Chronix9

Yup, Windows 8 Pro with 8.1 currently downloading

Hey folks, Just put together a new rig and everything works well - just going through all the software stuff now. Specs: MSI Gaming 5 Z97 i5-4690K Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 Kingston HyperX 8GB (2x4GB Kit) 1333Mhz Corsair RM650 Samsung 840 EVO 250GB (ran the Restoration Tool) WD Green 1TB First thing I did was flash the BIOS to the latest version 1.8 (it was 1.4 on boot) and then went through all the drivers, Windows update etc. but I kept getting a message from Windows' Action Center to update the "Chipset Drivers". It directed me to the Intel Driver Update Utility but that doesn't say I have anything to update. I'm not even sure how to check which driver version I have or what the latest should be.. I don't want to fix something that's not broken since Device Manager isn't reporting any yellow exclamation marks but I do want to get the most of my new parts - so if I'm missing out I'd want to update the driver

Yup, the 1TB is a Green drive in there that's super quiet. I've only used like 10% of it so far so just upgrading the SSD at this stage should be more than enough for me. I want to chuck in an extra fan to make the most of the 3-fan built in controller and not have to install a dedicated fan controller. I was thinking about moving the two stock R5 fans to the front (both 140) and then putting a be Quiet! Silent Wings 2 140 PWM (60.4-102.6 CFM) on the back as an exhaust. However I can't anywhere on the internet what the CFM is for the stock R5 fans (2 x Fractal Design Dynamic GP14 140mm)... Would the 2 x Fractal Design Dynamic GP14 140mm in the front and the be quiet! Silent Wings 2 140 PWM in the back as exhaust be okay? All three hooked up to the built in fan controller. I'll have a Corsair SP120 PWM on the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo (which will probably be the noisiest of them all!)

Thanks Captain_WD! I'm just running the WD tests now; the Quick test came out OK and the Extended Test is being run now. I've been talking to more people and a few changes have been recommended: - Gigabyte GTX 970 4GB Gaming Edition Graphics Card $519 (I've been informed that the "Golden" version is not worth the extra $50.. so setting for this performance model of the 970. - Samsung 840 EVO Series 250GB $139 (Cheaper and extra storage) - Fractal R5 $150 (same) - Deepcool Fan Control Panel $20 (to help with noise reduction when not running games)

Thanks for the quick reply EarthboundHero! I've read that the pure copper heat sinks in the Golden Edition runs quieter and cooler or is it not worth it? If not, I might just go with the Gigabyte GTX 970 4GB Gaming Edition for $519. I'll replace the SSD with the Crucial MX100; thanks for that.

Hi folks, 1. Budget & Location ~$1000 AUD as I'm from Melbourne, Australia. 2. Aim I'm planning to upgrade quite a few parts and was wondering if you could let me know if its the right approach and I'm addressing the correct bottlenecks (which I think is my GPU). The most intensive thing I do on the PC is gaming, so happy to stick with the i5. 3. Monitors Currently have a single 1080p Asus monitor. Happy to stick with this too. 4. Peripherals No, got everything including Windows. This is a pure parts upgrade. 5. Why are you upgrading? Mainly to run it quieter and cooler; plus crank up the settings a bit more in newer games. New Parts - MSI GTX 970 Golden Special Edition 4GB $549 (replacing: 1024MB ATI AMD Radeon HD 7850) - Intel 730 Series 240GB $155 (replacing 60GB Kingston as Primary OS drive) - Fractal R5 (leaving stock case fan) $150 (replacing old NZXT that is too small!) Total $949 AUD Old Parts: - ASRock B75M-GL Motherboard - Intel Core i5 3570K with the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo (with Corsair SP120 Fan) - Corsair RM650 PLUS Gold - 8.00GB Kingston HyperX Dual-Channel DDR3 (need to check frequency) - Secondary Drives: 60GB Kingston SSD and 1TB WD HDD - Adding 2 x AF120 Corsair Series Case Fans