New build for The Witcher 3

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Xstark

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May 13, 2010
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Hello friends from TH. I am xStark and i am here today seeking advise, i have used this amazing webpage a couple of times before and have gotten great advise from the community in times of need. Recently one of my gaming PCs broke down 🙁 and would like to build a new one to replace it. I must admit that i have done zero research as i am not up-to-date on the new technology as far as gaming computers go. I want this system to be able to run the newest games (The witcher 3) at very high to high settings (hopefully max them out) without it costing me an arm and leg. I have no brand preference but if it's cheap and does a good job, I'll take it! Well that's about it, I for one appreciate the job you guys do and would like to wish you a good time.

Approximate Purchase Date: As soon as possible!

Budget Range: ~$1500

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Just for gaming / surfing the web.

Are you buying a monitor: Yes. I've had the HP ZR30w for quite a while in my past build and would like to get a new one for this build as well (Unless there's a new & better S-IPS monitor around). DO NOT include in budget.

Parts to Upgrade: It's a new build with the sole purpose playing new game titles like "The Witcher 3" at a resolution of 2560x1600 . No need for SSD or DVD DRIVE.

Do you need to buy OS: Found a windows 8 cheap, so no need for OS.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg / Amazon

Location: New York, USA.

Parts Preferences: Not really a brand preference but i've heard that AMD parts are cheap and do the job amazingly

Overclocking: Don't know how, but will love to be able to do it.

SLI or Crossfire: Hopefully. If it fits the budget.

Your Monitor Resolution: 2560x1600. Will be getting an HP ZR30w. (Unless advised otherwise)

Additional Comments: No need for peripherals (Mouse, Keyboard, Headphones or Speakers).


If you guys need anymore information let me know and i will be happy to provide it.

Thanks!

-xStark
 
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Quick points:

1. i5-4690K/i7-4790K recommended for CPU

2. GPU - Witcher 3 is very, very demanding for Ultra. Plenty of benchmarks but you might want to be prepared to go with 1920x1200 unless you want to sacrifice quality and/or frame rate.

Will post a link below for benchmarks.

GPU options (and problems):

1. GTX970:
- great value, but 512MB slow memory issue which can cause STUTTER for games using 3.5GB to 4GB of VRAM.

2. GTX980:
- great card, arguable value (no slow memory)

3. GTX980Ti:
- not out yet. soonish.

*I'm recommending 1xGTX980Ti 6GB if it turns out how I expect. Roughly 92% the processing but higher frequencies possible means comparable to a Titan X for scores (possibly slightly higher for some models).
 
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http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/the_witcher_3_graphics_performance_review,6.html

So a single TITAN X gets you 64FPS average at 2560x1440 (max/near max settings). At 1920x1200 a single GTX970 gets you 53FPS. Not clear in either case if every single setting is maxed but this gives you an idea.

So my advice is still get a GTX980Ti 6GB card.

Perhaps build the main system and use an existing GPU for now? Regardless I'll post a pcpartpicker build for the MAIN SYSTEM but will see what I can do while leaving the budget for a graphics card (i.e. $700USD system leaving $800USD for GTX980TI ?).

Update:
AMD is not the way to go. Maybe it's fine for just this one game but it's not ideal for many others when spending this much money. In some cases it's a 40% or more frame rate difference. Some are negligible.
 
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here's one type of build to consider:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.50 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($128.95 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($62.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($123.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($348.89 @ B&H)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($348.89 @ B&H)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($125.28 @ Amazon)
Total: $1473.37
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-28 22:39 EDT-0400
 
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Hello photonboy. Geez it's been so long! How have you been?! I remember you from another discussion from 2012, picked you as the Best answer. Anyway GTX 980 sounds like the way to go ( I need the system as soon as possible). I will be waiting on your advise for the rest of the system build and again, tahnk you so much for your help!
 
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Example: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/H8HpLk

- i5-4690K
- 16GB DDR3
- no GPU listed (GTX980Ti recommended depending on price)
etc..

