First time Gaming PC build

[craxblixstor]

Hi Folks!

Not to beat about the bush I am 100% Newbie when it comes to PC building.

On the upside I do have some fairly well informed mates who have given me some initial guidance.

My objective is to build a Gaming PC with at first an inital config, but later to add another Graphics card in SLI config.

NOTE: I already have 2 x 1080p monitors & plenty of SSD's and HDD's lying around....


Here is what I intend to buy (based upon another mates build) initially
NOTE my budget was £1000, but have creeped over that a little

Item Description Price

Case Fractal Design Define R5 79.98
Cooler NZXT Kraken X61 110.38
CPU Intel Core i7-4790K 244.58
Motherboard Asus Z97-Pro Intel Z97 91.16
GPU EVGA GeForce GTX 980 298.76
Power Supply 760W Corsair AXi Series 151.44
Memory Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB 126.99

Total 1,103.29

Is the forum aware of any superior/equivalent (but cheaper) options than above ?

Also should I need to buy a cable pack etc..?

Is this configuration able to support SLI ?

Any suggestions for Wifi/Network cards ?

Any other observations/suggestions you are willing to make.7

Many thanks in advance for your input

 

[Mandrake4565]

You build looks good if you wanted to save a little money this is what I would change:
Psu EVGA SuperNOVA 750W G2 arguably one of the best units on the market today.
Do you really need 16 g of Ram and what sticks exactly are they?
For 1080p you can do a GTX 970 Gpu.

 

[EarthDog]

You build looks good if you wanted to save a little money this is what I would change:
Psu EVGA SuperNOVA 750W G2 arguably one of the best units on the market today.
Do you really need 16 g of Ram and what sticks exactly are they?
For 1080p you can do a GTX 970 Gpu.

Agree 100% with this...

 

[craxblixstor]

Thanks Mandrake

Just FYI I will eventually splash out on dual 4k Monitors ehnce the high end GTX 980 (with second one coming later).

16GB RAM is so I can run the occasional Virtual Host for legacy versions of windows.

PSU Supply suggestion is of great help and will compare now!

 

[EarthDog]

2 4K monitors? I assume no gaming then, at least FPS, correct?

 

[craxblixstor]

Hi EarthDog,

My mate has 2x 4k monitors and 2x GTX980 - he says(claims ) he can run battlefield 4 in a much higher res than 1080p - will have to check exact specs and what his FPS is.

He could just be swinging his **** though

Dont want to overspend if I cannot get desired res. May consider just sticking to dual 1080p if folks on this forum dont think it will be possible even with the specs I have posted....

 

[EarthDog]

I meant FPS as First Person Shooter. As in, its really terrible to play a FPS game with across two monitors because the bezels would be slam in the middle of your field of view.

2 980's will happily drive one 4K panel with reasonable in game settings.

 

[craxblixstor]

I meant FPS as First Person Shooter. As in, its really terrible to play a FPS game with across two monitors because the bezels would be slam in the middle of your field of view.

2 980's will happily drive one 4K panel with reasonable in game settings.

Ah yes but I want 2 4k monitors

 

[EarthDog]

So you will be playing FPS on one monitor and just have a desktop on the other I would imagine..

 

[craxblixstor]

So you will be playing FPS on one monitor and just have a desktop on the other I would imagine..

No I was thinking small bezel 4k - playing FPS across both, your point about bezel interference is noted, but not sure I care that much, what I really care about is whether this is possible, as am I also considering getting Elite Dangerous and for this two screens would be uber cool....

I also have a high end joystick that has been stuck in cupboard for 6 months so flight Sims are also a distinct possibility also.

That said if it came down to technical limitations (i.e. 2x 4k monitors and 2x GTX 980 not being up to job) I may well go a bit lower end with my H/W specs for the medium term, and splash out later in a year or so - assuming wife approves the budget

Thanks Earthdog for the input and guidance, if I am way off mark with my expectations do please let me know, and will adjust specs accordingly...

 

[craxblixstor]

See this link for eye candy

http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/acer-details-4k-monitor-with-virtually-no-bezels-hdmi-2-0/#/2

 

[EarthDog]

That is the best solution I have seen honestly. But just not sure that will work, I mean your aiming reticle will be on two screens... its just not a good idea FPS and two screens, tiny bezel or not it will be in the way and undoubtedly annoying (for me).

I think you should just rock one 4K monitor for gaming, or get 3, and get 3x 980s... Two is just... well, I explained that.

Ideal is 3 monitors for the games you are trying to play.

 

[craxblixstor]

That is the best solution I have seen honestly. But just not sure that will work, I mean your aiming reticle will be on two screens... its just not a good idea FPS and two screens, tiny bezel or not it will be in the way and undoubtedly annoying (for me).

