Need a new rig for Star Citizen - Arena Commander

Discussion in 'Tech Talk' started by Que, Jun 4, 2014.

  1. Que
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    Alright it is finally time for a new build. I'm looking for something that can handle Star Citizen well and even stream. Something that can work with the new G-sync monitors coming out soon so it is going to be nvidia. At least a 500GB SSD.

    Budget 2k
    max case height 19"(stupid desk)

     
  2. EniGmA1987
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    Ill put together a build this afternoon when I am off work.
     
  3. Doxy
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    Intel Core i7-4790K - should be out very soon. Can hit 5.5Ghz OC on Air.
    Asus Z97 Delux Mobo - when z97 hits the market http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Z97DELUXENFC_WLC/
    G.Skill 16gb 2133 DDR3 - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231503
    EVGA GTX 780 Ti - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487007
    SeaSonic X-SERIES X-1050 - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151110
    x2 256gb SAMSUNG 840 Pro SSD in raid 0 - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147193
    Fractal Design Mid tower case - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352021
    CPU Cooling if you can fit in or outside the case - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181060
     
  4. Rbstr
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    You don't even need 700w for that system let alone 1050W.

    Has anyone done benchmarking for it yet?
     
    Last edited: Jun 4, 2014
  5. EniGmA1987
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    Is the G-sync monitor you want part of the $2K build money? Or do you want a tower for 2k and then the monitor and any other peripherals are on top of that?
     
  6. Que
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    Monitor later 2k for the tower
     
  7. Erock
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    780 ti is a beast :)
     
  8. EniGmA1987
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  9. Que
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  10. Rbstr
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    I dig. But soooo many fans. You've already got two intake and an exhaust with the case.
    It's just not necessary.

    I really recommend that Fractal Design case. Especially if you want something quiet (but get window-less then).
     
  11. Doxy
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  12. EniGmA1987
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    That EVGA would be fine too. Same thing really just depends on brand preference. EVGA is one of the largest Nvidia GPU makers in the world. I just figured the Gigabyte one would maybe be a bit quieter with its cooler design.

    The two extra fans would be replacement for the stock heatsink fan and a second one for the back side of it to better cool the CPU. Being inside a desk will severely limit airflow so you want as much as you can get. Those ones are the high airflow, and high static pressure models that are good for pushing air through constricted environments like heatsink fins.
    Q, if you look at the dB specs on the fans and decide they are too loud for your tastes there are plenty of other quieter models you can use too.



    The Motherboard is a newest chipset model board with all the latest connectors on board for any future drive upgrades you may do.
    The CPU is just the newest model Haswell processor, it will be out in a couple weeks and has a higher base speed and turbo speed for the same price really. If you want to buy sooner then a regular 4770K would be fine too. I went with the models that have hyper threading because of its use for Star Citizen and streaming duties, which both like to have extra processing threads.

    The one thing I felt like I was skimping a bit on was the RAM. While it has enough RAM and of good speeds and timings, I would have prefered if I could have fit 16GB into the budget because then you can use 6GB as a cache buffer on the drives to keep performance higher during streaming situations and just improve general usage overall a little bit. The extra RAM would have been put to use like that through Samsung's software they bundle with the SSD. But oh well, it just wasnt in the budget.



    Oh and while the tower fits your height requirements, you may want to check all it's specs to make sure it isnt too deep too.
     
  13. noein
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  14. Que
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    I've got no problems with depth. I can also spend a little extra to get the 16GB of ram.
     
  15. EniGmA1987
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    The board may work for Q, depends on features. That board can only run 1 graphics card so no SLI in the future if desired. It also doesnt have a SATA Express slot, but that may not matter since it looks like most of the top new gen SSDs will be moving to M.2 connections. My other dislike was that it is only a 4 phase VRM setup so it wont support much overclocking and will end up throttling the CPU if it overclocks more than a few hundred MHz. The one I had picked out used 8 phase voltage regulation which will let it draw more power and the board will run significantly cooler. Another plus in a small space inside a desk.


    This RAM is cheaper and also significantly better in the 16GB category:
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820313325

    EDIT:
    or this which is what I have: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820313321
    But with that one the CPU's memory controller might top out before the RAM can be pushed to DDR-2666 speeds. The CPU only supports officially up to either 1600 or 1866 and they usually top out of the higher end sticks somewhere between 2500-2600MHz, though good processors can push 3000+, just have to get lucky with the CPU.
    The memory controller in my CPU becomes unstable past DDR-2450, but that could be because I broke the memory controller by accidentally cutting some of the circuit's traces when I was de-lidding the processor.
     
    Last edited: Jun 8, 2014
  16. Aeros
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    I personally wouldnt worry about having more than 1 graphics card unless you want to stream/record FPS games. SLI can have hiccups and its not like you gain 100% extra GPU power for having a 2nd one. Much better buying highest single GPU card you can. Also when looking for a card make sure you check out a benchmark site. Numbers mean nothing in terms of power as some series tend to be geared towards different tasks. videochardbenchmarks.com i think it is has a good breakdown and shows you pricepoints. I will say you chose good with 780TI.

    The case in my opinion is a little on the small side. If you are ok with a large case I highly recommend going with a full size case. More space = bigger fans = more air cooling = parts last longer or if you do overclock, you can go higher. Also case is something you can reuse, as the standard doesn't change often. Stay away from any cases with plastic or plastic doors, those things always break.

    Lastly, check if you live near a microcenter. They have absolutely cheapest prices you will find, saving you several hundred dollars. Give you an example, microcenter sells an I7 4770K for 289.99, newegg's price is 339.99, and that is their everyday price. They don't list the 4790k on their site yet due to it not being out yet so I couldn't compare that one for you. Microcenter's everyday price is usually newegg's best black friday price.

    Microcenter also does bundle deals, buy it with 16gb ram? -10 bucks, buy it with a motherboard? -40 bucks, buy it with a SSD? -10 bucks. It adds up fast in savings, and you get it that day in the store without waiting for shipping. Where I live they only charge 3.5% sales tax so I don't have to pay newegg's 7%.

    Definitely anyone who buys parts, check if there is a microcenter nearby you will get hooked. unfortunately I don't think they do online sales, only in store pickups.
     
  17. Que
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    I do indeed live near a microcenter. They will always beat a posted newegg price if they have it. I figure when I get my final parts list together I will hit them up first and order off newegg anything else I can't get from them. Case height is a problem with how my desk is configured. Anything more than 19" can be a problem. Trust me if I could I would go full tower. I'll be waiting for the 4790k release later this month before I buy anything.
     
  18. Erock
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    which MC are you near ?
     
  19. Doxy
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    Que i might have found a solution to your casse problem.
    Lan Box. Cooler Master has a pretty good one.
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119265

    [​IMG]
     
  20. Aeros
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    I have the above pictured case as my media pc and I will tell you this., I would not utilize that as a high end gaming rig. The case is pretty tight in there, was a pain with my hands to plug in the front drives because there is a plate that splits the top and bottom half. I also couldn't get the top fan in because I think it was hitting the GTX 280 card (my old graphics card from like 10 years ago). It is not a bad HTPC case or even a test case but I would not recommend it for a heavy gaming rig.