My build

[FirzenExpert]

Hi, I'm new to custom building a computer. I researched through some sites like techguru and I have been changing my mind on which parts I want every few days...

1. Budget $1500-$2000 AUD

2. High end games at full fps and for entertainment video watching, usually 1080p movies (my current comp lags and stutter playing those). I'm planning to overclock.

3. I plan to have at max 3 monitors, but in the near future 2 monitors.

4. I would like some recommendations for keyboard/mouse/headphones.

5. N/A

 

Ok, so originally this was my build: ( I knew hyper-threading "HT"is like uselss for gaming, but then most of the times I open multiple software and I didn't want lag when opening them, and I thought HT POSSIBLY helps, but now i think otherwise)

SSD: Got 1

Memory: I currently have a 1x 8gb ram (I know this cpu can dual and possibly quad channel but didn't really want to spend on it when I already have 8gb and I heard that 8gb is enough for all games.)

Storage Drive: Toshiba DT01ACA300 3TB 7200RPM

CPU: Intel Core i7 4770K

Motherboard : ASUS Sabertooth Z87 / Asus Maximus VI Hero

Power:  Seasonic X-850 80Plus Gold 850W

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Superclocked ACX 3GB (I went this because techguru suggested this)

Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S Multi Socket CPU Cooler /Corsair Hydro Series H100i CPU Cooler

Case: Nanoxia Deep Silence 1 White Case

Monitor: ASUS Pro Art 248Q 24" (was thinking of this after watching $1500 build by linus, but I'm not sure)

 

Now my currently build is this:

Storage Drive: Toshiba DT01ACA300 3TB 7200RPM

CPU: Intel Core i5 4670K

Motherboard : MSI Z87-G45 GAMING

Power: Seasonic G-650 Gold Power Supply SSR-650RM

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Superclocked ACX 3GB

Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S Multi Socket CPU Cooler /Arctic Cooling Freezer i30

Case: Nanoxia Deep Silence 1 White Case

 

By choosing the second (current) option, I'd have enough to buy the monitor if i wish, but the reason why I went with the 1st one previously was because it was silence focused and was a high end build from techguru. But then I keep thinking I want a monitor so.... I had to downsize. But I could live with my current monitor and choose the first option.

If possibly can someone tell me what the difference between the two build in terms of pro/cons.

And in general what do you think, with any suggestions with links to a seller that either ships to Australia, (CPU/motherboard doesn't ship from Amazon to Australia...) or is from Australia.

 

Thanks

 

[Lays]

The second option would be plenty, You'd be fine with a 550 watt PSU if you want to save more money and spend it elsewhere. 

[WoodenMarker]

Neither list provides that much performance for the money.

My recommendations: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/3dJ2V

[Amrat]

2nd option is fine.

[DIV1D3]

I'd suggest this, most people will be looking into build right at the end of your budget so I made mine a little more restrictive, but I think better. 

PCPartPicker part list: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/3dJgx
Price breakdown by merchant: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/3dJgx/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/3dJgx/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($275.00 @ CPL Online)
CPU Cooler: Thermaltake Water 3.0 Extreme 99.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($143.35 @ Mwave Australia)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($229.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($99.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Video Card  ($539.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case  ($209.00 @ Mwave Australia)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($135.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Monitor: AOC i2367Fh 60Hz 23.0" Monitor  ($199.00 @ CPL Online)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Performance Edition (2-Pack) 63.5 CFM 120mm  Fans  ($32.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $1860.35
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-21 23:32 EST+1100)

[FirzenExpert]

Neither list provides that much performance for the money.

My recommendations: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/3dJ2V

Thanks for your effort! I will probably go for 550W psu.

 

I'm glad you recommended parts, could you explain the following ones and how they compare to the current one on my list? And why?

Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 4GB Video Card

NZXT H440 (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case

AOC i2367Fh 60Hz 23.0" Monitor

Gigabyte GA-Z87-HD3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard

NZXT HAVIK 140 90.3 CFM CPU Cooler

 

My thoughts on them:

The monitor you recommended seems good, it's capped at 60hertz, will that like bottleneck my games (or high end ones)? What are the cons of it compared to the Asus 248Q?

Regarding the case, h440 nzxt seems to have no silencing foam, but it does look really good. In terms of looks, H440 seem to win, but I do mind about the silencing aspect, do you have any other reason to support this choice (H440)?

