Xmas 86' Speccy+2 Where it all began

[Splitarse]

Hi All,

Just registered today, shown my age somewhat and would like some straight talking unadulterated ultra high end advise.....but first i little about myself, it would be rude not to .....

Ive been messing around with tech and stuff FOR YEARS probably over 30, building, breaking, coding, cleaning, waiting, waiting ...and waiting some more, back then you did a lot of waiting!........but never really been a big fan of forums ha!

I own 7 PC's of various ages and specs, all boxed up in the corners gathering dust .
Now all i really have time for is gaming. Sadly due to my middle age spread causing me to visit the gym more than i want to, my teenage children talking up time ferrying them back and forth and eating all my spare time - my time has been reduced to zero and along with it my knowledge of the ever changing rat race that is PC master race domination.

Like most middle aged fellas, I've built a man cave in an effort to rekindle some lost loves ....When i get opportunity to access it i want to switch off and switch on my "A" game.
To me "A" game does not only mean, turn your phone off close the man cave door and lock it and hand DND sign on there it also means i want my rig to outperform the current latest titles without any problems what so ever, i need to hit the power button on it and GO no messing around tweeking settings, i want everything MAX for each one of the 800+ titles i owe including all the lastest releases (Once upon a time i enjoyed searching through magazines and reading books, later on searching the web I'm not that old find out what to buy and why) Unfortunately for me i find my current rig leaves me pissed off and having to find the time to research parts in my gaming time - Its like a double whammy.......

Which leads me to my plee - to the masses PLEASE HELP a fellow enthusiast in need;

My current gaming rig is

3770K @ 4.5
GTX680
Z77 Sabertooth
8G 1600mhz Vengance
750w PSU
Air cooled Magahalems Black Push Pull
3x 250SSD Evos
16:10 TN Panel 24" 60hz

Still i get pissed off it wont run everything max ultra all bells and whistles - it did a couple of years ago....

Please people give me some suggestions, money no object i want hassle free high end gaming no messing

Fire away happy to take on board ALL suggestions for a FULL new setup that leaves me wanting for nothing

Thanks in advance

Note* - Please don't worry if i don't respond for a few days I'm likely at netball or football practice, swimming lessons, or being used as a money tree

 

[barnsley]

The 3770K is no slouch so realistically all you'd need to do is to pop in a 980/290x and you'd be away again. That said, if there is no budget I can easily spec you a super rig B)

Also if you want no hassle then you can't really go for SLI/Crossfire IMO so you won't be getting the fastest possible PC.

If you have 'no budget' I can spec you up a PC costing the best part of £5k. A aproximate budget would be appreciated

 

[Splitarse]

Hi Barnsley

Thanks for your reply

Was looking to spend around 2.5-3k (GBP) but more if need be?!

I have had SLI before and know the pain it brings so wouldn't really like to go down that route this time.

I have also been reading up about Intel's new processors in the wings and also the likely hood of Nvidia launching their real next gen cards then next few quarters.

Anyone have any comments on these because if they are true somewhat then I'll likely wait until then?!

However.........

I have been spending a few hours at work researching the following;

CPU; i7 5930K
GFX; GTX980 HOF
Mobo; Asus X99-S
RAM; 16GB Dominator Platinum 3000mhz DDR4
Cooler; Corsair H100 or H110
PSU; Corsair AX860
Case; Fractal R5
Soundcard; Asus Essence ST
Monitor; - Haven't got a SCOOBY - need real help here!

I have a few draw backs though, but would really like to ask (possibly Tom?) or someone with experience -

Q: The R5, will the H100/H110 fit in the top section of the case, the data suggests it will but looing at the rad high with fans attached there maybe an issue with the motherboard and possibly wont fit? I don't want the fans on the outside!

Q: Also - Dominator Platinum - Same issue, if the H100/110 does fit in, will this RAM have the same problems?

Q: HOF gfx is 308mm long possibly the same issues again?

I really like the look and design of the R5 and have aslo looked at the H440 by NZXT but if they will cause issues.........??

Open to suggestions for alternatives on all my choices?

Thank you

 

[Dark NighT]

Those coolers will fit fine in both cases with any memory.

