First Gaming Rig Around 4k budget

[silkstone]

I don't really see anything OTT on his prospective builds. Some people build up slowly, other just want to do it all in one go.

If you don't approve of his choice in parts, you really should make some suggestions as to how he could improve it.

 

[Vario]

I would recommend buying in stages: Go with a single graphics card, the onboard audio, and start with 3 monitors plus a VESA stand. If the single 780 isnt enough, buy a second. Id do a closed loop cooler for now and upgrade later, remember that the OP is new to building custom pcs. Once its all working well then do full water. I doubt anyome wouls norice a differemce between a 200 and a 400 dollar motherboard beyond bragging rights. If I was spending 4k Od want to see a difference, so I'd go for a nice surround monitor setup rather than expensive mobo, etc

 

[d1nky]

dont those fully modded rigs sell for about $4k??

the ones that are sponsored/custom made and look the shizz!

 

[radrok]

Don't get the 27" 1080p, it's too big of a monitor for that resolution, the PPI drops to an unacceptable level.

That watercooling setup on the third build is awful, especially the radiator choice.

The AMS is really overpriced based on its performance, not on build quality though.

I'd say get an XSPC kit, something like this:

http://www.xs-pc.com/watercooling-kits/raystorm-d5-ax360-watercooling-kit
or this:
http://www.xs-pc.com/watercooling-kits/raystorm-d5-rx360-watercooling-kit

Dual GTX 780 3GB, best high end graphics array at the moment imho, good choice.

It still can be dropped to single GPU if you don't plan going surround, a single 780 can handle ANY game on 1080p JUST FINE.

Any 4770k+Z87 motherboard will suffice, I'd say get the GD-65 or the Maximus Hero, no need to spend anything more than that on a Z87 motherboard as they just give superficial features after that price point (unless you are a storage nut or an extreme overclocker).

I personally own TWO Xonar Essence ST/X soundcards and I wouldn't recommend anything else for the price, they are the best bang for the buck audio on PC.


Don't buy Razer things, they are good but they don't withstand abuse.

Good Luck

 

[Vario]

The Razer drivers are kinda annoying too..

 

[Fourstaff]

I don't really see anything OTT on his prospective builds. Some people build up slowly, other just want to do it all in one go.

If you don't approve of his choice in parts, you really should make some suggestions as to how he could improve it.

Knock processor down from 4770K to 4670K, you wouldn't notice much difference in gaming.
212 EVO is more than enough if not overclocking, if overclocking Noctua U14S + another A15 fan
Keep motherboard to M VI Hero, best bang for buck OC board
Get 2x 770 instead of 2x 780, that is boatloads of money saved.
Dump audio card, the M IV Hero's onboard is pretty good, if you want better you will need to spend more than that.
900w PSU is more than enough, eg Antec HCG 900W
Get a 1440p screen instead of 2 1080p screens

Speakers, keyboard, mouse and headset are all very hard to recommend, its very personal. For example, I would recommend Razer Blackwidow keyboard, Microsoft Sidewinder X5, Steelseries Siberia V2 or Sennheiser PC 3x0 series, and some bookshelf speakers depending on availability.

 

[Delta6326]

Don't buy Corsair computer case, if you want true quality and want your case to stand out, plus have great versatility for WC'ing the go with CaseLabs I would get a SM8.
http://www.caselabs-store.com/merlin-sm8/

The only cases I would buy pre-built is CaseLabs.

Plus if your looking to go WC, get
Alphacool NexXxoS UT60 Rad
Koolance 380-i CPU block
Koolance GPU block for what ever your getting
ETC. will update with more stuff if I have time.

EDIT: the Hardware I suggest getting.
And what games do you even Play? this budget is more for showing off then actually gaming.

 

[radrok]

Dump audio card, the M IV Hero's onboard is pretty good, if you want better you will need to spend more than that.

I strongly doubt, for how much good it is, that the onboard on the MVI Hero can come close to a dedicated sound card like the STX.

 

[Vario]

Don't buy Corsair computer case, if you want true quality and want your case to stand out, plus have great versatility for WC'ing the go with CaseLabs I would get a SM8.
http://www.caselabs-store.com/merlin-sm8/

The only cases I would buy pre-built is CaseLabs.

Plus if your looking to go WC, get
Alphacool NexXxoS UT60 Rad
Koolance 380-i CPU block
Koolance GPU block for what ever your getting
ETC. will update with more stuff if I have time.

Not to mention case is money well spent if you plan to keep building pcs for the next decade.

 

[IggSter]

OK - $4k to spend, here would be my approach.

