Intel Upgrade help

[Inception9269]

So I'm looking to build a whole new pc, and I was hoping to get some advice some things.

 

As for some background info. this will be my second build. I used to have a store bought desktop for over a year (it having an A8-5500k cpu, and I added a 750ti to it to play games). Several months ago I finally went out and built a whole new rig, this one using an AMD FX-8350 cpu, with the same gpu as my previous build (reason i kept that is cause i plan on getting a gtx 980 when i get my taxes back, so didn't want to waste money at that time on it).

 

I like my AMD rig I have right now, but I decided I want to switch over to intel, so was going to build a new rig and sell my old one.

 

As for the parts I'd be using for my new build,

An I7-4790k (owned now)

An Asus Sabertooth Z97 Mark 1 motherboard

Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2X8) DDR3-1600 ram

Fractal Design Arc XL full tower case

and a Corsair 450w semi psu.

 

I have some questions regarding the ram and the graphics card, as well as the cooling.

As for the ram, I'm debating on the speed of the ram. I keep debating on if i should get 1600 ram or 2133 ram. I've seen that typically there isn't a huge difference to really justify it, but I know there are some games (like BF4 i believe) that takes advantage of faster ram. And was wondering what's the best route with that. And I know many will say 16GB is too much, but one thing I want to do with this build is future proof it quite a bit, and who knows if in the future games will require more ram.

 

As for the graphics card, I've been debating on whether I should get an EVGA gtx 980, or a gigabyte windforce one. I'd prefer the windforce one since it has a much cooler design, and also three fans instead of just one. However that raised a bit of an issue. On gigabyte's site it says that a 600w psu is adviced for that card. I don't really understand why, I have a 450w one, which using pcpartpicker to calculate power usage takes me up to 356w, so I should have a good 100w of room, so was wondering what exactly I should do about that. I want to make this build as power efficient as possible (not to mention the power in my house sucks, where if I'm using a lot of power than the fuse flips) so I want to stay as close to 400w as possible.

 

As for the cooling, this isn't a major priority and will probably be something I'd get sometime later, but I want to get a Corsair H100i liquid cooler. And I have some questions about that. Mostly being the placement of it. Would I place it at the front of the case, or the top of the case (which is best?) and when it comes to the position of the fans/radiator, what works best? Having the fan first with radiator underneath, the fan pulling air from outside in, or having the radiator first and fan underneath it, having the fan pull air in, through it instead of pushing it through it. I've seen it several of linus' videos he does radiator first.

 

Only other question I have is the placement of the psu. I heard there's benefits to having the psu fan pointed inside the case or outside the case, and wondered what they'd be

[Inception9269]

As for storage, I'm going to be carrying over mine from my current build. A 128gb a-data SSD, and a 1tb hdd (will eventually add a bigger hdd)

[Inception9269]

Anyone?

[Rebelattack]

Don't get a 980, get one 970 now and another one later. Get a 650 or 750W PSU don't skimp out and 100 W headroom leaves nothing for upgrading. Never skimp out on the PSU. You can always add RAM later and games are not gonna use a super ammount of more RAM they are definently gonna use more vRAM, but getting 16 Gb RAM isn't a problem as it is not that expensive and some might find it usefull. Speeds don't really matter you are not gonna see a super great FPS increase when you get higher speed RAM. Putting the PSU down is only fine if their is not a carpet beneath it or a other surface that might restrict airflow. outside means it sucks air in cools the PSU and blows it out directly. Otherwise it sucks air out of the case through the PSU and out the back. Most put the fan on the bottom so it is easier for them to create their airflow inside with the fans.

[Inception9269]

I debated on getting two 970's, but I decided I really want the 980, and I'd just get a second one in the future if I needed it (and also when that one is cheaper).

 

As for the power, like I said I need it to be somewhat energy efficient, and using 650+ watts is an easy way for me to run into power issues with my house power switch flipping (I do eventually plan on moving, so that won't always be an issue) but it is for now.

[brob]

I would suggest the Z97 Sabertooth Mark 2 instead of the Mark 1 unless it will reside in a very dusty environemnt.

 

The memory benchmarks suggesting better BF4 performance with higher speed memory have not been widely repeated. One also needs to dig into the details. While max fps is higher, at some speeds min fps is lower and the difference in median fps is not that great. A good rule of thumb is DDR3-1600 CL <= 9 or faster if the price differential is small (a few dollars).

