General build help, and specific help for custom power supply cables.

[mattlyons]

Hi guys, first post on here. I'm attempting a first time build and I really want to do this right, and build something that is going to last for a long time. I've been researching parts and help tutorials for a few months now and I think I have everything set as far as components. Here's a list of everything I plan to use.

I7-4790k processor
Corsair H100i cpu cooler
Asrock z97 Extreme6 mobo
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card
G skill Ares 16GB (2x8gb)
Intel 730 series 480 GB SSD
Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM
LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer
Corsair AX860 80+ Platinum PSU
NZXT Phantom 820 (Grey) ATX Full Tower Case
Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition (x2)

I'd like to get some opinions on the build, and any and all help with the PSU. I want this build to be aesthetically pleasing, I'm going for a blue look to everything. I want to get custom psu cables and thats mostly what this post is about. I've read lots of other posts to get a general idea but i still think I'm lacking knowledge and I'm worried about making a mistake.

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What all do i need to add to the above link so i can fully wire my system. If that's not a good reference maybe someone can give me better advice. I'm also willing to wire everything myself, I have a lot of experience working with wiring and wiring tools. I did the wiring for several states DOT trucks in the United States for 4 years. I might even have all the pin pushers and crimping tools too. Still, if I can find it affordable preassembled is the way I want to go.

I also plan to try my hand at overclocking(how could I not with all these parts). Are the power supply and motherboard good options for overclocking, or is there a change needed somewhere.

Any and all help is appreciated and thanks in advance.

 

[TheIcedCanadian]

Looks like a great build! - here a few suggestions though:
If only for gaming save money and get just 8GB
If only for gaming get i5 4690k
Get a cheaper SSD - eg the SAMSUNG 850 PRO/EVO 9will perform pretty much the same)
Get a better case - I recommend the Corsair Air 540, the Phanteks Enthoo Pro, the H440 (which comes in a black/blue), or my personal favorite (even though it doesn't have a side panel I think it looks FANTASTIC), the be quiet! Silent Base 800. ( I think it looks great, though all of those cases are spectacular).
If you were looking into doing a custom water cooling loop in the future, get the massive Corsair 900D.

For fans, I would go with Corsair AF quiet editions for the rear exhaust and SP quiet editions for the radiator (mainly cause they look sooo good ) And then either Noctua NF-S12As for the front, be quiet! silent wings 2 (get these for all case fans if going for quiet build), or more corsair AF quiet editions.

PSU is a great choice - very high quality

Motherboard is popular and good - will serve you well - though nothing really special about it

For that budget, I would hope to fit in at least a GTX 980 - the card is just spectacular

As per those cables, they just plug into the ends of the stock PSU cables, and then you route the ends of the sleeved cables to the components. You hide the excess and non-sleeved cables behind in the cable management area.

 

[mattlyons]

Thanks for the reply. Why do you suggest to downgrade the processor and memory? I can afford everything just fine, is it really that much overkill? AS per the SSD, I already own it. My brother got 2 of them as a prize in a contest and is has given one to me.

The case I'm still up in the air on, I was never really set on the phantom 820 to begin with. Of all the ones you listed for me, the air 540 was very nice and affordable. Sure the 900D is better, but the $300 price tag makes me say no.

The gpu I went with the 970 because i do plan to go dual sli, just not off the bat. Am I correct in assuming that my single 970 is well suited to run games at 1440p full settings, or will that require me to go for sli now. I think I picked a proper sized PSU for dual sli as well, seeing as the 970's have a low power consumption. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

If the psu cables are just meant to act as extensions, I can definitely do it own my own. I've watch a couple more videos on the subject and i do in fact have everything i need except for the pins. But those are pretty cheap on mod sites it seems.

Thanks a lot for all the advice I'll take it into consideration. Let me know about the gpu though. Am i capable of 1440p gaming with what i have listed or do i need to go for sli to accomplish it. I'm not in a rush to get into the 4k aspect of everything yet, that can come later. IS 3way sli with the 970s good enough for 4k at 60fps or would that demand upgrading to the 980's? Just out of curiosity?

 

[TheIcedCanadian]

The RAM will not make a difference in gaming FPS, but if you do lots of multi-tasking, or like having tons and tons of windows in the background or like 30 tabs open at the same time (like me ), then the 16GB will benefit you. It will also help a TON if you ever go into doing some renders or video editing as that can take up to 12-14GB of RAM. If you can afford it, then why not . (I've got 16GB of RAM and probably will never go back to 8. It can just handle everything!)
For the processor, the 4790k has double the affective cores, so double the amount of processes you can run. So pretty much get this chip for the same reasons as the 16GB of RAM. However, if you do plan to go 3 way SLI in the future, you won't want to get either of these chips, as they both only support a max of 16 PCI-e lanes. SO if you go 3 way SLI, then the cards would run a 8/4/4. For the best performance, you should get an i7 5820k or 5930k. The 5820k supports a max or 28 lanes and the 5930k a max of 40 lanes. Unfortunately, these chips are VERY expensive, and will bump up your build price a LOT. This opens you up to X99 and DDR4 however, which can be faster than Z97 and LGA 1150. These chips will also be developed on for a longer amount of time.

You could also go back to Ivy Bridge and X79 CPUs. I know this might sound crazy going back in time in terms of components, but the X79 has some great processors that support 40 lanes, for less than the 4970k! And you can use the IvyBridge CPUs on platform supports DDR3, so you don't have to pay bucket tons of money for DDR4.

AS per the GPUs, tri SLI GTX 970 will provide more than 75fps on 4k on BF4 with 2xAA. Upgrading to GTX 980s is not necessary.

It all depends on how much money you want to spend.

Here is a X99 build:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5930K 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($549.95 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($94.99 @ Micro Center)
Motherboard: ASRock X99 Extreme4 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($202.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($190.38 @ Newegg)
Storage: Intel 730 Series 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($249.97 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($339.99 @ B&H)
Case: Corsair Air 540 ATX Mid Tower Case ($104.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair 860W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series SP120 Quiet Edition (2-Pack) 37.9 CFM 120mm Fans ($27.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series SP120 Quiet Edition (2-Pack) 37.9 CFM 120mm Fans ($27.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $2053.17
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-27 17:52 EST-0500

I am not sure if this is too much.

Here is a X79 build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4820K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($318.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($94.99 @ Micro Center)
Motherboard: MSI X79A-GD45 Plus ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($199.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Intel 730 Series 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($249.97 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($339.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair Air 540 ATX Mid Tower Case ($104.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair 860W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series SP120 Quiet Edition (2-Pack) 37.9 CFM 120mm Fans ($27.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series SP120 Quiet Edition (2-Pack) 37.9 CFM 120mm Fans ($27.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Other: Chip to update BIOS ($199.98)
Total: $1958.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-27 18:08 EST-0500

Unfortunately, what I didn't realize with X79 that a BIOS update is needed to use the 40 lane CPUs (IvyBridge-E) so an IvyBridge-EP is needed, and the cheapest one is a Xeon that costs another $200. Unless you can borrow a chip off of a friend or a store, this chip brings the cost up to the same price as the X99. In this case, just get the X99 if you can.


All in all, if you can't get the X platforms, then just stick with the Z97. Broadwell is still developing on LGA 1150, so when they come out in Q1/2 next year, they might have a 40 lane support so you can run the GPUs on 16/16/8. Even if you stick with the 4790k, it should still work OK.

Hope all of this helps!