4k HTPC build ready for GTX1080 upgrade

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
B

BlueberryCake

Honorable
Apr 11, 2012
52
0
10,640
Link to PC Part Picker
CPU Intel: Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor $338.99 SuperBiiz
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler $84.99 NCIX US
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 7 ATX LGA1151 $194.99 Amazon
Memory: G.Skill TridentZ Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory $80.99 Newegg
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive $149.99 Amazon
Video Card*: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Superclocked+ ACX 2.0+ $609.99
*Replace GPU with GTX1080; Used 980Ti as placeholder to determine power consumption.
Power Supply: Corsair 850W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX $129.99 Newegg
Optical Drive: LG WH16NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer $54.88 OutletPC
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) $83.89 OutletPC

Concerns
1. Will all parts fit in this HTPC case?: Silverstone Tek GD08B Aluminum Extended ATX $139.99 Amazon. It was not listed in pcpartpicker so I am not sure about compatibility.
2. Am I able to downgrade any parts to save money since I may not be fully utilizing all available features? For example, I don't need colorful parts or flashy lights since I'm going with a HTPC case.
3. Is my choice for PSU overkill? I want option for future SLI config.
4. Any upgrades to make rig even more quiet without sacrificing too much performance/cooling are welcome.

Required Q&A from Sticky
Approximate Purchase Date: Before next Steam Summer Sale (est. late-June 2016)

Budget Range: $1500 to $2000

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming; Movies; Internet; Web Conference Hosting; Office 365; possible video editing in future (not high priority)

Are you buying a monitor: No. Main (4k) Samsumg 78" 4k UN78JU7500FXZA; Secondary (2560 x 1080) Samsung - 29" LED Curved HD 21:9 S29E790C

Parts to Upgrade: All.

Do you need to buy OS: Yes. Windows 10 Home 64-bit

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg and Amazon preferred. Open to others if they are trusted.

Location: California, USA (Microcenter, Fry's, Newegg, and Best Buy are local to me)

Parts Preferences: I prefer quality over moderate savings if it's justifiable. Intel. Nvidia.

Overclocking: No

SLI: Maybe.

Your Monitor Resolution: Main (4k and 1080p), Secondary (2560 x 1080)

Additional Comments: Want quiet HTPC as much as possible. I do my gaming sitting on the living room couch. Open to ideas to improve my gaming experience...from the couch.

Why Are You Upgrading?: Upgrading GPU from GTX680 to GTX1080; New GPU will not fit my existing HTPC build; I want to be ready for 4k gaming at near-max/max settings.
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
redgarl

redgarl

Distinguished
Jun 4, 2009
2,797
64
21,140


Wrong, he is fine. Many benches are using AA at 4k... which is a <mod edit> decision since AA at 4k doesn't do anything except taxing your gpu.

Many game will run near 60 fps.

Watch the language. - G
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
photonboy

photonboy

Titan
Jun 20, 2006
21,567
13
85,015
About 4K:
You don't have to run a game at 4K resolution. In fact, you should not do so unless:
a) it looks BETTER than at 2560x1440, and
b) runs as smooth or better than at 2560x1440 (frame rate, stutter etc), and

4K can benefit the desktop. I have a 2560x1440 monitor and have many games that I run at 1920x1080.

4K is limited to 60Hz currently. For reference the current best gaming monitors have specs like THIS:

-2560x1440
- 144Hz+
- IPS
- 4ms or lower
- GSYNC

Unfortunately a good GSYNC panel is expensive.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
photonboy

photonboy

Titan
Jun 20, 2006
21,567
13
85,015
1) Case:
The case you listed is an EATX case on its side basically so it supports ATX, EATX (extended ATX) etc and all the other parts. It's a pretty MASSIVE case BTW so be sure you want something that large that is a hassle to move.

2) Parts/save:
i5-6600K
slightly cheaper motherboard

I'd suggest a 256GB SSD and get a separate 1TB or large HDD instead. Most games rarely access the drive beyond the initial load and level loads. You can have on STEAM folder per drive. I have SKYRIM on my SSD (frequent load points with dungeons, map points etc) but most games on my HDD.

3) PSU overkill?
Not really. Assume worst-case overclocked GTX1080 (peak spike) up to 250W in some future cards with 1x8 and 1x6-pin power. That's 500W for two cards plus roughly 150W for the rest of the system.

That's about 650W worst-case but you don't want to be over 80% load usually as a design point.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
photonboy

photonboy

Titan
Jun 20, 2006
21,567
13
85,015
4K update:

I forgot it is an HDTV, so I'm not certain what resolution choices you have. It may be that you can choose 1080p then it jumps to 2160p with no resolution in between for TV settings.

So that's a PROBLEM if so. I have no way to test this.

Frankly, if true then 1080p (HDTV settings not desktop resolution) is a far better choice than 4K. 4K might get as low as a THIRD of the frame rate as 1080p and depending on where you sit may not look much different at all.

Setting up 4K Gaming on an HDTV may be very problematical. Do you use 4K and drop below 60FPS in many games, or stick with 1080p for everything?

From what I understand, you need to be closer than 1.5X the diagonal to notice the advantages of 4K though it will vary slightly by the person (and the game). So if you have a FOUR FOOT TV you need to sit closer than SIX feet.

*Long story short, I would suggest aiming for 1080p.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
B

BlueberryCake

Honorable
Apr 11, 2012
52
0
10,640


I sit about 9' away from a 78" UHD TV. Displaylag.com has rated my TV's input lag to be 20ms with game mode on. Anyways, my reflexes are too slow for fast paced FPS games like BF4, COD, CSGO, etc. I plan to play games like Fallout 4 with mods, Blade & Soul, and Witcher 3 for the first time. I'm a sucker for epic backgrounds.

I don't expect to have the same amount frame rates a gaming rig would get with a better desktop monitor. I'm still willing to play games in 1080p if my HTPC/TV combo can't handle 4k. I sit at a desk staring a few screens at work. When I get home, I want to lounge on the couch.

The size of the HTPC case should be fine, but I will check again for a ATX sized HTPC.

This will be my second build and still consider myself a newbie when it comes to building a PC...but it's still exciting!

 
Upvote 0 Downvote
W

Wamphryi

Distinguished
Feb 21, 2010
1,630
1
20,160


Actually I am not wrong. I am currently running a Philips 40 inch 4 K monitor driven by GTX 980 Ti in SLI. I originally started with a single 980 Ti and yes it ran a lot of things at full settings at 60 FPS but once the game (such as world of tanks) starts to really tax the GPU when dealing with lots of opponents and movement, the FPS rate would drop to as low as 20 FPS. Additionally running a game outside native resolution often makes the game look like rubbish. The only way I found through personal experience to have a consistent and worthwhile experience is to implement SLI. I have run World of Tanks, Fallout 4 and Doom 4 on a single card and the experience compared to SLI was significantly reduced. If gamers want to stick to a single GPU set up then its best they avoid 4K. For the record I am not running AA.

 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom