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[Owlbread]

Seeing as my question has been answered and there are often quite a few threads about building PCs/asking for general computer advice, I've turned this thread into a general computer-building advice thread. Post here to ask any questions about building PCs that you'd like answered.

Spoiler: My original computer question (click to show/hide)

Well, this computer's lasted me since 2008 or 2009 (about when I started playing DF, in fact). I originally bought it so I could run Fallout 3 on the highest settings and sure enough it's lasted right up until the latest generation of games. It started to struggle with some of the punishment graphics-heavy games (or simulators) like Space Engine or Shogun 2 were putting on it and sometimes I just feel like it's time to upgrade. My goal is to be able to run at least Rome 2 on the highest settings, along with any other game that comes out for the next year or so (like maybe the PC version of GTA 5 when it arrives). I'd also like it to be able to play the rest of the games at a decent setting for the next 4-5 years. Right now money is not an issue, though I'm trying not to go too far over 1500 pounds. I've already had a chat with a good friend of mine and we came up with this model here:

PSU- XFX Modular
MOBO- Asus Z87 Sabertooth
CPU- i7 4770
RAM-16GB Corsair DDR3 1600Mhz
GPU- GTX 780
HDD- 3TB Seagate HDD/4TB HDD (need to find one)
SSD- Kingston 240GB SSD Kit
CASE- Coolermaster HAF X

What do you fellows think of it? Does it need work? Do you agree/disagree with some of our choices? I'm basically ready to purchase it now, I just wanted to run it past a few other people before I made that decision. I'm also looking at using 3 good monitors (I just use a TV at the moment), but I'll do that over the next year maybe.

I just want reliability and a good deal of power from this computer, enough to last me at least as long as this computer did. Those are my two main goals.

[Evil Knievel]

Without knowing too much about gaming pcs i would think that RAM sounds a bit low, 16GB.

I don't game really but I exceed 16GB quite often doing other stupid stuff.

[freeformschooler]

Without knowing too much about gaming pcs i would think that RAM sounds a bit low, 16GB.

I don't game really but I exceed 16GB quite often doing other stupid stuff.

I've never exceeded 8GB running a hefty music synthesizer, Flash and Photoshop at the same time. How do you do it 

[jaass]

How much watts is your PSU? What are you planning to use the SSD for?

Come down on the RAM to about 8GB, and maybe get a Intel Core i5 4670K. You can overclock it about 4.4GHz if you need too but invest in a good cooling system if you are going to do that.

[nenjin]

Wattage on the PSU is a big one. When upgrading, jumping up several generations of video card can render your PSU inadequate if you only bought one with enough power for your older build. It's always good to budget for more power than you currently need. 750w would mean you'd never need another PSU unless you started getting redonkulous with your hardware. SSDs also draw a lot less power than a standard HDD, so that's something to consider as well for what wattage you ultimately end up at. Also make sure whatever PSU you buy has the right amount of connectors, more available than you need never hurts. Also pay attention to the # of 12-volt rails the PSU has. 2 is pretty standard, 3 or more is great, 1 is unacceptable. You ideally want the CPU and the GPU on different rails (I honestly forget what runs on what rails anymore.) Might be less of an issue than the last time I bought a PSU.

16 gig ram can't hurt. If you've got money to burn, might as well. If not, go down to 8.

[Owlbread]

Yeah, saving money here isn't really on my mind. If creating a monolith means spending extra cash then that's absolutely fine by me. But as nenjin has said, the wattage of the PSU is 750W. I was going to run my OS and all my essentials off the SSD (you know, boot from it etc) while I'd split the 4TB drive into 4 partitions for specific purposes. That sounds like decadence but believe me it's necessary.

[Evil Knievel]

Without knowing too much about gaming pcs i would think that RAM sounds a bit low, 16GB.

I don't game really but I exceed 16GB quite often doing other stupid stuff.

I've never exceeded 8GB running a hefty music synthesizer, Flash and Photoshop at the same time. How do you do it 

modelling physical phenomena during my studies mostly... I have 32 gb here, and i can fill that too without trouble. But i am also a bad programmer. Oh, and i keep temporary files in memory instead of on the disk when in normal use, to not burden the SSD all the time with that stuff.

Reading what others say, it seems like it is not required with games though. Best not waste money then.

[jaass]

If you don't mind spending money then, why don't you get a GTX Titan?

[Bdthemag]

Without knowing too much about gaming pcs i would think that RAM sounds a bit low, 16GB.

I don't game really but I exceed 16GB quite often doing other stupid stuff.

What the hell kind of stuff are you doing normally that exceeds 16 GB of RAM? The average person isn't going to need more than eight, and even THAT is pushing it if you don't do any kind of video/photo editing.

[jaass]

modelling physical phenomena

^ That is pretty demanding on a system. He may also be building his own simulation software.

[Bdthemag]

modelling physical phenomena

^ That is pretty demanding on a system. He may also be building his own simulation software.

Oh, that makes sense. As I said, average person isn't going to need more than 4 GB of RAM if they intend to play video games. You can maybe get 8 GB for the hell of it, but there won't be any major differences if you solely intend to play video games.

[ChairmanPoo]

Without knowing too much about gaming pcs i would think that RAM sounds a bit low, 16GB.

I don't game really but I exceed 16GB quite often doing other stupid stuff.

What the hell kind of stuff are you doing normally that exceeds 16 GB of RAM? The average person isn't going to need more than eight, and even THAT is pushing it if you don't do any kind of video/photo editing.

In fact, 640 kb of RAM should be enough for anybody

[Owlbread]

If you don't mind spending money then, why don't you get a GTX Titan?

I looked at the Titan quite deeply but it seems to be far less reliable than the 780 (seemingly the second best they had), which still provides a Titan-like experience. I was worried that if I got the Titan it wouldn't last, and although money isn't really an issue I'd like my purchase to be worthwhile, if you know what I mean.

[foil]

Specs look good enough, tho case looks a bit ricer imo and will probably be a bit noisy with all the vents and fans.

If you are not going to overclock the ass out of it why not get a silent/reduced sound case?

[Tellemurius]

For a silent build i could recommend dropping water cooling (before you ask you are using a non-conductive fluid). The ram is extremely nice for gaming, im bottoming out on 8Gb due to massive textures (darn AAA games )