Gaming Rig Opinions?

BanditCenturion92 · Mar 22, 2014

I was just wondering if this would be a good rig, mostly used for gaming, and if there's any issues with it or room for improvement.
Case: Corsair Obsidian 900D
CPU: Intel i5-4670K (w/ Corsair H100i CPU cooler)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-GD65 Gaming
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8GB)
GPU: 2x EVGA GTX Titan Black
HDD: 5x Western Digital 4TB
SSD: Samsung 840 Series 250GB
Optical Drive: Pioneer BDR-209DBK
PSU: Be Quiet! Dark Power PRO 10 1200W
Fans: 2x Cougar CF-V12HPB
Fan Controller: NZXT Sentry 2
Sound Card: ASUS ROG Xonar Phoebus
OS: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit

As for a screen, I'm gonna be using three RoG Swift PG278Q's when they come out, but until then I'll be using a 42" TV. As for keyboard and mouse, I've already got a Razer Deathstalker Ultimate keyboard (don't slaughter me for not having a mechanical) and a Razer Ouroboros mouse, so that part is sorted.
Any improvements to be made before I get the parts, guys? And yes, this was done on a rather large budget.

dustinhunt78 · Mar 22, 2014

How much money do you have to drop into this build? And by the way....I am SO glad to see a Corsair 900d case in someone's build! I hope like crazy that you're planning on a nice custom water cooling system at some point. That case SCREAMS for it! LOL

Anyway.....I have some recommendations on a few parts. I just need to know your budget.

UPDATE: It was probably stupid to ask that question, as this has got to be a 4000 dollar build. But I do need to know. LOL

ewok93 · Mar 22, 2014

That all looks great, but the 780/780ti is much more cost efficient.

BanditCenturion92 · Mar 22, 2014

Dustinhunt, the build comes to about £3700 (About $6100). And yeah, water cooling's crossed my mind several times and I'll no doubt get around to it at some point. And fire away with the recommendations. I'd wouldn't particularly like to go up to this price or over it, but I'd say my budget is around $9000 - $10,000).

Spectre694 · Mar 22, 2014

ewok93 :

+1 The only real difference between the 780/780Ti and Titan/Titan black is the Titans have extra Vram(multi-monitor/4K )and aren't crippled on compute for rendering

EVGA just announced a 6Gb 780 for Multimonitor though

BanditCenturion92 · Mar 22, 2014

Spectre694 :

I'm a complete videophile and play a lot of power-hungry games like Crysis 3 and Battlefield 4, which is why I've opted for the Titans so I can squeeze a few more frames and slight boost in visual quality out of my games. But is it worth the large price leap or would you still suggest a 780/780Ti?
And that 6GB 780 sounds quite interesting, though I don't think I need all that Vram for triple monitor unless I decided to use more screens in the future.

dustinhunt78 · Mar 22, 2014

BanditCenturion92 :

Oh hell yes. LOL You and I are a good pair then. I am very current with the top computer components, however, my budget is not. This is going to be SO much fun!

Please keep this in mind: What I am about to show/recommend to you is going to be EXTREME overkill. If gaming is what you're in to, it will more than likely be YEARS before you have to upgrade. LOL Nothing that I will show/recommend to you is going to be "cost efficient". I am only going to suggest the absolute best of the best.

Now....before we go any further, is that what you are looking for?

BanditCenturion92 · Mar 22, 2014

dustinhunt78 :

BanditCenturion92 :

Oh hell yes. LOL You and I are a good pair then. I am very current with the top computer components, however, my budget is not. This is going to be SO much fun!

Please keep this in mind: What I am about to show/recommend to you is going to be EXTREME overkill. If gaming is what you're in to, it will more than likely be YEARS before you have to upgrade. LOL Nothing that I will show/recommend to you is going to be "cost efficient". I am only going to suggest the absolute best of the best.

Now....before we go any further, is that what you are looking for?

Great to talk to someone so enthusiastic about this sort of thing! Yep, it sounds good to me, fire away

dustinhunt78 · Mar 22, 2014

BanditCenturion92 :

dustinhunt78 :

Great to talk to someone so enthusiastic about this sort of thing! Yep, it sounds good to me, fire away

Alright....and I DEFINITELY want the "Solution Solved" on this one. LOL Give me a few minutes to type, because it's going to be quite a bit.

