Extending the "Monthly Setup" to my first home rig.

[Artorius]

What I plan to do with my Rig is get a 2nd 970 in a couple of years - or if a good sale happens sooner. Then I will SLI them and that will help me future proof to some extent.

I'm personally against recommending CFX/SLI unless the person is planning to play in 4K, where they're absolutely needed.

It's all beautiful when it works, but sometimes it just doesn't...

Sometimes it does but doesn't scale much, and there are gloriously ridiculous cases when X+1 cards are worse than X for some mystical reason.

Things might change with DX12 and it's multi GPU support, but for now it's all handled by the driver in a very guimmicky way.

[BicycleMafioso]

The price difference between the two is about $40, wouldn't you say the increases in specs are worth that?

For a price jump, I'd rather look into the 290X. Some places has it within that span and it'd be worth it. See edit.

I'd use that 40 dollars and get the GTX 970.

Quite honestly, with a single 1080p monitor, the GTX 970 is only 3.2~% faster than the 290. Meaning that the 390 is probably as much ahead.
At 1440p, the 290 is 1% behind the 970, meaning that the 390 is a fair bit ahead.
At 2160p/UHD/"What-people-call-4K-but-isn't-quite-4K-but-really-I'm-just-nitpicking-here", the 290 is about 5%~ faster than the 970, so the 390 should be way ahead.
What we learn from that is that the wider memory bandwidth (512bit vs 256) makes it scale much better the more pixels you push and the higher AA/textures you use.
2x 1080p monitors is 12.5% beyond 1440p and 3 monitors is 68.75% beyond 1440p. I'd personally go for AMD.

@ OP, if I'm being too complicated or in-depth, please ask me and I'll try to broaden up my explanations.


EDIT: I can't find 390 vs 290 figures on my go-to-website, but the 390x is apparently 12.5% ahead of the 290x, so if the same figures hold true for the stepped down re-brand, I'd definitely go with the 390. Possibly even 390 over 290x. Especially if you are a new builder like OP is and is not comfortable overclocking yet.

EDIT2: A possible reason to actually go nVidia that I forgot about is CUDA. If the functions you use in photoshop heavily benefit from CUDA, at least more than OpenCL, it might be worth considering, but probably not. AMD's 390/290-series are stronger compute cards than nvidias 900-series iirc

[squid]

Quite honestly, with a single 1080p monitor, the GTX 970 is only 3.2~% faster than the 290. Meaning that the 390 is probably as much ahead.
At 1440p, the 290 is 1% behind the 970, meaning that the 390 is a fair bit ahead.
At 2160p/UHD/"What-people-call-4K-but-isn't-quite-4K-but-really-I'm-just-nitpicking-here", the 290 is about 5%~ faster than the 970, so the 390 should be way ahead.
What we learn from that is that the wider memory bandwidth (512bit vs 256) makes it scale much better the more pixels you push and the higher AA/textures you use.
2x 1080p monitors is 12.5% beyond 1440p and 3 monitors is 68.75% beyond 1440p. I'd personally go for AMD.

That is interesting about the scaling, but it does sort of make sense. I am interested in having something that will perform with multiple monitors, as this is something I will definitely be using. I'll probably go for the 390.

A possible reason to actually go nVidia that I forgot about is CUDA. If the functions you use in photoshop heavily benefit from CUDA, at least more than OpenCL, it might be worth considering, but probably not. AMD's 390/290-series are stronger compute cards than nvidias 900-series iirc

The only features photoshop uses such for are complex automated blurring, and the liquify function, neither of which would be very professional to use. Nvidia claims the new Mercury graphics engine uses it, but Adobe says it doesn't Ironically the more advanced function of CUDA better serves more amateur users who rely on photoshops automation instead of doing things in detail. I'm not sure I want my GPU doing processing anyway if I can avoid it. The CPU should be plenty powerful.

[BicycleMafioso]

The monitor argument, in fairness, might only be relevant if you are actually gaming on them as well, but you'd be pushing more pixels in general /shrug.

And I really have no idea about software, I'm just trying to give the full picture

I also sent some graphs and numbers in a PM that I didn't think cluttering up the thread with would be necessary.