1. Pick a case: this will be with you by far the longest and should last many many years.. How i would choose: Must have easily removeable/accesible filters for all intakes. Must have room for growth/upgrades. Must not be noisey. (Antec p280, Raven RV02, Corsair 900D
2. Pick a PSU: similar to the case is a foundation part for your PC. (Corsair HX/AX)
3. Pick cooling: So many to choose from here - I like Noctua for their quality and relative silence.
4. CPU - I would go with the 4770K
5. GPU - I would go with the GTX 780
6. Memory - Minimum of 8gig - probably 16gig
7. Motherboard to suit above - almosty certainly Asus or Gigabyte
8. Soundcard - again I would go Asus (I will never use Creative after the way they shafted their customers a few years back (my opinion))
9. Headset - If you want a gaming headset the sennheiser 350 (closed) and 360 (open) are right up there in terms of quality. I would recommend NOT buying a gaming headset and buying HiFi headphones and a separate mic if required (sennheiser HD-25s, Grado SR 80i)
10. Monitor - I currenty use a Dell PVA 16:10 24", a Dell IPS 16:10 30" and an IIyama TA 16:9 27".
The Dell PVA 24" has the best screen by far - ideal for multimedia/graphics work - bad for games as v slow response
The Dell IPS 30" has a great screen and again is great for media and graphics work - terrible for fast games as its even slower than the 24 and you have to push so many pixels. Also screen is really to large for gaming (good for RTS etc.
The IIyama 27" has a typically meh screen - calibration helps this a ton! This, for me is the perfect size and speed for gaming. 1ms response and 120Hz refresh are REALLY noticable in fast paced games.
11. Keyboard - I love the corsair K series - mechanical ftw!
12. Mouse - Had the G9(was ok nothing really special), Deathadder (Better feeling than G9 imo, but material/Build/software quality is not as good as logitech), Sensei (best mouse I've ever used - feels like a deathadder with excellent material/build quality also the software just works.
13. Speakers - please dont buy PC speakers - they are a rip off in most cases. If you must then the Acoustic Energy Aego M speakers are incredibly good (made by a proper hifi company)

 

[Kaynar]

I at budget I would be looking at MUCH better sound than PCI-E soundcards and cheap plastic gaming crap headphones.

Example:
Audiolab M-DAC using Coaxial connection to motherboard
Beyerdynamic DT880PRO

 

[Tonduluboy]

I bet the OP getting confuse which one to go with so many suggestion atm

Anyway, i just wanna add this item TP-LINK TL-WN722N Wireless N150 High Gain USB Adap...

A wireless internet USB. Been using it for a while.
I did used 20m cable vs this one 20m inside my room close door (router in my living room). Well there is not a diff in signal received at all. Beside you do wanna surfing right.

 

[erocker]

Heck no! Never use a USB lan adapter, or sound adapter if you can help it.

 

[acerace]

I at budget I would be looking at MUCH better sound than PCI-E soundcards and cheap plastic gaming crap headphones.

Example:
Audiolab M-DAC using Coaxial connection to motherboard
Beyerdynamic DT880PRO

This! With a $4K budget, it is very sensible to go high end in audio department.

 

[alfredoPC]

No need to insinuate, I know what watercooling is. Anyone who builds their first PC will NOT want to build a custom loop. But that's just me, unless some people have balls of steel and like to take a huge risk of something going wrong their very first time. No offense to the op, but the guy doesn't exactly sound experienced (in building).

Hit it on the money lol yes I'm not experienced on computer beyond a high school web mastering and some computer books i read but in one of the forums and when i was looking for the supply for water cooling i found out that the "Water" cooling wasn't actually water anymore and its some form of non conductive liquid that can be spilled on your equipment and not cause any/major damage but for any rig i choose from i will water cool in the future as soon as i get the money saved up

So why are we going on with the idea of splashing $4K on a gaming rig when you can easily build something half the price and much more sensible?

well i just came back from a tour to afganistan and saved up some cash i have always wanted a crazy gaming rig since i was a kid and now sounds like the best time to build my gaming rig

 

[alfredoPC]

I don't really see anything OTT on his prospective builds. Some people build up slowly, other just want to do it all in one go.

If you don't approve of his choice in parts, you really should make some suggestions as to how he could improve it.