 

[JR23]

I would stick with your 3770k and Z77 chipset and throw a bit more cash into the graphics setup if it's purely for gaming. Running X99 for one graphics card seems bonkers, I wouldn't personally bother with it unless it was a triple/quad GPU rig. SLI certainly has far less issues than it did in the past although i've been running SLI in my main rig for the past 3+ years and never had any significant issues. In addition I would recommend going with a G-Sync monitor, they are just far more forgiving and smooth compared with V-sync, especially when you have the money for it.

If I had to spend 'all' £2.5k (which isn't hard) then 'today' it would go on... 2x 980's, ASUS ROG Swift, Corsair 480GB Neutron XT, Fractal Kelvin S36, EVGA SuperNova 1000P2, Corsair 16GB 2400C11 Vengeance Pro or Dominator Platinum kit and a Corsair 780T.

*I mean in the future that might change, their are a lot of monitors and graphics cards floating around the rumor mill right now but they are of course only rumors and as of yet unproven. Also if you were slightly more concerned with price and didn't mind a little more tinkering then I would recommend an AMD and future 'Free-Sync' route very highly. But for falling out of the box and just working nVidia have it nailed.

JR

 

[Splitarse]

Hi Gents

Thanks very much for your comments appreciated,

Maybe i forgot to mention and this will be important, - I am hoping to future proof as much a possible (i know saying future proof in this field is being sceptical) ha!

I fully take on board the 3770k message and possibly just a new gfx card and monitor will make the differences, BUT after listening to your comments and
reading up I'm now leaning towards an SLI build to give me what i want without and hickups? (am i right in saying that?)

Basically i am looking for components that will give me satisfaction for the next few years with minor upgrades hence my choices?

Regards the ROG Swift, that's a TN Panel - what about the Acer Predator IPS? 4k version and 144hz as comparison? Was your choice other than preference?

Case wise - the 780T is a great case but also an large case and IMHO large cases are more of an eyesore than a drool station.

LIKE the Neutron XT option JR will be going with a couple of those and the Kelvin over the Corsair as its quieter and provides better cooling (can you change fans on this?). PSU is also nice option JR - cheers but still going for top end speed RAM though

Am i overkill on £600 HOF version for 20-30hz even in SLI?

Awkward i know but honest, 500-550H is about tops id prefer with a case and there are a few on the market but choosing the most eye pleasing with good cooling and clean cable management is a mission - 650D maybe ....dunno? Possibly the Air540 but dust magnet?

What if this;
CPU; i7 5930K
GFX; GTX980 HOF x2
Mobo; Asus X99-S
RAM; 16GB Dominator Platinum 3000mhz DDR4
Cooler; Choice
PSU; Choice
Case; HELP
Soundcard; Asus Essence ST
Monitor; - HELP



All comments are appreciated - Thanks a lot

 

[JR23]

Well in truth at the moment processors and motherboards are moving on very predictably and quite slowly. Each generation of processor in general reduces power draw and delivers 10% more performance so even going to a 4790k isn't exactly a leap forwards. A 5930k just adds two more cores, which seeing as the quads already have 8 threads really doesn't help games plus they are Haswell-E which always remains a generation behind for it's time. X99 is only really helpful if you want an insolent amount of CPU cores, memory or graphics cards. Fantastic for serious workstation stuff but of no real benefit to games. Spending that money on graphics cards however will make a significant difference to your gaming experience even with your slightly older platform.

I believe these a comparable results although i'll let the OC3D team correct me if i'm wrong, they were all conducted with a single GTX780Ti of course with different CPU's.

I've never had any driver complaints with SLI but admittedly I don't get through that many titles. It's worth mentioning quite obviously it will add a little heat and noise to your rig but with the later more power efficient cards it is less of a problem. For how much it will set you back I honestly don't think you'll get any satisfaction from the 5930k, in game at the moment it will be totally un-noticeable and if that's all you use the rig for it's wasted. Similarly DDR4 doesn't bring much to the party, it's just more expensive. I can't see the situation changing in the future. But if intel make a big step forward with the Z series in a couple of years make that your minor upgrade. Compared to a GPU it will be pretty cheap.

