Upgrade gaming RIG

klaxhu · 5 Jan 2019 at 15:10

Hi all,

I think I am ready for an upgrade.
Currently on a i5 4690K 3.5Ghz, 16 GB RAM, Asus Z97 Pro Gamer, Palit GTX1080, 1x 250 SSD for Win10 and 1x TB SSD for games+others, Dell S2716DG Monitor.

I was thinking of first upgrading CPU/Mobo/Ram and leave everything else the same and maybe upgrade GPU later on: yes/no? other suggestions?

What chipset is it worth going for? CPU wise I was thinking of a i7 9700K, 16 GB DDR4 and a Z390 mbo? What benefits would a X299 bring if any? (I know that for gaming there aren't many)

Budget wise I was thinking 400 for cpu, 100 for ram and 250 for mobo so about 750-800 total.

Ideally I would like to upgrade my monitor too, but haven't seen still anything come up in the 1440p lineup on IPS in 27" (rather than the TN I've got now) that would satisfy my needs and be worth the upgrade. Maybe any advice for that too ?

klaxhu · 5 Jan 2019 at 20:48

orbitalwalsh said:
Good cooler like dark rock 4 or 240 AIO

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x Intel Core i7-9700K 3.6GHz (Coffee Lake) Socket LGA1151 Processor - OEM= £398.99

1 x Team Group Vulcan T-Force 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-24000C16 3000MHz Dual Channel Kit - Grey (TLGD416G30= £109.99

1 x Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Ultra Intel Z390 (Socket 1151) DDR4 ATX Motherboard= £239.99

Total: £759.47 (includes shipping: £10.50)

Ryzen 2700x + x470 would allow for more funds towards monitor mind

thanks!
what would be a good Ryzen equivalent? Haven't had a AMD cpu in ages =)
Pairing up with the 1080 ok?

forgot to ask: will the PSU 750W in the signature still be ok ?

klaxhu · 6 Jan 2019 at 18:49

How about this combo? Would it work well in terms of compatibility and performance?

Intel i7-9700k CPU
MSI Gaming Edge AC Z390 Mobo
Ballistix Sport Gaming 16GB DDR4 2666MHz Red

klaxhu · 8 Jan 2019 at 15:54

brilliant, thanks!
following CES now and looking at what's coming, maybe worth holding off for a bit to see what's down the line and prices drop a bit more?

klaxhu · 30 Jan 2019 at 15:44

Reviving this a bit, I've decided to go for 9700k.
Any reasons why I should go for the Gigabyte and not this Asus ROG Strix?
What would be the major differences (keep in mind I will not plan a SLI)

Intel Core i7-9700K 3.6GHz (Coffee Lake) Socket LGA1151 Processor - Retail

£428.99*

Asus ROG Strix Z390-F Intel Z390 (Socket 1151) DDR4 ATX Motherboard
Stock Code MB-6CT-AS

10+ In stock
£209.99*

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound (3.5g)
Stock Code AC-000-AC

100+ In stock
£6.49*

Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-24000C15 3000MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (CMK16GX4M2B30
Stock Code MY-445-CS
10+ In stock
£128.99*

klaxhu · 30 Jan 2019 at 16:00

Excellent advice =) is what I need. I don't mind spending a bit extra... To future proof it a bit wouldn't it be worth going for the ULTRA for the added connections?

Any better picks on memory? ATM I was focusing on low profile memory as I currently have a cooler I want to re-use that on my current Z97 board doesn't allow for a lot of clearance for the memory.
Namely this one: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/phanteks-ph-tc14pe-cpu-cooler-black-hs-009-pt.html
Any compatibility checker you recommend I use to check out what works with what?

Assuming that staying on my current 750W PS is ok for this setup with a GTX1080?

If you got other recommendations for memory let me know.

klaxhu · 30 Jan 2019 at 19:10

I am not too fussed about the RGB to be fair, I can maybe wait a bit for it to come back into stock. Is that the only main difference between the two?

klaxhu · 2 Feb 2019 at 13:17

Many thanks for all the help

Finally decided for what I am going to get as the 9700k OEM just dropped its price to £349
If there are better alternatives for the memory in the same price-range, please share now!!

Intel Core i7-9700K 3.6GHz (Coffee Lake) Socket LGA1151 Processor - OEM

£349.99*

Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Ultra Intel Z390 (Socket 1151) DDR4 ATX Motherboard

£239.99*

Team Group Vulcan T-Force 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black/Grey (TLGD

Was: £149.99

£119.99*

Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut High Performance Thermal Paste - 1 Gramm

£4.99*

Total is around £705 as OC said they will price-match the Ultra which I found somewhere else at 222 since the Pro Wifi is not in stock.

klaxhu · 2 Feb 2019 at 22:01

lee32uk said:
The 3000MHz kit is £20 cheaper.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x Team Group Vulcan T-Force 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-24000C16 3000MHz Dual Channel Kit - Grey (TLGD416G30= £99.95

Total: £108.65 (includes shipping: £8.70)

Is there no effective perf gain from from the 200 extra then on the i7 coffee lake?

klaxhu · 3 Feb 2019 at 00:34

Thanks!

Side question: is it worth getting a 970 EVO POLARIS 500GB M.2 2280 PCI-E 3.0 X4 NVME
It would be for OS and usual games - will I feel an increase in performance or is it insignificant unless I am looking at sequential ?
I am dealing with some frame-drops and I've heared one thing could be down to the SSD.

klaxhu · 5 Feb 2019 at 22:15

Many thanks all. I ordered the Ultra with 9700k and Teamgroup 3200 mhz in the end

I wanted CAS 15 on Corsair but OC did not want to pricematch that so I stayed with the discounted TG.

klaxhu · 6 Feb 2019 at 13:38

orbitalwalsh said:
no worries, did you grab the elite or ultra ? same Pro Wifi sold out best board IMO for the cash

Ultra!

klaxhu · 6 Feb 2019 at 14:01

orbitalwalsh said:
nice, all up and running ?

Just arrived, will be up sometime tonight. Will post results and lets see if I still get framedrops after this.

If I do, it’s either my gtx 1080 or the SSzd’s. Except that there would only be the PSU left

klaxhu · 6 Feb 2019 at 18:45

orbitalwalsh said:
run Unigene valley and heaven at 720p! not to big to download and note down FPS on with your current rig, then run it again with i7 in !
Unigine superposition is also DX12 so again, run with 720p and see

run both CPU at stock and should see some difference

Great idea, thanks!

klaxhu · 8 Feb 2019 at 20:25

Set the system up, installed win10, installed drivers mobo and nvidia and did the benchmark.
Had a post on first go and everything worked fine. Even cooler has good clearance and everything is cold as ice.

Heaven at 720p
Before: 137 FPS, score 3462
After on i7: 143, score 3602

I am running the BIOS with whatever came stock, any suggestion on some OC I could be trying?

klaxhu · 9 Feb 2019 at 20:37

btw, it seems that i5 was holding my gtx1080 back indeed, i have no more framedrops now, even in fights I can easily do 200 fps in overwatch (I keep it however at around 155 for the gsync monitor)