Uber Build

[msbenso]

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=21902772
Building totally new uber build.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Yes
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Over 3k
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Chicago, IL
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc.
Everything in the public wish list listed above.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Reusing SSD with 64bit OS and DVDRW drives.
6) Will you be overclocking?
Likely
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1920x1080
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
ASAFP
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA?
idk
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
64 bit Win8

I also already have an asus Xonar sound card
Lemme know what really nice gaming headsets/audiophile headsets you all use. Does anyone use monitor/audiophile headphones and a throat mic? I keep breaking plastic gaming headsets.

 

[tiraides]

Seriously, what are you going to use this build for?

I personally believe that it's overkill in a few (maybe several) areas, but I can't make any recommendations without some background information on your plans.

Also, which SSD are you reusing?

Do you have a monitor already?

 

[linziyi]

You should really go for 1440p monitor with that budget.

 

[msbenso]

Thanks for input so far guys. Im likely starting with 32gb of ram. Mostly I'll be gaming on it. Someone said the 6core cpu is overkill. I saw it as a decent upgrade for the price break. Mostly i want high end components that can be overclocked if i choose to do that.
My concern with greater than 1920x1080 monitors is that gaming on 24 inch monitor is big enough. 27 and bigger monitors are the only ones with higher than 1080 correct? 27 is too big for fps games I think. Are there 24 inch 1440 1ms 120hz 3d capable monitors?

 

[msbenso]

My current ssd is 128gb ill either put it into a media center pc or use for awhile in the new build.

 

[msbenso]

Current monitor is a 24in LG 60hz

 

[schizrade]

You can build such a stupid crazy PC with 3k... good lord.

Just go 16GB ram and double up on Vid cards. Unless you are working with heavy VM's you won't use that anytime soon, and at that point you would want a 6 core cpu.

 

[Objekt]

It would be a crying shame to use that build with a low-res monitor. With that kind of budget, you can easily afford at least a 16:10 monitor (1920x1200) or even one of those crazy new 1440-line monitors.

 

[tiraides]

Your build is overkill for a gaming machine. Save some money and go with the following instead:

$200 - Intel Core i5-4670K (Micro Center in-store special)
$140 - MSI Z87-GD65 (Micro Center bundle deal price)
$120 - Crucial Ballistix Sport 2x8GB DDR3 1600 RAM
$86 - Corsair H80i liquid CPU cooler
$450 - Gigabyte GTX 770 4GB
$454 - Samsung 840 Pro 512GB SSD
$92 - Seagate Barracuda 2TB HDD
$130 - Corsair HX750 750 watt modular power supply
=====
$1682 - Subtotal (not including shipping, taxes, or rebates)

The above build is more than enough for your stated goals.

You can keep the case, keyboard, and monitor you were considering earlier.

 

[msbenso]

Your build is overkill for a gaming machine. Save some money and go with the following instead:

$200 - Intel Core i5-4670K (Micro Center in-store special)
$140 - MSI Z87-GD65 (Micro Center bundle deal price)
$120 - Crucial Ballistix Sport 2x8GB DDR3 1600 RAM
$86 - Corsair H80i liquid CPU cooler
$450 - Gigabyte GTX 770 4GB
$454 - Samsung 840 Pro 512GB SSD
$92 - Seagate Barracuda 2TB HDD
$130 - Corsair HX750 750 watt modular power supply
=====
$1682 - Subtotal (not including shipping, taxes, or rebates)

The above build is more than enough for your stated goals.

You can keep the case, keyboard, and monitor you were considering earlier.

do i have to use that corsair liquid cpu cooler? idk if it will fit well in a mid-tower, i hate full towers, they are way too big. I want 8 slots on the mobo for ram so i can go to 64gb after awhile. i don't really want to have to deal with sli. also, anyone headphone reccos for gaming? durable and for a big size head, over-hear/circum aural or w/e. do u mean u don't like the keyboard and case and monitor or do use them? also, isn't it better to game on smaller monitors? or do you guys just move the monitor further back the larger you go?

 

[Dangman]

do i have to use that corsair liquid cpu cooler?

If you're planning on overclocking, yes as that will be your best bet for good cooling for the relatively hot running Haswell CPUs.

d
idk if it will fit well in a mid-tower, i hate full towers, they are way too big.

Any good mid-tower case will be able to fit the Corsair H80 just fine.

I want 8 slots on the mobo for ram so i can go to 64gb after awhile.

Why? You didn't answer question 1 correctly nor did you answer Tiraides' follow-up question. So as far as we can tell, you're only using the PC for gaming. You have not mention any other usage that would require more than 16GB of RAM let alonge 64GB. So for the third time, what are you suing this PC for?

i don't really want to have to deal with sli.

