Which bundle? Advice please =)

j3nni

j3nni

j3nni

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Hi guys, i'm finally getting the itch to upgrade and wondered what some of you might think will work with the ideas i have.
I plan to focus on the mobo, cpu and ram to start with, and then upgrade my gpu a little after (possibly one card, but may go with SLI/XFIRE as we game a lot). I'm also expecting a psu upgrade may be in order to cover increased thirst.

My current rig is nearing 3 years old and consists of:

Asus P8Z68-V GEN3
Intel Core i5 2500K 3.30GHz with an average Prolimatech fan (will have to check which exact one)
Kingston HyperX Genesis 8GB DDR3 1600MHz
HIS HD 7950 gpu
128GB SSD
2 x 2TB HDD
XFX 650W modular psu
All in a HAF X case

I plan on keeping the SSD and the HDD's so those are covered.

First bundle that interested me was this one:

Option 1:
YOUR BASKET
1 x ReAct Gigabyte Z97 - Intel Core i7 4790K @ 4.6GHz Configurable Pro Gaming Bundle £162.00
- 1 x Standard Build Laptops - Approximately 3 to 5 working days £0.00
- 1 x Intel Core i7-4790K 4.00GHz (Devil's Canyon) Socket LGA1150 Processor - OEM £249.95
- 1 x Corsair Hydro H100i High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (CW-9060009-WW) £88.00
- 1 x Kingston HyperX 16GB (2x8GB) PC3-17100C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black/Gold (HX21C11BGK2/16-OC) £131.99
Total : £641.53 (includes shipping : £8.00).



I'd probably go with the 16GB 2133MHz RAM option. I'd also be tempted to pick the Hydro H100i, but would it fit in the HAF X? Love those overclock numbers but a bit torn over it, as my current rig was part of an overclocked bundle and i was never able to get the overclock working without BSOD. It would be a bummer if that happened again. I'd then look at getting a new psu along with the bundle.

Then this bundle also caught my eye:

YOUR BASKET
1 x EPIC BUNDLE: Intel 4790K, Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming 7, Kingston 16GB 2400MHz Kit, Superflower 750W PSU & FREE STUFF!! **£50 SAVING** £555.97
Total : £565.57 (includes shipping : £8.00).



No overclock which if the other bundle worked would be a shame to lose on this one, but then i guess it would still run fast enough and with less risks by itself? I'm not confidant to be trying to overclock myself so i would leave it as is. Providing the psu in this bundle provides enough juice i would have that covered, and then need to look at getting a better cooler seperately.

Any thoughts on pros and cons for either? Thanks for any advice =)
 
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I apologise for my forthcoming unhelpful response... But..

If I were you I'd not be looking at a 'core' upgrade. The CPU you have is absolute class, it can keep up with morden say CPUs (4690k) with a good over clock. I ran mine at 4.6ghz for a while and in some CPU benchmarks (because I'm sad like that) it matched (if not surpassed) a Stock 4670/4690k.

I realised I've not mentioned the i7, the reason why is in terms of gaming the i7 gives exactly the sane results as a i5 4690k for most titles. The extra threads are rarely used in games..

My point is, you can get similar performance from investing in a good CPU cooler and overcliocking (its very easy to do, I was worried too before my first go). It saves you £500+ which you could invest In a GTX 970.

I'd leave the 'core' upgrade til skylaje arrives, it is rumoured to use DDR4 too..

As for RAM the kit youve got is fine. Its rare you see over 6-7gb of RAM use from games anyway.

What monitor & resolution to you game at?
 
Good points, but the reason for needing new parts is because i want to hand-me-down the old parts to our secondary pc. You're right though, it's not a bad setup even nowadays, but having had it for 3 years i just want something snazzier for my main pc now ;)

I want to go i7 this time around because i do photoshopping and other graphics work aswell, so i wanted a nice all round chip for that aside from the gaming. Same with doubling the RAM. The programs i use can be intensive and i generally have a bunch of things running at once.

It's unlikely i'll be tweaking the internals for another 3 or so years again, and i can never really do the whole waiting til something comes out thing lol. It's a case of going with what's available now really!

I have a BenQ G2450HM 24" Widescreen LED which runs at 1920x1080, so nothing special at all. I also have an incredibly old dell monitor as a secondary. But i do want to get round to new monitors to get more out of a new rig. A graphics card can be budgeted for easy enough a little after the main parts are replaced
 
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Okay, that's seems to make sense, at least they are not going to waste. As its now your secondary PC is look into over clocking, it may be a wise skill to have. ..

