Do I really need 4k gaming rig?

Alexoferith · Jan 22, 2015

Hi, all,

I wonder if anyone can help me. I am thinking of 4k gaming rig. My current machine's spec is as follow:

Gigabyte Z68XPUD3P mobo
Intel i5-2500K 3.3 ghz
HyperX Genesis 16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3 CL9 DIMM Memory Kit (4 x 4 GB)
2 x MSI GeForce GTX660 Ti 2gb SLi
1 Tb Samsung Evo SSD (Boot)
3 Tb WD black (data)
1250 watt PSU (I have to say, PSU is quite a few years old now. I can't remember exactly, Maybe 4 or 5 yrs old, but still going strong. I have no problem with power, so far, touch wood)
LG BD rewritter
24" Dell 2407WFP 1920x1200 (a few years old but picture still sharp as knife)

I was thinking of upgrading my monitor to get one with HDMI so that I could connect my Raspberry B to it rather using my TV. That was sometimes ago. I don't have the raspberry anymore. But during my research for a decent 27" monitor (£400-£500 range), 4k keeps on coming up and the pricing is so similar. Call me stubborn or silly. I just like the idea of SLi. So, always been looking at 2 x GPU. That makes titanium out of reach. If I am going down the 4K route, I will need to spend a few bobs. I gave myself a budget of £1,500. Can anyone suggest how I should go about it? I have to say, the current rig is quite good. The motherboard and CPU choice was not intentional. In fact, they were meant to be for my daughter's rig at the time. I had a XFX 79i with 2 x 460 Ti OC Ski rig but that was struggling with Metro Last Light at 1920x1200. Was going to upgrade but something happened with the house lease. Had to go to plan B with a lot lateral thinking. I realized that the Z68 with the i5 were good enough for my type of gaming, not the best but good enough. So, that's how I have ended up with what I have now. The XFX 79i rig is now used by my daughter, with just one 460 in it. The 4K is sort of future proof. I know, I know. I have read quite a few posts here. There is no real future proof build. You never know what they will come up with in a year time, especially, in the time zone of the silicon valley, 3 human months is equivalent to one year of development in the silicon world. So, I am not very sure what to do. Shall I just stick with what I have and forget about 4K and wait for another human year. Or, go all out and become a follower of the current hype?!?

-Lone- · Jan 22, 2015

Depends on how much you are willing to spend, but if it is not that much, I'd stick with 1440p ultra gaming.

-Lone- · Jan 22, 2015

If you can get this build, you can reach up to 4k ultra settings eventually, everything else is set, all you got to do is get more GPUs later and get yourself a monitor. Or you can still get this build and still play 1440p ultra settings for now. So it's really a win for now and the future.

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/ZFmHQ7

Alexoferith · Jan 22, 2015

-Lone- :

Thanks for the quick response. My budget is £1,500, about $1,800 or $2,000 max. What do you mean by 1440p ultra gaming?

-Lone- · Jan 22, 2015

Alexoferith :

I mean you can play at the resolution of 2560 x 1440 on a monitor while have all of your game settings at ultra (the maximum) without any issues.

Alexoferith · Jan 22, 2015

Oh, I just read your link. I am really sorry. Perhaps, I didn't make myself very clear. The spec quoted is what I have now. So, I don't need everything as you have listed. Or are you saying that my current motherboard, CPU will not be good enough if I just change my GPU (as suggested to GTX 980)?

Alexoferith · Jan 22, 2015

My budget was intended for one new monitor, 2 x GPU. Hopefully, no need for new CPU and motherboard. But if needed, hopefully, the budget can cover it.

dooa · Jan 22, 2015

See if you can play on a 1440 rig at 27" - 28" size and compare to 4K.
I much prefer 4K, but many cannot see the difference.

As for your rig, combine the budget for the two cards and get one really good one, then add a second only if you need the power. I game at 4K just fine with a pair of 290x.

-Lone- · Jan 22, 2015

Alexoferith :

I don't think that mobo supports 4 way SLI, so that won't be enough for 4k. The RAM size is good, as for CPU...uncertain, but I'd get one of the best ones for 4k. The GPU only has 2GB of VRAM, so that's not enough. The storage and PSUs are all good. So some are good but some are not, so overall, it is not going to work for 4k. 4k requires a tremendous amount of computer power to game on that resolution and achieve a playable rate.

Alexoferith · Jan 22, 2015

-Lone- :

Thank you very very much for your reply. I think I will change my plan as you suggest. One other thing, with the XFX 79i rig, I have Corsair H70 cooler. With this Gigabyte rig, I am using a Noctua NH-L9i LP INTEL Cooler. It is so quiet compared to the Corsair one and I think I am used to it now and much prefer this level of noise. I am not into OC but do you think I can get away with similar kind of air cooling instead of the H100?

-Lone- · Jan 22, 2015

Alexoferith :

-Lone- :

Thank you very very much for your reply. I think I will change my plan as you suggest. One other thing, with the XFX 79i rig, I have Corsair H70 cooler. With this Gigabyte rig, I am using a Noctua NH-L9i LP INTEL Cooler. It is so quiet compared to the Corsair one and I think I am used to it now and much prefer this level of noise. I am not into OC but do you think I can get away with similar kind of air cooling instead of the H100?

Yup, since you don't OC, here would be the best air cooler for you. Noctua D15.

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/sPRbrH

sacredbovine · Jan 22, 2015

$1500 dollars is not going to effectively jump you to 4k. You won't be hitting 60fps until you are rocking triple sli setups which require complete reqorking of your cooling system and you would want to go with a g-sync or freesync monitor as vsync will likely take up too much gpu memory within a year or two. Don't jump to 4k yet.. Two 970s and the ROG swift 1440P screen would be an excellent setup and would get you right around your price point

Alexoferith · Jan 23, 2015

Thank you 4K and thank you Sacredbovine, for your information. My budget of £1,500 sterling pounds or US$2,000 is not enough. £2,500 or $3,000 is more likely. This, I won't get past my other half.

I think I have to wait a bit longer...... But thank you again for your helps.

-Lone- · Jan 23, 2015

Well, the build I gave you is upgradable, so nothing to worry about, all you need is time to reach the maximum

sacredbovine · Jan 24, 2015

Alexoferith :

Ugh I can't believe I missed the currency difference. No prob though. Good luck with saving for your 4k rig. I'm waiting until a single GPU can push out that many pixels.

Alexoferith · Jan 25, 2015

-Lone- :

Hi, sorry to bother you again. One noob question. Does the GTX 980 have two GPU inside the card? Or was it the Titanium? There is a special deal going on at the moment. Perhaps I can pay by monthly and go all the way.

-Lone- · Jan 25, 2015

I'm pretty sure it is just a single GPU, because it can be upgraded to a maximum of 4 way SLI, as far as I know you can't have a total of 8 GPUs in a system, lol.

Do I really need 4k gaming rig?

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