Need advice with building a gaming PC

[SunnyUA]

Hello! I wasn't sure where to post this, so I'll start here.

I'm planning to build a decent gaming PC. I've saved up enough cash for a really good PC, so here comes the question: what do I need for it? I want to go 2k, so I was thinking two Nvidia graphics cards. And currently I have my eye on these: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 6GB SC with ACX Cooler 6GB GDDR5 384-Bit SLI Ready Graphics Card 06G-P4-3787-KR .

For GPU, I was thinking of Intel i7-4930K LGA 2011 64 Technology Extended Memory CPU Processors BX80633I74930K.

And for motherboard: MSI Computer Corp. LGA2011 Intel X79 DDR3 SATA3 and USB 3.0 A&GbE ATX Motherboard X79A-GD45(PLUS). Not sure about this though.

Would this config work? And if yes, then what sort of PSU, RAM and cooling I should get?

Appreciate any advice.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

What is your intended resolution for gaming?

 

[SunnyUA]

That too is still a question. Haven't had much experience with 2k monitors. From what I've learned, I'll be wanting to get a 2560 x 1440 27" screen.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

I thought you were referring to a 2K budget...
We call those 1440p monitors typically.

Here's my recommendation for 1440p (if you have a lower budget let me know):
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/vfbhvK

 

[SunnyUA]

This is just about what I had in mind. Will there be enough room on the motherboard to fit 2 GTX 780s? Won't that create problems with airflow?

Also, this machine would heat alright, wouldn't it? Would I need any extra cooling for it?

Thanks!

 

[ATMINSIDE]

This is just about what I had in mind. Will there be enough room on the motherboard to fit 2 GTX 780s? Won't that create problems with airflow?

Also, this machine would heat alright, wouldn't it? Would I need any extra cooling for it?

Thanks!

It'll fit them just fine, there will be some breathing room. You'll definitely want some air directed toward them though.

If you're looking at overclocking you'll need a different CPU cooler.
The GPU coolers are good to go as long as there are some case fans feeding them fresh air.

 

[SunnyUA]

Not looking at overclocking, no. Thanks for the help!

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Not looking at overclocking, no. Thanks for the help!

You're welcome!
Feel free to toss any other questions in here as well!

 

[Daleon]

If not OC'ing consider just paying the cpl extra for a 4790K for 4ghz and 4.4 turbo, more than worth it I think.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

If not OC'ing consider just paying the cpl extra for a 4790K for 4ghz and 4.4 turbo, more than worth it I think.

+1, I just picked the wrong chip

 

[Tetrall]

Hey bud, important question:

Have you considered which power supply your going with? All those nice parts... I'd hate to see them get munched by a bad PSU.

EDIT: Oh that was one of your questions!

Well, there's a lot of good opinions here. I really like my EVGA Supernova 1K, but it's more than I really need. I'm not the best person to ask as I'm a newbie, but we have a great thread here with good links.

If you want to pick for yourself, check out some reviews at jonnyguru.com. And we have a thread with a list of "recommended PSUs" in the power supply sub-forum.

 

[Theocnoob]

Building with a 6 core for gaming is ridiculously wasteful. NO game needs more than a $240 i5 right now. NO game. You just won't see improvements with a 6 core.

Get yourself at least a 4690K and at most a 4790K. ASUS Z97-A, MSI Gaming 5, ASRock extreme 6 or Gigabyte Z97XUD4H. And 2X4GB RAM. That's all you need.

 

[SunnyUA]

I've seen people install 32GB of RAM. That's excessive, right?

 

[mimart7]

It depends on your needs. If you are rendering videos, then more ram is better. No need to look at a dead end platform like x 79. X 97 will be more than fine as others have pointed out.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

I've seen people install 32GB of RAM. That's excessive, right?

32GB is useless for gaming. 16GB is overkill even.

 

[GearingMass]

If you feel like dropping an extra $50, you could always build in a full size tower. It's not necessary and entirely personal, but it's an option

 

[SunnyUA]

Currently I have an Aerocool Xpredator case (482mm (H) x 190mm (W) x 475mm (D)) and I won't be able to fit anything larger into my table space.

 

[GearingMass]

Currently I have an Aerocool Xpredator case (482mm (H) x 190mm (W) x 475mm (D)) and I won't be able to fit anything larger into my table space.

Ah, there you go!

 

[Theocnoob]

Currently I have an Aerocool Xpredator case (482mm (H) x 190mm (W) x 475mm (D)) and I won't be able to fit anything larger into my table space.

I just googled that case. Quite hideous . You can rebuild inside it or go with a different case. As the case you have now is pretty large it shouldn't be difficult to find a new case with the same or smaller dimensions.

One thing- I HIGHLY recommend that you overclock. It's easy as hell now. It used to be that you had to do a couple days of reading, reasoning, and understanding. Now you just make it go faster and up the voltage. That's it. It's stupidly easy and it's ridiculous not to do it. Get a 4790K. No idea why ATMINSIDE recommended a 4770K. Maybe a brain fart. Get a decent cooler. a 240mm AIO liquid cooler would be good or a Noctua NHD14.

If you are dead set against overclocking (which is ridiculous IMO), you can get a non -K CPU and a cheaper motherboard. However, my stance here is that you should overclock, get 2 780s, and go with a high end board with a PLX chip such as an ASRock extreme9 so that you can get true 16/16X PCIE connectivity for those GPUs. The Extreme 6 may be a great board but if you populate the Ultra m.2 slot, even a SINGLE GPU will be running at 8X, and god help you if you are running 2 GPUs.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

No idea why ATMINSIDE recommended a 4770K. Maybe a brain fart.

+1, I just picked the wrong chip

Already went over that...
Take some time to read the thread.

The extra money spent on the high end board with a PLX chip for x16/x16 is a waste.
It MIGHT get you 2-3% over an x8/x8 board. MIGHT.

Also, case aesthetics are a personal preference. No reason to say someone's case is hideous...
I just looked up the XPredator and think it looks pretty darn cool.