Ye i was going with the go big or go home concept lol water cooling and added memory should only be the things that i need to add in the future and maybe a 3 way sli if needed thats what i went with the $300 sniper gigabyte mother board

I would recommend buying in stages: Go with a single graphics card, the onboard audio, and start with 3 monitors plus a VESA stand. If the single 780 isnt enough, buy a second. Id do a closed loop cooler for now and upgrade later, remember that the OP is new to building custom pcs. Once its all working well then do full water. I doubt anyome wouls norice a differemce between a 200 and a 400 dollar motherboard beyond bragging rights. If I was spending 4k Od want to see a difference, so I'd go for a nice surround monitor setup rather than expensive mobo, etc

Thats one of the reasons i came up with three rigs so i can get a little bit for info on them and choose which would just be the best first mother board only is able to do X2 sli while the $300 dollar mother boards would be able to do 4x sli dont get me wrong i severally doubt ill max out my cards shortly but if i every run into that problem i would just like to throw a card into the case and call it done without having to upgrade my motherboard and for the surround monitor setup i will add one once i save up money to get another monitor

Don't get the 27" 1080p, it's too big of a monitor for that resolution, the PPI drops to an unacceptable level.

That watercooling setup on the third build is awful, especially the radiator choice.

The AMS is really overpriced based on its performance, not on build quality though.

I'd say get an XSPC kit, something like this:

http://www.xs-pc.com/watercooling-kits/raystorm-d5-ax360-watercooling-kit
or this:
http://www.xs-pc.com/watercooling-kits/raystorm-d5-rx360-watercooling-kit

Dual GTX 780 3GB, best high end graphics array at the moment imho, good choice.

It still can be dropped to single GPU if you don't plan going surround, a single 780 can handle ANY game on 1080p JUST FINE.

Any 4770k+Z87 motherboard will suffice, I'd say get the GD-65 or the Maximus Hero, no need to spend anything more than that on a Z87 motherboard as they just give superficial features after that price point (unless you are a storage nut or an extreme overclocker).

I personally own TWO Xonar Essence ST/X soundcards and I wouldn't recommend anything else for the price, they are the best bang for the buck audio on PC.


Don't buy Razer things, they are good but they don't withstand abuse.

Good Luck

thanks for the suggestions ye i still a new born on water cooling dont know anything or any brand just looked up the highest rated things lol and threw everything into a wish list for my mother board only reason i added that 300 dollar mother board was for the 4 way sli, just thinking about the future and if i ever max out my card witch i think will take a while i would love to just throw another 780 inside my case and call it done and the razar i heard very good reviews for the head sets and they withstand alot of abuse the average life time for them is around 2 years for the key board idk i was thinking about ducky

 

[alfredoPC]

OK - $4k to spend, here would be my approach.

1. Pick a case: this will be with you by far the longest and should last many many years.. How i would choose: Must have easily removeable/accesible filters for all intakes. Must have room for growth/upgrades. Must not be noisey. (Antec p280, Raven RV02, Corsair 900D
2. Pick a PSU: similar to the case is a foundation part for your PC. (Corsair HX/AX)
3. Pick cooling: So many to choose from here - I like Noctua for their quality and relative silence.
4. CPU - I would go with the 4770K
5. GPU - I would go with the GTX 780
6. Memory - Minimum of 8gig - probably 16gig
7. Motherboard to suit above - almosty certainly Asus or Gigabyte
8. Soundcard - again I would go Asus (I will never use Creative after the way they shafted their customers a few years back (my opinion))
9. Headset - If you want a gaming headset the sennheiser 350 (closed) and 360 (open) are right up there in terms of quality. I would recommend NOT buying a gaming headset and buying HiFi headphones and a separate mic if required (sennheiser HD-25s, Grado SR 80i)
10. Monitor - I currenty use a Dell PVA 16:10 24", a Dell IPS 16:10 30" and an IIyama TA 16:9 27".
The Dell PVA 24" has the best screen by far - ideal for multimedia/graphics work - bad for games as v slow response
The Dell IPS 30" has a great screen and again is great for media and graphics work - terrible for fast games as its even slower than the 24 and you have to push so many pixels. Also screen is really to large for gaming (good for RTS etc.
The IIyama 27" has a typically meh screen - calibration helps this a ton! This, for me is the perfect size and speed for gaming. 1ms response and 120Hz refresh are REALLY noticable in fast paced games.
11. Keyboard - I love the corsair K series - mechanical ftw!
12. Mouse - Had the G9(was ok nothing really special), Deathadder (Better feeling than G9 imo, but material/Build/software quality is not as good as logitech), Sensei (best mouse I've ever used - feels like a deathadder with excellent material/build quality also the software just works.
13. Speakers - please dont buy PC speakers - they are a rip off in most cases. If you must then the Acoustic Energy Aego M speakers are incredibly good (made by a proper hifi company)

Thanks alot for the info !! for the head set what would be the diffrence from the headset with a seprate mice and a gaming headset?// only reason i got those speakers was cause the reviews and the sub woofer looks mean lol

I at budget I would be looking at MUCH better sound than PCI-E soundcards and cheap plastic gaming crap headphones.

