Is this a solid gaming PC build?

[tmlhalo]

I would say 970 SLI is overkill for the 1080p screen included. Might want to bump that up to 1440p at least. Maybe take out a 970 but bump up the monitor then later when funds have recovered add the second 970 in.

[JonnyKennedy]

I would say 970 SLI is overkill for the 1080p screen included. Might want to bump that up to 1440p at least. Maybe take out a 970 but bump up the monitor then later when funds have recovered add the second 970 in.

And the most games do not support SLI (or CF).

Safe the money and buy nice games!

I'm proud of you tmhalo

 

 

Damn I even cheered for Netherlands at the World Cup.

 

Now u makin a bad name for them

 

 

The i5 4690K is about $40 more than the i5 4460.

The buyer don't feel the difference between the two CPU!

Only if he want play Planet side 2, because it's more CPU based game.

By OC'ing you see a little bit more fps 

[tmlhalo]

And the most games do not support SLI (or CF).

Safe the money and buy nice games!

I'm proud of you tmhalo

 

 

 

 

The buyer don't feel the difference between the two CPU!

Only if he want play Planet side 2, because it's more CPU based game.

By OC'ing you see a little bit more fps 

I never said 970 SLI is overkill, I said 970 SLI is overkill for 1080p and they need to invest in more pixels since the pixel pushers are going to be bored at 1080p. I fully understand what you are saying but if OP wants a certain build style then give your recommendation / solution but still answer their question. Most people in PC gaming also have a hobby in hardware. The two tend to go hand and hand. No different than car enthusiasts. They certainly don't need a muscle car, a simple Kia will get them places but they want a muscle car cause it is also their hobby / interest / passion. 

[-BirdiE-]

Rule of thumb when it comes to building a new PC... ALWAYS get the best SINGLE GPU your budget can afford. Don't just get SLI just because it seems cooler. This is for several reasons:

 

1) Performance per dollar is almost always lower (even ingoring points 2 and 3)

2) Draws much more power

3) Generates much more heat for your case

4) More prone to driver isues

5) Harder to upgrade down the road (With a single card you can either simply add another card (less recommended), OR if you're going to upgrade completely, a single good card is much easier to sell down the road than two medium cards)

 

Only time it's really worth it to go to SLI is when you have the nicest card you can buy, and for some reason still need more GPU power (4K gaming and such).

[JonnyKennedy]

I never said 970 SLI is overkill, I said 970 SLI is overkill for 1080p and they need to invest in more pixels since the pixel pushers are going to be bored at 1080p. I fully understand what you are saying but if OP wants a certain build style then give your recommendation / solution but still answer their question. Most people in PC gaming also have a hobby in hardware. The two tend to go hand and hand. No different than car enthusiasts. They certainly don't need a muscle car, a simple Kia will get them places but they want a muscle car cause it is also their hobby / interest / passion. 

I don't said that you said that SLI is overkill. It isn't worth.

 

 

Rule of thumb when it comes to building a new PC... ALWAYS get the best SINGLE GPU your budget can afford. Don't just get SLI just because it seems cooler. This is for several reasons:

 

1) Performance per dollar is almost always lower (even ingoring points 2 and 3)

2) Draws much more power

3) Generates much more heat for your case

4) More prone to driver isues

5) Harder to upgrade down the road (With a single card you can either simply add another card (less recommended), OR if you're going to upgrade completely, a single good card is much easier to sell down the road than two medium cards)

 

Only time it's really worth it to go to SLI is when you have the nicest card you can buy, and for some reason still need more GPU power (4K gaming and such).

You're the real MVP

[tmlhalo]

I don't said that you said that SLI is overkill. It isn't worth.

 

 

You're the real MVP

Then you shouldn't have associated my post on your bandwagon to hate on SLI. 2 way SLI support is common if you play a lot of big name games. Don't take my word for it though, Nvidia has 29 games of games with support. 

http://www.geforce.com/games-applications/technology/sli?title=&sort_bef_combine=created+DESC

[-BirdiE-]

Then you shouldn't have associated my post on your bandwagon to hate on SLI. 2 way SLI support is common if you play a lot of big name games. Don't take my word for it though, Nvidia has 29 games of games with support. 

http://www.geforce.com/games-applications/technology/sli?title=&sort_bef_combine=created+DESC

Just because those games "support" SLI doesn't mean it's the better option with mid-level GPUs.... For all the reasons I previously mentioned. Maybe when DX12 cards come out with increased SLI bandwidth it will be slightly more viable, but not now.

