 or something, since the ATI-card isn't supported anymore and the recommended AMD replacement Drivers cause Bluescreen-levels of compatibility issues.
So now I'm ready for a proper gaming rig with an SSD, DDR4, Haswell, Maxwell, and all the other bells and whistles!
On to my plans!
SSD:
Intel series 750 1,2TB PCIe SSD
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VPK0MWK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
I'm kind of in love with this drive... It is between two and four times as fast as the fastest SATA SSD. Head and shoulders above the competition. I have a pretty shitty hybrid Drive, so going from this to that will be an experience.
First World Problems: My load times will be so quick I can't read the Hints on the loading screen 'XP
Whether I get the Add-In-Card or the 2.5-inch version depends on which I can find the cheapest.
It's still really pricy, so unless I can find a good deal or the prices drop a bit I'll probably settle for a Samsung 850 EVO 1TB.
I have an external 1TB hard drive I can use for bulk-storage untill I buy an internal bulk-drive later.
Motherboard:
Since I want to use the Intel Series 750 as a boot-drive, I have to use a motherboard with Z97 or X99 chipsets, which means I also have to have a Intel CPU. Not that I'm complaining XP
I'd prefer an X99 with DDR4 support, 2011-3 socket and some overclocking utility. I'd also like one with a lot of PCIe ports (preferably 4) so I can expand into SLI while using the Intel 750 and still have one slot open for a Sound Card or other utility.
I'd rather have too much space than too little, so ATX or E-ATX is the plan.
USB 3.0 is a must and USB 3.1 could be nice, but not really needed.
If I get the 2.5inch version of the Intel 750 SSD I'll also need a M.2 slot for it^^
I've been looking at the ASUS ROG Rampage V, but it's pricy to the point where I'm probably overpaying for stuff I'll never use.
CPU:
Since I multitask a lot I'd like a six-core i7-____k or i7-____x, preferably with hyper threading. Other than that, I'm unsure as to which processor is best for me, so it'll probably be the one which I get the best deal on XP
RAM:
Preference here is Corsair, by far.
I think 4 x 4GB is the sweet spot and it'll be DDR4 since I want the x99 chipset.
I'm unsure about how much MHz, CL, and Vengance/Dominator will make a noticeable difference for me. Just know I want something that keeps pace with my CPU and Intel SSD in particular.
Also I like the look of the Dominator Platinum ^^'
GPU:
The plan here is to get a single powerful and SLI-ready card now, then when the price of that card drops next year, I'll get another to put in SLI.
Preference here is Nvidia, and I've been looking at EVGA's GTX980 SC. The 2982-version has Nvidia's own cooler that's optimised for close-sitting SLI.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NI5DA2E/ref=psdc_284822_t1_B00R3NK340?_encoding=UTF8&path=%2Fdp%2FB00NI5DA2E%2Fref%3Dpsdc_284822_t1_B00R3NK340&useRedirectOnSuccess=1
Of course, if I find that I can afford a Titan X instead, I'll take that!
Power Supply:
Again the preference is Corsair, but as long as it is 80+ Silver or better, it doesn't matter too much. Since the plan is to build for the future and also do some overclocking, I figure I should have about a 1000W. Again I'm not sure.
Prefer something fully modular, but since I'll be getting a full-tower there should be plenty of space to hide surplus wires from a non-modular PSU.
Chassis:
I far prefer a Full-tower for ease of air-flow, water-cooling and spacing of components.
Plenty of fan-mounts with dust-filters. Durable materials. Minimalistic, muted design. Window is nice. Compartmentalization is a plus. Noise-control is a big plus.
Must. Be. Black.
All my PCs have been black and had "Black" in their name, and I can't break with that now 'XP
I also think I'd like a pair of drive-bays since I still use some game-disks and I'll probably get a fan-controller eventually.
The two I've been looking at are the Corsair Obsidian 750D and Phanteks Enthoo Pro/Luxe.
Cooling:
I'll be using a closed loop system for the CPU and I'm pretty sure I want the Corsair H100i GTX, but I'm open to suggestions.
The rest of the cooling will depend on the chassis I end up getting, but I know I want quiet fans and rather have a lot of them at low RPMs to minimize sound.
Air Flow vs. Static Pressure will also depend on the chassis, but I know enough to want a slight overpressure.
Brands don't matter too much, but I like Corair and Noctua from experience.
Finally:
Thank you for reading trough all that!
Any and all constructive feedback is appreciated^^
