Review on the rig that I am going to buy (gaming build) (Advice is beyond welcome here, so comment away!)

[CatalystGamez]

So, for the computer gaming rig that I am planning on getting, here it is on Partpicker

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/tPQvXL
Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/tPQvXL/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£205.67 @ Dabs)
CPU Cooler: RAIJINTEK THEMIS 65.7 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£19.98 @ Novatech)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury White 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£33.95 @ More Computers)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£58.79 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: XFX XTR 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£86.84 @ More Computers)

So can people tell me what they think?

Thanks.
_____________________________

So, the specifications for this build;

Prices;
CPU: £200
CPU Cooler: £30
RAM: £50
MOBO: £100
PSU: £100
SSD: £100

Items:
* I currently have the Xeon because it is equal to it's i7 counter part, it's only two major differences are (as far as i'm aware) are that firstly, it doesn't have integrated graphics, and that you can't OC it.
* I want 8GB of ram, but if I can get more from a reliable source then I'll check it out, but i just need more than 8GB
* The PSU will need to be about 400+Watts
* The parts that I have not listed here that are in my build on PartsPicker are solid and I am not changing them
______________________________________

Also, I have a couple of questions:

1) Since the Xeon was originally a server CPU, that means that it was meant to be on MOBO's that could support about 4 of them, so I was wondering, for gaming, would multiple CPU's be a disadvantage, or would they clash and there be no real significant improvement?
(basically, I'm asking if it's worth to use multiple CPU's on a single board for gaming)

2) Secondly, I want to know if I can use 2 different GPU's on the same Rig, so, for instance, the better one could process 2/3 of the information/data (or what ever it is they process) and the weaker one does 1/3 of the stuffs, or are they completely incompatible?
(So I want to know if I can run 2 different GPU's at the same time on a single machine)

(The 2 GPU's are [both geForce GTX]: "650 Ti Boost" and the "980 Ti")

Thanks, and please be honest and don't hold back!
I look forward to seeing your feedback!

 

[migronesien]

1) Xeons will act totally normal in gaming, but having multiple Xeons on one board will have 0% effect on gaming performance. Games use a maximum of 4 cores at the moment, so no difference.

2) Nope, a 650ti will not work with a 980ti in SLI. But you can still put both in and use the 650ti as a PhysX card. But i suggest just using the 980ti.

System looks good, very nice SSD and PSU choice. Will do great with a 980ti.
With that 980ti you'll easily maxing games out. Buuuut at 1080p some games (Total War) already want more than 8gb RAM in total. And at 1440p pretty much any newer game will need more than 8gb RAM. I'd go for 16gb RAM for futureproofing. I guess, that games will be needing more than 8gb RAM at max settings @1080p soon.

 

[affinitydesigns]

Most tests done through this year have shown that there isn't any advantage to going from 8GB to 16GB of RAM for gaming. There is the possibility of future-proofing and remember adding memory later can be a risky gamble as even like branded RAM can be incompatible with each other. I run games at 4K and have 16GB of RAM but I haven't seen anything on my MOBO RAM ever really go above 6GB unless I'm running other stuff in the background.

Other than that, the build looks good.

 

[madmatt30]

Not convinced on the ram - I honestly think 16gb (2x8gb kit) if you can afford it is better while you're building in the first place.
I've seen stuff pull in excess of 8gb now & with an ssd as the is drive it ends up pagefiling 3-4gb at a time once you touch 6gb..


£18 more for another 8gb is to me an absolute no brainer.
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/kingston-memory-hx318c10frk216

 

[migronesien]

Most tests done through this year have shown that there isn't any advantage to going from 8GB to 16GB of RAM for gaming. There is the possibility of future-proofing and remember adding memory later can be a risky gamble as even like branded RAM can be incompatible with each other. I run games at 4K and have 16GB of RAM but I haven't seen anything on my MOBO RAM ever really go above 6GB unless I'm running other stuff in the background.

Other than that, the build looks good.

Really? At what settings are you playing on 4k. Because when i first tried Shadow of Mordor, GTAV and some Total War at max settings @1440p i got constant crashes like after playing for 30 seconds, because 8gb RAM weren't enough. So i bought 2x8gb and that fixed it. Anything higher than 1080p really does need 16gb RAM.

 

[madmatt30]

^ ?? Resolution has nothing to do with system memory mate at all .

All 3 of those titles are memory hogs though admittedly, although the bad memory leaks on GTA v & mordor are primarily fixed now - GTA v still pulls around 6gb on my system though .

 

[affinitydesigns]

^ Correct, GTA V was the only game I've seen go high because of the memory leaks.

Not to say 16GB isn't an option, but it's not necessary right now. If you have the money you could go for it, but you don't need to do it.

 

[CatalystGamez]

1) Xeons will act totally normal in gaming, but having multiple Xeons on one board will have 0% effect on gaming performance. Games use a maximum of 4 cores at the moment, so no difference.