In that case, you don't need a large PSU. As shown here, even a heavily OC'd system with two GTX 780 3GB used around 600W of power. So if you have no plans for SLI whatsoever, then this PSU will be more than enough power for you:
$80 - Seasonic G Series SSR-550RM 550W Modular PSU

In case you're wondering, you only need to 1000W of power once you start looking at tri or quad-SLI setups. Since you don't plan on any form of SLI, then zero point in getting a large PSU.

also, isn't it better to game on smaller monitors?

Not really. The reason why people are questioning/recommending against your monitor choice is because you have $3000 budget. That means you can afford a fast responsive monitor unlike the rest of us. It just so happens thatmany of the fast responsive, and/or higher quality monitors are of higher resolutions like 2560x1440. Think of it this way: To us, it looks you're about to buy a Lamborghini and only driving it up and down your street only on Sundays. We're trying to convince you to at least take that Lambo to a race track.

Not to mention that the larger resolution lets you see more detail.

or do you guys just move the monitor further back the larger you go?

Move it back.

 

[eof]

I'm curious why anyone would consider a 1GB SSD? You can put your OS on an SSD if you need quick boot times. SSDs are great for accessing lots of random small files. However, you get the same effect by having lots of RAM, since after the initial access the OS will cache the files, so that you won't hit the disk anyway on subsequent file accesses.

If you have tons of money to burn just for the fun, just get e.g. an Areca RAID controller including the battery with lots of RAM and put a pile of regular enterprise disks behind it. This will give you lots of throughput as well as fast access times to files that are used a lot.

 

[msbenso]

http://compare.ebay.com/like/140919957473?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar
something like that?

 

[Dangman]

http://compare.ebay.com/like/140919957473?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar
something like that?

Not even going to answer my last question?

EDIT:

I'm curious why anyone would consider a 1GB SSD? You can put your OS on an SSD if you need quick boot times. SSDs are great for accessing lots of random small files. However, you get the same effect by having lots of RAM, since after the initial access the OS will cache the files, so that you won't hit the disk anyway on subsequent file accesses.

Did you mean a 1TB SSD? From what I've been reading and seeing, you don't get the same effect as a SSD by having lots of RAM.

 

[tiraides]

also, anyone headphone reccos for gaming? durable and for a big size head, over-hear/circum aural or w/e.

I can't help you. My preferences and biases aren't the same as yours, so you may not like something I recommend.

do u mean u don't like the keyboard and case and monitor or do use them?

IMO, they were fine. I didn't feel the need to change them.

also, isn't it better to game on smaller monitors? or do you guys just move the monitor further back the larger you go?

Depends... do you want all of the visual bells and whistles active while you game? Do you mind if there's a little bit of ghosting or blurring while gaming?

The appeal of (Korean-based) large resolution monitors like the Catleap Q270 (more on that in a moment) come from their resolution (2560x1440 versus the now-"standard" 1920x1080 of most 22- to 27-inch monitors), their price (compared to similar monitors like the Dell U2713hm or the Apple Cinema Display), their e-IPS panels (they use B-grade versions of the same panels used in the Dell and Apple monitors, except they don't add any anti-glare coating), and their relatively low refresh rates (6ms to 8ms, which is totally acceptable for gaming).

But those monitor comes with some serious, potentially deal-breaking flaws. Because they are B-grade panels assembled cheaply, you don't get many of the same features as the more expensive Apple and Dell monitors. You're also limited to using a DVI-D cable -- no, not all DVI cables work the same way. Worse, you can't use VGA, HDMI, or even DisplayPort. Finally, you run a greater-than-average risk of ending up with a monitor with a few bad pixels or (worse) one that doesn't work at all. (Those odds aren't catastrophically high, but a bad or dead monitor is no fun to replace or exchange by any stretch of the imagination.)

The Catleaps justify the purchase of the GTX 780. For your gaming needs, however, two GTX 770s still outperform the GTX 780 on its own.

http://compare.ebay.com/like/140919957473?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar
something like that?

The price is either Reasons 1a or Reason 1b why people go for the Catleaps. At that price, you're better off waiting for the Dell monitor to go on sale.

You can, however, overclock the refresh rate of the cheaper Catleaps to at least 90Hz (their default is 60Hz). What was the refresh rate on your old monitor?

 

[msbenso]

60hz i didn't know they were 'b grade' humm

 

[tiraides]

The monitor panels are "B grade" in the sense that Dell and Apple didn't use them in their monitors. (They're actually S-IPS. E-IPS, in my earlier "typo," are the newer, cheaper panels used in the sub-$300 monitors.) They're otherwise better for color accuracy and viewing angle than any panel you'll find on cheaper monitors.

The 60Hz refresh rate may be the bigger hurdle to overcome. Can you live with that level?

 

[Elfear]

Thanks for input so far guys. Im likely starting with 32gb of ram. Mostly I'll be gaming on it. Someone said the 6core cpu is overkill. I saw it as a decent upgrade for the price break. Mostly i want high end components that can be overclocked if i choose to do that.
My concern with greater than 1920x1080 monitors is that gaming on 24 inch monitor is big enough. 27 and bigger monitors are the only ones with higher than 1080 correct? 27 is too big for fps games I think. Are there 24 inch 1440 1ms 120hz 3d capable monitors?

