First Computer Build - Subtotal $4,000.00

[orangejuice789]

Did you link to them?

As far as I know, there are not any non-reference 290X's out yet but I could be mistaken.

The gigabyte WindForce are coming out soon: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/gigabyte-radeon-r9-290x-windforce,25351.html

 

[ssddx]

its on pc parts picker.. photo shows dual fans...

yeah i know windforce is coming... might be good to wait? hard to say yet.

EDIT:

could have sworn it was... maybe that was the 780ti's he was looking at instead.

 

[orangejuice789]

I would definitely wait. The 290X's are overpriced right now, and as far as I can tell still only reference.

If you buy 2 reference cards you will be kicking yourself when the non reference coolers come out and perform exorbitantly better as they always do.

 

[KarsenH]

I would definitely wait. The 290X's are overpriced right now, and as far as I can tell still only reference.

If you buy 2 reference cards you will be kicking yourself when the non reference coolers come out and perform exorbitantly better as they always do.

Waiting >.< I'm so impatient lol! How long do you think until they lower prices? I noticed 780Ti's were 650 at one point..... shaft and a half atm.

 

[orangejuice789]

It will be some time, you may even have to wait until the new year. If you don't want to wait, the 780Ti's will certainly do the job but as you said, its an arm and a leg for two of them and the performance over 290Xs (especially when non-reference hit) may not be worth the cost to you.

You could always order everything else and build the PC without the cards so that when you do finally get them you can just slot them in and you will be off and running.

If you want me to guess, The 290X non reference coolers will start to become more available in January.

Edit: http://pcdiy.asus.com/2013/12/asus-r9-290x-directcu-ii-preview/#comments

 

[KarsenH]

It will be some time, you may even have to wait until the new year. If you don't want to wait, the 780Ti's will certainly do the job but as you said, its an arm and a leg for two of them and the performance over 290Xs (especially when non-reference hit) may not be worth the cost to you.

You could always order everything else and build the PC without the cards so that when you do finally get them you can just slot them in and you will be off and running.

If you want me to guess, The 290X non reference coolers will start to become more available in January.

Edit: http://pcdiy.asus.com/2013/12/asus-r9-290x-directcu-ii-preview/#comments

You think when they release those it'll cost me my soul or should they be reasonably priced? I don't know if I can go without a desktop for another month :\

EDIT: Thank you very much for the link by the way! I appreciate it

 

[orangejuice789]

Well it will not be as expensive as 2 780ti's.

I know the 290X price is inflated right now, but it released at 500$. My guess is that the non reference will be around the same price point once the mining rush dies down, maybe 550 at release.

The 780 Ti's as you know will run you around 700. So, it really is just up to you, there isn't really a wrong decision, just what you think is worth it.

What are the benefits of a 780 Ti:

Slightly faster
Readily available right now
G-sync (if that becomes a big thing)
Lots of choices for 3rd parties with good coolers

benefits of a 290X:

Much better price/performance
Mantle (if that becomes a thing)
Driver improvements should be more significant for a newer card

 

[ssddx]

2x 290x in crossfire will be about $300 cheaper than 2x 780ti in sli as you remember from the original spec we put together.

the msi windforce (triple fan cooled) 290x should be out in about 2 weeks (or around the time of CES 2014) according to some leaks on the web.

i've used reference design cards many times without issue. they run hotter and louder but with good case airflow its not a huge deal. of course i never ran them sli.

 

[KarsenH]

2x 290x in crossfire will be about $300 cheaper than 2x 780ti in sli as you remember from the original spec we put together.

the msi windforce (triple fan cooled) 290x should be out in about 2 weeks (or around the time of CES 2014) according to some leaks on the web.

i've used reference design cards many times without issue. they run hotter and louder but with good case airflow its not a huge deal. of course i never ran them sli.

I think what I'm going to do is go with a single 780Ti in the beginning, then after a month or so get the next one. I just got a new car so I'm throwing stuff on that too :S

EDIT: I remember what we spoke about regarding the discontinuation of the 780Ti's and me being SOL if that happens, however, I'll take the risk (for the short period of time), and if anything sell that one and go with xfire 290x non ref when they come out. But the plan for now is to SLI a little later.

 

[ssddx]

adding stuff to a brand new car.... why? (what car?)

 

[KarsenH]

adding stuff to a brand new car.... why? (what car?)

Lol my family is huge into the automotive scene, we love cars and doing things to them. It's a F30 335i but I want to change out the exhaust from a dual to a quad, add the M sport kit, and plastidip it some sort of Matte black or white.

 

[KarsenH]

This is the build I'm going with unless someone has a viable alternative point.

 

[CCapG]

Only advice I would really have is on the Hard Drives, and that would be to buy the WD Red or Green as to they run Raid 1, and SSD's run Raid 0, allowing you to have your archived files safely stored away on the hard drive, and your more active programs on the ssd. Other than that at this point your good to go. I'm going to build a similar rig as well, with the differences in the Ram and Motherboard, (Ripjaws Z Series, and the Asus Maximus VI Extreme). I wish you good luck in building this rig. For putting it together tips, I'd advise watching LinusTechTips on YouTube to see how everything is put together. He has all sorts of builds on his channel that would be beneficial and relevant to this exact build.

//CCapG

 

[KarsenH]

Only advice I would really have is on the Hard Drives, and that would be to buy the WD Red or Green as to they run Raid 1, and SSD's run Raid 0, allowing you to have your archived files safely stored away on the hard drive, and your more active programs on the ssd. Other than that at this point your good to go. I'm going to build a similar rig as well, with the differences in the Ram and Motherboard, (Ripjaws Z Series, and the Asus Maximus VI Extreme). I wish you good luck in building this rig. For putting it together tips, I'd advise watching LinusTechTips on YouTube to see how everything is put together. He has all sorts of builds on his channel that would be beneficial and relevant to this exact build.

//CCapG

WD Green 1TB it is! Much appreciated. I apologize I only saw this now, I don't remember receiving the email notification. Thank you for your reply. If you have a post on your rig I'll check it out right after this Ahh, nice! Going with the Extreme. I'm tempted but really don't need that many lanes. Likewise to you, best of luck on your build. I've watched just about every Linus tech tip vid out there haha, great channel! His overkill gaming build with wcooling is great lol.

Thanks again! Happy Holidays
Karsen