Spectre694 · Mar 22, 2014

BanditCenturion92 :

6Gb is what is in the Titans it helps alot with the triple screen The sweet spot appears to be 4-6Gb of Vram or just over what the 780's come with. If you are getting this now the Titans would be the way to go as the 6Gb 780Ti was just announced without a release date yet.

Just an after thought but since your going for the kill here I would look at a 4770K or 4960X would pair a little nicer with those beasts.

BanditCenturion92 · Mar 22, 2014

Spectre694 :

BanditCenturion92 :

6Gb is what is in the Titans it helps alot with the triple screen The sweet spot appears to be 4-6Gb of Vram or just over what the 780's come with. If you are getting this now the Titans would be the way to go as the 6Gb 780Ti was just announced without a release date yet.

Just an after thought but since your going for the kill here I would look at a 4770K or 4960X would pair a little nicer with those beasts.

Yeah, I was thinking of going for a 4960X but I didn't deem it necessary unless I was doing extreme video editing and stuff. But I guess you're right - the i5 CPU looks a bit wimpy alongside the other parts in the rig, so thanks for the suggestion and I think I'll get the 4960X.

dustinhunt78 · Mar 22, 2014

1. The very first thing that you need to change is the PSU. That is what I think of as the heart of the system. Most say CPU, but NOTHING works without the PSU.

The undisputed champion of PSU's is the AXi series by Corsair. It is the only digital PSU sold. It comes in two models that would be in your interest. The AX1200i and the just released AX1500i. I actually have an AX860i and LOVE it. It comes with Corsair Link technology and allows you to monitor and tweak pretty much every aspect of your system. In this case, I say go with the AX1500i just because you can. Too much won't hurt. Too little will. Granted, you will almost certainly not use all of this PSU's capacity, but if you do find a way to do it, the 900d actually has the capacity for 2 separate PSU's.

2. If you have all that money to spend on this thing, don't settle for a "normal" CPU. Go for the Intel "Extreme" series. If this build is going to be a little while in the making, I highly suggest waiting on the Haswell-E series. It will be the first 8 core CPU from Intel that isn't in the "server" field. It will also support DDR4 memory, which is faster than the current DDR3. The i7-5960x will be that model number.

3. RAM - Go with Corsair Dominator Platinum memory. Yes it is overpriced, and yes I have it. LOL It IS the best, but you pay for it. Not only does it perform, but it looks SO good in the case. I'm not sure as to what speeds that the Haswell-E CPU's will support, but I'm guessing that you will be looking at the 3000Mhz range.

4. Storage - Forget any HDD drives. Even the very best HDD doesn't stack up to a so so SSD. For your OS and frequently used programs, the http://ocz.com/consumer/revodrive-3-x2-pcie-ssd is what you want. This link shows it's performance. It's insane! For the rest of your drives, the Samsung EVO comes in a 960GB version and costs around 500 dollars. Load your rig down with these. I know that the CPU/Motherboard will at least accommodate 6 of them, giving you near 6TB of storage. I can't imagine you ever filling that up. But as time goes by, SSD drives are getting bigger/faster/less expensive. You can always see what they have when you decide to buy.

I'll go ahead and post this and add to it just so you have something to sink your teeth in to.

5. Motherboard - http://www.amazon.com/Asus-Rampage-IV-Edition-Motherboard/dp/B00GIZ3APS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395532981&sr=8-1&keywords=Asus+black+edition+motherboard
This is king of the motherboards. This motherboard is for the current Ivy Bridge-E CPU's. If you are willing to wait on the Haswell-E CPU's, this will still be your motherboard of choice, granted that the socket remains the same. (Currently, the "Extreme" series use the LGA 2011 socket).

And as far as cooling, check out http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l1/g59/XSPC_Products.html?id=WvnKnjHx . This should be a link to the XS-PC products. This is where you can get creative. Just look through the different methods of running a custom loop. They make some kits. I suggest the 480mm radiators, copper waterblocks for the CPU and GPU's.

dustinhunt78 · Mar 22, 2014

You know....I think that I'll convert this into a "How To Build the Most Powerful Computer" tutorial. Not many (myself included) can afford this, but that doesn't really matter. I know that there HAS to be those out there like myself who love computers enough to say "I don't care what it costs or how practical it is.....I want the BEST.

BanditCenturion92 · Mar 22, 2014

dustinhunt78 :

1. The very first thing that you need to change is the PSU. That is what I think of as the heart of the system. Most say CPU, but NOTHING works without the PSU.

