System check/compatability and so on.

bifday2k

bifday2k

bifday2k

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3 Jul 2009
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So i'm in the process of window shopping so to speak, but will pull the trigger soon enough, just wanting to get other peoples input on the spec.

I'm trying to build a complete system, minus monitor/Peripherals/PSU. So a few reasons why iv picked certain stuff is probably gonna help people help me. This will be replacing a 5 year old I7 920 rig, it will be used for gaming (MMO's mostly) nothing massively taxing but i'd still like to have the power to do other games if i chose to.

Gpu picked due to being a blower style cooler, which hopefully will help keep temps down in the case, instead of recirculating it in the case. There is a cheaper blower style but i think the premium is worth it for that card.
Then again im in 2 minds, the 960 is more then adequate, but the 970 is doable if i don't I5.

My choice of mobo really was down to the msi below or the asus of similar price, and well i just liked the spec of the msi one better.
The SSD was chosen simply as i could get an M.2, as there is a slot for it, so that was chosen more for cable management reasons more then anything else.

Case was its always been between the one below and the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ITX for me, but i eventually opted for the below one for the fact i think i can control airflow to certain components better (PSU/GPU). The fact the gpu can get air through the side vent, then blow it out the back i belive will will help, also the clearence under the case will help keep the psu cooler.

Fan Hub really is'nt needed, its more for down the line but why not chuck it in now. The 230mm fan is for the front of the case, and i'll re-purpose the fan thats there already.
Cpu cooler, well im not to sure, seen it advised in other itx threads so chucked it in, thats one area i need to do more research really, i know the case can take max 160mm high heatsinks.

Now onto the one i know people will query, the CPU, the games i currently play are not really that well coded for multiple cores, so for the time being dual core and overclocked will be better, and allow me to build a more rounded system.
The cpu will get replaced down the line to a I5 when funds permit, but if i chose I5 now, id have to scrimp else where.

Budget is around the £750 region, most likely be done on finance, so thats why i am in 2 minds between the 2 below baskets, the all rounder is arguably the better system, but i am unlikely to upgrade the gpu unless it failed ofcourse, so i dunno weither or not to get the best my budget will allow, GPU wise and scrimp elsewhere.
Thanks for taking the time to read this mini essay, and hopefully you guys can tweak it, offer any improvements i might have missed.

The better GPU build
YOUR BASKET
1 x OcUK GeForce GTX 970 "NVIDIA 970 Cooler Edition" 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £289.99
1 x MSI Z97I Gaming ACK Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Mini ITX Motherboard £109.99
1 x Samsung 850 EVO Series M.2 250GB SATA 6Gbps Solid State Drive (MZ-N5E250BW) £96.98
1 x BitFenix Prodigy Mini-ITX Cube Case - Midnight Black £64.99
1 x Intel Pentium K Anniversary G3258 Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £59.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan RED 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLRED38G2400HC11CDC01) £47.99
1 x BitFenix Spectre PRO 230mm - Black £15.95
1 x Raijintek Zelos Low Profile CPU Cooler £15.95
1 x Phanteks PWM Fan Hub £12.95
Total : £714.78 (includes shipping : Ex.VAT).




The Better all rounder ( -£12 with the bundle offer)
YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-4690K 3.50GHz (Devil's Canyon) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £199.99
1 x Palit GeForce GTX 960 "Reference" 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (NE5X960S1041-2060F) £155.99
1 x MSI Z97I Gaming ACK Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Mini ITX Motherboard £109.99
1 x Samsung 850 EVO Series M.2 250GB SATA 6Gbps Solid State Drive (MZ-N5E250BW) £96.98
1 x BitFenix Prodigy Mini-ITX Cube Case - Midnight Black £64.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan RED 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLRED38G2400HC11CDC01) £47.99
1 x BitFenix Spectre PRO 230mm - Black £15.95
1 x Raijintek Zelos Low Profile CPU Cooler £15.95
1 x Phanteks PWM Fan Hub £12.95
Total : £720.78 (includes shipping : Ex.VAT).

