New Build coming early next year ...

[Deleted]

Hi people!

In the past I often wanted to upgrade or make a new build but neither came to pass thanks to problems with work, university and my flat ... screw them all But now that everything is settled I will be ready to buy a new rig rather soon. I plan on getting it in January or early February.

Budget: Should not be an issue, i plan on spending 1500€ (+/- 300). I rather get out more longevity of the rig than having to upgrade early, even if it means a little more cost.

Resolution: I'm playong on 1080p on my Asus VS248H - which I'm really happy with - as well as on my 42" TV set in the living room. I don't plan on going any higher resolution soon. The next step i might take will be 4k once it is affordable for both TV and PC displays. but that might take a few years.

Games / Settings Desired:
Max max max max max !

Country:
Austria (the one with the snow, not the kangaroos)

Parts that can be reused:
I want to reuse my Noctua NH-D14 CPU cooler, apart from that: only the DVD drive.

Do you need an OS?
Nope, got official Win8 (and hope on gettting Win10 for free :P)

Do you need peripherals (e.g. monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc)?
nope

What games I want to play:
I'm looking forward to The Witcher 3 and Kingdom Come: Deliverence which I've pledged for on Kickstarter. Also I'll be playing Dragon Age: Inquisition and the upcoming Batman: Arkham Knight as well as Assassin's Creed: Unity. Also I'm playing Diablo 3 and might be returning to World of Warcraft when Warlords of Draenor launches.

What I want the build to succeed in:
Since I will be playing alot of online games too I want a decent ethernet chipset. I have no experience with Killer LAN. Is it better than Intel?
Also I will be overclocking, thanks to my NH-D14. I simply want the rig to be somewhat future proof. Maybe adding another GPU somewhere down the road for SLi.
My current rig is already more than 3 years old and it starts to show, some games are near to unplayable even on minimum settings and it is not getting better ^^


This is what I came up with so far: (just so that you know: I'm used to Intel / nVidia and would like to stick with it, even if it means the rig ends up a little more expensive)

HDD: Western Digital WD Black 3TB, 4KB Sektoren, SATA 6Gb/s (WD3003FZEX)
SSD: Samsung SSD 840 EVO 500GB, SATA 6Gb/s (MZ-7TE500BW)
CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K, 4x 3.50GHz, boxed (BX80646I54690K) OR
CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K, 4x 4.00GHz, boxed (BX80646I74790K)
RAM: G.Skill Ares DIMM Kit 16GB, DDR3-1600, CL9-9-9-24 (F3-1600C9D-16GAR) (never had G.Skill before...)
GPU: MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G, GeForce GTX 970, 4GB GDDR5, 2x DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort (V316-001R) OR
GPU: ASUS STRIX-GTX970-DC2OC-4GD5, GeForce GTX 970, 4GB GDDR5, 2x DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort (90YV07F0-M0NA00) (I don't think the GPUs are that different... which do you consider better? or would it be wise to go for 980?)
Mobo: MSI Z97 Gaming 5 (7917-001R)
Case: be quiet! Silent Base 800 schwarz (currently not available, should be released by the end of the year, its not a cheap case but i like the looks so damn much)
PSU: Antec High Current Gamer M HCG-850M, 850W ATX 2.3 (0761345-06224-4)

This build is roughly 1400€ considering the cheapest components. With the 4790k and a 980 it would be roughly 1800. As i mentioned before i don't mind spending a little extra if i can run the game i've listed on max and have a decent future proof system. I wouldn't mind saving one or two bucks either

Additional info:
- I plan on removing all the drive bays inside the case for better airflow. The SSD i can mount behind the mother board tray and the HDD will go into one of the DVD drive bays together with a vibe reducer i've had pretty good experience with.
- I will not get a non-modular PSU ... don't want any cable clutter ^^
- From what I've seen from the new Intel CPUs (5xxx) and DDR4 they don't seem to benefit gaming for now.

EDIT: What I'm ultimately getting at:
- Which would you consider the better long-term investment? the i5-4690k or the i7-4790k ? I understand that most games benefit from fewer core with higher clock speeds rather than multiple cores with lesser clock speed. The 4690k out of the box runs at 3.5GHz whereas the 4790k runs with 4 GHz. Anyway i want to overclock. And as i've previously mentioned i got a beastly fan for that (the noctua NH-d14). Will i be able to hit about the same clock speeds with overclocking ? Which CPU should i go for?
- Also what about the GPU? The 980 is a beast of a card, but does it make a noticable difference on 1080p compared to the 970? Will future games like The Witcher 3 max out on the 970 ? What do you think. Is the 980 worth the investment?
- And how much RAM does one really need? For the above mentioned build i went with 16GB. I very often read and hear that 8 GB is the sweet spot and 16 already overkill. Do you think that games that come out in the next 12-24 months will utilize more of the RAM thus justifying 16GB ?
- And finally: is Killar LAN worth it or would a cheaper Mobo with Intel Ethernet chipsets suffice?

