Will this cooling system and power supply be sufficient? A lot of questions from a newbie

Yohannas

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Good day guys,

I'm seriously considering building my first gaming pc, but this is really all very new to me and I'm not very experienced. I've done a lot of research in the process of understanding all this, and I have often ended up reading useful and insightful threads on this website. Hence my reason for signing up to ask your own opinions on the matter! I have a few questions lined up, so please bear with me (I really appreciate your time!)

I'm going for very high-end hardware which will be capable of playing 3D games (where available) with a respectable frame rate. My setup is as follows. I'll provide links to the products as I've seen them on Amazon.co.uk, which is the most relevant to me since I'm from England:

Power Supply:
Corsair AX850 Professional series 850W Plus Gold PSU

Motherboard:
Gigabyte Z77X-UP7

CPU Intel Core:
Intel 3rd Generation Core i7-3770K CPU

CPU Cooler:
INTEL BXRTS2011LC RTS2011LC Thermal Solution (Liquid Cooling)

Memory:
G.Skill 32GB Ripjaws X Quad Channel Memory Kit

Graphics Card:
Asus Nvidia GeForce GTX 690

Main Storage:
1) Crucial 256GB Internal SSD
AND
2) Seagate 3TB SATA3 hard drive

Optical Drive: Asus Blu-ray Writer Drive

OS: Windows 8 Pro

Case: I have shortlisted 3 which seem to suit my needs, but I can't quite decide which one is the best (if you have any better suggestions I'm all ears!):
1) Inwin MaNa 136 Midi Tower Mesh Gaming Case
2) Coolermaster HAF 922 Mid Tower
3) Nzxt Technologies Phantom with Green Trim Enthusiast Full Tower Case (I really love the look of this one but unfortunately it does not appear to be available in the UK).


ACCESSORIES:

Monitor: Asus VG278H 27-inch 3D Monitor with NVIDIA 3D Vision 2 glasses

Keyboard: Logitech G510 Keyboard

Mouse: Logitech G400 Optical Mouse - when choosing a mouse I read a lot of advice from users here who said that the mouse choice should be influenced by the tye of games you play - but I'm a pretty eclectic gamer! I don't particularly stick to one style at all. This mouse seemed to be a middle-ground well priced model.


I have also ordered some thermal CPU paste (for CPU installation) and an anti-static wrist band.

So to summarise, I have several questions which I'm hoping one of you patient people can enlighten me on!
1) Is the fan I have sufficient to cool this system? I only have one dedicated fan (the CPU cooler), which worries me slightly.
2) Is the wattage sufficient to power the system?
3) Is the hardware generally well suited to the needs I have described?
4) To further that question, is 32gb of RAM excessive? I've read in some places that 8gb is sufficient for any game, but many people disagree on this.
4) Is a static wristband necessary, and if so, where do I clip it to while I work with the motherboard? (I'm nervous about clipping it to any part of the motherboard itself)
5) Is Windows 8 the best option? I've heard a lot of negative reviews!

If you've stuck with me through all of that then I'm extremely grateful, and I just hope you can share your wisdom with me!

Thanks a lot for your time :)

 
Solution

Shallowmist

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Hello well let's see.

This setup is very good and well thought out. It will definitely work for your needs. Few things i can add First off pick the NZXT case. It looks overall to be a better choice and just looking at it from the inside makes me drool. HAF is also a solid choice i have a HAF X my self. But judging from the general orientation and hardware on the NZXT it will be easier and roomier after installation.

GTX690 is Generation 600 card. They are coming out with 700 series. You could presumably wait for a 700 series card that will match the GTX690. But if u don't want to than i stand by 690 100%. I have 680 my self and am buying 680 soon as possible.

Good cooler choice. It will work very well and since it;'s intel it will fit with the board better. You could also get Corsair H100i which is also solid cooler.

