Blank Slate Build

[porterpilot]

I'll start with the disclaimer that I know that this is a loaded question and have seen enough of these to know what the typical answer will be. I am looking for some suggestions from the community for a ground up build I am starting to plan. This will be my second full build but first fresh start in about 10 years. Since my first build and now the gaming market has drastically changed and with the recent advances in tech on the pc side and stagnation of consoles (4k and VR) I am finding myself drawn back to the pc.

 

I have been easily able to see what will give me great results right now, but since I have only been back on the scene for a month or so I cant see what the future holds for software and hardware developers and where the trend is going. The 2 biggest questions on my mind are, are games starting to be developed to run on more than 4 cores and with the architecture change coming with Pascal, is it better to wait to start a blank slate build?

 

It is worth noting that I am interested in a gaming rig only and do not render video or edit photos or videos.

 

Thanks in advance guys!

[shadowbyte]

4 cores is the sweet spot currently. Any more and games can't properly utilize them.

As for Pascal, HBM may be coming with the release, so I would wait, see if it's a tangible benefit, and if not, pick up a cheap 980 or something

[Streetguru]

I'll start with the disclaimer that I know that this is a loaded question and have seen enough of these to know what the typical answer will be. I am looking for some suggestions from the

Well what budget what country? that's mostly what matters

[porterpilot]

Well what budget what country? that's mostly what matters

Canada. Budget right now based on i7 6700k and Strix 980ti. 

[Streetguru]

Canada. Budget right now based on i7 6700k and Strix 980ti. 

Going to need a dollar amount, that hardware probably isn't worth it to get as far as performance per dollar goes

What's your current display?

[porterpilot]

Display is 1080p 75hz and about $2000.

[Streetguru]

Display is 1080p 75hz and about $2000.

Well this build includes a 1440p 144hz TN free-sync display, for a bit more you can get a 4k IPS free-sync display, though a 40" 4k display is where it's at for productivity

http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/amd-freesync-review-with-the-acer-xb270hu-monitor,4.html

 

a 980ti is going to be faster yes, but it's rather pointless to get a 980ti for a 1080p display when you could just get like a 390 with a free-sync display and have a better experience in games overall.

 

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/gCthhM

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

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($345.92 @ shopRBC)

Motherboard: Asus H87M-E Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($103.40 @ shopRBC)

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($94.99 @ NCIX)

Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($168.98 @ Newegg Canada)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($59.15 @ Vuugo)

Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 390 8GB Nitro Video Card  ($399.88 @ Canada Computers)

Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($38.99 @ NCIX)

Power Supply: Rosewill 750W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($99.98 @ Newegg Canada)

Monitor: Acer XG270HU 144Hz 27.0" Monitor  ($549.90 @ shopRBC)

Total: $1861.19

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-19 20:03 EST-0500

[RichieXtheXboss]

[PCPartPicker part list](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/gtqFjX) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/gtqFjX/by_merchant/)

 

Type|Item|Price

:----|:----|:----

**CPU** | [intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54690k) | $298.15 @ Vuugo 

**CPU Cooler** | [Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-cpu-cooler-h100i) | $139.99 @ Newegg Canada 

**Motherboard** | [Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-gaz97xgaming5) | $179.98 @ DirectCanada 

**Memory** | [Mushkin ECO2 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/mushkin-memory-996988e) | $48.98 @ Newegg Canada 

**Storage** | [samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz75e500bam) | $196.98 @ DirectCanada 

**Storage** | [seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st2000dm001) | $87.15 @ Vuugo 

**Video Card** | [Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvn98twf3oc6gd) | $839.99 @ NCIX 

**Case** | [Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/phanteks-case-phes614pbk) | $139.99 @ NCIX 

**Power Supply** | [EVGA SuperNOVA GS 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-220gs0550v1) | $112.66 @ DirectCanada 

 | *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |

 | **Total** | **$2043.87**

 | Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2015-12-19 20:16 EST-0500 |

[porterpilot]

Thanks a lot for the advice guys!