Please help spec me a £4k gaming rig

And who is going to buy those Titan Zs? :P Doubt you will find a buyer anywhere
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That is the biggest problem. They are just not worth the cash. If you really wanted to go for a Titan build then this would be a better option in my opinion:

YOUR BASKET
3 x OcUK GeForce TITAN Black Edition 6144MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £599.99 (£1.00)
2 x Samsung 1TB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE1T0BW) £332.99 (£665.98)
1 x Intel Core i7-4790K 4.00GHz (Devil's Canyon) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £239.99
1 x EVGA SuperNova G2 1600W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply (120-G2-1600-X3) £239.99
1 x MSI Z97 Gaming 9 AC Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard **FREE SteelSeries Headset** £199.99
1 x Avexir Blitz 1.1 Original 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C10 2400MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (AVD3U24001008G-2BZ1) £161.99
2 x EK Water Blocks EK-D5 Vario X-RES 140 (incl. pump) £107.99 (£215.98)
1 x Corsair Carbide 540 High Airflow ATX Cube Case - Black (CC-9011030-WW) £98.95
3 x EK Water Blocks EK-FC780 GTX Ti - Nickel £79.99 (£239.97)
1 x EK CoolStream RAD XTX (360) £74.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £74.99
1 x EK-CoolStream RAD XTX (240) £64.99
1 x EK Water Blocks EK-Supremacy Clean CSQ - Nickel £52.99
1 x NZXT Sentry LXE Touch Screen External Fan Controller £49.99
3 x EK-FC780 GTX Ti Backplate - Black £21.98 (£65.94)
2 x Mayhems Pastel - Red Coolant 1L £14.99 (£29.98)
5 x Aerocool DS Edition Fan - Black - 120mm £12.49 (£62.45)
2 x Primochill Primoflex Advanced Tubing 19/13 - Black £5.99 (£11.98)
1 x Mayhems Fine Silver Kill Coil £4.5
16 x Bitspower Premium G1/4" High Flow 3/8" Fitting - Black Matte Finish £3.98 (£63.68)
Total : £4,419.36 (includes shipping : ).




Saving £600 over the the Titan Z Hydro and will give better performance too. As it should be noted that there has been no additional gain over 3 Titan Blacks anyways and the clocks are much higher than on the Z's.

Edit: Papablu, sorry for hijacking your thread with all this but it is still relevant I think considering costs and what we have been discussing. Let me know if you want me to delete the posts out. Although shame you have decided on what you have also as all this has only just been on deal sometime today and this spec would probably be my first choice at this price range.
 
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I will just leave this air cooled build here for you, note the acrylic panel to create a cover (you will some mastic from B&Q) and a false floor to cover the hard disk drives ;)

YOUR BASKET
2 x Asus GeForce GTX 780Ti DirectCU II 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £479.99 (£959.98)
1 x Intel 4930K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge-E) Socket LGA2011 Processor - Retail (BX80633I74930K) £429.95
1 x Corsair Vengeance Pro Red 32GB (4x8GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Quad/Dual Channel Memory Kit (CMY32GX3M4A2400C11R) £339.95
1 x Asus Rampage IV Extreme Intel X79 (Socket 2011) DDR3 Motherboard £309.95
1 x Antec High Current Pro 1000W '80 Plus Platinum' Modular Power Supply £149.99
2 x Samsung 250GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE250BW) £102.98 (£205.96)
1 x Corsair Carbide 540 High Airflow ATX Cube Case - Black (CC-9011030-WW) £98.95
1 x Corsair Hydro H105 Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (CW-9060016-WW ) £89.99
1 x Asus ROG Xonar Phoebus Solo 7.1 PCI-E Soundcard £84.95
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £74.99
2 x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) HDD £57.98 (£115.96)
3 x Corsair SP120 Quiet Series High Pressure Low Noise - Dual Pack (CO-9050006-WW) £22.00 (£66.00)
1 x OcUK Value Acrylic GS - 500x500mm - Fluorcesent Red £21.98
1 x Samsung SE-S208DB/TSBS External Slimline 8x DVD-RW (TV Connect) - Black £21.98
3 x BitFenix Alchemy Premium Modding LED Strip - Connect White 30cm £16.79 (£50.37)
1 x BitFenix Alchemy 24Pin ATX Extension 30cm - sleeved black/red/black £7.49
4 x BitFenix Alchemy 8pin PCIe Extension 45cm - sleeved black/red/black £5.95 (£23.80)
1 x BitFenix Alchemy 8Pin EPS12V Extension 45cm - sleeved black/red/black £4.99
2 x BitFenix Alchemy Molex to 3pin x3 Fan adaptor 7V 20cm - Black £4.99 (£9.98)
1 x BitFenix Alchemy Internal Audio Extension Adaptor 30cm - Red £4.49
4 x BitFenix Alchemy 2pin I/O extension 30cm - Red £3.95 (£15.80)
Total : £3,087.49 (includes shipping : ).