32GB ram is by no means excessive because u will not need page file so your SSD will be bigger with that. And also if you can afford it get it. Aside from that very solid component choice u are well prepared, nice touch on the wristband.

U could also have a look at the new Intel 4th generation cores that just came out. There might be a better option for the same price in there.

When building this read your manual's carefully. Do not force anything but do make sure everything is tight and well made. If you have problems or questions you can always PM, or write a thread about it.

I approve your config.


You clip the band onto the case. When you open it just clip it somewhere so it has direct connection with the chasis. Do not be nervous it will go perfectly well. Installation is very straight forward things only fit one way. The only thing difficult would be the installation of your watercooler but i assure you it has extensive guide with it. Just read well and mind what u are doing and don't be afraid we all started at the same place :).

If u plan to not full watercool it. HAF is a solid choice HAF= High air flow. So if u want air u can't go wrong with a HAF. HAF 922 is sort of an older model though i think the HAF X is better with features and space. also haf 932 has a very sick window .

Most importantly no 1 fan will not be sufficient to cool the system. You will need at least a few fans to push air in and out for a good performance. The HAF will help with that since it comes with large 200MM fans. Just put few of those in and you are golden.


I use Windows 8 4 months before it was publicly released. I find it to be very well thought out system and people will always complain about everything. There are few nicks here and there but overall has been a very smooth sailing for me. Just learn to use windows key excessively and type everything u want to look for. Some people will suggest Windows 7 personally i switched to 8 and do not regret it one bit. And it is better optimized.
 
There are a large number of areas in which you could improve price efficiency. What is your budget?

Edit: Shallowmist, I'm not sure how you can come to the conclusion that four times the optimal amount of RAM is anything other than excessive.
 

Shallowmist

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I don't see what you are trying to achieve here. It's like the guy wants to build an insane computer. And your solution to this is YEAH USE 8GB ram to save money!!!!!!!. You know what probably when he wants to spent this much building something he doesn't give a damn about the price. And further more that RAM can be used for way more than just games.

If this was a i have 600$ and want to build a pc than i would not recommend 32. But if he is building a beast than hell yeah go for it. And as a note i have 16Gb and i fill that up, so don't you preach to me about excessive you do not know what he does on his computer. Building insane computer is building something that will work great in the future for things u haven;t planned. Not fitting it 100% to what u need right now at this second. So hence future proof it 32GB of ram. And by what definition is 8GB the MAXIMUM recommended. How did u make that calculation ? Based on what ? 800$ pc's running configuration. Because modders overclockers and enthusiasts start rolling from 16 on wards.
 


If he's using a 690, we shouldn't assume infinite budget. Dual 780/Titans would be a far worthier investment that 32GB of RAM.

Also, you will note that word "optimal", not "maximum", was used. I use 16GB myself, and consider it a perfectly reasonable option for high-end builds. It is, however, by no means the most efficient option, nor the most optimal.

I'm not saying "Oh, just buy a $1,250 machine and upgrade regularly", I'm saying that just because you have plenty to spend isn't a reason to make inefficient choices. I had a pretty much unlimited budget for my PC, but I didn't buy anything I wouldn't be using. Doesn't mean I scrimped (at all, in fact), but rather that I kept value-for-money in mind, as we should here.
 

Shallowmist

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I did originally suggest getting 700 series cards if you would read more carefully. And i also suggested looking into a better CPU. Point is this whole argument is all because i opted for the 32GB of ram and u seem to be very much against it. Since obviously the 100 spent there would be sufficient to increase some major component with more than 5% power. I don't see 16/32 as unreasonable but i do think 8 is a sad recommendation. 690 is cheaper than titan now ain't it.
 