Again, the i5 is still the better option. With Photoshop and all adobe software, they are all single threaded programs which means the extra threads (hyper threading) the i7 offers cannot be used. Therefore it performs the same as the cheaper i5. Being single threaded it adores high clock speeds, so if you can overclock (or get an overclocked bundle) you'll get better performance.

16gb of RAM will be helpful for image editing/rendering for sure.

Gaming wise 1440p seems the best monitor move at the moment. Worth a look into for future upgrades.
 
Doomedspeed said:
Okay, that's seems to make sense, at least they are not going to waste. As its now your secondary PC is look into over clocking, it may be a wise skill to have. ..

Again, the i5 is still the better option. With Photoshop and all adobe software, they are all single threaded programs which means the extra threads (hyper threading) the i7 offers cannot be used. Therefore it performs the same as the cheaper i5. Being single threaded it adores high clock speeds, so if you can overclock (or get an overclocked bundle) you'll get better performance.

16gb of RAM will be helpful for image editing/rendering for sure.

Gaming wise 1440p seems the best monitor move at the moment. Worth a look into for future upgrades.
Click to expand...

I'll add to this and say I use my 2500k for Photoshop and Adobe Lightrooms with no issues what so ever and 16Gb would be a good option, I could do with another 8GB really.

As for the monitor, I have the Asus PB278Q which is superb for colour reproduction and I've also managed to overclock the refresh rate to 85hz, which makes the monitor feel slightly smoother when gaming - I can't tell the difference between 60hz and 120/144hz and it doesn't affect everyone but if this is a factory, you may wish to consider a quicker/more responsive one for gaming.
 
Thanks guys.. Ok so I'll definitely go with the 16gb ram. An i7 would help with 3D work like modelling and rendering though wouldn't it? I feel like an i7 safe proofs me for several areas that i dabble in, and to be honest ive just become fond of those bundle combinations. But say i did go with one of those bundles, what would the pro and con be for either?

Am i right in that a Hydro H100i would fit in my case and do the job of cooling something like those bundles? And would a 750w psu be enough for that kinda thing including a good graphics card?

Noted the monitor suggestions, that was along the lines of what i was thinking, so glad i was on the right track with that
 
After gathering some more info up today, i think i've narrowed it down to two cart options.. (please don't put other ideas in my head or i'll be all torn again lol)

Option 1: (processor won't come overclocked)

YOUR BASKET
1 x EPIC BUNDLE: Intel 4790K, Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming 7, Kingston 16GB 2400MHz Kit, Superflower 750W PSU & FREE STUFF!! **£50 SAVING** £555.97
1 x Corsair Hydro H100i High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (CW-9060009-WW) £88.00
Total : £653.57 (includes shipping : £8.00).



OR

Option 2: (processor comes overclocked)

YOUR BASKET
1 x ReAct Gigabyte Z97 - Intel Core i7 4790K @ 4.6GHz Configurable Pro Gaming Bundle £162.00
- 1 x Kingston HyperX 16GB (2x8GB) PC3-17100C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black/Gold (HX21C11BGK2/16-OC) £131.99
- 1 x Corsair Hydro H100i High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (CW-9060009-WW) £88.00
- 1 x Intel Core i7-4790K 4.00GHz (Devil's Canyon) Socket LGA1150 Processor - OEM £249.95
- 1 x Standard Build Laptops - Approximately 3 to 5 working days £0.00
1 x SuperFlower Golden Green HX 750W "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £77.99
Total : £719.52 (includes shipping : £8.00).




I know i just won't tinker with overclocking myself, so although the overclock in the second bundle adds a lot onto the price for the same parts as Option 1, it's fine with me if the overclock comes out the box and would make a nice difference?

Out of interest, does 2133MHz vs 2400MHz RAM make much difference? I ask as there is also a bundle just with the same mobo and cpu, so i would have a broader choice of RAM to put with that.

Can't resist getting the graphics card now aswell, call me impatient ;)
I like the GTX 970 and GTX 780Ti but not sure which to go for? Not sure which of all the different versions are best either. The Asus GeForce GTX 970 DirectCU II OC Strix version looks like a good one? No idea about the 780Ti's though.
If price isn't an issue, what would be a better choice and which version?
 
If your 100% you won't OC it yourself the pre over clocked bundle is the one to go for. Over clocking to that speed may amount to a 10%-15% increase in performance, I'd say that's worth £70.

I hope I don't confuse you but for the PSU take a look at the EVGA G2 and superflower leadex range. Unlike the hx greens they are both modular and are slightly better unit, though the green is still a good buy if the budget doesnt allow.

