Upgrade spec check (£2k)

Trifid · 5 Jun 2016 at 09:13

Hi,

Looking to give my 7 year old i7 920 a upgrade this month. I use Vmware workstation a lot on my PC so wanted the extra cores and RAM and don't do a huge amount of gaming but like to have the option available (and will be using my 980 GTX)

I've put together these items as a rough idea.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x Intel i7-6900K 3.20GHz (Broadwell-E) Socket LGA2011-V3 Processor - OEM (CM8067102056010)= £859.99
1 x MSI X99A SLI Plus Intel X99 (Socket 2011) DDR4 ATX Motherboard= £169.99
1 x Kingston Fury Black 64GB (4x16GB) DDR4 PC4-19200C15 2400MHz Dual/Quad Channel Kit - Black (HX424C15F= £179.99
1 x EVGA SuperNova G2 850W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply= £122.99
1 x In-Win 909 Design Aluminium Full Tower Case - Silver= £329.99
1 x Samsung 1.0TB 850 EVO SSD 2.5" SATA 6Gbps 32 Layer 3D V-NAND Solid State Drive (MZ-75E1T0B/EU)= £269.99
1 x Noctua NH-D15 Dual Radiator Quiet CPU Cooler with two NH-A15 Fans= £69.95

Total: £2,025.39
(includes shipping: £22.50)

Is the motherboard OK? Will it come with the latest BIOS for Broadwell-e? I did also consider the https://www.overclockers.co.uk/asus...cket-2011-ddr4-atx-motherboard-mb-689-as.html but Asus seem to have a bad reputation at the moment? Can these both boot off M.2 SSDs?

I really like the case, despite the price but am concerned about CPU cooling on it. I was going to have a Corsair H110 but am unsure whether the pipes would reach to the compartment at the back? I did do a custom water cooling setup over 10 years ago but would rather not go that route again. The Noctua doesn't seem perfect either with it being so large (and the case not looking ideal for air coolers). I did consider the H440 but looks a bit plasticy.

Anyone have any ideas when the SM961 will be out? I would upgrade the SSD to it, but haven't heard seen anything since it was announced a few months back.

Thanks for reading.

Trifid · 5 Jun 2016 at 19:23

I did consider them a while back but decided I don't really want the power draw of a dual processor system and would rather have a more prosumer intended motherboard rather then entry level enterprise.

To be honest, it is more the case/cooling combination that is troubling me the most. I really like the case but have concerns over its cooling ability without a full water cooling setup. It looks like the Predator 360 is the only AIO that will fit, and it fits by being slightly compressed top and bottom of the rear section.

Trifid · 5 Jun 2016 at 20:11

stuartharrison said:
Do you need 64gb of ram?

I have 48GB at the moment and have peaked at just over half that. However I sometimes load OVA's for work with very high requirements and for the cost of RAM, I don't want to be limited and if it saves me having to replace it mid cycle (like I did previously) then great.

I might go the Asus then if it is recommended.

Trifid · 10 Jun 2016 at 08:11

You're all correct with saying ditch the case I think. Shame as I love the looks of it. Their smaller ones seem to have better airflow, such as the 303. Also wondering if I'd actually get £500 extra value from the 6900 over the 6800, 2 extra cores for £500 has me doubting the value.