 
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Just to let you know I haven't heard good things about the Zelos cooler, so I'd go for something a little more "beefy" so to say :) Something like the Raijintek Aidos, Themis or Bequiet Pure Rock

For MMOs the 960 would be fine, so the second build looks good with a different cooler perhaps. Also, you should be able to use an aftermarket GPU cooler also, the Inno3D for example as the case is actually quite large. What PSU will you be using?
 
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I would keep with the i5 build as it'll last you longer but the 960 is going to be a bottle neck in the future.

Personally I would go with the i5 build but try and pick up a 290 / 290x in the MM second hand.
 
The Psu i will be using is a Superflower Golden Green 750w HX, totally overkill for this current build i know, but it was bought for a build i was planning but have had to change the plans, hence the itx build.

Was doing a bit more research after i posted originally and found out that the bitfenix case is a no go with the above psu, its slightly to long for it, by 3mm. So instead of forcing it, or having it hanging out iv changed the build slightly.
I totally agree, the more i thought about it the more rounded system just seemed to make more sense, especially as i can easily upgrade the Gpu via the MM down the line.

The reason im still sticking with the ref gpu is the fact the front 200mm fan will literally be blowing air directly towards the gpu, which will then chuck the heat out the back, i dunno maybe im over thinking that a bit to much.

I have looked at both the EVGA GeForce GTX 960 SSC and the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 WindForce (Not the G1). I'v had windforce gpu's in the past but in far larger cases, so i have no idea how these cards would fair in a smaller case.

The build though is far more rounded after more thought, and your imput, just a tiny bit more research to do i guess, then to finally make that choice haha.

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI Z97I Gaming ACK - Devil's Canyon i5 4690K CPU & Mini ITX Motherboard Bundle **£12 Saving** £297.98
1 x Palit GeForce GTX 960 "Reference" 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (NE5X960S1041-2060F) £155.99
1 x Samsung 850 EVO Series M.2 250GB SATA 6Gbps Solid State Drive (MZ-N5E250BW) £96.98
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan RED 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLRED38G2400HC11CDC01) £47.99
1 x Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ITX Mini-ITX Chassis with Window £44.99
1 x Phanteks PH-TC14S 140mm CPU Cooler £38.99
1 x Phanteks PH-F140SP 140mm Fan - Black / White £12.95
Total : £695.87 (includes shipping : Ex.VAT).

 
You have to be careful with coolers on MSI ITX boards. The CPU socket is further down than most. I have read that a 120mm heatsink/fan cooler will fit, but only if it's perfectly 120mm and fan clips or whatever don't stick out (would interfere with GPU). Do more research on this.

That Phanteks cooler has a 140mm fan. Doubt it will fit on that mobo with a GPU, despite it being officially within "Intel's keep out zone" for a cooler.

I don't feel there's a need for a reference GPU as the Phanteks case is quite ample inside despite being ITX and has good cooling with that 200mm, but I wouldn't know for sure. The 960s run cool anyway, if that's the GPU you go for.

A liquid AIO would be a safe bet in terms of cooler compatibility.

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI Z97I Gaming ACK - Devil's Canyon i5 4690K CPU & Mini ITX Motherboard Bundle **£12 Saving** £297.98
1 x Asus GeForce GTX 960 DirectCU2 OC Strix 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £169.99
1 x Samsung 850 EVO Series M.2 250GB SATA 6Gbps Solid State Drive (MZ-N5E250BW) £96.98
1 x Avexir Core Red Series 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (AVD3U24001104G-2CIR) - Red Light £59.99
1 x NZXT KRAKEN X31 AIO Water Cooling Unit - 120mm - Variable Speed Control £54.95
1 x Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ITX Mini-ITX Chassis with Window £44.99
Total : £734.48 (includes shipping : £8.00 Ex.VAT).




Great cooling on this 960 and it is passive until it reaches a certain temperature, like the MSI Gaming (some others too).
 
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Also, whether you go with air cooler (plus the case 200mm fan and a new rear fan), or with the AIO (pump cable, fan cable + case 200mm fan), you'll need a fan adapter as the board only has two fan headers and would require three to handle either setup.
 
