Next Gen PC Build

JustYourAverageJoe · Jun 3, 2015

So, this is my new build. I wanna know how well this will handle games in the future (Witcher 3, Batman Arkham Knight, Assassins Creed Syndicate, Just Cause 3 etc.)

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 Supercharged 4GB
RAM: 8GB KomputerBay
MOTHERBOARD: Asrock Z97M ANNIVERSARY MATX Motherboard Socket 1150
256GB SSD.

What do you guys think? If there is an AMD CPU that would be better, please tell me. Thanks!

firo40 · Jun 3, 2015

LMAO no there isnt an AMD cpu that even comes close to the power of a 4690k especially when you overclock it to its full potential. As for games like Witcher 3 with the 970 i know for a fact at high settings you can get 60 fps at 1080p but for ultra it require an insane amount of graphics horse power. The other games should max fine

jimmysmitty · Jun 3, 2015

There is no "next gen" with PCs. Just a slow progression over time. Look at the change from DFX9 to DX11 over the same time period as 360 to XB1. Pretty massive.

That said, that is not a bad build. Biggest downside is the VRAM of the GTX 970. It is 3.5GB + 512MB and slows down when using more than 3.5GB. I would say it should handle most current games decently but future games are hard to tell. With the new consoles no longer being so far behind tech wise, PC games can now shine. My current PC is about 3x more powerful than the hardware in the PS4 yet I can't max out GTA V because I need more VRAM.

firo40 · Jun 3, 2015

I find the vram counter in gtaV to be bullshit my buddy with a gtx 970 maxes gtav at 1080p with 60 fps constant. Me with my gtx 660 gets high ultra with almost a whole gig over in vram yet i get 50-60 constant. Aslong as you arnt going over 1080p 3.5gb of vram is fine plus they are patching the 512 extra to not slow preformance when used so it wont make a differance anyways

JustYourAverageJoe · Jun 3, 2015

Thanks guys. Any suggestions for an alternative to the GTX 970? I'm wary about AMD cards, as the support isn't great, and games usually are branded with nvidia stuff, so I assume most games will work better with an nvidia card. So something in that price bracket which is a better alternative over the GTX 970?

andreaszero · Jun 3, 2015

Considering the PC specs above, it will handle gaming really well. The 4690k is a beast of a CPU even without OC'ing. Needless to say that the GTX 970 is a beast of a card and is the sweet spot for gaming right now. The only thing I'd recommend is swapping your RAM for something more reliable like a G.Skill 2x4 1600Mhz CL9 which is super cheap and super reliable.

Edit: You could swap the EVGA GTX 970 with a MSI GTX 970 or an ASUS GTX 970 because of there awesome 0db fan mode ONLY and IF they are on the same price range as the EVGA, otherwise, not worth it.

firo40 · Jun 3, 2015

Yeah and higher frequency scales with haswell the 2400mhz will give you a 15-20 fps boost over the 1600mhz and only cost about 10$ more so if you can spring for that instead

xALSQ · Jun 3, 2015

This is pretty much the same build I'm going for, although with some minor differences. From what I've heard and seen, and from the answers I've gotten, this build will do very good with all of today's games. You should get smooth and stable FPS at around 60 average in most new games, and it should also last you for the next 2 or 3 years at least without needing a more significant upgrade.
There's some things to keep in mind though. What I've said above applies to 1080p, as that's the most optimal resolution for this build. Going above that is going to drop your FPS pretty much exponentially. Another thing is that you haven't mentioned what PSU you intend to use. I myself plan to go with the XFX Pro Core edition 650W. I know myself that XFX is a good PSU brand (not all are good, you can google for a list of PSU brand tiers), and if you choose a quality brand 650W is going to be more than enough for this build.
If you want to be even more future proof you could go with something like a 750W, in case you want to use two GTX 970's later in SLI, when the need arises.
And lastly, regarding the AMD CPU, that's a no for now, in my opinion. Basically AMD CPU's focus on the number of cores and pretty much that's the only thing they got going for them. Intel pretty much beats them in every other aspect, at a price however. And besides, the 8 cores are really unneccessary for the current games that are out cause they can't utilise that much cores, most utilise 4, I've heard some can use 6, but those run great on an i5 anyway. If you do have the money, i5-4690k is the way to go, especially if you overclock it (need an aftermarket cooler though).

firo40 · Jun 3, 2015

Its not even a true octacore with AMD it only has 4 logical cores that are distributed over 8 threads its a gimmick thats why core per core performance is so weak on it even at 5.0ghz

jimmysmitty · Jun 3, 2015

firo40 :

I highly doubt you do 50-60FPS on a GTX660 using those settings at 1080p. I can't even max it out on a HD7970GHz without some slowdowns and not a constant 60FPS.

