Hi,
I will soon (October/November) be able to buy my dream setup. I have built my own previous two setup's, both on a small budget. My next system I want to be almost an overkill(without going TOO overboard).
Here's is my compilation of parts so far.
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VII Ranger
CPU: Intel Core i7 4790K 4.4Ghz (which will be over-clocked to aprx. 4.7Ghz)
RAM: 16GB (2x8GB) Corsair Vengeance Pro, 2133MHz
GPU: 3GB EVGA GTX 780 Ti [B]OR [/B]2 x 2GB EVGA GTX 770 in SLI - Not sure yet.
PSU: 1000W Corsair RM1000
[B]Storage[/B]
OS/Main Games: Asus ROG Raidr Express 240GB
Video Content/Encoding: Intel 520 480Gb
General File Storage: 4TB Seagate SSHD
Sound: Creative Sound Blaster ZX - I like the look of this, mainly because of the physical volume controls. Not set 100% on this yet.
Display: 3 x 27" AOC I2757FM [B]or [/B]1 x Samsung LU28D590DS 4K LED Monitor - Both cost around the same, not sure to go with triple monitor setup or a single 4K? Would LOVE a triple 4K setup, but that would cost insane money AND I would need more hardware to play games.
[B]Peripherals[/B]
Keyboard: Corsair Vengeance K95
Mouse: Corsair Vengeance M95
Corsair MM200E Extended Edition Soft Cloth
Case: NZXT H440 in Red
This is it so far. I'm not 100% set on all these components yet. I'm also deciding on the speakers I would like. I know I would like them NOT to be a PC speaker kit. I would rather have some nice floor standers with a decent amp.
Anyway, let me know your opinions on this setup.
I'd say that a single card will always be more compatible for games than 2 in SLI, you could also save yourself some additional money.
Also I don't believe an overclock of 300MHz will be at all worth it, especially for a flagship CPU such as that one. You could save some money going with a non-overclockable version that can still reach 4.0GHz and a more reserved motherboard and still get brilliant performance.
Also, for RAM you will not see any tangible difference in frequency outside of benchmarks. Again; save yourself some money and get some 1600Mhz memory.
Plus, the PSU you've chosen is WAY overkill, you would be wasting money and power (PSUs are most efficient when at around 50% usage).
And finally, you may find that a larger sized HDD may have worse reliability than smaller ones such as 2TB. If you can face halving the space you could save yourself some money AND have a little more piece of mind about your files not being suddenly lost.
Regardless, I'll put together a build of your chosen components and where to get them for the best possible price.
[editline]17th July 2014[/editline]
[URL]http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/Kh2zhM[/URL] This is everything excluding the monitors and peripherals you stated in your post.
If you'd like, I can make my own version of a build like this to try and give you the best deal and experience possible.
As I suspected, there isn't much difference in price with the RAM. I'll save about £20 by dropping from 2133 to 1600. It it were around £50 saving then maybe.
This is based on Corsair Memory Vengeance Pro.
16Gb 1600Mhz
[url]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/16gb-(2x8gb)-corsair-ddr3-vengeance-pro-series-red-pc3-12800-(1600)-non-ecc-unbuffered-cas-9-9-9-24-[/url]
16Gb 2133Mhz
[url]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/16gb-(2x8gb)-corsair-ddr3-vengeance-pro-series-red-pc3-17066-(2133)-non-ecc-unbuffered-cas-11-11-11-[/url]
It's also important to recognise that nearly any model of RAM will be the same, most sticks are manufactured in the same factory and then sent on to the brands to personalise.
[url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00A3VO9TY]Kingston Black[/url] for example, is even less than either of the two. But is still from a reputable brand, and has plenty of positive feedback and support from the manufacturer/seller.
Ah ok, thanks for the info.
Also, what is your opinion on cooling RAM? It it worth it for cooling, or mainly just for aesthetics?
The theme of the whole system will be Black/Red. So component choice in important that they match.