The motherboard seems to cost lesser than the msi one i mentioned, what do i gain/lose from this change other than $?

The graphic card. The GTX 780 SC ACX I can get from amazon for about $610. You recommendeded Radeon R9 which is $529, it seems to say no SLI support, not that I'm sure what it does or how it improves performance, but I think there's possibly some high end games out there that uses it. If possible could you explain this decision and what else I gain/lose compared to the one I mentioned?

The cooler, honestly never heard of it, I'm worried it may not be good enough if I overclock, could you explain your decision and how it compares to my choice?

[Waterhobit]

I recently built a PC http://pcpartpicker.com/b/NWf.  This is a build with a 4670K and EVGA GTX 780 Superclocked.  If you know that you are maxing at 3 monitors and, most importantly, you know that you will not be upgrading to SLI in the future, you may want to consider dropping to the Mini-ITX form factor.  It made for a sweet little machine.

[FirzenExpert]

I'd suggest this, most people will be looking into build right at the end of your budget so I made mine a little more restrictive, but I think better. 

PCPartPicker part list: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/3dJgx

Price breakdown by merchant: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/3dJgx/by_merchant/

Benchmarks: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/3dJgx/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($275.00 @ CPL Online)

CPU Cooler: Thermaltake Water 3.0 Extreme 99.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($143.35 @ Mwave Australia)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($229.00 @ Mwave Australia)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($99.00 @ PCCaseGear)

Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Video Card  ($539.00 @ Mwave Australia)

Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case  ($209.00 @ Mwave Australia)

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($135.00 @ PCCaseGear)

Monitor: AOC i2367Fh 60Hz 23.0" Monitor  ($199.00 @ CPL Online)

Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Performance Edition (2-Pack) 63.5 CFM 120mm  Fans  ($32.00 @ CPL Online)

Total: $1860.35

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-21 23:32 EST+1100)

Thanks for your contribution!

 

The cooler, is Corsair H100i better than Thermaltake Water 3.0 Extreme 99.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler?

The motherboard, it seems you suggested GA-Z87X-UD3H ATX while the person above you suggested GA-Z87-HD3 ATX, is there anything other than price that is different?

The GPU Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Video Card, I like a reason why this rather than the one I listed, I'm not saying either one is surperior, I need reasons.

The case Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case, seems similar to NZXT H440, what are the differences that justify the price difference?

The power EVGA SuperNOVA 650W, is it better than SeaSonic G 550W other than Watts?

The monitor, interesting you recommended same as WoodMarker, is AOC i2367Fh 60Hz 23.0" Monitor really good? what are you're reasons for it

The extra fans Corsair Air Series AF120, hmm, the one that come with the case not good?

[WoodenMarker]

Thanks for your effort! I will probably go for 550W psu.

 

I'm glad you recommended parts, could you explain the following ones and how they compare to the current one on my list? And why?

Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 4GB Video Card

NZXT H440 (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case

AOC i2367Fh 60Hz 23.0" Monitor

Gigabyte GA-Z87-HD3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard

NZXT HAVIK 140 90.3 CFM CPU Cooler

 

My thoughts on them:

The monitor you recommended seems good, it's capped at 60hertz, will that like bottleneck my games (or high end ones)? I also couldn't really find much reviews on it, neither have I ever came across that monitor the past 2 weeks.

Regarding the case, h440 nzxt seems to have no silencing foam, but it does look really good. In terms of looks, H440 seem to win, but I do mind about the silencing aspect, do you have any other reason to support this choice (H440)?

The motherboard seems to cost lesser than the msi one i mentioned, what do i gain/lose from this change other than $?

The graphic card. The GTX 780 SC ACX I can get from amazon for about $610. You recommendeded Radeon R9 which is $529, it seems to say no SLI support, not that I'm sure what it does or how it improves performance, but I think there's possibly some high end games out there that uses it. If possible could you explain this decision and what else I gain/lose compared to the one I mentioned?

The cooler, honestly never heard of it, I'm worried it may not be good enough if I overclock, could you explain your decision and how it compares to my choice?

60hz is pretty standard and the higher end your games get, the less of fps you'll run at with the same settings. The display I recommended is not a ProArt display but is still pretty great being an IPS panel. Here's a review of the i2367Fh:

The 290 and 780 are pretty much neck to neck in performance.

