Building First PC Advice welcome

[xConVirus]

Hey guys I'm building my very first PC and it has taken a long time but I think I've pretty much settled on the build. I am going to use it for some quite moderately demanding PC games, programming, and running a couple of VMs for sure. I don't play many graphically intensive games like GTA, Assassins Creed, Tomb Raider, Crysis, etc...but I wanted a solid computer that would last me at least three or four years before I had to do any significant upgrades. My friends also told me that the new computer will probably get me into some more graphically/CPU intensive things. So here it is:

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hwtGgs

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hwtGgs/by_merchant/

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor  ($299.99 @ Micro Center) 

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($67.99 @ Mwave) 

Motherboard: Asus X99-A ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($239.99 @ B&H) 

Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($149.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($69.89 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card  ($507.82 @ Amazon) 

Case: Fractal Design FD-CA-CORE-3300-BL ATX Mid Tower Case  ($69.99 @ NCIX US) 

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($74.98 @ Newegg) 

Total: $1480.64

 

Note I have no PC to upgrade from, this would be the only desktop in my house. I mention this because I have seen complaints about 'upgrading' to the X99 platform not necessarily being worth it since you have to buy a motherboard, processor, and DDR4 RAM. Considering I'm not upgrading anything, I feel like the extra cost for a quite recent platform is justified. I do however have a couple questions.

 

1. The 5820K says it supports up to DDR4-2133 of RAM, but I'm wondering if there is a downside to buying DDR4-2400 RAM if it's cheaper. I have read that the 2400 will still run at 2133, unless you can somehow up how much frequency the CPU can support. Could someone clarify this please? 

 

2. I am eventually going to be getting a monitor, but I'm not sure of any of the specs. I have heard from my friends that I want at least 1080p. I'm assuming that means the lowest resolution I should buy is 1920x1080? And I don't know whether getting IPS, 144Hz, or G-Sync will be worth the money (although G-Sync seems to be a must). I thought that if I get IPS, and a 144Hz monitor, that would be managable without G-Sync because I doubt the graphics card will get more than 144 FPS on most of what I play, so I wouldn't have tearing. But I know way too little when it comes to monitors and refresh rates. I have scoured the forums here and am still quite confused. All I know is that IPS, 144Hz, and G-Sync all together cost ~$700, and that's a lot...

 

Other advice and questions are welcome! Thanks.

[lukky211111]

 

Hey guys I'm building my very first PC and it has taken a long time but I think I've pretty much settled on the build. I am going to use it for some quite moderately demanding PC games, programming, and running a couple of VMs for sure. I don't play many graphically intensive games like GTA, Assassins Creed, Tomb Raider, Crysis, etc...but I wanted a solid computer that would last me at least three or four years before I had to do any significant upgrades. My friends also told me that the new computer will probably get me into some more graphically/CPU intensive things. So here it is:

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hwtGgs

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hwtGgs/by_merchant/

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor  ($299.99 @ Micro Center) 

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($67.99 @ Mwave) 

Motherboard: Asus X99-A ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($239.99 @ B&H) 

Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($149.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($69.89 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card  ($507.82 @ Amazon) 

Case: Fractal Design FD-CA-CORE-3300-BL ATX Mid Tower Case  ($69.99 @ NCIX US) 

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($74.98 @ Newegg) 

Total: $1480.64

 

Note I have no PC to upgrade from, this would be the only desktop in my house. I mention this because I have seen complaints about 'upgrading' to the X99 platform not necessarily being worth it since you have to buy a motherboard, processor, and DDR4 RAM. Considering I'm not upgrading anything, I feel like the extra cost for a quite recent platform is justified. I do however have a couple questions.

 

1. The 5820K says it supports up to DDR4-2133 of RAM, but I'm wondering if there is a downside to buying DDR4-2400 RAM if it's cheaper. I have read that the 2400 will still run at 2133, unless you can somehow up how much frequency the CPU can support. Could someone clarify this please? 

 

2. I am eventually going to be getting a monitor, but I'm not sure of any of the specs. I have heard from my friends that I want at least 1080p. I'm assuming that means the lowest resolution I should buy is 1920x1080? And I don't know whether getting IPS, 144Hz, or G-Sync will be worth the money (although G-Sync seems to be a must). I thought that if I get IPS, and a 144Hz monitor, that would be managable without G-Sync because I doubt the graphics card will get more than 144 FPS on most of what I play, so I wouldn't have tearing. But I know way too little when it comes to monitors and refresh rates. I have scoured the forums here and am still quite confused. All I know is that IPS, 144Hz, and G-Sync all together cost ~$700, and that's a lot...

