Input for new build

[moargie]

Long story short, I was still employed at Geek Squad until recently (weekend warrior) so I was able to verify employment on Intel Retail Edge, which stone of you may know, allows me to get a processor at a very good discount.
The two options available to me are the i7 4970k & i7 5930k.

My last build was a Nehalem i7 920 with SLI 260s, but that computer left when my ex did (sold it to her for a pretty penny a few years ago though)
I am currently on my Alienware m18x with an i7 2920XM @ 4.0GHz (used to be 4.4, but has since gotten less stable) with SLI GTX460M cards.
She is getting retired to office duty, as the units at work are Sandy bridge i3s.

I don't upgrade every year (or every other year for that matter, or other other year) and as you can see, anything would be a tremendous upgrade.
I'm trying to keep my budget as low a possible (HEDT and budget don't go together usually)
I'm pretty sure we're not allowed to post exclusive prices, but the 5930k will be approximately $360 under retail, otherwise I wouldn't even entertain the idea.

Build thus far
Cpu: 5930know
Mobo: leaning towards the MSI x99a SLI plus, or x99s sli plus because of the reason below
Ram: I really like the Ripjaws V ddr4 2400 (in silver) from g.skill (2x8GB for now, upgrading to a second the near future)
Gpu: EVGA GTX 970 (fallout 4 edition, because I can get them ludicrously cheap brand new) I do want to go 3x SLI eventually 190$ under retail
Psu: leaning towards the corsair RMX1000w as I have had good experience with them in the past
Chassis: torn between the 780t from Corsair, or the NZXT h440, or S340. I don't use an optical drive very often, and if I did I have an external I can plug in, and I like the price of the NZXT(s) more tbh.
SSD: samsung 950 pro m.2 256gb, because racecar.
Os will be w8.1 pro/w10 (free)

Notes:
I don't have a monitor, keyboard, mouse, or anything but a printer I got for free. But that won't be included in the final budget.
As of right now, the total for the above sits at approximately $920. Which will be purchased over the courise of a month, as I have a 72 pontiac lemans in also restoring.
Not planning on 4k gaming, maybe 2k (1440p?)
The system will mostly be for gaming and possibly other stuff, I dunno, I mostly watch movies from bed on my laptop now....
I am trying to break back into the PC gaming world, as I haven't been able to play anything for a while, the GPUs in my laptop start artifacting after a little stress, so I dont really know what I'd be playing right now...

Some questions though:
1. Looking at my upgrade history, is it worth the extra hundred dollars for the Haswell-E vs Devil's Canyon? Again, I probably won't build another system for a while, unless an incredibly new technology comes out.

2. Microcenter has an x99s sli plus (no usb 3.1, not a big issue to me) open box for $135, is it worth saving an extra $65? Any difference in overclock, bios making it a bad idea?

3. Will higher speed DDR4 help at all, as the price difference between the 2400, and say, 3200 kit is only about $30 bucks. (I really like the Ripjaws V in silver...)

4. I know now that sli has no real benefit at 1080p, my tv will be my primary monitor until I purchase a new one, but considering the price (think under $200 each) should I pick up 2 (or 3 for e-peen) gtx 970s?

5. If I were to go the muti-gpu way, would the ACX coolers on the 970s play nice stacked on top of eachother?

6. Will the NZXT H440/S340 have issues exhausting the heat of said multi gpu system?

7. More of a statement, I try to keep up with technologies as much as possible, but I am sure I'm still missing something.

8. I was actually hoping intel would offer the if 6700k as I had a whole build planned around that originally...

Thanks for reading, I realize it wasn't such a short story after all, I wish I hadn't typed all this on my phone..
I look forward to reading any criticism, comments, observations, and the like!

 

[ninjacore]

1&2: With the prices you're getting, I'd go with the Haswell-E. Not too familiar with the X99 boards, but that seems like a solid price on the X99s for at least moderate overclocks.

3: You definitely want 2800/C15 ram or better.

4: Is the 970 the only card you get a discount on? If not, I'd go for a 980(ti). If so, buy a couple and sell them on eBay (if it would be a net gain of a decent amount), then buy a more powerful card. Single card is always preferable until you have a need for more than one.

5: I wouldn't say ACX is the best cooler for SLI, but it will do and probably only be 5 degrees warmer than something better.

6: not with proper fan configuration

8: Probably a supply issue. Would be ideal, but you're still getting DDR4 support with Haswell-E.