The H44 does have noise dampening foam. For more info on it, Linus and HardwareCannuck's review:

 

The features from the motherboard are different. If you don't need any special features, it doesn't really matter what motherboard you get. 

Sli is an Nvidia tech. Crossfire is AMD's tech for using multiple gpus together. 

For info on sli:

The Havik 140 performs as well as the u14s. 

[DIV1D3]

Thanks for your contribution!

 

The cooler, is Corsair H100i better than Thermaltake Water 3.0 Extreme 99.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler?

The motherboard, it seems you suggested GA-Z87X-UD3H ATX while the person above you suggested GA-Z87-HD3 ATX, is there anything other than price that is different?

The GPU Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Video Card, I like a reason why this rather than the one I listed, I'm not saying either one is surperior, I need reasons.

The case Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case, seems similar to NZXT H440, what are the differences that justify the price difference?

The power EVGA SuperNOVA 650W, is it better than SeaSonic G 550W other than Watts?

The monitor, interesting you recommended same as WoodMarker, is AOC i2367Fh 60Hz 23.0" Monitor really good? what are you're reasons for it

The extra fans Corsair Air Series AF120, hmm, the one that come with the case not good?

Well I just thought that the UD3H has more features and might be more useful. The H440 is very good, you might want to pick it over the 750D just because it's cheaper and has some more desirable features. The Enthoo Primo is also an absolutely awesome choice, you may not need it but it is sooo good. The Sapphire cools better and is quieter and I'm pretty sure performs better, but that's only in the benches, it's not noticeable in-game. The EVGA PSU I listed imo is quite a bit better, it's fully modular and is has another 100Ws on it so that's why I chose it, plus it's EVGA . I've got the monitor muself and I find it pretty good, the only thing I sometimes miss is the tilt but since you said you may not really need I just chose it. And for the fans I just pu them in there so if you get the 750D you can have some more airflow. The H100i is slightly better than the Water 3.0 Extrmeme, it just comes down to preference and price. You may want to get the 3.0 Extreme though, just because it is quieter and has hardly and performance difference to the H100i. 

And I'm done, I've had enough comparing and selecting parts for today . 

[FirzenExpert]

Well I just thought that the UD3H has more features and might be more useful. The H440 is very good, you might want to pick it over the 750D just because it's cheaper and has some more desirable features. The Enthoo Primo is also an absolutely awesome choice, you may not need it but it is sooo good. The Sapphire cools better and is quieter and I'm pretty sure performs better, but that's only in the benches, it's not noticeable in-game. The EVGA PSU I listed imo is quite a bit better, it's fully modular and is has another 100Ws on it so that's why I chose it, plus it's EVGA . I've got the monitor muself and I find it pretty good, the only thing I sometimes miss is the tilt but since you said you may not really need I just chose it. And for the fans I just pu them in there so if you get the 750D you can have some more airflow. The H100i is slightly better than the Water 3.0 Extrmeme, it just comes down to preference and price. You may want to get the 3.0 Extreme though, just because it is quieter and has hardly and performance difference to the H100i. 

And I'm done, I've had enough comparing and selecting parts for today . 

Thank you very much!

[FirzenExpert]

60hz is pretty standard and the higher end your games get, the less of fps you'll run at with the same settings. The display I recommended is not a ProArt display but is still pretty great being an IPS panel. Here's a review of the i2367Fh:

The 290 and 780 are pretty much neck to neck in performance.

The H44 does have noise dampening foam. For more info on it, Linus and HardwareCannuck's review:

The features from the motherboard are different. If you don't need any special features, it doesn't really matter what motherboard you get. 

Sli is an Nvidia tech. Crossfire is AMD's tech for using multiple gpus together. 

For info on sli:

The Havik 140 performs as well as the u14s. 

Thanks for clearing the misunderstanding. Sli/crossfire is for 2 or more graphic card, so it's useless.

[FirzenExpert]

So right now I'm deliberating on the following:

Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Video Card or Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 4GB Video Card or EVGA GeForce GTX780 SuperClocked w/EVGA ACX Cooler 3GB

EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply or SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply

 

Disregarding the money as these ones are similar, which one should I get? Anyone want to recommend and provide reasons?

I understand that Fully-Modular= no cables attached while semi-modular=some cables attached. In terms of convenience, I'm probably leaning towards the evga, but, Seasonic seems to have a very good reputation.

