My Gaming BUILD v2, Help Evaluate Please

*completely new look upon this.
I've built at least [strike]20[/strike] 30 gaming pc's and I'll give my take on this.

Motherboard: Great choice. Personally, I use a X79 series, but I use a 6-core. That would probably be my board of choice for a haswell CPU.

CPU: i7 3770k or the 2600k. Either one is a great choice, simply price.

GPU: 670 and the 770 are within $50 of each other. 770 all the way imo, and you can SLI down the road if you want to. Future proofing is amazing.
Oh, and the 4GB versions of the 770 are only available in the EVGA and Gigabyte models at the moment.

PSU: That's a nice sized PSU. Do you need it? Probably not, and you'll most likely be running it at 50%. You could downgrade it, but that would ruin the SLI.
a Gtx 670 SLI would run around 550 W and the 770 around 650. That's a nice headway, and will go a long way towards the life of your PC. Good choice.

CPU Cooler: Do you need it? Not necessary for gaming. Why would you want it? Well, a hot-running CPU can, well, essentially heat up the rest of the system and damage the components. Not likely, but possible. Even if you're not overclocking, a simple CPU cooler upgrade of then the Corsair H80i would keep your temps running much lower than a stock cooler. Can be ignored if you want to cut price a bit.

RAM: Personal preference. I trust corsair quite a bit, so I'd go with that. It's what I personally use in my rig, just 4x of it.

SSD: Holy hell, a 512 GB SSD? What do you plan on doing with that thing? You could drop that down to a simple 128GB if you want a boot drive, for a 256GB if you want a boot with a few games on the side. MMO's do benefit in load times from SSD's a good bit. That ought to save you some $.

HDD: I would go with either: 1TB or 2 TB western digital black, or a 1 TB/2 TB Seagate barracuda. Either one, whichever you thing sounds cooler. (There's hardly a difference, unless you're some kind of stopwatch-to-the-millisecond person.)

DVD: Why not? Believe it or not, some things do require disks. Like installing windows. (Usually) I picked a black one to match your case. Assuming you have the black version.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135240

Network Card: Do you use ethernet, or wireless? If ethernet, I just usually use the integrated. If you plan on going wireless, here's my recommendation:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833127378 <--- Fantastic chip. I use it myself, but I've got a high-end internet connection. T1 FTW!
Lower end:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=33-704-059&Tpk=TL-WN781ND&IsVirtualParent=1

I'll check on this later today, going to bed.

Just be careful with your CPU choice for that motherboard.

They are not all compatible from one platform to the next. The i7-3930K is made to work on lga 2011 setups which are the X79 motherboards. Where the i7-4770K is the right one for the mobo you have chosen which is designed to work on z87 motherboards with the 1150 socket.

In this article you will see a comparison of those 2 motherboards with a few others there too:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/z87-haswell-motherboard-review,3524.html

I have no issue with the AsRock model you have selected there. It's an awesome board. My reasons for liking the Asus board (if budget is no issue) are:
- onboard wifi = I used to think tis was not so important... but these days just about everyone wants it
- top notch build quality
- Stability and OC protection
- The Asus Bios =Having played around with AsRock, Gigabyte and Asus mobos quite a bit, I just find the Asus UEFI Bios system to be the best. Which is obviously personal opinion. Lots of good options and features for builders who like to tinker

A lot of people are talking and having opinions on the need for 4GB models of the gtx770. The main concern being that the next gen of consoles appear to have a larger amount VRAM and the potential is there for game developers to create games with higher VRAM requirements. So from a future proofing perspective... maybe more VRAM is a good idea? It's your call. At the moment you will see next to no difference in a game using a 2GB vs 4GB gtx770, unless you are gaming across multiple displays.

750W gives plenty of headroom for a general overclocked gtx 770 SLI system. But if you feel safer with 850W I wont argue

That memory looks to be good. Could you link it to check?

Almost any DVD burner will do. They should be cheap.

What about gigabyte z87 ud3h?

Corsair vengeance pro memory is available
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=Corsair+vengeance+pro&N=-1&isNodeId=1

http://youtube.com/watch?v=jtJJTo7OM1k



This psu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=17-139-010

Cases:
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcadefr4tiw
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-casw810m1
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-caph410b1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119260&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

Here's the next big question: Do you want do get Raid+0 performance? Or do you want a single HDD?

A simple explanation of Raid+0 is that i takes two drives, and makes them store data in halves, roughly doubling read times and halving write time. Quite handy, but more prone to fail, and not as easy to replace.

