The Byte - Hardcore Gaming Rig

The Byte

This system is focuses on those die hard gamers unwilling to compromise on the image quality. This means that the target resolution would be at least 1080p (1920x1080 Full HD) but the aim is 1440p (2560x1440 Quad HD) with virtually all eye candy enabled in the game. This system can also be used by those who are into multi-monitor gaming. If you would like to seek out game specific tweaks/mods, head on over to our game forum.

CPU - Intel Core i7-4930K / 4770K / 4790K

Would you be interested, if I told you that you can get similar performance of Intel Core i7-4960K which costs about 800 EURO by spending only 490 EURO? Those answering yes would fit into the uber user category. Thus, by purchasing Intel Core i7-4930K, you get virtually all the benefits of Intel Core i7-4960K without the need to sell your kidney, arm and a leg. Just raise that multiplier a little and boom, six-core performance. We choose the 4930K as it it a six-core processor and needs to be paired with a X79 chipset, this will bring mucho PCIe lanes into your system.

The cheaper alternative here obviously is a quad-core Intel Core i7-4770K (Review) or an Intel Core i7-4790K (Review) on a Z97 motherboard. Mind you that the Intel Core i7-4770K overclocks just as well and often better opposed to the Intel Core i7-4790K, weird but true.
 

For High end Core i7 is the way to go ... the Core i7-4930K has a perfect price perf balance with its six-cores and great overclockability

CPU Cooler - Corsair H110

To squeeze out all the CPU cycles you possibly can, you would have to tweak the voltages. This means that the heat being generated by the CPU will need to be dissipated rapidly in an efficient manner. You can achieve this by using Corsair H110 (Review) would comes at a reasonable price tag of only 95 EURO. The dual 140 mm fans and a 280 mm radiator, can be installed in a few minutes. After that, you can tweak the CPU frequencies to your heart's content.

GPU - Nvidia GTX 780 Ti or Radeon R9-290X

If you want the single fastest GPU for gaming needs without taking out a mortgage on your house, then Nvidia GTX 780 Ti (Review) is the answer. With 3 GBs of VRAM and all shaders enabled, this beast will obliterate any game you throw at it and will mock you for your futile attempt at overpowering it. Of course, this monstrosity would impact your wallet at 580 Km/s EURO! If you don't have that kind of cash lying around on your couch, here are some other options too:

• AMD R9-290 (Review ~340 EURO)
• AMD R9-290X (Review ~400 EURO)

Those wanting to have dual high end GPUs on a single card for unmatched performance can check out the 1250 EURO Radeon R9-295x2 (Review) or the 2850 EURO (Yikes!) GeForce GTX Titan Z (Review). Of course, if the odds that your wallet would survive such a price impact are slim, you could opt for a dual GPU set up (SLI/CF/CFX) by using mainstream GPUs which would increase your performance considerably while not leaving your wallet shattered in ashy pieces.

Motherboard - ASUS Rampage IV Extreme (Black Edition)

One of the most critical hardware piece in the system is the motherboard. The reason is that all other components are connected to it. Hence, choosing the right motherboard for your needs is paramount along with ensuring that all other components are compatible with it and that no major issues are there. Luckily, if you stick with reputable brands, you are far less likely to encounter issues then choosing a nameless brand.

There are many quality motherboards for the LGA2011 socket out there. However, one of them is guaranteed to get your overclock freak on. The Asus Rampage IV Extreme (Review) comes to mind with a somewhat decent tag of ~330 EURO. It has everything one can possibly dream of and more. However, in the extreme unlikelihood that you aren't satisfied by it, you can check out the updated version, ASUS Rampage IV Black Edition (Review).

Great alternatives come from MSI, ASRock and Gigabyte. Be sure to dig through some of our reviews. Of course if you opt a quad Core Haswell processor like the Intel Core i7-4770/4790(K), a Z97 motherboard is the way to go. We LOVE the MSI Z97 XPower AC Motherboard (Review). Many motherboard reviews are here to help you choose... the one (Details).

System Memory / RAM - 16 GBs (4x 4 GBs) @ 1600/1866 MHz

When it comes to RAM, always make it a point to check with the motherboard if the RAM is compatible or not (assuming that the vendor does provide this service). It is much cheaper and quicker for you to find the right product by browsing through the supported memory list on the motherboard site then buying the kit and later learning that it is incompatible. Of course, you must have a 64-bit OS to use the 16 GBs of RAM. Do note that frequencies higher than 1600 MHz have a somewhat limited performance gain in the real world so a higher frequency doesn't necessarily translates to better real world performance. However, in this case, going for 1866 MHz would unleash the full potential of the motherboard and CPU.

X79 is quad-channel memory, hence you should use 4 DIMMs. Z97 is dual-channel memory, two DIMMs are sufficient. 16 GBs is a little over the top, 8 GBs is sufficient by any standard. But hey, memory is cheap and this is the more high-end build of course. So go for a little extra, quite handy while transcoding video's or doing some content production (when you are not gaming of course).

Storage - 512 GBs or 1 TB SSD

Consumers in this category would have gotten their hands on a SSD quite a while ago. However, the issue that they faced then was the extremely limited sizes (remember those 32 GBs, 64 GBs SSDs?). Thanks to technological advancements, that it no longer the case. You can now get an affordable 1 TB SSD for your OS and main applications. Two names that have made quite an impact in the consumer market are; Crucial M500 960 GBs and Samsung 840 EVO 1 TB. The price ranges from ~355 EURO to ~365 EURO. Something that wasn't imaginable few years ago. A Crucial MX100 512 GBs for example can be yours for 175 EURO.

You can also mix things up, install a 256 GBs or 512 GBs SSD and install a nice 4 TBs HDD for your larger storage needs. Just run your OS from that SSD and watch your system fly.

PSU - 800 Watts To 1500 Watts

Having the right PSU can make a difference between a stable or an unstable system under heavy load. Thus, make sure that you always purchase a PSU from reputable brands like EVGA, Corsair, OCZ, Antec, Seasonic, etc. Moreover, it is common for a PSU to be re-used when building new systems so having one with some extra wattage is good insurance policy. Just make sure that you are getting a high efficiency one which will help you reduce your power bill in the long run. Also, if you planning to overclock say the CPU and/or GPU(s), be sure to get a bit more wattage as overclocking requires higher voltages which may increases your power consumption significantly. Here is the list of PSUs we have reviewed over the years (Details).

Odds & Ends

Now that you are familiar with the inner daemon, The Byte, here are some other components for you to think about:

1. Chassis: Always ensure that the chassis can support all your components and is of the right size. Moreover, a well ventilated chassis helps increase the life-span of the components by preventing build up of hot spots and allows faster heat dissipation. A selection of chassis that we have reviewed is a good place to start (Details).
2. Sound card: The on board sound card gets the job done. However, with a system like this, you don't have any excuse to not have a dedicated sound card. So do your ears a favor and consider getting something like the ASUS Xonar Phoebus (Review) which targets gamers. Optionally, browse our reviews of sound systems and pick something that suits your taste (Details).

Due to the shear diversity in the PC components market, there isn't a one-size-fits-all system. This is something that we consider a strong point for the PC market as it drives competition which benefits end users like us. Thus, by use this guide's recommendations as your starting point, go forth and tweak it to fit your needs to get a system that is unique to you. Hope you enjoyed reading this guide as much as us creating it :)