re: PC Discussion - Gaming, Performance and Enthusiasts

Go slow, pay attention to cable management since it's a luxury build with aesthetics in mind too. I chose lots of black parts since I'm partial to that style.

I'd jump on that monitor first. For a while, the glossy pass-through QNIX monitors were impossible to find under $500. I was surprised to see it back to normal price. Since the GTX 970s are in and out of stock, that would be another part to watch.

The rest, just buy whenever you can. No way to predict sales.

As for order of install, I install motherboard/CPU/RAM/Cooler first, and route all of front panel header cables, SATA cables, fan cables, etc. cleanly. I do power supply last. That's contrary to what other experienced builders advise, for two reasons: 1) there's a risk of dropping your PSU on your motherboard during install, and 2) you can route your PSU cables behind the motherboard. But the first reason is avoided by mounting the PSU while the case is standing up straight. It's basically a non-issue with bottom-mounted PSU. The second reason is understandable, but only in cases where cable management room was barely a thought in designing the case. I install the PSU last so that it's easier to disconnect and remove for diagnostics and such.

Careful with extenders. They will quickly fill up the available space behind the motherboard. I used individually sleeved extensions for my 24-pin, 8-pin CPU, and PCIe cables. Despite the massiveness of the 900D and the extremely generous cable management space, I am pretty much out of room back there because of the extensions.

What case are you using now? You might find the 550D allows for easier cable management.

This is so hard

How do you decide between 1440 & 1080? 60hz & 120hz? (for gaming mostly)

quote:

---

1440 120hz

---

Plus gsync! Only $799 if you can catch one for the 5 minutes they are in stock each week.

1440P 120Hz > 1440P 60Hz > 1080P 120Hz > 1080P 60Hz

I've been tempted by 4K as well, but it's a dangerous path. When I first got 1440P I was gaming with a mere single Radeon HD 7970. It was clear I needed a second one for high/ultra settings at that resolution, but games just got more demanding. At this point with two 980s I finally feel ahead of the curve for the most glorious 1440P gaming -- ie, the ability to play even shitty unoptimized ports at high settings. Getting a 4K monitor will just fuel the GPU upgrade bug all over again.

quote:

---

Trying to order the freaking monitor and it won't take my card for some reason.

---

Through PayPal?

It takes 2x 980s to run 1440p at high settings?

I guess it's like... which is better: 1080p at high settings or 1440 at lower settings?

What's the difference between glossy and non-glossy?

LINK

edit

NM

quote:

---

Glossy displays have more vivid color and contrast. Colors appear more intense and saturated, while blacks appear deeper. However, light shining on the display can cause extremely noticeable reflections. Sunlight is the worst case scenario — either direct sunlight outside or even just sunlight coming in through a window. Reflections can make a glossy display basically unusable in direct sunlight.

---

I am fine with matte. I used to have a room that was like a dungeon light wise to set up in but no more.

quote:

---

It takes 2x 980s to run 1440p at high settings?

---

nah, for most games it doesn't take nearly that much GPU power. It's the smattering of blockbusters and bad ports released lately (mostly from Ubisoft) that require an inordinate amount of GPU power and vram. And even then, when I'm talking about "high" settings, I really mean ultra. Everything cranked up, including some amount of MSAA for over-indulgence, which has a huge performance hit.

In AC Unity, for example, I can run a perfectly smooth 60fps 1440p with everything maxed out EXCEPT antialiasing (using FXAA). I can also maintain 60fps with 2x MSAA, but FXAA actually looks slightly better than 2x MSAA when implemented through NVIDIA Inspector.

It's a similar story in Watch Dogs, but it has its own set of problems causing frame drops regardless of hardware. Generally these games have a huge performance hit when moving from "high" to "ultra" textures and environment.

On the other hand, with BF4 I could use a single R9-290 and max the game out (including MSAA) at 1440P and >60fps. With Borderlands 2, same thing. In fact, I tested 4K DSR with it using my 2 980s and was able to play the game maxed out in the 50-FPS range.

A year ago I said the 7970/280x was a great entry-level solution for 1440P. Nowadays I'd probably revise that to a GTX 970/290/290x for high-ish settings. And that applies to people who play most of the blockbusters as they're released -- Far Cry, AC, Arkham Games, Crysis, Borderlands, Mordor, etc. etc. Those games generally give a good bit of attention to visuals and add additional PC-specific enhancements (or bad optimization in general) that are more taxing on GPUs.

quote:

---

which is better: 1080p at high settings or 1440 at lower settings?

---

It's more like 1080p at ultra settings with MSAA vs. 1440p at high settings with the far less taxing FXAA or no AA at all... because one thing to consider about the increased resolution is that it also increases pixel density (assuming you're moving from, say, a 24" 1080P monitor to a 27" 1440P), which means less pronounced "jaggies" and less of a need for intense anti-aliasing.

I have arctic silver left from my cpu OC a few months ago. I really like the look of that cooler. Again thanks for your help I have all but the cooler in my newegg cart and will order as needed to build.

Fan placement and needs? Sorry to be a PITA about this but I am looking to be a great built since my entry build is out of the way and I am trying new things.