And for the first time Ethermaster has spec'ed a bling rig that is under budget :O .... that's it the world is going to end now!
 
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No problem guys, hijack away, it's good reading and still relevant to the thread like you say.

I did consider a Titan Z or Black build but after looking through benchmark scores and some youtube vids I was shocked to see how much better value for power the other cards are in comparison.
 
That's a cool build for the money Ethermaster, I do like that, particularly the 2 Asus cards. They are without a doubt the prettiest cards you can get out of the box, in my opinion of course and I've always wanted a build with a couple of those in it. If I was going for an air cooled system then that would be the one.
 
I thought that as well Papablu about the value to performance ratio but the Titan Blacks reduced to £600 from £800 is what would clinch it for me now.

You could also go for the same Ledux 1200w instead of the monster 1600w EVGA but they are both made by Superflower and the EVGA units have a 10 year warranty which would sway it for me.

The little details like the cable extensions and LED's I have never added to any build as I am sure you would add as required to suit your taste.
 
Can now see picture as well of where you are placing the build. White would look better case wise I think.

Also what AV receiver is that? Speaker set-up? Love my AV stuff as much as PC building.
 
Cheers Curlyriff, the white looked good where it was but having a chance to do something new is always a chance I take and changing to black seemed like the first step of that.
I reckon the black case should look good too because the watercooling is all going to be white and with a white case there wouldn't be any real contrast there, I wanted the white tubing to really pop out at you. With my receiver and sky and tv being black I think it should be ok. Fingers crossed :)

The receiver is the Onkyo TX-NR609

The sound, as I'm sure you know, is incredible and I use it as my main HiFi too. The speakers are the Wharfdale DX-1's with sub etc. Cables, to be honest I can't remember the cable name, I know I paid way too much for it but it did make the system even better as I tried it with normal speaker cables just to see the difference.

I know I'm probably tempting fate now but the whole setup has performed flawlessly since I got it about 3 years or so ago. I know there are better systems out there but for my size house and my needs I couldn't have bought a better setup.

What setup you got Curlyriff ?
 
Fair play Papablu,

Sweet little setup there. Those Wharfdale DX-1 really do have some kick to them for the size.

I am in a tiny little flat and brought a Pioneer VSX-919 with some Monitor Audio Silver RX series speakers. Cables can make a surprising difference with set-up.

If you ever get some larger tower speakers then go for Bi-amp'd as for any stereo listening/music etc it really can make the speakers drive better.

I think I will go for a Yamaha amp next time though. The sound is slightly warmer, and the menu system is so much simpler. Oh and I have a Pioneer LX-52 blu-ray player with 42" Panasonic Plasma.

Still waiting for 4k OLED but it looks like I might be waiting 2-3 years till they will be available.
 
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Yeah tell me about it, the 4k OLED is a dream of mine too which is also why I was holding off 4k for at least a year. Like you say though, it looks like it'll be a longer wait anyway. Seeing as the prices are coming down fast I reckon I'll end up going for it next year and just taking the hit when OLED 4K becomes available. I'm not one to be too bothered about losing money on this stuff but having a large family there's always something in the back of my mind telling me not to spend for the sake of it.