The case has a SSD bracket and good cable management, just a thought you could save a few quid by going with a standard one
 
Yeh depends on the final setup as to whether i add a fan hub/controller, may just run the 200mm off the psu as its not a fast spinner. Stuff like that will be decided last really.

I'm glad u mentioned that some of the 960's run passive, didn't even spot that earlier, thats definitely a new feature to me, so makes a big difference. So a ACX 2.0 cooler version it is, most likely evga/gigabyte, but who knows whats gonna be on offer come clicking buy time lol.

I'll do some more research regarding the Mobo and coolers, and also the other z97 itx's, i'm in no mad rush to buy, so getting the research right is priority so thanks again for mentioning the cooler pitfall with that mobo.

Id prefer not to go AIO cooler, been down the water route in the past, wanted to stick to air, but if all else fails and its to much of a headache to get a half decent aircooler then i'll have to go that route. More research it is, i just have to remember these cpu's are not as toasty as my current I7 so i don't necessarily need a huge heatsink lol.

Edit:
The price difference of the M.2 and the standard is kinda small enough @£7 that id rather get the M.2 purely for the OS and Important apps, and have a 2nd standard SSD of the same size purely for games, with a standard HD for data and junk. But those other 2 drives can be gotten after the initial build.

Edit 2:
The cpu socket placement on the mobo seems fine from what i can see, the issue i think is that when u click on the link in any of the basket posts, it takes u to the bundle deal, where overclockers are using a stock image of the Older AC version, where the socket was a lot lower. The picture that should be shown is the one on the products proper page. As you will see, the socket is in a far better location on the Newer ACK version, that being said i shall do more digging though, just to be sure.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-269-MS&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=2811
 
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bifday2k said:
Edit 2:
The cpu socket placement on the mobo seems fine from what i can see, the issue i think is that when u click on the link in any of the basket posts, it takes u to the bundle deal, where overclockers are using a stock image of the Older AC version, where the socket was a lot lower. The picture that should be shown is the one on the products proper page. As you will see, the socket is in a far better location on the Newer ACK version, that being said i shall do more digging though, just to be sure.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-269-MS&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=2811
Click to expand...

Nice spot, cheers. Had no idea that one had been revised. Great chance of the Phanteks cooler fitting, then.
 
Yeh took me a fair few looks, double triple checking different sites, so can easily understand how it could be missed.

Im currently in 2 minds now, build is basically semi finalized as it is apart from the really minor stuff.

But i may change that M.2 drive to the normal SSD, and get the new Samsung SM951 128GB as a game drive, the SM951 will max out the M.2 slot on that mobo, and be no where near its max, but for £90ish quid thats gonna be some game drive. But that will have to be bought from elsewhere sadly.
 
Thought it best to update the thread as the order has been put in and accepted.

Below is what i finally decided on after much procrastination, mainly over the GPU. I eventually stumped for the better GPU with the better all round system.
As its being gotten on finance, may as well build the best system for my budget, as it won't be upgraded for a few years (minimum).

Many thanks to those the put in input, the double/triple checking of stuff was needed for peace of mind lol.

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI Z97I Gaming ACK - Devil's Canyon i5 4690K CPU & Mini ITX Motherboard Bundle **£12 Saving** £297.98
1 x KFA2 GeForce GTX 970 OC Silent "Infin8 Black Edition" 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card **WorldWide Exclusive** £289.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan RED 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLRED316G2400HC11CDC01) £89.99
1 x Samsung 250GB 850 EVO SSD 2.5" SATA 6Gbps 32 Layer 3D V-NAND Solid State Drive (MZ-75E250B/EU) £89.99
1 x Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ITX Mini-ITX Chassis with Window £44.99
1 x Phanteks PH-TC14S 140mm CPU Cooler £38.99
1 x Phanteks PH-F140SP 140mm Fan - Black / White £12.95
Total : £864.88 (includes shipping : Ex.VAT).

 
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