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Help First time build

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May 22, 2015
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Location
Grand Rapids, Michigan
System Name Ragnorak
Processor Q8300
Motherboard older Asus socket 775 board
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Memory 8gb ddr2
Video Card(s) gigabyte Gtx 750 ti oc black edition
Storage 500 gb HDD
Case Thermaltake SapranoRS
Audio Device(s) Stock/Stock
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Mouse Razer Naga
Keyboard boring old keyboard
Software Windows 10
Benchmark Scores to low to even bother
Hi i have no where else to go for advice and i have used this website for alot of updates in the past. Im going to be building a new hopefully high end gaming computer that runs games at 1080p at a preferable 60 fps on high or max setting. Iv run into a wall though, and that being i was going to sli gtx 970's to hopefully stay on top of everything for the next few years. But recently iv been seeing alot of complaints about sli and about the gtx 970. I have no clue what to do anymore. please give opinions and reccomendations also here is a screenshot of what i was going to do originally.
pc.png
 
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System Name Bandito | Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast
Processor Intel i7 10700 undervolted| i7 12700H
Motherboard Asrock Z590 Extreme | NUC barebone Kit
Cooling Noctua C14S | stock
Memory Crucial Ballistics 64GB(4x16GB) 3000MTs | Crucial Ballistics 64GB(2x32GB) 3200MTs
Video Card(s) Sapphire Radeon 6700XT 12GB Nitro Plus | Arc A770M 16GB
Storage too many ssd's and an 3TB hard drive
Display(s) Asus 34 " Proart, LG 34 inch ultrawide, HP 27 inch and LG 32inch UHD
Case White Lian-li Lancool 3 | NUC barebone kit
Audio Device(s) Creative Sound Blaster Z |Focusrite 2i2
Power Supply Coolermaster 850w Gold | included 320w
Mouse Logitech G703
Keyboard Logitech G615
Software MS Windows 11 Pro 64-Bit
just a few notes
- you need a quad channel DDR4 kit for the RAM to optimize the platform
- get a bigger ssd if you load a few of the newer games which are massive you'll be out of space soon.
- if you can afford two cards it's usually a better experience with one stronger card IMO
- Pick another case the antec 900 is a terrible first case to build in. The limited space, bad cable management options an the unnecessary work required to install a hard drive(six screws on both sides, twelve total) is troublesome IMO
- probably don't need the extra case fan
 
Joined
May 22, 2015
Messages
198 (0.06/day)
Location
Grand Rapids, Michigan
System Name Ragnorak
Processor Q8300
Motherboard older Asus socket 775 board
Cooling stock intel
Memory 8gb ddr2
Video Card(s) gigabyte Gtx 750 ti oc black edition
Storage 500 gb HDD
Case Thermaltake SapranoRS
Audio Device(s) Stock/Stock
Power Supply Unkown
Mouse Razer Naga
Keyboard boring old keyboard
Software Windows 10
Benchmark Scores to low to even bother
is the SSD make a big difference when playing a game vs playing it on a normal hard drive
 

64K

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I would say wait a couple of weeks to see what the GTX 980 Ti brings and skip the SLI 970s. A 980 Ti should be enough for 60+ FPS at Ultra with 4X AA on 1080p for every game out there and probably for a few years to come. For example the Titan X was benched here on this site at those settings for 65.4 avg FPS on Crysis 3 at 1080p. The 980 Ti will probably be a little slower but you will still be able to max every game and it might be cheaper than a pair of 970s.

If you want high to max settings at 1080p in every game then a 970 or 980 is enough.

is the SSD make a big difference when playing a game vs playing it on a normal hard drive

It loads the game faster and loads big maps faster but as far as increasing your FPS no, not much difference.
 
Joined
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Benchmark Scores Faster than yours... I'd bet on it. :)
You want quad channel ram...4x?GB on X99.

That SSD is a POS. Its slow. They switched the NAND on it and didn't tell a soul until people noticed it was a lot slower than the new ones. Grab a Samsung 850 EVO or a OCZ Arc 100. Get 256GB as well...

As far as the GPUs, for 1080p and a long life, grab a 980 now, and perhaps another in a couple of years when its needed or get a better single card. There is no reason to get 2 970s/980s for 1080p.

Also, for a gaming platform, you can save money and rock z97 and a 4790K with 2x?GB of DDR3. No need for the extra threads for the next couple years. If you use them otherwise, then perhaps its worth it.
 
