(Need help) 1st hardcore gaming PC

Budget:
up to around $2600 for the PC

Expectations:
To be used as a "Gaming Only" PC, No streaming or anything else. Trying to make it last as long as possible. First gaming only PC. At the moment i'm looking at IPS monitors,but not duel as of yet, but looking at SLI for future upgrades. Never built a PC, but think I can do it. Looking to downgrade certain parts if not needed.

Usage:
Gaming Only: games like DayZ, Arma 3,CS:GO, BF4, H1Z1, Crysis,Dark Souls 2, etc. on very High to Max.

Special Needs:
Want the PC quite and cool temp. Overclocked i5 and GTX 770.

Saved Ticket #: 978409

Specifications:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Digital Storm ODE V3
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish

Processor: Intel Core i5 4670K 3.40 GHz (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core)
First I had down an i7, but read that was more for streaming and i5 would be fine for gaming.

Motherboard: ASUS SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK2 (Intel Z97 Chipset) (Military-Grade TUF Components) Want a good Motherboard, one that could do SLI maybe for the future, wasn't sure which board to go with.I liked the look of ASUS MAXIMUS VII HERO, but wasn't sure if it was worth the extra money. Didn't want to break the bank with upgrades not really worth it.

System Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Not sure if I need 8GB or 16GB?, 1600 or 1866??

Power Supply: 1050W Corsair Pro Silver 1050HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) picked a 1000W incase of Duel cards SLI

Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)

Storage Set 1: 1x SSD (256GB Samsung 840 PRO)
Wanted a decent SSD to put OS,with big games coming out @ around 50GB.

Storage Set 2: 1x Storage (1TB Western Digital - Black Edition)

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 770 2GB (EVGA Superclocked ACX Cooler Edition) Seem like the best bet to go with, SLI maybe in the future for another one. 770 seemed like the better value rather then 780?

Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
HPC Processor: - No Thanks

Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Corsair H100i 240mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler (Extreme-Performance Edition) Not really sure which Liquid Cooling I should go, would this be good? Or is there something cheaper I should go with.

H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected

Chassis Fans: Upgrade All Fans to Corsair Airflow Performance Edition (Up to 6 Fans) Would it be worth getting these fans? Would I still need noise suppression package? or is it overkill?

Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Red)

Airflow Control: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks

Noise Reduction: Noise Suppression Package Stage 1 (Optimized Airflow & Fan Speeds Only) Worth getting?

LaserMark: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock CPU 4.0GHz to 4.4GHz
Boost Graphics Card(s): Yes, Overclock the video card(s) as much as possible with complete stability

Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
Boost OS: Yes, Disable and tweak all of the non-crucial services on the operating system Thought I might get this option since I just want this PC for gaming. Not sure if it would be worth the money thought?

Sorry for all the questions, I've read a lot of responses and information on this site and others, but still a lot for me to find out. Any help would be great, looking forward to getting my system as soon as I find out the answers to my questions.

Thanks ArkansasWoman777, yeah stuff like the case fans I wasn't sure of, if they needed to be upgraded or what not. Just like I'm unsure of what liquid cooling I should go with and not go overkill on it.

Another way to go is the Sabertooth Z97's little brother, the Gryphon Z97 and a Virtue case. Both will support 2 card SLI and 4 DIMMs. So, unless you see the need to add more PCIe cards then the 2 graphics cards you don't lose anything. Neither will support more the 2-Way SLI.

The other options are lowering memory (16GB is optimal, though), installing extra fans yourself or swap out for an AMD graphics card.

For fans: The Virtue ( Corsair 350D) can take two more 140mm fans up top. DS uses the Corsair 140mm High Airflow fans(~$20 each online), that you can easily install yourself. Adding fans to the Virtue would useless with the 240mm cooler since that would cover the top ports anyway. Switching to the 120mm Vortex or Corsair H60 cooler would be a better choice in my mind. These can mount on the back of the case and allow the top fan ports to be used to vent air from the case.

The Ode (Corsair 600T, comes will all fans mounts already filled. So, no need to add more.

For the graphics the Nvidia GTX 770 is comparable to the AMD R9 280X. Here is a recent buyer's guide that you can read a comparison on there abilities: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7981/best-video-cards-april-2014

I think this the least expensive of the options with a Virtue build AMD GPU and a single 120mm cooler: https://www.digitalstormonline.com/configurator.asp?id=978563

The Ode is only a little more expensive if you prefer that case, with the same changes sticking with the Sabertooth motherboard:https://www.digitalstormonline.com/configurator.asp?id=978570

I hope this helps, I tried to point you to more information so you can make some informed decisions on what parts fit you best.

In the reviews I linked to in my previous post, the temperatures were lower with the 350D vs the 600T. This was with stock fans, but with different completely systems. So this isn't a great direct comparison. The 350D can take three additional fans, if you choose to install them.

Also, in my previous post I missed that you could also add a second fan to the 350D in front, offering even better cooling.

I am pretty sure that the Mark 2 is the one that bpratt22 was reffering to. The Mark one seems more of a workstation motherboard with dual LAN ports and offers a SATA Express port.

Here is a link to a table of all the Asus Motherboards: http://www.asus.com/us/site/motherboards/Z97/comparison/

Edited by danjw1 - 20 May 2014 at 4:14pm

Ahh! , Keep going back and forth between these two cases, I looked at your links again danjw1, then I started searching pics of the case and saw this one, which is like the look I was going for, are those the upgraded fans that DS has with the red rings around it?

Corsair 350D Custom


also saw they use an ASUS Z97 Maximus VII Gene mATX board, i guess DS doesn't offer this one? I didn't see this as an option.

bpratt22, yeah the Z97 chipset looks sweet, I noticed the smaller Gryphon mATX is one too, any big difference between the two besides size? Both have that Thermal Radar II, which I can see really helps with adjusting the fans.


Edited by Sandman530 - 21 May 2014 at 9:13am

The M7G is out there, at least one online retailer has them instock. DS would likely charge you a special order fee for it, since it isn't one they currently stock. Availability in DS's supply chain maybe an issue.

Corsair does offer different colored cables for some of their power supplies. Red is one color they offer, again there maybe a special order few for DS to get you these.

Edited by danjw1 - 21 May 2014 at 10:50am

Well, it is the Gene really. The micro-ATX form factor only allows for 4 PCIe slots. So, two would be blocked with the 2 slot graphics cards. But, the Gene, has an isolated audio section, it actually sits on a daughter board. I suggest you check out this video where an Asus guy is talking about this motherboard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L39CnnEozFg

It is 30 minutes long but, it explains a bunch of the ROG features you will get with the Gene motherboard.