2) Nope, a 650ti will not work with a 980ti in SLI. But you can still put both in and use the 650ti as a PhysX card. But i suggest just using the 980ti.

System looks good, very nice SSD and PSU choice. Will do great with a 980ti.
With that 980ti you'll easily maxing games out. Buuuut at 1080p some games (Total War) already want more than 8gb RAM in total. And at 1440p pretty much any newer game will need more than 8gb RAM. I'd go for 16gb RAM for futureproofing. I guess, that games will be needing more than 8gb RAM at max settings @1080p soon.

1) Okay, I'll stick with one then

2) Huh? I know that only the same card can be used with SLI, but I was wondering as Crossfire, or maybe using it dedicated to a specific process (Like you said, PhysX). So could you tell me what I could use it for? And how I would go about doing it (Or a link to a simple guide)

3) Great, Thanks, well the 980 is the card I'm going for, since the next step up are the godly TITANS

4) Really? well I'll see where I can get some RAM from then, but I'll stick with 8GB and then upgrade in the future when I really need it

Thanks 😀

 

[CatalystGamez]

Most tests done through this year have shown that there isn't any advantage to going from 8GB to 16GB of RAM for gaming. There is the possibility of future-proofing and remember adding memory later can be a risky gamble as even like branded RAM can be incompatible with each other. I run games at 4K and have 16GB of RAM but I haven't seen anything on my MOBO RAM ever really go above 6GB unless I'm running other stuff in the background.

Other than that, the build looks good.

Great, okay, thanks!! 😀

 

[CatalystGamez]

Not convinced on the ram - I honestly think 16gb (2x8gb kit) if you can afford it is better while you're building in the first place.
I've seen stuff pull in excess of 8gb now & with an ssd as the is drive it ends up pagefiling 3-4gb at a time once you touch 6gb..


£18 more for another 8gb is to me an absolute no brainer.
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/kingston-memory-hx318c10frk216

Wow!
Thats great, and for only £18+... You're right, that is a no-brainer 😀

You've helped a bunch, Thanks!

 

[affinitydesigns]

1) Xeons will act totally normal in gaming, but having multiple Xeons on one board will have 0% effect on gaming performance. Games use a maximum of 4 cores at the moment, so no difference.

2) Nope, a 650ti will not work with a 980ti in SLI. But you can still put both in and use the 650ti as a PhysX card. But i suggest just using the 980ti.

System looks good, very nice SSD and PSU choice. Will do great with a 980ti.
With that 980ti you'll easily maxing games out. Buuuut at 1080p some games (Total War) already want more than 8gb RAM in total. And at 1440p pretty much any newer game will need more than 8gb RAM. I'd go for 16gb RAM for futureproofing. I guess, that games will be needing more than 8gb RAM at max settings @1080p soon.

1) Okay, I'll stick with one then

2) Huh? I know that only the same card can be used with SLI, but I was wondering as Crossfire, or maybe using it dedicated to a specific process (Like you said, PhysX). So could you tell me what I could use it for? And how I would go about doing it (Or a link to a simple guide)

3) Great, Thanks, well the 980 is the card I'm going for, since the next step up are the godly TITANS

4) Really? well I'll see where I can get some RAM from then, but I'll stick with 8GB and then upgrade in the future when I really need it

Thanks 😀

SLI is Nvidia's offering for using multiple graphics configuration in line. It's kind of like making two cards look like one to applications. Crossfire is AMDs offering. They have some differences, but for the most part do the same thing. Combine two cards into a single configuration to be used by an application. (Very basic description of what it does).

You can run more than one graphics card in a build without them being in SLI or Crossfire however. Physix, Tessellation, etc are all Nvidia proprietary technologies so AMD cards don't have the ability to use those graphical additives even if you had something like a Fury X. What some people have done though is add a lower tier Nvidia card and that card's sole purpose is to run the numbers for Physx, Tessellation, and all the other goodies. The two cards don't act as one, but actually are use in two different ways by the same application.

 

[CatalystGamez]

1) Xeons will act totally normal in gaming, but having multiple Xeons on one board will have 0% effect on gaming performance. Games use a maximum of 4 cores at the moment, so no difference.

2) Nope, a 650ti will not work with a 980ti in SLI. But you can still put both in and use the 650ti as a PhysX card. But i suggest just using the 980ti.

System looks good, very nice SSD and PSU choice. Will do great with a 980ti.
With that 980ti you'll easily maxing games out. Buuuut at 1080p some games (Total War) already want more than 8gb RAM in total. And at 1440p pretty much any newer game will need more than 8gb RAM. I'd go for 16gb RAM for futureproofing. I guess, that games will be needing more than 8gb RAM at max settings @1080p soon.