So thanks in advance for your help and i'm looking forward to your input!
Tobi

[Pijips]

4k gaming is incredibly expensive, and to get playable FPS with reasonably high settings on 4k will cost upwards of €1.2k on the GPU setup alone, bear that in mind
For gaming the i5 is definitely enough for now and well into the foreseeable future. Your current cooler will allow you to do some good overclocking, but for pushing to the extreme a water cooler like the H100i would be better, however you won't need to do this to max games. Considering the 970/980, you won't see a difference unless you're playing on at least 1440p (in most games), but unless you go for an SLI setup 4k won't really be feasible. The difference in performance between the 970 and 980 isn't huge; the 970 is ~10% slower than the 980, and bearing that in mind, personally I'd say going for SLI 970s would be a better option than getting a 980, if that's what you're considering. The only issue with SLI is whether the games support it or not though

I'd say 8 GB of RAM is enough. Since you're only using this build for gaming, you don't need an i7 or a huge amount of RAM, those things are generally only for if you're using the PC for video editing and things like that

Can't comment on the LAN question

[Arbiter]

I recommend you come back about a week before you plan on ordering. No telling what will release and where prices will be by then. Would be silly to waste time on putting a list together when it's likely to change.

[Deleted]

I recommend you come back about a week before you plan on ordering. No telling what will release and where prices will be by then. Would be silly to waste time on putting a list together when it's likely to change.

well, new intel CPUs are out and don't differ that much from 4xxx when it comes to gaming. gpus are out and new, chipset is out and new ...
i don't see that changing in 2-3 months also i like to tinker around with components and see what goes and goes not. so i don't look at it as wasted time but rather time spent learning and preparing.

- - - Updated - - -

a few things that just came to my mind.

1.: if i upgrade one day to 2 970s in SLi, will i need the 850W PSU or will 750 suffice?

2.: what is the possibility of clearance issues with G.Skill memory and the NH-D14 ?

[Arbiter]

well, new intel CPUs are out and don't differ that much from 4xxx when it comes to gaming. gpus are out and new, chipset is out and new ...
i don't see that changing in 2-3 months also i like to tinker around with components and see what goes and goes not. so i don't look at it as wasted time but rather time spent learning and preparing.

- - - Updated - - -

a few things that just came to my mind.

1.: if i upgrade one day to 2 970s in SLi, will i need the 850W PSU or will 750 suffice?

2.: what is the possibility of clearance issues with G.Skill memory and the NH-D14 ?

A lot can change in 2-3 months. Though, 750 will do fine, but you need to make sure it can provide enough amps on the 12V rail.

Seriously. It's pointless to come up with a build considering what may come out within then next months and what prices will change. Being here trying to waste people's time is a little silly. We can provide you proper help that will be much more beneficial when the time actually comes.

[Deleted]

Seriously. It's pointless to come up with a build considering what may come out within then next months and what prices will change. Being here trying to waste people's time is a little silly. We can provide you proper help that will be much more beneficial when the time actually comes.

lol ... i'm wasting noones time. neither you nor anybody else has to read my post or even answer to it. as i've previously stated it is more about the theory and the learning as it is about actually buying a rig NOW. and isn't talking, theorizing and communicating the main reason to visit a board or participate in a community?

[Deleted]

Do you need the extra warranty on the WDBlack, and is the 840 EVO what you want for an SSD, when you can get the MX100 for less? Everything else, i'd largely agree with, with the exception of the case, as beQuiet! havent' done many cases yet.

[Pijips]

A lot can change in 2-3 months. Though, 750 will do fine, but you need to make sure it can provide enough amps on the 12V rail.

Seriously. It's pointless to come up with a build considering what may come out within then next months and what prices will change. Being here trying to waste people's time is a little silly. We can provide you proper help that will be much more beneficial when the time actually comes.

