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5930k Gaming Build

B

big_aug

2[H]4U
Joined
Oct 13, 2006
Messages
2,189
I'm going to snag a 5930k from the Intel Retail Edge Holiday deal and do a new build. Looking for a bit of advice.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

Gaming

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?

$1750 total. Less is better. I don't like going top of the line on graphics cards. I prefer the next step down and then adding a second card later or just upgrading.

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

US - Ohio

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.

Mobo/Ram/Cooler/PSU/Graphics Card/Hard drive

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

Not reusing but I already know I'm getting a 5930k for ~$225. I'm also getting a Corsair Carbide Air 540 case because I like it ($120).

6) Will you be overclocking?

Yes

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?

1440p eventually

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?

December 2014

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.

Crossfire/SLI eventually but single GPU to start. Built in WiFi would be great if that's a thing.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?

No


So after the processor and case, I have about $1400. I'm thinking of grabbing the MSI X99S SLI Plus mobo with crucial ballistix sport 16gb ddr4 2400 combo on Newegg right now for $377. I also would like to try something like the Corsair h100i for a cpu cooler being that i should have plenty of room in the Air 540 case. Thoughts? Suggestions? I haven't built since 2011 so I'm kind of out of the loop.
 
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Here are my 2cents:

1. 5930k, even at the price you mentioned, isn't really worth the money over the Z97 CPU's. X99 mobos are a fair bit more expensive than Z97, and DDR4 RAM is MUCH more expensive than DDR3 (currently available DDR4 rams isn't necessarily faster than DDR3 rams ATM). So you'd be shelling out at least several hundred dollars more compared to 4790k, even if your 5930k is heavily discounted.

2. Some games are now more CPU dependent, true, but most still are not THAT CPU dependent, a good solid GPU is still a bit more important than a very high end CPU.

Lastly, 5930k is only really useful if you are going for Tri or Quad SLI setups, with Single or even dual, a 4790k is plenty enough.

That being said, if you want to stick with 5930k, there are plenty of X99 mobos with Wifi. In Taiwan, the generally respected Mobo brands are Asus or Gigabyte, ASRock and MSI doesn't share the same kind of rep (some stores even outright refuses to offer ASRock mobos due to issues they were having with them), but perhaps US consumers would give a better recommendation.

with the current black friday deals, you may be able to pick up some good deal AMD cards that trumps in value against 970 or 980. For example, a 295x is currently being sold for around $680 on newegg, its performance is comparable to that of 2x 980 (surpasses it at 4k or surround, though 980's is better at lower resolution), but it costs around the same as two 970's, so it's worth considering.

If you are willing to wait for a GPU, AMD might have a new GPU series next quarter.
 
chenw said:
Here are my 2cents:

1. 5930k, even at the price you mentioned, isn't really worth the money over the Z97 CPU's. X99 mobos are a fair bit more expensive than Z97, and DDR4 RAM is MUCH more expensive than DDR3 (currently available DDR4 rams isn't necessarily faster than DDR3 rams ATM). So you'd be shelling out at least several hundred dollars more compared to 4790k, even if your 5930k is heavily discounted.

2. Some games are now more CPU dependent, true, but most still are not THAT CPU dependent, a good solid GPU is still a bit more important than a very high end CPU.

Lastly, 5930k is only really useful if you are going for Tri or Quad SLI setups, with Single or even dual, a 4790k is plenty enough.

That being said, if you want to stick with 5930k, there are plenty of X99 mobos with Wifi. In Taiwan, the generally respected Mobo brands are Asus or Gigabyte, ASRock and MSI doesn't share the same kind of rep (some stores even outright refuses to offer ASRock mobos due to issues they were having with them), but perhaps US consumers would give a better recommendation.

with the current black friday deals, you may be able to pick up some good deal AMD cards that trumps in value against 970 or 980. For example, a 295x is currently being sold for around $680 on newegg, its performance is comparable to that of 2x 980 (surpasses it at 4k or surround, though 980's is better at lower resolution), but it costs around the same as two 970's, so it's worth considering.

If you are willing to wait for a GPU, AMD might have a new GPU series next quarter.
Click to expand...


Yea, I realize that the 5930 isn't going to do a whole lot more at this point. However, I'm not going to do a build with the prev gen. My 2600k is perfectly fine to be honest, but I'm dying to do a new build. I'd rather spend a couple hundo more and go with the 5930k, x99 mobo, and ddr4.

I don't think the price diff is as dramatic as you think. It looks like about $100 on the mobo (I'm going Asus Pro again I think) and less than $100 on the RAM. Throw in $100 on the processor itself and we've got about a $300 difference. That's acceptable to me. I suppose I could be running sli 970s in a 4790k build though with the savings.

I don't mind upgrading my rig over time with the exception of the Mobo/CPU and a 5930k/x99 should be good for another 3-5 years. That's my reasoning at least. I just never feel good building a brand new rig with last gen parts. Building a rig is something I only do every 4-5 years.
 
big_aug said:
Yea, I realize that the 5930 isn't going to do a whole lot more at this point. However, I'm not going to do a build with the prev gen. My 2600k is perfectly fine to be honest, but I'm dying to do a new build. I'd rather spend a couple hundo more and go with the 5930k, x99 mobo, and ddr4.

