Upgrading and replacing

[OnionRings]

Looking to do some upgrading and replacing soon. I'm getting a friends 6700 that I'll be using and I want to sell my i5 once I get it, thinking with current pricing and Ryzen competition I should be able to get around 150$ for it. With that, I want to get a new case, motherboard, and PSU.

 

• The case, this is what I want to change the most, my case is the Corsair 200R, it's not bad for a budget case but its plain, boring, and not amazing. I want to upgrade, I was possibly thinking a friends suggestion of the Phanteks P400S, thoughts? I'd be happy to take other suggestions, I once was interested in the S340, but since then other great cases have been released. I just want something under 100$ that has a ton of great features like dust filters, a window, fan slots, etc.
• PSU, I just want a fully modular one, I have enough wattage with mine, but I'm tired of all these cables. Seriously, I'll upload my cables later so you can see, all of them are so short and annoying they just hang like a web of annoyance in the main chassis. I can barely re-route them.
• The last bulletin I put is motherboard because this is the least needed upgrade, as I said I'll be getting a friends 6700, obviously, that doesn't need a fancy Z170 or Z270 board, as it's the non-K version. So is there fancy H110 boards? Or are they all crappy budget mini ITX junk? I'm looking to go from mini ITX to standard, I have enough features as far as RAM slots, USB, PCI-E, only problem is just how short the board is, it effects cable re-routing too. Also, I just want something clean. I don't want to buy a fancy window case, and then have a chummy mini ITX board sitting in there.

I'll upload the cable picture soon.

 

Edit: Cable picture as I said I'd upload. Note the HDD bracket and 5.25'' bracket, can't be removed, hogs precious space. I have 2 intake fans the 1 you can see and the other is cock blocked behind the HDD cave (bottom) so the air flow is terrible. I want a case with a clean front, possibly one where I can install the SSD on the back or something and the HDD in the basement, or something similar. I also need to get fans with longer wires.

This is what I have so far https://pcpartpicker.com/user/OnionRings/saved/9D2YJx

 

I placed the 6700 in there even though I won't be buying it, just for reference. I think I'll be choosing the MSI B150 PC Mate board as it looks pretty clean, and still doesn't cost too much, it also allows crossfire if I ever want to buy a 2nd 480, I probably won't but if I ever find one SUPER cheap or something maybe. But I mostly chose it because of price and clean looks. I threw on the 2nd stick of ram as I have been needing more. The case I think I have decided on the P400S TG edition, it's such a nice case I can't pass it up. The PSU is the same exactly one I have now except fully modular, I trust Seasonic since my current one is holding up 2 years strong, and I'm not about to pay 75$ for a 650w gold by EVGA that I don't need. And lastly I chose 3 new fans, my current ones are garbage so I chose 3 really good strong but quiet fans to go in the case, 2 front, 1 rear, all hooked up to the built-in fan speed controller embedded in the case. (I'll probably leave the top of the case sealed off with the foam to prevent dust and noise).

 

Thoughts? (Still taking suggestions, just might not budge on case though)

Edited April 24, 2017 by OnionRings
Adding link

[OnionRings]

I think everybody hates me now because I hate macs. Huehuehue.

[iamthecpu]

I have helped a friend build in an s340. It's one of the better cases that I have worked in. As far as the motherboard goes, just looked on pcpartpicker and did not any standouts. That being said, I put an asus h87 pro in my brothers build and it has been rock solid for over a year now.      

[OnionRings]

1 hour ago, iamthecpu said:

I have helped a friend build in an s340. It's one of the better cases that I have worked in. As far as the motherboard goes, just looked on pcpartpicker and did not any standouts. That being said, I put an asus h87 pro in my brothers build and it has been rock solid for over a year now.      

 

TBH I haven't even looked yet, I'll probably take one. I don't expect something as fancy as a Z170 or Z270 board, I just want a reliable full size board that doesn't look like ass.

 

Of course I CAN always get Zed boards but its spending more not needed money... even if it leaves me the option to get a K cpu, I don't really want to, my end game goal is high end Ryzen or w/e else is good in 2-3 years when I upgrade again.

