Looking to get an opinion on what to do next on my build.

[Michael Louie]

Hello,
I am looking to complete the rest of my build with the small things to make it perfect. I am not an experienced PC Builder, but i do have assistance from friends who are.

Case: Coolermaster Haf X
CPU: Intel I5-4690k @3.50ghz
M/B: AsRock Z97 Extreme9
Ram: 16gb (2x8gb) GSkill Trident 2400MHz
GPU: 1x Radeon R9 280
Main SSD is Adata SX900
PSU: Thermaltake TR2 700w
Budget = less than 2000 for the new parts.
I intend to purchase one of the newer high performing M.2 SSD's after computex.

My intentions for this rig is high end gaming at 4K, now i've been doing some research and 4k is a struggle to achieve right now so i'm not exactly sure where to go with my build.

I was thinking of getting two Geforce GTX 980's or something comparable after the oncoming release. Maybe the Radeon R9 295X2? I'm not locked into any specific company just looking for best performance. Would getting a third card and doing a threeway with my M.2 have much of a performance boost or would it start bottle necking? I understand that the switch on my motherboard will lighten the load a little.

I've also been researching the concept of having a dedicated Phys-x Card if i go geforce, but what im reading it seems to be pointless, but what im wondering is would it REALLY be pointless if im running 4k on a 32 inch Ultra Wide 4k monitor?

After getting all of these parts i do intend to do minor overclocking, just enough to give me that extra boost but i dont want to lose too much life on my cards. I wont deny that i am very new to overclocking but again have friends who are well versed.

By overclocking i will definitely need to think about after market coolers for my build. One option of course is water cooling which i have also been researching, but my understanding is that my case might not need a FULL loop liquid cooled setup. So i was thinking of going with the Corsair H110i GT but im worried it might be overkill because im not intending to push my cores to anywhere close to 5.0ghz should i instead go with a Corsair h100i gtx?

For the corsair's cooling i would be mounting it on the TOP of my case, internally.

I also have a few questions related to airflow, my fans are currently all set default but im thinking that i should go with this setup; intake : front, bottom, sides. Exhaust : top, rear.
After getting my air cooling would i change that around much?

I'd also like some sort of all in one solution for an optical bay (unless my build requires the optical bay to be used with other components) and possibly a dedicated audio card to allow me to do full 3d surround sound audio with high quality.

I'm honestly not sure what else i could need, but my intentions are to build this computer so chocked full of features im going to be set for awhie. Think of your dream PC and help me realize that dream for myself.

Thank you so much for your help.

 

[lordbovril2]

First of all £ or $?

Secondly get the R9 295x2 for 4k...It only just worse and it has a much better performance for the price

 

[bliq]

So the first thing I can think of is you'll need to go SLI or Crossfire with two higher end GPUs, probably 280x's or 970's to get good frame rates at 4K. That will necessitate a bigger PSU, probably 850W+

At this level, might as well just pop for the i7-4790K and forgo overclocking. This'll keep power draw, heat, and therefore noise down.

Water cooling is often not as effective or provides no benefit compared to good air cooling. With a case as large as a Haf X, maybe consider going with really good air cooling since theres so much air volume in the case and it's got good airflow. A full loop would probably mean you're cooling the CPU as well as the GPU's with the single pump- is that what you're planning? then you probably will need to pick up some GPU waterblocks. You might be starting to get close to your $2k budget at this point.

 

[Michael Louie]

Hey Lordbovril2, its going to be $, i do think that the 295x2 is a good solution.

Bliq, i was definitely thinking i would need to upgrade my PSU, but i dont particularily think that i want to go and purchase the i7, do you think the difference in power draw and heat would be that huge of a difference? Could you elaborate?

Well i was hoping to avoid going with a full loop water cooling, i admit i want it but itd be based mainly on aesthetics rather then practicality so i have a very hard time justifying it. The Corsair parts i referenced in my original post are closed looped coolers. I would prefer to just use air cooling as it would be quieter, would the stock haf x fans be sufficient in cooling this? Or what kind of air cooling parts should i get? Should i just add in additional fans?

 

[bliq]

I5 vs i7 isn't a big diff in capability esp for gaming but when over locking the power draw and resulting heat doesn't scale up linearly. That's why I say if you're looking for more power than an i5 will give you, my preference is to go with an i7 vs over locking an i5.

As for cooling, my opinion, the goal is not to get the coolest temps but to get the quietest machine at a reasonable temp. Having a frosty running chip is useless if you are running at 55dB. My honest recommendation is to pick the set of fans with good airflow at the lowest dB. I've used AF120 lows and I was happy with them. Cheap and did the job quietly.

Another factor is the haf x is one of the best airflow cases out there. It also has a lot of air volume. You could run almost silent and still have reasonable temps in that case.

 

[lordbovril2]

@bliq....it's good for airflow because 'haf' means high airflow

 

[Michael Louie]

So to confirm with you two, you're recommending that i go with a 295x2 video card (instead of waiting for a better card), UPGRADE my HAF-X's fans to more powerful/quiet fans, get an i7 Skylake CPU.

No thoughts on a dedicated sound card? Or all in one optical bay solution?

How about using M.2 in conjunction with 295x?