1) Okay, I'll stick with one then

2) Huh? I know that only the same card can be used with SLI, but I was wondering as Crossfire, or maybe using it dedicated to a specific process (Like you said, PhysX). So could you tell me what I could use it for? And how I would go about doing it (Or a link to a simple guide)

3) Great, Thanks, well the 980 is the card I'm going for, since the next step up are the godly TITANS

4) Really? well I'll see where I can get some RAM from then, but I'll stick with 8GB and then upgrade in the future when I really need it

Thanks 😀

SLI is Nvidia's offering for using multiple graphics configuration in line. It's kind of like making two cards look like one to applications. Crossfire is AMDs offering. They have some differences, but for the most part do the same thing. Combine two cards into a single configuration to be used by an application. (Very basic description of what it does).

You can run more than one graphics card in a build without them being in SLI or Crossfire however. Physix, Tessellation, etc are all Nvidia proprietary technologies so AMD cards don't have the ability to use those graphical additives even if you had something like a Fury X. What some people have done though is add a lower tier Nvidia card and that card's sole purpose is to run the numbers for Physx, Tessellation, and all the other goodies. The two cards don't act as one, but actually are use in two different ways by the same application.

Okay... So... lets hope I get this right...

I already know about SLI and CrossFire, they allow multiple GPU's (That are the same model) to run together, seemingly to the computer as a single unit, but with more power.

But I wasn't sure if I could use different models at the same time...

So you're saying that I can use one of them to do some of the processes, and the other one to do the other processes, instead of where SLI allows both GPU's to split exactly in half all the processes between them...

Is that it?

 

[affinitydesigns]

Kind of SLI does't scale 1:1. So two 960s don't perform twice as good as one 960. And in Crossfire you don't technically need to have the same cards, just the same architecture and the two cards will run as fast as the slowest card. Doesn't make sense to do that...but you can.

So you normally want to run Crossfire with the same cards and you have to SLI with the same cards, but you will be using an SLI bridge or crossfire bridge (if you motherboard doesn't support crossfire natively).

I say this for education, but in terms of practical advice, go for the 980 Ti if you can.
Just run that. Unless you're running 4K, you'll be able to max everything out at 1080 and most at 1440 as well.

 

[CatalystGamez]

Kind of SLI does't scale 1:1. So two 960s don't perform twice as good as one 960. And in Crossfire you don't technically need to have the same cards, just the same architecture and the two cards will run as fast as the slowest card. Doesn't make sense to do that...but you can.

So you normally want to run Crossfire with the same cards and you have to SLI with the same cards, but you will be using an SLI bridge or crossfire bridge (if you motherboard doesn't support crossfire natively).

I say this for education, but in terms of practical advice, go for the 980 Ti if you can.
Just run that. Unless you're running 4K, you'll be able to max everything out at 1080 and most at 1440 as well.

Okay... Well I do already have the GTX 650 Ti Boost, and I was wondering instead of getting rid of it, I should keep it and use it, so what do you think? Should I keep it?

 

[madmatt30]

With a Xeon & a 980 for the few titles that do support physx I honestly don't think it's worth integrating the 650ti into your system.
Its going to take up room & create heat/draw power for very little reason at all.
You may as well just sell it for £30-40 IMO or keep it as a backup card.

 

[CatalystGamez]

With a Xeon & a 980 for the few titles that do support physx I honestly don't think it's worth integrating the 650ti into your system.
Its going to take up room & create heat/draw power for very little reason at all.
You may as well just sell it for £30-40 IMO or keep it as a backup card.

Okay!
Well thanks for all the help and advice today!
You've helped a bunch, cheers! 😀

Thank you
~ Catalyst

 

[affinitydesigns]

That depends on what you're happy with. There will be new GPUs dropped next year, probably around August-October so if you're happy with the performance and it's working you could hold onto it. Wait and get a current GPU for less or get the newer architecture as an early adopter. A 980 Ti is going to max out everything at 1080p and pretty much everything at 1440p no problem. I'd really only hold off or consider going with something else if it's not really in your budget, you're building up to go 4K, or you're happy with your current performance.

 

[Karadjgne]

Just to be clear, and clear up misconceptions, some games currently and more games coming do use as many cores as are available. BF4 will use the full 8 threads possible with HT, on a 2011 build it would use the 12/16 currently possible. As AAA titles get longer, larger and more complex, the use of compressed media, its becoming increasingly difficult to manage all that data with just 4 threads. A cpu can get much more work done with 8 threads at 3.3GHz than any i5 at even 4.8GHz. So in this respect, the Xeon is a superior choice over an i5. In the near future, single thread heavy games that run just fine on a dual core cpu will be as non-existent as games designed to run on the single core pentiums. 4 core games will be minimum requirements (GTA:V) and 8 thread cpus recommended (StarWars Battlefront). Bury the 'games don't use more than 4 cores' concept, its time has passed.

Nvidia cards have a on-board physX chipset, which with the 980 is much stronger than the 650ti boost. Using that card as a dedicated physX would only be a decent solution if paired with an AMD primary card as AMD currently uses the cpu for all physX and havoc affects.