$6k build, needs tweaking pleasePost Date: 2014-03-25 |
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DirkSJ
Newbie Joined: 01 Apr 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
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Topic: $6k build, needs tweaking please Posted: 25 Mar 2014 at 6:47pm |
So I'm looking to spend entirely too much money on a gaming box. But I
want to make sure I am spending money on things that matter and saving
money on things that don't matter.
This will be used exclusively for gaming and surfing the internet. No video editing or any of that. I expect to run games on max settings at 1920x1080. I may want to go up to 2560x1440 at some point. I don't have the monitor for it currently. When I replace the box I will replace the whole box...not really planning to upgrade individual bits. I've had my last system (also from DS) for about 2.5 years. If I have to fix or upgrade something I can...I used to build my own boxes but I got tired of dealing with returns when X component didn't work right with Y component, I was sent a bad mobo/memory, etc. Too much bother. Here is the customized build I have so far starting with a lower end Aventum II: Saved ID: 940477 Discussion points: - I went down to win7 because I hate win8 with a fiery passion. OS boost is because I'm lazy and don't want to figure out all the things to shut off myself. - Quad core vs 6core...I really don't know about this one. I keep reading that 6core really doesn't help in the vast majority of cases and it's a large price jump. Am I getting enough value by getting the low end 6core? - If I do drop to quad core I could also drop to an X87 motherboard. So more of a savings. I don't plan to go more than 2xSLI so I am not sure the X79 is giving me much other than 6core support. - The 780 Ti's really worth the $400 diff over the plain 780? - Liquid cooling on the chipset/gfx...so I picked it because it's cool. That alone should probably tell me that I picked it for the wrong reason. Should I save $500 and drop this down to CPU+chipset? Or even down to level 1 and just CPU (save $750)? I've never actually had liquid cooling. It sorta scares and fascinates me at the same time. - The "Airflow Control" DS board...it's backordered until April and I have no idea if it's even needed/useful for $100. - The SSD...the last time I bought a DS box I got advice from these forums about which ~250gb SSD was really the best as apparently the stats can be misleading. Anyone have good info on which is really the most reliable/fastest one? Specs for those that don't want to load the saved config: Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Black OPS
Aventum II Processor: Intel Core i7 4930K 3.4GHz (Unlocked CPU for Extreme Overclocking) (Six-Core) Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth X79 (Intel X79 Chipset)
(Features USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s) System Memory: 16GB DDR3 2133MHz Digital
Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) Power Supply: 850W Corsair RM Storage Set 1: 1x (240GB Solid State - Corsair Neutron GTX) Storage
Set 2: 1x (1TB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM) (Model: Black Edition) Graphics Card(s): 2x SLI Dual (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB
(Includes PhysX) Extreme Cooling: H20: HydroLux Level 3: Digital Storm Exotic Custom Cooling System (2x Video Cards + CPU + Chipset) Internal
Lighting: Digital Storm RGB LED Lighting System (Requires Thermal Management
Control Board & Software) Airflow Control: Digital Storm Thermal Management
Control Board & Software (Backordered ETA Mid-April) Boost Processor: Stage 2: Overclock CPU 4.5GHz to 4.8GHz
(Requires High-End Motherboard Selection) Boost Graphics Card(s): - No Thanks,
Please do not overclock my video card(s) Boost OS: Yes, Disable and tweak all of the non-crucial
services on the operating system Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition) Exclusive T-Shirt: FREE: Digital Storm T-Shirt - Black
(Extra Large)
Edited by DirkSJ - 25 Mar 2014 at 11:17pm |
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Alex
Admin Group Digital Storm Supervisor Joined: 04 Jun 2012 Online Status: Offline Posts: 16314 |
Quote Reply Posted: 25 Mar 2014 at 7:36pm |
Just wanted to say thank you for being a repeat customer.
