New build - i5 - need help

[Man Manne]

So I'm coming from my Q9550 and 8GB DDR2 6400... I need a new toy, it's been so long.

I will be keeping my current GPU for now as it's doing a cracking job, also I have a Samsung 850 EVO 120GB on standby.

So the I need help where listed in red below. Budget wise, I'm unsure of so far, but definitely PLEASE nowhere near £600!

Case - I really like the NZXT H440

CPU - *HELP* i5 4690 (OEM) - I hear the 'K' variant is the one to get?

Heatsink - *HELP* I want to go for one of the self-contained water units, been looking at the Corsair Hydro H110i GT cooler with dual SP140L fans, but need to check how they'll fit in this case.

PSU - *HELP* I want a modular one to keep the case as empty as possible. No fan/LED colours please, unless GREEN. Then I would be VERY interested!

Fans - I will be rescuing a 120mm Sanyo Denki from my current machine to potential replace the rear 140mm

GPU - Keeping my current one

Memory - *HELP* Want at least 16GB of DDR3 2133 at least.

SSD - 120GB 850 EVO

Optical - *HELP* Want an external USB3 one (not inside the case as case doesn't support!!)

Extras - *HELP* May want a LED also, any recommendations for something that would still keep the case very tidy?

I've been looking but have a headache

 

[sweols]

4690k as its clockable, you'll need a decent z97 board to go with that.

If you're going single gpu, 500-550 psu
if you're going sli/crossfire then 750-800w is recommended from a quality brand such as superflower/evga.

Have a look at the s340 ( as you don't want an internal optical drive ) the case has superior cable management and cooling capabilities.

I also recommend a larger ssd, i made the mistake of going 120gb my myself. You can find decent ones @ 250gb

As far as water cooling is concerned, theres many different alternatives. Personally use x31 kraken and it does hell of a job!

 

[Man Manne]

What are the differences between chipsets with the 1150's? There's so many?!?!

 

[Man Manne]

Thanks for that quick reply.

The S340, I take it is the 340? I'm looking at the 440 anyway which looks very similar, bar a few things. If they are so similar, I'll take the hit and go for looks with the 440

I have always had single GPU, but have always had at least 700W PSU's. Strange that when I built last, this "Superflower" or even "NZXT" weren't even around, and now they're quality brands. I will have to have a look into their modular ones.

The 120GB is easily enough. I have done lots of trimming down of un-needed things. I still have 11GB free on my 60GB Vertex 2.

There is no page file, no indexing etc. Although, have to admit, I've forgotten half of the things I did that was recommended back in the day. Is it still savvy to put your page file on a different drive even?

 

[lude1962]

'PSU - *HELP* I want a modular one to keep the case as empty as possible. No fan/LED colours please, unless GREEN. Then I would be VERY interested! '
the 440 has a psu shroud so you cant see it anyway

Leave page file on the ssd, no page file = bad performance
Indexing leave as is,

 

[Danny75]

Both the S340 and H440 bring massive PSU shrouds under which there is tons of room to hide the excess cables of non-modular PSUs.

The cooling performance of a decent air cooler is generally equal to or better than 120mm liquid AIOs.

Here is an alternative spec, in order to get it down from over £600:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Asus Z97-K - Devils Canyon Core i5 4690K Bundle **£14 Saving** £273.58
1 x Avexir Venom Series 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17200C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (AVD3U21331104G-2CIG) - Green Light £67.99
1 x NZXT Source 340 Midi-Tower Case- Black Window £59.99
1 x SuperFlower Golden Green HX 550W "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £54.95
1 x Raijintek Ereboss Core CPU Cooler £26.99
1 x Samsung SE-208GB/RSBD External Slimline 8x DVD-RW (TV Connect) - Black £21.98
1 x Silverstone Cable Extension Value Bundle - White £10.80
- 1 x No Molex to SATA Adapter Required £0.00
- 1 x Silverstone 8-pin PCIe 6+2 Pin 25cm PCIe Extension - White £3.29
- 1 x Silverstone 8-pin PCIe 6+2 Pin 25cm PCIe Extension - White £3.29
1 x NZXT CB-LED10-GR 12x Green LED Sleeve - 1m £9.98
2 x Alpenföhn 120mm Wing Boost 2 Plus PWM fan - Green £8.45 (£16.90)
Total : £549.73 (includes shipping : ).




