BestConfigs Poll - High-End Intel Gaming PC

[jpishgar]

It's time to vote on your favorite build for this category!
Please see below for a list of the choices available.

Jack Revenant

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($220.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X60 98.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($107.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme6 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($57.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($136.64 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($446.13 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($446.13 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom 630 (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 1050W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1995.81

jupiter optimus maximus

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_RD 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VI GENE Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($209.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($174.70 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint M8 1TB 2.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($659.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Silverstone TJ08B-E MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80 PLUS Platinum Certified Power Supply ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: [urlExt=http://www.amazon.com/Silverstone-12-7mm-Interface-Blu-Ray-SOB02/dp/B00BY3LCLI/ref=lh_ni_t?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER]Silverstone SATA Interface Slot Load 6X Blu-Ray Writer (SOB02)[/urlExt]($144.89 @ Amazon)
Aluminum Bay Cover: [urlExt=http://www.amazon.com/Silverstone-Tek-5-25-Inch-Converter-FP58B/dp/B007C1KPQY/ref=sr_1_3?s]Silverstone 5.25-Inch Aluminum Cover Bay Converter for Slot-Load Slim Optical Disk Drive and 4X 2.5-Inch HDD/SSD Drives FP58B[/urlExt] ($20.50 @ Amazon)

Total: $1999.02
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-07 23:16 EDT-0400)

idolize

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1pIzM) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1pIzM/by_merchant/) / [Benchmarks](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1pIzM/benchmarks/)

Type|Item|Price

CPU | [Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor] | $219.00 @ Amazon
CPU Cooler | [Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler] | $99.99 @ Newegg
Motherboard | [Asus Z87-PRO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard] | $174.99 @ Newegg
Memory | [Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-memory-cmz8gx3m2x1600c7r) | $93.60 @ Amazon
Storage | [Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7pd256bw) | $222.21 @ Amazon
Storage | [Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd1002faex) | $84.99 @ Amazon
Video Card | [EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-02gp42776kr) (2-Way SLI) | $414.99 @ Newegg
Video Card | [EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-02gp42776kr) (2-Way SLI) | $414.99 @ Newegg
Case | [Corsair C70 Gunmetal Black (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-c70gunmetalblack) | $127.98 @ Newegg
Power Supply | [Corsair Enthusiast 850W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-tx850m) | $84.99 @ Newegg
Optical Drive | [LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/lg-optical-drive-wh14ns40) | $59.99 @ Newegg
| | Total
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | $1997.72
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-08 13:01 EDT-0400 |

ojas

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz ($329.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-PRO ($174.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" SSD ($194.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM ($62.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Gaming N770 TF 2GD5/OC (2-Way SLI) ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card 2: MSI Gaming N770 TF 2GD5/OC (2-Way SLI) ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair Air 540 ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Secondary Cooler Fan: Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional HX750 (750W, 80 PLUS Gold Certified, Modular) ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $1953.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-08 16:41 EDT-0400)

inzone

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3930K 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($569.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($31.51 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus P9X79 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($239.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($126.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($127.52 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.95 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($299.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($299.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master RC-361-KKN1 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Cooler Master SickleFlow 69.7 CFM 120mm Fan ($7.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000G2 1000W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($167.04 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($16.00 @ Newegg)
Total: $1991.95
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-25 12:36 EDT-0400)

 

[ojas]

LOL prices have changed so much that whoever included a pair of 770s can do so for $200 less.

 

[will1220]

LOL prices have changed so much that whoever included a pair of 770s can do so for $200 less.

+1

 

[Sangeet Khatri]

I like Ojas build more than the Inzone's

3930k looks great but it does not have any advantage over the 4770k as far as gaming is concerned.

The 4770k is enough for dual GPU. 3930k has minimal advantage over the 4770k when talking about just two GPU's.

Also the AMD crossfire is not good enough as for now. Maybe it would get better in the future

It is just my opinion. They may change according to users needs.

 

[Au_equus]

speaking of recent price fluctuations (thanks nvidia!), you can easily fit in a pair of 780's at the $2000 budget. when looking at games that tend to lean more on the CPU, the IB and SB will OC better than the current haswell sku's. that being said Jack has my vote.

