$3000-3500 1440p Gaming build

  • I will be using this for gaming as well as general web usage. Gaming can run anywhere from old school stuff Age of Empires II to modern titles such as Battlefield 3 and 4 and Crysis 3 as well as other intense games. budget is $3000-$3500. I need everything mouse keyboard monitor ect. Want to get a 1440p one. Need copy of windows 8.1. Thanks in advance!

 

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nqnpmG
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nqnpmG/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nqnpmG/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($314.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($89.99 @ Best Buy)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Extreme ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($340.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory  ($165.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($259.19 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($144.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB Superclocked ACX Video Card  ($679.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case  ($129.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Corsair 860W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($169.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit)  ($95.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus PB278Q 27.0" Monitor  ($474.99 @ NCIX US)
Keyboard: Corsair Vengeance K70 Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($125.99 @ Amazon)
Mouse: ROCCAT Kone XTD Wired Laser Mouse  ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $3058.04
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-11 20:46 EDT-0400)

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nqnpmG

^ your build, as the formatting effed up.

It looks alright, but parts could be cheaper(motherboard, PSU, RAM)

  • 2400 MHz memory is wasted money.
  • Wait until the Intel Core i7 4790K processor comes out.
  • With such a large budget, I would expect either dual GPUs or a custom watercooling loop rather than a closed loop implementation. The monitor is blowing up the budget it seems, so maybe look at a Shimian or X-Star and invest more money in overclocking or better graphics for 1440p gaming.

Here, I made a few changes to help lower the price: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/wF66qs

Some of the parts were overkill and offered very little performance benefits for the steep price difference. I swapped the i7 4770k for the i7 4790k. The 4790k is set for release on June 25th. I recommend you wait for it instead. It's supposed to have much better overclocking potential over its predecessor. Not only that, but why not wait two more weeks for the latest and greatest?

I swapped the motherboard for the Asus Z97 Pro. Unless you plan on using all those expansion slots on the Maximus, I wouldn't spend that much money on a LGA 1150 motherboard.

I made a couple of changes in the storage segment of your list. This kind of setup will help save you time and headaches. I recommend that you install Windows 8.1 on the 256GB SSD and other fairly small applications that require fast load times (MS Office, Photoshop, web browsers, etc.), and then I would use the 512GB SSD for my games. The mechanical drive should be used for media, backups, and general storage. If you ever need to reinstall Windows, all you'll need to do is reformat the 256GB SSD and install Windows again. No need to worry about having to erase hundreds of gigabytes worth of games and other applications since it'll all be installed on your other drives.

And last but not least, I wouldn't spend that much money on a 1440p monitor. Instead, I suggest buying a X Star from dream-seller on Ebay. This alone will save you nearly $200. You can check out Logan's review of the X Star HERE.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

[Edit]

Oh, I almost forgot. I wouldn't bother with a closed loop water cooler. I recommend something like the Noctua NH-D14 or a custom water cooling kit.

I partially agree with above, but a closed loop cooling kits are for enthusiasts only. They take a lot of money and a lot more maintenance. If you really want that slight edge from water cooling then I would go for a closed loop cooler with noctua fans. Saves money and headache, and you get performance and silence.

Here is what I would do on your budget: $3580

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/BHjWBm

This has everything including a monster case, GTX 780 ti in SLI, newest intel processor and chipset, Premium parts for reliability and customer service, A very good and silent CPU cooler for overclocking. 

128 GB SSD for OS and basic programs,

240GB SSD for Games

1TB SSD for media and long term backup.

27" 1440p screen with 60 hz refresh rate (better for games)

I chose the logitech keyboard and mouse because I like the unified software and very usable button layout. I use AIDA64 on the keyboard screen to track temperatures, system resources, framerate, and etc while working and gaming... and the features of the keyboard are really nice.

I tried to make an all black theme, with small red accents.. of course the noctua fan ruins it.. but its noctua.. its like computer bling in its premiumness.

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/4gKcRB

 

This or wait for X99 platform

 

(edit) I'd also add a few more case fans and with you budget Get some Noctua industrial fans the 3000rpm ones

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qkyVGX Crossfiring 290's is going to be faster then a single 780ti so I went that route since you had the budget. I also put the Asus Maximus Formula VI in there, but if you were to make this build I'd get the newly announced Maximus VII formula :) 

Prices changed on my build.. here is SLI 780's instead of 780 ti's... SLI is much better than crossfire.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/TMzkgs

*Cough* Fan Boy *Cough* You will have much better Performance in Higher resolutions with the 2 290s because of the increased frame buffer 4vs3

 

SLI and Crossfire are almost identical and 290s don't need a crossfire bridge

Mines obliviously superior

*Quad channel memory

 *6 cores 12 threads

*290Xs

 

Plus a 500Gb SSD and a hardrive Change peripherals all you want

This will maximize your 1440P desires

Except you didn't include the 1440p monitor which puts your build way over budget -_-

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ZCNvqs Personally I think socket 2011 is overkill for gaming when the Lga 1150 stuff is as fast or a tiny bit slower, but I thought I'd give an in budget socket 2011 build since there was none here to consider :)

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sRDJmG In budget but id buy a Korean Monitor from Newegg

Only problem is that you have a crappy plastic stand and frame on the Acer 1440p :/ and the build I posted costs less, and has a better motherboard and cpu cooler. 

True but the mobo isn't to important. And the Noctua D-15 is insanely good maybe the best air cooled CPU cooler on the market, And 2 290Xs kinda throw it my way in my opinion, Again would go with Korean Monitor

The mobo is really important and you can easily take my build and put a X79 deluxe or Sabertooth in it and then it'll be much cheaper then your build. And the 290x's don't put it your way. There's a 1fps difference between the 290 and 290x at the most. Then if the korean monitor is really how he wants to go, then he could sub it into my build and have an even cheaper build then yours. Or he could keep mine how it is and still have a cheaper build then yours. Also the D-15 is a great cooler, but the H-105 should be a degree or two cooler... 

I build within a budget, Not for what is good enough for cheaper if he wants good enough he dosent need two Gpus or an I7 he could get by with a 4670k and a 280X. And I think 2 290Xs will be a little faster than 1fps difference. But he can do what he likes im glad we could share our opinions and he can be better(or less) informed.

the only difference between the 290 and 290x is a slight 290x clock speed advantage, which could be fixed by overclocking the 290... same core count and everything just the core speed is slightly different...   

290X 2816 shading units vs 2560 290

and non reference designs help the 290x get higher OC

Woops sorry derp. My friend told me they were identical core counts and I never doubted him haha going to go slap the shit out of him. My bad, although from benchmarks the difference would indicate a minimal difference. And the nonreference designs are on both cards, plus the 290 I choose is $200 cheaper then the 290x you choose...