Time for a new RIG

matmizzi · May 21, 2016

I need your opinion on the following rig I am considering, since your opinion was so helpful a few years ago when I built my current rig which served greatly

My budget is more or less flexible, being a hobby of mine and planning to get at least 3-4 years high-end performance out of this rig, I'm ready to spend around 3,500 - 3,800 euros, (I don't want to exceed the 4,000 euro mark).

Now, it's been a while and I haven't really been keeping up-to-date with the current technology, but after a week of googling and reading reviews here and there, I am considering building the following rig:

Monitor - Samsung U28E590D 28"
CPU - Intel Core i7-6700K 4 core CPU with 4.00 GHz
RAM - G.Skill Trident Z 32GB DDR4 Kit 3000 CL14 (2x16GB) 32GTZ
Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 Sockel 1151 ATX
Sound card - Creative Sound Blaster ZX
Primary storage - Samsung SSD 850 PRO Series 1TB
Secondary storage - WD Black Desktop WD5001FZWX 5TB
Case - Cooler Master HAF X
PSU - EVGA SuperNOVA 850 P2 80+ PLATINUM, 850W
Graphics - Planing to get the geforce 1080 GTX since, from what i've read, is outperforming even the Titan X.

Also planning on getting the following peripherals:
Keyboard - Logitech G910 Orion Spark
Speakers - Logitech Z-506

Now like I said, it's been a while since I built my own rig and the above is the result of quick research about what's best in the market right now, so please don't hold back on suggesting any replacements especially if the performance gain is barely noticeable compared to a cheaper option.

Also I was considering to adopt a water cooling system but they seem to be very high maintenance and honestly I don't want to have to perform maintenance every month, however I am open to suggestions if you think air cooling won't be able to cut it.

So, let the rig bashing beging! I'm sure the above selection can be greatly improved considering that I'm a tech-amateur, your help is greatly appreciated!

Just as an FYI, gonna post the specs of my current rig just in case I can salvage something from it (which I doubt):

GFX - Gigabyte Windforice 3x GeForce 770 GTX 2GB GDDR5
Primary and secondary storage - 2 Western Digitial black hdds (1 tb each)
Motherboard - MSI Z87-GD65
CPU - Intel Core i5-4670
RAM - Kingston HyperX Beast 8GB DDR3 Kit
Case - Zalman Z9 Plus

dangus · May 21, 2016

uh well get a new GPU and you'll be fine. throw in another 8gb ram. that CPU is still top notch. why do you feel the need to get a new rig again? thats still a good system. 4000 euro?!?!?! why? just....why?

what do you use your computer for?

Benab3 · May 21, 2016

Hey,

Pretty much totally agree with what is written above.

4th Generation I5's are still pretty much the sweet spot, but, if you are set on a new CPU. Instead of the new RAM, MOBO and CPU combo. I would just put in a 4790k to your current setup. It is only a very small amount slower than the 6700K.
If you do this though, make sure you have the latest BIOS first.

For graphics cards, definitely upgrade. For now, you could get a GTX 1080 or 2 of then in SLI. If you do get 2, make sure you buy the new High Bandwidth SLI bridge.
Or you could wait for the new Titan / 1080 Ti to come out.

Apart from that, put in an SSD, double your RAM, possible a new PSU needed, and thats it. Nowhere near 4000 euros, but really not far off in performance to the build you initially posted.

matmizzi · May 21, 2016

heh 4000 is my absolute cut-off for something which will keep me going for the following years.

I guess since i've been settling for the '2nd/3rd' best option due to budget limitations, for this new rig i'd like to experience the absolute high-end, I'm guessing from your reaction I've went a little overboard? haha

I use my computer for alot of things, gaming being the primary use, amateur sound recording and tampering being a second, and I tend to have alot of apps open at once (whether its a windowed game and watching a series at the same time, loads of excel sheets due to work,) Its a multi-task system I use it for work, gaming, music, films etc.

And lately loading times and the new releases of games seem to be getting longer and bumpier, I'm guessing its mainly due to the old HDDs and limited RAM.

