PC upgrade

[Tygra]

Hey guys,

 

I only recently got familiar with LTT and I'm having a blast. In many videos the team encourages the viewers to join the forums, so here I am.

Joined because I'm looking into upgrading my current pc and I'm always paranoid when I'm buying new hardware. I hope more experienced pc builders can help me decide or agree with my choices.

 

First of all my current setup:

Case: CM Force 500

MOBO: MSI Z97 Gaming 5

PSU: Seasonic X750

CPU Cooler: Hyper 212 Evo

CPU: i7 4770

Graphics: MSI GTX 1070 Gaming X

RAM: 2x Kingston 8GB 1866Mhz

Also I have 2 sata SSDs, 2 7200rpm sata HDDs, a 5400rpm SATA HDD and an optical drive which I never use.

 

I was happy with this setup for a long time, but now some CPU demanding games are suffering because of my 4770.

 

The upgrades I have in mind. An i7 8700k and either MSI z370 gaming plus or gaming m5 motherboard.

Tthe two boards I listed are on 3/5 rating here in Hungary, so I'm a bit clueless. I really hate change and I rarely change my mind about a brand I was using for years but I'm open to other brands because I have no idea what to choose. Maybe MSI z370-a pro? It's cheaper and the reviews are better.

I'm planning to get an m.2 later.

 

I have an unopened Cryorig H7 laying around and I'll get some therman grizzly paste so that should be fine. I don't OC.

 

Memory I'm lost with. ARK lists the cpu as ddr4-2666 compatible. I guess I can use higher clock speed rams but not lower? Enlighten me about this, please.

I've been using Kingston ram for the last decade and this might be the time to change. I've been looking around and I found the 2x8GB Corsair Veng. LPX DDR4 3000Mhz. Or should I go with the sweetspot 3200Mhz Corsair? Is G.SKILL any good? Never heard of them.

16 GB should be enough for now, I'll get two more of the same kind later.

 

One of my concern was the PSU, if 750 gold+ will be enough or not. What do you guys think?

Color, RGB doesn't matter for me, and I'm not craving performance.

My budget is around 800 usd.

 

Any opnion and help is appreciated.

[Jurrunio]

7 minutes ago, Tygra said:

 

The upgrades I have in mind. An i7 8700k and either MSI z370 gaming plus or gaming m5 motherboard.

Tthe two boards I listed are on 3/5 rating here in Hungary, so I'm a bit clueless. I really hate change and I rarely change my mind about a brand I was using for years but I'm open to other brands because I have no idea what to choose. Maybe MSI z370-a pro? It's cheaper and the reviews are better.

I'm planning to get an m.2 later.

z370-a pro is a surprisingly good motherboard, de8auer pushed an 8700k to 5.1ghz on it and VRMs didnt overheat even without airflow, unlike other cheap boards.

9 minutes ago, Tygra said:

Memory I'm lost with. ARK lists the cpu as ddr4-2666 compatible. I guess I can use higher clock speed rams but not lower? Enlighten me about this, please.

I've been using Kingston ram for the last decade and this might be the time to change. I've been looking around and I found the 2x8GB Corsair Veng. LPX DDR4 3000Mhz. Or should I go with the sweetspot 3200Mhz Corsair? Is G.SKILL any good? Never heard of them.

16 GB should be enough for now, I'll get two more of the same kind later.

you can use lower than 2666 for sure, but anything higher requires Z chipset motherboard.

sweet spot depends on price.

G.skill is good. In fact, all brands you can buy are good, since the manufacturer of the memory dies are still Samsung, Micron or Hynix.

10 minutes ago, Tygra said:

One of my concern was the PSU, if 750 gold+ will be enough or not. What do you guys think?

Color, RGB doesn't matter for me, and I'm not craving performance.

My budget is around 800 usd.

