First build since 2008, switching back to PC after years on a Mac - advice?

[sitheris]

So I'm planning to build a brand new from scratch gaming PC after years of using a Mac Pro as my main computer. I'm tired of being hassled switching back and forth between Windows/OS X, and since I'm not tied to any specific software on the Mac side, it makes more sense to have a Windows gaming PC.

My primary uses for this will be:

1. Gaming @ 2650x1600 (would like to play the latest games on ultra with ease).
2. Photo processing with Lightroom/Photoshop. I work on very large RAW files so I need a powerful computer to handle that.
3. Database Development and heavy VM usage. But, I don't need the VT-d capabilities of non-K processors, so I'm fine with the 4770K.

It's been a while since I've built a PC so I'm still getting up to speed on the latest hardware. I put together this build and I'm just looking for some reviews.

Please note that I left out the GPU as I will be using the GTX 680 Mac edition currently in my Mac Pro until Maxwell cards are released. I have confirmed on the eVGA forums that it will work in a PC.

Also, I have chosen a PSU that is far more than needed for this build, but I will likely be doing SLI in the future, so I'm just building in some room for that.

My major questions for now are mainly about the memory speed. Do I need anything higher than DDR3 1600? Also looking for advice on the motherboard. I kind of just picked one that had a lot of good reviews, I don't really know what I'm looking for but I've used Asus in the past and they're pretty good from my experience. I do plan to overclock some.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($339.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($8.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($194.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($246.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($128.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define XL R2 (Black Pearl) ATX Full Tower Case ($143.58 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 860W 80 PLUS Platinum Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($207.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Logitech G700s Wireless Laser Mouse ($81.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1921.44
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-15 12:40 EDT-0400)

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming, Photoshop/Lightroom on 5dmk3 RAW files, Database Development/Virtual Machines
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included? $2500, flexible
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible. US
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, Case, Memory, Power Supply, Hard Drives
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? GPU - GTX 680 from Mac until Maxwell cards come out
6) Will you be overclocking? Yes
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it? 30" Dell - 2560x1600
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC? By end of November 2013
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? USB 3, SLI (for future), not sure what other features I need
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit? No, I will buy Windows 8.1 64 bit

 

[ARCHiTEKK]

Please answer the question in the ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS sticky, so that everyone can provide better advice.

Aside from that the H100i liquid cooler I would say is overkill, an H80 would be just fine, also noting that AS5 is an outdated compound and stock compounds these days are just as good.

 

[sitheris]

Please answer the question in the ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS sticky, so that everyone can provide better advice.

Aside from that the H100i liquid cooler I would say is overkill, an H80 would be just fine, also noting that AS5 is an outdated compound and stock compounds these days are just as good.

Thanks, Answers added to original post. Even for overclocking the H100i is overkill? To be honest I couldn't find anywhere that explained the difference between all the different Corsair liquid coolers, other than the number of fans and noise levels, so I just picked one of the most popular ones.

 

[ARCHiTEKK]

Hmm, I only suggested that since you only mentioned mild overclocking, but at same time If your budget is $2500(including shipping/tax or not) without including graphic cards into the equation then you can definitely keep the H100i.

Also note that suggestions on parts tend to change weekly, so If you are not planning to build the system within the next week or two, it would be best to come back closer to your expected purchase date.

 

[Dangman]

Our hardware recommendations tend to change monthly and sometimes even weekly due to changing pricing and availability. So you might be setting yourself up for a slightly outdated/overpriced setup in the future by planning a month and a half in advance.

NOw assuming that you'll be buying all the parts before October 31st, here's what I recomend instead:

Dominator RAM are never worth the extra money. Unless you're aiming for e-peen, you'll be fine with this significantly cheaper and similarily real world performance having RAM:
$140 - Corsair CML16GX3M2A1600C10 Vengeance 2 x 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM

And no, you don't need RAM speeds above DDR3 1600. As for the motherboard. that mobo is a solid high-end choice if you're aiming for the highest overclocks possible.

