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Lesardah

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Aug 7, 2008
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Hey all. I'm building a new system and looking to place the order today. I just wanted to get some feedback before I order it. This is what I have so far.

Intel Haswell Core i7-5930K 6-Core 3.5Ghz
ASUS X99-DELUXE
Thermaltake Level 10 GT Case
Cooler Master Seidon 120V Cooler
ASUS GTX780 GPU (NVidia SHIELD Compatibility is very important to me)
Rosewill LIGHTNING 1000 Power Supply
G.Skill Ripjaws 4 (4x4GB) 288Pin PC4-19200
Samsung 840 EVO SATAIII SSD 500GB

I have two WD 2TB SATA III Hard Disks for my standard storage on hand already.

Also have the SHIELD Tablet on the way, and an ASUS VG248QE with a GSYNC kit.

Is there anything I should change? I'm just going for a gaming PC (SHIELD capable) which will run 1080p for five years, and some ability to upgrade along the way. My current machine lasted six years with just a video card upgrade in the middle and zero failures (Tom's Hardware Forums helped with that one as well).
 
g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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If you're paying $2K or more for a rig for gaming and you''re not going SLI, you're doing it wrong. X99 is a good option but the cost of DDR4 just isn't worth it. You can also get a way better PSU and case than the Level 10 - I think the Level 10 is ridiculously overrated.

Try something like this:

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/7k6CCJ) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/7k6CCJ/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54690k) | $234.99 @ NCIX US
**CPU Cooler** | [Thermaltake Water 3.0 Extreme 99.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/thermaltake-cpu-cooler-clw0224) | $74.99 @ Newegg
**Motherboard** | [ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-z97extreme4) | $128.79 @ Newegg
**Memory** | [G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f32400c11d8gab) | $84.99 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7te250lw) | $149.92 @ Amazon
**Storage** | [Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st1000dm003) | $53.99 @ Amazon
**Video Card** | [EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-04gp42980kr) (2-Way SLI) | $549.99 @ Amazon
**Video Card** | [EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-04gp42980kr) (2-Way SLI) | $549.99 @ Amazon
**Case** | [Fractal Design Define R4 Blackout with Window ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcadefr4blow) | $99.99 @ Newegg
**Power Supply** | [EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 P2 1000W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-220p21000xr) | $184.99 @ NCIX US
**Optical Drive** | [Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-optical-drive-drw24b1stblkbas) | $16.99 @ Newegg
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $2129.62
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-28 14:33 EDT-0400 |

It's a bit overbudget but for gaming that will be a far better use of your money than going X99 will.
 
L

Lesardah

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Aug 7, 2008
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You're right, the memory is pretty brutal, so is the cost for the mobo. I'll take a closer look at your suggestion.

I agree I'm basically paying an extra $500 just for a tiny boost in performance, but I felt it would be good to have the option to drop in an 8-core CPU three years down the road, since it's a new generation board. RAM costs should drop by then, too.

You think I'd still need to go SLi even if I'm limiting myself to 1080p resolution?
 
MasterDell

MasterDell

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Jan 5, 2014
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$2k I would get a 4790k.. I would not be happy knowing that I have an i5 and spent $1800 on the rest.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($338.96 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($203.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Trident X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($174.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Intel 530 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($369.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($369.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($134.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Pioneer BDC-207DBK Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($34.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1951.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-28 15:15 EDT-0400

Much speed
 
MasterDell

MasterDell

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A lot of people are in decisive between getting one 980 or spending a bit more for two 970's. I personally have one 970 right now and plan to get another in the future :) You don't have to get the Gigabyte's I simply put those there to show that best cooling option. How I look at the different 970's:

ACX 2.0: The worst.
ASUS: Silent, good looking overall my favourite
Gigabyte: Best Cooling but deafeningly loud in SLI
MSI: Great overclocking
Zotac: Best option over all other 970's if the above are not available
 
gamer1357

gamer1357

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Go with MasterDell's build. But if I could make some slight changes I would go with the MSI gaming 970 to better match your color scheme. Also I would take 8gb of ram and thrown in a 500gb ssd instead.
 
g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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Why the BD-R reader? Games don't use the format and movie watching is moving toward streaming anyways - it's kind of a waste of money if you ask me.
 
MasterDell

MasterDell

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Gear down big rig. Its $15 more. That buys my lunch... And personally I have a lot of blu ray movies because unlike the other mass majority of the internet I purchase my movies. I don't think OP is so stupid that he can't figure out if he needs blu ray or not..

@gamer good idea, he can get 16GB later when he really needs it which wont be for a while. But I disagree about the MSI. It may match the colour more but the lack of a back plate makes them much less appealing.. And in SOME cases back plates do help with cooling in SLI
 
gamer1357

gamer1357

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I though about heat, but due to the low tdp and excellent cooling on the msi, even in SLI I dont think it will run too hot. Yes it will be hotter than the gigabyte cards, but I doubt It will pass the 75 degree mark which is still a comfortable temperature for the cards. As long as he has good airflow I think he should be fine. What do you think?

 
g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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Now that's not what I'm saying at all. What I'm saying is that I don't think it's necessary to own one regardless of whether you buy movies or not. If you're running a monitor that isn't HDCP compliant, you can't watch Blu-Ray movies, it has nothing to do with the drive. I don't think it's necessary at all to own high end optical drives. They're slowly but surely being phased out in favor of online stores and streaming content. I used to think it was, but the hassles of playing BD-Rs on non HDCP compliant monitors is just not worth it.
 
L

Lesardah

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Aug 7, 2008
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18,510
I went with a small modification of MasterDell's build. It's ordered and en route!

I decided I *had* to have the Core 10. Couldn't help it.

I also decided I was too impatient to wait for the back-orders for the 970, so I went dual 780 (the Asus models) . Not as good, but it'll be here sooner.

I kept the power supply I had in my build as well, because it's purdy (wish I could offer a better reason - I can't).

I kept the Blu Ray as well. I have a bunch of Blu Ray movies, and what's another 20 bucks. I spent almost that much on Taco Bell tonight for me and m'lady :)

I do run an HDCP compliant monitor, because my PS3 and PS4 run to the same screen as my current one. Not sure if the new one I got with the build is HDCP compliant, though. Was more focused on the Gsync capability. It's a fair concern worth considering, but in the end it was only a little more.

Thanks guys! Thank you g-unit for making me see the light on going SLI, and MasterDell reminding me to stay stepped up on the CPU side and suggesting a build I could learn to love. Excellent advice. Something tells me I'll have this machine for another 6 years. The one I'm typing on was built with the collective help of the forums and it's been a great machine.

Is it weird that it's painful to see my old one go? I've probably spent an average of 8 hours a day on it for the last several years. Hell, I was in my 20's when I built it. At least it'll be connected to the television for video and emulation goodness. Maybe "behind the TV entertainment center" is a modern day equivalent of being "put out to pasture"
 
MasterDell

MasterDell

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But to the PC it's the same as taking it behind the barn and shooting it between the hard drive cages ;) I really hope you love that build and I have the same motherboard and wow is it beautiful! Same with the memory! For the memory you will need to open an XMP profile in order to run the 2400 MHz. But it is so easy it's ridiculous. And you probably don't even need to OC yet considering that 4790k has a boost of 4.4GHz.. And pioneer makes the best BR drives IMHO. Enjoy your build man :D
 
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