Specced white cables to be illuminated by the green leds, which just looks nicer than green-coloured cables, imo. I believe your present GPU has 2 x 6 pin connectors, however if you get that bundle and select 6+2 pin cables instead then you'll be sorted when/if you upgrade GPU to one that may need 8 pin.

You could move the rear and top case fans that the S340 brings, to the front 2 x 120 mounts, and use the Alpenfohns for the cooler and rear fan mount.


If you go for a H440 instead:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Asus Z97-K - Devils Canyon Core i5 4690K Bundle **£14 Saving** £273.58
1 x NZXT H440 Midi-Tower - Black / Green £89.99
1 x Avexir Venom Series 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17200C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (AVD3U21331104G-2CIG) - Green Light £67.99
1 x SuperFlower Golden Green HX 550W "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £54.95
1 x Raijintek Ereboss Core CPU Cooler £26.99
1 x Samsung SE-208GB/RSBD External Slimline 8x DVD-RW (TV Connect) - Black £21.98
1 x Silverstone Cable Extension Value Bundle - White £10.80
- 1 x No Molex to SATA Adapter Required £0.00
- 1 x Silverstone 8-pin PCIe 6+2 Pin 25cm PCIe Extension - White £3.29
- 1 x Silverstone 8-pin PCIe 6+2 Pin 25cm PCIe Extension - White £3.29
1 x NZXT CB-LED10-GR 12x Green LED Sleeve - 1m £9.98
1 x Alpenföhn Wing 140mm Boost 2 Plus PWM Fan - Green £9.95
1 x Alpenföhn 120mm Wing Boost 2 Plus PWM fan - Green £8.45
Total : £581.23 (includes shipping : ).




Just changed the case and swapped a 120mm fan for a 140mm.

Can add more RAM later if you really need it.

These leds come with three brightness options and a PCI adapter thingy (which you can tuck away under the PSU shroud instead of mounting it to a PCI slot, to keep things tidier).

If you want liquid cooler and 16GB RAM, it's probably going to go over £600, unless you don't bother with green theme etc.

 

[Danny75]

This cooler is a good alternative (the white fan frame should get a greenish hue from the leds) and is less bulky than the Ereboss: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-015-PT

Height-wise the Ereboss will fit in either case but may block the first RAM slot once the fan is on.

The Phanteks PH-TC14S won't block any RAM slots and will definitely fit height-wise in the H440 case. In the S340 I don't know for sure.

 

[Andreas.96]

YOUR BASKET
1 x Asus Z97-K - Devils Canyon Core i5 4690K Bundle **£14 Saving** £273.58
1 x Avexir Venom Series 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17200C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (AVD3U21331104G-2CIG) - Green Light £67.99
1 x NZXT Source 340 Midi-Tower Case- Black Window £59.99
1 x SuperFlower Golden Green HX 550W "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £54.95
1 x Raijintek Ereboss Core CPU Cooler £26.99
1 x Samsung SE-208GB/RSBD External Slimline 8x DVD-RW (TV Connect) - Black £21.98
1 x Silverstone Cable Extension Value Bundle - White £10.80
- 1 x No Molex to SATA Adapter Required £0.00
- 1 x Silverstone 8-pin PCIe 6+2 Pin 25cm PCIe Extension - White £3.29
- 1 x Silverstone 8-pin PCIe 6+2 Pin 25cm PCIe Extension - White £3.29
1 x NZXT CB-LED10-GR 12x Green LED Sleeve - 1m £9.98
2 x Alpenföhn 120mm Wing Boost 2 Plus PWM fan - Green £8.45 (£16.90)
Total : £549.73 (includes shipping : ).