 

Other advice and questions are welcome! Thanks.

 

ok why do you think you need the higher speed ram and a 6 core cpu? are you gonna do any content creation?

[xConVirus]

The 5820K from Micro Center at $299.99 seems to be a tremendous deal to me. Especially after reading through this article and checking out the synthetic and real world benchmarks:

 

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-core-i7-5960x-haswell-e-cpu,3918.html

 

Even if I'm not doing content creation currently, I don't doubt I will in the future. For example I hope to stream some games on Twitch later, and that may even escalate to a YouTube channel and the like. I also intend to do folding@home or one of the similar projects.

 

EDIT: As for the RAM I just went with the highest RAM/lowest CAS length supported because like I said I don't want to have to upgrade or change out anything in this computer for three to four years minimum.

[OAcesync]

 

Hey guys I'm building my very first PC and it has taken a long time but I think I've pretty much settled on the build. I am going to use it for some quite moderately demanding PC games, programming, and running a couple of VMs for sure. I don't play many graphically intensive games like GTA, Assassins Creed, Tomb Raider, Crysis, etc...but I wanted a solid computer that would last me at least three or four years before I had to do any significant upgrades. My friends also told me that the new computer will probably get me into some more graphically/CPU intensive things. So here it is:

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hwtGgs

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hwtGgs/by_merchant/

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor  ($299.99 @ Micro Center) 

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($67.99 @ Mwave) 

Motherboard: Asus X99-A ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($239.99 @ B&H) 

Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($149.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($69.89 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card  ($507.82 @ Amazon) 

Case: Fractal Design FD-CA-CORE-3300-BL ATX Mid Tower Case  ($69.99 @ NCIX US) 

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($74.98 @ Newegg) 

Total: $1480.64

 

Note I have no PC to upgrade from, this would be the only desktop in my house. I mention this because I have seen complaints about 'upgrading' to the X99 platform not necessarily being worth it since you have to buy a motherboard, processor, and DDR4 RAM. Considering I'm not upgrading anything, I feel like the extra cost for a quite recent platform is justified. I do however have a couple questions.

 

1. The 5820K says it supports up to DDR4-2133 of RAM, but I'm wondering if there is a downside to buying DDR4-2400 RAM if it's cheaper. I have read that the 2400 will still run at 2133, unless you can somehow up how much frequency the CPU can support. Could someone clarify this please? 

 

2. I am eventually going to be getting a monitor, but I'm not sure of any of the specs. I have heard from my friends that I want at least 1080p. I'm assuming that means the lowest resolution I should buy is 1920x1080? And I don't know whether getting IPS, 144Hz, or G-Sync will be worth the money (although G-Sync seems to be a must). I thought that if I get IPS, and a 144Hz monitor, that would be managable without G-Sync because I doubt the graphics card will get more than 144 FPS on most of what I play, so I wouldn't have tearing. But I know way too little when it comes to monitors and refresh rates. I have scoured the forums here and am still quite confused. All I know is that IPS, 144Hz, and G-Sync all together cost ~$700, and that's a lot...

 

Other advice and questions are welcome! Thanks.

 

If you're not playing 2K/4K then getting a G sync monitor is pointless

Also with that kind of build and budget you should get a better case maybe a R4/R5 or a H440?

[BigDay]

 

Hey guys I'm building my very first PC and it has taken a long time but I think I've pretty much settled on the build. I am going to use it for some quite moderately demanding PC games, programming, and running a couple of VMs for sure. I don't play many graphically intensive games like GTA, Assassins Creed, Tomb Raider, Crysis, etc...but I wanted a solid computer that would last me at least three or four years before I had to do any significant upgrades. My friends also told me that the new computer will probably get me into some more graphically/CPU intensive things. So here it is:

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hwtGgs

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hwtGgs/by_merchant/

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor  ($299.99 @ Micro Center) 

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($67.99 @ Mwave) 

Motherboard: Asus X99-A ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($239.99 @ B&H) 

Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($149.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($69.89 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card  ($507.82 @ Amazon) 

Case: Fractal Design FD-CA-CORE-3300-BL ATX Mid Tower Case  ($69.99 @ NCIX US) 

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($74.98 @ Newegg) 

Total: $1480.64

 

Note I have no PC to upgrade from, this would be the only desktop in my house. I mention this because I have seen complaints about 'upgrading' to the X99 platform not necessarily being worth it since you have to buy a motherboard, processor, and DDR4 RAM. Considering I'm not upgrading anything, I feel like the extra cost for a quite recent platform is justified. I do however have a couple questions.