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DirkSJ
Newbie Joined: 01 Apr 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
Quote Reply Posted: 25 Mar 2014 at 11:14pm |
This will be my 3rd :). First was #5001...I don't even remember the date. Second was #18824 a bit over 2 years ago. Your customer service and solid machines keep me coming back and getting bigger machines each time! |
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fstcvc
DS Veteran Joined: 06 Jul 2013 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2551 |
Quote Reply Posted: 26 Mar 2014 at 2:58am |
Recommended builds:
Aventum II: 940570 $5874 HailStorm II: 940571 $5610 These systems are the same short of the case used. To answer your questions... As much as you might hate Win8.1, it will give a 10-30% fps boost with it's support for DirectX 11.1 & 11.2. DirectX 12 is just around the corner and I believe it's also only available on Win8.1. There are add-ons that can make it feel identical to Win7. If you're using it mainly for gaming, then I'd go with the 4770K CPU (Z87) and save some $$ there. For ultimate gaming, the 780ti is much more superior to the 780. Roughly a 20% increase in performance. Anantech review. Custom liquid cooling is a personal choice. It will definitely keep your system running cooler overall, but only you can dictate whether or not it's worth spending the money on. Standard air coolers or closed loop coolers will also do a good job keeping your CPU/GPU running cool. The Aventum II & HailStorm II cases were designed for custom liquid cooling as they have lots of space for the radiators, reservoir & pump. If you're going custom liquid cooling, I'd highly recommend using the DS Airflow Controller. It'll keep your system running efficiently and quiet. The majority would choose the Samsung 840Pro (the EVO is good, but just not as fast) over the Corsair SSD. I would also recommend the 1000W Silverstone or 1050W Corsair PSU for the dual 780ti just for better overhead on the system. It's always better to have more than needed than just barely enough. I also chose the stage 1 OC for the CPU in the above builds as it's hard to get the Haswell's stable above 4.5. Lastly, a single 780ti would probably be more than enough for your 1080 monitor, but for max settings on a 1440 or 1600, you'd definitely want SLI 780ti's. And if you're gonna custom liquid cool them, it'd be easier to have both cards installed form the get-go... Hope this helps!! |
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HailStorm II
i7 4770K @ 4.5GHz Asus Maximus VI Extreme 16GB Corsair Dominator Platinum 3xSLI EVGA SuperClocked GTX TITAN Samsung 840Pro SSD 256GB+512GB HydroLux+XSPC CPU/MoBo/GPU Liquid Cooling |
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DirkSJ
Newbie Joined: 01 Apr 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
Quote Reply Posted: 26 Mar 2014 at 9:22am |
Thank you! This is exactly the sort of feedback I was looking for :).
The hailstorm is far better it seems, I don't want to spend $250 extra on the case and the slimline DVD :). A few followup questions: You suggested downgrading the RAM to 1600Mhz. The upgrade to 2133 is only $44, is this really not worth it? I think I can remove the $99 base plate, just cosmetic right? If I am going full liquid cpu/chipset/gfx why would I upgrade the case fans? I assume my heavy heat needs would be covered as the liquid radiator and power supply blow directly out of the case? Should I overclock the gfx cards if I an doing liquid for them? I have never OCed a gfx card...not sure if it causes issues or lowers life a lot. Generally CPU clock speed is more important than number of cores for gaming. You said the 4770 can't overclock much...doesn't that mean the 4930 be a heavy upgrade plus allow for future games that can use the extra cores? Seems win/win? |
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danjw1
Senior Member Joined: 07 Jul 2013 Online Status: Offline Posts: 667 |
Quote Reply Posted: 26 Mar 2014 at 11:23am |
I agree with everything fstcvc said, stick with a desktop CPU for a gaming rig. One advantage that the current generation of desktop processors over the Extreme processors is that the platform has more of the newer ports. Particularly SATA 6Gbps (6 vs 2) and USB 3.0 (4 vs 0).
The upping the graphics card will do more for most games then the Extreme CPU will. BF4 is one exception to this rule as it is more CPU dependent then most other games. If you are SLIing 780s (Ti) or Titans (Black), you should go with at least a ~1000W power supply. |
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danjw1
Senior Member Joined: 07 Jul 2013 Online Status: Offline Posts: 667 |
Quote Reply Posted: 26 Mar 2014 at 11:29am |
Yes, the 4930 is going to overclock better, Intel nerfed the desktop processors with an inferior thermal interface material on the inside of the package(between the chip and the cover). But, the 2011 socket motherboards and CPUs are also significantly more expensive then comparable 1150 socket ones. So it is up to you if you feel it is worth the price difference. Another thought, pushing a 4K monitor with current generation GPUs is can be an issue. Here is an article that looks at that issue: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7120/some-quick-gaming-numbers-at-4k-max-settings. G-Sync will hopefully lessen these concerns. Here is an article about that technology: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7582/nvidia-gsync-review. Edited by danjw1 - 26 Mar 2014 at 11:37am |
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DirkSJ
Newbie Joined: 01 Apr 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
Quote Reply Posted: 26 Mar 2014 at 1:10pm |
I don't think i want to go to a full 4k (3840x2160) monitor any time soon. The prices are just silly and refresh rates are still pretty low. A 27" 2560 x 1440 is probably as high as I would go. I am hoping 2x780Ti should be enough to handle that. Edited by DirkSJ - 26 Mar 2014 at 1:14pm |
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danjw1
Senior Member Joined: 07 Jul 2013 Online Status: Offline Posts: 667 |
Quote Reply Posted: 26 Mar 2014 at 2:34pm |
The Asus ROG Swift monitor is supposed to be out soonish, it is a 27" 1440P monitor that will support G-Sync out of the box. List price is supposed to be $799.