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Location
Grand Rapids, Michigan
System Name Ragnorak
Processor Q8300
Motherboard older Asus socket 775 board
Cooling stock intel
Memory 8gb ddr2
Video Card(s) gigabyte Gtx 750 ti oc black edition
Storage 500 gb HDD
Case Thermaltake SapranoRS
Audio Device(s) Stock/Stock
Power Supply Unkown
Mouse Razer Naga
Keyboard boring old keyboard
Software Windows 10
Benchmark Scores to low to even bother
so its a safer bet to wait for gtx 980 ti? i was thinking that and will most likely end up going that route. Thank you so much for the input
 
Joined
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198 (0.06/day)
Location
Grand Rapids, Michigan
System Name Ragnorak
Processor Q8300
Motherboard older Asus socket 775 board
Cooling stock intel
Memory 8gb ddr2
Video Card(s) gigabyte Gtx 750 ti oc black edition
Storage 500 gb HDD
Case Thermaltake SapranoRS
Audio Device(s) Stock/Stock
Power Supply Unkown
Mouse Razer Naga
Keyboard boring old keyboard
Software Windows 10
Benchmark Scores to low to even bother
is a full tower or mid tower recommended?
 
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System Name Bandito | Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast
Processor Intel i7 10700 undervolted| i7 12700H
Motherboard Asrock Z590 Extreme | NUC barebone Kit
Cooling Noctua C14S | stock
Memory Crucial Ballistics 64GB(4x16GB) 3000MTs | Crucial Ballistics 64GB(2x32GB) 3200MTs
Video Card(s) Sapphire Radeon 6700XT 12GB Nitro Plus | Arc A770M 16GB
Storage too many ssd's and an 3TB hard drive
Display(s) Asus 34 " Proart, LG 34 inch ultrawide, HP 27 inch and LG 32inch UHD
Case White Lian-li Lancool 3 | NUC barebone kit
Audio Device(s) Creative Sound Blaster Z |Focusrite 2i2
Power Supply Coolermaster 850w Gold | included 320w
Mouse Logitech G703
Keyboard Logitech G615
Software MS Windows 11 Pro 64-Bit
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Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive

The V300 is okay, but you can get a bigger, faster, better-quality SSD for just a little more cash:

$78.75 -- OCZ ARC 100 ARC100-25SAT3-240G
$79.98 -- Crucial BX100 CT250BX100SSD1

I found these on PCPartPicker.com.
 
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Benchmark Scores Faster than yours... I'd bet on it. :)
so its a safer bet to wait for gtx 980 ti? i was thinking that and will most likely end up going that route. Thank you so much for the input
If you wait, something else will be just around the corner. If you are ready, you are ready. But that said, we should see something from AMD here by the end of June. I would wait until then at least. The 980ti may come out shortly after or at the end of summer. Nobody knows!
 
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Location
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System Name Ragnorak
Processor Q8300
Motherboard older Asus socket 775 board
Cooling stock intel
Memory 8gb ddr2
Video Card(s) gigabyte Gtx 750 ti oc black edition
Storage 500 gb HDD
Case Thermaltake SapranoRS
Audio Device(s) Stock/Stock
Power Supply Unkown
Mouse Razer Naga
Keyboard boring old keyboard
Software Windows 10
Benchmark Scores to low to even bother
ive had bad experiences with AMD in the past so im not sure if i will be going with anything by them any time soon
 
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Location
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System Name Ragnorak
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Motherboard older Asus socket 775 board
Cooling stock intel
Memory 8gb ddr2
Video Card(s) gigabyte Gtx 750 ti oc black edition
Storage 500 gb HDD
Case Thermaltake SapranoRS
Audio Device(s) Stock/Stock
Power Supply Unkown
Mouse Razer Naga
Keyboard boring old keyboard
Software Windows 10
Benchmark Scores to low to even bother
im stuck between 2 cases should i pick the nzxt H440 Razer edition or Phanteks Enthoo Pro
 
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Benchmark Scores Faster than yours... I'd bet on it. :)
ive had bad experiences with AMD in the past so im not sure if i will be going with anything by them any time soon
With respect, get over it. Grudges for brands are, in most cases, incredibly stupid and can cost you money by holding one... Unless they raped and pillaged your family, LOL!

