Desktop replacement - would welcome suggestions please

firbolg

firbolg

firbolg

Associate
Joined
21 Oct 2014
Posts
34
HI
My current system is 4+ years old: Configuration is Gigabyte Z97X-SLI (Intel Z97 Socket 1150), 16GB x DDR3 2133, Intel i5-4690K, Corsair Hydro H105 liquid cooler, ATI Radeon RX580, Superflower Leadex 650W power supply, Bitfenix Ronin tower case, Dell U2417H monitor, Sata disks (SSD and spinning). System is not overclocked.

Two reasons for changing:
1. Some small items acting up - e.g USB connections. I would like to change before it is forced on me. I have had 4+ good years out of this.
2. My photo workload and music collections have grown very significantly and the duration of backups is becoming an issue. I Need something considerably faster than USB.

I will retain the GPU and monitor- just a few months old.The rest I will try to sell off.

So I will need
- case, something similar to what I have, looks decent rather than spectacular, easy to configure
- power supply, guessing the same wattage as now?
- motherboard, minimum 6xsata, minimum 2xUSB3.1 and 3 other USB, ideally on-board WI-Fi. Plus an external Thunderbolt (?) connection to provide much faster backups.
CPU, preferably Intel, not less powerful than the i5-4690K
- CPU cooler, preference for something similar to Hydro H105
- RAM, 16GB needed.

My workload consists of office - WP, EMail, internet access etc. Photo editing (Photoshop) is an increasing part of my usage, together with a growing music collection. The kids play a limited amount of games -Assassins Creed etc. - not significant.
No requirement for overclocking. Not unusually demanding workload but I want a very responsive system when I am using it.

I am out of touch with much of the technology at this stage so I would welcome and appreciate suggestions for the above.
Thanking you in advance.
eddie
 
orbitalwalsh / ExRayTed
Thank you for your responses.
're budget: I was hoping to limit it to £1000, ideally less.
Thunderbolt may be too expensive. On reflection a board with usb3.1 would give me a step up on what I have, so maybe ill drop thunderbolt.
 
firbolg said:
orbitalwalsh / ExRayTed
Thank you for your responses.
're budget: I was hoping to limit it to £1000, ideally less.
Thunderbolt may be too expensive. On reflection a board with usb3.1 would give me a step up on what I have, so maybe ill drop thunderbolt.
Click to expand...

Coming at top end i5 8600k (enable MCE in bios to auto overclock to max single core speed for all cores !)
Thunderbolt 3 mobo , as well as internal USB 3.1c port to attach to cases from usb C port.
Thunderbolt 3 is twice the speed of USB 3.1 Gen 2 , if you can- go thunderbolt if you have thunderbolt 3 storage at hand .

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £1,000.20 (includes shipping: £15.30)​
​

More Power, handy if using other Adobe programs for editing like light room , non K versions with 4.3ghz all core boost and B360 WiFi board

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £808.64 (includes shipping: £11.70)​
​
 
orbitalwalsh
thank you for the proposed configurations.
I am inclined towards the i5 - I am not usually cpu-limited with my current i5. Let me look at it again.
I am inclined towards the non-thunderbolt motherboard - it is 3 times the cost of the other one, and with USB 3 gen 2 I think my backups may be manageable.
Any saving here can go towards faster external drives for backup (USB 3 gen 2 v usb 3.0 currently)

s 550W enough power? by the time I add 1 x RX 580, 3 x SSD, 1 x U2417H monitor, 1 x spinning disk, 2 x DVD R/W, mouse, Keyboard am I cutting it a bit fine? My current supply is 650W.

Let me look at the specs of the cases, motherboards and CPUs before finally deciding.

Once again, thank you for your assistance. It is much appreciated.
eddie
 
ExRayTed I'm not sure yet how I will dispose of my current system. If selling as a working system, or if passing it on to a family / friend, it will need the power supply.
 
firbolg said:
ExRayTed I'm not sure yet how I will dispose of my current system. If selling as a working system, or if passing it on to a family / friend, it will need the power supply.
Click to expand...