 

Regarding the Radeon GPU, from this website

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1939522/radeon-290-4gb-sapphire-gigabyte.html

 

These are some comments some people provided:

"You should only buy a reference cooled R9 290 if you want your PC to sound like a jet engine and to be hotter than hell. And since I don't think you want that, either wait for the non-reference cooler or buy a GTX 780 for $500"

"I think is not time to get a R9 290 yet, considering the reference cooling is garbage on the 290-290x's, AMD makes their GPU's run ~80C, which does not allow any OC'ing right now, so I would wait for aftermarket cooling.
now the GTX780 is the BEST choice, It runs cooler with higher overclocking and better efficiency."

[WoodenMarker]

So right now I'm deliberating on the following:

Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Video Card or Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 4GB Video Card or EVGA GeForce GTX780 SuperClocked w/EVGA ACX Cooler 3GB

EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply or SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply

 

Disregarding the money as these ones are similar, which one should I get? Anyone want to recommend and provide reasons?

I understand that Fully-Modular= no cables attached while semi-modular=some cables attached. In terms of convenience, I'm probably leaning towards the evga, but, Seasonic seems to have a very good reputation.

 

Regarding the Radeon GPU, from this website

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1939522/radeon-290-4gb-sapphire-gigabyte.html

 

These are some comments some people provided:

"You should only buy a reference cooled R9 290 if you want your PC to sound like a jet engine and to be hotter than hell. And since I don't think you want that, either wait for the non-reference cooler or buy a GTX 780 for $500"

"I think is not time to get a R9 290 yet, considering the reference cooling is garbage on the 290-290x's, AMD makes their GPU's run ~80C, which does not allow any OC'ing right now, so I would wait for aftermarket cooling.

now the GTX780 is the BEST choice, It runs cooler with higher overclocking and better efficiency."

The difference between them is within margin of error depending how they oc. Just get whichever is cheapest or the one you like the most.

The comments are irrelevant because they're talking about reference cards back when aftermarket cards weren't out yet. All the cards in the thread have been aftermarket cards.

 

Semi modular psus tend to only have the cables that you have to use anyway pre-connected. This may end up being the more convenient option. 

[DIV1D3]

Thank you very much!

No problem, glad I could help . 

 

So right now I'm deliberating on the following:

Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Video Card or Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 4GB Video Card or EVGA GeForce GTX780 SuperClocked w/EVGA ACX Cooler 3GB

EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply or SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply

 

Disregarding the money as these ones are similar, which one should I get? Anyone want to recommend and provide reasons?

I understand that Fully-Modular= no cables attached while semi-modular=some cables attached. In terms of convenience, I'm probably leaning towards the evga, but, Seasonic seems to have a very good reputation.

 

Regarding the Radeon GPU, from this website

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1939522/radeon-290-4gb-sapphire-gigabyte.html

 

These are some comments some people provided:

"You should only buy a reference cooled R9 290 if you want your PC to sound like a jet engine and to be hotter than hell. And since I don't think you want that, either wait for the non-reference cooler or buy a GTX 780 for $500"

"I think is not time to get a R9 290 yet, considering the reference cooling is garbage on the 290-290x's, AMD makes their GPU's run ~80C, which does not allow any OC'ing right now, so I would wait for aftermarket cooling.

now the GTX780 is the BEST choice, It runs cooler with higher overclocking and better efficiency."

Well here in Aus I can get a Sapphire R9 290 Tri-X OC for $540, the GTX 780 ACX Superclocked is $680 so there is a big difference. I'd go for the Sapphire card just because of the review I've seen of it and the ability of cooling it has, but really it doesn't have much difference on the actual visible performance of the card so just go with the one that is cheaper and/or looks better to you. I'm not sure but usually the semi-modular PSUs only have the needed cables attached by default, and if you don't really need that extra 100Ws or a fully modular PSU than the Seasonic will do quite well. 

Just in regards to that comment you quotes the person was talking about reference R9 290s, the cooling and noise wasn't the best but the non-reference coolers have eliminated both of those details.

Also I highly recommend PC Case Gear, they are the best with the overall price marginally but only because of shipping, though if you live near one of their warehouses the shipping would be significantly lower or you could just pick it up.  

[FirzenExpert]

 

 

I just checked that Sapphire card length and the nzxt h440 length and it seems, there may be fitting issues.

The case says GPU Clearance With HDD Cage: 294mm, and GPU Clearance Without HDD Cage: 406.2mm

While the Sapphire card length is like 305mm. Seems possible but can anyone assure me?