Case choice is really yours. Both have enough airflow for your needs.

You can also edit your post to add to it instead of double posting. :)
 

64K

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The 980 Ti was originally slated for end of summer but now it's supposed to be revealed at Computex in the first week of June. There are several threads in the News forum here to save reposting it all here. We should see reviews soon. Probably in 2 weeks or so.

As far as cases go I make sure that I have adequate air flow and then it's pretty much up to which one looks the nicest to me.
 
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Motherboard older Asus socket 775 board
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Video Card(s) gigabyte Gtx 750 ti oc black edition
Storage 500 gb HDD
Case Thermaltake SapranoRS
Audio Device(s) Stock/Stock
Power Supply Unkown
Mouse Razer Naga
Keyboard boring old keyboard
Software Windows 10
Benchmark Scores to low to even bother
this what i decided on. The GTX 980 is only a filler till i see what the new and upcoming gpu's can do and what they are gonna be able to do. as for the extra case fans those are to mount on the top sense it had the option to do that. I figured why not, better air flow. Anything else i should add or change?
pc pt. 2.png
 
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System Name Bandito | Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast
Processor Intel i7 10700 undervolted| i7 12700H
Motherboard Asrock Z590 Extreme | NUC barebone Kit
Cooling Noctua C14S | stock
Memory Crucial Ballistics 64GB(4x16GB) 3000MTs | Crucial Ballistics 64GB(2x32GB) 3200MTs
Video Card(s) Sapphire Radeon 6700XT 12GB Nitro Plus | Arc A770M 16GB
Storage too many ssd's and an 3TB hard drive
Display(s) Asus 34 " Proart, LG 34 inch ultrawide, HP 27 inch and LG 32inch UHD
Case White Lian-li Lancool 3 | NUC barebone kit
Audio Device(s) Creative Sound Blaster Z |Focusrite 2i2
Power Supply Coolermaster 850w Gold | included 320w
Mouse Logitech G703
Keyboard Logitech G615
Software MS Windows 11 Pro 64-Bit
might want consider a 240 or 280mm watercooler in the top of the case. Makes it a heck of a lot easier to on the motherboard than a fan cooler. Also comes with the two fans.
 
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Location
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System Name Ragnorak
Processor Q8300
Motherboard older Asus socket 775 board
Cooling stock intel
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Video Card(s) gigabyte Gtx 750 ti oc black edition
Storage 500 gb HDD
Case Thermaltake SapranoRS
Audio Device(s) Stock/Stock
Power Supply Unkown
Mouse Razer Naga
Keyboard boring old keyboard
Software Windows 10
Benchmark Scores to low to even bother
how much would that cost? and how hard is it to install watercooling?
 
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Benchmark Scores Faster than yours... I'd bet on it. :)
Depends on the unit... But usually for a 2x120mm rad, somewhere around $100...

I would look at the NZXT Kraken X61 or Coolermaster Nepton 240m. There isn't a need for this unless you plan on overclocking pretty heavily though they do tend to be a bit more quiet than a lot of air coolers, particularly when overclocking. Air is fine and more cost effective for most people.
 
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System Name Bandito | Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast
Processor Intel i7 10700 undervolted| i7 12700H
Motherboard Asrock Z590 Extreme | NUC barebone Kit
Cooling Noctua C14S | stock
Memory Crucial Ballistics 64GB(4x16GB) 3000MTs | Crucial Ballistics 64GB(2x32GB) 3200MTs
Video Card(s) Sapphire Radeon 6700XT 12GB Nitro Plus | Arc A770M 16GB
Storage too many ssd's and an 3TB hard drive
Display(s) Asus 34 " Proart, LG 34 inch ultrawide, HP 27 inch and LG 32inch UHD
Case White Lian-li Lancool 3 | NUC barebone kit
Audio Device(s) Creative Sound Blaster Z |Focusrite 2i2
Power Supply Coolermaster 850w Gold | included 320w
Mouse Logitech G703
Keyboard Logitech G615
Software MS Windows 11 Pro 64-Bit
how much would that cost? and how hard is it to install watercooling?

if you combine the cost of the extra fans and the noctua cooler you can have the an AIO watercooler. Only tricky part is lining up the fans and radiator in the top of the case.
 