[squid]

The monitor argument, in fairness, might only be relevant if you are actually gaming on them as well, but you'd be pushing more pixels in general /shrug.
I also sent some graphs and numbers in a PM that I didn't think cluttering up the thread with would be necessary.

It's pretty likely I will have design programs open on each monitor simultaneously at some point. I'd rather have the power.
Thanks for the charts. It looks like the 390 is about 13% better across these resolutions more or less.

So here we stand I believe, unless I am missing something. Have a look over and tell me what you think.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($404.98 @ DirectCanada)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock 3 113.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($79.99 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Canada Computers)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($120.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($174.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.00 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 380 4GB Video Card ($320.66 @ DirectCanada)
Case: Corsair Air 540 ATX Mid Tower Case ($163.50 @ Vuugo)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($134.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($23.05 @ Vuugo)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) ($104.99 @ Canada Computers)
Monitor: Dell P2414H 60Hz 23.8" Monitor ($289.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Keyboard: Logitech G510s Wired Gaming Keyboard ($104.99 @ NCIX)
Speakers: Logitech Z323 30W 2.1ch Speakers ($68.19 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $2250.27
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-08 01:31 EDT-0400

For clarity: The MSI Radeon R9 380 4GB seems to be debatably close to the Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX, so close in fact I chose the 380 because it is $80 cheaper to me than the 970.
Please pay special attention to the Memory, right now it was a bit of a toss up between the G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 and the G.Skill Sniper Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866. They are within $10 of each other and I can't really tell a difference at almost 3am so let me know if it matters.

Right now I'm about ten percent over budget after OS and peripherals, I'm not interested in scaling down the computer itself but if I can plug this into a largish Insignia TV/Monitor I have kicking around by HDMI that would knock off about $350 for the display and speakers I can buy later.

[BicycleMafioso]

Some inconsistency I'm noting here are between mentioning 390 first and then the 380.

Anyway, in an attempt to reduce your budget slightly:
Otherwise, I'd probably save with the SSD in getting an 850 EVO instead. Performance is unlikely to suffer.
I don't think 1TB hard drives are very value oriented (price/GB) right now, so I'd consider scrapping it entirely or increase capacity.
The case seems needlessly expensive, and I think a Define S (noise level) or Arc Midi R2, both from Fractal Design, presents better value while still being good cases.
The PSU seems overinflated to me; a 650w unit will give you good performance with ample headroom still, but hey, many people like to overshoot it.
Optical drive -- really? In 2015?
The keyboard seems expensive for a non-mechanical one. I could recommend the CM Storm Quickfire TK or CM Storm QuickFire Rapid; they don't cost much less, but they are mechanical and more compact. That might not suit you though.

[TaintedOne]

Made some changes to better fit budget and hit on some points tetris made evo, ODD, and etc. Also if you wanted to OC your gpu do not get a gigabyte card or the one I selected at least the voltage is locked. Shame on you gigabyte >:[

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($404.98 @ DirectCanada)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! PURE ROCK 87.0 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($37.95 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-P ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Canada Computers)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($119.99 @ NCIX)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($118.68 @ Amazon Canada)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($55.25 @ shopRBC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 390 8GB SOC Video Card ($409.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($104.99 @ NCIX)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) ($104.99 @ Canada Computers)
Monitor: Dell P2414H 60Hz 23.8" Monitor ($289.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Keyboard: Logitech G710 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($99.98 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $1996.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-08 08:32 EDT-0400

[Pterodactylus]

Made some changes to better fit budget and hit on some points tetris made evo, ODD, and etc. Also if you wanted to OC your gpu do not get a gigabyte card or the one I selected at least the voltage is locked. Shame on you gigabyte >:[

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($404.98 @ DirectCanada)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! PURE ROCK 87.0 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($37.95 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-P ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Canada Computers)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($119.99 @ NCIX)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($118.68 @ Amazon Canada)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($55.25 @ shopRBC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 390 8GB SOC Video Card ($409.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($104.99 @ NCIX)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) ($104.99 @ Canada Computers)
Monitor: Dell P2414H 60Hz 23.8" Monitor ($289.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Keyboard: Logitech G710 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($99.98 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $1996.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-08 08:32 EDT-0400

