Getting back in the game!

xehr

xehr

xehr

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So I was shocked to realize the other day it is now 7(!) years since I built my current gaming rig, and it's time for an upgrade. The reality finally hit home yesterday when I bought a game which would not run because my GPU will not support Direct X 11!

So, the real point of this thread is to get some initial advice on what sort of range I should be looking at.

I have spent the morning looking at lots of X99 rigs, and the whole X99 vs Z97 debate, etc.. But here's the thing:

I don't really do a lot of gaming any more (stupid work :( ) and will mainly just be using it for standard tasks plus the odd game. So should I really be spending ~$2000 on a PC?

I don't have an issue spending that (maybe work isn't so bad after all :) ) but is it a good idea?

The main aim I have is to build something as future proof as possible. I don't have a lot of time to keep up with the latest parts and upgrade where necessary so it is highly likely this PC will sit unchanged for the next 5 years, and I want something that can withstand that.

This is why something with X99, DDR4, etc.. appealed to me originally.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance
 
Hi Rowlii, thanks for the reply.

With the future-proof goal in mind, a Z170/X99 build is appealing more than Z97 currently due to DDR4 support.

I'm in the UK currently where 5820K and 6700K seem to be roughly the same price. Most things I've read seem to prefer the 5820K and perhaps it's better for the 6-core seeing as I probably won't be upgrading any time soon?

I'm also reading a lot of good things about the GTX 980TI in terms of future-proofing but the cost does start to add up!

With 5820K and GTX 980TI it's hard to get much under £1500 it looks like, but maybe that's not so bad for 5+ years and I've barely spent anything since building this machine in 2008..
 
Thanks again for the reply.

Have mulled it over a bit more, and think I will cut back a bit on the GPU. Think my days of high-end gaming are more or less over and I don't do any video editing or anything like that.

Am now pencilling in the following:

CPU - i7 5820K (275)
GPU - GTX 970 (250)
MoBo - MSI X99S (200)
PSU (100)
DDR4 4x4GB (100)
250 GB SSD (80)
1TB HDD (40)
Case (60)
Air cooler (50)

for a total of 1175. Thoughts? Is this a decent set-up or is it too unbalanced skewed by that CPU?
 
Great tip on the Motherboard - will go for the X99A.

What is the standard for storage these days? Most popular seems to be to have a smaller (250GB) SSD coupled with a 1TB+ HDD.

Also, CPU Cooler: it seems like something the Noctua NH-D15 is very well respected and can achieve some pretty incredible temperatures (~20-22C idle). I don't mind spending £65 on it but is it worth it considering my modest build? No overclocking planned or SLI and I'd rather not have to get a giant case to fit the fan.

Would something like the £25 unit suggested earlier do me fine or is it worth splashing out for a high end cooler?
 
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At the moment I have 2 x 500 GB HDD and that is about right space-wise.

I think I will go with 250GB SSD + 1 TB HDD.

Also, I edited my post too late so including my second question below:

Also, CPU Cooler: it seems like something the Noctua NH-D15 is very well respected and can achieve some pretty incredible temperatures (~28-30C idle with 5820K). I don't mind spending £65 on it but is it worth it considering my modest build? No overclocking planned or SLI and I'd rather not have to get a giant case to fit the fan.

Would something like the £25 unit suggested earlier do me fine or is it worth splashing out for a high end cooler?

Thanks again for all your helpful advice :)
 
Am not planning any extensive OCing, and not overly bothered about noise (don't want something very loud but does not have to be silent).

Happy to spend a bit more for quality.

I would prefer to keep the case a bit smaller than my current machine this time if possible. Hopefully a small-ish mid-tower and so that probably rules out the "top tier" coolers like those in the review you linked (they all look absolutely huge!).

Possibly the Noctua NH-L12?
 
The more I look into it the more it seems like a mATX motherboard is what I should be getting..

Unlikely to SLI or require a big cooler, and the cases are more compact which is what is a plus for me
 
Thanks, it looks like the EVGA Micro 2 is the best option since it comes with USB 3.1 output so that's probably what I'll go with
 
So I am pretty much settled on:

MoBo: EVGA X99 Micro 2 Micro-ATX
CPU: i7 5820K
GPU: Nvidia GTX 970
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4x4) 2400 Mhz DDR4
SSD: Crucial MX200 250GB 2.5" SSD
HDD: Western Digital Caviar blue 1TB 3.5" 7200 RPM HD
Case: Corsair Air 240
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D9L

Which leaves only the PSU.

I have assumed 4 x 120mm fans and added a few USB devices etc on the OuterVision calculator which recommends a 500W PSU.

Didn't expect this to be so low, do people think 500W will suffice? I was expecting to need around a 650W PSU for 5820K + GTX 970?
 
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This is a good tip and something I noticed reading around last night.

Apparently with the heatpipes the MSI GTX970 is too high to fit in the Air 240 but the EVGA/Gigabyte models fit fine.

I've decided to go with the Gigabyte after reading some comparisons.

On the PSU: I will go with 650W I think just for some headroom, have never had a problem with corsair so am thinking of the RM 650W Gold+?

Lee: Interesting, why do you suggest the BX100 over the MX200? I read that the MX200 is an upgrade on the BX100 in terms of speed and it seems the price is quite similar.
 
Thanks Lee. The MX200 is Please Read The Forum Rules Regarding Competitors, so will go for that.

Can anyone recommend a good cooling setup to go with the Air 240 case?

I don't think I'll need any Liquid AIO/water cooling since I don't plan on heavy OCing so will likely just go for a good fan setup? Or should I be considering water cooling these days?

The case comes with 3 x 120mm stock fans with space for 9(!) fans.
 
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Interesting point on the M.2 slot, had not really considered it until now..

The MX200 has a M.2 version for basically the same price as the SATA, so maybe it's worth switching to that?

What are the main advantages of M.2? I read they have a higher cap on transfer speeds but it looks like 6GB/s is standard maximum for SATA and that's miles above the speeds being quoted for the MX200 (~500 MB/s)

I guess it's one less cable cluttering things up at least!
 
Plan was to go with the Noctua NH-D9L cooler in the Air 240.

Was looking at a build somewhere else and looks like a nice fit.
 
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