Nice choice on the Pioneer, I've always had a thing for Pioneer stuff, aesthetically stunning and a high quality. I would have got the large tower speakers last time if I had any room for them. We only moved into this house last year and our previous place was tiny because I had to constantly make room for other kids so some rooms were being partitioned leaving others, like the lounge, pretty small. So my choice was limited by that house size. Because the Onkyo and Wharfedale combo was so good I just ended up keeping it when we moved and the sound is still good enough to fill a much larger room. If and when this setup does die on me I'll for sure be going for larger tower speakers so thanks for the tip ;)
The RX speakers are yummy, some of my favourites. :)

I had a Panasonic Plasma in the lounge before that Sony Bravia. It's a brilliant TV and sits in the bedroom now because my daughter plays her Wii U up there on it. You can't go wrong with Panasonic especially their plasma stuff. In my humble opinion they are the best plasma makers by a long way. I've not got a Blu Ray player any more except on my pc. I used to have a PS3 for that and miss it so I'll likely have to get a stand alone player so that I don't have to put my pc on for the kids to watch a blu ray. That Pioneer you've got looks gorgeous, do you recommend it ?
 
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Yeah, I am waiting for my Plasma to crap out but has been going strong for 5 years now.

Was a shame when Pioneer stopped producing plasma TV's themselves. Although that is the tech that Panasonic brought and placed in their systems.

The Pioneer is lovely as full set-up and actually the RX's are a lot warmer than any of the other Monitor Audio ranges I have heard.

I can imagine the issue with space. I decided to buy and buy once till they break. I can't imagine being able to afford all the toys tbh. I struggle as it is in my little flat and the mortgage ha. Fair play on TV. How is the Sony, I have always been put off by their price premium they seem to have but the new Sony's do seem to have improved from when I last looked.

And as for the LX52 player. It is an awesome player although it is slightly slow for loading discs compared to newer models to be honest, the picture cannot be faulted. I would recommend something more like the Pioneer BDP-450-k. The pioneers haven't got wi-fi, iplayer or web browser but if you are wanting the best picture then I would say these are probably the best units under £500. It is basically the replacement for the LX52.
 
Mortgages eh, the word alone makes me wanna cry. My Mum died last year and thanks to her we were able to pay off our mortgage and that's when we moved to the bigger house. It's way overpriced down here in Bournemouth though.

Thanks for the info on the Pioneer player, I don't mind slower loading times if the quality of the picture is that good so I reckon I'd go for the LX52. I prefer the gloss black look to it too. Although the BDP-450-k is lovely the LX52 looks more Pioneer to me. I'll have to have a good read up on that one and maybe next month I'll splash out. My bank account is pretty much zeroed now, I'm as skint as I could be :D I just have to keep the mrs away from the internet for a week or two, and the shops actually, that'll be hard to do :)

I got that Sony for £1,200 a couple of months back and I believe it's even lower now. The picture is great especially for gaming but the one thing that stood out when I first got it was the colours. Blues are absolutely stunning. Sky sports news for example showed another depth that I didn't know existed. The sky in games shows so much more variety in colour and football shirts have a much wider variety than I knew. Subtle differences like that in the home environment really stand out. Sony have got it perfect with the colours but some people don't like it, it's down to personal taste, personally I love it. The latency in gaming is amazing for a non plasma, way better than my Panasonic Plasma was and not far off a monitor.

It's a stunning TV for the money. The 3D side of it I just don't bother with but I did have a dabble when I first got it and I'd say it's equal to the Panasonic Plasma and that's saying something. Yeah I'm totally happy with that tele until I get a 4k one.

Oh yes, I added another 2 backplates to my order at ocuk so that all three cards now have one. I'll be modding the top plate at some point and likely making a fair few changes. A couple of months down the line I may get it all into a new case, something that fills the area more and allows a bigger res.
 
Mortgages eh, the word alone makes me wanna cry. My Mum died last year and thanks to her we were able to pay off our mortgage and that's when we moved to the bigger house. It's way overpriced down here in Bournemouth though.
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Yeah I am still meant to be a young whippersnapper but Mortgages have taken it all out of me. I know what you mean about overpriced, I am in Oxfordshire. Not cheap either here. My little 2-bed flat is £200k so mortgage is rinsing any earnings I have really.