[OnionRings]

I found all these under 100$, thoughts?

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/NdmxFT/msi-motherboard-b150pcmate

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/s9Gj4D/msi-motherboard-b150gamingm3

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/qJbkcf/msi-motherboard-z170apcmate

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/fcqbt6/asrock-motherboard-z170pro4s

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/r3yxFT/msi-motherboard-z170asli

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/NsL7YJ/gigabyte-motherboard-g1sniperb7rev10

 

There was also cheaper ones on PCPP but no or very low ratings. These were all 4 star or higher with at least 5 ratings.

[OnionRings]

Editing main post with PCPP link.

[Sanctorum]

Why spend all that money and then get ugly RAM? 

+1 for P400S, great case to work in and looks amazing, especially the TG version.

The 520W unit isn't going to be much use IMO, you were talking about wanting a motherboard with XFire support, but 520W wouldn't be enough for 2 x 480s anyway. Get a nice 600-650W unit. 

Good shout on the fans, Pure Wings 2's are great.

 

For motherboard, you can actually overclock that 6700 if you install an older BIOS to a compatible Z170 motherboard, so I'd get a decent Z170 chipset motherboard and then that at least gives you the option to OC if you want to try it out.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($0.00) 
Motherboard: MSI Z170A PC MATE ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($97.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($58.88 @ OutletPC) 
Case: Phanteks ECLIPSE P400S TEMPERED GLASS ATX Mid Tower Case  ($99.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G3 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($89.49 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case Fan: be quiet! Pure Wings 2 51.4 CFM  120mm Fan  ($10.49 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case Fan: be quiet! Pure Wings 2 51.4 CFM  120mm Fan  ($10.49 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case Fan: be quiet! Pure Wings 2 51.4 CFM  120mm Fan  ($10.49 @ SuperBiiz) 
Total: $377.81
 

Stellar quality PSU, with XFire support. Nice Z170 motherboard, m.2 slot, and XFire support. Only thing I don't like about the PC Mate boards is that god awful brown PCB, so a Z170A SLI, or better yet, Z170A SLI Plus would be a good shout for aesthetics. The Z170A SLI and Z170A SLI Plus both have XFire support and the Plus version has an m.2 slot, but the cheaper Z170A SLI has no m.2 slot, so keep that in mind.

 

If you want a cheaper PSU, I'd suggest this;

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/DmWrxr/evga-bq-600w-80-bronze-certified-semi-modular-atx-power-supply-110-bq-0600-k1

Still enough for XFire 480s/580s, and the cables aren't ugly, just plain black. It's NOT fully modular, but it IS semi-modular.

[OnionRings]

9 hours ago, Sanctorum said:

Why spend all that money and then get ugly RAM? 

+1 for P400S, great case to work in and looks amazing, especially the TG version.

The 520W unit isn't going to be much use IMO, you were talking about wanting a motherboard with XFire support, but 520W wouldn't be enough for 2 x 480s anyway. Get a nice 600-650W unit. 

Good shout on the fans, Pure Wings 2's are great.

 

For motherboard, you can actually overclock that 6700 if you install an older BIOS to a compatible Z170 motherboard, so I'd get a decent Z170 chipset motherboard and then that at least gives you the option to OC if you want to try it out.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($0.00) 
Motherboard: MSI Z170A PC MATE ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($97.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($58.88 @ OutletPC) 
Case: Phanteks ECLIPSE P400S TEMPERED GLASS ATX Mid Tower Case  ($99.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G3 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($89.49 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case Fan: be quiet! Pure Wings 2 51.4 CFM  120mm Fan  ($10.49 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case Fan: be quiet! Pure Wings 2 51.4 CFM  120mm Fan  ($10.49 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case Fan: be quiet! Pure Wings 2 51.4 CFM  120mm Fan  ($10.49 @ SuperBiiz) 
Total: $377.81
 

Stellar quality PSU, with XFire support. Nice Z170 motherboard, m.2 slot, and XFire support. Only thing I don't like about the PC Mate boards is that god awful brown PCB, so a Z170A SLI, or better yet, Z170A SLI Plus would be a good shout for aesthetics. The Z170A SLI and Z170A SLI Plus both have XFire support and the Plus version has an m.2 slot, but the cheaper Z170A SLI has no m.2 slot, so keep that in mind.

