1st Gaming PC

[ciema17]

Hey guys, I'll be building my 1st gaming PC in about a week or so (of course i've had gaming PCs before but none that I've built myself) . I'll be mainly gaming on it and planning on overclocking it as well but i also will be using it for 3D modeling...  Ive been putting this set up for a while now and i want to know if theres anything i can work on or tweak, maybe some helpful advices... With this being said...

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK1
Cooler: Noctua NH-D14
Ram: 16GB Kingston HyperX FURY
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0
SSD: Crucial MX100 512GB
HDD: WD BLACK 3TB
PSU: SeaSonic 850W ATX12V / EPS12V
Case: Cooler Master Storm Trooper ATX Full Tower 

(Now i am looking for case alternatives that will be able to accommodate Noctua cooler and have a good air flow so if anyone has suggestions that would be awesome)

 

My bad for not including this in the 1st place, my budget right no is around $2500

[KRImSIN]

Budget?

[AlexStriz]

That's a pretty solid build.. case is a bit of an odd choice Ah, I see.. trying to find alternatives..

 

For the price of the Storm Trooper, you can get a 750D... Really well built and looks sexy. It's also a Full Tower, like the CM case. Plus it can fit a Noctua cooler just fine, among other things.

 

You can also get an Enthoo Luxe if you want a smaller case. Or the Enthoo Pro if you want a cheaper case.

 

Also, the Air 540 is a good option if you want nice airflow. Gets nice cold air right on your GPUs

[soaringchicken]

Nice build! For the case, it depends on how much you want to spend, but I would go with a H440 or an R5 depending on your preference. But if you want to spend a bit more something like a corsair 750D is a good option

[AlexStriz]

Nice build! For the case, it depends on how much you want to spend, but I would go with a H440 or an R5 depending on your preference. But if you want to spend a bit more something like a corsair 750D is a good option

OP wants airflow. H440 and R5 are silence optimized, thus not very good airflow cases (not many vents, fan intakes, etc).

[Statik]

To me it looks great. Only thing I would [personally] change, is for such a high end rig, I would ditch the air cooler, and go liquid.

[Speedyv]

Those motherboards are a ripoff. Get an Asus Z97-A for the same performance and good quality.

[Speedyv]

Enthoo Pro is a great case.

[ciema17]

To me it looks great. Only thing I would [personally] change, is for such a high end rig, I would ditch the air cooler, and go liquid.

 

Im personally very careful when it comes to liquid as ive never dealt with those before and i dont think i would even know where to start looking for the right one... Ive had Noctua coolers before and even though its  as ugly as they come it pretty much is at the same cooling level as CLC from what ive seen... 

 

 

Those motherboards are a ripoff. Get an Asus Z97-A for the same performance and good quality.

 

I was briefly looking into that motherboard as well, still have not made a final decision on it....

[ddeuel]

The air 540 seems like a solid choice.

[ciema17]

Budget?

 

Around $2500

 

 

That's a pretty solid build.. case is a bit of an odd choice Ah, I see.. trying to find alternatives..

 

For the price of the Storm Trooper, you can get a 750D... Really well built and looks sexy. It's also a Full Tower, like the CM case. Plus it can fit a Noctua cooler just fine, among other things.

 

You can also get an Enthoo Luxe if you want a smaller case. Or the Enthoo Pro if you want a cheaper case.

 

Also, the Air 540 is a good option if you want nice airflow. Gets nice cold air right on your GPUs

 

I'm really liking the Air 540, im guessing Noctua will squeeze in there??? Or any good recommendations for liquid cooling alternative? I like the D750 as well  

[AlexStriz]

Around $2500

 

 

 

I'm really liking the Air 540, im guessing Noctua will squeeze in there??? Or any good recommendations for liquid cooling alternative? I like the D750 as well

Yes, the 540 will fit a Noctua NH-D14.

 

 

Personally I don't like liquid cooling. I prefer air cooling. However, if you want to get an AIO (liquid cooled), the best right now are the X61, and the Switftech H-series (ex. H320) AFAIK

[stconquest]

$2500 is a bit much for a 980 build.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($318.75 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($74.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($125.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($130.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Mushkin Chronos 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($165.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($99.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card  ($546.49 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case  ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1643.13
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-12 00:36 EST-0500

[AlexStriz]

@ciema17 what color schemes do you like? I can try to make you a build with similar performance/features for cheaper... OR a better build for your $2500

 

Unless you're set on all the components you have

[stconquest]

@ciema17 what color schemes do you like? I can try to make you a build with similar performance/features for cheaper... OR a better build for your $2500

 

Unless you're set on all the components you have

Brown and beige.

