970 and Upgrade Advice

PepprmntNghtmre · 19 Mar 2015 at 15:16

Hi,

I'm upgrading my gaming build this Easter for probably the first time since December 2010. My current setup is this:

Case: Cooler Master HAF 922
GPU: XFX 6950 2GB
PSU: Corsair TX750M
Mobo: Asus M5A97 Pro
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 970 BE
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo
RAM: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2x4GB)
SSD: OCZ Vertex 4 128
HDD1: Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 500GB

Making it smaller and quieter is as important as making it more powerful to me. With that in mind here is my planned upgrade:

Case: White Bitfenix Phenom Mini-ITX (£60)
GPU: GTX 970-
Gigabyte G1 Gaming (£290)
Asus Strix (£285)
MSI Twin Frozr (£280)
EVGA ACX 2.0 (£276)
PSU: Corsair TX750M (free)
Mobo: MSI Z87I Gaming AC (£70)
CPU: i5 4690k (£174)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo (free)
RAM: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2x4GB) (free)
SSD: OCZ Vertex 4 128 (free)
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 500GB (free)
Total cost = £580 to £594 depending on GPU choice. I'll be selling all my unused components to recoup some of this.

Ideas on which 970 brand to go for or any other improvements would be much appreciated!

Many thanks

Divine Pain · 19 Mar 2015 at 15:38

If you're dead set on that case I would recommend the stock cooler one which has a promo going on at the moment http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-206-OK&groupid=701&catid=1914&subcat=1010

If not you could go with the infin8 card with the same promotion http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-075-KF&groupid=701&catid=1914&subcat=1010 but you would be sacrificing internal temps being higher

Sandycheeks · 19 Mar 2015 at 17:24

Z97 mobo, no point getting Z87 now.

dasimpse · 19 Mar 2015 at 20:59

I'm sure the g1 gaming is seen as the best for overclocking and performance? But the fans don't ever shut off. That's the one I'll go for if I can finally decide what card to get. Also deffo go z97

implosiveturnip · 20 Mar 2015 at 10:38

Divine Pain said:
If you're dead set on that case I would recommend the stock cooler one which has a promo going on at the moment http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-206-OK&groupid=701&catid=1914&subcat=1010

If not you could go with the infin8 card with the same promotion http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-075-KF&groupid=701&catid=1914&subcat=1010 but you would be sacrificing internal temps being higher

I have the phenom and temps aren't an issue at all. There's more than enough airflow for an OC'd CPU and GPU, especially if you're shooting for a 970.

Though if you are dead set on that case OP, I'd recommend going for the mATX version and choosing an mATX board too. More options available, might end up slightly cheaper (usually pay a premium for decent mITX boards) and gives you a bit more space to work with on the board and more for other upgrades, all in the same physical footprint.