Other comments:
The core CPU, Motherboard, and DDR3 are pretty good. The case is more personal. I wanted to see the PRICE and that's roughly $700USD (didn't add up rebates). So $1500 leaves you roughly $800 for a good graphics card.

The GTX980Ti is estimated to be $800USD.

All we're fairly certain is that it should be comparable to the Titan X for benchmarks and that it has 6GB of VRAM. Remember that SLI has it's drawbacks so you can't just compare frame rates, nor is it certain if we "need" more than 4GB per GPU but it is starting to look that way for high-end gaming in the near future.

**So again:
My recommendation is to BUILD the core system and WAIT for the GTX980Ti (or similar AMD card) or just wait and build everything at once.
 
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Thanks for your answer. Dual GTX 970 eh, Nice!
 
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Update:

GTX980: - if considering this then I'd suggest getting the EVGA Hybrid model if available. It has been shown by Jayz2cents to do 1600MHz whilst being fairly quiet. At $650USD not the cheapest but worth it IMO not just for performance but for low noise under load.

Unfortunately we're approaching what MAY be the GTX980Ti price but if you can't wait then there's no point suggesting to wait. Having said that, at 1600MHz the GTX980 would be pretty close to a stock GTX980Ti or Titan X at times.

2xGTX970:
Just be warned this can and does cause STUTTERING at times when you go above 3.5GB used for a game. It's something I already said at top. I suggest you investigate further but info is SCARCE mainly due to a dearth of games that use this much VRAM.

However, games are going to continue to use more VRAM so the stutter issue should become more problematic unless a workaround is found. The VRAM issue is also why I prefer looking to the GTX980Ti which has 6GB.

Link: http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graphics-Cards/Frame-Rating-GTX-970-Memory-Issued-Tested-SLI/COD-Advanced-Warfare-and-Closin

"My takeaway from today's testing is that users with or looking at an SLI setup of GeForce GTX 970 cards appear to be more likely to run into cases where the memory pools of 3.5GB and 0.5GB will matter. Because you are able to reach higher playable frame rates with two GTX 970s than just a single one, stretching out and increasing image quality settings is more common. If you are that type of gamer, looking to stretch the boundaries what settings are playable, then it is worth a warning about the differences between the GTX 970 and the GTX 980."

(I've confirmed stuttering from other sources due to the 512MB of slow memory on the GTX970)
 
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Such a shame about the stuttering of dual GTX 970s, well it was a nice idea though.

 
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You've got some great advice here already, but I did just want to chime in quickly on the 970s stuttering issue. Couple of points worth making:

1) many games will use as much VRAM as they can whether they need it or not - there's no point leaving RAM empty. Lots of people think they're hitting the 512MB slower memory portion because GPU-Z or whatever says "3.8GB used", when in reality the game is just caching stuff in VRAM in case it's needed in future. The actual amount of data needed for the card to render quickly is usually (almost always) much less than what the is in "use". This is why it's pretty difficult (not impossible - but difficult) to find situations where the VRAM segemntation becomes an issue.

2) it's actually fairly easy to drastically reduce VRAM requirements by lowering AA a little or dropping a few settings.

I'm not suggesting that there is NO issue with the 970s, but I am suggesting that it's very rarely an issue, and when it is an issue, it's not too difficult to drop a setting or two and get your VRAM use back under control.

If I were you I wouldn't exclude the 970 as a viable option, given it's so damn cheap compared to other high-performance options. Maybe in 12 months time a game will came out and you'll hit a VRAM issue and have to drop a few settings to get your performance back. Sure it'll be a little annoying, but you can remind yourself that you saved $300 or even more going the route you chose.
 
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970's got you down?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.50 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($128.95 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($62.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($123.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Vapor-X Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($321.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Vapor-X Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($321.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000G2 1000W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1454.28
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-28 23:28 EDT-0400
 
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I gotta say. I keep liking your answers more and more!! This build should last me a while ( 3-4 years). Hopefully this build will do. Super cheap, and that case oh god! pure win. Cheap and amazing. Just wondering if 1000W PS is not overkill but the rest looks solid.
 
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