$1200 i7-4790K R9 290 Build - Will Overclock

[HamsterAvenger]

Hello good folks of Tom's Hardware. I've been running the same system for 7 years and have decided to upgrade from a Core 2 Quad to something a bit faster. I'm not on a tight budget but still hope to get the best bang for my buck while future-proofing.

Points to consider:
1. I'm only running 1080p right now but will eventually add another R9 290 when prices drop and games become more demanding. Hence, the beefy power supply.
2. I plan to overclock but nothing outrageous like something that needs water cooling. Not a fan of water cooling.
3. When Broadwell comes out, I may upgrade my CPU if it makes sense. I'd like to get the most life out of my motherboard.
4. I will add fans as needed.
5. I live near a Microcenter hence the manually entered prices for the motherboard and CPU.
6. I have Amazon Prime (but pay tax in TX) and have a NewEgg Premier trial (free 2 day shipping).

Any pointers would be appreciated. Thank you.

My build:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/n9tvqs
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/n9tvqs/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($279.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($78.99 @ Newegg)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($6.96 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-GAMING 7 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($144.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (Already Purchased)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Already Purchased)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($319.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1300 G2 1300W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG WH16NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer (Already Purchased)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) (Already Purchased)
Monitor: Asus VE248H 24.0" Monitor (Already Purchased)
Sound Card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster Z 70SB150200000 24-bit 192 KHz Sound Card (Already Purchased)
Total: $1199.90

 

[Drew010]

To be perfectly honest with you, I wouldn't change a single thing, that looks perfect! Just be warned that a Crossfire setup with those types of cards will lead to some serious heat buildup inside your case

 

[geofelt]

Your plan is reasonable.
I might change a few details:
1. The noctua cooler will come with good paste; no need for extra as5.
2. The ram is fine, but to clear the fans on the cooler, you should buy the low profile ares version.

I might reconsider that particular R9-290 card.
43% of verified users had problems with it.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125505&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=
You are planning on dual cards.

Here is my canned rant on planning for dual cards:
-----------------------------Start of rant----------------------------------------------------
Dual graphics cards vs. a good single card.

a) How good do you really need to be?
A single GTX650/ti or 7770 can give you good performance at 1920 x 1200 in most games.

A single GTX660 or 7850 will give you excellent performance at 1920 x 1200 in most games.
Even 2560 x 1600 will be good with lowered detail.
A single gtx690,7990, GTX780ti or R9-290X is about as good as it gets for a single card.

Only if you are looking at triple monitor gaming, or a 4k monitor, might sli/cf will be needed.
Even that is now changing with triple monitor support on top end cards and stronger single card solutions.

b) The costs for a single card are lower.
You require a less expensive motherboard; no need for sli/cf or multiple pci-e slots.
Even a ITX motherboard will do.

Your psu costs are less.
A GTX660 needs a 430w psu, even a GTX780 only needs a 575w psu.
When you add another card to the mix, plan on adding 200w to your psu requirements.

Even the most power hungry GTX690 only needs 620w, or a 7990 needs 700w.

Case cooling becomes more of an issue with dual cards.
That means a more expensive case with more and stronger fans.
You will also look at more noise.

c) Dual gpu's do not always render their half of the display in sync, causing microstuttering. It is an annoying effect.
The benefit of higher benchmark fps can be offset, particularly with lower tier cards.
Read this: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-geforce-stutter-crossfire,2995.html

d) dual gpu support is dependent on the driver. Not all games can benefit from dual cards.

e) dual cards up front reduces your option to get another card for an upgrade. Not that I suggest you plan for that.
It will often be the case that replacing your current card with a newer gen card will offer a better upgrade path.
The high end Maxwell and amd 8000 or 9000 series are due the end of the year or next year.
-------------------------------End of rant-----------------------------------------------------------

 

[HamsterAvenger]

To be perfectly honest with you, I wouldn't change a single thing, that looks perfect! Just be warned that a Crossfire setup with those types of cards will lead to some serious heat buildup inside your case

Thanks! If I ever do get around to Crossfire, I'll probably add more fans!

 

[HamsterAvenger]

Your plan is reasonable.
I might change a few details:
1. The noctua cooler will come with good paste; no need for extra as5.
2. The ram is fine, but to clear the fans on the cooler, you should buy the low profile ares version.

I might reconsider that particular R9-290 card.
43% of verified users had problems with it.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125505&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=
You are planning on dual cards.

Here is my canned rant on planning for dual cards:
-----------------------------Start of rant----------------------------------------------------
Dual graphics cards vs. a good single card.

a) How good do you really need to be?
A single GTX650/ti or 7770 can give you good performance at 1920 x 1200 in most games.

A single GTX660 or 7850 will give you excellent performance at 1920 x 1200 in most games.
Even 2560 x 1600 will be good with lowered detail.
A single gtx690,7990, GTX780ti or R9-290X is about as good as it gets for a single card.

Only if you are looking at triple monitor gaming, or a 4k monitor, might sli/cf will be needed.
Even that is now changing with triple monitor support on top end cards and stronger single card solutions.

b) The costs for a single card are lower.
You require a less expensive motherboard; no need for sli/cf or multiple pci-e slots.
Even a ITX motherboard will do.

Your psu costs are less.
A GTX660 needs a 430w psu, even a GTX780 only needs a 575w psu.
When you add another card to the mix, plan on adding 200w to your psu requirements.

Even the most power hungry GTX690 only needs 620w, or a 7990 needs 700w.

Case cooling becomes more of an issue with dual cards.
That means a more expensive case with more and stronger fans.
You will also look at more noise.

c) Dual gpu's do not always render their half of the display in sync, causing microstuttering. It is an annoying effect.
The benefit of higher benchmark fps can be offset, particularly with lower tier cards.
Read this: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-geforce-stutter-crossfire,2995.html

d) dual gpu support is dependent on the driver. Not all games can benefit from dual cards.

e) dual cards up front reduces your option to get another card for an upgrade. Not that I suggest you plan for that.
It will often be the case that replacing your current card with a newer gen card will offer a better upgrade path.
The high end Maxwell and amd 8000 or 9000 series are due the end of the year or next year.
-------------------------------End of rant-----------------------------------------------------------

Thanks Geofelt. I'll skip the AS-5.

I was worried about the memory's height as well. I searched the reviews of the cooler on NewEgg and multiple people have said the Noctua NH-D14 is tall enough to clear the Ripjaw series memory.

I'm a bit skeptical about Gigabyte 290's as well due to the reviews. But they are a low enough price to take the gamble and deal with RMAs if needed.

I've never been a fan of multiple graphics cards either for the reasons you stated. But I figured I'd give myself the option and if the price is right later, maybe I'll try it.

Thanks again for your reply.

 

[geofelt]

Here is a low profile version of the ram; same price:


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231560