High-End Gaming Rig Parts Questions

[HungryHamster]

Hey everyone,

 

I could really use your help picking out parts for a new gaming computer. I'm essentially trying to get the newest and best parts without overpaying for marginal performance boosts. With that being said, here are a few questions I have about the parts I have been looking at:

 

1. Is there a big difference between the Maximus VIII Formula and Formula Extreme? Or, should I go with a X99-Delux aII? Apparently the RAM I'm looking at (Corshair Vengeance 32GB LED) is "optimized" for X99 but I don't know if that is a big deal or not. 
 

2. GTX 1080 ROG STRIX 8GB OC Edition (boost clocked to 1936 MHz) or GTX 1080 FTW 8GB ACX or a different 1080?

3. Intel Core i7 6700K 4.00 GHz Unlocked Quad Core Skylake Processor or should I go with a 6800 or 6850?

4. Corsair Neutron XTi Series SSD or Intel 750 series or something else?

5. Corshair Vengeance LED 2x16GB or 4x8GB? Also, what model is best (3000, 3200, 3400, 3466, etc.)? I don't know what those numbers mean

 

6. Is the Toshiba X300 5TB Desktop 3.5 Inch SATA 6Gb/s 7200rpm Internal Hard Drive good? I've only had Western Digital in the past.

 

7. Is the Thermaltake TOUGHPOWER RGB 850W 80+ GOLD Fully Modular Power Supply good ?

All of this I'm hoping will be housed in a Corshair 760t case with an ASUS ROG Front Base Dual-Bay Gaming Panel hooked up.

 

Any insight or alternative recommendations for parts would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks

[Morgan MLGman]

What's your budget? I'll assemble the build real quick, it'll be faster than listing which parts to change.

[HungryHamster]

Thanks! I'd like to keep my budget for this PC under $3,000 (USD) if possible.

[Sir Asvald]

3 minutes ago, HungryHamster said:

Thanks! I'd like to keep my budget for this PC under $3,000 if possible.

I've made this build:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor  ($368.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i v2 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($96.99 @ Best Buy) 
Motherboard: MSI X99A SLI PLUS ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($199.99 @ B&H) 
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($77.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($157.30 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($119.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1080 8GB GAMING X 8G Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($719.88 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1080 8GB GAMING X 8G Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($719.88 @ OutletPC) 
Case: NZXT S340 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($66.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($104.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Total: $2632.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-09 06:10 EDT-0400

[deleted_member_030719]

I'd recommend: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/LtBcHN

Total cost: $1922 USD

 

Edit: That *can* overclock to over 5GHz, I used a system similar to an Asus test.

[HungryHamster]

Thanks, Abdul. I will consider some of those parts. I really like RGB lighting though (I know, I know... ). I do like your idea of maybe downgrading some other parts and going with 2 1080's SLI'd instead.

[8BitBuilder]

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/d9LPFd

Notes

• Cpu is a i5 because if you are going to game it will not make a big difference 
• The Motherboard is high quality and will get the job done  
• Intel 750 Series because PCI-E slots are faster 
• Gpu one of the best you can get 

[Herman Mcpootis]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6800K 3.4GHz 6-Core Processor  ($428.30 @ B&H) 
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($96.99 @ Best Buy) 
Motherboard: MSI X99A Raider ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($197.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Team Dark 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($69.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($157.30 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($69.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 8GB AMP! Edition Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($629.99 @ B&H) 
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 8GB AMP! Edition Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($629.99 @ B&H) 
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro M ATX Mid Tower Case  ($76.99 @ NCIX US) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 750W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($127.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Total: $2485.51
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-09 06:26 EDT-0400

[8BitBuilder]

 

3 minutes ago, 8BitBuilder said:

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/d9LPFd

Notes

• Cpu is a i5 because if you are going to game it will not make a big difference 
• The Motherboard is high quality and will get the job done  
• Intel 750 Series because PCI-E slots are faster 
• Gpu one of the best you can get 

But you could add the i7 if you would like 

[Tic-Tac]

Why do people recommend X99 platform if OP is asked for GAMING RIG? 6700K is way faster in games than either of X99 CPU's...

[8BitBuilder]

 

5 minutes ago, Tic-Tac said:

Why do people recommend X99 platform if OP is asked for GAMING RIG? 6700K is way faster in games than either of X99 CPU's...

Because it has the letter x in it and that makes it faster. 

[Tic-Tac]

Are you sure about that? Maybe is something about those two nines

[8BitBuilder]

Probably both the 9s and the x 

[HungryHamster]

I see many people recommending I run some sort of liquid cooling for this PC. I'm a novice at best and would rather avoid the potential issues associated with liquid cooling if possible. Is liquid cooling really necessary?

