Gaming/Streaming/Video Editing Desktop (Need your Thoughts and Opinions)

[BlackJack90]

Hello Guys,

Just want to hear your opinion about my desktop. (Need some thoughts about RAM and Graphic Card.)
I want to play all games at the maximum specs at 1080p I don't care about 4k. I stream a lot as well as heavy Video Editing.

I am not on a budget Gaming Desktop, but I don't want to waste money because it ill give 2/3 more FPS overall.

I plan to do some over clocking as well, that's why I have chosen the K version.

I need to hear some thoughts on the RAM that I have chosen and about the Graphic Card. Because of that Vram Nvidia Fiasco I am a bit confused, I know GTX 970 is still a great card but probably not the best option for future games. Do you agree? If yes what is your choice?

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card
Power Supply: Antec 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply

Thanks in advance
Best Regards
BlackJack

 

[maddogfargo]

CL 9 1866 will be good for video editing and streaming/video compression workloads. But it won't help much for gaming. It might actually be more cost effective to go with CL 8 1600 if it is noticeably less expensive.

My favorite 970 is the Gigabyte G1 Gaming GTX 970. I have one and custom BIOS mod that runs at 1202/1506 core and 3805 vRAM. Even with the 1506 OC it never goes over 65% fan speed or 66c under full 99% load for stress testing. You can barely hear the fans at 65%. The custom BIOS is needed for a minor voltage table tweak in the midrange boost states which are just a little too low to remain stable when switching to OC speeds. I shared it on the Overclock.net forums.

If you want a great single GPU, a 980 or 980ti is going to be top of the line. But of course, this will cost a lot more.

I would not get the H60 liquid cooler. Price/performance is still much better with air, Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO or Noctua NHD14/15 or Phanteks TC14PE. If you go CLC, look at NZXT Kraken x60/x61 or Corsair H110. Great performance without being terribly loud.


Also, if you are willing to consider alternatives to Intel, a streaming build is actually a good scenario for AMD. I used an FX 8350 and FX 9590, both OCd stable on lower than expected voltages, and they stream and capture great. Here's a demo/test vid for reference.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opXzfuoJkpg

 

[senseijtitus]

At this point, GTX 980 Ti will be an overkill. Too expensive. Better go for GTX 980. Video editing and rendering part, you have a pretty solid rig there. But if you could increase the frequency of the RAM to 2133Mhz with CAS Latency of 10(CL10), that would be just perfect.

By the way, AMD FX 8350 is better for all of this at a smaller price. You can also opt for FX 9590. But then the TDP will be high. But FX can do the job just as well.

 

[BlackJack90]

First of All thank you for sharing your thoughts with me.

I forgot to mention the most important part.
I already have the motherboard, cpu and psu. With that being said I only need to buy a decent cooler (I don't care if its water or air), Ram and Graphic card.

About the 980/980ti, I think to be honest it's a waste of money. Any other solutions? I really love the 970 but i want something good for the next few years. About single GPU or SLI, as long as I don't waste money its totally fine. Any Ideas @maddogfargo??

@Senseijtitus: Why CL10 2133Mhz? You think it will make difference?

A friend lend me a spare 4Gb Corsair Ram and I am using it for now.
Another thing just to let you know, I am running OS on a Samsung SSD 850 PRO 256Gb.

 

[jsgrant31]

Greetings,

Your CPU/cooler and motherboard are fine for what you want to do. The RAM you've chosen is typically what's recommended for gaming/editing rigs, so you're fine there. The GPU depends on what you want; right now everything can be played on a 970 at 1080p/60Hz, and I'm sure that will continue for some time even with the 3.5 GB VRAM problem. But, if you're trying to max out the latest and greatest a 980 (or 980 Ti) or AMD equivalent might be the better option. You have a tier 2 PSU (http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html); I would opt for a tier 1 and reconsider the wattage you need. Generally a 600/650 W is fine for rigs with one video card; I'd recommend an 850 W for two GPUs. 750 W is kind of in the middle where it's too much for one card but it might be too little for two cards depending on your peripherals.

Cheers

 

[senseijtitus]

Okay. running the OS and programs you use regularly from SSD is a very good idea. Boots up and loads faster.

The reason I suggested 2133mhz ram with CAS Latency of 10 is because it has higher data transfer speed and it would be difficult to find one of this speed with any lower CAS Latency.(It would be great if you could find one with lower CL) I tried it for one of my friends. on top of it, if you could use dual channeling for it, that would be even greater.

Editing will use up a lot of your ram and a faster ram can give some what better performance.

 

[senseijtitus]

The set up you have chosen is too good overall. Regarding the PSU, that would be good. It will be a little bit of an overkill. But would be good to have a higher wattage PSU if you decide for a more powerful processor at some point of time(When there is one out there )

 

[BlackJack90]

Yeah that's the idea with the SSD, I've loads of games, like crysis 1/2/3, BF 3/4, Dead Space etc etc, but I installed everything on a 1TB HDD. I have chosen that power supply because it was kind of a deal with a friend. I paid £50 for that brand new (sealed), better than that I believe its impossible even if I need to buy another one in the future because some upgrades I think it worth
About the RAM, for sure I'll get 16Gb because I need it for editing purposes, but I am still bit confused about the other specs. I did some research, and most of the people says "You cant go wrong with ram as long as you choose a good company and a good warranty". so I am confused but I am not worried, on the other side the GPU is annoying me, because I made my mind on that 970, but with this Vram thing I am thinking again which one should i get, and the 980 seems too expensive. I am thinking about AMD.

Another thing is, on the 18th the 300/300x series from AMD will come out, if the GTX 970 drops the price probably ill forget about the vram fiasco and go for it anyway. What do you thing?

 

[senseijtitus]

If you have only one monitor and that you are playing at 1080 max, then GTX970 would be more than enough.

 

[BlackJack90]

I have two monitors (And I want to get another one), One for playing, and two for Stream Related stuff. Like Music, Stream Software, Notepad, Etc etc. You think i should go get the GTX 970 regarding the 3.5Gb Vram fiasco?

Need more opinions and thougts guys.

Thanks in advance for all the help.
Best Regards
BlackJack

 

[senseijtitus]

In that case, I would say go with GTX 980 for better results if you are going to use all three monitors at the same time.

 

[bsod1]

do you have a max budget?

 

[BlackJack90]

@senseijtitus: I want to get the third monitor, but I'll get it after I finish the build. So no rush for that.

@bsod1: Maximum £300/350. £300 is the maximum that I think its enough for my purpose, but if you have another suggestion that cost more than that I can extend to £350.