Custom Dreadnaught, looking for advice

Budget:
$4000

Expectations:
Gaming/Twitch broadcasting

Usage:
No compromises on framerate with mostly high settings

Special Needs:
Hopefully able to last more than 2 years

Saved Ticket #: 929635

Specifications:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master 942 HAF X <b></b>
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 4770K 3.50 GHz (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS Gryphon Z87 (Intel Z87 Chipset) (Features Thermal Radar) (MATX)
System Memory: 16GB DDR3 2400MHz Corsair Vengeance Pro (High-Performance) <b></b>
Power Supply: 1050W Corsair Pro Silver 1050HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible)
Expansion Bay: Internal Digital Media Card Reader (Black) <b></b>
Optical Drive: ASUS Blu-Ray Player/DVD Writer (Play Blu-Ray and Burn DVDs) (Model: BC-12B1ST)
Storage Set 1: 1x (256GB Solid State (By: Samsung) (Model: 840 Pro Series) <b></b>
Storage Set 2: 1x (1TB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM) (Model: 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 TITAN 6GB (Includes PhysX) <b></b>
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
HPC Processor: - No Thanks
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Corsair H100i 240mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler (Extreme-Performance Edition)
H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected
Chassis Fans: Standard factory chassis fans <b></b>
Internal Lighting: Digital Storm HydroLux RGB LED Lighting System (Requires HydroLux Control Board & Software) <b></b>
Airflow Control: Digital Storm HydroLux Thermal Management Control Board & Software <b></b>
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 2: Overclock CPU 4.5GHz to 4.8GHz (Requires Pro/Deluxe/Sabertooth Motherboard) <b></b>
Boost Graphics Card(s): Yes, Overclock the video card(s) as much as possible with complete stability <b></b>
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 8.1 (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows CD)
Virus Protection: - No Thanks
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
Exclusive T-Shirt: - No Thanks
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 10-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 4 Year Limited Warranty (4 Year Labor & 2 Year Part Replacement) <b></b>


When I first set this build up I didn't actually see an option to get another MOBO, as was shown the Gryphon was actually the "Best" one available, come to find out later that now suddenly there's other options to choose from, hence why I have an MATX board in such a huge case lol.

And after 4 days of stress testing I got a phone call saying that stage 2 OCing isn't happening possibly 4.3 but that's it, also come to find out that the standard Mhz for RAM on this board is 1866 but if you're OCing it can support 2600.

Do you think it would be better to try and ask them to swap out the gryphon for a sabertooth at this point? Or just bite the bullet and opt for a Maximus VI Extreme?

Also with the GPU I know the GTX 780 Ti is slightly cheaper and is a better performer in gaming than the titan (Albeit marginally) but since I plan to be streaming I figured the added VRAM would help with that without taking any hits to my in_game performance, though I could be wrong, I'm still pretty new to all of this.

I'm also wondering if I might be facing any bottlenecks with how things are setup, hopefully even though it was at stage 5 assembly they won't hate me too much if I wanted a different MOBO.

Thanks in advance and sorry for the long post!

Edited by ZyloWolfBane - 27 Feb 2014 at 7:54pm

First, welcome to DS!! And congrats on the new rig!

I would also just stick with the Gryphon as it is still a great motherboard and allows SLI. To swap the board out now would cost you at least $70+ in rebuild fees. If it were me, I would rather have the GPU swapped out for either the 780ti or if VRAM is a concern then the TITAN Black - both are more powerful GPUs. The OC on the Haswell CPUs is tough to get above the 4.3-4.4 mark - it's usually referred to as the silicon lottery. Don't think a different motherboard would help much if at all. Also, higher memory clock speeds can affect the OC some. Unless you were running tests, don't think you'd noticed much difference in your setup at 4.3 & 1866 vs 4.5 & 2400 during regular usage.

Don't forget to ask for your FREE t-shirt!!

Good Luck!!

Thanks for the replys guys!

Yeah I spent pretty much all night last night researching stuff about MOBOS and OCing and RAM frequencies and whatnot and came to a few conclusions.

I'm not really missing out on anything by taking the Gryphon over the sabertooth since I don't plan on using more than 1 GPU and if I REALLY REALLY needed an expansion slot for a sound card (Which I've never used in my life) I could get an external one to use with my headset (I never use speakers).

And it dawned on me that the RAM frequency was way higher than necessary if I'm just gaming and broadcasting, and the added voltage combined with the fact that the MOBO would itself need to be OCed just to use 2400 Mhz that it could've been why nothing higher than 4.3 Ghz was possible for the CPU OC.