Then in that case I'd buy a cheaper unit to go into the pc you're getting rid of and keep your one. It's very good quality :)
 
I've been looking at the suggested motherboards and cases. First my requirements maybe in a bit more detail:
- no overclocking, i5 / i7, 16gb memory maybe more later, 1 x GPU, 3/4 SSD, 1/2 spinning disks, 1 x dvd r/w, usb 3.1 gen 2 and 3.0 / 2.0. Probably not thunderbolt.
- My requirements for a case are decent-looking rather than fancy, reasonably easy to fit out, no plans for leds / additional fans.
- Re external USB connections: I currently have 2 x USB 3.0 and 2 x USB 2.0 on the front panel. I rarely have to pull out the case to get at rear-panel USB connections.
On the new case I want 2 x USB 3 gen 2 and 2 x USB 3.0 / 2.0 on a convenient panel (front or side).

In case I am misunderstanding this, I assume USB 2.0, USB 3.0 and USB 3.1 gen 1 offer the same throughput - up to 5GPS, and that USB 3.1 gen 2 offers up to 10 GPS.

From my look at the suggested configs
- The corsair 270R seems limited, with just 1 external usb gen 2 on the back panel I THINK, and 2 x usb 3.0 connections on the front panel. It says 2 x 3.5 and 2 x 2.5 slots for storage - can it hold more?
The Hydro h100x is not listed as a compatible liquid cooler?
- The Coolermaster looks a better choice, though it may be overkill for me.
- The B360 motherboard seems to have only 1 usb gen 2 connection and that's on the back panel. Most of the other USB connections also seem to be back-panel.
- The Z390 Designaire seems to have only 1 usb gen 2 / thunderbolt on the front, with most of the USB connections on the back panel? Overspec for my needs. I assume this choice was because I wanted thundferbolt - now probably not a requirement.

I am happy with the ram, cooler, cpu (i5 8600K or i7 8700, probably the i7 8700) and power supply if I don't use my existing one. I just need to close off on the motherboard and case.
eddie
 
550w should be plenty with a good unit .

B360 has limited connections to H370 and then z390.
Intel started bring a lot 'in house ' which means vendors saved money buy not buying 3rd party controllers etc .

Higher end boards like h370 Aorus and z390 Aorus have internal gen 2 3.1 USE C ports internal and more usb 3 internal and external 30.0/3.1 standard ports .

Get what you pay for etc .
 
orbitalwalsh / ExRayTed
I am going to drop the thunderbolt requirement - USB 3.1 gen 2, with some streamlining of my backups, will address my need for faster backups.
Without the need for thunderbolt, would a motherboard like Z370 aurus gaming wifi give me what I need? Its' more expensive than the B360 but well below the cost of the Z390.

I've looked at every diagram I could find of the Corsair 270R. I cannot establish if I can fit 3/4 x SSD and 1/2 spinning disks - it says 2 x 3.5 and 2 x 2.5.
Also, I cannot establish what type of USB is on the two front panel connections, or is that a function of the motherboard? (Showing my lack of knowledge!!).
Also, I don't see how a DVD read/writer can be fitted - seems like a solid front?

eddie
 
Where I am at:
Going with - either i5-8600K or i7-8700, depending on final numbers, leaning towards the i7-8700.
- Corsair 16GB Vengeance LPX DDR4.
- Corsair TX550m power supply (if not re-using my current supply).
- Corsair Hydro 100x cooler, but must confirm compatibility with the selected case.

Case: I want to have on-board DVD read / writer rather than an external one, so I am looking at either Corsair 200R or BitFenix Shogun midi, both of which allow front-fitted DVD (I THINK!)

Motherboard: The Z390 is over-spec for my requirements now. I might be better going with the 370 chipset rather than the 360? I am considering the Gigabyte Z370 Aurus gaming.
This would bring the overall cost, including Windows 10, to about £1000.

I would appreciate any comments on the choice of motherboard and case before I move on this build?
Thanks again for the input so far.
eddie
 
firbolg said:
Where I am at:
Going with - either i5-8600K or i7-8700, depending on final numbers, leaning towards the i7-8700.
- Corsair 16GB Vengeance LPX DDR4.
- Corsair TX550m power supply (if not re-using my current supply).
- Corsair Hydro 100x cooler, but must confirm compatibility with the selected case.

