Looking for help on my first gaming PC

Budget:
Up to $2,600.00 or so. :-)

Expectations:
I'd like as quiet a PC as possible. But I'd also like to be able to easily obtain 60fps when pushing video to my 40" Sony HDTV (1920x1080) model #W600B while playing my favorite game as well as today's typical first person shooters.

Usage:
I'm more of a cyclist than I am a gamer. That said, my main game of choice can be found at Zwift.com. It's the gamification of indoor cycling. Where one places their bike in a trainer (e.g., Wahoo KICKR) and then rides all the while the game and their trainer are communicating back and forth via Ant+ wireless technology so that, for example, when there's a hill in the game the trainer simulates the grade of the hill. Plus, it's a massive multiplayer online game so hundreds of cyclists are able to ride/train/race together in a virtual world. It's really cool but needs a fast GPU to look and feel real. Plus, I'd also like to play, as stated above, today's typical first person shooters. But, my main goal is simply to ride my bike in a realistic as can be obtained non-4K way.

Special Needs:
Really quiet! Hence I am thinking about getting a Slade with a 1000W Corsair HX1000i (Digitally Controlled Power) PSU as well as the AIR: Stage 2: Noctua NH-D15 (Extreme Performance) cooler and upgrading all Fans to Corsair Airflow Performance Edition models. Plus, Zwift only uses one GPU so I figure I should go all out and get the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB (ASUS Strix Edition) GPU.

Note that down the road, more likely 2017, I will get a 4K TV and most likely have to upgrade a bit. Maybe by then the game will use multiple GPUs!

Configuration Code: 1315267

Total Price with Instant Savings: $2,632.00

Specifications:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Corsair Obsidian 550D
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 6700K 4.0GHz (Codename Skylake) (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING (Intel Z170 Chipset)
System Memory: 16GB DDR4 2666MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series
Power Supply: 1000W Corsair HX1000i (Digitally Controlled Power)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD (250GB Samsung 850 EVO)
Storage Set 2: - No Thanks
Storage Set 3: - No Thanks
RAID Config: - No Thanks
RAID Card: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Graphics Card(s): 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB (ASUS Strix Edition)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
HPC Processor: - No Thanks
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Noctua NH-D15 (Extreme Performance)
H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a custom HydroLux liquid cooling system selected
Chassis Fans: Upgrade All Fans to Corsair Airflow Performance Edition (Up to 6 Fans)
Internal Lighting: - No Thanks
Airflow Control: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock CPU 4.0GHz to 4.4GHz
Boost Graphics Card(s): - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
Boost OS: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows CD)
Virus Protection: FREE: McAfee AntiVirus Plus (1 Year Service Activation Card) (Not Pre-installed) ($35 Value)
Office: - No Thanks
Game: - No Thanks
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
Portable Gaming: - No Thanks
Branded Gear: - No Thanks
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 10-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Part Replacement)

---
Anyway, THANKS A MILLION for any help you send my way. My last PC was powered by a 486DX processor so I am way out of my league here and just trying to catch up. Thank goodness I found Digital Storm and you guys. Whoot!

Sincerely,

Randy Sandberg

Edited by randywsandberg - 12 Nov 2015 at 12:39pm

Hi randywsandberg..... Welcome to the forums.     Either build is excellent. Quality parts and top performers.   

For utmost in quiet, the 2nd build with its h110i cooler will require the top acoustic cover to remain off.   The 550d is quiet because it's a closed case with the top and side acoustic panels blocking the noise, and airflow to some degree. The h100i's 280mm rad will mount under the top and the fans need to exit the heat up and out.

The 1st build with Noctua will allow the top acoustic panel to remain on.   Plus the Noctua is the best for reliability and performs almost the same as the liquid coolers. Plus the Noctua is quiet.

Here's the rub.... The top mounted rad will increase airflow in the case which you might want if you plan on sli 980ti Strix.   The Strix custom fans dump its heat into the case and not out the back like a reference single fan card,

For quiet as a priority, I would opt for Noctua cooler. If you go sli Strix you can always deal with that later by adding fans to the top or side if needed.

Lots to consider and hope this helps.

P.S., My cycling game can be something I "play" for many hours. One day, once I am trained properly, up to 10 plus hours of riding will not be all to uncommon. All the while it is collecting data that will be used for analysis later and bragging rights as well! ;-) Plus, there are actual races where capturing the data is critical.