 

1. The 5820K says it supports up to DDR4-2133 of RAM, but I'm wondering if there is a downside to buying DDR4-2400 RAM if it's cheaper. I have read that the 2400 will still run at 2133, unless you can somehow up how much frequency the CPU can support. Could someone clarify this please? 

 

2. I am eventually going to be getting a monitor, but I'm not sure of any of the specs. I have heard from my friends that I want at least 1080p. I'm assuming that means the lowest resolution I should buy is 1920x1080? And I don't know whether getting IPS, 144Hz, or G-Sync will be worth the money (although G-Sync seems to be a must). I thought that if I get IPS, and a 144Hz monitor, that would be managable without G-Sync because I doubt the graphics card will get more than 144 FPS on most of what I play, so I wouldn't have tearing. But I know way too little when it comes to monitors and refresh rates. I have scoured the forums here and am still quite confused. All I know is that IPS, 144Hz, and G-Sync all together cost ~$700, and that's a lot...

 

Other advice and questions are welcome! Thanks.

 

 

ram:

there is nothing wrong with getting 2133. there is also nothing wrong with getting 2400. if you get 2400, you can still run it at 2400 by enabling the ram profile in the bios or if it has an xmp profile (overclocking profile) it can be set to that, which will be the fastest. you do this in the bios. if you're unable to run it at 2400, it will downclock to 2133. if your system cannot support (not stable) with 2400, it will downclock to 2133.

 

monitor:

for gaming, i would recommend you get a monitor that has a 1ms response time and goes up to 144 hertz. in some games, you will be able to go over 60 gps during game play with the 980 gpu. most of these monitors will be tn panel; they are not the best for color reproduction, but they are still good and perfect for gaming. i suggest you go with either 1080p or 1440p. 1920x1080 is 1080p, 2560x1440 is 1440p. if you have the money, go with 1440p.

 

at 1440p, 1ms, gsync or freesync, and above 144 hertz, here are your options:

Asus ROG SWIFT PG278Q (highly recommend)

BenQ XL2730Z

Acer XG270HU

 

at 1080p, 1ms, and 144 hertz with NO gsync, here is what i recommend:

Asus VG248QE

 

with gsync, here are your options:

AOC G2460PG

Acer XB240H ABPR

Acer XB270H Abprz

BenQ XL2420G

Acer XB270HA

 

everything that i have listed above is 23" or above

 

you don't need an ips monitor for gaming. ips monitors are meant for graphic design, non gamers, and people who edit videos. most ips monitors are 4-5ms or above, which sucks for gaming. there are ips gaming monitors with 4ms and 144 hertz, but they are expensive and not worth it at the moment imo.

 

cpu cooler:

if you are going to overclock your cpu with a fan cooler, i would suggest you get the noctua NH-D15S as it has high compatibility for 2011 chipsets and it is more powerful than the nh-d14s. i believe you also have the option of adding another fan that is not square shaped.

 

case:

fractal cases are great. can't go wrong

 

gpu:

i would recommend you go with the gigabyte 980 g1. that's the only one i've read extensively on. great card. need a good psu for it though as it draws a lot of power.

 

psu:

go with a seasonic psu. they are of high quality. only ones i recommend.

 

cpu:

you don't need a 5820k for gaming. if you are building for gaming, you can get by just fine with a 4690, 4690k (overclockable), 4790, or a 4790k (overclockable). in between the i5 and the i7 you can get the Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 or the Intel Xeon E3-1241 V3 which are cheaper than the i7's; they have 8 threads which would be good for workstation use. they are non-overclockable. they perform exactly like some of the lower end i7's. good cpu's for gaming as well.

 

good luck

[BigDay]

be careful with your case:

 

"Support Graphics cards up to 430mm. One or more 3.5" hard drives may interfere with side-mounted power connectors on graphics cards longer than 255 mm"

 

your gpu is longer than 255mm

 

go with the following case as you can remove the middle drive bay:

 

Fractal Design Define R4 Blackout with Window ATX Mid Tower Case

[BigDay]

this is what i would recommend:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor  ($299.99 @ Micro Center)
Motherboard: MSI X99S SLI Plus ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($215.99 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($69.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($64.80 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card  ($515.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 Blackout with Window ATX Mid Tower Case  ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G-750 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($104.99 @ NCIX US)
Other: NH-D15S
Total: $1476.63
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-14 15:58 EDT-0400

[xConVirus]

If you're not playing 2K/4K then getting a G sync monitor is pointless

Also with that kind of build and budget you should get a better case maybe a R4/R5 or a H440?