 

Even with SLI "supported" by the games, it still has lower performance per dollar, produces more noise, draws more power, produces more heat, and suffers from micro stutter and other issues.

 

With that being said, if anyone wants to get SLI for aesthetic or coolness factor that's fine. I've gone for the less practical option before.... But if that's the way you choose to go, don't try and argue that it makes sense to do it (not specifically you... just all SLI advocates).

[tmlhalo]

Just because those games "support" SLI doesn't mean it's the better option with mid-level GPUs.... For all the reasons I previously mentioned. Maybe when DX12 cards come out with increased SLI bandwidth it will be slightly more viable, but not now.

 

Even with SLI "supported" by the games, it still has lower performance per dollar, produces more noise, draws more power, produces more heat, and suffers from micro stutter and other issues.

 

With that being said, if anyone wants to get SLI for aesthetic or coolness factor that's fine. I've gone for the less practical option before.... But if that's the way you choose to go, don't try and argue that it makes sense to do it (not specifically you... just all SLI advocates).

Dear God... Why am I the one getting replies from the bandwagon. I own a 690 (680 SLI). No one looking to spend $2,000 dollars on a machine cares about the extra heat and power. You rig extra fans to push the heat out and if the second card's power consumption is going to bankrupt you, you aren't spending 2 grand on a computer. The microstutter "issue" is bull as long as you're talking about newer cards and two way SLI instead of what no one recommend's three or four way. I know about the library for SLI support, since I actually own SLI. The thing is if you mostly play AAA games they almost always have SLI support. Do you see where OP has mentioned the games the play? I don't. When going SLI you have to be aware of the franchise of games you normally play. That being said SLI almost always beats a single card solution in terms on price to performance because you're taking a gabble on software support. Two 970s cost 27% more than a single 980 but give 50% more performance. 

Benchmark-

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/geforce_gtx_970_sli_review,16.html

 

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/geforce_gtx_970_sli_review,15.html

 

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/geforce_gtx_970_sli_review,12.html

 

I am aware of everything about SLI. I don't recommend SLI past 2, I don't recommend SLI of anything lower than the X80 or X70 GPUs, I don't recommend SLI for 1080p where it isn't needed if you bothered to read my other posts. I was in favor of going a 1440p monitor with a single 970 and SLI later if they wanted or needed it. SLI has its flaws but damn is there a bandwagon against people owning upper tier PCs in this thread.  If any other post replies to me with the same any of these recycled talking points, you won't get a response.

[Ayalaskin]

There is an issue with the vram of the 970, where 0.5gb of the ram is low speed. So, after 3.5gb the video card slows down considerably. Its not much an issue for 1080p gaming, since the games don't use that much. But its a fact that you should consider.

[Rooah]

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($222.75 @ OutletPC) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($28.98 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($144.98 @ NCIX US) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($70.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($131.88 @ OutletPC) 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($75.75 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($329.00 @ NCIX US) 

Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($329.00 @ NCIX US) 

Case: NZXT H440 (Blue/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($119.99 @ NZXT) 

Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($136.81 @ Newegg) 

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit)  ($87.75 @ OutletPC) 

Monitor: Asus VS248H-P 24.0" Monitor  ($167.58 @ Newegg) 

Keyboard: Logitech G710 Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($112.99 @ Newegg) 

Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse  ($59.99 @ Micro Center) 

Headphones: Logitech G430 7.1 Channel Headset  ($39.99 @ Amazon) 

Total: $2058.43

Would this be a good gaming PC for the price?

Are there any parts that I should switch out to increase the performance without increasing the price a ton?

Should I get liquid cooling instead of an air cooler?

 

Since you are only running a single 1080p monitor I would say lose the dual 970 and get a single 980 in their place. While there are quite a few games with sli support, and future games at least from the big name companies will more than likely have sli support/optimization I still consider single-card setups to be more consistent when it comes to performance. You also will have the option to add a second card in the future if you go to higher resolutions or multi-monitor. There is also the coming directX12 which if the rumors are true will have some very interesting improvements for multi-gpu setups.