All this said, I do need as powerful a system as possible but more importantly I need a super reliable system that will stay as cool as possible (I say as cool as possible with the idea that a cooler system is less likely to crash, etc.).

This being said, I would happily, now that I think about it, trade some quietness and even power for cool solid reliability. Knowing this, is there anything I should change? For example, should I downgrade to an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB (Includes PhysX) reference card? And/or say "No!" to a CPU Boost?

Thanks again in advance for all your help! :-)

Ah, yes, the HDD. This machine will really only ever be used as a gaming machine. And, even though I like to think about playing other games, I hardly have enough time in the day for all the training I currently do let along once I am in a more competitive phase of my career. Thus, the only storage space I require is the operating system, Zwift, and maybe a demo download of a popular first person shooter.

Plus, I can always add another SSD or HDD if I repurpose this machine. Oh, and I have read enough of the forum posts to know to select the 1 or larger TB Western Digital - Black Edition HDD if I go that way! :-)

P.S., In regards to my reliability question above, please note, if needed, I would be more than willing to switch to a less quite but much cooler case such as the one the Apollo comes with.

Edited by randywsandberg - 12 Nov 2015 at 2:30pm

Perfect! Thanks again bprat22!!! I'll keep things as they are with my last posted build (i.e., Configuration Code: 1315724). As for keeping firmware and software in general updated, LOL, I am a Software Test Engineer by trade so I am pretty fanatical about doing just that. So no worries there. And THANKS for the knowledge about the possible fan/RAM removal issue. That's good to know.

10 hours spinning? Dang, 30 minutes on my Nordic skier and I'm done.    

Edited by bprat22 - 12 Nov 2015 at 2:51pm

P.S., I upgraded from the ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING to the ASUS MAXIMUS VIII HERO motherboard (+ $143) as well as from the 16GB DDR4 2666MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series to the 16GB DDR4 2800MHz Corsair Vengeance LPX (High-Performance) RAM (+ $57) because of all the posts I read on this forum. Just making sure, given what I am looking to use this computer for, that one or both of these upgrades makes sense. Or, if the money would be better spent elsewhere. Note that I myself have zero ideas of doing any kind of overclocking.

I also would stick with the original mobo and ram if saving a few bucks is important. Not sure if the DS generic has XMP, db might've asked DS, but XMP does make for easier setup.   

The Pro mobo, unless I'm missing it, doesn't have WIFI, but I don't believe that's a concern either way.

Good luck.   Nice rig.

Yeah, there's a ton of different mobo to try to keep up with. Not sure how we hold it together.   

Did you just change/edit the 980 to the 980 ti?    I was just going to check with you about it when the change went through.  

I even copied a link to show the difference between the 2 cards.  

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1442?vs=1496


I think you nailed it with this build. 


Edited by bprat22 - 13 Nov 2015 at 9:46am

LOL, yes bprat22, you caught my typo before I fixed it! I messed up and left the default 980 GPU in my post then edited it back to the reference 980 Ti model!!!

If my quick check is accurate, the stock fans are 38cfm at 21dba , and the Performance upgrade are 68cfm at 24dba.     Static pressure is about the same for pushing the air through things.

I change my vote and would get the Performance fans for that case.

grats on finalizing your build!

Thanks a million guys. Much appreciated. And note there's no way I could have gotten this far without your expert assistance!!!

Thanks again for all your help. I do have one more question. I would also like to have a desktop monitor for when I am not pushing video to my 40" Sony 1080p HDTV for my Zwift game. That said, what 2K monitor would you recommend for gaming as well as general web work? By trade, I am a Software Test Engineer so the bulk of my time is spent staring at and critiquing websites we build. For example, what are your thoughts on an Asus ROG SWIFT PG278Q monitor? Elsewhere on the Net I have seen both good and really bad write ups on it but I have also seen lots of people here on these forums say they bought one. So I am a bit confused. Thanks in advance for any feedback!

that's an older model with a TN panel strictly for gaming.  its updated brother is the PG279Q (otherwise known as the ROG Swift IPS).  all the same goodness+HDMI connectivity (in addition to display port) on an IPS panel! 

if you want something bigger, with wider FoV, try looking at the Acer Predator X34.

Thanks again everyone for your advice! :-)

Oh, and I still don't know what 2K monitor to buy to best utilize my new PC for both work (text has got to look really good!) and, of course, gaming too. :-)