 

A larger psu is not going to draw more power than a smaller one. IOW the electronics determine the actual load, not the psu. If budget permits get an 80+ Gold or Platinum psu as they make more efficient use of power and will actually draw marginally less than an 80+ Bronze.

 

Pick the gpu you like. The differences in cooling, performance, and noise are fairly small.

 

Most people mount an AIO like the H100i as exhaust in the top of the case. Watch the linus video on fan push or pull, he does a good job of explaining placement options and pros & cons.

 

With a bottom mount psu mount it so that the fan draws air in from the bottom of the case and exhausts it out the back. This allows for better flow of air from the front case vents out through the rear and top vents. (I.E. there is no competition from the psu.)

[Inception9269]

I will look into the motherboard bit some more. Right now I chose the mark 1 cause I saw it in linus' videos and liked it's design, will look up the mark 2 perhaps.

 

As for ram, I changed it to G.Skill Sniper Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory with my original draft plan for my build I was gonna go with a solid red and black design, but since I changed the mobo to that sabertooth one, I decided to go for a more military look.

 

As for the PSU, perhaps you could clarify some things, going by what you say, if a psu says that it's something like 600w, does that mean that it still uses whats needed for your parts, and not always using exactly 600w? So if for example my estimated power use was 350w and I had a 600w psu, would that mean it's still using 350 watts?

 

Thanks for the other info

[Inception9269]

What about this psu? Corsair CSM 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply I couldn't find a psu on pcpartpicker that had 600w and 80+ gold

[HashtagMilk]

Your PSU will only use what is needed. If a PSU is 1000w, that means it is capable of powering a system that requires 1000 watts. Just because it has a high wattage doesn't means it uses it all. My reccomendation is the EVGA SuperNOVA G2 750. It is very good quality, comes with a 10 year warranty, and leaves room for that possible two way SLI. I've heard of people having problems with the CS series from Corsair, but I haven't owned one so I can't say much about it.

[Inception9269]

Wow, well that's good to know. I was under the impression before that it meant it would always draw in the full amount of power.

 

The only other thing I wanted to bring up is the gpu. I've heard superclocked ones don't as long as regular ones, the gigabyte one being superclocked. Is that true, and if it is, what kind of life expectancy could I expect?

[Inception9269]

Here's a list I made on pcpartpicker. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/TH79FT Which is pretty much my overall goal, although some things i have clarifications for.

 

For the cooler, that's a thing I don't plan on getting immediately, I'd use the stock cooler, and the other one would be something id get down the line if i need it or if i have the money for it.

 

For the storage, that's another thing i plan on getting later. Right now i have a 128gb ssd and 1tb hdd, although i have around 300gb left with my hdd and once it gets close to 200gb then i'd get that new hdd.

As for the ssd, I plan on sticking with my current one, but when microsoft releases windows 10 I was planning on just buying a whole new ssd (the 500gb one) which gives me plenty of room for system information, dedicating space to use as cache for the hdd, and some to still use for everyday things.

 

Last, the mouse and keyboard is another thing I don't plan on getting immediately, just down the line

[brob]

I would drop the two add-on fans and put the savings into improving the psu. SeaSonic SS-660XP2 is expensive but boasts 80+ Platinum efficiency. SeaSonic SSR-550RM or SeaSonic SSR-650RM are 80+ Gold and more reasonably priced.

[Inception9269]

Actually I already own those fans. They're in my current build right now, but I plan on moving them over with my next one.

 

As for the psu, I really don't want to drop a whole lot just into the power

[Inception9269]

Also I do like how the one i chose is fully-modular

[brob]

Actually I already own those fans. They're in my current build right now, but I plan on moving them over with my next one.

 

As for the psu, I really don't want to drop a whole lot just into the power

 

The psu is the only part in the system that can destroy all the electronics. I am not suggesting that the unit you selected might do this (I doubt it would), just trying to put into perspective the importance of a psu. Keep in mind also that the quality of the power delivered by a psu directly affects the stability of a system and longevity of its electrical components.

[Inception9269]

If you can find another 600-650 watt psu that's also fully modular than I'll look into another

[brob]

If you can find another 600-650 watt psu that's also fully modular than I'll look into another

 

The options are more expensive. XFX P1-650B-BEFX, SeaSonic SS-650KM, SeaSonic X660 Gold, SeaSonic SS-660XP2.

 

If you are willing to consider larger psu: EVGA 220-G2-0750-XR.