I did, in fact, read that. However, your comment was a bit more muted that what I would say. That being, "The GTX 690, having never been an efficient option in the first place, is now completely out of date and I would strongly recommend against using it. Dual 770s would be more powerful and cheaper, dual 780s would tear it to shreds."
The point of this whole argument is that someone asked for optimization advice and you recommended a suboptimal choice. If OP just wanted to build a huge doom machine for $10k and came out and said as much, that'd be one thing, but he was actively seeking to find out if he had an efficient selection.
Every $100 matters, particularly when you add 'em together. I can't count the number of builds I've seen that could be made more powerful by dropping some unnecessary bling for more powerful core components.
The 690 can't be SLIed without getting into all the problems of quad-SLI. Dual 780s is a cheaper, more effective option, and still powerful beyond all sensible use.
 

endeavour37a

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I’ll give you my 2 bits for what it’s worth, just to go down your parts list.

Your PSU is great, plenty of power there I think.

MB: May as well go for a Z87 MB, Tom here has spoken highly of the ASUS Z87 Pro
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/z87-haswell-motherboard-review,3524.html

CPU: i5 4670k

CPU Cooler: I really like the Swiftech H220 over all other AIO for many reasons (copper radiator, all others use aluminum/ 6Watt pump, all others ~2-3Watts), it is expandable so if you want to WC your GPU later you can, also add another radiator for better cooling, read this…
http://martinsliquidlab.org/2013/01/27/swiftech-h220-prefilled-2x120mm-water-cooling-kit/
(Best water review place on the net, bar none)
http://www.swiftech.com/H220.aspx

Memory: 16GB is more than enough, but memory is a good buy now, may as well get it now over just getting 8GB. Get 2x8, if you need to add you can later.
G.Skill is good stuff…..

Graphics: GTX 690 is killer fast, but I would go Titan, less power and heat at about same performance, you can add another later.

Storage and optical look fine.

I know nothing about Win8, I like Win7, no comment here…

About a case, that is really a personal choice. I like the Fractal Arc Midi R2, all 140mm fans, can fit 2 280.2 radiators in it and it is a mid tower! Only has 2 5.25 bays though, but no big deal for me, not going to put optical in it, will use external and use USB flash drive for most stuff.
http://www.fractal-design.com/?view=product&category=2&prod=113

Your questions:
1. you need more fans for a cool system
2. you have plenty
3. yes
4. 8GB is fine for gaming, but I personally would recommend 16GB, it is cheap now and what could it hurt?
5. on the case
6. perhaps read some more, I do not know.

Hope this helps a bit……
 


My recommendations would run a wee bit differently (ASRock Extreme6 rather than ASUS PRO, GTX 780 rather than Titan), but overall thank you kindly for offering a reasonable suggestion to OP.
 

endeavour37a

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Jack, The ASRock 6 and ASUS Pro are both very good MB's, either would work very good, really just color preference I guess.

The reason I did not recommend a 780 is because the Titan is closer to the original card in performance this person was looking at. I think the 780 is a better buy though, cost/performance wise. Like you said this person is building a very nice rig, so it just seemed more Titan than 780 :)
 


Yup, as I said, quite minor quibbles. :)

Honestly, at this (approximated) price range, I tend to want to fit dual 780s in, and I'm 85% sure that we could manage while staying within OP's original budget. That said, going for a single card, the Titan makes sense.
 

endeavour37a

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Just got the heck of it and for conversation sake, NOT to argue, that is not why I comment this.

I always would recommend 1 graphics card for a new build, never SLI. To me it seems if you SLI a new build you are using your upgrade path right from the start and don't have much room to grow. So I think getting the very best graphics card you can afford at the time of the build is the wise way to go.

There is one big difference between the ASUS and ASRock that sort of supports my recommendation for a Titan to start out with. the ASRock has 3 PCIe3 slots, the ASUS has only 2. The 3rd slot on the ASUS is PCIe2, so it would not take lanes from the 2nd PCIe3 slot if you plugged something into it, on the ASRock it would take some lanes. So on the ASRock in SLI (8x8) if you plugged something into 3rd slot you would have 8x?. On the ASUS even with the 3rd slot occupied you still have 8x8 for SLI because it is PCIe2. Hope I explained this right.