 

[moargie]

1&2: With the prices you're getting, I'd go with the Haswell-E. Not too familiar with the X99 boards, but that seems like a solid price on the X99s for at least moderate overclocks.

3: You definitely want 2800/C15 ram or better.

4: Is the 970 the only card you get a discount on? If not, I'd go for a 980(ti). If so, buy a couple and sell them on eBay (if it would be a net gain of a decent amount), then buy a more powerful card. Single card is always preferable until you have a need for more than one.

5: I wouldn't say ACX is the best cooler for SLI, but it will do and probably only be 5 degrees warmer than something better.

6: not with proper fan configuration

8: Probably a supply issue. Would be ideal, but you're still getting DDR4 support with Haswell-E.

Thanks for the reply!

I figured as much with Haswell-E for the price. The ultimate determining factor was DDR4 support (trivial, I know) and that I have yet to find a Z97 board that supports Turbo M.2

I will spend the extra $30 for higher clocked ram.

The only reason I get a discount on the 970 in question is because it's EOL, End of Life, meaning the store will get charged after a date to keep it in stock. I may end up buying them and reselling them to fund a 980(ti) or two. I may hold off on SLI until Pascal is released, so I can pick up a second (or third) card for dirt cheap.
the card in question: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/evga-fa...lack/4583924.p?id=1219773214133&skuId=4583924

I really am not a fan of the ACX cooler for (tri)SLI, I'm fairly sure they won't play nice stacked right up next to eachother, and I also assume it would just dump all the heat inside the case, resulting in overall higher ambient temps for the other components.
So I may dump them and pick up the Reference cooler GTX 970 at best buy (after I sell the other cards)

new notes:

1. I am planning on getting the 5930k to 4.4GHz, from what I have read this shouldn't be unobtainable with the proper cooling.
2. If anyone has any experience with the board and can chime in on whether or not it will be able to get to the above, i'd appreciate it.
3. I will be gaming at either 2560x1440 or if i can convince the wife to let me take up a whole corner, 5760x1080.
4. I am still kind of torn between the Corsair 780t, and the NZXT H440/S340.

Thank you again for your response.

If anyone else has anything to say, I welcome it, everything seems so alien now.

I haven't done any overclocking recently that wasn't on my m18x, which is not lap friendly..

 

[EarthDog]

Some questions though:
1. Looking at my upgrade history, is it worth the extra hundred dollars for the Haswell-E vs Devil's Canyon? Again, I probably won't build another system for a while, unless an incredibly new technology comes out.

2. Microcenter has an x99s sli plus (no usb 3.1, not a big issue to me) open box for $135, is it worth saving an extra $65? Any difference in overclock, bios making it a bad idea?

3. Will higher speed DDR4 help at all, as the price difference between the 2400, and say, 3200 kit is only about $30 bucks. (I really like the Ripjaws V in silver...)

4. I know now that sli has no real benefit at 1080p, my tv will be my primary monitor until I purchase a new one, but considering the price (think under $200 each) should I pick up 2 (or 3 for e-peen) gtx 970s?

5. If I were to go the muti-gpu way, would the ACX coolers on the 970s play nice stacked on top of eachother?

6. Will the NZXT H440/S340 have issues exhausting the heat of said multi gpu system?

7. More of a statement, I try to keep up with technologies as much as possible, but I am sure I'm still missing something.

8. I was actually hoping intel would offer the if 6700k as I had a whole build planned around that originally...

1. I wouldn't unless you know you can use the cores.
2. No difference in BIOS and overclocking from new to used. That board will be fine.
3. I don't see a point in getting DDR4 @ 2666 or less. Those are DDR3 speeds but with much higher latency. Go DDR4 2800 CL15.
4. I surely would not go SLI for giggles. Your money and time though.
5. Just as nice as any other cooler with the fans that way...
6. Doubtful...
7. ......

new notes:
I am planning on getting the 5930k to 4.4GHz, from what I have read this shouldn't be unobtainable with the proper cooling.
If anyone has any experience with the board and can chime in on whether or not it will be able to get to the above, i'd appreciate it.
I will be gaming at either 2560x1440 or if i can convince the wife to let me take up a whole corner, 5760x1080.
I am still kind of torn between the Corsair 780t, and the NZXT H440/S340.