[url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/DYwC4D]Here's my own interpretation of the build you were looking to get.[/url]
Firstly, I swapped out the 4790K for its non-overclocking varient; since you didn't include any kind of aftermarket cooling with your own list I presumed you weren't intending to overclock (also, the i7 is pretty damn good even without overclocking!)
To go with this I also replaced the ASUS Z97 motherboard with a MSI H97 board for cheaper. It'll still give you all the features and ports from the ASUS board, albeit the overclocking capabilities.
As I said before, the Kingston Black memory I chose is cheaper by about £30 but will still give you the same performance as what you would find with the Corsair Vengeance Pro sticks.
With the storage I took an extreme turn, I replaced the ASUS ROG PCIe drive with an Intel 730 drive, it's rated to have speeds of over 550Mb/s in comparison to the ASUS' 830. It sounds bad, but these speeds are those you'd find in benchmarks and you'd possibly be hard pressed to see much of a difference in real world tests (since you said it'd be for your OS/programs, I don't think you should be too worried.)
I also kept with the same Video Content/Encoding SSD because there's nothing really wrong with it, but I switched the 4GB hybrid drive for a 2TB traditional HDD. Since it's going to be for general file storage I suppose reliability of those files is important for you; so going with the smaller size and more reliable model will benefit you further down the line when you would normally expect to have a disk fail on you (although having multiple backups of your files can get around this issue no matter what drive you choose.)
The graphics card I chose is cheaper, uses roughly similar performing cooling and runs at a higher speed, so it should perform a lot better in your system.
And finally I switched out the 1000w PSU with a 650w one, it's still fully modular in its cable design but it'll be more suited for your system's power needs. Since at most your system at its absolute peak will most likely use less than 500W it's a better choice in terms of efficiency.
So that's what I would choose if I was recommending a build like yours to someone I know, this is all just a recommendation and you can do as little or as much as you want with this. In the end of it all you're going to be getting a kickass PC, I was just hoping to save you a little money and maybe net you a little better performance in places.
[QUOTE=MasterFen006;45419292][url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/DYwC4D]Here's my own interpretation of the build you were looking to get.[/url]
Firstly, I swapped out the 4790K for its non-overclocking varient; since you didn't include any kind of aftermarket cooling with your own list I presumed you weren't intending to overclock (also, the i7 is pretty damn good even without overclocking!)
To go with this I also replaced the ASUS Z97 motherboard with a MSI H97 board for cheaper. It'll still give you all the features and ports from the ASUS board, albeit the overclocking capabilities.
As I said before, the Kingston Black memory I chose is cheaper by about £30 but will still give you the same performance as what you would find with the Corsair Vengeance Pro sticks.
With the storage I took an extreme turn, I replaced the ASUS ROG PCIe drive with an Intel 730 drive, it's rated to have speeds of over 550Mb/s in comparison to the ASUS' 830. It sounds bad, but these speeds are those you'd find in benchmarks and you'd possibly be hard pressed to see much of a difference in real world tests (since you said it'd be for your OS/programs, I don't think you should be too worried.)
I also kept with the same Video Content/Encoding SSD because there's nothing really wrong with it, but I switched the 4GB hybrid drive for a 2TB traditional HDD. Since it's going to be for general file storage I suppose reliability of those files is important for you; so going with the smaller size and more reliable model will benefit you further down the line when you would normally expect to have a disk fail on you (although having multiple backups of your files can get around this issue no matter what drive you choose.)
The graphics card I chose is cheaper, uses roughly similar performing cooling and runs at a higher speed, so it should perform a lot better in your system.
And finally I switched out the 1000w PSU with a 650w one, it's still fully modular in its cable design but it'll be more suited for your system's power needs. Since at most your system at its absolute peak will most likely use less than 500W it's a better choice in terms of efficiency.
So that's what I would choose if I was recommending a build like yours to someone I know, this is all just a recommendation and you can do as little or as much as you want with this. In the end of it all you're going to be getting a kickass PC, I was just hoping to save you a little money and maybe net you a little better performance in places.[/QUOTE]
Wow! That's almost a 50% SAVING. Thank you!