This motherboard can't crossfire, just as an FYI. I'd stick with the A and I would stick with the bigger 750 watt PSU. You don't know what you will do in a couple of years and adding a 2nd card might be an fairly cheap upgrade in the future and it would be nice to have the juice. I figure it is always best to have options and really, save a penny today to spend a dollar tomorrow seems silly. Also, the 750 carries a 10 year warranty compared to the 5 year warranty with the 650 and the 650, according to johnnyguru, has a mix of quality capacitors and cheap Chinese capacitors whereas the 750 is all quality. Although both are good PSUs (both made by Seasonic), I just feel the 750 is better and worth the extra money. Some might say I am one of those people who like to over-shoot things, but I like to have future options and I think its foolish to cheap out on a PSU. As for the EVO, it is a great SSD and as tetrisgoat says, you wont notice the difference between Pro and EVO.

Do you use an optical drive Squid?

Here is a good look at both PSUs: 750 and the 650.

[squid]

Some inconsistency I'm noting here are between mentioning 390 first and then the 380.

Ah yes, you are right. The 380 is used in the Narwhal build. The 390 is however an 8GB card, $80 more than the 390, but only $40 more than the STRIX card. Worth it?

I'd probably save with the SSD in getting an 850 EVO instead. Performance is unlikely to suffer.

What is the actual difference between the PRO and EVO?

The case seems needlessly expensive, and I think a Define S (noise level) or Arc Midi R2, both from Fractal Design, presents better value while still being good cases.

I will have a look at these later, seems some of these prices may not be available. I was looking at the Corsair for the excellent air-flow and abundance of space to put more junk in down the road without buying another case, but we'll see.

The PSU seems overinflated to me; a 650w unit will give you good performance with ample headroom still, but hey, many people like to overshoot it.
Optical drive -- really? In 2015?

I know I don't use it much, but for $20, it's convenient to have.

The keyboard seems expensive for a non-mechanical one. I could recommend the CM Storm Quickfire TK or CM Storm QuickFire Rapid; they don't cost much less, but they are mechanical and more compact. That might not suit you though.

Good advice, these look nice. Thank you.

[Pterodactylus]

What is the actual difference between the PRO and EVO?

The 850 Evo vs. the 850 Pro.

[squid]

Alright so the updated build:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($404.98 @ DirectCanada)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock 3 113.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($79.99 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Canada Computers)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($119.99 @ NCIX)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($127.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.00 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 390 8GB Video Card ($439.99 @ Memory Express)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($134.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($23.05 @ Vuugo)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) ($104.99 @ Canada Computers)
Monitor: ViewSonic VA2249S 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($146.00 @ Vuugo)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm QuickFire TK Wired Mini Keyboard ($108.07 @ Amazon Canada)
Speakers: Logitech Z323 30W 2.1ch Speakers ($68.19 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $2137.20
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-08 19:39 EDT-0400

@TetrisGoat I changed out the keyboard, good call, mechanical is better and I like the Cherry Brown keys because they are less loud. I'm going to keep the HDD because I need somewhere to store design files before they go into long storage. I have also changed the case to a Fractal

@Tainted I am going to stick with the current MoBo, and I think saving a few bucks on the PSU is not worth it here, Ptero is right, and that warranty is killer.

@Ptero I do use an optical drive, rarely for watching DVDs I haven't bothered to digitize. I have also never installed an OS without one though I am sure I could figure it out pretty easily.
Going EVO SSD, that review was amazing thank you, looks like a really great piece of hardware.

I switched out the display for one with better contrast and color range, which is also cheaper. Not sure why the Monthly Setup recommended that Dell one, it doesn't look like anything special.

So my questions now are:
Is the MSI Radeon R9 390 8GB Video Card worth $120 more than the MSI Radeon R9 380 4GB Video Card or $40 more than the Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card?
It seems like an 8GB card is pretty large jump up so I am thinking yes, but this is the most expensive part of the build, so I need to be sure.

