I am building a gaming computer I would like to keep under $3000 right now while keeping the best looks and more importantly performance. I am looking to have this computer as a flagship system for my new hobby and hopefully small business in the future of tech help and advice for my small town, as well as a future youtube channel, as well as a system I will use everyday for gaming and work.
Looks are very important, as the case is windowed, I would like to keep everything red and black, (except the mouse, it doesn't matter there) and I would like the best performance I can get for the money. I would like to stay away from water cooling the system, and I can go with the Corsair H100i or the H110, but I would like to stick with air cooling as much as possible for multiple reasons.
I have all my parts picked out, although I would just like whoever can help to look over my build while keeping it aesthetically pleasing and keeping the same or more performance.
Here is my build, below it I have reasons for some part choices if you are wondering why I have some parts instead of others.
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PCPartPicker part list:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jDgxbv
Price breakdown by merchant:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jDgxbv/by_merchant/
CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($331.56 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek Dark Knight II SD1283 89.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($43.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Formula ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($282.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($77.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB Video Card ($697.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 450D ATX Mid Tower Case ($114.39 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($21.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus PB287Q 60Hz 28.0" Monitor ($648.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Keyboard: Filco Majestouch-2 Wired Standard Keyboard ($178.49 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Razer Taipan Wired Laser Mouse ($63.44 @ Amazon)
Other: Blue Yeti Microphone ($113.00)
Other: Steel Series Mouse Pad ($9.99)
Total: $2945.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
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Monitor: I have a 4k monitor because it is only $60 more than the 1440p monitor I was going to get before, I just thought, why not, as even though I wouldn't be able to play most new games in 4K, I can still use the resolution for lesser games, and for photoshop, and for screen real estate for multitasking.
Motherboard: Just tell me the Asus Maximus VI Formula DOESN'T look awesome, and it has some pretty good features as well, but by all means, if you can find another black/red motherboard with more or the same features for a better price that looks alright, go ahead and suggest it!
CPU Cooler: It looks better than my other choices, the Nocturna NH-U12S, the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO, and it is air cooling and cheaper, compared to corsairs liquid cooling heatsinks. I also do not plan to overclock extremely, I will overclock, but not by much, so an insane heatsink is not necessary.
Memory: Again, it looks really, really cool, as well as being pretty good RAM, and also again, if you have a better choice that performs the same, looks good, and is cheaper, go ahead!
SSD: Cheap, right amount of space for the programs I would put on it without filling it up with data and the looks don't matter as much, as the Obsidian 450D has SSD Slots behind the motherboard tray, so it isn't visible right away.
HDD: Cheap, Great amount of space, if there is a cheaper SSD or HDD, go ahead and suggest it. I don't care as much about reliability, even though it is great to have, as I will be backing up important files very often to an external Hard Drive.
GPU: 780 ti is great, and even though some AMD GPUs can out perform it at higher resolutions, I would like to stick with nVidia because of what they are doing with their technology (PhysX, Sheild, g sync, etc.)
Case: Great case, great looking.
Power Supply: Not my area of expertise, but I am pretty sure I don't need much more than 750w but if I do please tell me.
Optical drive: Just a temporary optical drive to help installing Windows easier, and maybe for some old disks I have lying around...
Windows 8.1: Same price as Windows 7, more features, optimization, and I can get some applications to make Windows 8.1 look like 7.
Keyboard: Sexy, fanboyism at it's finest. I know it is very overpriced, I know I can get the same quality for less, but honestly, I want this keyboard. It looks so good, and I used to have a Filco, and I loved it...
Mouse: Seems pretty good, if you have a better suggestion go ahead!
Microphone: Mainly for recording my voice for that youtube channel I was talking about, as well as skype for any clients I have that would prefer to use that.
Mousepad: I know, $10, but I can make that in and hour and a half of work, so I am fine paying that for a mousepad.
Thanks in advanced for any help!