Help! - What do I really need?

[HawkinsonB]

Hello all! I've been having a lot of trouble deciding on the final build specs for my new rig. I'm going to be gaming and doing some video/photo editing on this beast. What I have so far I think is pretty solid:

 

i5 4690k (definitely planning to OC)

Corsair h60 Liquid CPU cooler

MSI ATX H97 Gaming Motherboard

Kingston HyperX Beast 16gb @ 1866 CL9

WD Black 1tb (file/Game storage)

Samsung 250gb 850 EVO SSD (OS, Adobe creative suit, office, etc)

Corsair CX600 watt PSU

 

Case: H440 Black/red

 

What i'm having issues with..

GTX 980 or a 970. Both EVGA SC editions(the rest i can do myself > )

 

I'm running a LG 29" Ultrawide screen @ 2560 x1080. My goal is to run games at roughly 40-60 fps on ultra settings, and skyrim, with lots of mods. However I feel like I may start to be hindered by the 970 as newer titles come around. I've been looking at the 970 @ 1440p for a more accurate depiction of the fps, and I can tell it's sort of struggling at ultra settings with the games that are out today.. But is it really enough to justify about a $150 difference currently to hit that steady 60 fps? What's your suggestions?

 

Thanks!

[o0Martin]

I was going to say get the 970 and SLI it in the future for the same performance as a 980Ti 

 

BUT then I saw you're running a H97 chipset so SLI'ing isn't an option (Either is overclocking really, so maybe you should rethink that), so in that case if you want to be safe and have a little room for heaving modding/future games at 1080p I would get the 980. But a 970 right now will be fine for you, and with low AA settings you should be getting 60 FPS at 1080p with no trouble for a little while at least. 

[BigDay]

get an intel z97 board and don't settle for anything less if you plan on overclocking that cpu; avoid using gigabyte for overclocking. this would be a better choice:

 

MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition

 

go for the 980. the 390 beats the 970 and the 380 beats the 960.

 

avoid getting the asus strix 980. my friend just bought one and the heatsink isn't tightly mounted to the pcb out of the box. avoid

 

get a 2tb hdd instead of the 1tb. 1tb isn't enough for games etc.

 

that psu you have isn't very good. get a seasonic:

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-ssr650rm

[OAcesync]

Go with Z97 for better overclocking as there're more flagship motherboards

Better PSU CX series aren't of great quality

H60 isn't exactly a great AIO for high overclocking maybe a H100i? or air cooler like the NH DH15

Also I would go for a 980 or 390 depending on budget, I would go for a G1 gigabyte,MSI twin frozer or just a EVGA SSC

[BigDay]

Go with Z97 for better overclocking as there're more flagship motherboards

Better PSU CX series aren't of great quality

H60 isn't exactly a great AIO for high overclocking maybe a H100i? or air cooler like the NH DH15

Also I would go for a 980 or 390 depending on budget, I would go for a G1 gigabyte,MSI twin frozer or just a EVGA SSC

 

i disagree. the h60 is fine for overclocking the 4690k. i'm using an old antec 120mm sized fan aio water cooler and i've got great temps at 4.6ghz on the core with 4.5ghz on the cache. 1.30 vcore and 1.32 vring @ 2.00 VCCIN.

[Guest]

Like everyone says

1. Get z97 motherboard

2. Get a better psu (80+ gold preferably from a reliable brand).

3. Get a better cooler. If you can't fit a 240 rad maybe consider the kraken x41.

4. I think the best way to go is always the x70 series. You don't shell out too much cash and you can play most games with good settings until you need to upgrade later when new fancy and cool tech has arrived.

[HawkinsonB]

Wow thats all been a lot of very helpful input on things. My orignal build was running me around $1500 and with this i was able to get it down to about $1150. ill see what shopping around I can do. I'll definitely look into the Z97 boards however the biggest thing i'm worried about board wise is fan support, heat management and overclocking ability. The h440 comes with 4 fans with room on the top for a H100i if i chose to drop the extra cash for it( I don't think ill need it on the i5).

