Upgrade Ideas for First Build!

[river7city]

Hey guys,

It's been a while since I have been on the forum, but I was looking for some upgrade ideas so hopefully you guys can help. I am pleased to say, earlier last year I completed my very first gaming pc build! (great feeling). Since that time, I have run to only a few minor issues here and there with the OS and a faulty hard drive, but overall it is a great machine.

I have recently saved up some disposable income, and I thought what better way to get rid of it then to sink it into my computer. So, my question for you guys is, if there is a next logical upgrade you would make to my build, what would it be? I was thinking about going SLI with two 780ti's, but then again, I'm not sure what other upgrades would have to be made to avoid any serious bottlenecking and/or cooling problems. Or maybe, just upgrading the weakest link? (the whole, "it's only as fast/powerful as it's slowest/weakest part" idea.) What upgrade(s) would you guys make?

Anyway, I look forward to hearing any suggestions anyone may have. Below, are the specs. Thanks in advance!

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB
Case: Corsair 600T White Graphite ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 850W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply
Optical Drive: Asus BW-14D1XT Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit)
Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0"
Keyboard: Corsair Vengeance K95
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder 2013

 

[ZskNinoh]

You should be aware of the fact that Corsair PSU's aren't exactly known of their stability. PSU wise Seasonic, XFX, and Evga seem to be the forerunners in stable, reliable PSUs.

It is my opinion that you do not go with two lower card via SLI. SLI is good, but it is debatable weather or not you should go with one high-end card over two mid/lower end cards. You should by all means in my opinion strive for the GTX 970 or GTX 980.

Many factors play into SLI. The cards will not always work in unison. i.e Gaming wise devs have to communicate with the manufacturer in order to implement SLI features into games, with that being said some games/devs do not use SLI technology in their product.

You have a very solid processor, you should be able to run two GTX 980 SLI with no bottlenecking whatsoever.

 

[river7city]

You should be aware of the fact that Corsair PSU's aren't exactly known of their stability. PSU wise Seasonic, XFX, and Evga seem to be the forerunners in stable, reliable PSUs.

It is my opinion that you do not go with two lower card via SLI. SLI is good, but it is debatable weather or not you should go with one high-end card over two mid/lower end cards. You should by all means in my opinion strive for the GTX 970 or GTX 980.

Many factors play into SLI. The cards will not always work in unison. i.e Gaming wise devs have to communicate with the manufacturer in order to implement SLI features into games, with that being said some games/devs do not use SLI technology in their product.

You have a very solid processor, you should be able to run two GTX 980 SLI with no bottlenecking whatsoever.

Thanks for the heads up on the power supply. I will definitely keep that in mind if I encounter any issues in the future. If that PSU was to fail, should I be worried about it damaging other components?

Also, based on your reply, it seems you have reservations about SLI. I get what you are saying, but in my case I would be adding another 780ti (not a low-end card) to my existing one for SLI, not replacing the current one with two lesser gpu's just for the sake of SLI. In that scenario, would you still advise against it? Would buying a single very high-end video card yield the same performance gains as adding another 780ti? (with exception to where SLI isn't supported, of course) Do you not consider my current card high-end?

Again, really appreciate the response.

 

[ZskNinoh]

A faulty PSU should just stop working (die) when under a load. It should not cause any damage. However should certain safety protocols fail it could possibly short out(fry) several components of your PC.

Sorry for my level of autism(jokes), I though the 780ti was a lower end card. After further inquiry it has come to light, the 780 ti infact beats the GTX 970 by a fraction of a margin. However the 970 consumes significantly less power, and has a significantly lower heat output when on load.

Any other single Nvidia within a reasonable price range(No titanZ) high end card would be reasonably worse than a pair of SLI 780tis.

You should keep in mind that raedeon is coming out with new cards that are said to "trump" the GTX 980. If your mobo is capable of crossfire support you should look further into this.

 

[river7city]

Wow, great info. I will be sure to do some research on those new Radeon cards. Again, much appreciated!