Final review of new system build for photoshop and gaming

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redbrd82

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Apr 11, 2009
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Looking to order this week and need a final review of parts. Primary goal is photoshop with of course gaming too. Want dual HD's in RAID for backup of photos. Will probably overclock for gaming. Already have monitor and DVD drives from previous system. This is what I put together.
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mxpvD3/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($279.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H105 73.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($128.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($164.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($248.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.99 @ Micro Center)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 270X 2GB Dual-X Video Card ($178.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Thermaltake 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($139.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1510.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Couple of questions. I also looked at EVGA SuperNova and Corsair HX750 power supplies. Corsair advertises longer cables. Is this real and is it helpful and worth the extra cost? If it is I will switch.
For RAM, is it better to go up to 2133 or go to CAS 9 or does it make a difference?
I am planning on water cooling as I find the large air coolers a hassle if I want to use all 4 memory slots. Will probably upgrade to 32 GB ram in future. Will I need to remove the water cooler or can all 4 slots be accessible with the Corsair coolers?

Any other suggestions appreciated.
 
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Good build overall, but I'd personally opt for the i5-4690K and save the money for a GTX 770, GTX 780, R9 280, or R9 280X. Photoshop doesn't really need that much power in my experience, and you'll probably only save a few seconds at most in most massive executions and renderings. If you do Photoshop for a living or full time, get the i7. If not, emphasize gaming performance more. Or do both if you have the money.

For the power supply, cable length depends on the case. If it's a full tower, then yes, it is best to get really long cables, but if you put long cables into a Mini-ITX chassis, you'll have a lot of junk to stuff in it. For a mid-tower like this though, it probably doesn't matter. Be advised that it's highly...
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Gunmetal_61

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Jun 12, 2014
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Good build overall, but I'd personally opt for the i5-4690K and save the money for a GTX 770, GTX 780, R9 280, or R9 280X. Photoshop doesn't really need that much power in my experience, and you'll probably only save a few seconds at most in most massive executions and renderings. If you do Photoshop for a living or full time, get the i7. If not, emphasize gaming performance more. Or do both if you have the money.

For the power supply, cable length depends on the case. If it's a full tower, then yes, it is best to get really long cables, but if you put long cables into a Mini-ITX chassis, you'll have a lot of junk to stuff in it. For a mid-tower like this though, it probably doesn't matter. Be advised that it's highly situational. If you can find a place online or in store to measure that case and plot out your cable management, you'll have your answer.

For RAM, 1866 is fine. Generally, people find that the memory controller on Intel CPUs work well up to 1 level above its specs (i.e. your Haswell is rated for 1600 MHz). However, faster clocked RAM generally doesn't make any noticeable difference. Go for lower latency first. Get an 1866 MHz module with CAS 9 over one with 2133 MHz and CAS 10 or 11.

Water cooling blocks never get in the way of RAM, regardless of which closed loop brand or even most custom loops. By the way, you can still get a big air cooler and use the RAM slots beneath it (for some models) if you choose low profile RAM. You just won't be able to remove them (not that you should need to if you're just adding RAM, some slots shouldn't be covered). For example, Corsair makes its Vengeance series RAM with heatsink fins and without. The one with fins are called "Vengeance" and the ones without are called "Vengeance LP" (low profile). The fins are mainly for show unless you're overclocking ultra-expensive 3000 MHz modules to the extreme. RAM doesn't generate much heat under normal operation, and the draft of the air cooling fans should help to waft air in their direction.
 
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