 

I'll go for the future proofing ability and 980 it. It's a little extra money but $100 now or $300 later.. I am however looking for motherboard suggestions. I'd like to keep it in the $100-$200(with tax) for a board.

 

Currently looking at Asus z97 line

 

http://www.amazon.com/Asus-Motherboard-Z97-PRO-GAMER-Retail/dp/B00PT5E32M/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1436297307&sr=8-8&keywords=asus+z97

 

http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Motherboard-Z97-E-USB-3-1/dp/B00VBKLX9A/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1436297389&sr=8-5&keywords=asus+z97

 

http://www.amazon.com/SABERTOOTH-Z97-MARK-USB-3-1/dp/B00NMXCPY6/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1436297455&sr=8-13&keywords=asus+z97 (maybe willing to if it's really worth it).

 

http://www.amazon.com/Asus-Sabertooth-Z87-1150-Motherboard/dp/B00CRJVZOM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1436297618&sr=8-3&keywords=asus+z87 (Would a z87 board be fine as well? Whats the biggest difference from a z87 and a z97 board?)

 

What is it that makes these boards so different from one another? I'm a bit on the uneducated side when it comes to motherboards and their capabilities(what to look for and what to avoid).

 

as for the PSU how is a EVGA Gold Fully modular?

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K85X2AW?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_4&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

[vSyNd1c4t3]

Hello all! I've been having a lot of trouble deciding on the final build specs for my new rig. I'm going to be gaming and doing some video/photo editing on this beast. What I have so far I think is pretty solid:

 

i5 4690k (definitely planning to OC)

Corsair h60 Liquid CPU cooler

MSI ATX H97 Gaming Motherboard

Kingston HyperX Beast 16gb @ 1866 CL9

WD Black 1tb (file/Game storage)

Samsung 250gb 850 EVO SSD (OS, Adobe creative suit, office, etc)

Corsair CX600 watt PSU

 

Case: H440 Black/red

 

What i'm having issues with..

GTX 980 or a 970. Both EVGA SC editions(the rest i can do myself > )

 

I'm running a LG 29" Ultrawide screen @ 2560 x1080. My goal is to run games at roughly 40-60 fps on ultra settings, and skyrim, with lots of mods. However I feel like I may start to be hindered by the 970 as newer titles come around. I've been looking at the 970 @ 1440p for a more accurate depiction of the fps, and I can tell it's sort of struggling at ultra settings with the games that are out today.. But is it really enough to justify about a $150 difference currently to hit that steady 60 fps? What's your suggestions?

 

Thanks!

 

You don't need AIO cooling, I'll save some money there.

 

You need a different motherboard.

 

Spending too much money on RAM, plus it doesn't match your theme. Red/Black... well. its black. idk... I'm replacing it.

 

HDD and SSD good

 

PSU, replacing with a better quality one.

 

Case. I'll give you a new option, but you dont have to go with it. Do some research on the one I send, you might like it more.

 

cant decide between 980 or 970? stop trying. Here is a 980 ti. Those other ones wont do what you need them to do.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($229.99 @ SuperBiiz)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($27.99 @ NCIX US)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($109.98 @ OutletPC)

Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Red 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($96.29 @ Amazon)

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($97.99 @ Amazon)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($52.49 @ OutletPC)

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Superclocked+ ACX 2.0+ Video Card  ($688.99 @ B&H)

Case: NZXT Noctis 450 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($134.99 @ Micro Center)

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($81.24 @ Amazon)

Total: $1519.95

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-07 15:50 EDT-0400

 

Don't like that motherbaord's look? No problem, you're just gonna have to spend a bit more money.

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-z97g45gaming

 

I personally don't think the EVGA 980 ti looks good with the Red/Black theme. so honestly I'd get something that does match.

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-gtx980tigaming6g

 

Making those changes brings out the theme much more, nice, sexy, and fast. Just the way we all like em.