No. I recommend an ASUS VG248QE. It's only 1080p but the Lightboost technology is amazing. I find myself gaming almost exclusively on that screen with my 30" collecting dust.

You need some GPU power to push 120hz but the gaming experience is better than a high resolution 60hz panel (even better than a 1440p 120hz panel that lacks Lightboost IMO).

 

[msbenso]

From what I've read that Asus 144hz 24" seems the best monitor for gaming ATM. All my friends that play Global Offensive have been saying that it helps them quite a bit.

What about waiting for Black Friday for the 6 core CPU and a big/bigger SSD? We're kindof at that point in the year that it makes sense to hold out a few months for the crazy deals... but they don't discount every item so I'd have to get lucky with my specific shopping list.

 

[sharknice]

If you're planning on overclocking, yes as that will be your best bet for good cooling for the relatively hot running Haswell CPUs.

I disagree with that. I have had a Haswell i7-4770k running at 4.3GHz with a Hyper 212 for months now. It idles at 30C and during heavy gaming it stays at around 50C. Running Prime95 tops it out at 80C.

But I have a full tower case with a lot of airflow. If you're running a mid-tower you're probably not going to be able to get those temps.

I like the high end full tower Corsair cases because they have wheels on them. The wheels make them a lot easier to take to LANs and keep them elevated so you can get air flowing through the bottom.

 

[Dangman]

I disagree with that. I have had a Haswell i7-4770k running at 4.3GHz with a Hyper 212 for months now. It idles at 30C and during heavy gaming it stays at around 50C. Running Prime95 tops it out at 80C.

But I have a full tower case with a lot of airflow. If you're running a mid-tower you're probably not going to be able to get those temps. [/QUOTE]
Don't forget about different ambient temperatures, location of the case, wiring, mpdel of case fans, etc. All of which would contribute to your temperatures. At least with the Corsair H80i, that's a powerful enough cooling solution that'll have a higher chance of overcoming higher ambient temperatures, poor cable management, not-so-optimal fans, case choice, etc.

 

[sharknice]

Don't forget about different ambient temperatures, location of the case, wiring, mpdel of case fans, etc. All of which would contribute to your temperatures. At least with the Corsair H80i, that's a powerful enough cooling solution that'll have a higher chance of overcoming higher ambient temperatures, poor cable management, not-so-optimal fans, case choice, etc.

Yes. The Corsair H80i will provide better cooling, but it also costs more and has a higher failure rate.

If a fan fails in the hyper 212 you can easily replace it.

If the pump or anything else fails in the H80i you're going to have to replace the whole thing and potentially have a mess to clean up or even damage to your computer.

The tiny performance gains I would have gotten from an H80i weren't worth it to me.

 

[Dangman]

I've only heard of one failure with the Corsair H80i/H100i here on the forums. But you do have a point. However costs isn't a big issue here in this case considering that the OP has a $3000 budget.

 

[pattyp]

Your build is overkill for a gaming machine. Save some money and go with the following instead:

$200 - Intel Core i5-4670K (Micro Center in-store special)
$140 - MSI Z87-GD65 (Micro Center bundle deal price)
$120 - Crucial Ballistix Sport 2x8GB DDR3 1600 RAM
$86 - Corsair H80i liquid CPU cooler
$450 - Gigabyte GTX 770 4GB
$454 - Samsung 840 Pro 512GB SSD
$92 - Seagate Barracuda 2TB HDD
$130 - Corsair HX750 750 watt modular power supply
=====
$1682 - Subtotal (not including shipping, taxes, or rebates)

The above build is more than enough for your stated goals.

You can keep the case, keyboard, and monitor you were considering earlier.

That is very simpler to my build I got from this site.


$230 - Intel Core i5-4670K CPU
$150 - Asus Z87-A Intel Z87 Motherboard
$129 - Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600 MHz
$450 - 2 x Gigabyte GV-N770OC-4GD GeForce GTX 770 4GB PCI-E Video Card
$225 - Samsung 840 Pro 256GB SSD
$80 - Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$18 - Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD Burner
$150 - Corsair Professional Series Gold AX750 750W Modular PSU
$100 - Corsair Hydro H100i Liquid Cooling System
$130 - Windows 7 Professional SP1 64bit OEM
$211 - Corsair Obsidian Series 800D

 

[tiraides]

That is very simpler to my build I got from this site.

Simpler? Or "similar"?

The OP doesn't need to look at your build. The second GTX 770 would push him back towards "overkill."

 

[pattyp]

Simpler? Or "similar"?

The OP doesn't need to look at your build. The second GTX 770 would push him back towards "overkill."

similar.

yea im just saying its around the same hardware.