Help $2500+ Budget

[Sirrrus]

I'll be following the Sticky since this is only my third desktop build, but the first I am seeking professional help on. As far as skill, I am somewhere between Novice and Intermediate: I understand the basic specs on the packaging and what they do for me, but not the finer points of why you would choose one over another, I know how to test and assemble the thing, but not how to arrange them in a creative and efficient manner.

Budget: Ideally I want to be around $2500 USD, I am highly attracted to the "Cadillac" models available (ultra high end) but, while I'm financially stable, I'm not made of money. I'd be willing to go over the $2500 mark with a max cap of $3000 so long as whatever I'm getting in return is about a 15-20% increase in efficiency, FPS, etc. I am a frequent shopper of NewEgg, Amazon.com (I'm a Prime member, so I get lots of free shipping), and I used to love TigerDirect but their prices have really gone up. I check Woot.com and SlickDeals.net frequently for any pieces that may go on sale. Any other sites that are useful? Please share!

Budget needs to include: Everything except a case. I currently use this one: http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/product.php?product_id=2810
It should suffice. If there is a glaring problem with size or other concerns, I will gladly listen to recommendations. I'll be specific about what I'd like to have but you're offering free help, so who am I to argue!


Main Uses of PC Build: Video Games - Assassin's Creed fanatic, Dragon Age fanatic, Skyrim, Total War series, Crysis series, Mass Effect, I'll even go back and play KOTOR, LOTR: BfME, I used to love Diablo...part 3 killed any love I had. I do not play much online, I do not like MMO's. I do have Quantum Fios 75 Mbps download which helps immensely with and downloads and DLC. The MOST IMPORTANT thing to me is gorgeous graphics with smooth play. If the rig can handle the super-mega-ultra graphics setting but it stutters like hell, then I don't even want to play. But if it looks like FFVII here in 2013, then I want a new rig; which is the reason I'm here. My current build is connected via HDMI to a Panasonic Viera 50' Plasma TV. I have a monitor (1080p) that I could switch to instead if it will hamper the build. I do enjoy sitting on the couch with a larger screen and mobility of the keyboard as opposed to a desk. Either way, I will use and Ethernet cable, not wireless, to connect the desktop to the Internet. I have ADHD and a short temper,;I do not like to wait for load screens and I do not want to spend hours overclocking in between games and such if at all possible. I like to set it up properly the first time and never have to worry about it again. The PC will have it's own outlet, surge protector, and there's nothing else on that electrical line that I know of except a ceiling light/fan that I never turn on. In the apartment building I just moved to, I pay the electric, last place was included, I'm not overly concerned about electric usage but let's not make them think I'm starting my own space program. I know almost nothing about liquid cooling and would totally be into advice, education and recommendations here. Besides my games, I have Mozilla, Abobe Flash/Acrobat and Java installed. Don't use it for much else.


Parts required: Pretty much everything except a case, mouse, keyboard and monitor. If there's any reason why I should hang onto pieces from my current build, please let me know, but it's soooooo 2009.

Previous Build: Ok, I'm gonna try and not make a fool of myself identifying these...
(None are currently overclocked)

CPU: i7-920 @ 2.67GHz
CPU Fan: Thermaltake CLP0554 80mm Sleeve CPU Cooler
Mobo: EVGA E758-A1 LGA 1366 X58 Intel Mobo
PSU: Antec Earthwatts 650W: EA-650 (I'm fuzzy on power supplies, the 3 listings for 12+ volt are 22, 22, 25A respectively. Do I have 69A on the 12+V rail?)
RAM: OCZ OCZ3G1600LV6GK DDR3 PC3-12800 1600 MHz Gold XTC 6GB
Video Card: EVGA Nvidia GTX 580
Hard Drive: Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000GLFS 300GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive
CD-Rom: Basic, run of the mill, HP SATA CD-Rom
Monitor: http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-TC-P50ST60-50-Inch-Includes-Glasses/dp/B00AVRJK3K
Sound: No sound card, I am currently hooked via analog... =( ...into the Bose Cinamate GS II

Monitor resolution: 1920x1080 should suffice. I really have no idea, so long as it's gorgeous looking. Opinions?

