Any thoughts on my new PC?

T

tomtomtom1230

Member
Hey folks - I am a reborn again PC user. I've been using Mac for a long time due to work and software restrictions etc etc but that's a thing of the past now. The software I need works on PC too!

So, after hearing that news I came to PCSpecialist straight away to configure a computer. I'm after a gaming machine and something that will cope with the heavy demands of a home-studio.

The specs I've order are as follows (an criticism is welcome as I'll likely be revising the build and/or upgrading next year, too) ;

Intel i7 5820K (3.3GHz)
ASUS ATX X99-A motherboard
16GB Kingston Hyper-X Fury 2400Mhz DDR4 RAM
4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
850W Corsair modular PSU (I know it's overkill, but if/when I over clock and upgrade I'll then be covered still).
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 CPU fan
2x12 extra case fans

And finally, a 27" 1440p ASUS monitor and the CoolerMaster STORM Devastator keyboard/mouse combo.

I'm properly excited to get it and get going! I also got a few extra USB slots and I'll probably order a FireWire extension for it at some point too since my audio interfaces etc are all 1339 connections (at least, I think this is doable? Any thoughts?).

I'll get a free copy of The Witcher and Batman too - CANT WAIT!

Anybody running The Witcher on a GTX 980? How is it running? Well?

This is at the VERY top of my budget and had to sell a couple guitars to do it... But... I am very pleased and awaiting anxiously on the email from the finance people.
 
Last edited:
keynes

keynes

Multiverse Poster
Can you post the full spec? I would have suggested waiting a bit more for the gtx 980 ti but if you are waiting for the finance agreement it may involve cancelling your order.
 
T

tomtomtom1230

Member
I was reading about the Ti today but I'm still unclear on it's price point in relation to the 980. In any case, I'm not one for the bleeding edge of video game GFX, but I certainly didn't want it to look like crud! And yes, the full spec (as copied from the order summary) is here:

Note: I know SSD's are quicker, but I'm not broken up about it. Regular HDDs are fine for what I want. I keep all important data in 3 different places anyway, including an SSD external drive and the cloud.

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Six Core Processor i7-5820K (3.3GHz) 15MB Cache
Case
InWIN G7 BRUSHED EFFECT DARK GREY CASE
Motherboard
ASUS® X99-A: ATX, HSW-E CPU, USB 3.0, SATA 6 GB/s
Memory (RAM)
16GB KINGSTON HYPER-X FURY DDR4 2400MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 980 - 1 DVI, 1 mHDMI, 3 mDP - 3D Vision Ready
1st Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
2nd Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
16x BLU-RAY WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW
Memory Card Reader
EXTERNAL MEMORY CARD READER (READS MS, CF, SD, etc)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler
Extra Case Fans
2 x 12CM Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof)
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11N DUAL-BAND 450Mbps PCI-E CARD
USB Options
2 PORT USB 3.0 INTERNAL PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 8.1 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
Windows 10 Upgrade
FREE Upgrade to Windows 10 with all Windows 7 & Windows 8.1 Purchases*
DVD Recovery Media
Windows 8.1 (64-bit) DVD with paper sleeve
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Monitor
ASUS 27" Professional SERIES PB278QR
Keyboard & Mouse
CM Storm Devastator Keyboard and Mouse

1st EDIT for spelling.

2nd EDIT: I appreciate that The Witcher will run on this, but how well will the system cope do you think? As I said, I've been a long time Mac user and not for gaming either (sick of the disappointment with the PS4 and XB1 so I sold those too) so I'm pretty out of the loop with builds etc.
 
Last edited:
Fantana

Fantana

Bronze Level Poster
tomtomtom1230 said:
I appreciate that The Witcher will run on this, but how well will the system cope do you think?
Click to expand...


I've played the game with a gtx 980.
Set everything to ultra, but keep shadow quality to high, grass density to high and foliage visibility range to medium, that gives you steady 60 fps.

Make sure you're playing in full screen mode and be sure to download and install all the patches, 1.02, 1.03 and 1.04 in order, they improve graphical quality and fps count too.

I posted some tips on optimizing the Witcher experience for Nvidia cards on the Witcher thread here, you'll find it in the PC gaming section.

Overall a 980 deals with the game very well.
 
Last edited:
T

tomtomtom1230

Member
Thanks Fantana, I'll be sure to read it in the next couple of days. I heard the patches improve the experience as a whole. Thank you both for your input :) I just hope I chose a "big" enough CPU to not bottle neck anything with gaming. I know it deals well with my programmes for work, that's not an issue. But yeah... Clueless about the world of PC gaming. Hope to pick up the knowledge here as I go along though :)
 
T

tomtomtom1230

Member
You guys know if I'll have a PCIe slot available for a ieee1394 FireWire card? I imagine I will, but I thought I had better ask!
 
Last edited:
SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
tomtomtom1230 said:
You guys know if I'll have a PCIe slot available for a ieee1394 FireWire card? I imagine I will, but I thought I had better ask!
Click to expand...

Yep, there are 2 spare PCI-e x 1 lanes on that board, to be fair, that board is very well featured!

tomtomtom1230 said:
Will this do/work? Truth be told, I only need the one port. I know FireWire and USB work on different Protocols etc but are there any out-the-box solutions (ie: converters) that you know of?
Click to expand...

Came accross THIS
 
S

Spuff

Expert
Fantana said:
Overall a 980 deals with the game very well.
Click to expand...

My 970 handles it well too, so a 980 defintely will. I don't think upping the few settings I have less than max would improve the look much. When I get my 980ti I'll find out for sure.:cool:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top