I don't think the price diff is as dramatic as you think. It looks like about $100 on the mobo (I'm going Asus Pro again I think) and less than $100 on the RAM. Throw in $100 on the processor itself and we've got about a $300 difference. That's acceptable to me. I suppose I could be running sli 970s in a 4790k build though with the savings.

I don't mind upgrading my rig over time with the exception of the Mobo/CPU and a 5930k/x99 should be good for another 3-5 years. That's my reasoning at least. I just never feel good building a brand new rig with last gen parts. Building a rig is something I only do every 4-5 years.
Click to expand...

Here's the thing: Since your 2600K is overclocked, the next viable worthwhile upgrade over the 2600K won't be until 2016 with the release of Intel's Skylake CPUs. Those will support DDR4 RAM as well. Since you're only gaming, I'm not seeing a reason for you to spend an extra $300 or so more just to get a relatively small increase in gaming CPU performance. Not to mention that we'll should be seeing Haswell-E's replacement in 2017 or so as well.

Your reasoning that a "5930k/x99 should be good for another 3-5 years" would only apply if you were doing something with the PC that took full advantage of those extra cores. But you've only stated gaming. As such, in terms of longevity, the 4790K would last just as long as the 5930K in the gaming area. Games will still be IPC dependent so while the extra cores of the 5930K might help out, you could have just saved that extra $300 and use it to build a new CPU + mobo + RAM setup in the future that would offer better gaming performance.

So in other words, is your desire to build a new PC so bad that you're willing to drop $1400 for basically minimal improvements?

Next gen? The 4790K and the 5830K are based on the same Haswell design. In terms of generations, they're exactly the same.
 
big_aug said:
I just meant the socket type.
Click to expand...
Doesn't matter that much: The release of the H97 and Z97 chipsets meant that the LGA 1150 has the same up-to-date technologies as the X99. The X99 simply has more of it.
 
I appreciate your input. Ive thought about it a lot actually. I can't order the CPU until 12/3 so I'll probably think about it a lot more. I'll probably go with the 5930k build. I could have gone with an 2500k years ago when I did the 2600k build. Realistically, I'm not going to swap the CPU/Mobo. I never do. I just build a new rig and sell the old one for whatever I get when that time comes. Like I said, this a once every 3-5 year activity. I usually upgrade the GPU twice after a build. That's just the way I've always done it. I enjoy building a new rig and I like getting the best parts when its possible. I do not care to spend $600 on a GPU as their longevity does not compare to CPUs.

So the answer is yes, I very much want to build a new rig. I want to get the best CPU as I know it will still be completely relevant five years from now. Would a 4970k do the same? As you've shown, yes. I'll spend a total of ~20% more. Will I get 20% performance? No. Will it bring me more overall joy by simply dropping in a 5930k? Yes. Rational? No.

I may go with a cheaper PSU and mobo and still save more money. Would the 4970 build have been cheaper also? Yea, but I'm OK with it.

I picked up the Sandisk Ultra 480gb for $159 on amazon so take that out of the total. So as of now:

5930k - $225
Air 540 - $120
Sandisk Ultra 480gb - $160
 
GTX 970 then for the video card and this Seasonic PSU:
$140 - Seasonic X750 Gold 750W Modular PSU
 
I'm in the same boat as you with Retail Edge and the 5930K. I just purchased 2x4GB DDR4 for $70 which isn't bad. Also bought an ASRock X99M Extreme4 mATX at NewEgg with the $25 off a purchase of $200 or more Promotion (Visa Checkout) making the board $203.99-$25=$178.99 . You can try to take advantage of the promotion (ends on the 30th?) with a motherboard of your preferred size. See this thread via Slickdeals. The 25 off 200 promotion isn't mentioned in that post but you can find details about it on NewEggs site on this page
 
Suprfire said:
I'm in the same boat as you with Retail Edge and the 5930K. I just purchased 2x4GB DDR4 for $70 which isn't bad. Also bought an ASRock X99M Extreme4 mATX at NewEgg with the $25 off a purchase of $200 or more Promotion (Visa Checkout) making the board $203.99-$25=$178.99 . You can try to take advantage of the promotion (ends on the 30th?) with a motherboard of your preferred size. See this thread via Slickdeals
Click to expand...


Freaking newegg kills me with tax. I'm going amazon for everything that is similarly priced. I just did the chase freedom card deal that gets you $200 back on $500 spend in the first three months. It's also 5% cash back at amazon right now up to $1500. So I'll effectively get 5% off my amazon order with prime shipping and no tax.