The thermal paste that comes with the H100i is just as good as AS5. So no need to get AS5 unless you know you'll be reseating the HSF often. Even if you are, there are far better thermal paste out there like the Arctic MX-4 since it does not have the curing time that AS5 does:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0045JCFLY/?tag=extension-kb-20

Your storage setup seems a bit odd. Mind explaining your reasoning for it?

As for your plans for SLI, are you absolutely sure about that?

 

[sitheris]

Our hardware recommendations tend to change monthly and sometimes even weekly due to changing pricing and availability. So you might be setting yourself up for a slightly outdated/overpriced setup in the future by planning a month and a half in advance.

NOw assuming that you'll be buying all the parts before October 31st, here's what I recomend instead:

Dominator RAM are never worth the extra money. Unless you're aiming for e-peen, you'll be fine with this significantly cheaper and similarily real world performance having RAM:
$140 - Corsair CML16GX3M2A1600C10 Vengeance 2 x 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM

And no, you don't need RAM speeds above DDR3 1600. As for the motherboard. that mobo is a solid high-end choice if you're aiming for the highest overclocks possible.

The thermal paste that comes with the H100i is just as good as AS5. So no need to get AS5 unless you know you'll be reseating the HSF often. Even if you are, there are far better thermal paste out there like the Arctic MX-4 since it does not have the curing time that AS5 does:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0045JCFLY/?tag=extension-kb-20

Your storage setup seems a bit odd. Mind explaining your reasoning for it?

As for your plans for SLI, are you absolutely sure about that?

Great info, thanks for that. As for my storage setup, the SSD will be for OS, applications and games. The 2TB WD Black will be for data, RAW files, music/media, virtual machine storage. The 3TB green will serve as a backup drive for the other 2. Maybe I overcomplicated it, it made sense to me when I chose the drives lol.

For SLI, I wouldn't say that I'm *absolutely* sure about it, pending what we see from Maxwell, but it's definitely something that's on my radar and that I will be strongly considering.

 

[Dangman]

Great info, thanks for that. As for my storage setup, the SSD will be for OS, applications and games. The 2TB WD Black will be for data, RAW files, music/media, virtual machine storage. The 3TB green will serve as a backup drive for the other 2. Maybe I overcomplicated it, it made sense to me when I chose the drives lol.

Well it's not an optimal setup:
- The WD 3TB being in the same system as the actual data makes it not a backup at all. A backup is usually separated from the actual data as to lowering the chances of whatever bad stuff happened to the main data from occuring to the actual copy/backup of that data. In other words, get an external hard drive, a NAS, a file server, or even online backup services if you actually want backup since all those setups are separated from your main PC.So I would use the money spent on the WD 3TB on any of the solutions I've mentioned earlier.

- You're missing a swap drive which is rather important to Photoshop performance. I would add in a cheap Samsung 840 120GB SSD for the swap drive.

 

[/usr/sbin]

No advice, welcome home.

 

[sitheris]

Well it's not an optimal setup:
- The WD 3TB being in the same system as the actual data makes it not a backup at all. A backup is usually separated from the actual data as to lowering the chances of whatever bad stuff happened to the main data from occuring to the actual copy/backup of that data. In other words, get an external hard drive, a NAS, a file server, or even online backup services if you actually want backup since all those setups are separated from your main PC.So I would use the money spent on the WD 3TB on any of the solutions I've mentioned earlier.

- You're missing a swap drive which is rather important to Photoshop performance. I would add in a cheap Samsung 840 120GB SSD for the swap drive.

I use Backblaze for online backup but like to have a local backup too for convenience. I also have a spare SSD in my Mac Pro that I'll be pulling for a swap drive.

 

[Dangman]

I use Backblaze for online backup but like to have a local backup too for convenience. I also have a spare SSD in my Mac Pro that I'll be pulling for a swap drive.

Then grab a cheap NAS like the Synology DS213j and load it with two 4TB drives, set up a RAID 1 setup, and you'll be good to go backup-wise.