I've book marked that link!
Like I said, I can't make this build until around October. But when I do, I'll post a full work log here.
Just wanted to add a few things I missed.
I won't be using the stock fan, I was thinking of going for a CLC.
Which is better?
NZXT Kraken X60 or the Corsair Hydro 110?
Internal sound cards are pointless.
Either use onboard sound or get a DAC. If you aren't capable of discerning high bitrate mp3s from slightly lower bitrate ones, chances are you won't even be able to tell the difference between the two. Most people can't even with high end headphones. Internal sound cards are a crock of shit. Plain and simple.
In terms of coolers, swiftechs h220 is very good and comes with a copper radiator, which means that it as a 240mm cooler rivals most 280mm aluminum ones. It's also got a monstrous pump on it that can very easily run more components should you decide to expand the loop later (it's completely modular, just comes pre-assembled as a closed loop).
Or you could not bother with liquid. Air cooling is more than sufficient unless you are going for truly monstrous overclocks.
[QUOTE=Meekal;45421917]Just wanted to add a few things I missed.
I won't be using the stock fan, I was thinking of going for a CLC.
Which is better?
NZXT Kraken X60 or the Corsair Hydro 110?[/QUOTE]
Are you considering overclocking then? If so, both of those will do the job perfectly.
[url]http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/Ny6KK8[/url]
The Kraken is about 40 GBP more though, so I put on the Corsair 110 instead. I also switched out the motherboard and CPU for overclocking capable editions too.
I do plan to overclock a bit. But I won't push the cpu to hard. I like the sound of a modular clc kit. That's gives me option to expand ar a later date.
This info is all very useful. I know may way around, but I don't get to buy parts very often so I don't know all the ins and outs.
I've been looking at various brands of ram and I see your point about prices. Corsair charge a lor more for some ram mainly because it looks pretty. Aesthetics are a little important as I want them to match the theme. But not pay over the odds just for colour.
I think you're mistaken about the modular clcs, neither the Kraken or the 110 are modular and I don't know of any that are.
[QUOTE=MasterFen006;45427785] I don't know of any that are.[/QUOTE]
H220 is.
[QUOTE=MasterFen006;45427785]I think you're mistaken about the modular clcs, neither the Kraken or the 110 are modular and I don't know of any that are.[/QUOTE]
I know the Kraken on h110 are "not" modular and are sealed. But as Zephyrs stated, the Swiftech H220 is modular, this would give me the option to add more liquid cooling at a later date should I wish too. Although, I would probably be limited to using their parts.
[editline]21st July 2014[/editline]
More for aesthetics, but would I get a performance increase on RAM setup like this.
4 x 4 GB - The idea behind this is to have 2 RED chips and 2 silver chips. This is purely for aesthetics/visuals/wow factor.
or
2 X 8GB
Which setup would give better performance? If any.
[QUOTE=Meekal;45454556]I know the Kraken on h110 are "not" modular and are sealed. But as Zephyrs stated, the Swiftech H220 is modular, this would give me the option to add more liquid cooling at a later date should I wish too. Although, I would probably be limited to using their parts.
[editline]21st July 2014[/editline]
More for aesthetics, but would I get a performance increase on RAM setup like this.
4 x 4 GB - The idea behind this is to have 2 RED chips and 2 silver chips. This is purely for aesthetics/visuals/wow factor.
or
2 X 8GB
Which setup would give better performance? If any.[/QUOTE]
I believe the difference would be negligible.
The difference would be small, but 2 modules is usually preferred over 4. Leaves room for further expansion, and technically helps with overclocking in a very small way
I've looked into an external dac. From what I've read they do look like the better option. I will be using an external amp and speakers. Below are m choices so far. If I will be using an external amp, would I even benefit from using a dac or should I just stick with an internal soundcard.