Secondly, is that RAM correct? I have switched to the Kingston because it is DDR3-1866, and for a lesser price than the other RAM which was DDR3-1600. Slightly better for slightly cheaper.

Is it worth it to buy a wireless adaptor?

[Artorius]

So my questions now are:
Is the MSI Radeon R9 390 8GB Video Card worth $120 more than the MSI Radeon R9 380 4GB Video Card or $40 more than the Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card?
It seems like an 8GB card is pretty large jump up so I am thinking yes, but this is the most expensive part of the build, so I need to be sure.

The card itself might be better but the memory difference is irrelevant unless you plan on playing in something like 8K.

[Pterodactylus]

Is the MSI Radeon R9 390 8GB Video Card worth $120 more than the MSI Radeon R9 380 4GB Video Card or $40 more than the Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card?
It seems like an 8GB card is pretty large jump up so I am thinking yes, but this is the most expensive part of the build, so I need to be sure.

Well the monitor you picked has 1920 x 1080 native resolution so there is not a chance that you will use 8 gigs of VRAM. Me, I'd get the Strix . It's the card I have and I love it - it does what I wanted it to do and that is play all my games (same as you listed pretty much) on ultra at 1080p. But you are right, you should feel confident in the reason why you are choosing the video card. Like you said, it is the most expensive part. You can check a few videos comparing the cards, look at some benchmarks, and toss the question out on the PCpartpicker forums. That is a pretty knowledgeable community with lots of diverse viewpoints and not all of them are just gamers (since you also want to use this for graphic design).

Secondly, is that RAM correct? I have switched to the Kingston because it is DDR3-1866, and for a lesser price than the other RAM which was DDR3-1600. Slightly better for slightly cheaper.

That RAM is a fine choice, and it is not just compatible, but is also on ASUS's qualified vendor's list for the Z97-A.

Is it worth it to buy a wireless adaptor?

I built my desk and the router for the house is mounted on the back of it, so I have no need for a wireless adapter and I have never researched anything about them.

[Remilia]

I switched out the display for one with better contrast and color range

No you didn't.
The contrast ratio you're looking for is static contrast, not dynamic. Dynamic is for one, useless, and static is the one that matters the most. They're both specced at 1000:1, don't know about the real world performance for the Viewsonic one.
The color coverage is still the sRGB gamut. It's still a white LED backlit panel.

Not sure why the Monthly Setup recommended that Dell one, it doesn't look like anything special.

Because it is a pretty good monitor. I personally would recommend different in the Unicorn monitor due to being U2412M is old discontinued and there are better monitors now for the price.
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/dell_p2414h.htm

[squid]

No you didn't.
The contrast ratio you're looking for is static contrast, not dynamic. Dynamic is for one, useless, and static is the one that matters the most. They're both specced at 1000:1, don't know about the real world performance for the Viewsonic one.

Thanks for pointing that out. Seems you are right about color, but if the static contrast is the same, I'm basically weighing doubling the price of the monitor against 2.3" more screen space. It's probably fine to go smaller and save the cash here since I still have a 42" Insignia around to connect as well for movies or whatever.

Here's a quick comparison for you tech knowledgeable people, it links to the comparison site:


It seems like the STRIX still beats the more expensive MSI in speed, but not in other areas. Since I am not using an insane monitor, or playing the most graphically intense games in existence, the STRIX is probably better no?

[Artorius]

Quite honestly, you don't really need to look at the numbers. They are not going to tell you anything since the cards have different architectures and work differently, look at benchmark results instead.

[squid]

Then STRIX it is.

The Build
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($404.98 @ DirectCanada)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock 3 113.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($79.99 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Canada Computers)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($126.99 @ NCIX)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($127.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.00 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($409.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($139.99 @ Canada Computers)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($134.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($23.05 @ Vuugo)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) ($104.99 @ Canada Computers)
Monitor: ViewSonic VA2249S 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($146.00 @ Vuugo)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm QuickFire TK Wired Mini Keyboard ($108.07 @ Amazon Canada)
Speakers: Logitech Z323 30W 2.1ch Speakers ($68.19 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $2134.19
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-09 09:40 EDT-0400

Thank you everyone for your help.