[OAcesync]

Wow thats all been a lot of very helpful input on things. My orignal build was running me around $1500 and with this i was able to get it down to about $1150. ill see what shopping around I can do. I'll definitely look into the Z97 boards however the biggest thing i'm worried about board wise is fan support, heat management and overclocking ability. The h440 comes with 4 fans with room on the top for a H100i if i chose to drop the extra cash for it( I don't think ill need it on the i5).

 

I'll go for the future proofing ability and 980 it. It's a little extra money but $100 now or $300 later.. I am however looking for motherboard suggestions. I'd like to keep it in the $100-$200(with tax) for a board.

 

Currently looking at Asus z97 line

 

http://www.amazon.com/Asus-Motherboard-Z97-PRO-GAMER-Retail/dp/B00PT5E32M/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1436297307&sr=8-8&keywords=asus+z97

 

http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Motherboard-Z97-E-USB-3-1/dp/B00VBKLX9A/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1436297389&sr=8-5&keywords=asus+z97

 

http://www.amazon.com/SABERTOOTH-Z97-MARK-USB-3-1/dp/B00NMXCPY6/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1436297455&sr=8-13&keywords=asus+z97 (maybe willing to if it's really worth it).

 

http://www.amazon.com/Asus-Sabertooth-Z87-1150-Motherboard/dp/B00CRJVZOM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1436297618&sr=8-3&keywords=asus+z87 (Would a z87 board be fine as well? Whats the biggest difference from a z87 and a z97 board?)

 

What is it that makes these boards so different from one another? I'm a bit on the uneducated side when it comes to motherboards and their capabilities(what to look for and what to avoid).

 

as for the PSU how is a EVGA Gold Fully modular?

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K85X2AW?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_4&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Difference between Z87 is that they were not designed for haswell refresh so you would have to do a Bios update to make the CPU compatible and no upgrade to the new broadwell range.

[HawkinsonB]

Difference between Z87 is that they were not designed for haswell refresh so you would have to do a Bios update to make the CPU compatible and no upgrade to the new broadwell range.

 

Okay that makes plenty of sense. Z97 it is.

 

You don't need AIO cooling, I'll save some money there.

 

You need a different motherboard.

 

Spending too much money on RAM, plus it doesn't match your theme. Red/Black... well. its black. idk... I'm replacing it.

 

HDD and SSD good

 

PSU, replacing with a better quality one.

 

Case. I'll give you a new option, but you dont have to go with it. Do some research on the one I send, you might like it more.

 

cant decide between 980 or 970? stop trying. Here is a 980 ti. Those other ones wont do what you need them to do.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($229.99 @ SuperBiiz)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($27.99 @ NCIX US)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($109.98 @ OutletPC)

Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Red 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($96.29 @ Amazon)

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($97.99 @ Amazon)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($52.49 @ OutletPC)

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Superclocked+ ACX 2.0+ Video Card  ($688.99 @ B&H)

Case: NZXT Noctis 450 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($134.99 @ Micro Center)

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($81.24 @ Amazon)

Total: $1519.95

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-07 15:50 EDT-0400

 

Don't like that motherbaord's look? No problem, you're just gonna have to spend a bit more money.

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-z97g45gaming

 

I personally don't think the EVGA 980 ti looks good with the Red/Black theme. so honestly I'd get something that does match.

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-gtx980tigaming6g

 

Making those changes brings out the theme much more, nice, sexy, and fast. Just the way we all like em.

 

I took a look at the 450 over the 440 and I think i'll stick with the h440. It seems to be what I want for a tad bit cheaper. However I read the reviews on the cpu cooler suggestion and It seems like it'll be abit to loud for me. The AIOs seem to be a solid option for cooling and low noise. I did however take your suggestion on the motherboard MSI Z97, i think that looks like a completely solid option.

[vSyNd1c4t3]

I took a look at the 450 over the 440 and I think i'll stick with the h440. It seems to be what I want for a tad bit cheaper. However I read the reviews on the cpu cooler suggestion and It seems like it'll be abit to loud for me. The AIOs seem to be a solid option for cooling and low noise. I did however take your suggestion on the motherboard MSI Z97, i think that looks like a completely solid option.