 

If you want a cheaper PSU, I'd suggest this;

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/DmWrxr/evga-bq-600w-80-bronze-certified-semi-modular-atx-power-supply-110-bq-0600-k1

Still enough for XFire 480s/580s, and the cables aren't ugly, just plain black. It's NOT fully modular, but it IS semi-modular.

 

I chose ugly ram because I already own a stick of that same ram, I was just upgrading to 16GB. I may not be able to afford to buy a whole new 16GB kit if I can though I will consider it.

 

I originally chose this PSU for cost, it's still fully modular, and gets the job done. I was thinking that it's going to be a long time before I go crossfire, if I ever do, the chances are slim as I'm more of a 1 card guy, but if I ever choose to go crossfire, I can simply get a new PSU then rather then waste the un-needed power now, as it's almost 30$ more in cost. If I can afford it, then I will perhaps get the better PSU, but for now, with the budget in mind, this one will work fine.

 

As far as the 6700 and motherboard goes, that's an interesting consideration, but I'll probably pass on the OC'ing part, it will probably void warranty I imagine, and then I also need to get a new cooler, as of now I plan to just use my stock i5 6500 cooler on the 6700, of course, I can just buy a cheap 212 or something, but again that's more money not needed, but again I will consider it.

 

And lastly the motherboard, good choice, that board is only about 20$ more, which is fairly decent for Z170 board, and I imagine it has more features than the B150. I'm not too picky about it though, really all I want is plenty of USB ports, a good clean design, and a good efficient power phase system so I can OC my GPU further and keep it more stable, other than that again I'm not too picky. I will also consider the Z170 board though because it will not only give me the option to upgrade to K skews if I want to, but it will offer the ability to get faster ram if desired, and of course, the crossfire capability.

 

All good choices. The overlord I thank you for your contribution human.

[Sanctorum]

Just now, OnionRings said:

I chose ugly ram because I already own a stick of that same ram, I was just upgrading to 16GB. I may not be able to afford to buy a whole new 16GB kit if I can though I will consider it.

 

I originally chose this PSU for cost, it's still fully modular, and gets the job done. I was thinking that it's going to be a long time before I go crossfire, if I ever do, the chances are slim as I'm more of a 1 card guy, but if I ever choose to go crossfire, I can simply get a new PSU then rather then waste the un-needed power now, as it's almost 30$ more in cost. If I can afford it, then I will perhaps get the better PSU, but for now, with the budget in mind, this one will work fine.

 

As far as the 6700 and motherboard goes, that's an interesting consideration, but I'll probably pass on the OC'ing part, it will probably void warranty I imagine, and then I also need to get a new cooler, as of now I plan to just use my stock i5 6500 cooler on the 6700, of course, I can just buy a cheap 212 or something, but again that's more money not needed, but again I will consider it.

 

And lastly the motherboard, good choice, that board is only about 20$ more, which is fairly decent for Z170 board, and I imagine it has more features than the B150. I'm not too picky about it though, really all I want is plenty of USB ports, a good clean design, and a good efficient power phase system so I can OC my GPU further and keep it more stable, other than that again I'm not too picky. I will also consider the Z170 board though because it will not only give me the option to upgrade to K skews if I want to, but it will offer the ability to get faster ram if desired, and of course, the crossfire capability.

 

All good choices. The overlord I thank you for your contribution human.

No, that's fair enough, re-use that RAM and add another 1x8GB of the same stuff if you want. You could always buy heat spreaders for them anyway, no need to buy a whole new kit, especially with the price of RAM these days.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100008004&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&Order=BESTMATCH&PageSize=36

 

For PSU, that's fine, but upgrading PSU in the future for XFire is a pain in the ass, and means you've spent $55 more than you need to since you already purchased the 520W Seasonic unit that won't work. I done the exact same thing in the past, bought a 500W unit because it was fine for a single GTX 770, decided to add a 2nd 770 later and had to buy a new 650W unit. Unfortunately I didn't do my research and got a sub par PSU(still good, just not great) and ended up spending more again and just went with a 750W G2 when they first released lol.