 

I don't see any real need for a better cooler unless you actually plan to do reasonably heavy overclocking. That said bequiet and noctua both make excellent air coolers if you are thinking of upgrading, and there are quite a few AIO liquid coolers out there, but those do tend to be louder due to the addition of the pump noise so if noise is a concern I would say stick with air.

 

The power supply is fine for running two 980s as well if you go to that in the future, total system power draw with two 980s is around 450 watts I believe.

 

You should be able to find an SSD at the same capacity for a much lower price and you won't see any performance difference really.

[-BirdiE-]

Dear God... Why am I the one getting replies from the bandwagon. I own a 690 (680 SLI). No one looking to spend $2,000 dollars on a machine cares about the extra heat and power. You rig extra fans to push the heat out and if the second card's power consumption is going to bankrupt you, you aren't spending 2 grand on a computer. The microstutter "issue" is bull as long as you're talking about newer cards and two way SLI instead of what no one recommend's three or four way. I know about the library for SLI support, since I actually own SLI. The thing is if you mostly play AAA games they almost always have SLI support. Do you see where OP has mentioned the games the play? I don't. When going SLI you have to be aware of the franchise of games you normally play. That being said SLI almost always beats a single card solution in terms on price to performance because you're taking a gabble on software support. Two 970s cost 27% more than a single 980 but give 50% more performance. 

Benchmark-

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/geforce_gtx_970_sli_review,16.html

 

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/geforce_gtx_970_sli_review,15.html

 

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/geforce_gtx_970_sli_review,12.html

 

I am aware of everything about SLI. I don't recommend SLI past 2, I don't recommend SLI of anything lower than the X80 or X70 GPUs, I don't recommend SLI for 1080p where it isn't needed if you bothered to read my other posts. I was in favor of going a 1440p monitor with a single 970 and SLI later if they wanted or needed it. SLI has its flaws but damn is there a bandwagon against people owning upper tier PCs in this thread.  If any other post replies to me with the same any of these recycled talking points, you won't get a response.

 

Firstly, having a 690 is not the same as having two cards in SLI because the communication between the GPUs is not limited in the same way having two separate cards is... So no... you do not "own SLI" and clearly are not "aware of everything about SLI". I, however, own two GTX 980s because no single card would run my games on ultra @4K. So I very much "own SLI".

 

Secondly, the micro stutter issue is not "bull" just because you say so. It doesn't matter if it's a newer card or an older card since the bandwidth for communication between them hasn't changed (will be changing with DX12). Also, you keep throwing around that these games "support SLI"... Do you even know what that means? It's basically the equivalent of monitors claiming to be "compatible with windows 8". And what about other issues? Since you are "aware of everything about SLI", then surely you know of issues such as SLI not being able to output 4K at 60Hz to displays without a 10-bit port. SLI drivers have far more bugs.

 

Thirdly, you can't say that something is better price to performance, and then tell me to ignore additional cost like extra case fans and power consumption. And if you're arguing that at that point price doesn't really matter, why not get two 980s instead? Only a few hundred more...

 

Lastly, I'm not exactly sure how you figure that people saying not to go SLI with GPUs that aren't the most powerful GPU available means they're against upper tier computers... So you're saying the only qualification for an "upper tier computer" is owning SLI with a mid-level card? Not sure that argument has a lot of merit, especially since I'm running 2x GTX 980s. And, before you realize you're wrong and come back with "well, I said he should just go with one, and then add a second later if he needs it!"... No... no he shouldn't. If he needs more GPU power, he should sell his single GPU, and buy a better single GPU... For all the reasons listed above.

 

REK'T

[tmlhalo]

Firstly, having a 690 is not the same as having two cards in SLI because the communication between the GPUs is not limited in the same way having two separate cards is... So no... you do not "own SLI" and clearly are not "aware of everything about SLI". I, however, own two GTX 980s because no single card would run my games on ultra @4K. So I very much "own SLI".

 

You can see the glorious no SLI communication limitation of my 690 here.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5805/nvidia-geforce-gtx-690-review-ultra-expensive-ultra-rare-ultra-fast/11

Oh wait... That actually doesn't show SLI cards having a disadvantage from an external SLI bridge. 