Audioengine D1
Speakers:
Tannoy V4
[url]http://m.richersounds.com/#!/product/tann-v4-dk-oak[/url]
Amp:
CAMBRIDGE AUDIO TOPAZ AM5
[url]http://m.richersounds.com/#!/product/CAMB-TOPAZ-AM5-BLK[/url]
Just an update. As this build WILL be made.
I've started doing a lot of video rendering and my current rig takes AGES to render 1080p video. For example, I'm rendering a 30min video and it's estimated completion time is 2.5 hours!
My current rig:
[IMG]http://i.gyazo.com/49f7c6f3703eef31aeae68a0a2955355.png[/IMG]
Will my current new [B]proposed [/B]setup be good for rendering? If not, what would you guys recommended I switch around?
Some of you may remember this, well I was not making it all up. Although, I decided not to go overkill. This arrived today from Scan!
[img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/WGqYVHR.jpg[/img_thumb]
[QUOTE=Meekal;46847850]Some of you may remember this, well I was not making it all up. Although, I decided not to go overkill. This arrived today from Scan!
[img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/WGqYVHR.jpg[/img_thumb][/QUOTE]
The jealousy in me is strong right now. Very nice build, enjoy!
This is my first SLI build, so I'm new to setting up SLI. The whole system is setup and functional, I even had a message popup telling me to connect a bridge for better performance(obviously) . The only thing I'm not 100% sure about is which bridge I need. The one I order doesn't fit, it fits the card/s but the spacing is wrong.
On the bridge I have, it has two connections, seen below:
[img_thumb]http://www.evga.com/products/images/gallery/100-3W-0031-LR_XL_2.jpg[/img_thumb]
Are the dual connections purely for 3-way SLI? If so, can I use the bridge below.
[url]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nvidia-adapter-flexible-graphic-connect/dp/B00576ESX2[/url]
If not, which sli bridge do I need. I need a flexible bridge as I don't think you can get a fixed one that fits my motherboard.
The motherboard is an [URL="http://uk.msi.com/product/mb/Z97S-SLI-Krait-Edition.html#hero-overview"]MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition[/URL].
Yeah a flexible will work. And just so you know the nomenclature goes like "dual 3 slot" usually. The first is how many cards, the second is how many slots apart. In the dual 3 slot, you'd have card - slot - slot - card
I've installed everything now, expect the SLI bridge of which I'm still waiting on delivery.
[B]System Specs[/B]
Motherboard: MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition
CPU: Intel Core i5 4690K 3.5Ghz (Plan to overclock to around 4.2/4.4)
GPU: SLI / 2 x 4GB EVGA GTX 970 Superclocked ACX 2.0
RAM: 16GB (2x8GB) Corsair DDR3 Vengeance Pro Series 2133Mhz
PSU: 750W EVGA SuperNOVA G2
Primary SSD: 500GB Samsung 840 EVO Basic
Secondary HDD: 1TB WD Green
Cooling: Corsair H100i
Monitor: 28" Asus PB287Q LED 4K UHD Gaming Monitor
Case: NZXT H440 White
OS: Windows 8.1 64Bit
[img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/zAlpvY0.jpg[/img_thumb]
[img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/fAjFLD6.jpg[/img_thumb]
[img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/PFgo95X.jpg[/img_thumb]
[img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/u0ynKcU.jpg[/img_thumb]
[img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/d4jQgFO.jpg[/img_thumb]
I've done some basic bench-marking. I will wait for my SLI bridge to arrive to do some big test and see how the system really performs.
Crysis 2
Resolution: 3840x2160
Graphic Settings: ULTRA
Average FPS: 22FPS
Battlefield 3
Resolution: 3840x2160
Graphic Settings: ULTRA
Average FPS: 41FPS
Overall, I'm really happy with these results. I know Crysis 2 has a low FPS, but I'm not running SLI yet. If I drop the res. down to 1440p or drop settings down to Extreme, I get about 35fps. Do both, this goes up to 45ish.
