New Gaming PC Build

SecroNiTE · October 3, 2014

Hi All!

This is my first ever post on these forums, so I've put together a huge post with a heap of info which will hopefully result in me getting the best possible hardware combo for my needs. If you could check for bottlenecks and make sure that I've calculated my power needs correctly that'd be amazing.

Have a look at my PC Part Picker system build here: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/

Do note that I will not be purchasing every part from the same store (I'm thinking a mixture of online shopping and brick n' mortar stores is called for).

What I'm looking for is a solid build which has every possible compatibility issue ironed out and is as close to my budget target as possible. Also note that this is the first time I've considered a Nvidia GPU and an AMD CPU, I have no loyalties to any particular brand, I will get whatever is not going to fail and has a great price/performance ratio. That said I'm still a bit nervous going into previously uncharted territory. I don't want you to go and make precise postage calculations for me, if the postage takes me over my budget then I won't care too much, I'd rather pay a bit extra for a PC that I know will run like a dream.

1. Budget & Location

I'm located in Australia.
My budget is around $3000 AUD, I am willing to spend a little bit more if you can argue your point.

2. Aim
First and foremost this will be a gaming PC. The game that I'll be playing the most will be ArmA 3, I have future AAA titles in mind though. I want to make my games look really pretty with max settings at 1080p. I may possibly get back into video editing but it would not be intensive stuff where I care about rapid rendering times to meet deadlines.

3. Monitors
Currently I'm running a single 24" 1080p Samsung monitor at 60Hz. :wacko:
Anything is better than what I've got (even modern TN panels have better colour reproduction). I'm looking at gaming at 144Hz on a 1920x1080 screen that is either 24" or larger. The BenQ XL2420Z looks very enticing.

4. Peripherals

This is secondary to my main task of building a sick rig.

I'd like to replace my terrible CoD MW3 themed keyboard, mouse and mouse pad set-up (it was free so don't judge!). Logitech G105 Keyboard and G9x mouse. Never had a mechanical keyboard before but from what I've read the Cherry MX brown switch is right for me (the sweet spot between coding, gaming and everyday use). Any gaming mouse I get needs to be large enough for me to palm grip with ease, I also need 1-2 extra buttons for VoIP binds.

5. Why are you upgrading?
My current rig is almost 3 years old, you can find the specs for it on my profile or in my signature below. I've also had the urge to do a new build for the past 6 months or so.

Please discuss, critique and make suggestions