Example:
Audiolab M-DAC using Coaxial connection to motherboard
Beyerdynamic DT880PRO

ye atm when making with wish list didnt know much about sound cards and how much of a difference they made but the headphones i heard were the best for the price im getting a sound system so i really dont care about sound quality in the headphone

I bet the OP getting confuse which one to go with so many suggestion atm

Anyway, i just wanna add this item TP-LINK TL-WN722N Wireless N150 High Gain USB Adap...

A wireless internet USB. Been using it for a while.
I did used 20m cable vs this one 20m inside my room close door (router in my living room). Well there is not a diff in signal received at all. Beside you do wanna surfing right.

ahaha ye its awsome tho i love the feedback im getting its helping me out alot to choose which rig to go with and thanks on the wireless adapter if i ever need it i usually just go wired

 

[drdeathx]

a WC loop would bring minimal benefits for the price. Sure, they look cool, but they really are not good value for money.

I completely understand why someone wouldn't think about going with a WC.

Personally, I would love to build a custom loop (and really hope to sometime in the future), but I have other priorities when it comes to spending money on my rig.

Bullcrap, this is misinformation.... Custom water gets much higher overclocks or will run much cooler. Where did you get this theory from?

 

[Vario]

Heres some more case ideas:

Silverstone Raven RV-01

motherboard is actually 90 degrees so the graphics cards hang vertical, pretty cool

Coolermaster Cosmos II

These things are wild. Basically big as fuck and looks amazing.

 

[silkstone]

Bullcrap, this is misinformation.... Custom water gets much higher overclocks or will run much cooler. Where did you get this theory from?

How much does a custom WC loop cost over and AIO cooler?

You can get an AIO cooler or good air cooler for $50 and bump your cpu up to 4.5ghz making it about 5c per mhz.

You might get up to 5 ghz for a $200 custom loop making it 13c per mhz.

I'm not against customs loops, I love them. But they are not good value for money, if you are looking at the performance bump that they provide.

 

[Huddo93]

Not to burst your bubble alfredoPC, but $4k is rather huge, and in someways its being spent on what most of us seem to see as a little overkill for your applications. If you want to spend the 4k more "wisely" in the eyes of some of us. Try cut down on the graphics cards (2x 770 or single 780), maybe rethink the monitor strategy (3x 23" / 24" 1080p 60Hz, or if your really a huge FPS fanatic, 120Hz) for surround, use money saved into building a custom watercooling loop, possibly go for a corsair 900D to show off all the watercooling madness, or even a 350D with a more compact and clustered up but clean look.

I understand that you have been saving, and I really hate to burst your dreams on what you are looking for, but there are better ways to spend your gaming rig budget.

I agree with most of your choices, apart from the graphics cards and monitors as that is where most of the money is being spent. Also, with the high end Gigabyte and Asus the power phase cooler next to the cpu socket is now also come compatible for adding to your water cooling loop, which to me if your looking to make a beast of a gaming rig, why not do custom water cooling.

Another monitor option is to go for a 2560x1440 27" monitor and possibly a smaller 23" or 24" monitor on the side for multitasking and play your games on the large 2560x1440 monitor. I recently bought a ASUS PB278Q in January and even though its expensive, the image quality due to the IPS panel and pixel density is amazing over a standard TN Panel HD 1080p monitor.

So overall, my suggestions would be:
- Downgrade on graphics cards, possibly 770 2-way SLI or single 780. I feel the GTX780 should be adequate for most games even on 3x 1080p monitors.

- Look into other monitors, possibly not go for 144Hz monitors unless you a serious FPS fanatic and want the best reaction times. Possibly a single 2560x1440 27" monitor and a smaller cheaper 23" 1080p monitor for multitasking.

- Use money saved for the above to and look into building a awesome custom water cooling loop especially with the high end motherboards having VRM coolers that have barbs already installed so you can run your water cooling loop through it for extra awesome.

Hope this may give you some ideas on what you could do with $4k, it really is a huge budget and I'd hate to think it may go into possibly redundant and expensive hardware. We all, really want you to get the best experience and find the best way for you to spend your savings!

 

[FordGT90Concept]

- Look into other monitors, possibly not go for 144Hz monitors unless you a serious FPS fanatic and want the best reaction times. Possibly a single 2560x1440 27" monitor and a smaller cheaper 23" 1080p monitor for multitasking.