1. With proper cooling, that shouldnt be an issue. The board will not hold you back.
2. If you are gaming at 2560x1440, I would get a GTX 980 or a 980Ti because of the vram on the 970. 3.5GB is 'fast' while there is 500MB of slower memory. The higher you go in resolution, the more vRAM that is used. If you stay at 1080p, then the 970 is perfect. I say this only because of your upgrade cycle being so long.

 

[ninjacore]

Thanks for the reply!

I figured as much with Haswell-E for the price. The ultimate determining factor was DDR4 support (trivial, I know) and that I have yet to find a Z97 board that supports Turbo M.2

I will spend the extra $30 for higher clocked ram.

The only reason I get a discount on the 970 in question is because it's EOL, End of Life, meaning the store will get charged after a date to keep it in stock. I may end up buying them and reselling them to fund a 980(ti) or two. I may hold off on SLI until Pascal is released, so I can pick up a second (or third) card for dirt cheap.
the card in question: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/evga-fa...lack/4583924.p?id=1219773214133&skuId=4583924

I really am not a fan of the ACX cooler for (tri)SLI, I'm fairly sure they won't play nice stacked right up next to eachother, and I also assume it would just dump all the heat inside the case, resulting in overall higher ambient temps for the other components.
So I may dump them and pick up the Reference cooler GTX 970 at best buy (after I sell the other cards)

new notes:

1. I am planning on getting the 5930k to 4.4GHz, from what I have read this shouldn't be unobtainable with the proper cooling.
2. If anyone has any experience with the board and can chime in on whether or not it will be able to get to the above, i'd appreciate it.
3. I will be gaming at either 2560x1440 or if i can convince the wife to let me take up a whole corner, 5760x1080.
4. I am still kind of torn between the Corsair 780t, and the NZXT H440/S340.

Thank you again for your response.

If anyone else has anything to say, I welcome it, everything seems so alien now.

I haven't done any overclocking recently that wasn't on my m18x, which is not lap friendly..

You should get around $250-75 after shipping and fees for each of the 970s if you sold them. I'd go that route with 2 or 3 since you can buy them at a discount and use the money you make to buy the cheapest 970 you can (if you're paying ~$200 for yours, that might honestly be the cheapest). Then, when you upgrade your display, sell the 970 and pickup whatever card(s) you need to drive the higher resolution. A single 970 will be perfect for anything at 1080P. I wouldn't even worry about temps or SLI until you need to do so.

Reviews for that board show it overclocking at least that high, so you should be good.

I'd go with a 27" 1440P. I like the pixel density on that ratio. Personal preference, though.

Cases are even more personal preference I like the 760T over the 780T (and both of them over the NZXTs). Though, I've been on an ITX kick, lately, so If you spend over $150 on a case, you're probably going to be happy with the features regardless of which you pick

 

[moargie]

1. I wouldn't unless you know you can use the cores.
2. No difference in BIOS and overclocking from new to used. That board will be fine.
3. I don't see a point in getting DDR4 @ 2666 or less. Those are DDR3 speeds but with much higher latency. Go DDR4 2800 CL15.
4. I surely would not go SLI for giggles. Your money and time though.
5. Just as nice as any other cooler with the fans that way...
6. Doubtful...
7. ......

1. With proper cooling, that shouldnt be an issue. The board will not hold you back.
If you are gaming at 2560x1440, I would get a GTX 980 or a 980Ti because of the vram on the 970. 3.5GB is 'fast' while there is 500MB of slower memory. The higher you go in resolution, the more vRAM that is used.

1. the 4970k would be only be $80 cheaper, as far as how much the motherboard would cost, would probably negate the savings there.

2. I know the used/open-box mobo wouldn't be different from new, I meant the X99A vs the older X99S, as far as I can tell they just updated to USB 3.1, again, for $65 less, I won't miss that feature.

3. I will be picking up DDR4 3200 CL16 with the hopes of lowering the clocks to get tighter latencies.

4. I know 1 would be fine for 1080p, I was just wondering about the benefit from 1x 970 to 2 (or 3) on higher res/multi monitors. 2560x1440/5760x1080

5. I prefer the looks of the reference cooler, although for the price I might keep them and put them under water.

6. had to ask.

7. i meant reviews & articles on newly released tech and components. my actual upgrade history is rather abysmal.

8. that was also a statement/minor rant.