The undisputed champion of PSU's is the AXi series by Corsair. It is the only digital PSU sold. It comes in two models that would be in your interest. The AX1200i and the just released AX1500i. I actually have an AX860i and LOVE it. It comes with Corsair Link technology and allows you to monitor and tweak pretty much every aspect of your system. In this case, I say go with the AX1500i just because you can. Too much won't hurt. Too little will. Granted, you will almost certainly not use all of this PSU's capacity, but if you do find a way to do it, the 900d actually has the capacity for 2 separate PSU's.

2. If you have all that money to spend on this thing, don't settle for a "normal" CPU. Go for the Intel "Extreme" series. If this build is going to be a little while in the making, I highly suggest waiting on the Haswell-E series. It will be the first 8 core CPU from Intel that isn't in the "server" field. It will also support DDR4 memory, which is faster than the current DDR3. The i7-5960x will be that model number.

3. RAM - Go with Corsair Dominator Platinum memory. Yes it is overpriced, and yes I have it. LOL It IS the best, but you pay for it. Not only does it perform, but it looks SO good in the case. I'm not sure as to what speeds that the Haswell-E CPU's will support, but I'm guessing that you will be looking at the 3000Mhz range.

4. Storage - Forget any HDD drives. Even the very best HDD doesn't stack up to a so so SSD. For your OS and frequently used programs, the http://ocz.com/consumer/revodrive-3-x2-pcie-ssd is what you want. This link shows it's performance. It's insane! For the rest of your drives, the Samsung EVO comes in a 960GB version and costs around 500 dollars. Load your rig down with these. I know that the CPU/Motherboard will at least accommodate 6 of them, giving you near 6TB of storage. I can't imagine you ever filling that up. But as time goes by, SSD drives are getting bigger/faster/less expensive. You can always see what they have when you decide to buy.

I'll go ahead and post this and add to it just so you have something to sink your teeth in to.

5. Motherboard - http://www.amazon.com/Asus-Rampage-IV-Edition-Motherboard/dp/B00GIZ3APS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395532981&sr=8-1&keywords=Asus+black+edition+motherboard
This is king of the motherboards. This motherboard is for the current Ivy Bridge-E CPU's. If you are willing to wait on the Haswell-E CPU's, this will still be your motherboard of choice, granted that the socket remains the same. (Currently, the "Extreme" series use the LGA 2011 socket).

And as far as cooling, check out http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l1/g59/XSPC_Products.html?id=WvnKnjHx . This should be a link to the XS-PC products. This is where you can get creative. Just look through the different methods of running a custom loop. They make some kits. I suggest the 480mm radiators, copper waterblocks for the CPU and GPU's.

Thank you very much for the help, dustin. You've been a great help and an absolute pleasure to chat to. You've sold me on the PSU, RAM and SSDs and I reckon I can hold on until the new Haswell-E CPU's come out. You've got the solution, and once again thanks!

dustinhunt78 · Mar 22, 2014

BanditCenturion92 :

dustinhunt78 :

1. The very first thing that you need to change is the PSU. That is what I think of as the heart of the system. Most say CPU, but NOTHING works without the PSU.

The undisputed champion of PSU's is the AXi series by Corsair. It is the only digital PSU sold. It comes in two models that would be in your interest. The AX1200i and the just released AX1500i. I actually have an AX860i and LOVE it. It comes with Corsair Link technology and allows you to monitor and tweak pretty much every aspect of your system. In this case, I say go with the AX1500i just because you can. Too much won't hurt. Too little will. Granted, you will almost certainly not use all of this PSU's capacity, but if you do find a way to do it, the 900d actually has the capacity for 2 separate PSU's.

2. If you have all that money to spend on this thing, don't settle for a "normal" CPU. Go for the Intel "Extreme" series. If this build is going to be a little while in the making, I highly suggest waiting on the Haswell-E series. It will be the first 8 core CPU from Intel that isn't in the "server" field. It will also support DDR4 memory, which is faster than the current DDR3. The i7-5960x will be that model number.

3. RAM - Go with Corsair Dominator Platinum memory. Yes it is overpriced, and yes I have it. LOL It IS the best, but you pay for it. Not only does it perform, but it looks SO good in the case. I'm not sure as to what speeds that the Haswell-E CPU's will support, but I'm guessing that you will be looking at the 3000Mhz range.

