4K gaming - budget around £1400 (minus gpu's / peripherals)

evvo123

Enthusiast
Hi all,

As the title suggests, I'm looking to spend ~£1400 (max) on a PC that is capable of producing playable frame rates at 4K, and would be interested to hear any feedback anyone might have. I've already got a couple of reference 4GB Sapphire R9 290X's lying around, as well as the relatively affordable Samsung U28D590D 60HZ display (and other peripherals), so I'll probably stick with them. Other than that, nothing's really set in stone.

A few points of consideration:

- I'm relatively tempted by SKT 2011 and the i7 4930K, even though its impact on gaming will (I'd imagine) be minimal over one of the better i5/i7 Haswell chips.
- I'll probably OC the processor, so good cooling (liquid Corsair H60 or H100 perhaps?) is preferable.
- I don't care about having a designated SSD. I don't care about opening applications more quickly. I do care about boot times. A hybrid drive like the 2TB SEAGATE ST2000DX001 2TB/8GB SSHD would be more than sufficient.
- I want the PC to be able to play the latest games at max settings at a minimum of 1440p for the next 2 years. I realise my choice of gpu's has largely already dictated how well the PC shall play games, but I guess my point is that I don't want to suffer from noticeable CPU bottle-necking 2/3 years down the road if I end up only upgrading the GPU's. It's also worth pointing out that my current PC has an i7 3820 oc'd to 4.7 GHZ, so I'd preferably want something a little better than that.
- Because of the whole 'future-proofing' thing - as outlined above - 16GB RAM would probably be the minimum I'd consider. Ideally, I'd like 24/32GB.

Questions:

- Is it really worth splurging on a more expensive motherboard than the ASUS P9X79 LE? Coincidentally, I have the motherboard installed in my current PC, and it has performed adequately (allowing for a decent OC of CPU and RAM) for the year-or-so I've had it.
- Games coming out in the next 2/3 years are likely to utilize a greater number of CPU cores, so while possessing 6 cores is superfluous at present, do you think it is worth it in the long run?
- 850 or 1000W? (I'm tempted to go for the latter)
 

keynes

Multiverse Poster
Because of the whole 'future-proofing' thing - as outlined above - 16GB RAM would probably be the minimum I'd consider. Ideally, I'd like 24/32GB.
If it is just for gaming why? By the time you need more than 16gb ram for gaming you are going to be looking at getting a new pc.
but I guess my point is that I don't want to suffer from noticeable CPU bottle-necking 2/3 years down the road if I end up only upgrading the GPU's.
I really doubt you will get any bottlenecking now with the CPU you have and as you mentioned the i7-4930k will bring minimal (not noticeable) improvement for gaming.
Is it really worth splurging on a more expensive motherboard than the ASUS P9X79 LE?
No
Games coming out in the next 2/3 years are likely to utilize a greater number of CPU cores, so while possessing 6 cores is superfluous at present, do you think it is worth it in the long run?
When are you planning to upgrade/replace your system? I doubt games will use 6 cores or more in 3 years time.
 

GeorgeHillier

Prolific Poster
At the moment there's no point investing in a 4k rig. The GPUs aren't capable of displaying on the highest settings at 60fps at 4k yet and you'd have to go with SLI 780ti's or something to get a half decent fps.

With your budget I would go with a rig for 1080p gaming as it'll be far better.

You would only ever need 8gb of RAM but could get 16gb just to be safe, no more than that is needed. Don't bother with the i7-4930k, it's not worth the price and as you say won't help with gaming, so why spend the cash on it? :) Also, if you're using reference cards then you may want to think about changing the cooling system to something better, the non-reference cards can run a lot quieter and cooler and get better performance due to them being cooler.
 

steaky360

Moderator
Moderator
I think all 4k monitors only display 30fps. You'd be significantly better getting 3 1080p monitors.

Nah there are a few that display 4K at 60Hz using a display port 1.2.

I don't disagree however that you pretty much cannot play new games at 4K with descent framerates however. I have noted no problems at 4K with Borderlands 2 and other 'older' titles.
 

evvo123

Enthusiast
If it is just for gaming why? By the time you need more than 16gb ram for gaming you are going to be looking at getting a new pc.

I really doubt you will get any bottlenecking now with the CPU you have and as you mentioned the i7-4930k will bring minimal (not noticeable) improvement for gaming.

No

When are you planning to upgrade/replace your system? I doubt games will use 6 cores or more in 3 years time.

