Help on parts

[Rexchaos]

Building a Bitfenix Prodigy M

 

x2 970's need opinion on which brand and/or if i should get stock coolers but i couldn't find any reference 970's.

 

Motherboard-unknown. Will need one with atleast or 2 pci e express lanes (Z97)

Must be m-atx boards

^Require a 60 ohm impedance for Hyperx Cloud .

 

 

Will 8 gbs be enough for strictly gaming? a little bit of streaming? cause i hear that "8gb is the norm" and might not be enough etc. can we fully saturate even 8gbs of ddr3?

 

Seasonic 750w gold semi-modular ps .

 

i5 4690k .

H100i cooler or refer any other coolers / AIO for moderate OC .

 

Need suggestion on SSD brands. I know Samsung 840 Evo's are good but is there any other for a good price/productivity ratio ? I heard crucials are pretty good, but which read/writes are the best? etc .

 

 

Thanks for the help.

[Giraffackle]

The i5 4690K is a great processor, you will love it if your main purpose is to game. Unless you are doing anything else like video editing, 8GB should be enough for you as not many games take advantage of more than 8GB at the moment, but you can get some good deals on 16GB if you are interested. The only problem I'm noticing in your build is, I don't think you can fit two graphics cards and an h100i in a Prodigy M. Correct me if I'm wrong though, never worked with the case, but it seems like the h100i takes up one of the spots where the GPU goes.

[runit3]

-0-

 

I hope you have small hands! I hate building in those damn Prodigy's.

 

I love the Z97 Gryphon I built with. SLI support, audio should be fine (I ran my G4me Zero's off it) although I can't find specific impedance specs -60Ω isn't that high.

8GB should be plenty for gaming unless you're streaming/web browsing/doing a ton of other tasks at the same time.

 

840 EVO's are pretty much the standard for price:performance. I haven't used anything else other than a crucial MX500 in the last year simply because it was on sale...sitting in my Xbone

 

Seidon 240M's are on sale right now, think $30 off the H100 and you don't have to worry about mounting issues, only 2-4C off the H100 in most benchmarked reviews.

[runit3]

The i5 4690K is a great processor, you will love it if your main purpose is to game. Unless you are doing anything else like video editing, 8GB should be enough for you as not many games take advantage of more than 8GB at the moment, but you can get some good deals on 16GB if you are interested. The only problem I'm noticing in your build is, I don't think you can fit two graphics cards and an h100i in a Prodigy M. Correct me if I'm wrong though, never worked with the case, but it seems like the h100i takes up one of the spots where the GPU goes.

Board is mounted parallel to ground. Only problem with fitment is going to be throwing away the 5.25" bay (top config) or the 5.25" + drive bays (front config).

[Giraffackle]

Board is mounted parallel to ground. Only problem with fitment is going to be throwing away the 5.25" bay (top config) or the 5.25" + drive bays (front config).

Alright, like I said I never worked this case so I was just trying to tell from pictures I saw. I honestly don't think 5.25" drive bays are much of a sacrifice since no one uses them anymore. If you really need an optical drive, you could always get an external one.

[Rexchaos]

Board is mounted parallel to ground. Only problem with fitment is going to be throwing away the 5.25" bay (top config) or the 5.25" + drive bays (front config).

So if i dont use my drive bays and use strictly SSD's i could fit x2 gpus and a h100i? I won't be using the driver cages anyway.

 

The i5 4690K is a great processor, you will love it if your main purpose is to game. Unless you are doing anything else like video editing, 8GB should be enough for you as not many games take advantage of more than 8GB at the moment, but you can get some good deals on 16GB if you are interested. The only problem I'm noticing in your build is, I don't think you can fit two graphics cards and an h100i in a Prodigy M. Correct me if I'm wrong though, never worked with the case, but it seems like the h100i takes up one of the spots where the GPU goes.

How good are the deals on the 16 gb? I mean its relatively around 80 for 8 gb (2x4gb) and honestly i never seen it dip below 150ish,enough for me to actually consider burning nearly twice for something i won't really be using because i won't be editing.

 

I hope you have small hands! I hate building in those damn Prodigy's.

 

I love the Z97 Gryphon I built with. SLI support, audio should be fine (I ran my G4me Zero's off it) although I can't find specific impedance specs -60Ω isn't that high.

8GB should be plenty for gaming unless you're streaming/web browsing/doing a ton of other tasks at the same time.

 

840 EVO's are pretty much the standard for price:performance. I haven't used anything else other than a crucial MX500 in the last year simply because it was on sale...sitting in my Xbone

 

Seidon 240M's are on sale right now, think $30 off the H100 and you don't have to worry about mounting issues, only 2-4C off the H100 in most benchmarked reviews.

How good are the seidon 240m's ? I see people talking mostly about the h100i and arent the Seidon 240m's tubes too small? I feel that they arent as premium and as good as a AIO cpu cooler compared to the h100i. And For the z97 gryphon i was interested in it until i saw that it doesnt have 2 pci express lanes at 3.0.

PCI Express 3.0 x16 2 (Single at x16, Dual at x8/x8) ^Does that mean only one is at 3.0 x 16? and the others are at pci express 3.0 x8 or something?

[Giraffackle]

Board is mounted parallel to ground. Only problem with fitment is going to be throwing away the 5.25" bay (top config) or the 5.25" + drive bays (front config).

I'm not sure if we are talking about the same case  Rexchaos, you want the Bitfenix Prodigy M, correct? Because that case has the Mobo mounted normally.

[Rexchaos]

I'm not sure if we are talking about the same case  Rexchaos, you want the Bitfenix Prodigy M, correct? Because that case has the Mobo mounted normally.

Yes it would be the Bitfenix Prodigy M.