[Inception9269]

The options are more expensive. XFX P1-650B-BEFX, SeaSonic SS-650KM, SeaSonic X660 Gold, SeaSonic SS-660XP2.

 

If you are willing to consider larger psu: EVGA 220-G2-0750-XR.

 

Alright, I switched to the XFX one.

 

Also I ordered a few things.

 

I bought the I7-4790k cpu, a Cooler Master Nepton 240m. I was originally going to get the 280l but I watched linus' video on it and the fans were bad and I'd have to spend money to replace them, and the fans on the 240m are great.

I also bought the Fractal Design Arc XL ATX Full Tower Case case. I won't be buying the cpu and mobo until i get my christmas money.

 

I also won't be upgrading the psu and gpu until i get my taxes back

[Inception9269]

Alright, I switched to the XFX one.

 

Also I ordered a few things.

 

I bought the I7-4790k cpu, a Cooler Master Nepton 240m. I was originally going to get the 280l but I watched linus' video on it and the fans were bad and I'd have to spend money to replace them, and the fans on the 240m are great.

I also bought the Fractal Design Arc XL ATX Full Tower Case case. I won't be buying the cpu and mobo until i get my christmas money.

 

I also won't be upgrading the psu and gpu until i get my taxes back

Correction, I meant to say I won't be buying the ram and mobo til then

[Inception9269]

The options are more expensive. XFX P1-650B-BEFX, SeaSonic SS-650KM, SeaSonic X660 Gold, SeaSonic SS-660XP2.

 

If you are willing to consider larger psu: EVGA 220-G2-0750-XR.

 

One more big question, I was looking into mobos again, and which would you consider to be better MSI Z97-Gaming 7 http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-z97gaming7 or the Asus Sabertooth i chose. http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-sabertoothz97

 

I like both of their designs, but the MSI one is much cheaper and more options for ram size

[brob]

One more big question, I was looking into mobos again, and which would you consider to be better MSI Z97-Gaming 7 http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-z97gaming7 or the Asus Sabertooth i chose. http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-sabertoothz97

 

I like both of their designs, but the MSI one is much cheaper and more options for ram size

 

Sort of like asking if a Bently or Jaguar is better. Both of the listed motherboards are good. The Sabertooth is designed as a rugged ultra reliable motherboard. Many components are "Milspec". The MSI Gaming 7 is a high quality motherboard designed to appeal to gamers. Either would be a good choice.

[Inception9269]

Sort of like asking if a Bently or Jaguar is better. Both of the listed motherboards are good. The Sabertooth is designed as a rugged ultra reliable motherboard. Many components are "Milspec". The MSI Gaming 7 is a high quality motherboard designed to appeal to gamers. Either would be a good choice.

 

I decided to go with the MSI one. Funny cause one of my first choices for mobos when I first drafted this build was an MSI gaming 5. I like it's colors and design more. Also changed my ram to fit the color scheme, a black/red Corsair vengeance pro ddr3 1600 2x8gb.

I also liked how the MSI one had 8 sata 6gbs slots. I doubt I'd use all those, but I like having the possibility of it.

 

I think my build draft is done now, http://pcpartpicker.com/p/P7Mgpg

[brob]

I decided to go with the MSI one. Funny cause one of my first choices for mobos when I first drafted this build was an MSI gaming 5. I like it's colors and design more. Also changed my ram to fit the color scheme, a black/red Corsair vengeance pro ddr3 1600 2x8gb.

I also liked how the MSI one had 8 sata 6gbs slots. I doubt I'd use all those, but I like having the possibility of it.

 

I think my build draft is done now, http://pcpartpicker.com/p/P7Mgpg

 

Looks good.

[Inception9269]

Looks good.

 

Actually, I was planning on getting the gigabyte gtx 980 cause it had more fans and I liked it's design more than the regular version EVGA had.

But then there's the Evga gtx 980 classified http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-04gp42988kr this ones' design is also better than the regular one and matches my pc builds color scheme, also it's faster than the gigabyte one, and has 2 fans.

 

Now I'm debating on which to get. the gigabyte windforce one or the evga classified one. I guess it really comes down to price. the Evga one is like $700 right now, but if it's closer to 600 by the time i have my tax money in feb-march then i might get that one

[Inception9269]

Looks good.

I have another question about gpus,

How good are MSI gpus? Cause since I was going with an msi motherboard I was considering getting a msi gtx 980 to match it and was wondering how well they'd be