What makes you say it is "pointless"? I don't really want to go much over $1500 but I can stretch it to $1750.

 

ram:

there is nothing wrong with getting 2133. there is also nothing wrong with getting 2400. if you get 2400, you can still run it at 2400 by enabling the ram profile in the bios or if it has an xmp profile (overclocking profile) it can be set to that, which will be the fastest. you do this in the bios. if you're unable to run it at 2400, it will downclock to 2133. if your system cannot support (not stable) with 2400, it will downclock to 2133.

 

monitor:

for gaming, i would recommend you get a monitor that has a 1ms response time and goes up to 144 hertz. in some games, you will be able to go over 60 gps during game play with the 980 gpu. most of these monitors will be tn panel; they are not the best for color reproduction, but they are still good and perfect for gaming. i suggest you go with either 1080p or 1440p. 1920x1080 is 1080p, 2560x1440 is 1440p. if you have the money, go with 1440p.

 

at 1440p, 1ms, gsync or freesync, and above 144 hertz, here are your options:

Asus ROG SWIFT PG278Q (highly recommend)

BenQ XL2730Z

Acer XG270HU

 

at 1080p, 1ms, and 144 hertz with NO gsync, here is what i recommend:

Asus VG248QE

 

with gsync, here are your options:

AOC G2460PG

Acer XB240H ABPR

Acer XB270H Abprz

BenQ XL2420G

Acer XB270HA

 

everything that i have listed above is 23" or above

 

you don't need an ips monitor for gaming. ips monitors are meant for graphic design, non gamers, and people who edit videos. most ips monitors are 4-5ms or above, which sucks for gaming. there are ips gaming monitors with 4ms and 144 hertz, but they are expensive and not worth it at the moment imo.

 

cpu cooler:

if you are going to overclock your cpu with a fan cooler, i would suggest you get the noctua NH-D15S as it has high compatibility for 2011 chipsets and it is more powerful than the nh-d14s. i believe you also have the option of adding another fan that is not square shaped.

 

gpu:

i would recommend you go with the gigabyte 980 g1. that's the only one i've read extensively on. great card. need a good psu for it though as it draws a lot of power.

 

psu:

go with a seasonic psu. they are of high quality. only ones i recommend.

 

cpu:

you don't need a 5820k for gaming. if you are building for gaming, you can get by just fine with a 4690, 4690k (overclockable), 4790, or a 4790k (overclockable). in between the i5 and the i7 you can get the Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 or the Intel Xeon E3-1241 V3 which are cheaper than the i7's; they have 8 threads which would be good for workstation use. they are non-overclockable. they perform exactly like some of the lower end i7's. good cpu's for gaming as well.

 

good luck

Great reply! Thanks for all the info, I shall seriously look into those monitor suggestions.

 

I'm considering overclocking the 5820K just a little bit (and I mean just a little), which is why I went with the U14S instead of the U12S, and as a result had to get the wider Fractal case. Why do you suggest the D15S over the U14S? 

 

As for the PSU, I've heard good things about EVGA's GS Series so I'm pretty set on that one Will look into Seasonic for the future though.

 

Haha, it seems no one wants me to get the 5820K I will investigate the other options but part of the reason I went with the 5820K is because of the 28 PCIe lanes as I am considering SLI in the future. Guess I shoulda mentioned that.

 

EDIT: Will get to your two other responses later when I get home.

[xConVirus]

this is what i would recommend:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor  ($299.99 @ Micro Center)

Motherboard: MSI X99S SLI Plus ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($215.99 @ B&H)

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($124.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($69.89 @ OutletPC)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($64.80 @ SuperBiiz)

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card  ($515.99 @ NCIX US)

Case: Fractal Design Define R4 Blackout with Window ATX Mid Tower Case  ($79.99 @ Newegg)

Power Supply: SeaSonic G-750 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($104.99 @ NCIX US)

Other: NH-D15S

Total: $1476.63

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-14 15:58 EDT-0400

 

What made you suggest the MSI board? I get that it's much cheaper, but I'd like to hear the reasoning too. 

 

For the RAM, is spending ~$20 less for 2 more CAS better? I considered that pack as well but thought I would want the lower CAS. 

 

Forgot to mention I have plenty of HDD's from the broken desktops I've had over the years so I won't be needing one of those. 

 

What made you suggest the Gigabyte card over the EVGA one I chose? The EVGA one seemed to have the highest core clock, for the lowest $ as well as the ACX 2.0 which sounds great. Windforce seems similar.