Storage requirements: Tricky area. My Velociraptor was great when I got it. All the talk of load times on SSD has me jealous... I've been eyeing a Samsung 1TB SSD that I can get fairly cheap compared to market price. But everyone seems to want to buy a very small SSD for the OS and then some massive extra 7200RPM HD for storage. Help! Need educating if you please! My preference is to just plain have fast load times on everything from Windows to games, as I said ADHD and impatient. =/ I am Ok with only keeping the 5 or so games I'm playing at the time on the hard drive and uninstalling later to put others on. 1 TB sounds like a nice round number; whether it's SSD or just a plain HD depends on recommendations from here. Is my 10k spindle even close to SSD?

Will you be overclocking? Yes, I hope to. But this is another area I know nothing about. I want this thing to last a while. But I want solid performance out of it. What is the middle ground here? Is liquid cooling required for overclocking?

Special Mobo Requirements: Haven't thought of any really... I need about 6 USB usable at all times, the most I think I've ever had connected at once:
1x keyboard
1x mouse
1x Apple iProduct
1x Thumb Drive
1x Portable HD
1x Wifi Stick

Currently the optical audio must pass from the TV into the Bose to get sound. This must be unplugged for the "Audio jack to Analog Red/White" to function as it seems the Bose overrides the Analog in favor of the Optical. But that is a minor issue, I don't really care.

Extra Information: Currently I have an idea what I want and how much it costs; it's modern, leaves room for future upgrades and is fairly speedy (Reminder - prices in USD)

CPU: i7-4930k, $559, good price for just a step below the Xtreme.
CPU Fan: Liquid Cooling? $100?
Mobo: RIVE - $429. Although I just read about the Black edition a few days ago and would be willing to wait for it if that would be worth it.
PSU: Something around 1000W sounds necessary. I'm gonna start with single slot Video Card and maybe add another later. Found some 1000W 80 Gold Plus CoolerMaster for $129.
RAM: Totally lost here...looking at the GSkill Ripjaws Z 16MB Quad Channel for $184.
Video Card: Since it breaks the bank, I've decided to avoid the Titan. I'm looking at a single EVGA Nvidia GTX 780 Superclocked for $650.
Hard Drive: 1x Samsung 840 1TB SSD $530.
CD-Rom: Later I'll get a nice Blu-Ray
Sound: Don't care til it's built.

Thank you for your time, knowledge, and courtesy in advance!
Ok, fire away with whatever you got!

[vanakka]

Just some initial thoughts (treat these as opinions):

For the processor cooling, you can get a h100 for $109: Newegg. This is enough for some overclocking on your CPU, and larger diameter fans mean you will move more air with less high pitched whine.

Even if you want to overclock, long as you arent using a second gpu you won't need 1000w, however the price difference might be so negligible that you buy the 1000w just for future headroom for upgrades. You can see what I am running on 650w in my sig. I would highly recommend getting a modular power supply to get rid of excess wires, it is worth the extra 20-40 bucks.

You are unlikely to need 1tb of SSD in my opinion. I would put the money in other places. Personally I put programs that have a lot of files to unpack in order to open such as photoshop, my operating system, my entire steam library, WoW, Elder Scrolls Online, and more onto a 240gb SSD with room to spare, I would recommend something closer to 500.

Are you excluding all peripherals from your budget?

[vanakka]

Here is a useful video for comparing nVidea cards: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv3E8Dnwmxo


More opinions:

As you can see, the 780 can get a good 60-80% bump from 2 way SLI. I would get a 500GB SSD for around 300, and use the savings to get a second GPU (which would put you over budget) but it is well past the 15-20% range you suggested. and it would make better use of that expensive mobo's extra graphics slots

One thing I would advise you consider in your budget is aftermarket case fans, high flow low noise, and so on. 4 sticks of fast ram and 2 GPUs (potentially) are going to get warm.