The ASROCK is tri-SLI capable, the ASUS is not. But I think if you need tri-SLI, you are ready for a new card at that point, bi-SLI is about as far as I would go myself anyway, just my thoughts, nothing more.

I also think about the power requirements of 3 graphics cards and the heat generated. the cost of a high power, high quality PSU should be considered also I feel. So for a "new" build with allowing for tri-SLI power from the get go when you start out with one just seems like overkill on the PSU that will not be utilized for while. But with that said I think buying a PSU that will handle SLI from the start is a good idea because that is the logical graphics upgrade path.
 


Interesting. Well, I admit that I differ on starting with an SLI. While I don't consider it to be a necessity in general, I find that there are some circumstances (needing a specific amount of performance which happens to be outside the range of any current single GPU, for example) where it is the only option. That said, I do agree that having an upgrade path is ideal.

On the ASRock vs. ASUS, I would never recommend a tri-SLI. Too many bugs, too much heat, too much price. You're spot-on that by the time you need a tri-SLI, you just need to upgrade.

Finally, I do agree about an SLI-capable PSU, though with a rapid enough upgrade rate I believe it can be avoided while still maintaining max settings, if not efficiently.

Lastly, I hope I've not come off as an ogre in this thread. I never wish to start arguments, but I felt that Shallowmist was severely misleading OP, which lead to my rather extreme reaction. I hope that I haven't adversely coloured your impression of me.
 

Yohannas

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Wow people, first off can I say how amazed I am with your responses? I'm very glad I asked these questions, this is all very helpful stuff. Unfortunately I'm not really sure what 'SLI' means; does it just means having more than one graphics card in the build? Sorry, like I said, I'm a complete beginner on this.

Likewise I'm unaware of the meaning of 'PCIe'; I've done a bit of Googling and it seems to be related to how th emotherboard connects to the different parts of the computer - am I correct? In this case, does a double PCIe mean that only two components can be added to the motherboard?

As for the choice of motherboard, I landed on the Z77X-UP7 because of its reported capacity for 3D gaming (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/Z77X-UP7/10.html). However if another motherboard goes recommended above it then I'm more than happy to make a change there. Do the other motherboards that have been mentioned so far compete on this front?

I've also found since posting this that the Computex conference is revealing newer versions of lots of this hardware (the RAM, the CPU, the graphics card). Are these readily available now? And if so, I'll be honest and admit that I don't know where to start, especially with the graphics card! There seem to be many conflicting opinions on the best configuration; I went for a single card because I read that it would increase airflow, although admittedly with so few fans in my build it may be slightly counter-intuitive.

So my questions now are:
1) Do other motherboards mentioned here as being superior to the Z77X-UP7 compete with it in every performance area? And crucially, are they wifi-ready? I should have mentioned this earlier but wifi compatibility is very important for me.
2) Do any of the newly announced graphics cards hold a candle to the Titan or the dual 780 setup that you guys have put forward? (Or is the 780 a new model? Apologies, I'm really uninformed in this area). I chose the 690 from the ones available before I realised that newer models had been announced, mainly because in all the tests and comparisons I saw, it outdid the Titan.
3) Is a new 4th-generation CPU worth the extra cost? I've read several articles (like this one on this website http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-4.html) which highlight that the i7-3770K is cabable of giving 100% performance on current games. My worry is that it may not be futureproof, which is of course a big consideration with an expensive build.
4) Are the newly announced faster RAM memory parts worth waiting for?

Just to reiterate, I'm willing to spend a lot of money on some of the best hardware, as some of you have guessed, including the motherboard. And once again, I can't thank you enough for your support!
 


An SLI is using two or more nVidia GPUs (Graphics Processing Units) together. Usually this takes the form of using multiple cards, but the 690 you had selected is in SLI in a single card, using a pair of 680s. Unfortunately, due to the heat issues that arise from dual-GPU cards, the 680s in the 690 perform worse than two distinct 680s would, which is in turn worse than two 770s would perform. The 690 is technically still the most powerful card nVidia produces, but it's a highly inefficient choice in all but a tiny handful of circumstances.