Single HDD would (cost the same) but go its defacto speed, etc.

Also; the "glora hefner" name is just some random name I got using a name generator, I'm actually completely different, but neh.

Down to the RAM Question:

Dual channel vs Single Channel

There's like, a .5-2% difference. You'd never notice it unless you ran -atleast- [strike]50[/strike] [strike]100[/strike] 3 weeks worth of benchmarks, or you're some hell of an observer.

The second and first choice also differ on another front:
Low profile Vs High Profile

That's just a size problem. I'd just go with the low profile, seeing as I don't know how big your case is, or exactly how big the Hyper 212 is.

CS 9 vs CAL 10 - Only a realistic difference in nanoseconds that you won't notice.

Because i'm not yet that big of a tweaker, then maybe the chances of failure makes me scared. So a single HDD then it will be haha...
Then that's just a Q of how much storage you want. Either one will do the job fine.



That's just a size problem. You mean physical size of the memory?
Yes, it's mostly just for oversize cooler. Shouldn't really matter in your case, but just go with the low profile one because there's no performance/price difference. Most people who don't have fancy coolers like high profile because it looks fancier xD


But, the nanoseconds differ higher on CS9 or CAL10? I'm guessing CS9.
Majority of the time you're correct, but there are exceptions. Like 2400mhz ram. You're not getting that though, so no worries there.

DVD drive quality: I've used x12, x24, x36 and to be honest, I've never used CD/DVD's enough to notice the difference. I'd ask for a different opinion - I just picked one for the color xD

Also; you want to get 120 FPS with max settings @ 1920x1080? HAHA! You'd need atleast three titans to do that, or maybe four. Now, 120 FPS without Anti-aliasing and filtering you'd probably be able to do it pretty close with 770 SLI. Otherwise.... :C

'nother bit: If you're concerned about micro stuttering, 80% of the problems with it are essentially gone for the 600 series, and I'm assuming 700.

Case argument: This one's tough. How much space do you have to work with? That's the major factor in picking a case. Then it's the "Will it fit my motherboard" question. I'll go look at the casework once i get a size. If you say "unlimited" I'll probably throw in some ultra-tiny-form-factor PC and then a tank of a PC in the middle of my normal case selections for kicks n' giggles :3

Did the math, and unless you're buying a wierd-sized motherboard, both of them ought to fit.(cases)
(By wierd-sized, I mean you apparently found a way to make a motherboard into like.. a circle and if you do manage this, contact me, we could get some marketing deals by the end of the week!)

Oo almost forget, What is the best Speaker according to what you know? I saw:
"Cyber Acoustics CA-896" or
"Sony External PC Speakers" or
"Logitech X-540 5.1 Surround Sound Speaker System with Subwoofer" or
"Cyber Acoustics CA-5402 Platinum Series High Performance 5.1 Speaker System" or
"[strike]GX-Gaming SW-G2.1 3000[/strike]" or
"Corsair Gaming Audio Series SP2500"

Hmm. I've gone and lookup reviews for these and did things accordingly. It's down really to what brand you trust most and/or want 5.1 versus 2.0. (Slashes = rubbish reviews and/or only 3ish stars.)

Oh yay, audio. I've never actually used a stereo system that I got for audio quality. Plus, I just use a headset for everything.
AUDIOPHILES, I COMMAND YOU TO FIND THIS FORUM AND ASSIST THIS PERSON IN THEIR QUEST TO FIND A NICE STEREO SYSTEM FOR A GAMING PC!
That ought to help, right?

Agree with the Low Profile 'LP' Corsair Vengeance RAM. The heat spreaders on the other model have been proven to do nothing and can get in the way.

With your Optical Drive (DVD). I 100% agree with Gloria. As silly as it might sound, get a model which matches colour with your system (black or white). Sony, Samsung, LiteON, LG all make ok drives, but nothing worse than have your shiny new black (for example) case with a horrible white DVD drive sticking out of the front.

While we are on the case... a couple of things I would point out. If you are happy with the HAFX go for it, but if possible go and have a look at one in a retail store before ordering. They are absolutely huge! I have read many posts from builders who have read all the glowing reviews for the HAFX... amazing cooling etc and then the thing arrives and they are disappointed because of how huge it is. Another point with Full Towers like the HAFX... having heaps of space to work in, doesn't always make building easier. More than likely you will be using more cables to connect your fans, SATA devices (HDD, Optical etc) because they are physically further apart. Just means you've got more cables running around the place!

