First Gaming Build - X99 or No - $3500 Budget

[Spooner15]

Just like the title says. This will be my first gaming build and I am looking for feedback on these builds and which would be better to go with.

 

-My Budget is pretty high. For the initial cost I am trying to keep it around $3500. But I dont mind going a little over.

-My main focus will be gaming. And i'm not interested in surround gaming at the moment. Just single screen on a nice display.

-One of my biggest delimma's is monitor. I chose the ROG Swift because I think it will best suit my needs, and Seems a lot better than 24" 1080p.

 

Here are the 2 links I have picked out. Feel free to change things around and suggest things. This is what I am looking for.

 

With both builds I plan to add another 980 for SLI and a custom water cooled loop.

 

Z97 Build - http://pcpartpicker.com/p/bGHcBm

 

X99 Build - http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Zfb3WZ

 - With this build the Rampage V or the Asus X99 Deluxe are both mobo options.

 

As you can see the X99 build is only about $500 more than the Z97 build. But is going X99 for gaming completely dumb? I realize that I will see very little to no performance gain currently. But how about in 6 months-1 year? Will I be glad I did it? Or would I wish I stayed with Z97?

 

Thanks for all the help.

[Infernal Burrito]

Just one card? No SSD? Only 2TB?

[thekeemo]

is this gaming only?

[ChipWoodChainSaw]

I mean if you really want to spend that much on a first build then sure go with x99 but personally i would doing something cheaper for a first build.

 

Are you just gaming?

[Spooner15]

Just one card? No SSD? Only 2TB?

Both builds have a 850 Pro series SSD. I have another Hard drive I will be using in the build. Hard drives aren't really what I had questions about... But thanks for the help.

 

is this gaming only?

Yes, With a nice system I will mess around a little bit with photo editing. But nothing on a semi-pro level.

[Spooner15]

I mean if you really want to spend that much on a first build then sure go with x99 but personally i would doing something cheaper for a first build.

 

Are you just gaming?

Pretty much just gaming yes.

[thekeemo]

Both builds have a 850 Pro series SSD. I have another Hard drive I will be using in the build. Hard drives aren't really what I had questions about... But thanks for the help.

 

Yes, With a nice system I will mess around a little bit with photo editing. But nothing on a semi-pro level.

well #EXTREMEoverkill but http://pcpartpicker.com/p/fthfVn

also I see the swift monitor as a gmmick

also you really only need 1500ish for gaming

[SAV1OUR]

there's absolutely no need for x99 ever, just go z97 and change the motherboard to a msi mpower because rogs over priced and the mpower has all the same features at half the price  

[Geekazoid]

Both builds have a 850 Pro series SSD. I have another Hard drive I will be using in the build. Hard drives aren't really what I had questions about... But thanks for the help.

 

Yes, With a nice system I will mess around a little bit with photo editing. But nothing on a semi-pro level.

If you're going to be doing any kind of photo editing you'll want to calibrate that ASUS ROG Swift monitor. Even for a TN monitor it's still pretty good. But calibrating it will give you piece of mind that you're editing photos with accurate colours. Just something to think about.

[ChipWoodChainSaw]

Pretty much just gaming yes.

no dont get it  do the other one but get an SSD

[Spooner15]

If you're going to be doing any kind of photo editing you'll want to calibrate that ASUS ROG Swift monitor. Even for a TN monitor it's still pretty good. But calibrating it will give you piece of mind that you're editing photos with accurate colours. Just something to think about.

Lets just say that I would be doing so little. That i'm not even considering it in my build. So great suggestion but its really not a priority for me. Pretty much just a gaming system.

[Enderman]

No. Never go x99 for gaming. It's a complete waste of money that will perform the same or worse than an i7 4790k.

[Geekazoid]

Lets just say that I would be doing so little. That i'm not even considering it in my build. So great suggestion but its really not a priority for me. Pretty much just a gaming system.

Alright, fair enough.

[Mentalguy]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($338.95 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK2 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($164.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: A-Data XPG V2 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($239.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 4GB Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($549.98 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 4GB Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($549.98 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic Platinum 860W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($188.71 @ Mwave)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit)  ($94.99 @ B&H)
Monitor: LG 34UM95 60Hz 34.0" Monitor  ($1007.58 @ Newegg)
Total: $3279.16
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-27 01:27 EDT-0400

[brob]

@Spooner15,

 

The LGA1150 build makes the most sense for the intended usage. I would suggest a couple of changes. Go with 2x8GB of memory. Get a larger ssd. Consider getting an MX100 or 840 EVO instead of the 850 Pro. You will not notice the performance difference and they have a much more attractive price point.

 

The Phanteks Enthoo Luxe has a fan hub that allows control of up to 11 fans by a single PWM motherboard fan header. You may want to consider using it instead of a discreet fan controller.

[Texhnlyze]

Get z97 build. No need for x99 if it's just for gaming. You'll be wasting money.