Suggestions on Build Requested

Nuluvius

Nuluvius

Nuluvius

Associate
Joined
25 Nov 2011
Posts
49
Overview
I’m in the research phase of putting together a build targeted at work and gaming. Elaborating on these a little more; work is Software Engineering (so lots of multi-threading and CPU intensive activities). Gaming is upper mid-level; I already have a decent GFX card and run Eyefinity over 4 monitors. Yes I’m also intending to overclock and run SLI/XFire.

Emphasis
The real important points of this build are flexibility, overclocking and future proofing. I build once every 6 to 8 years then run upgrades till it’s basically filled out and obsolete.

The Current Spec
CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K Socket 1150 'Devils Canyon'
Cooling: NZXT Kraken x40
RAM: 8GB Corsair DDR3 Vengeance PC3-14900 (1866) CAS 9-10-9-27
MB: (Suggestions please)
Case: NZXT Phantom 630 (Suggestions please)

Justification
Please, if you have any suggestions/contradictions they would be welcome!

CPU: I considered the FX-9370 but realistically it gets destroyed by the i5 and would only serve a minor advantage when compiling code/running multi-threaded applications. Plus I said work AND gaming so it’s got to be the i5. Budget won’t quite stretch to i7 sadly.

Cooling: I though the x60 would simply be overkill on that i5 chip. Of course there’s the Noctua NH-D15 but it’s kind of big and ugly.

RAM: I’m considering upping to 16GB; RAM cache/disks are great fun plus I work on VMs a great deal and 8 seems a little low.

MB: I considered the ASUS z97 Deluxe; I had heard that ASUS were a little bit ahead with their BIOS and software management right now. But really I need suggestions here. I’m after the best in the mid bracket really.

Case: 630 Phantom, simply because it seems to be the best available around the price… saying that I don’t like what I’ve heard about the HDD mounts. Also the fan control seems a little pointless given that fan control will be handed off to the software anyway. Compounded by the fact it’s only single channel! Seems like a chocolate fireguard? I would welcome alternatives, as long as it’s BIG AND BLACK.

Thanks for taking the time to look over my plan. Any input or criticism is eagerly welcomed!

EDIT: Budget is around £600
 
Last edited:
Done a quick build below, I tended to always use Gigabyte motherboards.

You have not mentioned a budget, I done a quick spec below:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-4690K 3.50GHz (Devil's Canyon) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £189.95
1 x Powercolor Radeon R9 270X "PowerBank" 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £143.99
1 x Gigabyte Z97-D3H Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £95.99
1 x Corsair Carbide 300R Mid Tower Windowed Case - Black (CC-9011017-WW) £69.95
1 x Toshiba SSD HDTS212EZSTA 9.5mm 128GB Solid State Hard Drive - Retail £65.99
2 x TeamGroup Vulcan GOLD 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17100C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLYD38G2133HC11ADC01) £59.99 (£119.98)
1 x Toshiba 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6GB/s 64MB Cache - OEM (DT01ACA200) HDD £56.99
1 x SuperFlower Golden Green HX 550W "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £49.99
1 x Alpenföhn Matterhorn Pure Edition CPU Cooler £29.99
Total : £839.30 (includes shipping : £13.75).




I have included 16gb of ram.
 
Just to add in some advice,

Case wise you have a massive amount of choice in and around that rpice range/style

YOUR BASKET
1 x Corsair Obsidian 750D Full Tower Case - Black (CC-9011035-WW) £124.99
1 x Silverstone Raven 4 SST-RV04B-W USB 3.0 Raven Big-Tower - black (SST-RV04B-W USB 3.0) £109.99
1 x Corsair Carbide 540 High Airflow ATX Cube Case - Black (CC-9011030-WW) £98.95
1 x NZXT H440 Mid Tower Case - Black £94.99
1 x Corsair Obsidian 450D High Airflow Mid-Tower Case (CC-9011049-WW) £91.99
1 x BitFenix Ronin Tower Case - Black £69.95
1 x Corsair Carbide 330R Silent Mid Tower Case - Black (CC-9011024-WW) £69.95
1 x Corsair Carbide 300R Mid Tower Windowed Case - Black (CC-9011017-WW) £69.95
Total : £783.08 (includes shipping : £43.60).



to name but a few, the H440 and the 750D would be my top picks.

The RV04 is a very innovative, well made case, and the 540 Air is just orignal and great for airflow. :)
 
Thanks for the replies so far. I'm certainly liking the feature set and quality of the Corsair Obsidian 750D case.

I'm very curious as to why Gigabyte over Asus though?
 
Nuluvius said:
Thanks for the replies so far. I'm certainly liking the feature set and quality of the Corsair Obsidian 750D case.

I'm very curious as to why Gigabyte over Asus though?
Click to expand...

UK RMA, very good support. The boards are generally very very good as well, from personal experience.
 
dacads said:
I think you ought to go with 4790k instead of 4690k due to your intended use. Also good deal on RAM this week only

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-034-TG
Click to expand...