4. Storage - Forget any HDD drives. Even the very best HDD doesn't stack up to a so so SSD. For your OS and frequently used programs, the http://ocz.com/consumer/revodrive-3-x2-pcie-ssd is what you want. This link shows it's performance. It's insane! For the rest of your drives, the Samsung EVO comes in a 960GB version and costs around 500 dollars. Load your rig down with these. I know that the CPU/Motherboard will at least accommodate 6 of them, giving you near 6TB of storage. I can't imagine you ever filling that up. But as time goes by, SSD drives are getting bigger/faster/less expensive. You can always see what they have when you decide to buy.

I'll go ahead and post this and add to it just so you have something to sink your teeth in to.

5. Motherboard - http://www.amazon.com/Asus-Rampage-IV-Edition-Motherboard/dp/B00GIZ3APS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395532981&sr=8-1&keywords=Asus+black+edition+motherboard
This is king of the motherboards. This motherboard is for the current Ivy Bridge-E CPU's. If you are willing to wait on the Haswell-E CPU's, this will still be your motherboard of choice, granted that the socket remains the same. (Currently, the "Extreme" series use the LGA 2011 socket).

And as far as cooling, check out http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l1/g59/XSPC_Products.html?id=WvnKnjHx . This should be a link to the XS-PC products. This is where you can get creative. Just look through the different methods of running a custom loop. They make some kits. I suggest the 480mm radiators, copper waterblocks for the CPU and GPU's.

Thank you very much for the help, dustin. You've been a great help and an absolute pleasure to chat to. You've sold me on the PSU, RAM and SSDs and I reckon I can hold on until the new Haswell-E CPU's come out. You've got the solution, and once again thanks!

The pleasure is mine. Please don't hesitate to hit me up via private message to keep me informed about this build. I really want to keep track and I really want to see pics when it develops!

ewok93 · Mar 23, 2014

Why PM's? Update this thread, I wanna see it too! Also, make sure you get a good motherboard. Don't skimp on cooling, either. I've seen people use separate cooling systems for two GPUs and their CPU, and they stayed near room temperature at a good overclock, it was insane. Also, if you can, get 32gb of RAM, it's not at all necessary, but you can use it as a RAMdisk, and also, you could say "I have 32gb of RAM". Also, make sure it looks cool. Get a bunch of lights, LEDs, cold cathodes, UV reactive paint and UV lights, whatever looks good to you. Etch or engrave your case if you can, I commissioned an artist to do a custom design for mine and engraved it with a dremel, and it looks amazing. I'll post a picture in a minute.

ewok93 · Mar 23, 2014

This is my case. Today I just cut some holes in the back to wire cables through, and was an idiot and forgot to take my green LED strip off, so I was only able to salvage what you see above the drive cage. I also have a blue LED fan, with green plastic, and a Corsair Air Series red fan in the back, mounted on my H60 for a push/pull. I also added a strip of red LEDs on the left side of the case. You don't want to be able to see the actual LEDs, just the light from them. It makes your computer look so much better, though it reveals a ton of dust, so you need to clean it often, or have some really nice filters.
Just fans with LEDs will not be enough to light your case. Get some LED strips, they will have a red and black exposed wire, you can stick those in a molex just fine, and they'll light up nice and bright (make sure to get 12v and not 9v LEDs). If you decide to etch your case, let me know and I'll be happy to help, I can walk you through using acetone or power tools.
Also, stickers and decals can be nice, but don't overdo it. I'm not entirely sure why I have two Razer stickers when I don't use any Razer products, I guess it just looked cool so I slapped it on. I use a Corsair M95, Corsair Vengeance 2000, TTEsports Meka G-Unit, green, and have a Steelseries QCK+ mouse mat, by the way. Also have a Corsair H60 and use Corsair RAM. I think they owe me a sticker.

Having a really powerful computer is nice and all, but making it look awesome is just as important to me. I will add some pictures once I fix my green LED strip, because the top right is a bit dark and lonely looking.

P.S. Does anyone know where I can get a Corsair sticker?

BanditCenturion92 · Mar 23, 2014

Alright then, I'll update this thread whenever progress is made, ewok.
Ordered my two GTX Titan Black's earlier today, and I noted what you said about the RAM and I've also bought 4x8 32GB Corsair Dominator Platinum RAM. Also yeah, I was gonna install green LED's.

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