Thumbs up for going with an ASUS, but why did you choose the Z97-Deluxe specifically? I'll agree that a Z97-based build will provide FAR more bang for your buck than a X99 build right now, but you could have gone with the Z97-A and saved a buttload of money or bought the Maximus Hero VII and saved less money but also gotten your hands on a few gamer-centric features.
The Hero is ROG (and comes with the ROG goodies) but the more expensive Deluxe is a workstation-esque motherboard with an extra Crossfire slot (which I'll get to). It seems like, considering something I'll get to later, the Hero would have been the better choice.
I considered the Alpha, but it didn't have dual band onboard. That was a big selling point for me.
The ROG series boards are nice, but I wasn't just going for a gaming system. Nowadays, I actually do a lot of work on my computer as well. Also, ROG seemed a tad gimmicky to me.
What did you have before this build? How easy was it to enter XMP your RAM? I heard ASUS makes it very easy.
The UEFI is very easy to use. There's a drop down menu right next to the RAM that lets you load the profile.
That being said, I don't use it. I don't have a great deal of experience with overclocking, and I'm using a stock fan for my CPU, so I'm scared to death I'm going to fry both the RAM and the CPU if I go over 1600 MHZ.
An optical drive? In 2015? Bleh.
Honestly, I've been considering moving my old optical drive to my new build once I finally get my case, but I would have skipped it altogether if not for the fact that the case I want sports more bays than I'll ever need.
*shrug*
Still good to have for the next 5-10 years before it's completely replaced by flash drives and digital distribution. I still believe though, you're not going to completely get rid of it.
This was why I asked about the motherboard. 3-way Crossfire would kick much ass, but I couldn't see doing it without a little more juice and a liquid cooling rig. Or maybe I'm just assuming AMDs generate more heat and need more power than they really do.
Whoa! I kind of already broke the bank without buying two additional cards and an 850 Watt PSU (would possibly need 1000 for 3-way Crossfire).
I was also conscious of how much I'd be paying over time for power consumption, so...
I'm nVidia 4 LYF! but I still give much respect to AMD and what they've done with their cards. Plus, the 290X is killing it right now at its current price point. Please tell me you're planning to put multiple cards in Crossfire.
If I can find another 290x for a better price than I bought this one, I would like to build a CrossFire setup. I'm leery of it though. Because it would with either mean a) Buying a larger case OR b) Mutilating the tower even more than I already have. Neither idea sounds very appealing.
One of the reasons I've got a hard-on for nVidia is because I never want to have to add another fan to another side panel. Ever. I hated that one power cable.
It sounded like you were running your desktop without the side fans. If so, how are your temperatures looking so far?
The temperature's decent enough. It hasn't gone above a 45C average.
That being said, I just received my new 120mm Noctua fan. I'm gonna install it as an intake fan on the side.
Maybe I should have gone with two. We'll see.
You bought a 290X and didn't go ultrawide or 1440p...or both? Seriously?
Feels like you're wasting that beautiful card's potential.
I've already gone over budget dammit!
I wanted to go bigger, but the cost rose exponentially with every few inches of size increase. It's okay though, because I have a 46 inch Vizio M-Series sitting about three feet away from it. I hooked it up to the 290x.
I've gotta ask: is the mechanical keyboard worth the premium? I've never used or even touched one, but everywhere I go, gamers are heralding mechanical keyboards as the way of future (the way of the future, the way of the future). Does it really improve things that much?
It has for me. I don't know how it is for most other people, but if I don't have a high enough degree of actuation, my fingers become very disoriented, and it's rather frustrating.