Even at 144 Hz, you're still dealing with the limitations of TN LCD technology. If he is a fanatic about FPS and everything else be damned, a plasma would be second best to CRT. Plasma and CRTs have a delay measuring less than a nanosecond compared to LCDs at no less than 2 millisecond.

I completely agree though, one or two 2560x1440 27" 60 Hz monitors is better than two 1920x1080 27" 144 Hz monitors.


@alfredoPC: do you have an updated list of what you're looking at?

 

[Shou Miko]

as Huddo93 and FordGT90Concept is talking about if u r going with a 2560x1440 and a pair of GTX 770 go for the 4gb versions or else u may hit a wall of the 2gb memory for that high resolution ^^

but with 4k u can get a good i5/i7 "K" setup.

 

[alfredoPC]

Not to burst your bubble alfredoPC, but $4k is rather huge, and in someways its being spent on what most of us seem to see as a little overkill for your applications. If you want to spend the 4k more "wisely" in the eyes of some of us. Try cut down on the graphics cards (2x 770 or single 780), maybe rethink the monitor strategy (3x 23" / 24" 1080p 60Hz, or if your really a huge FPS fanatic, 120Hz) for surround, use money saved into building a custom watercooling loop, possibly go for a corsair 900D to show off all the watercooling madness, or even a 350D with a more compact and clustered up but clean look.

I understand that you have been saving, and I really hate to burst your dreams on what you are looking for, but there are better ways to spend your gaming rig budget.

I agree with most of your choices, apart from the graphics cards and monitors as that is where most of the money is being spent. Also, with the high end Gigabyte and Asus the power phase cooler next to the cpu socket is now also come compatible for adding to your water cooling loop, which to me if your looking to make a beast of a gaming rig, why not do custom water cooling.

Another monitor option is to go for a 2560x1440 27" monitor and possibly a smaller 23" or 24" monitor on the side for multitasking and play your games on the large 2560x1440 monitor. I recently bought a ASUS PB278Q in January and even though its expensive, the image quality due to the IPS panel and pixel density is amazing over a standard TN Panel HD 1080p monitor.

So overall, my suggestions would be:
- Downgrade on graphics cards, possibly 770 2-way SLI or single 780. I feel the GTX780 should be adequate for most games even on 3x 1080p monitors.

- Look into other monitors, possibly not go for 144Hz monitors unless you a serious FPS fanatic and want the best reaction times. Possibly a single 2560x1440 27" monitor and a smaller cheaper 23" 1080p monitor for multitasking.

- Use money saved for the above to and look into building a awesome custom water cooling loop especially with the high end motherboards having VRM coolers that have barbs already installed so you can run your water cooling loop through it for extra awesome.

Hope this may give you some ideas on what you could do with $4k, it really is a huge budget and I'd hate to think it may go into possibly redundant and expensive hardware. We all, really want you to get the best experience and find the best way for you to spend your savings!

Thank you for the info and my original setup was the 3 24" monitors that came with 144Hz and 1 sec response rate for the 3 screen. If i would add just one IPS monitor to the mix of TN it would probably look very bad. I've been looking into solutions and i kinda came up with what you suggested in a different way getting a 27" monitor with 144Hz and 2 second respons rate with a vizio tv 32" M series 120Hz and ye i understand that the tv will have a low response rate but it would probably be used for movies and slow pace games. Also i have been looking into water cooling and the whole idea of it is great but at the same time there is still a risk for water cooling leaks. I've been doing my homework and i found out that the corsair water cooling series has a 5 year warranty and they are well known for replacing whatever the water cooler damaged if it would leak during that time frame I'm not a very big fan of overclocking and i would seriously doubt that i would need the extra cooling from an open water cooling setup. Reason for the 780s and the gigabyte motherboard if i would go with 780's 2-3 years i should still be able to play any game of my choosing without a big problem, gigabyte motherboard with the 4x sli would help in the future ability for another card at my wish if i would ever need that extra power thats the only reason I'm going with 780's just planning for the future

 

[alfredoPC]

Even at 144 Hz, you're still dealing with the limitations of TN LCD technology. If he is a fanatic about FPS and everything else be damned, a plasma would be second best to CRT. Plasma and CRTs have a delay measuring less than a nanosecond compared to LCDs at no less than 2 millisecond.

I completely agree though, one or two 2560x1440 27" 60 Hz monitors is better than two 1920x1080 27" 144 Hz monitors.


@alfredoPC: do you have an updated list of what you're looking at?

I acutally do have an updated list but i might spend a little over the budget price lol i decided to go with the 2 build and add a few more things that can be bought at its own time http://pcpartpicker.com/user/alfredoPC/saved/1Z1l