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Video Card(s) Asus GTX 970 Mini
Storage Kingston A2000 512Gb NVME
Display(s) AOC 24" Freesync 1m.s. 75Hz
Case Corsair 450D High Air Flow.
Audio Device(s) No need.
Power Supply FSP Aurum 650W
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Software W10 Pro 64 bit
The case already includes four fans, installing more seems pointless at this point.
I would wait to see what the operating temperatures are like, as well as noise levels.
As it includes an eight port PWM hub, you can install more later if needed.
 
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Storage Kingston A2000 512Gb NVME
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Case Corsair 450D High Air Flow.
Audio Device(s) No need.
Power Supply FSP Aurum 650W
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Keyboard Of course
Software W10 Pro 64 bit
how much would that cost? and how hard is it to install watercooling?
AIO coolers mount the same as air coolers, the pump uses the same mount holes. The radiator is then attached to the case and fans connected to the PWM hub, jobs done.
An AIO with 240mm radiator costs little more than the Noctua air cooling that you have selected.
 
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System Name Ragnorak
Processor Q8300
Motherboard older Asus socket 775 board
Cooling stock intel
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Video Card(s) gigabyte Gtx 750 ti oc black edition
Storage 500 gb HDD
Case Thermaltake SapranoRS
Audio Device(s) Stock/Stock
Power Supply Unkown
Mouse Razer Naga
Keyboard boring old keyboard
Software Windows 10
Benchmark Scores to low to even bother
thanks for your help guys water cooling seems like the more logical choise if it puts less strain on the componets
 
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Video Card(s) Asus GTX 970 Mini
Storage Kingston A2000 512Gb NVME
Display(s) AOC 24" Freesync 1m.s. 75Hz
Case Corsair 450D High Air Flow.
Audio Device(s) No need.
Power Supply FSP Aurum 650W
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Keyboard Of course
Software W10 Pro 64 bit
thanks for your help guys water cooling seems like the more logical choise if it puts less strain on the componets
It also looks neater IMO and gives the impression of more space and better air flow through the case.
 
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Storage 500 gb HDD
Case Thermaltake SapranoRS
Audio Device(s) Stock/Stock
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Keyboard boring old keyboard
Software Windows 10
Benchmark Scores to low to even bother
i just love the look of the NZXT Noctis 450
 
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this what i decided on. The GTX 980 is only a filler till i see what the new and upcoming gpu's can do and what they are gonna be able to do. as for the extra case fans those are to mount on the top sense it had the option to do that. I figured why not, better air flow. Anything else i should add or change?View attachment 65055

Definitely wait for 980ti/390X. While The Witcher 3 might be amazing with VRAM, 4GB is minimum for some of the latest titles, particularly if you go beyond 1080p. I'm thinking this system won't be upgraded for at least ~2 years so you're going to want a bit more VRAM to cope with future iterations of games.

Processor seems legit, assuming you're not using PCI-E cards besides a couple of GPU's, sound card, + random expansion card (USB, m.2 SSD, wireless card). 28 lanes is certainly enough to cope with single GPU ~ x16 + m.2 x8 + sound card, however if you intend on running sli/crossfire in future, you may want to consider 5930K. While most modern GPU's are perfectly fine operating at ~98% usage on 3.0 x8 lanes, HBM might push the boundaries of PCI-E 3.0 in future, so while this is baseless conjecture, the introduction of HBM may push the need for x16 lanes on GPU's for best performance.

RAM is RAM, not fussed, cheapest that doesn't look like a nasty green PCB

ASRock is an OK brand, not a fan of their mITX boards at all, but not much in the way of problems for ATX boards.

NH-D14 is ample, D15 is better but excessively large. I'm a fan of the D14, but for ease of access, I'd also opt for a 240mm AIO.

That NZXT case is pretty sexy. I've had 3 NZXT cases, loved them all, though none of them beat my old TJ07 of yore. I always recommend NZXT in most builds. Great value, very easy to build in.

If that PSU is the SuperNOVA G2, then you could not have chosen a better PSU. A Sea Sonic Platinum might be better, but at that stage it's spending for the lulz. The EVGA G2 units are top notch gear.

Fans are entirely personal preference. Unsure whether your goal is bleeding edge temperatures or silky silence. I opt for Enermax "batwing" fans for silent builds, and custom Dell server fans for best performance (I tear old servers to pieces to steal the SanAce/Nidec fans for my home systems).
 
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