Per NVidia:
http://www.geforce.com/whats-new/guides/grand-theft-auto-v-pc-graphics-and-performance-guide#grand-theft-auto-v-game-setting-vram-usage

Looking at the chart, you can see that you'll require an extra 1335 MB of VRAM to enable Grand Theft Auto's best textures at 1920x1080, and another 1211 MB to crank MSAA up to 8x. All in all, you need a 4GB GPU to switch every single doodad on at 1920x1080, and a TITAN X to do the same at higher resolutions.

1080p requires 4GB to max out. I will also believe it when I see that 3.5GB/512MB not having issues.

OP, branding doesn't always mean better performance. I have seen stuff branded with AMD that runs better on NVidia cards.

The support from AMD is fine, although drivers need a few more per year but that's my opinion. If you want to look at a viable alternative to the GTX 970 hen the R9 290x is the way to go and that would be faster than the GTX 970.

firo40 · Jun 3, 2015

Im not maxing it with a 660 but yes i play on all high with some ultra at 1080p aa only at 2x with fxaa and i get 50-60fps almost everywhere a 7970 doesnt suprise me having issues with it amd always has driver issues with games

JustYourAverageJoe · Jun 3, 2015

Is it worth taking my business to AMD, and picking up a GTX 970 equivalent?

firo40 · Jun 3, 2015

Not at all you would just bottleneck the 970 no AMD cpu is good enough to game in "next gen" games

JustYourAverageJoe · Jun 3, 2015

I was talking more about the GPU. I've decided on the i5

firo40 · Jun 3, 2015

Imo no unless you wait for the new amd cards to come out in a lil bit then yes most likely depending on there price

JustYourAverageJoe · Jun 3, 2015

Will shoving in another 8GB provide a noticable boost? I have enough money to do so.

firo40 · Jun 3, 2015

No the 290x isnt powerfull enough to really use the 8gb its a gimmick to sell more cards. Take a look at benchmarks of the 4gb vs 8gb version of the 290x its almost identicle in performance

xALSQ · Jun 3, 2015

JustYourAverageJoe :

If it's RAM you're talking about, I'd say currently 8GB will do you just fine, but if you do have the money and don't really mind spending it then yeah, sure. Pretty much all of today's games won't use 16GB though. It's for the future I guess.

firo40 · Jun 3, 2015

Hes asking about VRAM not RAM totally differnt

xALSQ · Jun 3, 2015

firo40 :

I don't think he is, since he said "another 8GB", probably reffering to 8GB more RAM memory than he initially planned on getting. And the 970 only has 4GB of VRAM, so he wouldn't say another 8, unless that was a typo

firo40 · Jun 3, 2015

He was referring to taking his buisness to amd and the 290x so i assume he meant going to the 8gb 290x vs the 4gb 970

manmeetpaul · Jun 3, 2015

If considered about future of the pc, wait for the 390x. It'll be available for 500 US dollar. 8 GB RAM and it's made to compete with 980 or the 980ti.
Anyways with Windows 10 and dx12, you'll ace any upcoming game with the 390x

jimmysmitty · Jun 3, 2015

firo40 :

I don't have any issues but GTA V itself requires a lot of VRAM to play it maxed out, as said in the NVidia article I posted it requires 4GB of VRAM to max it out at Full HD (1080P). That is why my HD7970 cannot max it out, it is not an issue with the drivers. I have almost never had any issues using either brand, then again I have a very clean OS and build.

firo40 :

The reason it doesn't show as powerful enough is because most games wont use more than 2-3GB of VRAM. The benefit is having the space to store the resources instead of having to dump them then grab them from the much slower HDD/SSD again.

Going by your conclusion is that the Titan X is not powerful enough to handle 12GB of VRAM as the 980Ti performs just about as good at most settings.

firo40 :

No he had actually said he settled on the i5 and asked about adding 8GB of RAM.

Either way both cards are a good choice. The 290X actually performs a bit better than the GTX 970 but I would wait till June 16th to see AMDs launch of their new lineup. Might push some GPUs down in price.

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