Long story short i've been saving up for sometime and would like to invest in a beast, the MB i have doesn't support ddr4 for example, but if the performance gap between the ddr3 and ddr4 isn't so great I might reconsider everything, that's why I'm posting here because like I said, I haven't really been keeping up-to-date apart from the VR and 4K UHD hype that's going around.

dangus · May 21, 2016

Benab3 :

thanks for agreeing lol. but seriously buy two gtx 1080's when they come out, double your ram, add a decent 500ish GB ssd and..............save yourself a few thousand euro and call it a day. maybe get a new monitor as well. and then still save most of your money.

dangus · May 21, 2016

matmizzi :

performance gap between ddr3 and ddr4 is basically nil. just get a gtx 1080 or two and use the rest of your money to take your girl out for 25 dinners instead.

if you're using it for basically gaming or any other medium task....you are at the high end. most people would kill for the rig you have right now...not to mention if you add a gtx 1080 and an SSD. unless you're doing very high-end CPU intensive work that 1% of the population do...you ARE experiencing the "high end" as we speak.

a 4000 euro pc vs what you're using right now i very doubt is going to blow your hair back. CPUs have not progressed that much in the span of time since you bought your last computer. please just save your money you won't regret it.

matmizzi · May 21, 2016

dangus :

matmizzi :

performance gap between ddr3 and ddr4 is basically nil. just get a gtx 1080 or two and use the rest of your money to take your girl out for 25 dinners instead.

if you're using it for basically gaming or any other medium task....you are at the high end. most people would kill for the rig you have right now...not to mention if you add a gtx 1080 and an SSD. unless you're doing very high-end CPU intensive work that 1% of the population do...you are experiencing the "high end" as we speak.

haha have you been speaking to her?

thanks for the clarification, guess I've been too over-eager

Btw, my current case feels very tight sometimes, is it worth getting a full tower for the extra space? Because it already feels very tight with just 1 VGA ....

Benab3 · May 21, 2016

matmizzi :

The longer loading times will most likely be due to a slow HDD. 8GB of RAM is still considered pretty good actually, but on a budget like yours, 16GB is a no brainer.
And yeah, DDR4 doesn't have much of a real world benefit over DDR3. What it makes up for it Clock Speed, it usually is not much faster due to high latency.

If you tell me what country you live in, I could make up a parts list for you, on what I would upgrade.

Also, what PSU do you currently have?

Benab3 · May 21, 2016

matmizzi :

dangus :

haha have you been speaking to her?

thanks for the clarification, guess I've been too over-eager

Btw, my current case feels very tight sometimes, is it worth getting a full tower for the extra space? Because it already feels very tight with just 1 VGA ....

For a case, I would upgrade. But it is pretty hard to recommend due to personal preferences on looks. I personally really like the NZXT Phantom 630 Windowed [ which I use ], but I know may people that hate it.

dangus · May 21, 2016

matmizzi :

haha yeah i talk to everyones girl all the time.

but yeah a new case is always a fun investment. obviously no performance gain but it's an aesthetic thing for me. you can get a VERY good case these days for $75-100. not sure what that is in euros but probably very similar price range.

but very sincerely...don't feel like you need to upgrade because new stuff has been released. the new CPUs are a nice upgrade but not a huge performance increase since the haswell (4th gen) series that you have. we're talking like 5-15% at best. in gaming it's even less than that. if you really want to get a new cpu i'd recommend an i7-4790k but it's not necessary if you're just doing gaming. again we're talking another 5-10% increase in games if you're lucky. just be happy with what you have and DEFINITELY get an ssd and install windows on that bad boy if you want your computer to *feel* faster.

oh and definitely get a new GPU if you want the best gaming performance increase. i know i've said that like 3 times already but the gtx 770 is basically mid-range now. you will see the best increase doing that. upgrade the ram too for like $30/30ish euro. why not if you apparently have the money to burn.

what kind of monitor do you have?

matmizzi · May 21, 2016

Benab3 :

matmizzi :

The longer loading times will most likely be due to a slow HDD. 8GB of RAM is still considered pretty good actually, but on a budget like yours, 16GB is a no brainer.
And yeah, DDR4 doesn't have much of a real world benefit over DDR3. What it makes up for it Clock Speed, it usually is not much faster due to high latency.