Which when I brought it up this morning the techs agreed, so I downgraded to a set of 16GB 1866 Hmz sticks and saved a little money =)

As for the titan, yeah the GTX 780 Ti would give me slightly more gaming potential but I kind of like having that extra VRAM if games ever start requiring it, far as I know the only games to really push 3GB have been BF4 and Skyrim (With all the HD mod texture packs which pushes 4GB), and sadly as was mentioned above I'd have to pay to switch them which given that I only paid $160 to get the titan over the 780 Ti I might as well go for it, plus it is a deal since some sellers have the titan going for $1200 and the 780 Ti for $699.

And it might just come in handy for poorly optimized games like Shogun 2, who knows? I could always SLI another one next year or upgrade to the Titan Black, unless Nvidias next GPU is more attractive, but rumors I've heard tell me it's likely to be priced even higher than what's on the market now.

Oh, and I was worried about the MATX board being in such a large case, but now that I think about it with all those fans and that extra space the airflow ought to be amazing!

Our summers top 116 sometimes, so this might be a good thing afterall, hell it was 86 all through february!

I'll definitely be posting my review and some pics when it arrives, though with the reconfigure and retesting I doubt I'll see it till late next week now, it's turning into a 2 week drama! I NEED THIS IN MY LIFE NOW! lol.

P.S. I wanted the shirt! But I can't fit an extra large over my shoulders/neck, I'd have to get a smaller one and let my wife have it

Update- Got a medium added to my order for the wifey, least she can wear the brand pride

Edited by ZyloWolfBane - 28 Feb 2014 at 3:02pm

Shoot during the month of february its been between 20 and 60 degrees where i live.

Edited by ArkansasWoman777 - 01 Mar 2014 at 5:24am

Originally posted by fstcvc 2 week wait... That's nothing... I made so many changes and added custom parts mine took nearly 3 months to get!! I live in Phx AZ & we had low-mid 80's all month - you don't by chance also live there? Can't wait for the pics & review!!

3 Months!?

Nah, I'm not in AZ but it's pretty close. I only have to drive one stretch of highway to get there in around 6-8 hours from cali.

Go to Support > My Account and login. It will show tracking information there.

Hang in there, if it didn't ship out yet it will either ship today depending on the carrier and whether they ship on Saturdays or on Monday.

Originally posted by ZyloWolfBane Originally posted by ArkansasWoman777 Hang in there, if it didn't ship out yet it will either ship today depending on the carrier and whether they ship on Saturdays or on Monday. Eh, I don't mind waiting. It's just when I spend that kind of money I would expect to be given accurate information when asked. Ain't like some $50 item off amazon that didn't get a shipping # and it'll magically show up on my doorstep, this is a $3900 piece of hardware that I need to make sure I'm here to pick up before my neighbors walk off with it But since nobody can answer my emails till monday I'm stuck waiting...

I understand and i know what you mean

Originally posted by fstcvc If Alex is roaming around this weekend he might be able to find out before Monday...

Yeah, I was hoping he might see this post.

I mean if I gotta wait for it to ship monday then no problem, I just wanna know why essentially 3 days passed without it being shipped when it's basically "Ready".

And if there's a tracking number that I just didn't get (And this happens a lot with online orders) then I just would like to have it lol.

I want my golden ticket man.....

Originally posted by Alex No problem, we'll definitely get you the tracking number before the system gets delivered. Could you send me an email with your order details? My email is ([email protected]).

Just woke up and saw this, I'm sending an email ASAP =D

Originally posted by ZyloWolfBane Still no response, looks like I'm still stuck waiting till tomorrow anyway. I gotta say up until thursday I was really satisfied with the service I was receiving and everyone was totally on top of keeping me informed of everything as it was happening. Now at the point where I should've been excited about finally getting my system I'm instead left in the dark, and I really feel uneasy about this and future dealings with customer service. I really hope things will be different tomorrow, cause I was really looking forward to this.

Zylo you honestly just have to be patient, DS is a very good company and won't do you wrong that is why all of us here chose them over the competitors as well as probably other reasons. I am sure you will get a reply today and Alex will respond to your email, he is a busy man though. Also it was the weekend and DS is closed. So hang in there man.

Edited by ArkansasWoman777 - 10 Mar 2014 at 12:07am

Congrats.

Yep, looks like a mobo standoff from HafX hardware bag.

Enjoy.

Congrats on the awesome rig!!

Can't wait for the review (and maybe more pics??)...