 

[SessouXFX]

Inzone's build is much like my own mock up.

I know there are a ton of 4770K hunks out there, but if you have to de-lid your CPU to OC it... For some, it's simple, just "tear" open the lid and presto! \o/

I think not, a lot of bad things could happen, and that's why I went with a 4820K in mines. Even though there's a need for a bios update, OCing it should be a breeze. And I still have a warranty for not having opened it.

 

[sDGam]

Although the computer i would build would be similar to ojas', i voted for inzone's because it is a more solid build. He spent a bit less on the gpus to have a dual PCI-e x16 which also needed an lga2011 cpu. AMD's driver should get updates in the future and the r9 280x might overcome their current problems

 

[inzone]

I appreciate all those that have voted for my build. I wanted to explain why I went with the 3930k over the 4770k and mainly it's because I am currently running the 3930k in my own computer and know a lot more about it.
The Sandy Bridge-E and Ivy Bridge -E processors have 40 lanes of Pci-e bandwith that can be divided amongst the Pci-e slots and with two high end video cards you get both cards running on true x16 bandwith. The Z87 chipset for the 4770k will only support 16 lanes and you have to run the two cards on x8 bandwith each.

Also the 3930k overclocks much higher then the 4770k, I'm running 4.7ghz on very little OC effort and could go much higher if I wanted to take the time and tweak it but I figured an easy 4.7ghz would not stress the CPU that much and the temps are low 40c at idle.

 

[miit123]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/XxPh What about this guys?

Would'nt it be great with the crossfire?

 

[PCgamingFTW]

I think this is pretty good ! 512gb ssd, gtx 780 ti etc...

I created the list myself

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2cMxW

 

[inzone]

This thread is for voting for the above posted configs and not for posting any alternatives , the time for that has past once the thread was closed for posting new configs.

 

[Sangeet Khatri]

This one is for the guys who are suggesting alternatives :

The prices have changed a lot since the builds were planned. At that time 780 Ti did not exist and the 780 costed $650 which is $500 now. So, you guys just cannot compare the prices of 2-3 months ago and the current prices. Lots of things have changed and lots of newer hardware has launched. At that time the AMD R Series GPU were not even launched back then.

 

[haroldeh]

I appreciate all those that have voted for my build. I wanted to explain why I went with the 3930k over the 4770k and mainly it's because I am currently running the 3930k in my own computer and know a lot more about it.
The Sandy Bridge-E and Ivy Bridge -E processors have 40 lanes of Pci-e bandwith that can be divided amongst the Pci-e slots and with two high end video cards you get both cards running on true x16 bandwith. The Z87 chipset for the 4770k will only support 16 lanes and you have to run the two cards on x8 bandwith each.

Also the 3930k overclocks much higher then the 4770k, I'm running 4.7ghz on very little OC effort and could go much higher if I wanted to take the time and tweak it but I figured an easy 4.7ghz would not stress the CPU that much and the temps are low 40c at idle.

Bought the parts for your config and am trying to get it to go together. The 361 case is about 1.5 inches too short for the power supply and motherboard. How did you manage to get this together?

 

[inzone]

A case is not an integral part of a build as people will generally choose a case that they like. The case in the build is an ATX case and the motherboard and power supply are also ATX so they should fit inside that case.

 

[Nadoedalo]

Please advice the case and the motherboard for the high-end watercooled PC.
Want big and silent case that can fit 4-fan radiator on top, can't choose.
More at this topic

 

[inzone]

Finding a case that will fit a 480mm radiator at the top is difficult since the top area has the drive bays to contend with. You may be better off with a case that has the room at the bottom and is a separate section that you can use for the radiator and other parts like the power supply and pump.
This case will provide you with that;

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139019

For a high end motherboard the Asus Rampage Extreme Black Edition would be at the top of the list.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132053

It's a LGA 2011 socket MB so you'll have to get the I7-4820k , i7-4930K or the i7-4960X for a CPU.