If you tell me what country you live in, I could make up a parts list for you, on what I would upgrade.

Also, what PSU do you currently have?

I'm in Malta. With regards to the PSU I honestly don't know the actual model number, without taking off the cover, I do know that i've been using it for around 5-6 years and it's power output is 650W.

I want to change it mainly because it's not a modular PSU and the unused wires really annoy me, also I'd like something which can handle an SLI set up

edit: I currently have a Samsung P2450H monitor 26"

dangus · May 21, 2016

please upgrade that PSU as well. there should be a sticker on one of the sides that MAY not be visible depending on the way it was installed. acquire your PSU information ASAP (even if you have to remove it temporarily) and i (we) can help you on getting a new one if need be. if it was recommended by the Tom's community it's probably not bad but let's check that out first

matmizzi · May 21, 2016

dangus :

My current set up is 'tomshardware' approved coz I had posted a similar thread years ago before I bought it, the PSU was carried over from a previous rig that's why I mentioned it was around 5-6 years old.

And yes it was mentioned that the PSU would require upgrading in order to support the more 'recent' gfx, so I'm def gonna upgrade. Is the PSU I mentioned in my original post acceptable or is it going 'over-board'?

coozie7 · May 21, 2016

Agree with the other replies, there's really little need for you spend so much on a full system upgrade, most of the system you have is still very hot!

Suggestions:

If you want, you can add an i7, the extra 4 threadsng those multi
Wait until the GTX1080 is more widely available (late June?) before making any GPU decisions, All I can see here in the UK are the overpriced Founders Edition cards, which carry a hefty 100 Dollar/Pound premium over the MSRP of non reference parts which should start to become available late June.

dangus · May 21, 2016

matmizzi :

Benab3 :

I'm in Malta. With regards to the PSU I honestly don't know the actual model number, without taking off the cover, I do know that i've been using it for around 5-6 years and it's power output is 650W.

I want to change it mainly because it's not a modular PSU and the unused wires really annoy me, also I'd like something which can handle an SLI set up

edit: I currently have a Samsung P2450H monitor 26"

if thats the case why not upgrade that monitor too. its not bad but a gtx 1080 would be a lovely combo with a 1440p IPS panel. that's what i would personally invest that supposed 4000 euro into. oh baby. blew my mind when i upgraded to an IPS display. and hey, Malta must be a pretty beautiful place to live huh, you bastard

dangus · May 21, 2016

matmizzi :

dangus :

My current set up is 'tomshardware' approved coz I had posted a similar thread years ago before I bought it, the PSU was carried over from a previous rig that's why I mentioned it was around 5-6 years old.

And yes it was mentioned that the PSU would require upgrading in order to support the more 'recent' gfx, so I'm def gonna upgrade. Is the PSU I mentioned in my original post acceptable or is it going 'over-board'?

you dont necessarily need a new PSU if it's an efficient, high quality unit. unless you're going dual GPU SLI with maybe gtx 1080s....you'd want a new PSU for that.

matmizzi · May 21, 2016

coozie7 :

yes in fact that's when I was planning to buy the now scrapped rig

dangus · May 21, 2016

coozie7 :

and i agree with this informed gentleman. wait til the gtx 1080 is available to get with a custom cooler. the "founders edition" is $100 more and it doesnt come with nice cooling on it....well i mean it has a really awesome looking cooler on it but it won't perform as well as the ***$100 cheaper*** ($599) custom coolers that come out from the likes of EVGA, MSI, ASUS, Zotac, etc....

matmizzi · May 21, 2016

dangus :

matmizzi :

if thats the case why not upgrade that monitor too. its not bad but a gtx 1080 would be a lovely combo with a 1440p IPS panel. that's what i would personally invest that supposed 4000 euro into. oh baby. blew my mind when i upgraded to an IPS display. and hey, Malta must be a pretty beautiful place to live huh, you bastard

so you'd suggest going for the 1440p instead of going for the 4K monitors? The monitor i'm using is still good and I was planning to use it as my second display since I like to multi-task.