You've got the general gist of what PCIe means. The main thing that we were talking about is PCIe x16 3.0 and 2.0 ports, which are relevant to you primarily due to being where one places graphics cards.

3DMark isn't a measure of 3D gaming performance (at least not in the 3D-glasses sense), it's a benchmarking software. Also, your motherboard has only a miniscule effect on overall system performance, once certain minimums are hit. You would be much better advised to purchase an ASRock Extreme 6 and a pair of GTX 780s (each of which is close to the 690 in power for a much lower price) than to use a very expensive motherboard.

Parts being shown at Computex will release on their release dates, generally speaking. Couldn't really offer you more than that. However, airflow isn't something you need to worry about, at this price range. When you have enough capital to afford a really solid mid-tower or full tower, the airflow and heat concerns of a dual-graphics card system cease to be an issue.

1: Once again, motherboard is a really minor factor. A 150 pound motherboard is usually all you need, and what you would otherwise be spending on motherboard can be put into graphics and cooling, which will matter much more. I should note that I strongly recommend against gaming via wi-fi, but even if you choose to do so you don't need a motherboard with an adapter built-in. You can buy a solid PCIe wi-fi adapter for twenty to forty pounds which would serve you in good stead.
2: The 780 is about as new as it gets, and it is a powerful GPU. Not quite as strong as a Titan, but you can afford two of the darn things for only slightly more than a single Titan. As I recall, ASUS just revealed their 780 variant using their DirectCU II cooler, which should be absolutely excellent.
3: Honestly, an i7 isn't needed for a gaming build. An i5-3570k or 4670k would work just as well for less cost. The only thing you lose if hyper-threading, which isn't going to effect anything in 99% of games. To answer your question regarding Haswell, I personally consider it to be a better choice than Ivy Bridge, though the potential to get a CPU which overclocks poorly is unfortunate.
4: No. Flat-out no. 8GB of 1600mhz RAM is all you need for gaming, and 16GB of 1600mhz is far more than enough. Faster RAM isn't helpful for gaming except under an extremely small set of circumstances, none of which apply here.

You gain a lot more by buying a powerful yet efficient build (say, two 780s on a Z87 ASRock Extreme6 with a 4670k) and upgrading it regularly than by getting everything at the absolute maximum quality (past a certain point, the gains just dry up).

Edit: Ah, I see, you were talking about the benchmarks lower down the page. You will note the extremely small differences, however, between the motherboards (sans the X79, but given that they would have been using a different processor, I'm not sure how they justified including it in the comparison).
 
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Yohannas

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Thank you very much, you advice is extremely useful. You're not the first person I've seen saying that the motherboard has a negligible affect on 3D performance, and since this is a primary concern for me, I think I will also take your stellar advice on the motherboard front.

As for GPUs, two 780s looks to be a brilliant option after doing some more article hunting. However, in the UK the Titan is not that much more expensive than the 780 (in terms of the amounts I'm looking to spend). Would dual Titans just be overkill, or would it make the system more futureproof?

The only questions that remain to me are which case would be suitable and which fans and cooling systems to look out for. Can you possibly give me some advice as to that? For the case, a side panel window is not important to me, but I would like one that generally looks good (like the Nzxt Technologies case I mentioned in my original post but which unfortunately I can't find available in the UK).

As for a cooling system, I'd like to fit as many fans as I could logically fit into the build to ensure maximum cooling and minimal risk of anything going wrong, while still considering the noise of the moving parts, which I would like to keep to at least sub-Xbox 360 levels (which is notoriously loud!) What is your advice?

I really feel like you need some kind of prize for being so darn helpful!
 


I'm happy to help.