+1 for this spec.

 

[sweols]

Evga psus come with nicely braided cables already. Might be worth spending that little bit extra on a higher wattage psu such as evga g2 750w and skip cables?

 

[Man Manne]

'PSU - *HELP* I want a modular one to keep the case as empty as possible. No fan/LED colours please, unless GREEN. Then I would be VERY interested! '
the 440 has a psu shroud so you cant see it anyway

Leave page file on the ssd, no page file = bad performance
Indexing leave as is,

The LED glow coming from the back I meant mate, apologies.

Also, I do have a PAGE file. As I said, it's on the D drive, not the C Windows install.

 

[Man Manne]

Both the S340 and H440 bring massive PSU shrouds under which there is tons of room to hide the excess cables of non-modular PSUs.

The cooling performance of a decent air cooler is generally equal to or better than 120mm liquid AIOs.

Here is an alternative spec, in order to get it down from over £600:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Asus Z97-K - Devils Canyon Core i5 4690K Bundle **£14 Saving** £273.58
1 x Avexir Venom Series 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17200C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (AVD3U21331104G-2CIG) - Green Light £67.99
1 x NZXT Source 340 Midi-Tower Case- Black Window £59.99
1 x SuperFlower Golden Green HX 550W "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £54.95
1 x Raijintek Ereboss Core CPU Cooler £26.99
1 x Samsung SE-208GB/RSBD External Slimline 8x DVD-RW (TV Connect) - Black £21.98
1 x Silverstone Cable Extension Value Bundle - White £10.80
- 1 x No Molex to SATA Adapter Required £0.00
- 1 x Silverstone 8-pin PCIe 6+2 Pin 25cm PCIe Extension - White £3.29
- 1 x Silverstone 8-pin PCIe 6+2 Pin 25cm PCIe Extension - White £3.29
1 x NZXT CB-LED10-GR 12x Green LED Sleeve - 1m £9.98
2 x Alpenföhn 120mm Wing Boost 2 Plus PWM fan - Green £8.45 (£16.90)
Total : £549.73 (includes shipping : ).




Specced white cables to be illuminated by the green leds, which just looks nicer than green-coloured cables, imo. I believe your present GPU has 2 x 6 pin connectors, however if you get that bundle and select 6+2 pin cables instead then you'll be sorted when/if you upgrade GPU to one that may need 8 pin.

You could move the rear and top case fans that the S340 brings, to the front 2 x 120 mounts, and use the Alpenfohns for the cooler and rear fan mount.


If you go for a H440 instead:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Asus Z97-K - Devils Canyon Core i5 4690K Bundle **£14 Saving** £273.58
1 x NZXT H440 Midi-Tower - Black / Green £89.99
1 x Avexir Venom Series 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17200C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (AVD3U21331104G-2CIG) - Green Light £67.99
1 x SuperFlower Golden Green HX 550W "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £54.95
1 x Raijintek Ereboss Core CPU Cooler £26.99
1 x Samsung SE-208GB/RSBD External Slimline 8x DVD-RW (TV Connect) - Black £21.98
1 x Silverstone Cable Extension Value Bundle - White £10.80
- 1 x No Molex to SATA Adapter Required £0.00
- 1 x Silverstone 8-pin PCIe 6+2 Pin 25cm PCIe Extension - White £3.29
- 1 x Silverstone 8-pin PCIe 6+2 Pin 25cm PCIe Extension - White £3.29
1 x NZXT CB-LED10-GR 12x Green LED Sleeve - 1m £9.98
1 x Alpenföhn Wing 140mm Boost 2 Plus PWM Fan - Green £9.95
1 x Alpenföhn 120mm Wing Boost 2 Plus PWM fan - Green £8.45
Total : £581.23 (includes shipping : ).