 

[ciema17]

Yes, the 540 will fit a Noctua NH-D14.

 

 

Personally I don't like liquid cooling. I prefer air cooling. However, if you want to get an AIO (liquid cooled), the best right now are the X61, and the Switftech H-series (ex. H320) AFAIK

 

Well I'm just looking into alternatives to Noctua, but i myself like air too... but thanks loving the 540 for sure, looks like a stellar case, might end up with it if nothing changes

 

 

 

@ciema17 what color schemes do you like? I can try to make you a build with similar performance/features for cheaper... OR a better build for your $2500

 

Unless you're set on all the components you have

 

PINK, PINK, LOTS OF PINK!!!... wait what??? LOL I initially was leaning towards black and blues with blue LEDs, alternatively black and red.... Im prety set on the CPU, GPU and HDD but beside that... go for it

[ciema17]

Brown and beige.

 

 

LOLZ!!! TOO Funny!!! i would say it was more of a poop color but Noctua has them sexy black fans now... Sure they're expensive... but sexy >_> IMO

[AlexStriz]

Well I'm just looking into alternatives to Noctua, but i myself like air too... but thanks loving the 540 for sure, looks like a stellar case, might end up with it if nothing changes

 

 

PINK, PINK, LOTS OF PINK!!!... wait what??? LOL I initially was leaning towards black and blues with blue LEDs, alternatively black and red....

If you want some alternatives to the Noctua, here are some nice air coolers:

Phanteks PH-TC14PE - It's a mouthful, but it's a really good cooler. Plus it comes in a lot of colors (black, white, red, blue, orange..). It's also very cheap compared to other high end air coolers

Be Quiet Dark Rock Pro 3 - Also a very high end cooler. It's also dead quiet. Plus it's black, so it goes with any color scheme.

Cryorig R1 Ultimate - Sexiest cooler IMO.. and i'm not saying that just because I own one . It's one of the highest performing coolers, but it;s  bit loud at full load

Raijintek Nemesis - Nice cooler, but not many reviews on it. Plus it's white and red, so it doesnt go with many builds color wise

Gamerstorm assassin - Same as above. Really good cooler, but limited availability

 

Glad you like the Air 540

 

Give me a sec.. I'll make you a sweet black and blue build

[KRImSIN]

I stuck around your budget but this build will be game ready for probably the next 3-4 years.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor  ($373.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 SE2011 CPU Cooler  ($74.98 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: MSI X99S Gaming 7 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($264.99 @ Amazon) 

Memory: Kingston 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($229.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Intel 730 Series 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($216.98 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($92.49 @ SuperBiiz) 

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 4GB Twin Frozr Video Card  ($549.99 @ Newegg) 

Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case  ($134.99 @ Micro Center) 

Power Supply: Corsair Professional 850W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($149.98 @ OutletPC) 

Total: $2088.38

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-12 01:02 EST-0500

[stconquest]

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-case-fan-r4l2r20agr2

 

These are really good and inexpensive,

[AlexStriz]

$2500 is a lot to pay for a Z97 build with a 4790k and 980

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($219.88 @ OutletPC) 

CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BL 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler  ($59.99 @ Newegg) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H-BK ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($156.13 @ Newegg) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($147.97 @ OutletPC) 

Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($196.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($162.99 @ Amazon) 

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card  ($562.99 @ B&H) 

Case: Corsair Air 540 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($129.99 @ Directron) 

Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($108.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Total: $1745.92

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-12 01:01 EST-0500

 

Black and blue!! Sorry I changed the EVGA 980 for a Gigabyte I just cant deal with EVGA GTX 980/970s. The Gigabyte is better built, plus is has blue leds! If you want to go EVGA, go with the new SSC. They've apparently fixed all the problems with the other EVGA cards.

 

Does the $2500 include monitors, a keyboard, a mouse, etc? If you want to pay the full $2500, you can get something like this..