 

No problem, just something new by NZXT that doesn't really appear on the radar when using PCPartPicker.

 

I'm not too sure on how much quieter the AIO will be, guess I'd have to look up the comparison to know.

 

Awesome, glad I could help with at least one thing. That motherboard does look nice. Matches well with the MSI 980 ti. (hope that becomes your final decision.)

 

Here is the remastered version of the build.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($229.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Motherboard: MSI Z97-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($136.99 @ Amazon)

Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Red 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($96.29 @ Amazon)

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($97.99 @ Amazon)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($52.49 @ OutletPC)

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card  ($679.95 @ Amazon)

Case: NZXT H440 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($104.99 @ Micro Center)

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($64.99 @ NCIX US)

Total: $1463.68

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-07 18:49 EDT-0400

 

I left the cooler spot empty.

 

I recommend watching this video before you decide.

 

 

h100i > Silver Arrow Extreme > h80i

 

Silver Arrow Extreme is more expensive than the h80i... sooo i guess you can ignore that.

 

Note:

The h100i and h80i stock fans are loud, you would have to replace them to get something quieter.

 

Also, NZXT has an AIO cooler. It will match your build much better. The blueish text is RGB so you can change it's color to whatever.

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-cpu-cooler-rlkrx6101

 

AND, the x61 is better than the h100i.

 

[HawkinsonB]

No problem, just something new by NZXT that doesn't really appear on the radar when using PCPartPicker.

 

I'm not too sure on how much quieter the AIO will be, guess I'd have to look up the comparison to know.

 

Awesome, glad I could help with at least one thing. That motherboard does look nice. Matches well with the MSI 980 ti. (hope that becomes your final decision.)

 

Here is the remastered version of the build.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($229.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Motherboard: MSI Z97-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($136.99 @ Amazon)

Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Red 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($96.29 @ Amazon)

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($97.99 @ Amazon)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($52.49 @ OutletPC)

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card  ($679.95 @ Amazon)

Case: NZXT H440 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($104.99 @ Micro Center)

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($64.99 @ NCIX US)

Total: $1463.68

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-07 18:49 EDT-0400

 

I left the cooler spot empty.

 

I recommend watching this video before you decide.

 

 

h100i > Silver Arrow Extreme > h80i

 

Silver Arrow Extreme is more expensive than the h80i... sooo i guess you can ignore that.

 

Note:

The h100i and h80i stock fans are loud, you would have to replace them to get something quieter.

 

Also, NZXT has an AIO cooler. It will match your build much better. The blueish text is RGB so you can change it's color to whatever.

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-cpu-cooler-rlkrx6101

 

AND, the x61 is better than the h100i.

 

Wow thank you so much for all your input and advice! It's really making the decisions a lot easier. I really REALLY want a TI but i think its going to be alittle over my budget (sadly). I'm very wary for swapping to the Kraken for an AIO, a lot of reviews have a lot to say about the buggy software and the CAM dependancy on fan support... I may have to go with the h100i, or even the h105, there should be room in the case.

[BigDay]

honestly, all you need for an aio cooler is the corsair h60. the evo 212 will do the job in terms of cooling the 4690k but it'll be loud when it ramps up. h60 is better. corsair is a reputable brand in this industry.

 

in terms of a z97 motherboard, i'd go with the one of the following; they are both under 200 bucks:

 

Asus Z97-PRO:

1 x CPU Fan connector(s) (1 x 4 -pin)
1 x CPU OPT Fan connector(s) (1 x 4 -pin)
4 x Chassis Fan connector(s) (4 x 4 -pin)

 

MSI Z97 MPOWER:

- 2 x 4-pin CPU fan connectors
- 3 x 4-pin system fan connectors

 

the z97 mpower is an overclocking specific board that will pair well with your 4690k. the msi bios is top notch. easy to set adaptive or static voltages. i'm going to be buying one of these boards soon. avoid gigabyte.

