Extreme Gaming Build

[AlphaOmega]

I'm looking at customizing the Vortex 2000 Gaming PC to the following Specs:

Case: CORSAIR GRAPHITE SERIES™ 780T FULL TOWER CASE
Processor: Intel Core i7 Eight Core Processor Extreme i7-5960X (3.0GHz) 20MB Cache
Motherboard: Asus Rampage V Extreme: ATX, HSW-E CPU, USB 3.0, SATA 6GB/s
Memory: 32GB Kingston Hyper-X Predator Quad-DDR4 3000MHz X.M.P (4 x 8GB)
Graphics Card: 4GB NVidia GeForce GTX 980
1st Hard Drive (Primary): 500GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD, SATA 6GB/s (upto 520MB/sW)
2nd Hard Drive (Secondary): 4TB WD Caviar Black 4003FZEX, SATA 6GB/s, 64MB Cache (7200rpm)
DVD Drive: 24x Duel Layer DVD Writer
Power Supply: Corsair 1000W RM Series Modular 80Plus Gold, Ultra Quiet
Processor Cooling: Corsair H100i Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste: Arctic MX-4 Extreme Thermal Conductivity Compound
Fan Controller: NZXT Sentry LX Fan Controller with upto 5 Fitted Case Fans
Sound Card: Asus Xonar DGX 5.1-Channel Gaming Audio Card
Wireless Networking: Asus PCE-AC68 AC1900 1,300Mbps/5GHz, 600Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E Card
USB Options: Min. 2 x USB 3.0 & 6 USB 2.0 Ports @ Back Panel + Min. 2 Front Ports
Operating System: Windows 8.1 64bit


In all, it works out pretty expensive but in my mind i'd rather pay for an expensive build which will last for at least 4+ years than on one which will only last 2 years then needs upgrading. The PC I have now is 7 years old and whilst it plays all the games I currently play just fine (althought it can't run GTA V even tho it meets the min requirements), It's time to get a new one and what better way than to go all out on one!

However, i'm not sure whether to swap the HDD's around? Is it better to have the Samsung SSD HD as the primary or as the secondary? Does it have any advantages/disadvantages?
I don't really have no knowledge when it comes to pc specs/hardware so any advice on the HD situation would be highly appreciated!

 

[tmathew]

32GB of ram is not need for gaming so 16 would do

 

[AlphaOmega]

32GB of ram is not need for gaming so 16 would do

Well i'll be doing alot of video editing and 3D rendering (not as much) aswell.


I've been looking at the CM Storm Trooper case aswell, not quite sure whether to go with that or my original choice.

 

[SlimCini]

£3000 for a gaming PC that has one single 980 in it is insane. With your budget are we to assume you have a very strong monitor to game on?

Anyway, this is over £1200 cheaper than your build and would game just as well (with room for another 980 if you should so feel the need):
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-4790k (4.0GHz) 8MB Cache
Case
CORSAIR GRAPHITE SERIES™ 780T FULL TOWER CASE
Motherboard
Gigabyte Z97X Gaming 3: ATX, LG1150, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs, XFIRE/SLI
Memory (RAM)
16GB KINGSTON DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 980 - 1 DVI, 1 mHDMI, 3 mDP - 3D Vision Ready
1st Hard Disk
500GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
4TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD4003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
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
Super Quiet 22dBA Triple Copper Heatpipe Intel CPU Cooler (£19)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (£9)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 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)
Windows 10 Upgrade
FREE Upgrade to Windows 10 with all Windows 7 & Windows 8.1 Purchases*
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,767.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-haswell-pc/MQyRYYuCc3/

 

[AlphaOmega]

£3000 for a gaming PC that has one single 980 in it is insane. With your budget are we to assume you have a very strong monitor to game on?

Anyway, this is over £1200 cheaper than your build and would game just as well (with room for another 980 if you should so feel the need):
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-4790k (4.0GHz) 8MB Cache
Case
CORSAIR GRAPHITE SERIES™ 780T FULL TOWER CASE
Motherboard
Gigabyte Z97X Gaming 3: ATX, LG1150, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs, XFIRE/SLI
Memory (RAM)
16GB KINGSTON DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 980 - 1 DVI, 1 mHDMI, 3 mDP - 3D Vision Ready
1st Hard Disk
500GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
4TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD4003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
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
Super Quiet 22dBA Triple Copper Heatpipe Intel CPU Cooler (£19)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (£9)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 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)
Windows 10 Upgrade
FREE Upgrade to Windows 10 with all Windows 7 & Windows 8.1 Purchases*
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,767.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-haswell-pc/MQyRYYuCc3/

IMO, I prefer my original build. I just feel that having a X99 clipset is best.

As for the monitor, I have 2 Samsung 4K monitors still in the box just waiting to be used!

