I'm looking to to try make my first PC build and I mostly plan to use the build for gaming.
My current part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/wXFW8d
I would appreciate any advice on how I could improve the build.
My budget is $3,000 and I live in the U.S. I don't have any huge preferences as far as retailers are concerned. I already have, or plan to buy separately, a monitor and I also already have a keyboard, mouse, and headphones. As I'm really new to building a computer, I'm not sure if I want to try overclocking just yet, but it would be nice if the build could accommodate overclocking if I decide to try it in the future. I do plan to replace the stock cpu cooler for the Corsair one and go with Windows 8.1 Pro for the OS.
I also have some other questions related to building and setting up the computer:
I was wondering if I needed to get the standoff screws for the motherboard separately or not. If I do need to get them, what kind should I be getting?
Also, I watched the video Wendell did on BTRFS and ZFS and it seems like there is not really any huge reason to not implement at least one of those file systems (I could just be confused as I'm not really that tech savy) and I was wondering which one I should use if I plan to be mostly gaming on this PC as well as how set up BTRFS or ZFS on a PC running Windows 8.1 Pro. The video was helpful, but I'm still really new to this.
I plan to install the OS onto the Kingston SSD and run the two WD Drives in RAID 1. However, I'm still unsure as to whether or not I need to configure the RAID array before I install the OS or if I can wait until after Windows is installed and then configure RAID.
Thanks for reading and helping me.
You know, you could get a titan X and still be $250+ under your budget.
[size=40][b]A titan X.[/b][/size]
They'll come with your mobo/case (one of the two, can't quite remember).
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Would I need to get another CPU to go with the Titan X or will the i7-4790k still work well with that gpu?
Motherboard standoff screws usually come with the computer case, so you shouldn't have to worry about that.
To my knowledge, Windows doesn't support BTRTS or ZFS, so you would be stuck with NTFS.
This depends on whether you want Hardware or Software RAID.
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Heavily doubt it.
recent LTT thread about it.
You could fit a 5820K 5930k, X99 mobo and 16GB of DDR4 in that budget too anyway.
Partpicker attack, shapow!
@MisteryAngel is that you in there? Or just the same avatar?
Thanks for all the help. If I want to go with hardware RAID, when should I set up the RAID array?
before you install windows
Honestly, with a $3000 budget, you can have just about as much power as you want. But I would say be thrifty and don't spend money if it's not needed.
Before you decide on the CPU, do consider an AMD option. If all you are doing is 4-core gaming, then a stronger per core Intel may be better than an AMD with more threads. But I always advise giving it a look over, if only because of price difference (you may get all the performance you need with a cheaper chip, after all, Intel or AMD).
If you are adamant about gaming, do consider the better GPU, as SpaceCat said. That'll affect your performance the most.
Other than hype, I don't know that much about DDR4 RAM, but since you have the budget do some research and maybe try it.
As far as RAID goes... how well do you understand RAID is my first question? And why do you want it? Back up? Loading speed? Before you do raid, watch Wendel here:
I'm not going to tell you to not do it, but I will tell you to ask yourself it you really want it. If you want speed, sure, but please don't rely on it for data protection. RAID does not replace redundancy. EDIT: Honestly, I would say doing RAID for loading speed is also nonsensical as SSDs are more affordable now and way easier than dealing with RAID.
I wanted raid because I thought I could have RAID 1 with BTRFS or ZFS for better redudancy, but having learned that neither of those file systems work with Windows, I'm planning on getting rid of the second WD drive and not running RAID at all. From a gaming perspective, what differences are there in DDR4 and DDR3 memory and x99 and z97? Also what AMD cpu would be good for gaming and would the Titan X still work well with an AMD cpu or would it be better to get a Radeon gpu?
Here's a Linus video on the subject, comparing DDR3 and 4 with as many controlled variables as possible.
As Linus says, if you want DDR4, you have to have a new CPU that supports it. That means you will be buying new, expesnive DDR4, CPU, and MOBO just because of the decision to go with DDR4. In other words, way more expensive. That's why I said do some research and decide for yourself.
As far as running an AMD CPU for gaming... that's kinda iffy. I currently have a FX-6300 but will be swapping that out for a FX-8350 so my father can build comp for himself around my 6300. I expect good gains with the 8350, but for now my 6300 OCed to just 4GHz is getting me 60+FPS in Guild Wars 2 (a CPU heavy game) with a GTX 760 as my GPU. This is why I fangirl for AMD and am so hostile about the "intel is better" war, especially since I used to play GW2 on an i5 (my 6300 at stock speeds gets the same FPS). I just don't see the point in spending twice as much for nothing, especially when I need the extra cores for art software. So, take my bias for diverse uses into consideration when you make your decision.
