New Rig Advice from start to finish please!

[Jonathan Cave]

Hi all,

Its been 6-7 years since i last built my last PC (P4 3.8ghz) the poor thing barely copes with 720p playback. i switched from PC gaming (counter strike) to console gaming with an xbox 360. With the looming release of the Xbox One i have decided to get back into PC gaming (elder scrolls online, COD etc...) and therefore i need some advice from some patient members on what to buy. That being said i have completed some fundamental research and i'd prefer direct open honest (but supportive) feedback on my planned rig. i don't mind spending more to get better performance per £.

CPU : Intel Core i7 4820.
Motherboard ? Help?
GTX 770 4GB
16 GB DDR3 1866mhz (2 x 8?)
128 GB SSD
2 TB HDD
Cooling ?

I'm not knowledgeable to use http://pcpartpicker.com yet hence some questions below however once i grasp your feedback i'll use http://pcpartpicker.com then submit a final build for feedback. (i wont waste your time!)

Some questions:

1. would that config should last 1-2 years for gaming at high res?
2. I will SLI when required so i don't know which motherboard to buy? (i assume they all come with 2 x PCI for SLA?)
3. Is that memory configuration correct?
4. Do i need a SSD controller? i'm a little confused on this subject (sorry)
5. what cooling is a must? i don't plan to overclock my PC but i would like the flexibility of doing so when required so will standard cooling suffice until i decide to overclock?
6. I plan to get the 4GB GTX 770 as i will eventually get a 2nd monitor and an additional card - my understanding is that if i were to use a 2nd monitor for gaming i'd need the extra memory for gaming when only running 1 card?
7. I hear PSU's are very important if i want to SLI in the future, so any advice on these appreciated also.

in terms of cases i need some pointers for the above rig also please...

i also want to be able to watch 1080 playback on my PC, so i assume if i connect HDMI leads into the HD capable monitor would this be True HD - i currently playback 720p content on my PC though my 51" HDTV.


Thank you for taking the time out to read this.

Jonny

 

[g-unit1111]

1. would that config should last 1-2 years for gaming at high res?
2. I will SLI when required so i don't know which motherboard to buy? (i assume they all come with 2 x PCI for SLA?)
3. Is that memory configuration correct?
4. Do i need a SSD controller? i'm a little confused on this subject (sorry)
5. what cooling is a must? i don't plan to overclock my PC but i would like the flexibility of doing so when required so will standard cooling suffice until i decide to overclock?
6. I plan to get the 4GB GTX 770 as i will eventually get a 2nd monitor and an additional card - my understanding is that if i were to use a 2nd monitor for gaming i'd need the extra memory for gaming when only running 1 card?
7. I hear PSU's are very important if i want to SLI in the future, so any advice on these appreciated

To answer your questions:

1. i7-4820K does nothing for gaming. You're better off getting an i5-4670K and investing more in a good GPU.
2. Well if you don't get the 4820K, get the 4670K and a good Z87 motherboard around the $150 range. I would need to know budget before recommending a system.
3. For gaming 16GB of RAM does nothing and there's no difference between 1600 - 1866 - 2133.
4. No.
5. You definitely want a good strong CPU cooler especially if planning to overclock.
6. Yes that is correct.
7. Yes you want something that's made by Seasonic or Super Flower, and I can give you recommendations if you post your budget.

 

[Jonathan Cave]

Ok, i've done a few more hours research.

Here's what i've come up with which should meet my demands of Gaming with 2 displays and every day other stuff like playing HD content in true HD. ; http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/1Q51P

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£167.99 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£23.98 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£109.99 @ Novatech)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£38.20 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£99.95 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£62.90 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) (£329.39 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) (£329.39 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: Corsair GS Series 800W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£81.88 @ Dabs)
Monitor: Asus VE248H 24.0" Monitor (£150.29 @ Scan.co.uk)
Monitor: Asus VE248H 24.0" Monitor (£150.29 @ Scan.co.uk)
Total: £1544.25

excluding an ATX case, and can i install my DVD drive etc... from my old PC ? Sata 1

if i went for a non SLA with only 1 monitor it would be £1064.00 and i'm thinking the cost would reduce in say a years time for another 770.

thoughts?