Thanks for the info on the Pioneer player, I don't mind slower loading times if the quality of the picture is that good so I reckon I'd go for the LX52. I prefer the gloss black look to it too. Although the BDP-450-k is lovely the LX52 looks more Pioneer to me. I'll have to have a good read up on that one and maybe next month I'll splash out. My bank account is pretty much zeroed now, I'm as skint as I could be I just have to keep the mrs away from the internet for a week or two, and the shops actually, that'll be hard to do
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All sounds good on that front. Plus it means you can normally go grab yourself a cold beer & popcorn. Oh I forgot to mention that the LX52 doesn't do 3D either but sounds like your not bothered by that. I am not either, there is not one movie that I thought "yeah that really added to it and the extra cost was worth it"

I got that Sony for £1,200 a couple of months back and I believe it's even lower now. The picture is great especially for gaming but the one thing that stood out when I first got it was the colours. Blues are absolutely stunning. Sky sports news for example showed another depth that I didn't know existed. The sky in games shows so much more variety in colour and football shirts have a much wider variety than I knew. Subtle differences like that in the home environment really stand out. Sony have got it perfect with the colours but some people don't like it, it's down to personal taste, personally I love it. The latency in gaming is amazing for a non plasma, way better than my Panasonic Plasma was and not far off a monitor
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Fair play. I have to admit I haven't looked too close at all at new TV's because my current plasma on cost me £400. Plus when it comes down down to it I am only watching TV/Blu-ray's on mine. But that is good to hear about the Sony. Glad they stepped up to the mark.

I have brought a 4k monitor as £500 for a trial didn't seem to much and tbh gaming at 4k from my point of view with the games we have out now is no better than 1440p.

Non of the textures are that hi-res that it is all that much crisper. I think 2-3 years when the OLED TV's hit the market and PC graphics catch up and studios use much higher res textures and Physics that will truly be when 4K will take off.

Oh yes, I added another 2 backplates to my order at ocuk so that all three cards now have one. I'll be modding the top plate at some point and likely making a fair few changes. A couple of months down the line I may get it all into a new case, something that fills the area more and allows a bigger res.
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Fair play on the back plates, it will look much better with just some minor finishing touches. Take a gander at this: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-115-NX

Might finish it off nice and there is a good build log of different Corsair 540's on ocuk forums.

It is a shame that ocuk don't stock caselab cases & accessories. I would say a custom Perspex box and this: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-044-DT with it all on show could be awesome if done right. You could have your rad's in banks on one side and tube res for each the other.

Thinking 4x480mm Rad's. Push/Pull fans. One tube res for rad or a custom perspex rad that is a solid wall to one side of the box with an overflow feature would be awesome. Could be like a water feature. Then use a aquarium pump to recirculate the fluid. Man if I had the cash to do some of the ideas in my head.
 
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Ouch, 200K, that sounds worse than it is here but then it's to be expected with any properties around there now. Up north you can get the same type of places for fractions of the price but for me I wouldn't want to leave the sunny south coast.

With the 3D stuff I have experienced I have only come across one game that was perfect and that was Batman Arkham Asylum on the PS3. The 3D in that game was flawless and each game after that just started to disappoint me with ghosting on either foreground objects or in the background, there was always a downside and nothing hit that perfection again. So I gave up on it and hadn't used it since that first try on the Sony a couple of months ago.

I couldn't agree more regarding the 4k stuff at this time. I really love the idea of getting a 4k TV but something keeps telling me 'no', PC gaming, like you say, is not quite ready yet. There's not any 4k content available on Sky either which would be a major draw if there was. At least there's none that I'm aware of.
If I could have bought a 55 inch TV that ran at 1440p then that's the way I'd have gone. I think PC gaming's sweet spot is 1440p for good frame rates at high quality.

Oooh, now I do like that NZXT HUE RGB LED Controller. That's not something I'd seen before so I'm going to have a look into that. I don't think I can really add anything more to my build at this time as I only have 2 bays and they are full now, but I may be able to do some customising to fit that in later on.
My current stance with this build is to go with white lighting until I can figure out the way I want to take it. I may just leave it white but that controller would give me the option to try all sorts :) Thanks for the link Curlyriff.

I'm going to have a look through the forum for some of those 540 blogs now too. :)

Oh yes, my new rig will be with me on Tuesday. At least that's the estimate at the moment. I really can't wait :)
 
Thanks Shivy, I do have a fair bit of soldering skill from a previous job but I don't have a multimeter. It's tempting to have a go at that but I've worked out a way that I can use the NZXT controller with my system if I can find the parts I'm hoping they sell.

I'm looking for a bracket or box that I can install that controller into, on the outside of my pc. I've been planning on using a riser to bring my pc up about 10cm and it'll give me a better place to store my keyboard. But I can mount the controller under the pc on that riser so I need an external enclosure that will allow me to do so. Does one exsist ?
 
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