Case: I want to have on-board DVD read / writer rather than an external one, so I am looking at either Corsair 200R or BitFenix Shogun midi, both of which allow front-fitted DVD (I THINK!)

Motherboard: The Z390 is over-spec for my requirements now. I might be better going with the 370 chipset rather than the 360? I am considering the Gigabyte Z370 Aurus gaming.
This would bring the overall cost, including Windows 10, to about £1000.

I would appreciate any comments on the choice of motherboard and case before I move on this build?
Thanks again for the input so far.
eddie
Click to expand...

as a heads up, found about Corsair warranty/RMA which is a bit different from the rest . Might of seen we do quote seasonic units quite a lot as like corsair have long warranty and highly rated units. Corsair Replace Units with brand new ones once RMA is accepted and tested via reseller . Other brands will repair a unit before hand, Seasonic use a 3rd part company in Germany etc

Stick with b360 with non K intel CPUs, wasted on Z boards or z390 over z370 ! intel moved everything to onboard and dropped the need for 3rd party controllers as found on Z370 boards. also the board designs are much much better for z390 then 370 at cheaper prices!



My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £830.24 (includes shipping: £12.30)
​

pure 600 holds 3 HDD and 2 SSD easily, can even mount 6 SSDs if needs be underneath the HDD , 2 mounted at the back. Unit will house 240 AIO easily !

7XrOXaS.jpg


would house the corsair, intel and aorus parts nicely
 
Last edited:
orbitalwalsh
Many thanks for your help - and also to ExRayTed.
I'm happy with that basket and will place an order over the weekend.
eddie
.
 
firbolg said:
orbitalwalsh
Many thanks for your help - and also to ExRayTed.
I'm happy with that basket and will place an order over the weekend.
eddie
.
Click to expand...

heads up, for £10 more you can pick up Aorus H370 - key difference is audio, vrm and USB C internal header to connect to case header- though would mean grabbing something like this

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/H370-AORUS-GAMING-3-WIFI-rev-10#kf

damn nice case with USB C front port

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/phanteks-eclipse-p600s-silent-midi-tower-case-black-ca-08v-pt.html

4x 3,5" hdd plus extra 6 if needs be haha , plus 4 ssd around the back
 
firbolg said:
I've been looking at the suggested motherboards and cases. First my requirements maybe in a bit more detail:
- no overclocking, i5 / i7, 16gb memory maybe more later, 1 x GPU, 3/4 SSD, 1/2 spinning disks, 1 x dvd r/w, usb 3.1 gen 2 and 3.0 / 2.0. Probably not thunderbolt.
- My requirements for a case are decent-looking rather than fancy, reasonably easy to fit out, no plans for leds / additional fans.
- Re external USB connections: I currently have 2 x USB 3.0 and 2 x USB 2.0 on the front panel. I rarely have to pull out the case to get at rear-panel USB connections.
On the new case I want 2 x USB 3 gen 2 and 2 x USB 3.0 / 2.0 on a convenient panel (front or side).

In case I am misunderstanding this, I assume USB 2.0, USB 3.0 and USB 3.1 gen 1 offer the same throughput - up to 5GPS, and that USB 3.1 gen 2 offers up to 10 GPS.

From my look at the suggested configs
- The corsair 270R seems limited, with just 1 external usb gen 2 on the back panel I THINK, and 2 x usb 3.0 connections on the front panel. It says 2 x 3.5 and 2 x 2.5 slots for storage - can it hold more?
The Hydro h100x is not listed as a compatible liquid cooler?
- The Coolermaster looks a better choice, though it may be overkill for me.
- The B360 motherboard seems to have only 1 usb gen 2 connection and that's on the back panel. Most of the other USB connections also seem to be back-panel.
- The Z390 Designaire seems to have only 1 usb gen 2 / thunderbolt on the front, with most of the USB connections on the back panel? Overspec for my needs. I assume this choice was because I wanted thundferbolt - now probably not a requirement.

I am happy with the ram, cooler, cpu (i5 8600K or i7 8700, probably the i7 8700) and power supply if I don't use my existing one. I just need to close off on the motherboard and case.
eddie
Click to expand...

Can confirm the H100X fits fine in the 270R, was just not updated on the site once the H100X launched!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom