Check my gaming PC build please!

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PCGuy25

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Okay so I've finally decided to go for 4970k build over a 5820k build for a gaming PC. Here's my build, please check it and tell me if it looks the best for the price (I haven't built a PC in 6 years). Keep in mind I am planning on adding another gtx980 in the future so I'm a bit confused on how to make sure my sli configuration on the motherboard I chose is good for 2 gtx 980s. Also is the power supply good for 2 gtx 980s. Hows the Ram speed??

I also don't know what the best gaming keyboard and mouse is for the price? I still need to add those. I already have a 4k monitor and speakers.

Any input to make this better would be great. I'm trying to stay under 2000$ including a keyboard and mouse. Thanks!

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/LchHK8
 
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DarkSable
1) if you aren't making money off of video editing, and this computer is for gaming, there's zero reason to buy the i7. In 99% of cases, the i5 performs pretty much IDENTICALLY.

2) That motherboard is overkill - a good $130 motherboard will do everything you need. Look at the Asrock z97 Extreme 6.

3) 32GB of ram is just a silly waste of money. Even 16GB is overkill for a gaming computer, but if you feel you must have it, just get 16GB.

4) I highly doubt you're going to need a 500GB ssd. Remember that 90% of games get absolutely zero benefit from being on an SSD, and the ones that do only benefit from faster loading screens, not actual performance upgrades.

The graphics card, case, and power supply are all decent options. One thing...
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DarkSable

DarkSable

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1) if you aren't making money off of video editing, and this computer is for gaming, there's zero reason to buy the i7. In 99% of cases, the i5 performs pretty much IDENTICALLY.

2) That motherboard is overkill - a good $130 motherboard will do everything you need. Look at the Asrock z97 Extreme 6.

3) 32GB of ram is just a silly waste of money. Even 16GB is overkill for a gaming computer, but if you feel you must have it, just get 16GB.

4) I highly doubt you're going to need a 500GB ssd. Remember that 90% of games get absolutely zero benefit from being on an SSD, and the ones that do only benefit from faster loading screens, not actual performance upgrades.

The graphics card, case, and power supply are all decent options. One thing to note is that for SLI, you might want blower-style coolers (the original magnesium ones on the 980 are quiet and wonderful performers). You might also want a full tower case just to have more room to work and for airflow, but the one you have selected will also be just fine.
 
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WildCard999

WildCard999

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I agree completely with DarkSable about the build and some of the changes. And yes I know the tower is overkill and expensive but it can house that system with the corsair cooler and SLI beautifully. Also I went with the Asus Z97-A MB since it has alot of space between the gpus (if you do decide to SLI) for plenty of cooling. I switched the the gpu to the reference model since it cools much better and changed to cpu to the fastest stock i5 currently available.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/M6th8d
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/M6th8d/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($226.69 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($99.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($129.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($149.77 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($71.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Video Card ($589.99 @ B&H)
Case: Corsair 780T ATX Full Tower Case ($180.34 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($104.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1683.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-05 14:28 EDT-0400
 
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PCGuy25

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Which i5 is the best? I don't want this PC to be solely for gaming, I still a cpu that is really efficient and fast when it comes to VMs, graphic designing, programming and music production. Thats why I chose the i7 but i haven't really looked into the i5. I actually was originally going for a 5820 k and switched my mind to the 4960k

also the asrock z97 extreme is only about $ 30 cheaper. Is it worth the difference? I know the msi board comes with a backup bios incase you mess up your main one, which is a good option considering overclocking. I was actually gonna go for the msi z97 gamer 5, but the reason i didn't is because it doesn't have the backup bios.

Would 16gb of ram isn't going to bottleneck the CPU or GPU? If i'm gonna have a powerful system I might as well make sure my memory can handle a lot of data, otherwise I don't see a point

And lol loading times is actually why I chose the SSD, I absolutely hate loading times :fou:

What do you think?
 
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DarkSable

DarkSable

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There's absolutely no reason to pay the extra $100 unless you're running multiple VMs at once and require them to have full performance in order to make money. An i5 will still run two VMs just fine. Otherwise it's a waste - the other three things you're doing with it aren't going to stress an i5 out even remotely. The i5 you want is the 4690K, fully unlocked. Also note that the CPU has absolutely no sh*ts to give when it comes to what resolution you're gaming at - only the GPU cares about that.