 

the asus above is also a good choice. good sound and it has japanese capacitors

 

both are solid build quality

[vSyNd1c4t3]

Wow thank you so much for all your input and advice! It's really making the decisions a lot easier. I really REALLY want a TI but i think its going to be alittle over my budget (sadly). I'm very wary for swapping to the Kraken for an AIO, a lot of reviews have a lot to say about the buggy software and the CAM dependancy on fan support... I may have to go with the h100i, or even the h105, there should be room in the case.

 

Well, I don't know what to say. I'd sacrifice down to a evo 212 any day to get a 980 ti in return. Not really sure what your budget is actually. figured $1500

[brob]

Instead of a Z97 motherboard and after market cpu cooler, spend the money on a locked i7 or Xeon. Buys much more performance in video & photo editing than overclocking.

[HawkinsonB]

Instead of a Z97 motherboard and after market cpu cooler, spend the money on a locked i7 or Xeon. Buys much more performance in video & photo editing than overclocking.

 

Can i get some more information on this? I understand that the i7 has a lot more Umpf when it comes to rendering and editing. So far i'm currently both editing and rendering on a retina Mac Book Pro with a i7 3615QM @ 2.3ghz. The i5 would be a step up in performance for sure and of course the 4790ks would be preferable. I wasn't looking to spend $1500 (it was my original budget before I had to purchase a new camera), I was shooting for the $1200 range. However if the performance is absolutely necesary, i'd rather spent alittle more now than a lot more later.

 

Remeber that I'm going for what I need not necesarily what I want in this situation.

[HawkinsonB]

honestly, all you need for an aio cooler is the corsair h60. the evo 212 will do the job in terms of cooling the 4690k but it'll be loud when it ramps up. h60 is better. corsair is a reputable brand in this industry.

 

in terms of a z97 motherboard, i'd go with the one of the following; they are both under 200 bucks:

 

Asus Z97-PRO:

1 x CPU Fan connector(s) (1 x 4 -pin)

1 x CPU OPT Fan connector(s) (1 x 4 -pin)

4 x Chassis Fan connector(s) (4 x 4 -pin)

 

MSI Z97 MPOWER:

- 2 x 4-pin CPU fan connectors

- 3 x 4-pin system fan connectors

 

the z97 mpower is an overclocking specific board that will pair well with your 4690k. the msi bios is top notch. easy to set adaptive or static voltages. i'm going to be buying one of these boards soon. avoid gigabyte.

 

the asus above is also a good choice. good sound and it has japanese capacitors

 

both are solid build quality

I love the look on that MPower and honestly I feel like its an awesome fit. Sucks its $200 board! I'll definitely keep it under consideration! Thanks for the tip!!

[brob]

Can i get some more information on this? I understand that the i7 has a lot more Umpf when it comes to rendering and editing. So far i'm currently both editing and rendering on a retina Mac Book Pro with a i7 3615QM @ 2.3ghz. The i5 would be a step up in performance for sure and of course the 4790ks would be preferable. I wasn't looking to spend $1500 (it was my original budget before I had to purchase a new camera), I was shooting for the $1200 range. However if the performance is absolutely necesary, i'd rather spent alittle more now than a lot more later.

 

Remeber that I'm going for what I need not necesarily what I want in this situation.

 

This maximizes performance at the $1,200 point with a good balance between gaming and editing. It will not overclock. Nor are multiple gpu supported.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($242.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($58.77 @ OutletPC)

Memory: Mushkin Stealth 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($84.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($97.99 @ Amazon)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($46.89 @ OutletPC)

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB FTW ACX 2.0 Video Card  ($499.99 @ Newegg)

Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.99 @ NCIX US)

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($64.99 @ NCIX US)

Total: $1136.60

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-08 00:53 EDT-0400

[HawkinsonB]

This maximizes performance at the $1,200 point with a good balance between gaming and editing. It will not overclock. Nor are multiple gpu supported.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($242.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($58.77 @ OutletPC)

Memory: Mushkin Stealth 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($84.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($97.99 @ Amazon)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($46.89 @ OutletPC)

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB FTW ACX 2.0 Video Card  ($499.99 @ Newegg)

Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.99 @ NCIX US)

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($64.99 @ NCIX US)

Total: $1136.60

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-08 00:53 EDT-0400

How does the Xeon compare to the 4790? I'm very curious as to the differences of these CPUs. And will running a Xeon effect gaming performance a lot?

