Worth upgrading case & mobo?

HunterAP · February 9, 2017

Hi all,

My current system specs are this:

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/92jVwV

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: MSI Z170-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2133
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" SSD
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal HDD
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal HDD
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal HDD
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 8GB ACX 3.0
Case: Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 650W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX PSU
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A14 PWM 82.5 CFM 140mm Fan

It's not particularly loud, even under load, but I was considering buying the bequiet! Dark Rock 900 Pro case to replace my Fractal Design Arc Mid R2. I figured if I get a new case, I'd like to also get a new motherboard as well. My only requirements for the case is that it should be decently quieter than my current case (IE: has sound proofing built-in), and the only requirements I have for the motherboard is that it can hold up to 5 SATA 3rd Gen drives, as well as 2-way SLI if I ever decide to get another GTX 1080 down the line, and one USB 3.1 Type-C port.

I've been eyeing the Asus Z170-E motherboard, but are there any similar boards, possibly with reinforced PCI-e slots to hold up my GPU(s)?

Bazilias · February 9, 2017

The Dark Rock 900 Pro is a good and silent case. I would recommend that one. I don't know why you would need 5 SATA ports for your hard drives but that's none of my business. Your current motherboard doesn't have the requirements you're looking for as far as I can see.
I would recommend this motherboard for your requirements: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/8rvZxr/asus-z170-pro-gamingaura-atx-lga1151-motherboard-z170-pro-gamingaura

Snooli · February 9, 2017

If you already have that PCPP build at home, you'd be only throwing money out the window. I don't see a reason to change the case, but I'm one of those people that would run a cardboardPC without problems. Regarding the motherboard, it just doesn't make sense to buy another motherboard when you already have one that works. Those PCIe metal shields are only a marketing gimmick. I've never seen a board with a ripped out PCIe slot. If something happens to the PCIe slot, it's the notch on the end that gets damaged, not the slot itself.

TL;DR:

Not worth it for the MoBo, the case change is too subjective and about personal preference to be judged by some random folks on a forum.

HunterAP · February 10, 2017

16 hours ago, RaptorCandy said:

The Dark Rock 900 Pro is a good and silent case. I would recommend that one. I don't know why you would need 5 SATA ports for your hard drives but that's none of my business. Your current motherboard doesn't have the requirements you're looking for as far as I can see.
I would recommend this motherboard for your requirements: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/8rvZxr/asus-z170-pro-gamingaura-atx-lga1151-motherboard-z170-pro-gamingaura

The mobo looks perfect, don't know how I missed it on PCPartPicker when I was searching.

15 hours ago, Snooli said:

If you already have that PCPP build at home, you'd be only throwing money out the window. I don't see a reason to change the case, but I'm one of those people that would run a cardboardPC without problems. Regarding the motherboard, it just doesn't make sense to buy another motherboard when you already have one that works. Those PCIe metal shields are only a marketing gimmick. I've never seen a board with a ripped out PCIe slot. If something happens to the PCIe slot, it's the notch on the end that gets damaged, not the slot itself.

TL;DR:

Not worth it for the MoBo, the case change is too subjective and about personal preference to be judged by some random folks on a forum.

The main reason I'd prefer a different case (as in the Dark Rock Pro 900) is to make the system quieter. It'd almost inaudible at idle but under load it gets to be pretty annoying, even though I only get ~70c on the CPU or the GPU at max. Also my current mobo doesn't support SLI, and I think I can just re-use my current mobo/case for something in the future (probably upgrading one of my family member's PC's in the future).