Spec me a non-gaming PC

fezster

fezster

fezster

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I recently bought an nuc5i7ryh to replace an aging Q6600 based PC. I use my PC for the general stuff like browsing and word/excel, but also for development, so I wanted something quite powerful. I thought the NUC would be sufficient, but two things bother me:

1. There's often some lag when browsing sites with lots of video content, and there's generally some slowdown when using the PC.

2. As soon as the processor gets exercised even a little, the fan becomes very noisy.

I'm thinking a K series CPU overclocked should fulfill my need for a high performance experience, even though I appreciate it may be slight overkill if Im not gaming.

I'd prefer a SFF pc. I'm thinking micro ATX haswell-e or skylake. I don't game, so onboard graphics is fine (though I understand haswell-e requires a graphics card), but I have a 4k monitor, so DP or mini-DP is a must. I'm looking for 16gb ram, and I'll be reusing my Samsung EVO m.2. Looks like all current motherboards have this slot. I'd also like the PC to be as quiet as possible, so would be interested to hear thoughts on CPU cooler and case fans. I've seen mention of the Noctua NH-U9S but also the Corsair Hydro liquid coolers - what are the pros and cons of each?

Please spec me the parts which will work together based on the above, and fit into a Corsair Air 240 case, which I like the look of.

Hopefully I can sell the NUC........
 
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Why would you go micro-atx over mini-iTX? Even for a full blown gaming machine mini-ITX can be more than capable (e.g. the ASRock X99).
 
Jim99 said:
Why would you go micro-atx over mini-iTX? Even for a full blown gaming machine mini-ITX can be more than capable (e.g. the ASRock X99).
Click to expand...

Interesting. I'd always thought overclocking was far more difficult (and expensive) to achieve in mini itx. Could you spec a machine up that would overclock easily and run quietly?
 
I'm sure that X99 would be over the top for your needs, but just to make the point, HARDOCP got it to 4.5 GHz.

So mini-ITX, provided it's an overclocking-friendly board, should be fine. Getting a decent cooler on there could be a little trickier, but definitely doable. Anyway, you may well be fine with MicroATX, but if I was planning a build like this I'd be going down the Mini-ITX route, plus something like the SG06.

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2015..._lga_2011v3_motherboard_review/7#.Vh9qeSBViko
 
if you like the air 240, have a look at the 250d. Ive got one and it can house some serious hardware, including a h100i, so if you want itx with excellent cooling id highly recommend that.
 
If going for the Air 240 case, how do these components look:

Intel i7-5820K Extreme Hex Core CPU Processor
Asus Maximus VIII Gene Intel Z170 (Socket 1151) DDR4 Micro ATX Motherboard
TeamGroup Elite 16GB (4x4GB) DDR4 PC4-19200C16 2400MHz Quad Channel Kit

Would there be any benefit in going for 2666MHz or 3000MHz memory?

Will a Samsung EVO 850 M.2. fit in this motherboard (how do you tell the maximum size M.2 card the board can accept?).

This board has DP 1.2 to allow me 4k @ 60Hz. If there's a cheaper board that would fulfil my requirements, please let me know. This one's quite pricey at £169.99.

And for overclocking, would the Noctua be sufficient, or should I consider the AIO liquid cooler? If so, which would you recommend - H55, H60, H100?

Noctua NH-U9S
Corsair Hydro Series H55 All-In-One Liquid Cooler for CPU

Sorry for all the questions. Dont want to buy the bits and then find they either dont fit, or are incompatible in some way, hence looking for recommendations.
 
just a heads up that cpu wont fit that motherboard, when looking check the socket type, the cpu you listed is 2011 but for that board you want 1151 skylake.
 
You're right, of course :)

Sorry, so confusing with all the different socket types and CPUs available. I need the 6700k, as that is the i7 equivalent.
 
for development the 5820k might be better as it offers six cores with hyperthreading.

something like this,

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte X99M Gaming 5 - Intel Core i7 5820K Six Core CPU & Motherboard Bundle ***30 Saving*** £451.98
1 x Zotac GeForce GTX 970 Gaming Edition 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (ZT-90101-10P) £239.99
1 x Avexir Core White Series 32GB (4x8GB) DDR4 PC4-19200C16 2400MHz Quad Channel Kit (AVD4UZ124001608G-4CIW) - White Light £139.99
1 x Corsair Hydro H100i GTX 240mm High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (CW-9060021-WW) £101.99
1 x Corsair RMi '80 Plus Gold' 650W Modular Power Supply (CP-9020081-UK) £87.95
1 x Corsair Carbide Series Air 240 High Airflow PC Case - Black (CC-9011070-WW) £75.95
2 x Samsung 850 EVO Series M.2 120GB SATA 6Gbps Solid State Drive (MZ-N5E120BW) £60.98 (£121.96)
Total : £1,229.41 (includes shipping : £8.00 Ex.VAT).

 
Thanks. I am considering haswell-e, only issue being there's no onboard graphics. I think that gfx card may be overkill, and I could get a fairly cheap one if Im not gaming.

Ive heard the hydro coolers have fairly loud fans, hence why I was considering the Noctua. But would be interested to hear how each performs when overclocking?
 
 
Im leaning towards X99 now because of the extra cores. For the case, it'll either be Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV MicroATX mini tower or the Corsair 240.

I need some help with CPU coolers though. As above, from reading, it sounds like the Corsair hydro cooler fans can be a bit noisy. I'm thinking Noctua NH-L9i or any other air cooler. Can somebody recommend some coolers which would fit in the above two cases? And is there a way to tell from the specs which cooler would fit which case/mobo combo?

In terms of memory, as above, is it worth going for 3000MHz? Or stick to 2400/2666?
 
I'd like to get these bits ordered asap. Here's what I have so far. Sorry, I dont know how to do the funky baskets you guys use:

  • ASRock Fatal1ty X99M Killer Micro ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard
  • Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor
  • Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler (?? - looking for views on cooler)
  • Kingston Fury Black 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-19200C15 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (HX424C15FBK2/16) (out of stock, but memory timings seem to be the best. Still unsure whether to go for higher clock memory?)
  • Sapphire AMD R7 250 Ultimate (need 4k via DP, also this is passive which appeals)
  • SuperFlower Golden Silent 500W Fanless "80 Plus Platinum" Power Supply - Black
  • Corsair Carbide Series Air 240 High Airflow PC Case - Black (CC-9011070-WW)

Will these bits all fit? And allow an overclock to 4GHz+? How many additional case fans should I be looking to get?

Thanks!
 
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