Looking at building a new system.

[Saber123316]

Hey guys,

So I am currently looking at building a new system.

I built this system and just added to it over the years, originally was built for Starcraft 2. However I suck at RTS and FPS but FPS less so.

I want to run BF4 at a good clip at 1080p and a system that I can easily add to for the foreseeable future, and beat the "Next Gen" Consoles.

CPU: Something Intel and 4 cores easily OCed ( Looking at the 4770k )
Mobo: Something that supports multi GPU and decent
GPU: Radeon 290 or 290x (these cards are beastly)
Ram: 32 gigs of something fast will probably get 16 and add later I play with VMware a lot and the more ram the better.
PSU: 850 watt gold rated
SSD & HDD: 500 gig SSD and 4TB for bulk storage

Case: Something with decent internal water cooling.

I don't know Intel CPU's I also have no idea what ram to get, and SSD's are pretty foreign. what would be your recommendations?

I know my current system is pretty bad ass considering but I think the CPU & MOBO will hold me back if I wish to push it to 110-120 FPS territory on ultra.

As I sit I can get 55-70 FPS on ultra with AA off. generally I like playing on medium as it is fairly fluid and responsive with no drops below 70ish

 

[2Tartu]

I'm just going to pop this in: go nvidia for gpus and your life will be happier.

 

[Saber123316]

I have used Nvidia for many years but its hard to argue the results of the r9 290 for the price point. I mean the GTX 780 is $100-150 dollars pricier.

 

[sixer9682]

For SSDs you can't beat the Samsung Evos right now for price and performance. 500GB is $301 and 750GB is $399 right now at newegg.

If you're looking to OC I'd get a I7 3770K. I have the 4770 and it does a great job at stock speeds so I have no reason to OC it for gaming or otherwise, but it is limited in OC capablilty. Most 4770ks will OC to 4.5 (about 70% of them, I've never seen one go higher than 4.8 and those are very rare). The 3770ks overclock higher and you can get them cheap now with after Xmass sales. Both the 4770k and 3770K are $249 at microcenter. The 4820 is $279

Also-if you get a 4770K the MB are not designed for SLI or Crossfire in 16x16. They'd be 8x8 so it's another reason to skip that. But, if you get the 290X why bother with crossfire? at 1080P that, the 780, or the 780TI will more than meet your needs.

For the HDD I'd get either the Seagate Desktop HDD.15 or theWD AV-GP WD40EURX 4TB. Both are $189 at Newegg.

For DDR3-unless you're doing heavy video editing I wouldn't bother with more than 16GB right now. It's pricey as fuck and you won't need it unless that's what your PC will mainly be doing that. The Z87 MBs that go with the 4770K generally are better with higher speed memory, up to 3000mhz but either way. The breaking point for speed/price is at 2400mhz right now. It's reasonable and comparably priced to lower speed memory but has better performance. Higher than that you pay through the nose. 16GB mushkin black line is $154 at newegg and GSkill ripjaws are $169 at newegg.

As for the case, what size radiator are you looking at? Any number of cases like the Haf, Hafx, etc will hold a 360 radiator easily, but if you're looking to do a 480 rad the options are limited and cost more. I like this bad boy right here, Newegg.com - Phanteks Phanteks Enthoo Series Primo Aluminum PH-ES813P_BL Black w/ Blue LED Aluminum faceplates / Steel chassis ATX Full Tower Computer Casewhich will hold 2x 480 radiators and is the best design I've seen yet, with the exception of the Corsair 900D

 

[HeatSurge]

I'm just going to pop this in: go nvidia for gpus and your life will be happier.

... and your pockets will be emptier.

If you can afford a 780 Ti, get it. It's nice. However you're spending almost double of the R9 290 price for 10% more performance.

The other side of the coin however is... cooling. If you're going R9 290 I can only recommend that you get one of the triple-fan aftermarket cooled ones, because the stock cooler is quite loud and shitty. And make sure your case has really good circulation around the GPU.

If you're on a budget, I also don't recommend spending the extra for a 290X. If you luck out, you may get an unlockable 290 (chances are lower and lower probably almost nonexistent at the moment but you never know). Even if you don't, the difference between 290 and 290x is negligible, and definitely not worth the premium IMO. And you get the same shit stock cooler on the 290X if you go with the stock cooled ones .