Originally, I wasn't going for an SLI set up but since you've saved basically 80% of my budget now I'm definitely considering getting a dual 1080 GTX set up, so yes the PSU will require an upgrade, and like I said, I'm a bit obsessive when it comes to 'neatness' and i've been wanting to get a modular PSU for quite some time now.

Benab3 · May 21, 2016

Here are the parts:

http://www.scanmalta.com/scanshop/intel-core-i7-4790k-haswell-4ghz-s1150-cpu-retail.html
http://www.scanmalta.com/scanshop/computing/storage/solid-state-drives/1tb-samsung-850-evo-2-5-6-8mm-sata3-3d-v-nand-solid-state-drive.html
http://www.scanmalta.com/scanshop/computing/components-storage/hard-drives/pc-internal/2tb-seagate-st2000dm001-3-5-sata3-hard-drive.html
http://www.scanmalta.com/scanshop/computing/components-storage/power/850w-evga-supernova-g2-full-modular-80plus-gold-power-supply.html

Apart from them, you will need another 8GB stick of your current RAM, the 2 GTX 1080's when they are available and a new case if you want one.

dangus · May 21, 2016

Benab3 :

all good suggestions...aside from getting an 8gb stick. you'll most likely want 2x4gb sticks of ddr3 if you already have 2 in your system.

as for the monitor. definitely get a 1440p monitor...or 4k but im partial to 1440p at this point in time for the better frame rates in games and they still look ultra sharp. 4k will be viable in the coming few years but it's just not there yet if you ask me. but it's not a bad choice if you get one. i mean....theyre sweet i won't lie. but 1440p (maybe a g-sync monitor for like 500-700 euro) + your 1080p monitor as a side display would be a great set up. game on the 1440 with g-sync and use the 1080 for watching videos on the side. that's what i do and its great. 4k monitors are great and all but theyre just not "there" yet

Memhorder · May 21, 2016

Well.....since you multitask so much I'd also have to say Don't bother with CPU, MB. Check your power supply (most likely get new one) Grab the GTX 1080 AND 1-2 more Monitors. If your doing all that and alt tabbing all the time you'll truly see benefit in multi monitor setup

matmizzi · May 21, 2016

thanks guys for the very helpful suggestions, you've saved me money and more importantly arguments

one last thing regarding the ram, is it still 'better' to have 2x8gb sticks rather than 4x4gb or is the difference negligible?

Memhorder · May 21, 2016

jinx

coozie7 · May 21, 2016

Ah.
OK.
Right, you have already got rid of the i5 rig.
FACEPALM!

The system you have specced up is a stellar one, and it'll run well for a LONG time, just a few points;
If you're using it for work as well as well as play either get a external USB HDD for backup or a pair of HDDs and run them in a mirrored array, you can seldom have too many backups.
Right now the only GTX1080s out there seem to be the Founders Edition ones, reviews are generally good but they do suffer from some heating and minor throttling issues when under heavy gaming load. Unless you really must build right now, I'd hold off on this part until better cooled (and probably factory overclocked) parts become available.
If you do build now, maybe you'd like to get a 'stop gap' GPU rather than stumping up the best part of 600 Euro for a GTX1080 right now, while a GTX960 won't game at 4K, it's still capable enough if you drop the ingame rez to 1080 and you can hold onto it as a backup ion case the big 1080 does go down.

And I'd also consider dual 1440 monitors rather than a big 4K one, they're usually cheaper and, more importantly for gaming, you can get plenty of fast ones-and trust me, once you've played a fast paced game on a Freesync or Gsync display ypu WON'T want to go back to 60Hz!

I'd go for 2X8Gb sticks, there's little performance difference,if any, but it leaves two spare slots...You never know.

Time for a new RIG

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