Browsing this Thread:   1 Anonymous Users






PCGN Silent Assassin PC hardware reviews
#1
Just can't stay away.
Just can't stay away.


See User information

Recently Silent Assassin from PCGN has been building a new PC. He wrote a review of all the key parts he used and why and I thought I'd share on our forum.

 

Today I'll be covering the CPU: 434176_302273_01_front_thumbnail.jpg?140 Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz LGA 1150

  

With a price tag of $279.99 @ MicroCenter- this Haswell-Refresh is a steal at this price. 4.0GHz out of the box, initial overclock reviews have shown this can easily overclock to 4.7GHz with max load temps at 58C- with aftermarket air cooling. This is thanks to a new thermal interface material (TIM) that despite a higher voltage than the 84w 4770K, runs cooler at higher loads and at idle. I heavily considered the 4930k for it's two extra cores and large L3 cache- however after reading several reviews and noting the per thread performance being considerably higher with the 4790k (plus I didn't like ANY of the LGA 2011 Mobo's), I didn't think the extra $100 was worth the future-proof of a six core processor just yet. 

  

Plus, the Broadwell CPU's will be debuting next year which the newly released z97 mobo chipsets support- the next item I'll be covering in my build overview.

 


 

Today I'll be covering the GPU 425598_934265_01_front_thumbnail.jpg?140the EVGA GTX 780ti Superclocked Edition.

  

First things first, I had a decision to make when it came to what gaming resolution I wanted to dive into- and what costs are associated with that.

  

1080p, 1440p, or 4k?

  

The game I used benchmark this is ARMA III- easily the most taxing game on the market to date.

  

It didn't take long to rule out 4K gaming, and not due to cost. I've seen ARMA III benchmarks with SLI'ed GTX Titans @ 4K, and consistent 40 fps isn't attainable. Bottom line: current GPU's aren't suited for true 4K outside TRi-SLI and above, and it's my belief we are a couple years away from having single-card solutions.

  

1440p is much more attractive- however single GPU's still have a hard time keeping ARMA III above 40fps with Ultra settings. Sure, I could go for an additional 780ti SLI and a $800+ monitor- but was adding nearly $2000 to my build worth the extra resolution?

  

In my opinion it isn't, given that ARMA III on 1080p monitors coupled with Ultra settings give a graphic rich and nearly identical experience to 1440p- not to mention an average of 88fps. 

  

After deciding that 1080p resolution was my preferred route- the EVGA 780ti was a no-brainer. While the R9 290x comes in at a close second, the SuperClocked Edition 780ti (albeit $150 more) give roughly a 22% increase in ARMA III performance, ShadowPlay functionality, and consistent driver support. It's currently the fastest single GPU on the market, including the GTX Titan.

  

Also important to note: I chose the reference cooler model VS the ACX model (2 fan) despite the ACX models showing lower GPU temps. Why? While it is true that the ACX lowers GPU temps, it doesn't rid the case of any hot air as the Reference Cooler does. I've seen on YouTube where people have recorded ambient temps in the case nearly 10C HIGHER with the ACX cooler!  

  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkR4hQ4OOkk

  

Hope this was informative- I'll be covering the mobo tomorrow.

 


 

Today I'll be covering the motherboard 433977_304204_01_front_thumbnail.jpg?140the ASUS Z97-AR Black-Edition.

  

Often times people select a motherboard for the additional features and bonus hardware it boasts, which often times sacrifices the upgrade-ability of the overall build. In recent years motherboard manufacturers have taken notice of this and selling motherboards based on looks and gimmicky features (and severely overpricing them) VS focusing on quality of components used. 

  

ASUS was one of these companies- who have seen their quality control dip over the past few years, and allowed companies such as MSI and ASRock to sneak up on their market share.

  

Luckily however, ASUS took note and have completely revamped their Z97 series motherboard- with peak stability through Intel components and Marvel controllers, and upgrade-ability in mind with M.2 & SATA Express storage support, Thunderbolt support, Quad SLI as well as Broadwell processor support.

  

Plus- it's got chrome accents- a theme I'm going for in the interior of my build   :music5:

  

P.S. Also forgot to mention- this board includes ASUS 5 Way Optimization software- basically an Auto-Tune for overclocking and power management. It's a pretty incredible feature that takes the guess work completely out of overclocking and stability by upping clock speeds in increments and stress testing each overclock. Check it out here if you'd like! http://youtu.be/CMQyWCbc9Rw?t=39s

 


 

sILENT, on 14 Jul 2014 - 4:25 PM, said:

1080p monitors coupled with Ultra settings give a graphic rich and nearly identical experience to 1440p

  

  

So- as some of you may remember I made this statement earlier this month.

  

While at the time this was something I believed- that is no longer the case.

  

I'll start off by saying that I've seen many a monitor these past couple months while doing research, and generally been unimpressed. That's why I was content with purchasing a nice 1080p high DPI monitor..that is until I saw this:

  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnrxNfxRK_4

  

Let me just say- I saw this at a local MicroCenter and was absolutely stunned. While the resolution isn't technically 4K (30% less pixels) it's aspect ratio and high resolution combo made playing Crysis 3 for 15 minutes the greatest 15 minutes in my own personal PC gaming history. 

  

That's when I decided to reconsider my statement above regarding 1440p. Yes, 2560x1440p is somewhat of a bump up in visuals, however 3440x1440p @ 21:9 ratio is an entirely new experience. Gaming on this aspect ratio not only gives you a FOV advantage, but immerses you in a way that's hard to describe other than "you feel like you are there".

   

Bottom line- this monitor has changed the course of my build. With it's price tag- so has my budget...

  

I'll be updating the changes coming here this evening for anyone interested.



Posted on: 2014/8/16 12:32
Click to see original Image in a new window
Top







You can view topic.
You cannot start a new topic.
You cannot reply to posts.
You cannot edit your posts.
You cannot delete your posts.
You cannot add new polls.
You cannot vote in polls.
You cannot attach files to posts.
You cannot post without approval.
You cannot use topic type.
You cannot use HTML syntax.
You cannot use signature.
You cannot create pdf.
You cannot get print page.

[Advanced Search]