$1900 gaming build need help

[alexsofluffy]

Hi everyone, I just wanted to get some opinions on my second gaming PC. Below are the parts I've selected (I already have a 1050 watt power supply, CD drive, windows and peripherals, etc.):

Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced - High Air Flow Full Tower Computer Case with USB 3.0 and All-Black Interior

EVGA 04G-P4-2983-KR GeForce GTX 980 Superclocked ACX 2.0 4GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 SLI Support Video Card

G.SKILL Ripjaws 4 series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 2666 (PC4-21300) Desktop Memory Model F4-2666C15Q-16GRR

MSI X99S SLI Plus LGA 2011-v3 Intel X99 10 (*2x ports reserved for SATA Express port) USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Intel Core i7-5820K Haswell-E 6-Core 3.3GHz LGA 2011-v3 140W BX80648I75820K Desktop Processor

CORSAIR Hydro Series H60 (CW-9060007-WW) High Performance Water / Liquid CPU Cooler. 120mm

SAMSUNG 850 EVO MZ-75E500B/AM 2.5" 500GB SATA III 3-D Vertical Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Total cost for everything above is a little bit over $1900 (tax and shipping included). That's pretty much the most I plan to spend on my build, unless absolutely necessary. I plan to run all of the newer games (GTA V, Witcher, etc.) at high/max settings at 1080p, until I upgrade to another 980 and 4k monitor in the future. If anyone has any advice (better parts, better builds, tips, etc.) I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

 

[g-unit1111]

No need for X99 for a gaming rig - it's ridiculously expensive and most benchmarks actually show a decrease in performance vs. Z97. DDR4 is way overpriced and doesn't offer any benefit over DDR3, and you only need an X99 motherboard if you plan on running a multiple GPU array (like 3 or more).

This is what I would do on that kind of a budget:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($316.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($124.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.49 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($349.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($349.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($97.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($117.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Directron)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($91.69 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1829.08
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-02 02:29 EDT-0400

 

[alexsofluffy]

Thank you so much for your help. However, I already have a power supply, operating system, internal hard drive, and optical drive. What would you upgrade/replace with that additional ~$280 if you don't mind me asking?

 

[g-unit1111]

Thank you so much for your help. However, I already have a power supply, operating system, internal hard drive, and optical drive. What would you upgrade/replace with that additional ~$280 if you don't mind me asking?

Good question, I think with that money I would put it toward maybe getting a better case, or an SSD if you don't have one ( a good 480GB drive runs around the $270 mark right now), or maybe chucking the dual GPUs and going for a Titan X.. Lots of options here.