How much more, precisely? One of the flaws of Titans, actually, is that there are no non-reference cooler versions (at least that I know of), meaning that your overclocking potential is compromised. Compare the 780s, which already have a good non-reference cooler option (made by EVGA), and will soon have a better one in the form of the ASUS DirectCU II.

My favourite cases are the NZXT Phantom 630 and Phantom 820, though the Silverstone Fortress 2 (as well as some of their other cases, such as the Raven 3 and Temjin 11) has pretty much unmatched GPU cooling.

More fans =/= better cooling. Some cases (looking at the Silverstones, here) manage better cooling with four fans than many could with 10. If quiet and cool is the order of the day, Silverstone is an excellent brand to choose. Depending on your exact price range, you might want the more humble Fortress 2 USB 3.0, or even the monstrous but outrageously excellent Temjin 11.
 

endeavour37a

Honorable
Wow people, first off can I say how amazed I am with your responses? I'm very glad I asked these questions, this is all very helpful stuff. Unfortunately I'm not really sure what 'SLI' means; does it just means having more than one graphics card in the build? Sorry, like I said, I'm a complete beginner on this.

Your most welcome. If you are using 2 Nvidia cards together (connected electrically), they call that “SLI” (Scalable Link Interface). If you do the exact same thing with 2 AMD cards they call it “CrossFire”. It is the same thing with 2 names. The meaning of SLI has changed 3 times over time, it’s actual meaning is not important really as it has always did the same thing. The short answer is “Yes”

Likewise I'm unaware of the meaning of 'PCIe'; I've done a bit of Googling and it seems to be related to how th emotherboard connects to the different parts of the computer - am I correct? In this case, does a double PCIe mean that only two components can be added to the motherboard?

PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express), it is where you plug in your graphic cards, or anything else that uses that bus protocol. PCIe3 is basically double the clock rate of PCIe2. The x?? number is the number of data lanes, so X16 is twice as fast as X8, X8 is twice as fast as X4.

As for the choice of motherboard, I landed on the Z77X-UP7 because of its reported capacity for 3D gaming (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/Z77X-UP7/10...). However if another motherboard goes recommended above it then I'm more than happy to make a change there. Do the other motherboards that have been mentioned so far compete on this front?

The Z77X-UP7 is an excellent board, better is some ways than either the Extreme6 or Pro, but the Maximus Formula is better than all of them. It is not just the bench marks that make a good board, much more to it. This is one of those “what do I want this system to do” things. You want real performance then X79 outguns them all in raw sheer power, at near twice the cost. A big waste of horse power to play a game on. I do it this way, I want to play games, want a quality board, have a budget, some things I want (such as WiFi) and some I don’t need (10 SATA ports as 6 will do me fine). I set a price range and see what everyone has to offer in that range. Around $200 is my personal range, give or take a few bucks, I am not out to set records but don’t want junk or stuff I don’t use. I like the new Z87, so I will go Z87 over a Z77. Not so much the Haswell over Ivy, but you can’t have everything. I like the Z87 more than I don’t like the Haswell.

I've also found since posting this that the Computex conference is revealing newer versions of lots of this hardware (the RAM, the CPU, the graphics card). Are these readily available now? And if so, I'll be honest and admit that I don't know where to start, especially with the graphics card! There seem to be many conflicting opinions on the best configuration; I went for a single card because I read that it would increase airflow, although admittedly with so few fans in my build it may be slightly counter-intuitive.

Forget about Computex, nothing life changing is coming out of there that is not available right now. It is confusing, that is for sure. You say “; I went for a single card because I read that it would increase airflow, although admittedly with so few fans in my build it may be slightly counter-intuitive.” The fans on your components do not constitute “air flow”, they are just to cool the device (CPU, GPU). Air flow is case fans, built into the case to pull in outside ambient air and expel heated air from the case. If you WC the CPU the fans will be on the radiator, if you WC the GPU it will be the same thing. There are some hybrids buy I do not care for them, such as the new ASUS GTX 770, both air and water cooled.