I think you should just rock one 4K monitor for gaming, or get 3, and get 3x 980s... Two is just... well, I explained that.

Ideal is 3 monitors for the games you are trying to play.

Duly noted EarthDog !

3 may be a stretch (Wife does not get it) - though I would be the envy of my mates

Thanks for your input!

 

[Mandrake4565]

Duly noted EarthDog !

3 may be a stretch (Wife does not get it) - though I would be the envy of my mates

Thanks for your input!

I agree with ED, FPS with two monitors and aiming will be difficult and annoying.

(Wife does not get it)

And she never will, at least mine hasn't after 18 years!

 

[Theocnoob]

No I was thinking small bezel 4k - playing FPS across both, your point about bezel interference is noted, but not sure I care that much, what I really care about is whether this is possible, as am I also considering getting Elite Dangerous and for this two screens would be uber cool....
.

Not gonna happen. First, 2 980s can NOT drive 2 4K panels at the same time in games and get respectable performance. Even 1 4K panel with 2 980s is only "decent" performance. Also, you're going to play for 10 minutes with the bezels in the middle of the screen, get REALLY pissed off, and never play across two screens ever again.

If you want multi monitor, go 3X1080P, not 2X4K. You'll have a much much better experience.

That is the best solution I have seen honestly. But just not sure that will work, I mean your aiming reticle will be on two screens... its just not a good idea FPS and two screens, tiny bezel or not it will be in the way and undoubtedly annoying (for me).

I think you should just rock one 4K monitor for gaming, or get 3, and get 3x 980s... Two is just... well, I explained that.

Ideal is 3 monitors for the games you are trying to play.

For once I disagree with you. 1 4K monitor per 980= terrible performance

 

[Dlaw]

Why not go 3 1440p monitors? They would still come in at about the price of 2 quality 4k monitors, and the resolution would be such that your dual GPU setup may still be viable.

Not gonna happen. First, 2 980s can NOT drive 2 4K panels at the same time in games and get respectable performance. Even 1 4K panel with 2 980s is only "decent" performance. Also, you're going to play for 10 minutes with the bezels in the middle of the screen, get REALLY pissed off, and never play across two screens ever again.

If you want multi monitor, go 3X1080P, not 2X4K. You'll have a much much better experience.



For once I disagree with you. 1 4K monitor per 980= terrible performance

I partially disagree with your first point. I can run 4k benchmarks at "ultra" settings with a minimum FPS of 30. I personally consider that more than "decent". However, I totally agree with the bezels and triple monitors. And yea, 1 980 for 4k wouldn't do it, unless settings were turned way down.

 

[Theocnoob]

Why not go 3 1440p monitors? They would still come in at about the price of 2 quality 4k monitors, and the resolution would be such that your dual GPU setup may still be viable.



I partially disagree with your first point. I can run 4k benchmarks at "ultra" settings with a minimum FPS of 30. I personally consider that more than "decent". However, I totally agree with the bezels and triple monitors. And yea, 1 980 for 4k wouldn't do it, unless settings were turned way down.

I disagree with your concept of decent then . For me decent is 45-60FPS at high to ultra settings. Good is constant 60FPS at ultra. Great is over 60FPS on ultra (for which you want a higher refresh rate monitor anyways).

 

[Dlaw]

I disagree with your concept of decent then . For me decent is 45-60FPS at high to ultra settings. Good is constant 60FPS at ultra. Great is over 60FPS on ultra (for which you want a higher refresh rate monitor anyways).

I disagree with your concept as well, but as far as facts are concerned, the play-ability threshold is generally considered to be 30FPS. I agree with this in all but first person shooters and some racers, where adrenaline is an additional factor, and the difference between 30FPS and 45FPS is noticeable in the state of heightened senses. In those games, settings can always be turned down to increase framerates, as you will be paying too much attention to where people are or where the edge of the track is to care about the beautifully crafted scenery in the background.

 

[Theocnoob]

I disagree with your concept as well, but as far as facts are concerned, the play-ability threshold is generally considered to be 30FPS. I agree with this in all but first person shooters and some racers, where adrenaline is an additional factor, and the difference between 30FPS and 45FPS is noticeable in the state of heightened senses. In those games, settings can always be turned down to increase framerates, as you will be paying too much attention to where people are or where the edge of the track is to care about the beautifully crafted scenery in the background.

The entire point of PC gaming, IMO, is that you can play pretty much anything at 60+ FPS. There is a quote from an arcade exec from the late 90's. "Immersion begins at 60FPS".

 

[Dlaw]

Regardless, a rig able to do that at ultra settings at 4k is going to be in the $4000 range, and even that's a low estimate. Honestly, I'm not sure a $4000 rig could do it.