Actually, now is a really good time to build a PC, at least for 1080p gaming, getting a good i5 now will be more than enough regardless if something new comes out soon or not, and a 970 is great for 1080p gaming. Only if op really wanted to pursue the 4k route would he be better waiting until early 2015 to see AMD's offerings

[Arbiter]

Actually, now is a really good time to build a PC, at least for 1080p gaming, getting a good i5 now will be more than enough regardless if something new comes out soon or not, and a 970 is great for 1080p gaming. Only if op really wanted to pursue the 4k route would he be better waiting until early 2015 to see AMD's offerings

I didn't say it wasn't a good idea to build one right now. OP says he's not building it until Jan/Feb. I'm saying picking out parts right now is worthless. New shit could easily release and prices can change even easier. The best build today has a good chance at not being the best build in 3-4 months.

I understand he's probably excited, but I had to deal with the same issue with a friend's little brother when he wanted a PC built and was too impatient to wait until he was ready to order.. I put one together for him and he came back and didn't actually buy it until a few months later. The build had to be redone.

[SidFwuff]

4k gaming is incredibly expensive, and to get playable FPS with reasonably high settings on 4k will cost upwards of €1.2k on the GPU setup alone, bear that in mind

I'm in Canada, not Europe, so not sure what the prices are like over there but that sounds extremely high.

I finally decided to upgrade my 4~5 year old monitor last night and purchased an ASUS 28" 4k UHD Monitor from the local computer store chain for $699.99CDN.

Figuring my Gigabyte 560Ti wouldn't cut it, I also picked up an ASUS GTX 980 4GB for $619.99CDN.

After manually switching the monitor from Display Port 1.1 to 1.2, I had full 4k at 60Hz running.

I tested Battlefield 3 on 'Ultra' settings, and had around 40fps. Dropping the MSAA from 4x to 2x and the AA filter from 16x to 1x boosted it to 55fps, and I played a few hours in Diablo 3 at maxed with 4k with no issues whatsoever (I haven't bothered to actually check the fps in it yet).

Considering I had to purchase the monitor to go with the video card, I don't think it's 'incredibly expensive'. $1,320.00CDN is €937.36 which includes the monitor.

[Deleted]

I understand he's probably excited, but I had to deal with the same issue with a friend's little brother when he wanted a PC built and was too impatient to wait until he was ready to order.. I put one together for him and he came back and didn't actually buy it until a few months later. The build had to be redone.

i'm constantly updating this build since more than 2 months and i will continue to do so in the next 2 months ... also price isn't an issue (remember 1500 +/- 300).

- - - Updated - - -

Do you need the extra warranty on the WDBlack, and is the 840 EVO what you want for an SSD, when you can get the MX100 for less? Everything else, i'd largely agree with, with the exception of the case, as beQuiet! havent' done many cases yet.

i'll have to look into the MX100. so far i had good experiences with Samsung SSDs ... WD i don't know. My GF has a WD Blue (? not sure) in her rig and it sometimes runs extremely slow. i don't know which HDD manufacturers are really good and trustworthy.

- - - Updated - - -

Considering I had to purchase the monitor to go with the video card, I don't think it's 'incredibly expensive'. $1,320.00CDN is €937.36 which includes the monitor.

The reason i'm not switching to 4k yet is that i use multiple monitors. 1 Display in the office, 1 TV set in the living room and i like to clone the image so that i see the same stuff going on on both screens. so i need both displays to run at the same resolution. and although i'm willing to spend quite the sum on a new pc i'm not willing to swap out 2 screens at once. ^^

[Pijips]

I'm in Canada, not Europe, so not sure what the prices are like over there but that sounds extremely high.

I finally decided to upgrade my 4~5 year old monitor last night and purchased an ASUS 28" 4k UHD Monitor from the local computer store chain for $699.99CDN.

Figuring my Gigabyte 560Ti wouldn't cut it, I also picked up an ASUS GTX 980 4GB for $619.99CDN.

After manually switching the monitor from Display Port 1.1 to 1.2, I had full 4k at 60Hz running.

I tested Battlefield 3 on 'Ultra' settings, and had around 40fps. Dropping the MSAA from 4x to 2x and the AA filter from 16x to 1x boosted it to 55fps, and I played a few hours in Diablo 3 at maxed with 4k with no issues whatsoever (I haven't bothered to actually check the fps in it yet).

Considering I had to purchase the monitor to go with the video card, I don't think it's 'incredibly expensive'. $1,320.00CDN is €937.36 which includes the monitor.

Yea, I suppose I exaggerated, didn't realise the 980 performed that well at 4k. Though if he wants to be playing stuff like Batman: Arkham Knight, the new Assassin's Creed, the new Dragon Age and The Witcher 3 a single 980 is really not going to cut it for 4k. BF3 is 3 years old and new games are going to require better hardware