 

[EarthDog]

1. Maybe... a decent Z97 board is $130-170. Not sure how much you can grab those boards you listed...
2. For as infrequently as you upgrade, you may want the latest features (USB3.1)... or just buy an add-in card down the road.
3. Good luck. I would just purchase the 2800 and tighten it down. There isn't much point to overclocking memory in the first place, hence my KISS method and just buying 2800 CL15 and calling it a day.
4. Scaling on SLI/CFx varies from 0 to 99% with the extreme's being the minority. Average scaling is around 60-75% or so. I still don't see a point for multiple GPUs at 2560x1440.
5. OK.
6. OK.
7. OK.

 

[ninjacore]

1. the 4970k would be only be $80 cheaper, as far as how much the motherboard would cost, would probably negate the savings there.

2. I know the used/open-box mobo wouldn't be different from new, I meant the X99A vs the older X99S, as far as I can tell they just updated to USB 3.1, again, for $65 less, I won't miss that feature.

3. I will be picking up DDR4 3200 CL16 with the hopes of lowering the clocks to get tighter latencies.

4. I know 1 would be fine for 1080p, I was just wondering about the benefit from 1x 970 to 2 (or 3) on higher res/multi monitors. 2560x1440/5760x1080

5. I prefer the looks of the reference cooler, although for the price I might keep them and put them under water.

6. had to ask.

7. i meant reviews & articles on newly released tech and components. my actual upgrade history is rather abysmal.

8. that was also a statement/minor rant.

Didn't know the 4790K would be $80. You can find a very nice Z97 board for the same price you'll be paying for the X99S, so the price difference really will be $80-100. You'll have to go DDR3 instead of 4, but there will be just about no tangible difference there. Unless you need the cores, I'd save the money.

3200/C16 is fine. I wouldn't worry about messing with the timings, unless you really just want to fiddle with it.

There are a lot of shortcomings to going with multiple "mid-level" cards as opposed to just one high end card. Optimally, you'll get 180% performance from two cards, but that's only in a handful of optimized games. The majority of the time, you'll just be dealing with driver issues, heat issues, and games not optimized for SLI. A 980 will get you High settings at 1440P. 980Ti will get you Ultra.

EDIT: Yea, what he said

 

[moargie]

You should get around $250-75 after shipping and fees for each of the 970s if you sold them. I'd go that route with 2 or 3 since you can buy them at a discount and use the money you make to buy the cheapest 970 you can (if you're paying ~$200 for yours, that might honestly be the cheapest). Then, when you upgrade your display, sell the 970 and pickup whatever card(s) you need to drive the higher resolution. A single 970 will be perfect for anything at 1080P. I wouldn't even worry about temps or SLI until you need to do so.

Reviews for that board show it overclocking at least that high, so you should be good.

I'd go with a 27" 1440P. I like the pixel density on that ratio. Personal preference, though.

Cases are even more personal preference I like the 760T over the 780T (and both of them over the NZXTs). Though, I've been on an ITX kick, lately, so If you spend over $150 on a case, you're probably going to be happy with the features regardless of which you pick

Valid point, I'm not a bencher, SLI would/will be a money-pit, and I already have several of those..

27" 1440p is also what I was thinking, and is probably the biggest I can fit on my current desk, I'll be checking to see if there are any EOL at the store so I can pick one up on the cheap ;P

I like the 780t because of the sheer size, the price is a bit tough to swallow, if I spend over $150 on a case, I'd better be in love. haha.

I was actually thinking about going for the 4970k and going ITX also, that with a 970 would be a very potent HTPC.

 

[ninjacore]

There are a lot of really cool ITX cases now. I am building in a Node 304 currently and you can fit a 980 or 980ti without issue, so your upgrade path once you grab a nicer monitor, is clear.

Given your savings, I'd go 4790K and a 970 now, with personal preference deciding the form factor.

 

[moargie]

;1. With proper cooling, that shouldnt be an issue. The board will not hold you back.
2. If you are gaming at 2560x1440, I would get a GTX 980 or a 980Ti because of the vram on the 970. 3.5GB is 'fast' while there is 500MB of slower memory. The higher you go in resolution, the more vRAM that is used. If you stay at 1080p, then the 970 is perfect. I say this only because of your upgrade cycle being so long

1. wooo.
2. I will most likely ultimately get a 980 or 980Ti, because of the length between upgrades.
I doubt the 5930k will be a bottleneck for some time, so GPUs shouldn't be an issue as far as swapping out when the newer ones come in.