 

Whether you overclock or not, I'd still suggest going for a Z170 chipset motherboard. They're just typically better quality anyway, have more features, and tend to look nicer. Plus you have that option of overclocking if you ever do want to in the future. It's easy enough to add a cooler later anyway. Your warranty will be fine. Definitely use stock cooler for now though. I'd recommend adding an aftermarket cooler in the future regardless, especially with a nice case like the P400S TG. Don't get a 212 EVO though. Get a Cryorig M9i, H7, Raijintek Aidos, or Be Quiet! Pure Rock(Slim).

 

Yeah, Z170A PC Mate, Z170A SLI, and Z170A SLI Plus are all solid boards. The lack of m.2 on the Z170A SLI is a bit of a pain in the ass but if you know for a fact you'll never need it, for $100, the Z170A SLI is a steal. That being said, I'm the kind of person who'd want the m.2 slot, just in case lol. I've used a couple of MSI Z97 boards, and *kinda* used an MSI Z170 board(for a friends system I built), they were all good motherboards. I personally prefer ASUS' UEFI, so that's what I use in my systems for the most part, but MSI's UEFI is pretty solid from what I've seen.

[OnionRings]

1 minute ago, Sanctorum said:

No, that's fair enough, re-use that RAM and add another 1x8GB of the same stuff if you want. You could always buy heat spreaders for them anyway, no need to buy a whole new kit, especially with the price of RAM these days.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100008004&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&Order=BESTMATCH&PageSize=36

 

For PSU, that's fine, but upgrading PSU in the future for XFire is a pain in the ass, and means you've spent $55 more than you need to since you already purchased the 520W Seasonic unit that won't work. I done the exact same thing in the past, bought a 500W unit because it was fine for a single GTX 770, decided to add a 2nd 770 later and had to buy a new 650W unit. Unfortunately I didn't do my research and got a sub par PSU(still good, just not great) and ended up spending more again and just went with a 750W G2 when they first released lol.

 

Whether you overclock or not, I'd still suggest going for a Z170 chipset motherboard. They're just typically better quality anyway, have more features, and tend to look nicer. Plus you have that option of overclocking if you ever do want to in the future. It's easy enough to add a cooler later anyway. Your warranty will be fine. Definitely use stock cooler for now though. I'd recommend adding an aftermarket cooler in the future regardless, especially with a nice case like the P400S TG. Don't get a 212 EVO though. Get a Cryorig M9i, H7, Raijintek Aidos, or Be Quiet! Pure Rock(Slim).

 

Yeah, Z170A PC Mate, Z170A SLI, and Z170A SLI Plus are all solid boards. The lack of m.2 on the Z170A SLI is a bit of a pain in the ass but if you know for a fact you'll never need it, for $100, the Z170A SLI is a steal. That being said, I'm the kind of person who'd want the m.2 slot, just in case lol. I've used a couple of MSI Z97 boards, and *kinda* used an MSI Z170 board(for a friends system I built), they were all good motherboards. I personally prefer ASUS' UEFI, so that's what I use in my systems for the most part, but MSI's UEFI is pretty solid from what I've seen.

 

I agree with the PSU part because when I first built my PC it only had my CPU in it, it was meant to be a work station with no GPU and I only put a CX430 in it, then I decided to get a GPU and had to upgrade. (Well I didn't have to, 430w is enough, but I wanted a better quality PSU)

 

I'll check out one of those 3 boards, all of them except the Z170A SLI have m.2?

[OnionRings]

As a matter of fact, I think I'm going to get the MSI Z170 Gaming M5, its 30$ more, but worth it. 2 M.2 slots, and its always been my dream board. So sexy with that red and black. (yes I'm a red and black nut)

[Sanctorum]

Z170 PC Mate and Z170A SLI Plus have m.2, yes. The Z170A SLI is the only one without m.2, I suppose that's how they cut price from the Plus model. Z170 Gaming M5 is another fine choice.