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor  ($373.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X61 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($123.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Motherboard: MSI X99S SLI Plus ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($214.99 @ Amazon) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($230.98 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($196.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($162.99 @ Amazon) 

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card  ($562.99 @ B&H) 

Case: Corsair Air 540 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($129.99 @ Directron) 

Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($108.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Total: $2105.90

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-12 01:09 EST-0500

 

You can almost get two 980's for $2500 (you probably could, if you skimped on some other parts)

[ciema17]

$2500 is a lot to pay for a Z97 build with a 4790k and 980

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($219.88 @ OutletPC) 

CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BL 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler  ($59.99 @ Newegg) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H-BK ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($156.13 @ Newegg) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($147.97 @ OutletPC) 

Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($196.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($162.99 @ Amazon) 

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card  ($562.99 @ B&H) 

Case: Corsair Air 540 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($129.99 @ Directron) 

Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($108.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Total: $1745.92

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-12 01:01 EST-0500

 

Black and blue!! Sorry I changed the EVGA 980 for a Gigabyte I just cant deal with EVGA GTX 980/970s. The Gigabyte is better built, plus is has blue leds! If you want to go EVGA, go with the new SSC. They've apparently fixed all the problems with the other EVGA cards.

 

Does the $2500 include monitors, a keyboard, a mouse, etc? If you want to pay the full $2500, you can get something like this..

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor  ($373.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X61 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($123.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Motherboard: MSI X99S SLI Plus ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($214.99 @ Amazon) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($230.98 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($196.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($162.99 @ Amazon) 

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card  ($562.99 @ B&H) 

Case: Corsair Air 540 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($129.99 @ Directron) 

Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($108.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Total: $2105.90

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-12 01:09 EST-0500

 

You can almost get two 980's for $2500 (you probably could, if you skimped on some other parts)

 

 

Uff... I like both of those setups, and since they're both well within my budget youre making my life hard now LOL... I have a spare budget on keyboard and screen (i have my trusty Naga Epic for a mouse, and as much as i dont trust Razer product this have not failed me yet) but i wasnt looking into getting anything special for now. I was looking into Gigabyte card a bit ago but back then prices everywhere were higher, thats why i went with SC, but love bth options.... have lots to think about.... 

[AlexStriz]

Uff... I like both of those setups, and since they're both well within my budget youre making my life hard now LOL... I have a spare budget on keyboard and screen (i have my trusty Naga Epic for a mouse, and as much as i dont trust Razer product this have not failed me yet) but i wasnt looking into getting anything special for now. I was looking into Gigabyte card a bit ago but back then prices everywhere were higher, thats why i went with SC, but love bth options.... have lots to think about.... 

I hate decisions.. I'm so indecisive.

 

Good luck choosing. If you want, you can play around with the second build a bit. You can probably fit two 980's into the $2500 budget with a 5820k (and if not, you can 100% definitely do it with a 4790k).. 

 

Two way 980 SLI is definitely the way to go with your budget

[ciema17]

I hate decisions.. I'm so indecisive.

 

Good luck choosing. If you want, you can play around with the second build a bit. You can probably fit two 980's into the $2500 budget with a 5820k (and if not, you can definitely do it 100% with the 4790k).. 

 

Two way 980 SLI is definitely the way to go with your budget

 

Im very indecisive as well... I usually pick and choose and change my mind up tho the point i purchase the part, and sometimes even then i will change my mind I was thinking about SLI but im not really running multiple screens nor am i running 4k so i figured i can add 2nd card in few months, im in no hurry, but it will eventually happen LOL I can always buy a new router or a better monitor instead... (or additional back up external drive... Im anal when it comes to back ups...) so alternatively i could switch the i5 in the 1st build for i7 but beside that im not seeing anything that i would switch around (possibly thats just for now...   ) 

[KRImSIN]

I hate decisions.. I'm so indecisive.

 

Good luck choosing. If you want, you can play around with the second build a bit. You can probably fit two 980's into the $2500 budget with a 5820k (and if not, you can 100% definitely do it with a 4790k).. 

 

Two way 980 SLI is definitely the way to go with your budget

You mean a build like this?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor  ($373.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 SE2011 CPU Cooler  ($74.98 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: MSI X99S Gaming 7 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($264.99 @ Amazon) 

Memory: Kingston 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($229.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Intel 730 Series 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($216.98 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($92.49 @ SuperBiiz) 

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 4GB Twin Frozr Video Card  ($549.99 @ Newegg) 

Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case  ($134.99 @ Micro Center) 

Power Supply: Corsair Professional 850W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($149.98 @ OutletPC) 

Total: $2088.38

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-12 01:02 EST-0500