[Build Help] Back again, I've created a monster
So, at some point I could edit this to reference the previous iterations of the build I had originally mapped out for myself, but the purpose of this post is to help finalize my brother's build.
So here's where we started ( r/hardwareswap may recognize some of these components as things I've posted about but ultimately decided to give to my brother instead)
Anyway, I really did try my hardest to keep this iteration reasonable and away from my own biases up to and including basing it around a 980ti instead, as my brother has always used nvidia in the past. However, with the budget he set forth, it ultimately wasn't going to work out well without serious compromises and stretching out the purchases over months rather than taking advantage of current deals and having a complete build that could later be modified
That being said, here was what he was originally working with: CPU: Intel i5 2500 Cooler: Stock Motherboard: Zotac H61MAT-A-E RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws X DDR3 1333 2x4GB GPU: Galaxy GeForce GTX 460 PSU: Thermaltake TR2 600W Storage: Dell Samsung 128GB SATA3.0 SSD (OS drive & select games) & Seagate Barracuda 160GB 7200RPM (Main storage, no backup) Soundcard: Creative Soundblaster SB0570 Case: I have no idea. It was a freebie from a friend in IT, an old school cream colored case with a built in block intake fan. OS: Win7 Enterprise 64 bit
And here's the current PPP mockup PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
So what's going on here and why am I posting? First off, as mentioned previously, I didn't want to include my own biases, which meant I didn't want to lock him into an AMD GPU. Unfortunately, nvidia won't play nice with freesync, and I already had the Tri-X, so the Acer XG270HU seemed like a reasonable compromise, even if the Tri-X wont be pushing the 144Hz on 2K, it'll still offer him reasonable performance until the eventual upgrade. If that upgrade happens to be to nvidia, I'll just buy the XG270HU off him for my own Zen build down the line.
Anyway, you'll notice a few other things marked as purchased there (RAM, Case, periphs) as most of those were purchased today relatively cheaply. You may also notice I slapped in 5 Noctua fans to replace/populate the case. The case, that for all intents and purposes, is needlessly large for this build. This was something of a compromise as well, as he doesn't harbor my same admittedly insane loyalty to Antec, but I still wanted space for potentially converting him over to a custom loop when the GPU/PSU upgrade decisions are made while having the width to accommodate the Noctua D15 in the meantime.
Trudging onward to what's missing (again, please forgive my ranty nature) which in this case is the PSU, wireless adapter, soundcard (maybe), and thermal compound. When it comes to the PSU, our current TDP is looking like ~551W in which case either his TR2 600W or my own Antec HCG 620W should suffice for the time being. The wireless adapter is absent because there are variables I still can't account for, as his service has yet to be setup/installed; the ISP will be Frontier, supposedly on a fiber connection with a 25/10Mbps up/down, but I have no idea what modem or router they'll be installing (or for that matter, if he'll be able to use alternatives) so for the time being, I'm leaving that alone, but would gladly welcome suggestions.
About the soundcard. Now, I understand the Realtek AC1150 is okay, while my brother isn't necessarily an audiophile (hence the Siberia V2) he is a musician and I'd like to accommodate that. I was leaning towards the Xonar DX to meet him halfway in cost, should he choose to get a headset specifically for recording purposes, while still working with the V2 for gaming. If the Sound Blaster Z or Xonar DSX would suffice, by all means let me know.
As for the thermal compound; supposedly what comes with the Noctua D15 is decent, but I was unable to (easily) find the comprehensive guide from Tom's Hardware, so my default was going to be MX4 unless someone has a better suggestion ( unfortunately, Liquidcool Ultra/Pro are out of the question, as he does not want to risk the warranty on the 4790k, which also means delidding is not an option either).
Onto the nitty gritty As it stands, in its current form, the build is incomplete. The GPU will change, though it's not definitive to what. He does seem very interested in the Fiji-VR/Fury X2, which will mean an increase in wattage. I do have the Tier List for PSUs on hand for this very reason, however even with Crossfire on the maximum draw from the Tri-X I wasnt getting past ~860W, and the Fury X already has a lower TDP anyway, so I feel 850-900W is a safe range. If anyone had any personal recommendations from the Tier 1 or Tier 2 lists, they would be more than welcome; should the upgrade include a custom loop, there would be 2 additional fans along with the pump, etc. to factor in, if erring on the side of caution.
The ringer, however, is that u/AcousticBison may have a Maximus VII Formula which may be a viable alternative to the Sabertooth Mark 1 in that it knocks out the need for a discrete soundcard, comes with its own mPCIe wireless adapter, is water cooling ready, and has many more features within its UEFI that I can take advantage of sooner rather than later. In this case, I'd be more than willing to pay the difference in cost myself (mind you, he's already getting the 850 EVOs, Tri-X, and potentially the PSU and secondary monitor from me for free; I've invested this much already, I just want to see him get the best he can)
Plus its sexy.
ANYWAY.
There isn't an exact purpose to this build other than mid-high performance for gaming and streaming in 2k with a second monitor for chat/TS/etc. Occasional video editing and rendering. Occasional music recording and editing. While he does have an ecclectic mix of games from Mobas to sidescrollers, he still has some heavy FPS binges as well.
Any feedback on the parts we don't already have would be greatly appreciated along with any recommendations or advice in general. For anything regarding cooling, his general summertime ambient is roughly 23-25C (yay air conditioning), Db levels aren't a huge concern as the rig will be in his own office (but I'd still like to keep them from being obnoxiously loud in spite of the Tri-X). OS will either be my Win7 64bit Home Premium key or a new Win7 64bit Enterprise key upgraded to Win10 for DX12. If I missed anything important, slap me in the face with it.
Thanks for all of your time!
Posted Nov 28, 2015, 12:02 PM UTC
Oh, and, uh, the 850 EVOs will be in RAID 0 with the WD Black as the backup, if that matters to anyone. Sorry, Reddit is fun isn't allowing me to edit the post text.