Which bundle? Advice please =)

[j3nni]

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 =)

 

[j3nni]

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

 

[j3nni]

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

 

[j3nni]

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?

 

[j3nni]

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

 

[j3nni]

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

 

[j3nni]

Yep think i chose the worst week 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?

 

[j3nni]

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

 

[j3nni]

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 =)