I only plan to do a few minor changes to the build, like use my old SSD as a scratch disk.
Looking good, and strikingly similar to the color scheme and setup that I'm going for in the spring, albeit with a Phanteks case.
[QUOTE=Meekal;46868934]I've installed everything now, expect the SLI bridge of which I'm still waiting on delivery.
[B]System Specs[/B]
Motherboard: MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition
CPU: Intel Core i5 4690K 3.5Ghz (Plan to overclock to around 4.2/4.4)
GPU: SLI / 2 x 4GB EVGA GTX 970 Superclocked ACX 2.0
RAM: 16GB (2x8GB) Corsair DDR3 Vengeance Pro Series 2133Mhz
PSU: 750W EVGA SuperNOVA G2
Primary SSD: 500GB Samsung 840 EVO Basic
Secondary HDD: 1TB WD Green
Cooling: Corsair H100i
Monitor: 28" Asus PB287Q LED 4K UHD Gaming Monitor
Case: NZXT H440 White
OS: Windows 8.1 64Bit
[img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/zAlpvY0.jpg[/img_thumb]
[img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/fAjFLD6.jpg[/img_thumb]
[img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/PFgo95X.jpg[/img_thumb]
[img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/u0ynKcU.jpg[/img_thumb]
[img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/d4jQgFO.jpg[/img_thumb]
I've done some basic bench-marking. I will wait for my SLI bridge to arrive to do some big test and see how the system really performs.
Crysis 2
Resolution: 3840x2160
Graphic Settings: ULTRA
Average FPS: 22FPS
Battlefield 3
Resolution: 3840x2160
Graphic Settings: ULTRA
Average FPS: 41FPS
Overall, I'm really happy with these results. I know Crysis 2 has a low FPS, but I'm not running SLI yet. If I drop the res. down to 1440p or drop settings down to Extreme, I get about 35fps. Do both, this goes up to 45ish.
I only plan to do a few minor changes to the build, like use my old SSD as a scratch disk.[/QUOTE]
I believe you can use the 3 way bridge in your config, it wouldn't hurt to try.
[QUOTE=TheDestroyerOfall;46870754]I believe you can use the 3 way bridge in your config, it wouldn't hurt to try.[/QUOTE]
It fits the card, but the spacing is wrong. The gap between my cards is smaller than the spacing on the sli bridge. The new bridge should be here today anyway.
[QUOTE=Meekal;46847850]Some of you may remember this, well I was not making it all up. Although, I decided not to go overkill. This arrived today from Scan!
[img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/WGqYVHR.jpg[/img_thumb][/QUOTE]
What LED light did you buy for your case?
[QUOTE=Terragen;46877268]What LED light did you buy for your case?[/QUOTE]
Phobya FlexLight SMD LED in White
[URL]http://www.scan.co.uk/products/phobya-flexlight-smd-leds-30x-2mm-smd-leds-white-60cm-long-with-connection-cable[/URL]
I thought I may need two, but it is very bright and lights up the case nicely.
[editline]8th January 2015[/editline]
Finely got my new SLI bridge today, fitted and running test.
Just put my two cents in for other who have trouble, you need to enable GEN3 in BIOS to enable sli in settings. At first it wouldn't work, but after doing a little research it turned out I just need to enable GEN3.
Only tested in Crysis 2 for now, will buy Crysis 3 today. I was averaging 38/40fps at ULTRA and all maxed out in 4K res. I'm very happy with these results, with a little tweaking/overclocking I should be able to push that frame rate to 50ish.
Here's a quick screenshot with Action! running showing fps. Sorry for the large image.
[img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/w9yLe9y.jpg[/img_thumb]
[editline]8th January 2015[/editline]
[QUOTE=Levelog;46849841]Yeah a flexible will work. And just so you know the nomenclature goes like "dual 3 slot" usually. The first is how many cards, the second is how many slots apart. In the dual 3 slot, you'd have card - slot - slot - card[/QUOTE]
Thanks for your advise, works a treat!
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