750 Gold is enough, but as always, change your PSU when the warranty runs out since they are a type of consumable.

[LordofSavages]

1. I doubt a 4770 will bottleneck a 1070

2. I suggest not to take user reviews alone and take proper review sites and specs into your decision

3. If you do get an 8700K, it's pretty much mandatory to OC, it's pretty easy and there are plenty of guides, but if you do so i suggest selling the H7 and using an R1 ultimate if you want to stick with the brand or big air/liquid

4. Intel says the CPU is compatible with 2666Mhz but anything above it is an overclock, if you buy RAM above 2666Mhz then it'll be the XMP rating or basically the RAM manufacturer says you can run it at this speed no problem

5. 2400Mhz is fine unless you're on ryzen or you need some specific workload to work perfectly or simply have money to spend.

6. I use G.skill TridentZ RGB 3000Mhz in my build and it's not given me any issues. Corsair is good too. Just pick whatever is pretty and cheap (and from a reliable brand but honestly most stuff you find that's at 3000Mhz is from one)

7. If you're getting an NVME M.2 drive make sure your motherboard has a PCIE M.2 slot, it's something you could miss

8. 750 watt is plenty

[Tygra]

5 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

z370-a pro is a surprisingly good motherboard, de8auer pushed an 8700k to 5.1ghz on it and VRMs didnt overheat even without airflow, unlike other cheap boards.

you can use lower than 2666 for sure, but anything higher requires Z chipset motherboard.

sweet spot depends on price.

G.skill is good. In fact, all brands you can buy are good, since the manufacturer of the memory dies are still Samsung, Micron or Hynix.

750 Gold is enough, but as always, change your PSU when the warranty runs out since they are a type of consumable.

Thank you for the quick answer and the friendliness.

[Tygra]

1 minute ago, YaqinHasan said:

1. I doubt a 4770 will bottleneck a 1070

2. I suggest not to take user reviews alone and take proper review sites and specs into your decision

3. If you do get an 8700K, it's pretty much mandatory to OC, it's pretty easy and there are plenty of guides, but if you do so i suggest selling the H7 and using an R1 ultimate if you want to stick with the brand or big air/liquid

4. Intel says the CPU is compatible with 2666Mhz but anything above it is an overclock, if you buy RAM above 2666Mhz then it'll be the XMP rating or basically the RAM manufacturer says you can run it at this speed no problem

5. 2400Mhz is fine unless you're on ryzen or you need some specific workload to work perfectly or simply have money to spend.

6. I use G.skill TridentZ RGB 3000Mhz in my build and it's not given me any issues. Corsair is good too. Just pick whatever is pretty and cheap (and from a reliable brand but honestly most stuff you find that's at 3000Mhz is from one)

7. If you're getting an NVME M.2 drive make sure your motherboard has a PCIE M.2 slot, it's something you could miss

8. 750 watt is plenty

Thanks! However, I have a terrible fear of liquid cooling. Don't know why.

2. Well, I can still go for the R1 Ultimate later I guess, if I get the 8700k. The 8700 is $62 cheaper than the 8700k. If I don't OC the 8700k, should I get the 8700 instead?

4. I had no idea about that, thanks.

[LordofSavages]

1 minute ago, Tygra said:

Thanks! However, I have a terrible fear of liquid cooling. Don't know why.

2. Well, I can still go for the R1 Ultimate later I guess, if I get the 8700k. The 8700 is $62 cheaper than the 8700k. If I don't OC the 8700k, should I get the 8700 instead?

4. I had no idea about that, thanks.

2. If you don't plan to OC but have money, still go for the 8700k for the slightly higher out of the box clocks and the possibility later on. However, if you want to save money then grab the 8700

If you don't want liquid then still go for some form of double tower air cooler like an NH-D15 or DRP3, but do check for case and RAM clearance then

[Tygra]

14 minutes ago, YaqinHasan said:

2. If you don't plan to OC but have money, still go for the 8700k for the slightly higher out of the box clocks and the possibility later on. However, if you want to save money then grab the 8700

If you don't want liquid then still go for some form of double tower air cooler like an NH-D15 or DRP3, but do check for case and RAM clearance then

Thanks. I think I'll go with the 8700 and the Cryorig H7. I've been fine for years with a not unlocked cpu, this hsould be fine too.:) Thanks for the informative post.