 

Do you actually have a better list of games that support SLI? No? I don't care if it is varying degrees of support. You have any list at all? 

 

The only reason I mentioned price to performance is because you did, "Even with SLI "supported" by the games, it still has lower performance per dollar,". Did you forget typing that?

 

SLI 980s eh? If SLI is so wrong why haven't you sold them for a Titan X? Do as I say not as I do, right?

 

"REK'T" ? Are you twelve? 

[-BirdiE-]

You can see the glorious no SLI communication limitation of my 690 here.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5805/nvidia-geforce-gtx-690-review-ultra-expensive-ultra-rare-ultra-fast/11

Oh wait... That actually doesn't show SLI cards having a disadvantage from an external SLI bridge. 

 

Do you actually have a better list of games that support SLI? No? I don't care if it is varying degrees of support. You have any list at all? 

 

The only reason I mentioned price to performance is because you did, "Even with SLI "supported" by the games, it still has lower performance per dollar,". Did you forget typing that?

 

SLI 980s eh? If SLI is so wrong why haven't you sold them for a Titan X? Do as I say not as I do, right?

 

"REK'T" ? Are you twelve? 

 

Neat chart. You know that the 680 GPUs on the 690 have reduced clock speeds to reduce heat output and that's why it's outperformed by two separate 680s, right? Has nothing to do with the bandwidth of the SLI bridge (Surely someone who "is aware of everything about SLI" would know that). Plus, the lack of bandwidth from the SLI bridge doesn't affect frame rates, it creates micro stutter... Which is why your claim to know about these things first-hand is invalid.

 

Not entirely sure why you're so insistent on having a list. But if I must have a list.. my list would be... ALL games... ALL games can be played using SLI, regardless of whether they have this "SLI Support" distinction or not. And since you clearly have no idea what this distinction means, or how it affects gameplay, please stop bringing it up.

 

I fully understand why you brought up performance per dollar (and I said "almost always has better performance per dollar". Might want to pay attention to details like that.). My point was that you can't say "it has better performance per dollar, but ignore these other associated costs and factors". And you also can't argue with me on the performance per dollar AND argue that the cost doesn't matter... Because if cost didn't matter then there would be no point in arguing with me about performance per dollar since, per your argument, it wouldn't matter...

 

Yes, SLI 980s. I bought them before the Titan X was even announced... And I'm not going to sell my GPUs every time a new card comes out... that's just not practical.

[tmlhalo]

Neat chart. You know that the 680 GPUs on the 690 have reduced clock speeds to reduce heat output and that's why it's outperformed by two separate 680s, right? Has nothing to do with the bandwidth of the SLI bridge (Surely someone who "is aware of everything about SLI" would know that). Plus, the lack of bandwidth from the SLI bridge doesn't affect frame rates, it creates micro stutter... Which is why your claim to know about these things first-hand is invalid.

 

Not entirely sure why you're so insistent on having a list. But if I must have a list.. my list would be... ALL games... ALL games can be played using SLI, regardless of whether they have this "SLI Support" distinction or not. And since you clearly have no idea what this distinction means, or how it affects gameplay, please stop bringing it up.

 

I fully understand why you brought up performance per dollar (and I said "almost always has better performance per dollar". Might want to pay attention to details like that.). My point was that you can't say "it has better performance per dollar, but ignore these other associated costs and factors". And you also can't argue with me on the performance per dollar AND argue that the cost doesn't matter... Because if cost didn't matter then there would be no point in arguing with me about performance per dollar since, per your argument, it wouldn't matter...

 

Yes, SLI 980s. I bought them before the Titan X was even announced... And I'm not going to sell my GPUs every time a new card comes out... that's just not practical.

For anyone reading this thread, if you want a bunch of rambling from someone that wants to pick fights on the forums read the above ^.

If you actually want to learn about SLI check out guides from awesome forum members.

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/197327-the-sli-information-guide/

[-BirdiE-]

If you actually want to learn about SLI check out guides from awesome forum members.

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/197327-the-sli-information-guide/

Good call. Although, I'd watch out for that "tmlhalo" character... He claims to know many things about SLI, but after a chat with him I've discovered he knows very little.

 

I'd also avoid getting into arguments with him. He's quite the sore loser.