Yes the ROG Swift is a TN panel, but if it's for gaming that's what you want, IPS can't match the response times currently. But if colour accuracy is a concern then go for the IPS acer. I just didn't mention it because I didn't think it was available yet. I'm sure most will agree right now 1440p 144Hz is the sweet spot rather than 4k. It's a lot more pixels which aren't necessarily needed at desktop size displays, you'd need a significant amount more graphical power to run 4k so effortlessly. If you aren't looking for problems i'd probably leave that for now, especially given the budget.


I just popped all those bits in as they are all high quality overkill parts, I was unsure if they would be to your taste, I was just using them as a place marker in the budget so to speak. The Neutron XT's though are phenomenal, I picked one up when they were released. It's very pretty and very fast, it's something worth spending a little money on to as you can appreciate the performance in every day tasks. For DDR3 2400MHz is pretty top end! The performance returns when going beyond 1866 are pathetic for how much it costs, 2133/2400 is comparatively affordable at the moment. I wouldn't bother with 2666/2800+ your CPU IMC might not even be able to deal with it. The Kelvin is lovely and of course yeah you can change literally everything on it, i've changed the radiator, fans, tubing and fittings on mine. Just for looks.

Yes you are overkill on the HOF! That's even more expensive than a Matrix Platinum! It depends how much you like to indulge in aesthetics and e-peen tbh. I would imagine every single card out there will go an extra 30MHz, traditionally Classifieds have always been the best overclocking card. Considering it's £40 cheaper and the most beautiful thing ever i'd go Matrix Platinum, but not everyone likes red

I completely understand what your saying about the case size, there's no point going with a sprawled out watercooling orientated case if you want to keep things tight on air. All boxes full of hot electronics and fans are dust magnets! You just have to set it up deal with it as well as possible. The 650D is an oldie now, but if you can locate one and you like it why the hell not, Corsair certainly don't build cases quite like they used to. The fractal R5 you were originally aiming at a nice tbh and I think they can take a 360 pretty easily, might not be a bad option at all. A lot people seem to like Phanteks cases at the moment, I don't, but it's a personal thing.

I think i've been through literally everything on your list now so I won't bother with that

JR

 

[Mysterae]

What JR says above is totally on the money.

The only thing I'd suggest is to scour ebay for a couple of used 780Ti's and get yourself a large monitor no less than 27" at 1440p minimum. Save your cash for when the new breed of GPU's from Nvidia (not the 980, wait for the Ti) and AMD come out, then punt them and splurge on the new tech.

 

[Splitarse]

Thanks again,

All great comments

I'm gonna take all your advise fellas and suck it in for a few months and wait ..... even though the cash is burning a hole in my pocket and my mind hah!

If im right you saying i should stick with my current CPU, RAM and MB - upgrade my GFX Card and get a new Screen?!

JR, Mysterae or anyone else, what if i ask you the following;

If you were me today with my problems given the likely hood of Nvidia/AMD new cards soon and Intel CPU's the next year or so.......

Q: What would you buy to get you satisfied?

2k-3k to spend - Couple of options for GFX Card and Monitor MB, RAM, Cooler, Case and whatever else, SO many options my head hurts!

If you could give reasons it would help no end....... Alternatively you can always tell me to "go do one and find yourself"

I will throw you a bone.... I want colour co-ordinated prefer white/grey or black or black/blue green yellow type thing

I want high/higher end (just a stickler for that) - and slick looking no chunky cyborg cases etc ^^ Cheers and GL hahah!

You opinions are welcome

 

[JR23]

Q: What would you buy to get you satisfied?

Ahh see that question had to many you's in it. I'd probably buy an X99 XPOWER board, 3x 290X's, loads of water cooling kit and then run out of money for a monitor. ...never said it was a good idea but we all get our satisfaction in different ways.

I've noted that you have excluded both red and brown from that list of colours which I find rather offensive. I'm joking, well i'm not. If your going for high tier gaming kit then it's extremely easy to go down the black/red route, there are just a lot of products out there. White seems to be gaining popularity at the moment too but anyway just involving aesthetics in the build changes things a bit.

