Star Citizen Rig is a customizable workspace for players in the game.
Star Citizen Rig is a customizable workspace for players in the game.
the i7 is a solid chip, but unless you're also doing recording or streaming while playing, the price gap with a good i5 for just gaming isn't noticeable. my 8350 on the AMD side runs smoothly at 720p when streaming. I'm not pushing for an amd build, though—intel is fine if you prefer it. but honestly, I don’t see a strong reason to choose the i7 over the i5 right now, especially if you're planning video work or production.
Everyone agrees to opt for a single 980ti; requirements will keep rising. Future plans might include dual 980s, but triple 970s seem unreasonable. For water cooling setups, aim for configurations up to 240 or 280, or consider air cooling instead. A 120mm radiator will be noisier and offer little gain even compared to a high-end 212 evo. For similar performance, choose a Noctua NH-D14 or D15. I personally prefer water cooling, but under $100 is usually wasteful. P.S. For @ rucdoc, the choice depends on his system specs and future plans beyond SC. With a 4790k, you shouldn’t worry about overheating the CPU at any stage. I’ve run it base for years without issues even switching to a 212. You could save around $100 with a 4690k if it has good cooling and still delivers similar results—just check if you need extra threads or specific applications.