I also seen people online saying how much more the sapphire card consumes power compared to gtx 780, so I'm a bit concerned about the 550W seasonic.

I think I'll go with the 650W one.

 

The cooler, NZXT HAVIK 140 CPU Cooler, while WoodenMarker made it clear that it performs as good as Noctua NH-U14S, still leaves me a bit concerned.

As I have stated previous, I'm planning to overclock, and I heard 4.5ghz is possible if you get a luck of the draw cpu.

I'm worried that this cooler isn't sufficient for overclocking, can someone reassure me?

 

On memory, I currently have  1x8gb of http://www.kingston.com/en/memory/hyperx/predator/beast

I know that if I have 2x ram I'd benefit from the quad core of the cpu more.

But it doesn't feel like it worth it to buy an additional (2x4gb ram) and return my 1x8gb to my family computer.

Will having 1x8gb make my system poorer (in terms of fps or game performance) to a 2x4gb ram , and if so how much difference?

And if you really think I should buy new ram, anyone want to recommend any.

 

 

On the aside, my current computer:

I have a 4gb ram, which I used to use: Kingston KVR1333D3N9/4G, I was able to combine it with the 1x8gb one to a total of 12gb and it booted and when I checked Cpuz it says my system is running on Dual channel.

But I was worried the 4gb one made the 8gb slower or something to that effect. So I removed it.

I know mismatching ram is not good idea, so don't need to remind me of that.

But I want to know if i use the 4gb+8gb ram on the newly brought computer, what are the effects for like overclocking.

This is the data from Cpu-z :

Northbridge            Intel Sandy Bridge rev. 09

Southbridge            Intel P67 rev. B3

Graphic Interface        PCI-Express

PCI-E Link Width        x16

PCI-E Max Link Width        x16

Memory Type            DDR3

Memory Size            12 GBytes

Channels            Dual

Memory Frequency        665.1 MHz (1:5)

CAS# latency (CL)        9.0

RAS# to CAS# delay (tRCD)    9

RAS# Precharge (tRP)        9

Cycle Time (tRAS)        24

Command Rate (CR)        1T

MCHBAR I/O Base address        0x0FED10000

MCHBAR I/O Size            19456

MCHBAR registers    

Memory SPD

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

DIMM #                1

    SMBus address        0x50

    Memory type        DDR3

    Module format        UDIMM

    Manufacturer (ID)    Kingston (7F98000000000000)

    Size            8192 MBytes

    Max bandwidth        PC3-10700 (667 MHz)

    Part number        KHX2400C11D3/8GX  

    Serial number        67320A6D

    Manufacturing date    Week 04/Year 14

    Number of banks        8

    Nominal Voltage        1.50 Volts

    EPP            no

    XMP            yes

    XMP revision        1.3

    AMP            no

JEDEC timings table        CL-tRCD-tRP-tRAS-tRC @ frequency

    JEDEC #1        6.0-6-6-17-23 @ 457 MHz

    JEDEC #2        7.0-7-7-20-27 @ 533 MHz

    JEDEC #3        8.0-8-8-22-30 @ 609 MHz

    JEDEC #4        9.0-9-9-25-34 @ 685 MHz

XMP profile            XMP-2400

    Specification        PC3-19200

    Voltage level        1.650 Volts

    Min Cycle time        0.833 ns (1200 MHz)

    Max CL            11.0

    Min tRP            10.83 ns

    Min tRCD        10.83 ns

    Min tWR            15.00 ns

    Min tRAS        26.67 ns

    Min tRC            45.00 ns

    Min tRFC        260.00 ns

    Min tRTP        7.50 ns

    Min tRRD        5.83 ns

    Command Rate        1T

XMP timings table        CL-tRCD-tRP-tRAS-tRC-CR @ frequency (voltage)

    XMP #1            6.0-8-8-18-30-1T @ 654 MHz (1.650 Volts)

    XMP #2            7.0-9-9-21-35-1T @ 763 MHz (1.650 Volts)

    XMP #3            8.0-10-10-24-40-1T @ 872 MHz (1.650 Volts)

    XMP #4            9.0-11-11-27-45-1T @ 981 MHz (1.650 Volts)

    XMP #5            10.0-12-12-30-50-1T @ 1090 MHz (1.650 Volts)

    XMP #6            11.0-14-14-33-54-1T @ 1200 MHz (1.650 Volts)