So my questions now are:
1) Do other motherboards mentioned here as being superior to the Z77X-UP7 compete with it in every performance area? And crucially, are they wifi-ready? I should have mentioned this earlier but wifi compatibility is very important for me.

All 3 of them have WiFi I believe and any of them are fine boards, pick your best colors. But the UP7 is a Z77 and only takes Ivy or Sandy CPUs.

2) Do any of the newly announced graphics cards hold a candle to the Titan or the dual 780 setup that you guys have put forward? (Or is the 780 a new model? Apologies, I'm really uninformed in this area). I chose the 690 from the ones available before I realised that newer models had been announced, mainly because in all the tests and comparisons I saw, it outdid the Titan.

No. The 690 is a duel GPU board, a lot of heat and you are SLIing just to run it, and it uses a lot of power. That is why the Titan is better in my eyes, almost as powerful with a lot less power and heat.

3) Is a new 4th-generation CPU worth the extra cost? I've read several articles (like this one on this website http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-o...) which highlight that the i7-3770K is cabable of giving 100% performance on current games. My worry is that it may not be futureproof, which is of course a big consideration with an expensive build.

They are both good CPU’s, and only ~$10-20 price difference. The socket is the key (LGA 1150) as it may be good for the 5th Gen CPU, the LGA 1155 has ended with Ivy.

4) Are the newly announced faster RAM memory parts worth waiting for?

No, I think 1600 is fine, 1866 if you want. And 16GB is my recommendation over 8GB because you just may decide to something other than just gaming like video work and memory is needed for that.

Just to reiterate, I'm willing to spend a lot of money on some of the best hardware, as some of you have guessed, including the motherboard. And once again, I can't thank you enough for your support!
 

endeavour37a

Honorable



Your welcome, I hope you find Jack and I useful. Kind of the cool thing is we see things a bit different so you get 2 points of view to consider. In the U.S. a Titan is ~$1000 and a 780 is ~$650, so there is a big price difference, here the 780 is a wise move. But if in the U.K. they are closer then the Titan would look much better. Both are GK110 core, the 780 is just crippled a bit, not much.

You do not have to buy 2 cards now, a Titan or GTX 780 will rock with any game you throw at it. The only real reason to go SLI is to run multiple displays, then SLI is nice, but I think the titan will run 3 screens OK alone. When the 800 series comes out both card prices should drop, then is the time to add another one if needed.

One other thing, the 780 has 3GB of GDDR5, from everything I have read it will always be that (Nvidia wants it that way). The Titan has 6GB, better for multi screens. Some say they may release a 5GB 780 but it does not work out with the memory bus right (from EVGA), so who knows. This should be enough info on graphics to help you start out or really confuse you, .

As I said I like the Swiftech H220, it comes AIO and is expandable. You can add your GPU if you wish and a radiator also if you want cooler.

Cases are like cars, I like quite elegance like the Fractal, others like flashy designs. There are so many nice ones, you thought the other stuff was hard to pick out, cases are even harder. NZXT makes real good stuff.
 

Yohannas

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It's really great to have both your viewpoints! The price difference between a Titan and a 780 actually is quite significant: I must have been tired and looking at the wrong product listing or something!

I have just seen an article here on this site about Gigabyte's intention to ship a WindForce 450W with 'select' Titans. (http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Gigabyte-GTX-Titan-WindForce-450W,22978.html) This seems to address the problem of a non-reference cooler, but the WindForce 450W is a CPU cooler, and will not cool the GPU, am I correct in thinking this? As a related question, am I also correct in thinking that this would replace (and outperform) the Intel CPU Liquid cooler that I had originally picked out? If it does replace it but it does NOT outperform it, I don't think that this will be a good option.