Just changed the case and swapped a 120mm fan for a 140mm.

Can add more RAM later if you really need it.

These leds come with three brightness options and a PCI adapter thingy (which you can tuck away under the PSU shroud instead of mounting it to a PCI slot, to keep things tidier).

If you want liquid cooler and 16GB RAM, it's probably going to go over £600, unless you don't bother with green theme etc.

I currently have the Tuniq Tower 120 in my case and have seen how that is starting to "lean" away from the board as it gets on, I wanted the radiator / liquid cooler just as new for myself and also to try keep it more clean inside the case.

The specs are great, I can't PM you, so I'll ask here...

Why are the extra cables required?
The sleeve LED is that to cover ones running around the case? - I don't really like the fact I have to plug something into the back of the machine. I have an exhaust fan on this current build and it's yet another molex.

These are being nasty or negative, just trying to understand more as I've been out of the game for ages.

Also, is there anything bad with the Gigabyte Sniper Z87 B6? I hear it's great for overclocking and of course, Green / Black.

 

[MrMD]

Also, is there anything bad with the Gigabyte Sniper Z87 B6? I hear it's great for overclocking and of course, Green / Black.

Yea i got one of these boards,its good and it looks fantastic,the only ones on the site are B grade tho,not sure if your open to b grade components.

TBH pretty much all Z87/97 mobos overclock the same,unless your going for extreme clocks with LN2

 

[Kelt]

For a great AIO I have to recommend the Raijintek Triton. In addition to the exemplary cooling, it also comes with three dyes, one of which is green.

 

[sweols]

Last time I heard, triton had leakage problems? new revisions?

 

[Kelt]

Last time I heard, triton had leakage problems? new revisions?

At least version 2 and possibly 3.

 

[Quartz]

So I'm coming from my Q9550 and 8GB DDR2 6400...

Yep, it still plays BF4, but still, I need a new toy, it's been so long.

I will be keeping my 7870 MYST for now as it's doing a cracking job, also I have a Samsung 850 EVO 120GB on standby.

A 7870?! You're going to be far better advised to upgrade the GPU rather than the CPU. A Geforce GTX 970 or Radeon R9 290X will make far more difference to your gaming experience than a more powerful CPU.

 

[sweols]

He mentioned in his original post, he wishes to keep his current GPU. How can you justify a new videocard for £300, when it's quite obvious he needs to start from scratch. Surely his current CPU would bottleneck the gpu anyways, so he probably wouldn't see a massive difference anyway...

 

[Danny75]

I currently have the Tuniq Tower 120 in my case and have seen how that is starting to "lean" away from the board as it gets on, I wanted the radiator / liquid cooler just as new for myself and also to try keep it more clean inside the case.

Fair enough. The Raijintek Triton can suffer from build quality issues as pointed out (a friend ordered one and it was leaking). I'd go with CoolerMaster Nepton or Corsair (various).

Why are the extra cables required?

Purely aesthetical reason. The connectors on that SuperFlower 550W are blue and red and some of the coloured cables show as the braid doesn't cover them completely. As Sweols pointed out, you can go for an all-black cabled EVGA. The EVGA G1 650W comes out to around the same price as the SuperFlower Golden Green 550 + those extensions. It isn't as good as the G2 750W but is considerably cheaper and still has a 10-year warranty.

The sleeve LED is that to cover ones running around the case? - I don't really like the fact I have to plug something into the back of the machine. I have an exhaust fan on this current build and it's yet another molex.

The sleeve contains the actual leds, yes. Not sure what you mean about plugging something into the back of the machine. Whichever leds you go for, they'll typically require power from either a molex or SATA. Not sure what the problem is with that - plenty of power to spare.

Also, is there anything bad with the Gigabyte Sniper Z87 B6? I hear it's great for overclocking and of course, Green / Black.

A Z87 board would need a BIOS update to run an i5-4690K. And that would require a compatible CPU to carry it out.