    XMP #7            12.0-15-15-35-59-1T @ 1309 MHz (1.650 Volts)

    XMP #8            13.0-16-16-38-64-1T @ 1418 MHz (1.650 Volts)

    XMP #9            14.0-17-17-41-69-1T @ 1527 MHz (1.650 Volts)

    XMP #10            15.0-18-18-44-74-1T @ 1636 MHz (1.650 Volts)

XMP profile            XMP-2132

    Specification        PC3-17100

    Voltage level        1.600 Volts

    Min Cycle time        0.938 ns (1066 MHz)

    Max CL            11.0

    Min tRP            12.19 ns

    Min tRCD        12.19 ns

    Min tWR            15.00 ns

    Min tRAS        28.13 ns

    Min tRC            45.00 ns

    Min tRFC        260.00 ns

    Min tRTP        7.50 ns

    Min tRRD        6.56 ns

    Command Rate        1T

XMP timings table        CL-tRCD-tRP-tRAS-tRC-CR @ frequency (voltage)

    XMP #1            6.0-8-8-17-27-1T @ 581 MHz (1.600 Volts)

    XMP #2            7.0-9-9-20-31-1T @ 678 MHz (1.600 Volts)

    XMP #3            8.0-10-10-22-35-1T @ 775 MHz (1.600 Volts)

    XMP #4            9.0-11-11-25-40-1T @ 872 MHz (1.600 Volts)

    XMP #5            10.0-12-12-28-44-1T @ 969 MHz (1.600 Volts)

    XMP #6            11.0-13-13-30-48-1T @ 1066 MHz (1.600 Volts)

    XMP #7            12.0-15-15-33-53-1T @ 1163 MHz (1.600 Volts)

    XMP #8            13.0-16-16-36-57-1T @ 1260 MHz (1.600 Volts)

    XMP #9            14.0-17-17-39-62-1T @ 1357 MHz (1.600 Volts)

    XMP #10            15.0-18-18-41-66-1T @ 1454 MHz (1.600 Volts)

DIMM #                2

    SMBus address        0x52

    Memory type        DDR3

    Module format        UDIMM

    Manufacturer (ID)    Kingston (7F98000000000000)

    Size            4096 MBytes

    Max bandwidth        PC3-10700 (667 MHz)

    Part number        9905458-026.A00LF

    Serial number        DD2F6F5B

    Manufacturing date    Week 25/Year 11

    Number of banks        8

    Nominal Voltage        1.50 Volts

    EPP            no

    XMP            no

    AMP            no

JEDEC timings table        CL-tRCD-tRP-tRAS-tRC @ frequency

    JEDEC #1        6.0-6-6-17-23 @ 457 MHz

    JEDEC #2        7.0-7-7-20-27 @ 533 MHz

    JEDEC #3        8.0-8-8-22-30 @ 609 MHz

    JEDEC #4        9.0-9-9-25-34 @ 685 MHz

[DIV1D3]

I just checked that Sapphire card length and the nzxt h440 length and it seems, there may be fitting issues.

The case says GPU Clearance With HDD Cage: 294mm, and GPU Clearance Without HDD Cage: 406.2mm

While the Sapphire card length is like 305mm. Seems possible but can anyone assure me?

I also seen people online saying how much more the sapphire card consumes power compared to gtx 780, so I'm a bit concerned about the 550W seasonic.

I think I'll go with the 650W one.

 

The cooler, NZXT HAVIK 140 CPU Cooler, while WoodenMarker made it clear that it performs as good as Noctua NH-U14S, still leaves me a bit concerned.

As I have stated previous, I'm planning to overclock, and I heard 4.5ghz is possible if you get a luck of the draw cpu.

I'm worried that this cooler isn't sufficient for overclocking, can someone reassure me?

 

On memory, I currently have  1x8gb of http://www.kingston.com/en/memory/hyperx/predator/beast

I know that if I have 2x ram I'd benefit from the quad core of the cpu more.

But it doesn't feel like it worth it to buy an additional (2x4gb ram) and return my 1x8gb to my family computer.

Will having 1x8gb make my system poorer (in terms of fps or game performance) to a 2x4gb ram , and if so how much difference?

And if you really think I should buy new ram, anyone want to recommend any.