2133 is fast enough, there no tangible difference between the two really (real life performance)

As for GPUs its worth looking at the 970 range, it may have dx12 support which the Ti doesn't if I recall.

As for type of 970 I'd have my sights on the gigabyte g1. A monster of a boost OC out of the box. It challenges the 980 (stock) at those speeds.

The strix is also a good choice with its ISP being the 0db fan option (idle). 750w will also be enough for 970SLI too.
 
I really don't want to fiddle with overclocking myself so i'll go with the overclocked bundle then, it'll be a load off my mind to have it all pre-done.

Will the cpu last a few years at those speeds? And will the H100i be an okay choice for cooling that? Bit concerned over the cooling side of things. I've not used liquid before and have no idea about performance or noise etc with them compared to air. Read a few things where people don't like them much and like air better. A Prolimatech Genesis Dual 120mm Cooler with dual Noiseblocker is the other option on the bundle.. is there a better one out of the two types? I think if i would need to be worrying about temps all the time i'd rather not bother with a large overclock

Thanks for the RAM info, i won't worry about that bundle having the lesser of the two then.

I totally missed that the superflower green wasn't modular, glad you mentioned that. Both of those others that you recommended are out of stock though which is annoying! They do have the 850w leadex in stock though for a little off the price this week. Would that be worth it? Not sure how long i'd be waiting for those others to come back in stock.

Ok so the "Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 G1 Gaming 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card" version is the one you mean? If the boost is worth it over any extra noise then i'll go with that one over the strix then. And that'll be everything sorted :D
 
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The CPU and CPU cooler h100i will be fine. Liquid coolers are quote standard now and are off very good quality. You don't have to service then in anyway and its very rare (0.1% chance) they leak. They are also a breeze to install. The fans on the h100i are pretty good too. But if you feel they are too loud they are easy to change..

CPU life may be affect a little but no radically. Maybe it'll only last 10 years instead of 11. Its when its over clocked wrong (too much voltage) that the life diminishes quickly. OCUK won't do this, as there bundles are stress tested too (before shipping)..

Silly out of stocks, the leadex 850w for £90 is a great buy though if you'd want to SLI in the future (why not eh?).

Yeah, that's the card I meant. From my point of you a bigger boost OC will give you better looking games. Will a silent fan??.. Haha..

Hope I've helped.
 
You've helped a lot, thanks very much :)

Logged on to order and since last night they've changed the bundle a bit today hmm. Now the cooler has different options listed - a Phantek instead of the Prolimatech, but the H100i is still there. And the overclock options are different.. Now there are options for 4.5GHz or 4.6GHz. But the 4.6GHz can only be chosen if i go with the new XSPC or EK waterblock cooler options. Just going to go with 4.5GHz and the H100i in that case i think. That'll do me fine

And the GTX 970 G1 is now on preorder and not in stock lol, it was yesterday. I'll just have to order and be patient haha
 
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Ohh dear.. Not going well. Haha. 4.5 and the h100i is a hood choice. If you don't want to wait you can always get the strix, its still good and a not cheaper.. Either call isnt a bad one..
 
Yep think i chose the worst week :D but at least i'm decided on what to get.

Sorry i might need to move this to a different forum, but have one more question. If i only have the fans that come with the HAF X case and then what comes with the H100i, what kind of configuration am i best to go with in terms of airflow direction? Air in from the front and the big side HAF X fan, and then exhaust out the back and through the rad?
 
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Luck just works like that. You never know they maybe on offer come Wednesday afternoon (when weekly deals change).

I'm sure the question can stay here.

Airflow wise its best to work from front to back. So air in at the front and out at the back, and the top.

As for a side fan you may need to try both push and pull, when you do this make sure to monitor GPU temps. The idea is it either exhausts the hot air coming from the GPU or intakes cold air to cool the GPU. Its hard to say with trying it, which is best.. Though my head tells me intake..
 
I hadn't thought about testing the side fan both ways, yeah i'll do that to check for any difference, thanks!

Edit: erm just to add.. Is Windows 8.1 preferential over Windows 7 nowadays? Realised i can't move my previous OS over as it's OEM
 
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I managed to move my OEM over but it took a bit of fiddling.. Though I did have the discs for the retail (a friend) so I took the 30 day trail again..

Anyway, Windows 8.1 is the most popular and you can customize it to work like windows 7. Go for 8.. It's nothing special though...
 
yeah true, having umm'd and arr'd over it for hours i'm going to just go for it and get 8.1. I think there's enough options to make it feel similar enough. Going to get things ordered =)
 
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