Build Advice

Hey Everyone,

I'm looking to get a new PC, since my other DS PC is showing it's age, gaming wise and I'm looking for something new. I've looked through and saved 4 configs that really peak my interest but I'm undecided. The one listed here is my #1 choice so far.

Budget: Around $2,500

Expectations: Mainly next-gen gaming, 3D modeling, web surfing...etc.

Usage: Lots of Steam games, plus new games coming out this year and later (Batman: Arkham Knight, Witcher 3, Skyrim (heavily modded), Shadow of Mordor, etc.)

Config Code:1210932

Specs:

Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Digital Storm Apollo
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i5 4690K 3.50 GHz (Codename Devils Canyon) (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK2 USB 3.1 (Intel Z97 Chipset) (Military-Grade TUF Components)
System Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 750W EVGA SuperNOVA
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD (120GB Samsung 850 EVO)
Storage Set 2: 1x Storage (1TB Western Digital - Black Edition)
Storage Set 3: - No Thanks
RAID Config: - No Thanks
RAID Card: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Graphics Card(s): 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 4GB (Includes PhysX)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
HPC Processor: - No Thanks
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Digital Storm Vortex 120mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler (High-Performance Edition)
H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a custom HydroLux liquid cooling system selected
Chassis Fans: Upgrade All Fans to Corsair Airflow Performance Edition (Up to 6 Fans)
Internal Lighting: - No Thanks
Airflow Control: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock CPU 4.0GHz to 4.4GHz
Boost Graphics Card(s): - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
Boost OS: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows CD)
Virus Protection: FREE: McAfee AntiVirus Plus (1 Year Service Activation Card) (Not Pre-installed) ($35 Value)
Office: - No Thanks
Game: - No Thanks
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
Portable Gaming: - No Thanks
Branded Gear: - No Thanks
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 10-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Part Replacement)

I'm thinking about upgrading the SSD to 250GB. Not sure though. Don't need any accessories either. Don't care for Windows 8 (hence Windows 7 choice). I've heard the i5 processor is perfectly fine for gaming as well.

Let me know what you guys think of the build and if anything should be tweaked.

Thanks!

Ok, I was able to tweak the config a little to get it a bit cheaper than originally planned. Here is the new config, let me know what you think: I'm still a little torn on the graphics card decision: 970 or 980. I changed the mobo and was also able to go to a 500GB SSD plus liquid cooling.

Sorry for the late reply, I've been busy researching.

Config number: 1215729

Total Price: $2,292.00

Specifications:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Corsair Obsidian 550D
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i5 4690K 3.50 GHz (Codename Devils Canyon) (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS Gryphon Z97 (Intel Z97 Chipset) (Features Thermal Radar) (MATX)
System Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 750W EVGA SuperNOVA
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
Storage Set 1: !CLEARANCE: 1x SSD (500GB Samsung 840 EVO)
Storage Set 2: 1x Storage (1TB Western Digital - Black Edition)
Storage Set 3: - No Thanks
RAID Config: - No Thanks
RAID Card: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Graphics Card(s): 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 4GB (Includes PhysX)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
HPC Processor: - No Thanks
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Digital Storm Vortex 120mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler (High-Performance Edition)
H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a custom HydroLux liquid cooling system selected
Chassis Fans: Upgrade All Fans to Corsair Airflow Performance Edition (Up to 6 Fans)
Internal Lighting: - No Thanks
Airflow Control: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: Noise Suppression Package Stage 1 (Optimized Airflow & Fan Speeds Only)
LaserMark: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock CPU 4.0GHz to 4.4GHz
Boost Graphics Card(s): - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
Boost OS: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows CD)
Virus Protection: FREE: McAfee AntiVirus Plus (1 Year Service Activation Card) (Not Pre-installed) ($35 Value)
Office: - No Thanks
Game: - No Thanks
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
Portable Gaming: - No Thanks
Branded Gear: - No Thanks
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 10-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Part Replacement)

Hi Dragon Rush,

That is a good build. I want to make sure you are aware of the problem with long term memory on the Samsun 840 EVO SSD. What happens is as memory resides on the SSD and is not rewritten, it starts to slow down. The Samsung SSD Magician software has a fix but as late as February 2015 there was still a problem. I don't believe you loose any memory, it just slows down and it is only older memory. This means you might have to periodically apply the Samsung software fix to bring everything back to top speed.

I am not saying not to buy the 840 SSD but I wanted you to be aware of the problem. Samsung has said it will find a permanent fix.      Here is a link to the latest comments about the problem that I could find.

Frank

Edited by FrankW - 29 May 2015 at 8:09am

Dragon Rush,

If it was me I would go with the 256Gb 850 Pro. Then if you find that you really like to have games on a SSD all of the time, you can buy another SSD in the future. The 256Gb will give you plenty of room for the operating system and a couple of currant games. I would store the games I don't play often on the HDD. You won't see any real speed advantage except when things are loaded into RAM.

Frank

Edited by FrankW - 29 May 2015 at 4:38pm

Dragon Rush,

Congrats on a nice system for gaming.

I am a little confuse about the D14/D15 thing. If the D14 is not compatible I would think the D15 is also not compatible. If it is a size problem with the D14 I doubt that the D15 is much if any smaller. I don't know as I have not seen a D15. In any event DS will tell you if there is a problem. The Stage 2 LC system is the one mostly used with the 550D case.

Welcome to the DS family.

Frank

Congrats.