 

[DragonAsh]

My build is very close to the build SlimCini recommended, including two new 23" monitors, for basically half the cost. I dunno, seems massive overkill to me to get an £800 CPU clocked so slow, especially if this is supposed to be an 'extreme gaming' rig: unless you're running two or even three graphics cards, you're not going to be using all the cores available, which means you'll basically be slower than CPUs that cost half as much or less.

And quite frankly I don't believe you when you say 'I'll also do a lot of video editing and 3D rendering', because a) if that was the case you'd mention that, but b) instead the thread name is 'extreme gaming build', not 'video editing and 3D rendering build, and in said thread you c) discuss 'playing all the games I play' and 'GTA V', and d) someone heavily involved with video editing and 3D rendering would not say they 'have no knowledge of PC specs/hardware'.

No worries - that's why forums like these are around :yes:

This is an extreme gaming build, and you have a decent budget? Great - get a more sensible CPU for gaming and take the £4-500 savings to get a second graphics card. Maybe you got money to burn, but don't just flush it down the toilet on a perceived performance boost you will almost certainly never ever realize; the second graphics card will do far more for an extreme gaming build.

 

[Alex179]

A single GTX 980 isnt going to be capable of steady 4k gaming, also the Asus Rampage has wifi built so you dont need the additional network card. Wouldn't it also be better getting a Blu Ray disk reader? With the cooling you are looking at you could save a few hundred getting the overclocked 5930k instead of the 5960X

 

[AlphaOmega]

And quite frankly I don't believe you when you say 'I'll also do a lot of video editing and 3D rendering', because a) if that was the case you'd mention that, but b) instead the thread name is 'extreme gaming build', not 'video editing and 3D rendering build, and in said thread you c) discuss 'playing all the games I play' and 'GTA V', and d) someone heavily involved with video editing and 3D rendering would not say they 'have no knowledge of PC specs/hardware'.

How can you say you don't believe me when you don't even know me? I actually make videos using tools such as Sony Vegas and Adobe After Effects aswell as Cinema 4D for my 3D rendering. And yes the the thread is called "Extreme Gaming Build" but it's also for video editing. There was no need to mention it in the thread title. I also never said I was "heavily" involved with video editing. Alot can mean many different things whereas heavily doesn't. Believe it or not you can actually make videos and 3D rendering without the knowledge of the ins and outs of PC hardware. It's the software you have to know, not the hardware!


Plus I actually did mention my video editing in the first post but when I went to post the thread I had to login and doing so made me restart the thread and couldn't be bothered to put it back in because an "Extreme Gaming Build" would be more than capable of my needs for video editing.



@Alex179: Just because I have 2 4K monitors doesn't instantly mean i'll be using it for 4K gaming. 1080p gaming is just as good. I only got the monitors as they was on sale on Amazon.

 

[keynes]

IMO, I prefer my original build. I just feel that having a X99 clipset is best.

As for the monitor, I have 2 Samsung 4K monitors still in the box just waiting to be used!

The motherboard is overkill for your intended use, the rampage board is more suitable for extreme overclockers. A single gtx 980 will struggle for high settings with a 4k monitor. The ram also seems excessive unless you do editing and rendering for a living. IMO I would pay a fraction of the price of your build and upgrade in 2 years time rather than trying to future proof in one go for 4 years which I don't think is possible, at least not for a gaming rig

 

[AlphaOmega]

Well what about:

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-4790k (4.0GHz) 8MB Cache
Case
COOLERMASTER CM STORM TROOPER - GAMING ENTHUSIAST CASE
Motherboard
ASUS® SABERTOOTH Z97 MK1: USB 3.0, SATA 6.0GB/s, THERMAL ARMOR
Memory (RAM)
32GB KINGSTON HYPER-X BEAST DUAL-DDR3 2133MHz X.M.P (4 x 8GB KIT)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 980 - 1 DVI, 1 mHDMI, 3 mDP - 3D Vision Ready
2nd Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 980 - 1 DVI, 1 mHDMI, 3 mDP - 3D Vision Ready
1st Hard Disk
500GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
4TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD4003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1200W PRO SERIES™ PLATINUM AX1200i DIGITAL MODULAR PSU
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100i Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
Asus Xonar DGX 5.1-Channel Gaming Audio Card
Wireless/Wired Networking
ASUS PCE-AC68 AC1900 1,300Mbps/5GHz, 600Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD


Note: I do have fast track, diamond delivery and 3 year platinum warranty aswell as keyboard + mouse, speakers, headset, 2xHDMI cables and cable management selected in the price.

Works out about £460 cheaper

 

[AlphaOmega]

Sorry for the double post but i'm unable to edit my previous post.


Just to let you know, i've gone for the above specs but changed the case from the CM Storm Trooper to the Corsair Graphite Series 780T. Again from my previous post to my original post i've saved roughly about £460.