Build complete. The biggest upgrade I have ever done more than doubling my performance.

[pyrojoe34]

After not having upgraded my PC in 5 years (expect for a GPU upgrade 3 years ago) I have spent the last several months slowly upgrading parts until I had a completely finished, new PC. It is used primarily for gaming but is also used for video editing and computational work.

 

New PC:

Case: Corsair 750D Obsidian ($95)

CPU: i7-6800k (@ 4.0Ghz, 1.202V) ($430)

CPU Cooler: Corsair H110i GTX ($100)

Mobo: MSI X99A SLI Plus ($200)

RAM: 32GB Quad-Channel Corsair Vengeance DDR4-2666 (C15) ($120)

GPU: EVGA GTX 980 SC (1505Mhz, 1.237V) (used, $250)

GPU Cooler: Corsair H80i v2 + HG10 n980 ($80+$40)

GPU Bracket: MNPCTECH GPU support bracket ($30)

Lighting: Cablemod Magnetic RGB kit ($30)

SSD1 (OS): 256GB Samsung 850 Pro ($120)

SSD2 (Cache): 120GB PNY CS1311 ($35)

HDD1: Toshiba 3TB 7200rpm (owned)

HDD2: Seagate 1TB 7200rpm (owned)

PSU: Corsair RM1000i ($150)

Headset: Logitech G933 ($150)

Keyboard: Logitech G11 (owned)

Mouse: Logitech G502 ($60)

Monitor: LG29UM57 29" Ultrawide IPS 2560x1080 (used, $120)

Monitor: Vizio M43C1 43" 4k TV ($460)

 

Total spent on components (excluding all peripherals): $1620

Total spent on upgrade (excluding only KB & HDDs): $2470

 

Future Upgrades:

GPU: GTX1080ti or Titan P

M.2 NVME SSD

 

 

Previous Build (now a local NAS/media PC/guest rig):

Case: Antek Gaming One

CPU: FX-8120 (@ 4.0Ghz)

Mobo: Gigabyte 990FXA-UD3

RAM: 16GB DDR3-1600

GPU: Gigabyte GTX760

SDD (OS): 32GB Sandisk

HDD1: Seagate 250GB

HDD2: 3TB WD Red

PSU: Rosewell 750W 80+ Gold Semi-Modular

 

New Build Benchmarks/Stress Tests:

 

More Screenshots and Results Here

 

 

Previous Rig Benchmarks/Stress Tests:

 

More Screenshots and Results Here

 

 

Comparison:

*Render test involves taking a 3m11s 1080p/59.94fps Cineform (.avi, high level, ~600Mbps) file and exporting it as a 4k/29.97fps, h.264(.mp4), 45Mbps CBR file. Done using Premiere Pro (CS6) or AME (CS6).

 

 

PICS:

The Battlestation

Another angle

RGBs through side panel

Looking down from above

Water cooled GPU gets saggy, a sweet aluminum bracket does the trick and looks sleek.

Side panel off

Bonus Pic- all three generations of my custom PC builds over the years.

 

 

Full Album with More Angles and Extra Pics

[Xineas]

Great rig, nice specs!

 

One question though. Why does the H80i blow downwards? Wouldn't it be more efficient to have it exhaust out the front of the case rather than blow air against the desk?

[pyrojoe34]

22 minutes ago, Xineas said:

Great rig, nice specs!

 

One question though. Why does the H80i blow downwards? Wouldn't it be more efficient to have it exhaust out the front of the case rather than blow air against the desk?

Thanks!

 

It's actually intake so it's sucking air in. That is also the only place it would work since the tubes are very stiff and inflexible. Honestly though I like this better than the rear option, the tube routing looks better and kinda matches the CPU cooler tubes.

[Xineas]

1 minute ago, pyrojoe34 said:

Thanks!

 

It's actually intake so it's sucking air in. That is also the only place it would work since the tubes are very stiff and inflexible. Honestly though I like this better than the rear option though, the tube routing looks better and kinda matches the CPU cooler tubes.

Okay, that makes sense. It is push-pull as well, so that'll push plenty of air through to keep it nice and cool.  Enjoy your machine!

[pyrojoe34]

18 hours ago, Xineas said:

Okay, that makes sense. It is push-pull as well, so that'll push plenty of air through to keep it nice and cool.  Enjoy your machine!

Oh yea, there's plenty of airflow. The GPU stays really cool (usually below 60° while gaming sometimes up to 64° in 4K gaming). It is just barely enough rad for such a high OC on the GPU though, the water gets up to ~47°C under a long term(1hr+), 100% load which is a little hot for the coolant but still holds up just fine and keeps the GPU temps low enough.