[BigDay]

What makes you say it is "pointless"? I don't really want to go much over $1500 but I can stretch it to $1750.

 

Great reply! Thanks for all the info, I shall seriously look into those monitor suggestions.

 

I'm considering overclocking the 5820K just a little bit (and I mean just a little), which is why I went with the U14S instead of the U12S, and as a result had to get the wider Fractal case. Why do you suggest the D15S over the U14S? 

 

As for the PSU, I've heard good things about EVGA's GS Series so I'm pretty set on that one Will look into Seasonic for the future though.

 

Haha, it seems no one wants me to get the 5820K I will investigate the other options but part of the reason I went with the 5820K is because of the 28 PCIe lanes as I am considering SLI in the future. Guess I shoulda mentioned that.

 

EDIT: Will get to your two other responses later when I get home.

 

i suggested the d15s over the 14s because it has an extra heatpipe which will allow for better cooling. it's basically more effective. keep in mind, the corsair h100i and the h110 are more effective than all of noctua's air coolers.

 

just make sure you read reviews on your psu and don't cheap out on it

[BigDay]

What made you suggest the MSI board? I get that it's much cheaper, but I'd like to hear the reasoning too. 

 

For the RAM, is spending ~$20 less for 2 more CAS better? I considered that pack as well but thought I would want the lower CAS. 

 

Forgot to mention I have plenty of HDD's from the broken desktops I've had over the years so I won't be needing one of those. 

 

What made you suggest the Gigabyte card over the EVGA one I chose? The EVGA one seemed to have the highest core clock, for the lowest $ as well as the ACX 2.0 which sounds great. Windforce seems similar.

 

msi board was cheaper that's it. you always pay a premium for asus. msi is a great brand too.

 

i don't think it makes a difference with regards to the ram. either get 2x8 or 4x4.

 

i know nothing about the evga card. i only researched the gigabyte one extensively and it overclocks like a beast and comes with a very high core clock.

 

the gigabyte card runs very cool at max load, around 64 degrees max and is quiet at load at around 40 dba max which is almost silent.

[OAcesync]

What makes you say it is "pointless"? I don't really want to go much over $1500 but I can stretch it to $1750.

 

Great reply! Thanks for all the info, I shall seriously look into those monitor suggestions.

 

I'm considering overclocking the 5820K just a little bit (and I mean just a little), which is why I went with the U14S instead of the U12S, and as a result had to get the wider Fractal case. Why do you suggest the D15S over the U14S? 

 

As for the PSU, I've heard good things about EVGA's GS Series so I'm pretty set on that one Will look into Seasonic for the future though.

 

Haha, it seems no one wants me to get the 5820K I will investigate the other options but part of the reason I went with the 5820K is because of the 28 PCIe lanes as I am considering SLI in the future. Guess I shoulda mentioned that.

 

EDIT: Will get to your two other responses later when I get home.

If you're not gonna play at the 2K or 4K of the G sync monitor then you're not utilizing the effect of G sync if you're only playing 1080p it's waste if you're not gonna play at 2K/4K

[BigDay]

the gigabyte g1's core clock can be ran at over 1500mhz with a memory clock of almost 4000mhz if you get a good one. they tested it here:

 

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/gigabyte_geforce_gtx_980_g1_gaming_review,26.html

[xConVirus]

i suggested the d15s over the 14s because it has an extra heatpipe which will allow for better cooling. it's basically more effective. keep in mind, the corsair h100i and the h110 are more effective than all of noctua's air coolers.

 

just make sure you read reviews on your psu and don't cheap out on it

 

Yeah water coolers are more effective overall, but I went with Noctua because their thermal paste is top notch and the coolers tested here:

 

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6916/cooler-master-seidon-240m-and-12-more-coolers-the-retest-and-megaroundup/6

 

Are getting some pretty good temperatures for not being liquid, and considering I'm only going to be doing light overclocking, the fan and heatsink should be enough for me. 

[xConVirus]

If you're not gonna play at the 2K or 4K of the G sync monitor then you're not utilizing the effect of G sync if you're only playing 1080p it's waste if you're not gonna play at 2K/4K

 

Ah I see. Thanks.

 

the gigabyte g1's core clock can be ran at over 1500mhz with a memory clock of almost 4000mhz if you get a good one. they tested it here:

 

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/gigabyte_geforce_gtx_980_g1_gaming_review,26.html

 

You have me quite sold on the Gigabyte model. I shall investigate it some more.