Gaming Rig Build

[HerpinTheDerp]

Hello all! I've been doing some research and I believe this is my final design. I'd like to ask the community their thoughts.

1. Bugdet & Location

I am looking to spend roughly ~$2200 (USD) on this build. I'm not very keen on going above said amount, I believe diminishing returns will set in after ~$2200. Since I'll be doing some overclocking, I don't see the beneift in paying a premium for certain products (i.e. GPU). I'm located in the United States.

2. Aim

This rig will primarily be used for gaming... MMORPGs, MOBAs, RTS' and very very seldom for FPS. Thise games include, but are not limited to: WildStar, World of Warcraft, GW2, League of Legends, SC2, DOTA 2, Diablo 3, Battlefield 4, etc.

3. Monitors

I'm looking into a single 27" 1440p monitor for this rig. I do not plan to add any in the future. I'm wanting an IPS/PLS panel for nice colors. As I won't be playing FPS' too much on this system I don't see a benefit to having a high refresh TN panel.

4. Peripherals

I have a keyboard, mouse and speakers/headphones already. I will be picking up Windows 8.1 (64-bit) for the build.

Þ. Why am I upgrading?

Unfortunately last year I had to sell my last gaming rig due to a financial hardship. Luckily things have changed for the better which has allowed me to build a new rig.. oh how miserable it's been without one..

So, here's what I've found may best suit my needs:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/CQthmG

Two things are not able to be listed with a price on PCPartPicker... the SeaSonic M12II EVO 750w PSU, which has a retail price of $99.99 @ NewEgg and the other not in the list is the Nixeus Vue 27" 1440p monitor which retails at $399.99 @ NewEgg as well.

You may have also noticed I'm picking up some fans. I'll be doing 3xSP120 fans for intake on the Corsair Carbide Air 540, with 2xSP120 in pull on my H100i as exhaust and the 1xAF140 as exhaust as well. I assume this 'should' allow the case to create positive pressure.

After taxes and shipping, the total should be ~$2200 USD.

Anywho, thank you all for taking time out of your day to read this and let me know what you think! Constructive criticism is appreciated.

-Derp

[lx_srs]

That looks pretty sweet! Only thing I'd change is to go with an H110 instead of the H100i, unless of course you want to be able to see and adjust everything.  Other than that, this thing'll be a BEAST.

 

Also, welcome to the forums!

[WyvernAbstracts]

id say scrap the overpriced mobo and get any-other z97 board. 

eg. http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-z97gaming3 (although some people don't like msi) 

[HerpinTheDerp]

That looks pretty sweet! Only thing I'd change is to go with an H110 instead of the H100i, unless of course you want to be able to see and adjust everything. Other than that, this thing'll be a BEAST.

Also, welcome to the forums!

Thanks! I love the community. It's nice to be here! Yeah, that's really the main reason I wanted the H100i. I love seeing the numbers and monitoring/playing with them. I figured it could be software that I, personally, would utilize.

[HerpinTheDerp]

id say scrap the overpriced mobo and get any-other z97 board. 

eg. http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-z97gaming3 (although some people don't like msi)

Personally I've never used MSI products, however, I've heard nothing but great things from customers of theirs. I'll definitely look into it.

[Megazero]

Personally I've never used MSI products, however, I've heard nothing but great things from customers of theirs. I'll definitely look into it.

I'm using a MSI Z87 GD65 Gaming Mobo myself and it's great For you a 4690k and a Z97 G45 or GD65 should be fine, if you plan to use lots of HDD/SSD etc like I plan to soon then you may want the GD65 for more SATA slot, else go with teh G45, should already have all you ever needed

Also for MSI mobo, when they detected that they have a MSI GPU running on them, they will give it a slight boost (not so much but a boost is a boost :3) , so you might want to change to a MSI GTX 780 TwinFozr, also since you are going with >1080p, take the 6GB version of the GTX 780 instead. This one: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-n780tf6gd5oc

[H4X3R]

Welcome to the forum Derp

Here are some changes i recommend you make:

1) Msi Z97 Gaming 7 instead of the asus vii hero. The hero is mostly for bragging rights. The gaming 7 has many gaming oriented features found on the hero while being significantly cheaper.

2) I suggest the NH D14 as it will reap similar cooling performance with less noise. This is also a cheaper option and you also don't have to huy 2 extra sp120s.

3) For the RAM i suggest you get 16GB. It is becoming much more common that people max out 8GB (like i did). Just get the cheapest you can get, RAM is RAM no matter the company (corsair has the highest failure rates if that interests you).

4) GPU: 3GB will become and is already a limiting factor at 1440p. I highly recommend you get an r9 290/x tri x (because those are relatively cheap and very cool and quiet). This will extend the lifespan of the rig.