You're undoubtedly right about not needing the extra RAM. 16 probably is fine. My current PC has 24GB @ 2400MHZ, and I don't think it has ever used more than 10 under load. I'll probably upgrade in 2016, but as mentioned, I'll probably just exchange the R9 290Xs for something a little more modern. That's why I'm considering the i7 4930K; I would intend to keep it for ~4-5 years. I think it's quite plausible that an SLI/Crossfire configuration in 4-5 years' time would be bottle-necked (to a greater extent at least) by a 4770 or 4820 than a 4930.
 

evvo123

Enthusiast
I think all 4k monitors only display 30fps. You'd be significantly better getting 3 1080p monitors.
Some of the newer ones display at 60, which while still being pretty low, is tolerable. I already have the monitor anyway (though I do have 3 1080p monitors too coincidentally).
 

SlimCini

KC and the Sunshine BANNED
Some of the newer ones display at 60, which while still being pretty low, is tolerable. I already have the monitor anyway (though I do have 3 1080p monitors too coincidentally).

60Hz is 'pretty low, but tolerable'?!?!

Monitor snob ;)
 

evvo123

Enthusiast
At the moment there's no point investing in a 4k rig. The GPUs aren't capable of displaying on the highest settings at 60fps at 4k yet and you'd have to go with SLI 780ti's or something to get a half decent fps.

With your budget I would go with a rig for 1080p gaming as it'll be far better.

You would only ever need 8gb of RAM but could get 16gb just to be safe, no more than that is needed. Don't bother with the i7-4930k, it's not worth the price and as you say won't help with gaming, so why spend the cash on it? :) Also, if you're using reference cards then you may want to think about changing the cooling system to something better, the non-reference cards can run a lot quieter and cooler and get better performance due to them being cooler.

Thanks for the advice. I've seen games (2013 and pre-2013 titles) running at max on two way Crossfire R9 290X configurations with 40-90 FPS. SLI 780 ti's offer ~10% better performance than the two 290Xs, but are unfortunately hideously expensive. I bought my two reference cards for £260 each, so essentially half the price of a single (new) 780Ti. The £1400 budget is for PC minus graphics cards/peripherals. The other thing to mention is that I'm not averse to lowering the resolution to 1440p, which I shall undoubtedly have to do with 2015/16 titles. The CPU is a difficult one; while I'd upgrade the GPUs in 2 years, I'd probably leave the processor for 4/5. Essentially I don't want the processor to bottleneck SLI / Crossfire configurations two-or-three generations from now.
 

keynes

Multiverse Poster
if the 290x are reference cards I would consider getting a very good case and possible looking for an aftermarket cooler for those.
 

evvo123

Enthusiast
if the 290x are reference cards I would consider getting a very good case and possible looking for an aftermarket cooler for those.
Yes I agree. Would a couple of extra 120mm fans suffice or would I need something specifically for the GPUs? Thanks for the advice.
 

Cadwah

Rising Star
Well it's on or about budget...

Case
FRACTAL DESIGN ARC MIDI R2 MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Six Core Processor i7-4930K (3.4GHz) 12MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® P9X79 LE: INTEL® SOCKET LG2011
Memory (RAM)
16GB KINGSTON HYPER-X BEAST DUAL-DDR3 2133MHz X.M.P (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NONE, I ALREADY HAVE A GRAPHICS CARD
1st Hard Disk
2TB SEAGATE ST2000DX001 2TB/8GB SSHD 64MB HYBRID DRIVE
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET (£139)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100i Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler (£89)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (£9)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 8.1 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£69)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,403.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-2011-extreme/LVPtmSfM2g/
 

evvo123

Enthusiast
Well it's on or about budget...

Case
FRACTAL DESIGN ARC MIDI R2 MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Six Core Processor i7-4930K (3.4GHz) 12MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® P9X79 LE: INTEL® SOCKET LG2011
Memory (RAM)
16GB KINGSTON HYPER-X BEAST DUAL-DDR3 2133MHz X.M.P (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NONE, I ALREADY HAVE A GRAPHICS CARD
1st Hard Disk
2TB SEAGATE ST2000DX001 2TB/8GB SSHD 64MB HYBRID DRIVE
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET (£139)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100i Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler (£89)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (£9)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 8.1 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£69)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,403.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-2011-extreme/LVPtmSfM2g/

Thanks - more-or-less exactly the configuration I had in mind. Do you think the Hydro H100i would be significantly better than the H60? (I have the H60 already; my CPU doesn't run particularly cool under load (max 72 Celsius in Prime95), but to be fair, the case/fans are pretty rubbish).
 

keynes

Multiverse Poster
Yes I agree. Would a couple of extra 120mm fans suffice or would I need something specifically for the GPUs? Thanks for the advice.

From reviews the reference gpu runs pretty hot (over 90 degrees if I remember correctly) at full load and gets noisy. They might throttle especially in crossfire.
 
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