By which I mean if you get a bunch of new kit you'll start to think that your board looks dated and you can't buy Z77 boards now so you've got to change CPU and then you may as well buy new memory...etc...etc... There's nothing wrong with that though, all of your parts are still worth money as they still perform, but if they won't look just so and your dropping a lot of cash on it then yeah. And to be truthful that's exactly the way i'd be thinking with that kind of upgrade budget.

There are a lot of options, for everything. You've just got to find something you love and build out from there. I'm not going to go through all of the parts again today because it's sleepy times and you've gone and turned the tables by mentioning colour schemes

JR

 

[Splitarse]

Haha OK JR

Red is, only didn't mention it because everything seems to be red these days however red is still an option to me its not out of the question

I know I have asked a lot for you to put down options for me to then pick thru with a fine tooth comb I'm sorry

I'm really just trying to spend my cash wisely but confidently enough not to have regreted it a few month down the line and wished I'd spent a few quid more and gone more "future proof" and went say x99 or something...…

I would really like your honest opinions and trust your expert views or I wouldnt ask

I shouldnt expect you to trawl thru tech on my behalf but value you thoughts and take your advise when making choices - no pressure there then hah!

Maybe if you get time and are bored fire me down some options for duel card based x99 high end nvidia options (nvidia fan sorry) in colour coded any colour etc 1440p monitors 27" or above gsync high end rig on air coz I won't have the time or patience to drain each year like the old days ( have a gtx460 water system under this desk x58 used as foot rest and moment that needs serious TLC) still can't be arsed to look at it!! Painfull to hear I know but just as painful to say but that's my reality nowadays ......kids and family rule I'm afraid

I just need a kick start helping hand to get back on it and I'll be fine

Thanks for your help

On a positive - you've given my SSD and Cooler options can you help me finish the job

Cheers

 

[JR23]

I'm just going to do a picture response, see what tickles you. It's all sexy co-ordinated hardware that performs.

JR

 

[Splitarse]

Great

I think I've made most of my choices but one more question;

Cases ......

Antec P280
Aerocool DS200
Fractal R5
NZXT H440
NZXT Source 530
Phanteks Enthoo Evolve
Phanteks Enthoo Pro
Corsair 450D
Corsair 500R

aRGGHHHH.......

I'm wanting to install SLi, 240mm H105 Push Pull (preferable in front or top) - Needs to have plenty of room

Looking for optimal cooling with superb cable management (don't want to see those cables)

Anyone opinions on my choices or have any suggestions?

Ta

 

[MadShadow]

Great

I think I've made most of my choices but one more question;

Cases ......

Antec P280
Aerocool DS200
Fractal R5
NZXT H440
NZXT Source 530
Phantex Enthoo Evolve
Phantex Enthoo Pro
Corsair 450D
Corsair 500R

aRGGHHHH.......

I'm wanting to install SLi, 240mm H105 Push Pull (preferable in front or top) - Needs to have plenty of room

Looking for optimal cooling with superb cable management (don't want to see those cables)

Anyone opinions on my choices or have any suggestions?

Ta

Either of the Phanteks cases get my vote!

 

[stampedeadam]

Hey. I understand the itch to get the latest stuff is always there, and shopping for parts for a whole new computer is very pleasant. But I have to say, if what you want to do is run everything on top settings just replace the 680 with a 780ti, overclock it a bit and you'll be golden. When "big Maxwell" comes along (which I am eagerly waiting for), you might want to jump to that. Your CPU and motherboard are within a few percent of the state of the art and I don't think you'll see much difference if you upgrade.

 

[joca94]

Instead of going with gtx 980, why not go for 2x R9 290x VaporX 8GB edition
Youd basicly have ton of horse power to run any game you want, and i think its price is in gtx 980 range?

 

[Warchild]

Instead of going with gtx 980, why not go for 2x R9 290x VaporX 8GB edition
Youd basicly have ton of horse power to run any game you want, and i think its price is in gtx 980 range?

Might as well wait instead of going with 290x then. Once the 300X series are released the 290x cards should drop in price yet again. Also I think there are some 290x refreshes on the way.