You should go with 16GB of ram, 16MB might hold back your system a bit.

[Sirrrus]

Define peripherals?

I agree on the PSU, part of the reason I was looking at so much power was in case I add 1 or 2 780's later on. Modular? Does it usually list that in the title of the product or as a searchable option?

Sounds about right for what I was looking at for liquid cooling. I've seen video cards including the 780 with inputs for liquid cooling, would that form one continuous circuit with the CPU or do I need separate parts? Should I consider a liquid cooled video card? What about for memory?

For the SSD, would I be better off with a separate 32-64GB for OS and a 500 for everything else or can they be one unit?

Thank you for the opinion!

[vanakka]

Modular means you get the PSU and the wires as separate units and you only plug in the ones you need. It would likely be in the title, but also in the details. (it isnt a searchable option, but most PSUs over 1000w on newegg have it)

Liquid cooling blocks for graphics cards and ram are generally sold separately. Honestly if you are concerned with maxing out your system, I would go with liquid cooling and get a bigger PSU, but honestly for your uses you are going to enjoy maxing out your games with no trouble leaving them air cooled. The water cooler for the CPU that I linked you would be closed loop (not extendable) which is good for less advanced building because it is easy to install. If you want them all on one loop, I will have to type you a wall of text explaining the process (which I can do when I get home if you like). For the SSD I would advise just one, build your system with only that one connected, run your OS setup, get your drivers, and then restart with your HDD plugged in (this makes sure all boot files are on the SSD). Then install the programs you want on your SSD on the proper drive.

Peripherals can be anything that you plug into your tower that isnt IN your tower.

By the way, I had been editing my posts as you were reading them, so you may want to check if I added anything.

[Sirrrus]

I've noticed! Thanks again for the help!

Ok, so a GPU with the input holes for liquid needs a separate block and RAM as well?

I want a fairly future-proof rig, starting with Assassin's Creed 4. I want to feel lost in that game, I want the visuals to overwhelm me and for the FPS to be as high as I can get it. I love feeling lost in my games, totally immersed. Do I need two GPU's to get that? Do I need liquid cooling with 2 GPU's. Will I gain FPS, better textures or both?

RAM I'm considering: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231588

I'll take a better look at PSU's, will I need to buy all those cables separate?

Regarding peripherals, I already own a Razer Deathadder and Lycosa. Don't need much else, iPad handles the rest. Unless there's something I've overlooked? O_o

[Myk_SilentShado]

Currently the only Graphics cards for the mass market with liquid cooling attached are the Hydrocopper cards from EVGA...but, they sell fast. If you want a fully custom liquid cooling loop, you're going to blow through the 3K ceiling you set yourself as a maximum budget...the best gear is pretty pricy, just like it is for the main hardware. Oh and don't bother with the whole "future proofing" ideology...with how fast and rapidly advancements come, your well laid out plans can change within a year or less, especially if you're an enthusiast who loves to have the latest and greatest. Going liquid with 2 VGA's is a really good idea, you won't gain much better FPS...but on the whole, you'll certainly have a cooler(temp wise) running system.

[Sirrrus]

Ok, so is a completely liquid cooled system really necessary to achieve the results I want? I don't care about posting photos for people to marvel at. I just wanna play my games in peace, and have them be immersive and amazing.

[Sirrrus]

Also, would this Rampage Black be worth waiting for, considering what I'm trying to achieve?

[Myk_SilentShado]

Honestly, the main benefits for liquid cooling are lower temps and better overclocking ability. And yes, the RIVBE is worth the wait. As it combines the best of both the Extreme and Formula in one board, plus has some enhancements over the RIVE...though of course, the RIVE is still a very capable and powerful board.