5) Talking about extending the lifespan, now that you have "saved" money by buying the parts above you can get a 4790k, which will last longer in terms of performance, bottlenecking and more threads which will help in video editing and future games.

Unless going for a 2 way crossfire / sli config, i suggest a 600w gold rated PSU.

Corsair fans are pretty loud compared to the competition but i won't pick on the as they are personal preference.

I also managed to fit a 512gb ssd in

Here is an example with the changes mentioned above: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jZnfFT + 400$ for the monitor = ~ 2180$ without discounts

I'll be going to sleep (it is 3:50 am) so i won't be able to reply in the next 8 hrs.

[HerpinTheDerp]

I'm using a MSI Z87 GD65 Gaming Mobo myself and it's great For you a 4690k and a Z97 G45 or GD65 should be fine, if you plan to use lots of HDD/SSD etc like I plan to soon then you may want the GD65 for more SATA slot, else go with teh G45, should already have all you ever needed

Also for MSI mobo, when they detected that they have a MSI GPU running on them, they will give it a slight boost (not so much but a boost is a boost :3) , so you might want to change to a MSI GTX 780 TwinFozr, also since you are going with >1080p, take the 6GB version of the GTX 780 instead. This one: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-n780tf6gd5oc

Aye the 6GB version of the GTX 780 was something I was actually considering due to my higher resolution option. I'm sure the boost will help for the GPU, as stated I'll be overclocking a bit in regards to both the CPU and GPU. I've looked at the Twin Frozr. It definately had caught my attention.

[HerpinTheDerp]

Welcome to the forum Derp

Here are some changes i recommend you make:

1) Msi Z97 Gaming 7 instead of the asus vii hero. The hero is mostly for bragging rights. The gaming 7 has many gaming oriented features found on the hero while being significantly cheaper.

2) I suggest the NH D14 as it will reap similar cooling performance with less noise. This is also a cheaper option and you also don't have to huy 2 extra sp120s.

3) For the RAM i suggest you get 16GB. It is becoming much more common that people max out 8GB (like i did). Just get the cheapest you can get, RAM is RAM no matter the company (corsair has the highest failure rates if that interests you).

4) GPU: 3GB will become and is already a limiting factor at 1440p. I highly recommend you get an r9 290/x tri x (because those are relatively cheap and very cool and quiet). This will extend the lifespan of the rig.

5) Talking about extending the lifespan, now that you have "saved" money by buying the parts above you can get a 4790k, which will last longer in terms of performance, bottlenecking and more threads which will help in video editing and future games.

Unless going for a 2 way crossfire / sli config, i suggest a 600w gold rated PSU.

Corsair fans are pretty loud compared to the competition but i won't pick on the as they are personal preference.

I also managed to fit a 512gb ssd in

Here is an example with the changes mentioned above: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jZnfFT + 400$ for the monitor = ~ 2180$ without discounts

I'll be going to sleep (it is 3:50 am) so i won't be able to reply in the next 8 hrs.

Thanks! I was not aware that Corsair had the highest failure rate in regards to RAM, nor did I know 8GB is being eaten up and destroyed by games now. I don't believe I'll be doing SLI/CF for some time, if at all. I haven't seen any reason to, especially with many games still not optimized for it. As for the CPU, I originally was looking into the i7 4790k but it's so hard to 'future proof' a system these days, plus paying the $100 premuim for HT wasn't enough to justify it in my eyes. I suppose it could assist me if I ever wanted to stream via Twitch during gaming and what not, but I have friends that can do that for the guild. ^-^ I'll definitely look into those options you stated! Have a good night and thanks for the tips!

[WoodenMarker]

Thanks! I was not aware that Corsair had the highest failure rate in regards to RAM, nor did I know 8GB is being eaten up and destroyed by games now. I don't believe I'll be doing SLI/CF for some time, if at all. I haven't seen any reason to, especially with many games still not optimized for it. As for the CPU, I originally was looking into the i7 4790k but it's so hard to 'future proof' a system these days, plus paying the $100 premuim for HT wasn't enough to justify it in my eyes. I suppose it could assist me if I ever wanted to stream via Twitch during gaming and what not, but I have friends that can do that for the guild. ^-^ I'll definitely look into those options you stated! Have a good night and thanks for the tips!

Don't worry about ram failure rates. Like most ram, Corsair has a lifetime warranty. 

8Gb is fine for most games. It's quite rare to need more unless you're a somewhat heavy multitasker. 

No such thin g as 'future-proof'. To get the most out of your money, get what you need now and save the extra money for more frequent future upgrades instead of being stuck with flagship hardware that loses value quickly with time. In the long run, diminishing returns set in at much lower than $2200 and closer to when you start getting any more than you need. 

 

You can get similar performance for quite less: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Vrj6qs