This build is the final evolution of a build I posted previously. The main upgrades were a second GTX 980 and a ROG Swift monitor, along with some cosmetic items like gpu backplates, individually sleeved power cables and an led lit SLI bridge.

The main purpose of this build is to get ALL DEM FRAMES SON. Running games at 2560x1440 with a 144hz refresh rate is basically paradise on Earth.

I've been piecing this thing together for about the past 4 months, initially I upgraded the processor, mobo and gpu to get all of the important bits out of the way, but these shiny new parts were living in the belly of my previous, aging build. Aesthetically, it was lacking to say the least. All along, however, I had a final vision in mind and I'm glad to say that I've gotten pretty close to what I had originally set out to build.

Most of the components were purchased at my local Fry's Electronics store here in Vegas. This meant I ended up paying a bit more than I would have had I used an online resource like... say "pcpartpicker.com" to find better deals. I did get a few deals along the way however by using ebay to snag up some gently used components for big discounts. The only pre-existing component from my old build is the OS.

I'll go into some of my thoughts on the individual components now, if you'd rather stop here than go into gory detail I'll thank you for checking out my build and wish you many happy returns!

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K -This processor being the de facto go to CPU for a wide variety of builds I'm sure I don't have to say too much about it. I will say that my initial designs for this build were somewhat more modest, and so this processor fit my needs perfectly, however now that I'm at the end of the road looking back I feel I should have went with an i7 4790k, not because I feel that the i5 is lacking in any way, simply for the power factor and the fact that the build feels a bit incongruous with a mid level cpu. Still, a wonderful quad core with lots of overclocking potential.

CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX -I'm sure there are coolers that benchmark better than this one out there, but it provides industry standard closed loop liquid cooling performance with aesthetics I find pleasing, and I've had good luck with Corsair components over the years so I don't feel bad about it. My CPU temps are basically what you'd expect, don't really break 40C and I live in the sun-baked desert of Las Vegas.

MOBO: Asus Maximus VII HERO -It has all the things I needed in a mobo (namely robust overclocking tools and... Bling) and a pretty decent onboard sound solution. Obviously not audiophile quality, but I'll probably end up getting a DAC and amp at some point for those purposes. The styling is likely a bit avant garde for some, but PC building and gaming are basically my paths towards childhood regression so I'm quite fond of it.

RAM: Dominator Platinum -Its too expensive for what you get. There I said it. It also looks amazing. Basically just bling, but highly functional bling I suppose.

SSD: Samsung 850 EVO 500gb -Haven't had any issues with this thing whatsoever. A wonderful performer with enough space to put the majority of my games and applications on it alongside my OS. No idea how the longevity claims will play out in the next few years, but so far I think it's been amazing, and the price is a steal.

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB -It spins around and remembers things. Nothing to see here folks.

GPUs: EVGA GTX 980 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 -I started this build before either the 980ti or Fury x were being talked about. At that point, other than the titan x, the 980 was king of the hill. I don't really regret pulling the trigger when I did since technology is always marching forward and you'll eventually have to bite the bullet and purchase SOMETHING, knowing full well that a few months down the road that something will not be the best thing anymore. I haven't had any issues with them and they absolutely rip through high resolution gaming at amazing frame rates. I haven't tried any 4k gaming with them yet, but they keep my ROG Swift humming along swimmingly.

Case: Corsair 600t -This is probably the component I regret buying the most. I think its a fine case and I love the aesthetics, but I had originally planned on buying its younger and bigger brother, the 780t. Alas, avarice and haste got the better of me and I picked this up along with some other things at Frys, since they did not carry the 780t at the time. Honestly its a bit cramped for my build and has very limited radiator mounting options for the h100i GTX. The logical method of mounting the rad wound up placing the fans right next to the removable top mesh panel, and after a few days for some mysterious reason they started making a horrendous resonating sound, to the point where I basically have to remove the top mesh panel whenever I turn the system on now. I'm trying to think up a solution for it, but it may end up that I just rebuild the whole thing in a 780t at some point in the future.

EDIT: So I found a workable solution to the noise issue, in case anyone reading this experiences similar issues. I just flipped my fans around. Instead of forcing air from the top of the case through the radiator, I am now pulling air through the radiator to the top of the case. The droning sound vanished immediately and the temps are only a few degrees higher under load. Blessed quietude achieved!

PSU: Corsair AX 860 -I had originally planned to use the "i" version of this PSU, but figured I really didn't need all the fancy interface functions on that and went with the cheaper, dumber version, It works perfectly fine.

Monitor: Asus ROG SWIFT -Oh man, this thing. I swear to God. If you can get your hands on one, do it. It is amazing. Excellent color accuracy as well, a lot of people complain because it is a TN panel but I've had no complaints. G-sync functionality is Last Boss level graphical performance, absolutely stunning. (although I will say that I've never used a free-sync monitor, but those seem to be cheaper and if they offer a similar level of performance then they're the better deal, the only complaint I think I could muster for this monitor is the price tag, which might end up amounting to a green team fan boy tax. ah well.)

Keyboard: Corsair K70 RGB Fully mechanical (mine are reds) with pretty lights you can program yourself. Absolutely love it. Might do an O ring mod on it soon, but its fresh right out the box.

Mouse: Corsair Vengeance M95 They haven't made an RGB version of their mmo mouse so I picked this one up to match my build. I play a lot of WoW and other mmos, so I like multibutton mice. I used to have a Razer Naga and, functionally, the two are very similar however I like the aesthetics and feel of the corsair one more. Its got more heft to it which I like, but I am a large dude so if you're not quite as big and burly as I am your mileage may vary.

Headset: Audio-Technica ATH-ADG1 -I'm something of an Audio-Technica fan boy ever since I randomly purchased a pair of cans at a department store in Tokyo when I was stationed at Yokosuka naval base during my tour with the Navy. When I found out that they had a gaming-centric head set with a built in mic I basically had no choice but to throw my money at them. Excellent headset with the best built in mic I've ever used. Extremely comfortable as well, although again ymmv since I have a pretty generously proportioned dome piece. They are open backed which widens the soundscape, ideal for gaming purposes and first person shooters especially. Again, the only complaint I could muster is that you could likely achieve similar quality for less by purchasing the cans this headset was modeled on and adding a mod mic. I personally don't like the clunkiness of that setup and appreciate the built in mic.

Overclocking Notes: I bumped up my gpu voltage by 6mv and added 150mhz to the shader clocks. I got my 4690k to about 4.6ghz as well. I could probably go further with these clocks but I really just wanted to reach the 99th percentile on 3dmark haha.