If I spend $1750 at Amazon, it will work out to $1750 - $200 (chase freedom spend promo) - $87.50 (5% back) - $25 (chase freedom authorized user purchase) for a total of $1437.50. Won't get the 5% on the processor though so a bit more.
 
big_aug said:
Freaking newegg kills me with tax. I'm going amazon for everything that is similarly priced. I just did the chase freedom card deal that gets you $200 back on $500 spend in the first three months. It's also 5% cash back at amazon right now up to $1500. So I'll effectively get 5% off my amazon order with prime shipping and no tax.
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Aw man. At least your Amazon cashback is pretty good at 5%, though. Chase freedom is an excellent card.

The EVGA Supernova G2 is a very solid power supply. Here's the conclusion page from Jonnyguru's review: page
 
big_aug said:
Any thoughts on the 750w offerings from Corsair and EVGA? They're also 80 Plus gold, modular, and about $40 cheaper.
Click to expand...

As Suprfire said, the eVGA G2 750W is a good PSU. However, I don't like the Corsair RM series. I would only recommend the Corsair AX series.
 
I would go with a Seasonic PSU. I have a Platinum 760 and it rocks :cool:


I'm struggling to make the same choice. X99, Z97 or wait? I have always wanted a hex-core and the 5930K is a steal at $200 through Intel, but it is essentially a 4770K with two more cores. A 4770K is around 5-10% faster than a 2600K which is my current CPU.

Even with the low price of the 5930K it will cost me $650 to upgrade and putting aside the fact that my brain likes shiny new things it seems like a waste of money.
 
///M3 said:
I would go with a Seasonic PSU. I have a Platinum 760 and it rocks :cool:


I'm struggling to make the same choice. X99, Z97 or wait? I have always wanted a hex-core and the 5930K is a steal at $200 through Intel, but it is essentially a 4770K with two more cores. A 4770K is around 5-10% faster than a 2600K which is my current CPU.

Even with the low price of the 5930K it will cost me $650 to upgrade and putting aside the fact that my brain likes shiny new things it seems like a waste of money.
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Do what I did: Build a cheap mITX HTPC to satisfy that building itch.
 
I was bored so I cranked out 50 more learning activities at Intel to get Rockstar status and the $174 5930k or $99 4970k lol
 
So far I've got the following parts ordered:

Corsair Carbide Air 540 - $120
Seasonic 1050w Platinum - $150
Corsair H110 - $110
Samsung 840 Evo 250gb w/ FC4 - $110

Up $510 total so far needing only the CPU, Mobo, Ram, and GPU. $500 will cover the Ram and Mobo. $200 for the processor. $350 max for a GTX 970. It looks like I can probably finish up at >$1560 and then take out some rebates/cashback for a pretty solid build.

I almost bought the $299 PNY GTX 970 Reference on Amazon earlier but I think $30-50 is worth it for a better OCed card w/ better cooling.
 
If I part out the rig in my Sig, I should be able to get $400+ for it? I'll be keeping the hard drives to reuse for extra storage.
 
big_aug said:
If I part out the rig in my Sig, I should be able to get $400+ for it? I'll be keeping the hard drives to reuse for extra storage.
Click to expand...

Sorry, price checks are only allowed in the General Mayhem subforum.
 
Picked up the Asus X99-A on Amazon for $199.74 shipped which I thought was a solid deal. Looking good so far.

Corsair Carbide Air 540 - $120
Seasonic 1050w Platinum - $150
Corsair H110 - $110
Samsung 840 Evo 250gb w/ FC4 - $99
ASUS X99-A Motherboard - $200
 
All parts soon to be paid for:

Corsair Carbide Air 540 - $120
Seasonic 1050w Platinum - $150
Corsair H110 - $110
Samsung 840 Evo 250gb - $100
Gigabyte X99 G1 Gaming - $250
MSI GTX 970 Gaming - $360
GSkill 16gb DDR4 2666 -$240
Intel 5930k - $205
DVDRW Drive - $10
Windows 8.1 Pro - $130


Grand total: $1675

I'm OK with this. I feel like I got a solid build for the money. Throw in bonuses and cash back and I'm at ~$1400.

Now the waiting game begins.
 
I have everything but the processor from the holiday deal:(

I was hoping it would have shipped now to arrive before Christmas.
 
big_aug said:
I have everything but the processor from the holiday deal:(

I was hoping it would have shipped now to arrive before Christmas.
Click to expand...

Give it some more time: The last time I bought from the holiday deal, my CPU arrived two days before Christmas.
 
Dangman said:
Give it some more time: The last time I bought from the holiday deal, my CPU arrived two days before Christmas.
Click to expand...

I splurged and bought an Asus ROG Swift, so I'm dying to get this rig together to give it a go :D
 
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A (NFC Express Edition) ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($100.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Dark Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($57.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP900 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($179.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($559.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($559.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($65.89 @ Newegg)
Total: $1744.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-18 09:08 EST-0500
 
I threw my GTX 970 in my current rig to test the Asus Swift while waiting on my processor. Wow. Biggest gaming upgrade I've ever had. Can't wait to get the new rig together and do some OCing to see if my MSI 970 will hit 1500+ mhz as some folks have managed.
 
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