 

Micro ATX seems to give me more performance for half the cost on most parts. this is anew angle i can possibly take.

[brob]

How does the Xeon compare to the 4790? I'm very curious as to the differences of these CPUs. And will running a Xeon effect gaming performance a lot?

 

Micro ATX seems to give me more performance for half the cost on most parts. this is anew angle i can possibly take.

 

Xeon E3-1231 and i7-4790 have the same core architecture. There are some differences that should have little impact in this application, http://ark.intel.com/compare/80910,80806. Xeon E3 V3 are very good gaming cpu. Any performance difference is mostly attributable to the different clock speeds.

[HawkinsonB]

Xeon E3-1231 and i7-4790 have the same core architecture. There are some differences that should have little impact in this application, http://ark.intel.com/compare/80910,80806. Xeon E3 V3 are very good gaming cpu. Any performance difference is mostly attributable to the different clock speeds.

 

And how important are the differences in clock speeds really in terms of performance on a xeon compared to the i7 or even a 4690k OC to 4.4ghz?

 

I'm simply curious the Xeon seems like a solid choice for what I'm after and reduces the need for a $100 AIO cooler.

[brob]

And how important are the differences in clock speeds really in terms of performance on a xeon compared to the i7 or even a 4690k OC to 4.4ghz?

 

I'm simply curious the Xeon seems like a solid choice for what I'm after and reduces the need for a $100 AIO cooler.

 

Performance differences depend heavily on application mix. i7 and hyperthreaded Xeon significantly outperform higher clocked i5 in heavily multi-threaded applications like video editing and rendering. In lightly threaded applications like gaming, clock speed has a larger impact. Studies show that same clock i7 and i5 are within an fps or two in most gaming titles. (Although newer titles at higher resolutions seem to do better with hyperthreaded cpu.)

 

There are a couple of studies that examine gaming performance on i5 and i7. I am not aware of any that quantify the differences in other applications.

[HawkinsonB]

Performance differences depend heavily on application mix. i7 and hyperthreaded Xeon significantly outperform higher clocked i5 in heavily multi-threaded applications like video editing and rendering. In lightly threaded applications like gaming, clock speed has a larger impact. Studies show that same clock i7 and i5 are within an fps or two in most gaming titles. (Although newer titles at higher resolutions seem to do better with hyperthreaded cpu.)

 

There are a couple of studies that examine gaming performance on i5 and i7. I am not aware of any that quantify the differences in other applications.

 

Wow thank you for taking the time to answer that. It seems to be pretty settled on a final build with a xeon.

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/G4jgjX

 

I think this will be an awesome build! And for the xeon, if i intend on leaving it on turboboost, the 212 is a must correct?

[brob]

Wow thank you for taking the time to answer that. It seems to be pretty settled on a final build with a xeon.

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/G4jgjX

 

I think this will be an awesome build! And for the xeon, if i intend on leaving it on turboboost, the 212 is a must correct?

 

Build looks good. The stock cooler will do an okay job. It will be noisy when the cpu is fully loaded. An after market cooler like the 212 EVO will be quieter and help the cpu run cooler.

[HawkinsonB]

Build looks good. The stock cooler will do an okay job. It will be noisy when the cpu is fully loaded. An after market cooler like the 212 EVO will be quieter and help the cpu run cooler.

 

i'll definitely keep it then. Thank you so much for your help! I'll be purchasing as soon as my paycheck comes in