As far as the GPU, no, a Titan X should do fine with an FX processor from AMD, especially if it's a 8350 or an overclocked lesser chip. The real question is whether or not you want to spend that kind of money on a GPU that's not that much more powerful than a 970. I should have already asked this, but what resolution are you gaming at? Or did you already say?
EDIT: As far as I know, Radeon cards don't get better performance when paired with a CPU also from AMD. I hope that answers your question.
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That does answer my question about the cpu and gpu, thanks. I'm gaming at 1080p and for now I'm more leaning towards DDR3 and the GTX 980 to save money if nothing else. Would the FX-8350 still be good for gaming or should I look at a cpu with 4 cores as I don't plan on doing really anything other than gaming besides Microsoft Office. EDIT: Thanks for all the help by the way. I really appreciate it.
You might as well get the 970 instead of the 980. The 980 is only slightly more powerful but way more expensive. At 1080p I'd say you won't notice a difference. Both cards can handle 1440p fine and for some of the more popular, less demanding games like LoL and maybe even Starcraft 2 they can both do 4K. So unless you are gaming at higher than 1080p and it's a game that's more demanding, I don't think there'd be a noteworthy difference. I think the big difference that most people would actually care about is that .5GB deal with the 970 that, as far as I know, isn't a problem with the 980. Again, at 1080p that won't matter at all. Save yourself the money.
As far as the CPU... I think worry less about the CPU itself because regardless of whether you get the 8350, 6300 and overclock it, or a more powerful 4 core from Intel, your framerates won't change much. What I say care about here is motherboard functionality and price. I use the Gigabyte GA-990-FXA-UD5, see below and you'll want it. That board with the 8350 will cost you 320 dollars. You'll be spending that much on the Intel CPU alone, and if you want an Intel board with that much functionality, you're looking at spending 500 dollars.
And you're welcome.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128509&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-PC&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-PC-_-pla-_-AMD+Motherboards-_-N82E16813128509&gclid=CJ-2rqrrocUCFQaPaQodIhQA2g&gclsrc=aw.ds
What this machine being used for? Gaming? Workstation - editing, cad etc?
Anyway here is a <$3k beast
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qJY6FT
--- a nice m2 ssd would be nice but the price per gb just isnt that appealing at the moment. Samsung 850 (with Rapid mode enabled is bloody fast anyway)
Mostly gaming. I'd assume the OP would play music and maybe movies too, so surround sound motherboards and such are good, but nothing major like workstations.
EDIT: Unless they use headphones all the time I'd assume anybody would want surround sound gaming, so.. Doh!
I'm planning on doing mostly gaming with this build.
So with the FX-8350, Gigabyte motherboard, and the GTX 970 my build now looks like this: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/fw9qyc
EDIT: I actually do use headphones most of the time and I have been sticking with "Headphone mode" instead of surround under the audio settings of my games. Should I have a different audio setting?
Since you already have a water cooling thing on there, meaning you are open to the idea, let me throw out a suggestion... Get a Be Quiet! or EVO air cooler for your CPU and custom water cool your GPU instead. I can show you what I did if you need help with GPU cooling. I find that setup to be far superior because it means your GPU is nice and comfy.
Also, do you plan on SLIing 2 970s? You could with your budget. And water cooling that would be amazing. I ask because if no, then you don't need 850 watt PSU. From what I understand, you don't want a PSU that's too powerful because PSUs are more efficient if they run closer to what their max is. 750 is actually enough to SLI 2 750s as long as you aren't overclocking anything (don't quote me, I'm not saying this from experience).
If you use headphones then that's fine with the settings. I was just mentioning it in case you have a surround sound system like I do. I learned the hard way that you need a mobo that won't bitch at you about that, so I was bringing it up as a warning.
This is what I came up with 400$ for a custom water cooling loop.
I would be open to running 2 970s in SLI and is there any specific Be Quiet! or EVO cooler that you would recommend? I think I'll keep the 850 watt PSU in case I do decide to overclock if run the two cards in SLI. The custom water cooling for the gpu also sounds like a good idea. Could you explain what you did with your gpu cooling?
Lemme get some stuff together to answer that question.