It would be compatible as is with an i5-4670K (slightly older Haswell).

 

[Man Manne]

A 7870?! You're going to be far better advised to upgrade the GPU rather than the CPU. A Geforce GTX 970 or Radeon R9 290X will make far more difference to your gaming experience than a more powerful CPU.

The system I have, I don't run everything on ULTRA anyway. 50-60FPS is achievable easily. Gaming is a huge part of a PC build, but it's the hub for pretty much everything I do away from work (with a little work involved). Whilst it would be nice for a game to look pretty, if I wanted visuals, I have a Playstation that I use for a laugh. I like lighter settings on BF so explosions or motion blur don't get in my way etc.

The GPU will be updated at some point, which will cause me to either go FREESYNC or GSYNC and considering I brought a new Asus VN247 monitor a few months back, I'll be keeping this till like BF5 or 2342 (which if you check the website of the KevinSimpsons1942 thing, you'll see why I say that and believe it).

 

[Man Manne]

Fair enough. The Raijintek Triton can suffer from build quality issues as pointed out (a friend ordered one and it was leaking). I'd go with CoolerMaster Nepton or Corsair (various).


Purely aesthetical reason. The connectors on that SuperFlower 550W are blue and red and some of the coloured cables show as the braid doesn't cover them completely. As Sweols pointed out, you can go for an all-black cabled EVGA. The EVGA G1 650W comes out to around the same price as the SuperFlower Golden Green 550 + those extensions. It isn't as good as the G2 750W but is considerably cheaper and still has a 10-year warranty.


The sleeve contains the actual leds, yes. Not sure what you mean about plugging something into the back of the machine. Whichever leds you go for, they'll typically require power from either a molex or SATA. Not sure what the problem is with that - plenty of power to spare.


A Z87 board would need a BIOS update to run an i5-4690K. And that would require a compatible CPU to carry it out.

It would be compatible as is with an i5-4670K (slightly older Haswell).

The Z87 is out of the window then, buying 2 CPU's to flash a board is bloody useless. I thought the B6 revision would support Devil's Canyon 4690K. But thanks for that.

Won't the extensions just cause more looms of wire being down the bottom end though (hidden or not) with the Golden Green 550? - I'd probably go for the G1 for cost and the power I need etc. It confuses me how it has 4 VGA ports on the modular, that's for 2 GPU's, surely that would be pushing 650W then with high end? Back when I remember looking, it was important for like 18v on 12a rails. Is that still the case?

Regaring the braiding cables, love the idea, really do, I could hide a molex, that's fine, just about the slot in the rear PCI panel that needs filling in https://www.overclockers.co.uk/pimg/CA-060-NX_43805_350.jpg

It would be nice to find a AIO WC like that one the Triton. I thought I'd found a nice one, the reviews are good enough on the site, but if they are leaking a lot, then, well that's not good. 2 have raised it in here as "hearing" about it, maybe I'll dig more


A couple of other questions... I've had good experience with Gigabyte boards and love their Dual BIOS, is there one of those around the price of the Asus Z97-K? It'd be nice with initial OC pushings to see. Although I'd go safe, I'd have to find that sweet spot after testing and the DB on Gigabytes assisted in any screw ups. - Is this a decent enough contender? https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-504-GI

Also, is it a common thing to have to push the memory on these boards as they always seem to state (O.C.) for the memory clocks above what seems to be 1800MHZ?

Are the FSB straps important? 1:6 / 1:8 is what I have run before. I always heard 1:1 was golden, but really dunno if that's achievable / a big player these days.


Again, thanks everyone. Working out the £££ to budget for around £600 right now so I can factor in a few other things.

I was offered a Coolermaster HAF XB case for a straight swap with my 850 120GB Sam EVO SSD. If I did that I was thinking of going for an M.2 card for the OS and a smaller or cheaper SSD for game installs and Photoshop... Dunno though to be fair.