New rig

[Guest RET.LT.Padarom=US=]

I've decided to update my rig this year and would rather do it sooner than later.

 

These are my current specs (not including peripherals):

• CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 (4x3.2 GHz)
  
• Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 Evo
  
• GPU: GTX 660 Ti OC Windforce
  
• RAM: TeamGroup Elite DDR3-1333 CL9 2x4GB
  
• Mobo: BioStar TA770XE3 (AM3)
  
• Case: Sharkoon T28
  
• PSU: Arctic Fusion 550R (550W)
  
• Disks:
  • Samsung SSD 840 PRO (128GB)
    
  • Samsung HD103SI 1TB HDD
    
  • Seagate Barracuda 3TB HDD

What I'm thinking of for my new build:

• CPU: Intel i7-4790K (4x4.0 GHz, 4c/8t)
  
• Cooler: Corsair Hydro H100i water cooling
  
• GPU: GTX 970
  
• RAM: Some DDR3-1600 CL9 8GB
  
• Mobo: ASRock Z97M (mATX, Intel 1150)
  
• Case: Corsair Carbide Air 240
  
• PSU: Cooler Master GX-Lite 700W
  
• Disks: Will keep the current ones
  
• Soundcard: ASUS Xonar DGX PCI-Express

CPU is supposed to get OC'ed once I get the cooling.

Originally I wanted to go with the Corsair Air 540, but that's about twice the price (and size) of the 240, and everything I want should also fit in there.

I'm running two 27'' (1080p) screens and clone one of them to my 40'' TV.

 

I'd start of with just buying the CPU, Mobo and Case - Using my current GPU, PSU and RAM - and getting the other components later down the line.

This way I don't have to pay ~1000€ right off the bat and it initially "only" costs me half the price.

 

Any thoughts, improvements, suggestions?

 

Thanks!

[Guest RET.COL.SilverEupher=US=]

CPO, here's a little info on the "big" GTX 970 issue right now with some tests so you know what you're getting:

http://wccftech.com/nvidia-geforce-gtx-970-memory-issue-fully-explained/

 

As for CPU, I'm upgrading from the 2500K to the 4690K instead of 4790K. I'm not going to see a big enough improvement in games that justifies the extra $100 for the 4790K.

[Guest RET.LT.Padarom=US=]

Interesting read Sir. I didn't think there would be a huge difference between 3.5 GB and 4 GB for the 970, and those 4% of his calculations prove me right.

I currently don't play anything higher than 1080p, so there shouldn't be a problem with 4K any time soon. I'll still look into the R9 290X and do a bit more research about it.

My plans of getting CPU, mobo and case first should be helpful, as I will be able to see how the GPU market changes until I decide which card to use.

 

My first choice went for the i5-4690K as well, but looking at OC benchmarks of both CPUs there was a reasonable performance boost in most of the games I use to play.

You're probably right though, the performance gain and the extra price don't really sum up...

[Guest RET.COL.SilverEupher=US=]

I agree there isn't much performance difference due to the slower .5GB portion of the card's memory, but some people that are using it report stuttering and other slowdown when it has to use that part. Micro-stuttering annoys me more than lower frames.