My first Gaming Rig! (i5 4670k and Palit GTX 980 Ti)

[Raccatography]

I'm a photographer/gamer and I built this rig so Adobe applications and games can run smoothly.

 

A bunch of the parts are bought second-hand to save money so I can afford the GTX 980 Ti.

• CPU: i5 4670k (Used)
• CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S
  
  
  This shot of the parts is incomplete. A bunch of stuff has not yet arrived like the Noctua CPU Cooler.
   
• RAM: Kingston HyperX Fury White 8GB (Used)
• SSD Boot Drive: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB (Used)
  
  
  Connected two cables to my GPU so it can have all the power it wants <3.
   
• HDD: WD Caviar Blue 1TB
• GPU: Palit GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Super JetStream
  
  
  This is actually my second attempt at cable-management, which was a breeze to do in this case.
   
• CASE: Fractal Design Define R5 w/ Window (Titanium)
• PSU: SeaSonic M12II 850W
  
  
  I'll be real with you, the Noctua Fans actually look good.
   
• Case Fan: Silverstone AP121 120mm (Used)
• Case Fan: 2x Fractal Design SSR2 120mm (Used)
  
  
  Beautiful.
   
• Monitor: Dell u3014 (Refurbished) 
• Keyboard: Corsair K65 (Used)
  
  
  I am now a firm believer of running a single big monitor rather than multiple smaller ones.
   
• Mouse: Razer Orochi
• Speakers: Creative SBS A350 2.1
  
  
  After a decade of using computers, this is the first time I'm on a mechanical keyboard. It's a joy to type on even though it's Cherry MX Red. The 4000dpi sensor of my Orochi is still more than adequate. I can't imagine how people use upwards of 8000dpi sensors.
   
• Headphones: Bose QuietComfort 15
  
  
  My desk is ready for the upcoming Battlefront game.
   

All in all, I've saved around $800 because of buying things used/refurbished. I even went within my budget! With $10 to spare. I'm keeping that as funds for my future upgrades (Seagate 3TB and Kingston HyperX Fury 8GB)

 

Nothing was defective but the motherboard still had its old settings running. So I had quite a lot of BSOD until I reverted it back to default and adding a bit more CPU voltage.

 

For the detailed post complete with high-resolution images and annotations, check my PCPartPicker page

 

 

 

 

[zyntaxable]

Wow that is one damn thick gpu. Hella sexy build you have there.

[Paralectic]

Great build!

[Raccatography]

Wow that is one damn thick gpu. Hella sexy build you have there.

 

 

Great build!

 

Thank you so much *crying*

[woofmanslim]

What was your total spending on this build?

[Raccatography]

What was your total spending on this build?

Quoted from my PCPartPicker post:

 

"The rig costed $1435. The monitor basically costed me $90. The awesome keyboard only costed $53 and the speakers were just $26. Everything else was bought before building the rig."

[woofmanslim]

Awesome! I'm looking to build a decent gaming desktop, buy my budget is a little bit more than half that.

[Raccatography]

Awesome! I'm looking to build a decent gaming desktop, buy my budget is a little bit more than half that.

 

I see. If you're gaming on 1080p screen, then an i5 and a GTX 970 should fit your budget comfortably Prices have been going down recently.

[woofmanslim]

I see. If you're gaming on 1080p screen, then an i5 and a GTX 970 should fit your budget comfortably Prices have been going down recently.

So your saying, relatively the same build as you, just replace those 2 parts? If that's the case, then I'd be set!

[Raccatography]

So your saying, relatively the same build as you, just replace those 2 parts? If that's the case, then I'd be set!

Nope. I've got a few more suggestions:

 

1. Don't get a SSD but if you are, maybe a smaller and more affordable unit can fit your budget. See: Crucial BX100 128GB

2. Skip the Custom CPU Cooler but if you really want one, then just get the Cooler Master 21X

3. Pick a less-powerful PSU. A 650W unit can easily support an overclocked GTX 970.

4. Choose a cheaper case but if you want the same look as mine, then just get the older models. The Fractal Design R3 are still good cases and very well regarded.

5. Motherboards aren't top priority tbh. Pick one that has good quality and fits your case and parts well.

 

Overclocking the GPU yields better performance gains than overclocking the CPU. Make sure to get a non-reference GTX 970. I recommend the Asus Strix or the Gigabyte G1 Windforce.

[woofmanslim]

Recommend a mother board to me. I'm terrible with hardware

[Raccatography]

Recommend a mother board to me. I'm terrible with hardware

 

Assuming you're going for a i5 4690, then just get a H97M board. You'll have better and more detailed recommendations if you post your query in the proper forums, though I'm not keen on the exact models