Nuluvius said:
Overview
Budget won’t quite stretch to i7 sadly.
Click to expand...


Would be hard to fit an i7 in, pretty much impossible for £600;

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i7-4790K 4.00GHz (Devil's Canyon) Socket LGA1150 Processor - OEM £259.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Beast 16GB (2x8GB) PC3-17100C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX21C11T3K2/16X) £119.99
1 x Powercolor Radeon R9 270 TurboDUO 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £119.99
1 x Corsair Carbide 300R Mid Tower Windowed Case - Black (CC-9011017-WW) £69.95
1 x Gigabyte Z97P-D3 Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £69.95
1 x Toshiba SSD HDTS212EZSTA 9.5mm 128GB Solid State Hard Drive - Retail £65.99
1 x Toshiba 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6GB/s 64MB Cache - OEM (DT01ACA200) HDD £56.99
1 x SuperFlower Golden Green HX 550W "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £49.99
1 x Alpenföhn Matterhorn Pure Edition CPU Cooler £29.99
Total : £857.82 (includes shipping : £12.50).




Here's an attempt;

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - OEM £169.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Beast 16GB (2x8GB) PC3-17100C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX21C11T3K2/16X) £119.99
1 x Powercolor Radeon R9 270 TurboDUO 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £119.99
1 x Gigabyte Z97P-D3 Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £69.95
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003) HDD £42.98
1 x EVGA 500W 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply (100-B1-0500-KR) £39.95
1 x BitFenix Neos ATX Tower Black/Blue £29.99
1 x Alpenföhn Matterhorn Pure Edition CPU Cooler £29.99
Total : £632.42 (includes shipping : £8.00).

 
Last edited:
I'm also interested in why you're picking out air cooling over a closed loop water system such as the Kraken?

Additionally I think for an i7, especially OCed then either the x60 or a custom loop would be needed, further pushing price up?
 
Nah, good air is very good for overclocking. Obviously, high-end water is slightly better but more money and better for aesthetics. Sorry, completely forgot about the OP - you could squeeze an i7 in;


YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i7-4790K 4.00GHz (Devil's Canyon) Socket LGA1150 Processor - OEM £259.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Beast 16GB (2x8GB) PC3-17100C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX21C11T3K2/16X) £119.99
1 x Corsair Hydro H100i High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (CW-9060009-WW) £88
1 x Gigabyte Z97P-D3 Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £69.95
1 x Corsair Carbide 300R Mid Tower Windowed Case - Black (CC-9011017-WW) £69.95
Total : £621.97 (includes shipping : £11.75).



Slightly worse cooling, better motherboard;

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i7-4790K 4.00GHz (Devil's Canyon) Socket LGA1150 Processor - OEM £259.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Beast 16GB (2x8GB) PC3-17100C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX21C11T3K2/16X) £119.99
1 x Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming 5 Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £119.99
1 x Corsair Carbide 300R Mid Tower Windowed Case - Black (CC-9011017-WW) £69.95
1 x Thermalright True Spirit 140 BW Cooler £34.99
Total : £619.01 (includes shipping : £11.75).

 
dacads said:
Go with the RAM I suggested it's low profile and £20 cheaper
Click to expand...

Good call, slightly lower speed but worth the £20 pocketed :)

Better mobo and cooling! :D

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i7-4790K 4.00GHz (Devil's Canyon) Socket LGA1150 Processor - OEM £259.99
1 x Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming 5 Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £119.99
1 x TeamGroup Elite Black 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TED316GM1600HC11DC01) £99.95
1 x Corsair Carbide 300R Mid Tower Windowed Case - Black (CC-9011017-WW) £69.95
1 x Noctua NH-U12P SE2 Dual Fan Quiet CPU Cooler £52.99
Total : £616.97 (includes shipping : £11.75).



Drop the motherboard/cooling again to slip it under £600 incl. shipping
 
Shivy011 said:
Good call, slightly lower speed but worth the £20 pocketed :)

Better mobo and cooling! :D

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i7-4790K 4.00GHz (Devil's Canyon) Socket LGA1150 Processor - OEM £259.99
1 x Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming 5 Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £119.99
1 x TeamGroup Elite Black 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TED316GM1600HC11DC01) £99.95
1 x Corsair Carbide 300R Mid Tower Windowed Case - Black (CC-9011017-WW) £69.95
1 x Noctua NH-U12P SE2 Dual Fan Quiet CPU Cooler £52.99
Total : £616.97 (includes shipping : £11.75).



Drop the motherboard/cooling again to slip it under £600 incl. shipping
Click to expand...

Getting the Gaming 3 saves £10 and gives you a free headset. :)
 
That is actually rather exciting. The i7 would serve me a great deal better!

Still though a little curious over the air cooling, especially that Noctuna. Why not something like an H100i instead re that first build you put together Shivy011?
 
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Well the noctua is a really excellent cooler, better than most water coolers. It's also cheaper, but you could go for the H100i if you wanted to.
 
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