On the GPU setup. Achieving stable and consistent 120fps can be a challenge and its frustrating because there are many games where a single gtx 770 will have you at 120fps no problems. But then there are those games which have been developed for high end PC gaming that will cause SLI gtx770 to struggle at very high / maxed out settings.

On Audio. I'm no help there. I use headphones. HA

What headset do I use? Headset... well, I cheat. I use a Sennheiser headphone ( 600$ Sennheiser RS 220 ) and a wireless desktop mic I bought at some strip-mall PC store somewhere for like $40.

Also, if you want to contact me somewhere outside of this, http://steamcommunity.com/id/PrototypeInSession/ <--- I am this guy. ALSO! Random people of the future... I will deny you if you attempt to add me randomly. If you want to contact me for tech. support just leave a comment on the page.

And just for the heck of it; if you want to go for a BIG case, try the 900D. I mean, I use it, and it's only like, up to just below m' waist. (I'm ~ 5 foot 4)

Or get cases from caselab

The thermaltake - I actually WOULD have gotten that, but I decided to go with the 900D for the easy watercooling. Saved me some work there, 4ish hours.

R220 - This is an audio quality-based, 7.1 surround sound headphone. There's literally nothing short of an entire stereo system that can give the same result as this.
Creative Recon is for GAMING, mostly, and they do a damned good job of it for the price. Essentially the same 7.1 to 5.1, just simply not going to give the same level of quality.
It's like being AT the concert on the R220 - but it's not going to necessarily be the best for hearing everything at exact angles due to the way surround in a headset works. The creative Recons/Blaster/Etc provide a program that prettymuch converts audio into the way the stereo can project it so you can hear more... directional, for the lack of terms.

Creative Sound Blaster Recon3D Omega <--- Best headset I've ever owned. HEADSET, mind, not headphones.
Most of the Creative Sound Blaster headsets for 100+ are pretty damned good.
If you want one for, say, ~80 - the sigma is relatively good. Downside is it's fragile, and audio quality's about equal to a turtle beach. (Meh.)
And the nice, $100ish headset - the Creative Sound Blaster Tactic3D Wrath
(I personally recommend the Creative sound over logitech alternatives, though if you wanted the logitech brand gurantee - G35/G930 are pretty damn indestructible if you have destructive people in your house, as the Creatives aren't as sturdy - they break if you drop them on a hard surface, or throw them at all. Mostly the headband piece.)

And as for the needed comp specs - I can game @ 60 FPS on Nvidia 3D Vision, three monitors, every game except Crysis 3. That game I have to run on medium to get 60 FPS. (Still looks epic.) Plus, it's a career - I run a youtube channel for Autodesk Maya (Not giving the link here because if I do, the people will find my steam account and I'll never, ever be able to click no to all the friend requests.) and video editing in that, etc. Plus, gaming, of course.

NOTE: All of this info provided is based off of my own personal experiences, and some of this may not end up being factual and I could have simply had faulty parts/false info.


And because I forgot to cover this earlier: The 2GB vs 4GB Argument - This is mostly a question to be decided when the Xbone + the PS4 come out. They will probably be upping VRAM standards because instead of less than half a gig of VRAM they will have 2-4GB of it at a time. Potentially required, maybe not. This is purely speculation.

Corsair ax850w is on sale, very good deal
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139015&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

Nice find, sir! I congratulate you on this find even though you've been partially ignored.

That's some nice audio info Gloria. I use cheapo Sennheiser HD 202's and think they are great. I've never really invested too much into audio. I am mostly deaf in my left ear anyhow so I figured it would be money wasted! Maybe that's the wrong attitude... if I had a better headset might help my situation

ochirutenshi - I think you and I might have very different tastes when it come to PC cases, but I will give my opinion as you haven't told me to ah heck off so far.

NOW. These links are for MID towers. Not the FULL tower sized, 'take up half your office' beasts you have been looking at. But you can fit an ATX motherboard, with a multiple GPU setup (current gen GPUs not the giants of days gone by) and small to moderate sized CPU cooler (like the CM Hyper Evo) no problems.

Corsair Cadbide 400R
http://www.corsair.com/en/pc-cases/carbide-series-pc-case/carbide-series-400r-mid-tower-case.html

Fractal ARC Mid
http://www.fractal-design.com/?view=product&prod=57

I would link you my SteamID but I won't waste your time. Just talk to my current friends about how uselessly unreliable I am at being involved with any organised gaming activity.

The last FF i played all the way through was number 7. Epic game