4K Gaming Build Check Plus Questions

Groog

Groog

Groog

Associate
Joined
2 Oct 2009
Posts
89
Location
Scotland
So first things first. I am looking to build a 4K@60Hz Gaming PC aimed at games like Witcher 3, GTA V, BF1. I am also keen on HEVC decoding for 4K Netflix. Got all the peripherals. Budget is up to £3500 and flexible.

I have this so far. Notably I am missing a case, I'm thinking the bequiet! Dark Base 900 when it gets released next month. I also already have a 512Gb SATA SSD to put in it.
What are your thoughts?

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £3,047.86
(includes shipping: £0.00)
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Some more specific questions/notes:
  • Will the RAM clash with the CPU cooler?
  • I am torn between a Z170 6700K build and an X99 6800K build. The reasons I see for going 6800K are more PICe lanes and more cores. I struggle to believe that even 1080s in SLI will be throttled by PCIe 8x/8x? I also have yet to see any real evidence that more than 4 cores is an advantage to games now or within the near (~2 years) future? Are there any reputable sources that discuss this definitively? Bear in mind I have no interest in any CPU intensive tasks, only gaming.
  • I am not against upgrading the CPU/Motherboard in the future if there are performance improvements worth buying for.
  • The 1080s are a placeholder for costing, I'm not sure which one to get yet
  • People say reference coolers are better in SLI, can anyone link to some justification for this? Personally, slightly warmer GPUs but with higher performance seems better to me.
  • Any other "silent" case options I should consider. I was thinking a Silverstone FT02, but like the idea of a newer case
  • I'm not that keen on water cooling, seems like more faff than I can be bothered with
  • I may overclock in the future or now, pretty sure decent air cooling will do what I need
  • The Asus monitor looks as good as I can get just now for my application. Would anyone recommend it?
  • A while after buying this PC I will likely get a Chord Mojo DAC.

I am keen to find real evidence to answer my questions as a lot of these threads on the forums end up yo-yoing between "this is better" "no this is better". Skylake vs HEDT CPUs for example. However, personal opinions are always welcome!
 
Get a different cooler if I were you. Firstly, mounting that one can be a PITA and RAM clearance will be tight even considering the movable fan. Very expensive too
 
Carrying over from another thread - https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=29661079&postcount=6


I just changed a few things,

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £3,022.76
(includes shipping: £0.00)
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£55 cashback.


But the case is not as quiet as a Bequiet Base 800, and I would expect a Base 900 to be as good as a 800.
 
Saved £300+ for you, while getting a better SSD, and this cooler will not cause issues with ram and performs really well. Didn't pick a case as your choice is good.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £2,716.87
(includes shipping: £0.00)
​
 
HACO said:
Saved £300+ for you, while getting a better SSD, and this cooler will not cause issues with ram and performs really well. Didn't pick a case as your choice is good.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £2,716.87
(includes shipping: £0.00)
​
Click to expand...


That cooler is designed for a low profile case though and it is overpriced.

You don't need a 1000W psu. A 750W is enough.
 
The new EVGA cases might be released around the time of the BeQuiet 900, or a little after, and look like they might be very good for SLI cards on air. Worth checking out too.
 
My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £2,736.74
(includes shipping: £0.00)
​


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Thanks for the replies so far!

I went for a 1000W PSU as optimal efficiency is at 50% load. The few 1080 SLI benchmarks I have seen seem to be sitting around 500W. However, if the PSU is inefficient does this affect voltage ripple etc, or does it just mean that it will draw more power from the wall?

I have always used Asus motherboards in the past. Is there any particular difference between Asus/Gigabyte/MSI, or are they all very similar at a certain price point?

I am keen on a 512Gb M.2 drive. Gives me the option to not bother with another SSD in the build. 256Gb doesn't seem enough to have plenty games installed on at once. Is there much information on the Polaris Samsung SSDs yet? Are they worth it?

Thoughts?
 
Groog said:
Thanks for the replies so far!

I went for a 1000W PSU as optimal efficiency is at 50% load. The few 1080 SLI benchmarks I have seen seem to be sitting around 500W. However, if the PSU is inefficient does this affect voltage ripple etc, or does it just mean that it will draw more power from the wall?

I have always used Asus motherboards in the past. Is there any particular difference between Asus/Gigabyte/MSI, or are they all very similar at a certain price point?

I am keen on a 512Gb M.2 drive. Gives me the option to not bother with another SSD in the build. 256Gb doesn't seem enough to have plenty games installed on at once. Is there much information on the Polaris Samsung SSDs yet? Are they worth it?

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

Motherboards are all pretty similar. They're all decent. Pick based on features. ASUS though has now excellent warranty through OcUK so that might be a reason to pick ASUS.

If I were you I'd get a 850w PSU. Although a 1000w means it's super future proof so you wouldn't even need to worry about it with all future upgrades.

OcUK has the Polaris SSDs with ETA of 24/06. So this Friday. I'd get these. They're almost the same price as the SM951 so no reason to get the older product.

I still suggest a 256GB M.2 drive AND a 500/1TB SATA SSD for games. That's what I do. Games don't need to be on a M.2 drive. The difference between a game on a M.2 drive and a normal SATA SSD is pretty negligible (like less than half a second in loading time). This way you can have a lot more space. I have a SM951 M.2 plus four 1TB SATA SSDs for various things.
 
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