[Herman Mcpootis]

1 minute ago, HungryHamster said:

I see many people recommending I run some sort of liquid cooling for this PC. I'm a novice at best and would rather avoid the potential issues associated with liquid cooling if possible. Is liquid cooling really necessary?

Not needed, you can go for something like a noctua nh-d14/15 or cryorig m9i if you're not overclocking.

[Tesel]

5 minutes ago, HungryHamster said:

I see many people recommending I run some sort of liquid cooling for this PC. I'm a novice at best and would rather avoid the potential issues associated with liquid cooling if possible. Is liquid cooling really necessary?

I'd suggest the Cryorig R1 Ultimate, a high-performing air cooler, if you don't want to go liquid cooling.

Here's a potential list:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($324.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG R1 Ultimate 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($89.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: Asus Z170-PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($179.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LED 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory  ($171.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($186.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($69.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 8GB FTW Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($679.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 8GB FTW Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($679.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case: Fractal Design Define S w/Window ATX Mid Tower Case  ($85.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 850W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($115.50 @ Newegg) 
Total: $2585.40
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-09 07:25 EDT-0400

[HungryHamster]

23 minutes ago, herman mcpootis said:

Not needed, you can go for something like a noctua nh-d14/15 or cryorig m9i if you're not overclocking.

Wow, that noctua nh-d15 looks huge. I'll probably go with a cryorig since it looks a bit more subtle. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

I also see that you recommended a i7-6800 (3.4Ghz) instead of a i7-6700 (4.0Ghz). Is it much better? I've heard mixed reviews about 6 cores and gaming.

[HungryHamster]

7 minutes ago, Tesel said:

I'd suggest the Cryorig R1 Ultimate, a high-performing air cooler, if you don't want to go liquid cooling.

Here's a potential list:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($324.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG R1 Ultimate 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($89.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: Asus Z170-PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($179.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LED 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory  ($171.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($186.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($69.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 8GB FTW Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($679.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 8GB FTW Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($679.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case: Fractal Design Define S w/Window ATX Mid Tower Case  ($85.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 850W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($115.50 @ Newegg) 
Total: $2585.40
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-09 07:25 EDT-0400

Thanks, Tesel. That cooler looks great and I even found some colored cover mods for it!

[Herman Mcpootis]

30 minutes ago, HungryHamster said:

Wow, that noctua nh-d15 looks huge. I'll probably go with a cryorig since it looks a bit more subtle. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

I also see that you recommended a i7-6800 (3.4Ghz) instead of a i7-6700 (4.0Ghz). Is it much better? I've heard mixed reviews about 6 cores and gaming.

The 6800k should do better in gaming, and if you ever do rendering/editing/recording/streaming, those extra cores will help alot. 

[HungryHamster]

1 hour ago, herman mcpootis said:

The 6800k should do better in gaming, and if you ever do rendering/editing/recording/streaming, those extra cores will help alot. 

OK, thanks so much for all the help. I will probably go with that then.

 

One last question if you don't mind: What SLI Bridge should I get now that I've decided on 2 1080's? Although I know the Zotac 1080 card you recommended it a little better, I'm leaning towards the EVGA 1080 FTW. Should I get the EVGA Pro SLI bridge? I don't know if it should be short, long, what slot spacing I need, etc.

[Tesel]

Yeah, hopefully I left enough room in the budget for my parts list for you to potentially do x99 instead.

 

EDIT:

Threw a parts list together.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6850K 3.6GHz 6-Core Processor  ($609.99 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG R1 Ultimate 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($89.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: Asus X99-A II ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($225.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LED 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory  ($172.14 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($185.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($69.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 8GB FTW Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($679.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 8GB FTW Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($679.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case: Fractal Design Define S w/Window ATX Mid Tower Case  ($69.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 850W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($138.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Total: $2923.05
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-09 19:32 EDT-0400

[Guest]

What Monitor are you going to be using ?

[mrchow19910319]

On 9 September 2016 at 8:10 PM, HungryHamster said:

One last question if you don't mind: What SLI Bridge should I get now that I've decided on 2 1080's? Although I know the Zotac 1080 card you recommended it a little better, I'm leaning towards the EVGA 1080 FTW. Should I get the EVGA Pro SLI bridge? I don't know if it should be short, long, what slot spacing I need, etc.

EVGA's GPUs are great too. Nothing wrong with going for it, and you can get the EVGA High bandwidth SLI bride to make it a set.