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fstcvc
DS Veteran Joined: 06 Jul 2013 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2551 |
Quote Reply Posted: 27 Mar 2014 at 9:14am |
Looks like danjw1 answered most of your secondary questions. But to answer your question about the bottom plate & fans - plate is completely cosmetic and the fans are partially cosmetic & move more air (don't know what is used by default). The RAM difference would be nearly unnoticeable so I would say save the $44 and possibly use it for OC'ing the GPUs?
To show you what the base plate and fans look like, here's a link to my system (now I did have them install more fans than normal...) |
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HailStorm II
i7 4770K @ 4.5GHz Asus Maximus VI Extreme 16GB Corsair Dominator Platinum 3xSLI EVGA SuperClocked GTX TITAN Samsung 840Pro SSD 256GB+512GB HydroLux+XSPC CPU/MoBo/GPU Liquid Cooling |
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DirkSJ
Newbie Joined: 01 Apr 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
Quote Reply Posted: 27 Mar 2014 at 10:13am |
That's a really sweet setup man :). If I was into racing games I could see myself doing the same.
Thank you (both of you) for all your comments and suggestions! I should be ordering pretty soon! |
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DirkSJ
Newbie Joined: 01 Apr 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
Quote Reply Posted: 03 Apr 2014 at 11:26am |
So I went big. Config: 943649
It's ordered. Just waiting for the airflow controller to come back in stock! |
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danjw1
Senior Member Joined: 07 Jul 2013 Online Status: Offline Posts: 667 |
Quote Reply Posted: 03 Apr 2014 at 11:51am |
Looks like a very solid build! Please post a review with some photos in the general forum once you get it.
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fstcvc
DS Veteran Joined: 06 Jul 2013 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2551 |
Quote Reply Posted: 04 Apr 2014 at 7:53am |
Looks like an awesome build!! Can't wait to see pics (and a review) of your new rig!!
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HailStorm II
i7 4770K @ 4.5GHz Asus Maximus VI Extreme 16GB Corsair Dominator Platinum 3xSLI EVGA SuperClocked GTX TITAN Samsung 840Pro SSD 256GB+512GB HydroLux+XSPC CPU/MoBo/GPU Liquid Cooling |
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DirkSJ
Newbie Joined: 01 Apr 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
Quote Reply Posted: 04 Apr 2014 at 2:12pm |
Stage 4 already. Had to upgrade to the Rampage due to concerns with chipset waterblocks and high speed RAM. Went up to the Rampage IV Black edition.
I'm wondering what they will do with the IO cover as it's attached to the VRM heatsink that will have to be removed for the waterblock. I sent a ticket in to ask but no reply yet. I'm hoping they cut the connecting heatpipe or otherwise detach it so that I can keep the IO cover as it's looks really nice. |
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DirkSJ
Newbie Joined: 01 Apr 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
Quote Reply Posted: 10 Apr 2014 at 1:24pm |
Stage 6 (QA) already; apparently they really had the control board in stock or they came in early or something :).
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bprat22
DS ELITE DigitalStorm East -- (Unofficially!) Joined: 08 Jun 2011 Online Status: Offline Posts: 20391 |
Quote Reply Posted: 10 Apr 2014 at 2:32pm |
Sooooo close to shipping.
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fstcvc
DS Veteran Joined: 06 Jul 2013 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2551 |
Quote Reply Posted: 10 Apr 2014 at 8:55pm |
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HailStorm II
i7 4770K @ 4.5GHz Asus Maximus VI Extreme 16GB Corsair Dominator Platinum 3xSLI EVGA SuperClocked GTX TITAN Samsung 840Pro SSD 256GB+512GB HydroLux+XSPC CPU/MoBo/GPU Liquid Cooling |
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