 

[EarthDog]

I doubt the 5930k will be a bottleneck for some time, so GPUs shouldn't be an issue as far as swapping out when the newer ones come in.

For clarity, my point had nothing to do with it being a bottleneck on the GPUs. My point is to save you money and still get great performance. Clock for clock the 4790K and 5930K are the exact same through 4c/8t. Its when you can use more than 4c/8t that the 5930K will shine. Its up to you of course... but nothing mentioned so far makes me point to that platform. If it is a want, go for it, nothing anyone can say there except for your wallet.

That said, going 4790K/Z97, you can get a 980 immediately with the money saved.

 

[moargie]

For clarity, my point had nothing to do with it being a bottleneck on the GPUs. My point is to save you money and still get great performance. Clock for clock the 4790K and 5930K are the exact same through 4c/8t. Its when you can use more than 4c/8t that the 5930K will shine. Its up to you of course... but nothing mentioned so far makes me point to that platform. If it is a want, go for it, nothing anyone can say there except for your wallet.

That said, going 4790K/Z97, you can get a 980 immediately with the money saved.

I meant I'm sure the 5930 won't bottleneck future GPUs. From my understanding the 4790k (I just now realize I've been putting the numbers in the incorrect order, I guess I'm number dyslexic, I always hated math...) actually performs the same in games clock for clock, unless the game makes use of more cores, which from what I've read isn't usually the case. And in some cases the 4790k can perform better because of a higher overclocking headroom.
If we can post prices I'll say the 5930 will be $180, and the 4790 will be $100, so the savings aren't huge.
And the 970 will be $190, the 980 would have to be full retail

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Also, thank you everyone for the quick replies.. I guess I'm not the only one with a slow day at work.

 

[EarthDog]

Choice is yours kind sir. The data is there.

AKA - We led the horse to water.

 

[ninjacore]

If we can post prices I'll say the 5930 will be $180, and the 4790 will be $100, so the savings aren't huge.
And the 970 will be $190

I'd say "lucky dog!", but then again, you had to put up with Black Friday shoppers, so you earned it

 

[moargie]

Choice is yours kind sir. The data is there.

AKA - We led the horse to water.

I appreciate it!
I will most likely be ordering the CPU first, then case, and then see where things fall to buy which part next.
I wouldn't say horse, I'm as stubborn as a mule ;P

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I'd say "lucky dog!", but then again, you had to put up with Black Friday shoppers, so you earned it

It wasn't that bad, I actually didn't have to work this year because of a car accident in August.
Fyi, Kia Optima SX, very very safe car...

 

[ninjacore]

I will most likely be ordering the CPU first, then case, and then see where things fall to buy which part next.


It wasn't that bad, I actually didn't have to work this year because of a car accident in August.
Fyi, Kia Optima SX, very very safe car...

I'd make a decision on form factor (motherboard size) before buying the case.

Glad you're safe.

 

[moargie]

I'd make a decision on form factor (motherboard size) before buying the case.

Glad you're safe.

thank you, I was Happy I walked away from it.
I'm probably going ATX, still haven't made up my mind..

 

[ninjacore]

My vote is mATX or smaller. I switched over a year or so ago and can't go back to ATX (I tried with a really nice Phanteks). They're making small cases so well now, that it's tough to justify the size of towers. 2-3x volume for a degree or two from better airflow? Eh. The first time you take your PC to a friend's house to play, you will immediately realize the value of less bulk

</opinion>

 

[moargie]

My vote is mATX or smaller. I switched over a year or so ago and can't go back to ATX (I tried with a really nice Phanteks). They're making small cases so well now, that it's tough to justify the size of towers. 2-3x volume for a degree or two from better airflow? Eh. The first time you take your PC to a friend's house to play, you will immediately realize the value of less bulk

</opinion>

I doubt I'll be taking the computer anywhere tbh, and being as a ITX build will be in the works for the living room, I'd be able to just take that
Or buy another gaming "laptop"

Ultimately I'm planning on putting everything on a custom water loop, with a few radiators, so I will more than likely go with the monstrous 780T, my hands don't do well with small spaces.

I'm about 90% sure I'll go with ATX now, I can honestly say the ITX build is intriguing, but that's for another time.
Once I decide which build to go with, I'll order a case and then start hacking it apart to paint and otherwise personalize. I have a lot of vacation time coming up, so I'll need a project to work on that won't cost me thousands.

Classic car & computers are terribly expensive hobbies.. I have to look into something cheaper.