Are there any problems with this build? Going to purchase tomorrow, and would love all your second opinions

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ClubbaLang

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Jul 26, 2015
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Been looking forward to getting a new gaming rig for a long time, and this time, I'll actually be putting it together myself. Here's what I'm planning:

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

CPU: Intel Core i5-2400 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor (Purchased For $0.00)
Motherboard: MSI H61M-P31/W8 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($43.99 @ Directron)
Memory: Mushkin Essentials 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($28.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ ARC 100 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($70.45 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card ($623.00 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H21 Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($42.99 @ Directron)
Power Supply: EVGA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0B DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Cooler Master SickleFlow 69.7 CFM 120mm Fan ($7.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Cooler Master SickleFlow 69.7 CFM 120mm Fan ($7.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $955.25
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-30 19:09 EST-0500

Now, just to explain a little bit: I originally was going to get an i5 6500, but after discussion with the helpful people over at r/CabaloftheBuildsmiths, I think I want to re-use the i5 2400 CPU from my old rig, and use the money I save to beef up my graphics card from a 970 to a 980 Ti.

I was told that the rig will run fine with the older i5 - at most I'll lose 10% fps, and the gains from the better graphics card will more than offset any downsides.

The i5 2400 has a 1155 socket, hence the motherboard choice, and it only supports up to DDR3-1333 RAM, hence the RAM choice. Down the line, if the i5 2400 becomes obsolete, I could upgrade that to something like an i7 3770. Will the RAM negatively affect my performance that much? Should I upgrade to 16GB, or stick with 8?

I'm so thankful for the guy who was helping me out on that sub, but it's a big investment, and I wanted to get as many opinions as I could. So what do you all think? Is this a solid gaming rig? Im hoping to be able to play modern and near-future AAA games at at least 1080p, 60fps. Is there anything you would change? Any weak spots? Do you think my choice to reuse the older CPU is the right one, or the wrong one?

I'm looking forward to seeing your opinions on my build.
 
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Honestly for 1440p also know as...
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Onefurrybanana

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May 13, 2015
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A 980ti is a waste of money for 1080p if you were going 2k or 4k i could understand but for 1080 u could a get 970 or 380x and have 60fps. But if you plan to switch to a more graphically intensive resolution then the 980ti is a solid choice.
 
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ClubbaLang

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Thanks for the response!

I was going to pick up a 1440p monitor (maybe something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA4JH1GM6846), and hoped to get that for most games, 1080p was just the lowest I'd accept. Is the 980Ti still a waste at 1440p?

Would you switch out anything else besides that? If I just switched out the 980Ti for the 970, the build would only cost ~$700.

Would the 970 run games at 1440p 60fps, or just 1080p?
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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Why not simply upgrade the graphics on your old rig and see how you do?

If your games are fast action shooters you will do very well.

If your games are different, the cpu may well be the major limiter.
How to tell:
here is my stock answer:
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To help clarify your CPU/GPU options, run these two tests:

a) Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

b) Limit your cpu, either by reducing the OC, or, in windows power management, limit the maximum cpu% to something like 70%.
Go to control panel/power options/change plan settings/change advanced power settings/processor power management/maximum processor state/
This will simulate what a lack of cpu power will do.
Conversely what a 30% improvement in core speed might do.

You should also experiment with removing one core. You can do this in the windows msconfig boot advanced options option. set the number of processors to less than you have.
This will tell you how sensitive your games are to the benefits of many cores.

If your FPS drops significantly, it is an indicator that your cpu is the limiting factor, and a cpu upgrade is in order.

It is possible that both tests are positive, indicating that you have a well balanced system, and both cpu and gpu need to be upgraded to get better gaming FPS.
-------------------------------------------------------------

If you come out wanting a cpu upgrade, go with newer skylake tech.
 
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Onefurrybanana

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Honestly for 1440p also know as 2k the 980ti will perform quite well. You may want to get a 144hz monitor not sure about exactly how many frames you will get but it should preform great
 
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