[runit3]

I'm not sure if we are talking about the same case  Rexchaos, you want the Bitfenix Prodigy M, correct? Because that case has the Mobo mounted normally.

:lol: missed the M in Prodigy M.

My bad. Def mounted vertically.

 

 

So if i dont use my drive bays and use strictly SSD's i could fit x2 gpus and a h100i? I won't be using the driver cages anyway.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/919558_249109861894152_1061424038_o.jpg

 

They'll fit, it's just going to be VERY tight.

 

How good are the seidon 240m's ? I see people talking mostly about the h100i and arent the Seidon 240m's tubes too small? I feel that they arent as premium and as good as a AIO cpu cooler compared to the h100i.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6916/cooler-master-seidon-240m-and-12-more-coolers-the-retest-and-megaroundup/6

They perform well, and do not have mounting issues with 1150 like the H100 does (@Faceman has excellent info on this).

 

And For the z97 gryphon i was interested in it until i saw that it doesnt have 2 pci express lanes at 3.0.PCI Express 3.0 x16 2 (Single at x16, Dual at x8/x8) ^Does that mean only one is at 3.0 x 16? and the others are at pci express 3.0 x8 or something?

Your CPU only has 16 lanes of support, and to my knowledge there isn't an mATX board with a PLX chip on it to enable x16/x16 (there may be? :huh: but it wouldn't make much sense). If you want SLI on 1150 mATX they'll be running at x8/x8 PCIe 3.0, you'll notice no performance loss.

[Faceman]

Avoid the H100i.  It has a terrible problem with mounting, pump noise, pump failure, and corsair link.  Mainly, the mounting problem.  It is not guaranteed to work for everyone out of the box without modifications.

 

If you live in the U.S., definitely get the Cooler Master Seidon 240M.  It is only $60 after MIR and 10% Visa Checkout discount.  Performs just as good as the H100i and at almost half the cost.  No mounting problems, nearly silent pump, and excellent stock fans.

[Rexchaos]

:lol: missed the M in Prodigy M.

My bad. Def mounted vertically.

 

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/919558_249109861894152_1061424038_o.jpg

 

They'll fit, it's just going to be VERY tight.

 

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6916/cooler-master-seidon-240m-and-12-more-coolers-the-retest-and-megaroundup/6

They perform well, and do not have mounting issues with 1150 like the H100 does (@Faceman has excellent info on this).

 

Your CPU only has 16 lanes of support, and to my knowledge there isn't an mATX board with a PLX chip on it to enable x16/x16 (there may be? :huh: but it wouldn't make much sense). If you want SLI on 1150 mATX they'll be running at x8/x8 PCIe 3.0, you'll notice no performance loss.

So its like actually proven the Seidon 240m's are better than the h100i? and would it fit in the case? Btw what does the

PCI Express 3.0 x16 2(x16 or dual at x8) mean^ . But either way i don't lose power at pci express 3.0 x8 compared to x16 running dual 970's ?  

 

Avoid the H100i.  It has a terrible problem with mounting, pump noise, pump failure, and corsair link.  Mainly, the mounting problem.  It is not guaranteed to work for everyone out of the box without modifications.

 

If you live in the U.S., definitely get the Cooler Master Seidon 240M.  It is only $60 after MIR and 10% Visa Checkout discount.  Performs just as good as the H100i and at almost half the cost.  No mounting problems, nearly silent pump, and excellent stock fans.

Sounds like a good buy. I live in the US and i'll probably check it out.

 

 

 

Side:Does anyone know which graphic card models i should get? MSI 970 4g , gigabyte gaming g1 970 or reference cooler due to case size.

[runit3]

So its like actually proven the Seidon 240m's are better than the h100i? and would it fit in the case? Btw what does the

PCI Express 3.0 x16 2(x16 or dual at x8) mean^ . But either way i don't lose power at pci express 3.0 x8 compared to x16 running dual 970's ?  

 

Sounds like a good buy. I live in the US and i'll probably check it out.

 

 

 

Side:Does anyone know which graphic card models i should get? MSI 970 4g , gigabyte gaming g1 970 or reference cooler due to case size.

It's not that the Seidon's are the quantifiable "winner", they are not (by 2-4C on average), the difference is the price:performance ratio -which is the sensible suggestion here. You can pay $30 more for something that is almost within the margin of error temp wise, while at the same time risking mounting issues, or just sacrifice those 2 degrees C for saving some cash and not having to worry.

 

Everything you'll need to know about PCIe:

 

I would go with reference coolers unless you can get the exact measurements of both the cards and the space you're going to put them in.

[Rexchaos]

It's not that the Seidon's are the quantifiable "winner", they are not (by 2-4C on average), the difference is the price:performance ratio -which is the sensible suggestion here. You can pay $30 more for something that is almost within the margin of error temp wise, while at the same time risking mounting issues, or just sacrifice those 2 degrees C for saving some cash and not having to worry.

 

Everything you'll need to know about PCIe:

http://youtu.be/LSSHuMHbCWo

 

I would go with reference coolers unless you can get the exact measurements of both the cards and the space you're going to put them in.

Alright. ill check out more reviews comparing the seidon and h100i. And also i can fit them im sure but the biggest problem is my case, its a pretty small matx case imo and im afraid for air flow/ventilation. Reference coolers in sLI are better due to the blower type cooler in cases with bad air flow, so im confused which one should i get. and i don't believe there are reference 970's.

[Rexchaos]

Can anyone also refer me to some nice mATX motherboards? w/ Dual pci e express 3.0 x16 or x1 @ 16 and 8/8 dual.

 

Also SSD recommendations for a good price/performance ratio?

 

 

Need MATX board based on

Mostly looking for 1)Sound

2)OC Abilities

3)Reliability/Build quality