The only reason the backup BIOS is a useful thing is if you go to flash your BIOS and you unplug your PC in the middle or it somehow otherwise fails. The only thing you need for overclocking is a clear CMOS button, which resets the BIOS to default, so that if you, say, clock your RAM too high, you'll be able to default your BIOS, get into it, load your previous settings, and tune down whatever it is that failed during POST.

8GB of ram is enough to simultaneously open 100 bookmarked tabs in chrome, or to run battlefield 3, photoshop, and 40 tabs in chrome at the same time. Since you're running VMs, I would go with 16GB so you can give a pair of them 4GB each and still have 8 for the main rig. Bear in mind that higher memory ONLY is a good thing if you're actually doing something that makes use of it - the more memory you add, the more work the memory controller has to do, and you actually end up getting worse performance. The trick with RAM is that it makes a huge difference right up until the point where you don't need more of it. So by adding 32GB, you're just hurting yourself, because it simply doesn't work that way.

That's fine, I totally agree with you on loading times... but a 128GB SSD leaves you with somewhere between 60-80 GB of storage after windows - a 250GB ssd is enough for windows, all your programs, and three or four full-sized MMOs. Things like Call of Duty might as well be on the hard drive, because if you load into the match first... whoopdy do, you still have to wait for everybody else to load. It's up to you, but...
 
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yoda419

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I agree with him the i7 is not really needed it is like the gtx 980 of 970. and the 970 is like the i5. It is too much of a price difference for little preformance. LOL same thing with the mother board that is just not needed. I agree also with the ram issue. You dont need that much of ram no matter what you are doing. 8gb is normal for gamers 16gb is kinda overkill 32 is like... running many many many many many programs at once. You need to take out that 980 it is better to get two 970 than one. You are over killing many parts that you dont need. Downgrade unless you have loads of money dont do this build

 
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PCGuy25

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Okay I hear you on the i5 and I'm able to get it at microcenter for $200, but I can also get a 4970k there for $270. For a $70 difference I'll probably end up with the i7 because I've heard that in programs such as adobe, cad, etc. the i7 greatly outperforms the i5. In game performance is nearly identical, but like i said i will be using this computer for more than just gaming. On top of that, the i5 is good for present games, but for the future I have read that games may start using more hyperthreading of the i7.

About the gtx 970s in SLI, I have actually heard in many places that is not a good setup because of the vram limitations on the 970s. Thats horrible considering I'm trying to go 4K. Just read the comments in on this article:

http://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/2tuqd4/i_benchmarked_gtx_970s_in_sli_at_1440p_and_above/

And the motherboard, yes I realized it was overkill, so Im looking at the msi gaming 5 instead, seems more cost effective with not many downfalls.

Also I ditched one of the hard drives, so now I'm going to use a 500 gb ssd rather than a 250 gb ssd + 2 tb barracuda regular hard drive. I know 500gb will be more than enough, and so might as well have a hard drive that is blazing fast rather than an extra slower one that I will never use.

Now... my only obstacle is deciding on RAM. I will go for 16gb, but I don't know much about speeds and latency to pick the best one for the price.
 
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WildCard999

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Just make sure also once your gaming @4K to disable AA. You won't notice much of a image difference between 4K full AA and 4K no AA and it only puts unneeded stress on the gpu. 8gb of RAM is a good starting point (2x4gb) then you can always increase to 16 later on. That is a good price for the I7-4790K.
 
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DarkSable

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That stuff about games in the future using more than 4 threads because the consoles use a (really slow) 8-core CPU is absolute bull. We had the same hype when the last generation of consoles came out (which also had six to eight cores), and we're still barely at the point where dual-threading is the standard. When it comes to console ports, it's going to be catered to the minimum level. Games aren't going to start requiring 4 cores at a minimum until the average computer has four cores - and in five or six years, that means that i7 still isn't going to be worth it for gaming. We don't even have the i5s being used to their full potential in most cases.

As for in Adobe and Cad, yes, it makes a difference, but it's ONLY on how long it takes to do advanced filters and renders. If you think that $70 is worth it to render a scene in blender a minute sooner every time, that's fine... just know that your performance within it is going to be identical either way.


As for that article, it's silly. Gamers made a stupid fuss over an error that happened because marketing never knows jack, when the card performed EXACTLY as well as they were all ridiculously excited about before it was released. Also, you're using comments on reddit as a reliable source of anything? :p

If that's the setup you want for your rig, then more power to you - I personally use over 4TB of storage, so I like having both options. :)

As for the ram, just go for the standard 1600 MHz, CAS 9 offerings. There's going to be absolutely no noticeable performance difference from anything else.
 
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