Hello everyone.
The time has come! I am buying a high-end gaming PC in 2 weeks. My budget is around $2000. Here is a list of parts I came up with:
I will also probably purchase a second 980 GTX in November. Let's run over this list and comment on each of them.PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($309.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X60 98.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($139.99 @ TigerDirect)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-PRO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($187.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($196.97 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($569.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 780T ATX Full Tower Case ($171.36 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Cooler Master VSM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1839.26
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-03 00:48 EDT-0400
PROBABLY NOT TO BE CHANGED:
1. CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($309.99 @ Amazon)
Best affordable CPU on the market. Not a subject to change.
2. Motherboard: Asus Z97-PRO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($187.99 @ Newegg)
Has about the best sound among all affordable motherboards. Sound is very important for me, so I am willing to overpay for this mobo.
3. Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($196.97 @ OutletPC)
Best SSD series on the market. I don't need any more than 256 GB, hell, I probably don't even need above 128 GB, but I like to have some extra space.
4. Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($569.99 @ Amazon)
Best video card on the market. I will add one more 980 in November.
5. Power Supply: Cooler Master VSM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
650w should be more than enough to power two 980 GTX and i7 4790k. I chose an expensive one so it lasts longer.
6. Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
I chose the cheapest available since I need it only to install Windows.
SUBJECT TO CHANGE
1. CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X60 98.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($139.99 @ TigerDirect)
I found this cooler taking the 1st place in many cooler benchmarks. I am crazy about cooling so I simply need the best available! I don't really care about noise since I game in insulating headphones and can't hear a thing anyway. But do I even need such a cooler if I am not going to overclock like crazy? Maybe cheaper variants won't fail me either?
2. Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($149.99 @ Newegg)
My knowledge of memory is very poor. I remember a typical advice of mid 2000-s about the memory frequency being correlated with the mobo bus frequency, that is for 3200 mobo I need 1600 memory as in 3200/2 (I haven't found a decent 3200 memory - are there any?). But what is so special about Ripjaws X Series compared to "regular" memory? Are there any real benefits? And do I even need 16 GB if primarily I am going to be gaming on this PC?
3. Case: Corsair 780T ATX Full Tower Case ($171.36 @ Amazon)
This is the hardest choice for me by far. I am pretty positive that I am going to take an ATX Full Tower case, but the choice is so big that it literally took me 5 hours of browsing through different cases to stick with this one. Are there any better suggestions? Again, noise level doesn't really matter, I just want the best air flow.
Any recommendations on what to change are very-very welcome. There are about two weeks before I am going to start ordering parts, so we can come to some kind of perfect configuration in the meantime.
Thanks a lot!