 

 

On the aside, my current computer:

I have a 4gb ram, which I used to use: Kingston KVR1333D3N9/4G, I was able to combine it with the 1x8gb one to a total of 12gb and it booted and when I checked Cpuz it says my system is running on Dual channel.

But I was worried the 4gb one made the 8gb slower or something to that effect. So I removed it.

I know mismatching ram is not good idea, so don't need to remind me of that.

But I want to know if i use the 4gb+8gb ram on the newly brought computer, what are the effects for like overclocking.

K, firstly the R9 290 does consume more power than the GTX 780 but a 550W PSU should handle it, but just because the EVGA is about $20 more I think you might want to get that. Just remove the HDD cage, I'm pretty sure there should be enough 5.25" bays for HDDs. Just having 8GB of RAM is fine, no need to buy 2x4GB RAM, there is a slight performance increase but nothing noticeable from what I have experienced. I'd just keep th 8GB RAM in there and leave it as it is, no need to be sticking a 4GB RAM module in there if your not video editing or into 3D animation. 

[FirzenExpert]

K, firstly the R9 290 does consume more power than the GTX 780 but a 550W PSU should handle it, but just because the EVGA is about $20 more I think you might want to get that. Just remove the HDD cage, I'm pretty sure there should be enough 5.25" bays for HDDs. Just having 8GB of RAM is fine, no need to buy 2x4GB RAM, there is a slight performance increase but nothing noticeable from what I have experienced. I'd just keep th 8GB RAM in there and leave it as it is, no need to be sticking a 4GB RAM module in there if your not video editing or into 3D animation. 

It's great when I can get reassurances

[DIV1D3]

It's great when I can get reassurances

That's what I'd like atm with my mining rig . 

[WoodenMarker]

I just checked that Sapphire card length and the nzxt h440 length and it seems, there may be fitting issues.

The case says GPU Clearance With HDD Cage: 294mm, and GPU Clearance Without HDD Cage: 406.2mm

While the Sapphire card length is like 305mm. Seems possible but can anyone assure me?

I also seen people online saying how much more the sapphire card consumes power compared to gtx 780, so I'm a bit concerned about the 550W seasonic.

I think I'll go with the 650W one.

 

The cooler, NZXT HAVIK 140 CPU Cooler, while WoodenMarker made it clear that it performs as good as Noctua NH-U14S, still leaves me a bit concerned.

As I have stated previous, I'm planning to overclock, and I heard 4.5ghz is possible if you get a luck of the draw cpu.

I'm worried that this cooler isn't sufficient for overclocking, can someone reassure me?

 

On memory, I currently have  1x8gb of http://www.kingston.com/en/memory/hyperx/predator/beast

I know that if I have 2x ram I'd benefit from the quad core of the cpu more.

But it doesn't feel like it worth it to buy an additional (2x4gb ram) and return my 1x8gb to my family computer.

Will having 1x8gb make my system poorer (in terms of fps or game performance) to a 2x4gb ram , and if so how much difference?

And if you really think I should buy new ram, anyone want to recommend any.

 

On the aside, my current computer:

I have a 4gb ram, which I used to use: Kingston KVR1333D3N9/4G, I was able to combine it with the 1x8gb one to a total of 12gb and it booted and when I checked Cpuz it says my system is running on Dual channel.

But I was worried the 4gb one made the 8gb slower or something to that effect. So I removed it.

I know mismatching ram is not good idea, so don't need to remind me of that.

But I want to know if i use the 4gb+8gb ram on the newly brought computer, what are the effects for like overclocking.

It will fit. Just remove the hdd cage. 

Systems use less power than you think. You can run it off of a 450w. 550w has plenty of headroom

 

 

The Havik 140 is almost as good as it gets for air cooling. If it wasn't enough for oc'ing, I'm pretty sure the majority of people oc'ing with worse coolers would be pretty royally screwed. If it means anything, I'm running my 3570k at 4.6 ghz with my NH-D14. If you want to see how they stack up:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqsWt2oVPHw

 

Dual channel has nothing to do with having a quad core cpu. It just has more bandwidth than single channel. The difference between single and dual channel are small (4-7% overall) and likely unnoticeable if you're not doing any memory intensive tasks--primary examples being video editing and if you were using the system memory for integrated graphics--both of which you aren't doing. The difference in performance would likely be covered by just having more ram though since having more ram when you would've otherwise ran out would make a much bigger difference. 

It doesn't affect oc'ing unless you're planning to oc the ram. 