If this cooler looks to be a good idea then from all you guys have said I think a single Titan will be more than great for now, possibly supplemented with an extra GPU in a year or two. The fact that a 690, as you have said endeavour, is a dual GPU board is definitely swinging me towards a Titan (even though they cost exactly the same amount of money on Amazon.co.uk).

And the case really does seem to be becoming the hardest part to decide upon! Thanks to both you guys for your own opinions on the subject. I think, unlike my cars, I would like a flashy case for my first build. The ones you have both mentioned are giving me great food for thought!

So now I'm wondering if either of you guys have any more information to throw at me about the Windforce 450W. Since it's a tri-fan cooler, will a full-tower case be necessary, and might it also limit my choices of case due to its size? More crucially, would it facilitate more stable overclocking of a Titan?

Thank you once again, and I apologise for my late replies! It is a lot of information for me to process so I don't want to rush through this process :)
 

endeavour37a

Honorable


No, that cooler is for the Titan, nothing at all to do with the CPU. And you will have to install it, please read the link you provided carefully. You would be better off getting the stock Nvidia cooler. Or you could get one set up for water cooling:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130913


The Swiftech H220 is the best AIO CPU cooler available today for the reasons I have explained above. The Intel cooler you are going to get is not that good, actually it performs rather poorly, but it seems like you are stuck on it. the Intel CPU cooler will only cool the CPU only, nothing else, you cannot add the GPU to it.
 

Yohannas

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Jun 7, 2013
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Now that you mention it I don't know how I didn't read 'GPU cooler' in that article. Sorry, I got a bit confused there. The reason I'm not looking at the H220 cooler is because I can't find it on Amazon.co.uk. If this one on Newegg (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835108183) is the one that you mean, then I don't believe it is available on Amazon.co.uk. But if the intel cooler really doesn't perform that well, then an alternative is in order. You seem highly experienced and I trust your judgement, do you know how I might manage to get my hands on one of these H220s, or could you suggest alternatives?

As for the Titan, I'm afraid I don't understand the difference between the one in your link and the one I originally linked (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-GeForce-Graphics-Express-Display/dp/B00BKV3EVK/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1370759608&sr=1-1&keywords=GeForce+GTX+TITAN+6GB). Could you possibly take me through the difference?

Perhaps it would be useful to show you this link: http://www.tested.com/tech/pcs/454052-small-quiet-fast-building-modern-gaming-pc/ It was from the Youtube video on that page that I started my research. That's why the components I originally listed are similar to the ones used on that page. I notice that this setup does not include a GPU cooler, yet uses a Titan. Is this something to avoid doing myself? If it will avoid all this confusion and the stock Nvidia cooler would definitely be sufficient, then I will use that. I'm assuming the stock cooler would come with the graphics card when I bought it?
 


Frankly, the only thing I recommend buying from Intel is CPUs. Their other products are never feature in builds here for a reason. As to alternatives, for liquid cooling the NZXT Kraken x60 is a marvelous cooler (it beat Corsair's extremely high-end H100i at max settings while in silent mode), though it requires a case which can fit a 280mm radiator (many NZXTs can, but from other brands it's less common). Alternatively, if you felt confident enough, a custom loop would give you the absolute best performance, in exchange for the highest cost, the most maintenance required, and the most skill required to install. You could also link the GPU endeavour linked into it.

That Titan is designed to be put into a custom liquid cooling loop. It does not have a fan, and would likely overheat if you didn't connect it to said loop. In a loop, however, it would have nigh-unmatched cooling. The one you had originally uses a single centrifugal fan to cool it, which is standard for nVidia reference coolers.

You don't need a good cooler to run a graphics card, but it helps to keep noise and temperature down, and allows for higher overclocks without risking the card. It's also better looking. :p
The stock cooler comes as part of the stock card, as do most non-reference coolers (exception to that Gigabyte you linked). For the record, a Titan with the Gigabyte cooler (which you would have to install yourself) would likely be the single best graphics card on the market today, and wonderfully overclockable. Gigabyte makes awesome coolers.