[FirzenExpert]

 

Thanks for the response and the youtube links.

I think I'll go 550W now.

Regarding the cooler,

it revealed that it didn't past the 4.4ghz test, technically... but other than that, I'm really convinced it's a good cooler.

So, what are the ramifications? does that mean I shouldn't/couldn't overclock it above like 4.3ghz?

 

The monitor PA248Q seems to be where I want to go.

I am really convinced that AOC i2367Fh 60Hz 23.0" Monitor is a very good monitor, at that price.

But now that my budget has been reduced from all the other parts, I have enough to get that PA248Q, but does anyone want to say it's a bad idea and want to recommend another monitor that has similar functions?

My budget this time is AUD $200~$500.

[WoodenMarker]

Thanks for the response and the youtube links.

I think I'll go 550W now.

Regarding the cooler,  -snip-

it revealed that it didn't past the 4.4ghz test, technically... but other than that, I'm really convinced it's a good cooler.

So, what are the ramifications? does that mean I shouldn't/couldn't overclock it above like 4.3ghz?

 

The monitor PA248Q seems to be where I want to go.

I am really convinced that AOC i2367Fh 60Hz 23.0" Monitor is a very good monitor, at that price.

But now that my budget has been reduced from all the other parts, I have enough to get that PA248Q, but does anyone want to say it's a bad idea and want to recommend another monitor that has similar functions?

My budget this time is AUD $200~$500.

You should shoot for as high as you can. Every chip is different. Some may struggle to get 4 ghz while others can shoot for to 5.

I don't see the need for a ProArt display unless you're working on content creation. Even less so if you're sacrificing the productivity from having 2 displays for it. Of course peripherals are preference but this is just my two cents from my own and others' experiences.

[FirzenExpert]

You should shoot for as high as you can. Every chip is different. Some may struggle to get 4 ghz while others can shoot for to 5.

I don't see the need for a ProArt display unless you're working on content creation. Even less so if you're sacrificing the productivity from having 2 displays for it. Of course peripherals are preference but this is just my two cents from my own and others' experiences.

What I meant was that the temperature/cooling effects of the havik failed at 4.4ghz because temperate was at 90+ (at around 24~25min of the youtube video)

Doesn't that mean I can't go higher than 4.3ghz? even if I got the luck of the draw 4.7+Ghz.

Or is this more complicated, increases in ghz->instability->increase voltage->higher temp (90+)= 4.4ghz failed the test,

But if I had a cpu that when I increase in ghz, it allows more increase in ghz before it goes unstable->ultimately less voltage increase=successful overclock?

 

The monitor, well, I watch videos alot, probably even more than I play online games, so I wanted an excellent screen. And ProArt seems to have best colours.

So I thought maybe I benefit from better colour, and that tilt, swivel, pivot and height adjustment is appealing.

[WoodenMarker]

What I meant was that the temperature/cooling effects of the havik failed at 4.4ghz because temperate was at 90+ (at around 24~25min of the youtube video)

Doesn't that mean I can't go higher than 4.3ghz? even if I got the luck of the draw 4.7+Ghz.

Or is this more complicated, increases in ghz->instability->increase voltage->higher temp (90+)= 4.4ghz failed the test,

But if I had a cpu that when I increase in ghz, it allows more increase in ghz before it goes unstable->ultimately less voltage increase=successful overclock?

 

The monitor, well, I watch videos alot, probably even more than I play online games, so I wanted an excellent screen. And ProArt seems to have best colours.

So I thought maybe I benefit from better colour, and that tilt, swivel, pivot and height adjustment is appealing.

Temperature also varies with the chip. High voltage does result in higher temps. 

Accurate colors aren't the same as good looking colors. Things may end up looking bland and flat to you with more color accuracy. Unless you're working with content creation, there's no need for the color accuracy of a ProArt display. 

If you want tilt, swivel, and pivot, there are cheaper options: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/lg-monitor-ips235pbn

[FirzenExpert]

Temperature also varies with the chip. High voltage does result in higher temps. 

Accurate colors aren't the same as good looking colors. Things may end up looking bland and flat to you with more color accuracy. Unless you're working with content creation, there's no need for the color accuracy of a ProArt display. 

If you want tilt, swivel, and pivot, there are cheaper options: http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/lg-monitor-ips235pbn

Any recommendation on Mouse/Keyboard? and speakers that can hear FLAC