Help with Haswell Build - going crazy, can't decide -

Aboo154 · Jul 29, 2013

Heloooooooo,

I'm stuck on these choices (the brands are more or less fixed, cause that's all i can easily get from the shops here in Malaysia)

usage: Gaming, and very light VMs (because i now can, with 16GB and all). No video editing/3d rendering. Savings are welcomed.

Upgrading from ; Q9550 @ 3.4Ghz with 6GB DDR2 1066Mhz ram, on Asus Maximus II Formula board. Will carry over my Intel 520 480GB SSD, 300GB Raptor + 2 x WD 320GB drives, and a sapphire 7950 OC card.
PSU is a Gigabyte Odin 800w.

Should i go straight for i7 4770K; rather than i5 4670K ? looking for a decent 4.5Ghz OC (with default vcore if possible - lottery i know)

16GB of RAM (rather than 8GB, this falls under "might as well/the itch")
Choice of between Corsair 1866C9 LP 1.5v or Kingston Hyper-X Beast 2400C11 1.65v
I've read about the Haswell OC limit + memory limitation; also on the 1.65v vs 1.5v debate, and can't really decide. Would 2400Mhz be "fast" enough to limit the 4.5Ghz OC i'm hoping for ? Reason for 2400Mhz : supposedly helps min frame rates ? Help.

Mobo: Asus Maximus VI Hero. good support/it just works/good on-board sound
I took a look at the GD65 gaming, but decided against it cause i prefer a simple Intel GE kit (without fancy QoS stuff really), no need for msata and the on-board sound looks better on the Hero (based on reviews).

Cooler: Noctua NH-U12s (would have gone for NH-U14s, but it blocks the first PCI-E 3.0 slot apparently. E-mailed Noctua for confirmation on that). Not keen on AIO water cooling kits (noise vs performance at the price point i'm looking at).

Thanks!

realchaos · Jul 29, 2013

The i5-4670k is all you'll need for gaming. But seriously, don't expect 4.5ghz on default voltage. Even with the luckiest chip in the world, I doubt you can increase the speed by 1.1ghz without raising the v.core.

Don't know why you'll need 16gb of ram. Unless you plan on running 2-3 VMs at the same time while you're gaming......
However, if you do seriously need 16gb, grab the corsair one. The difference between 1600, 1866 and 2400mhz is minimal since you're not running an APU. Also, just stick with 1.5v on the RAM.

No need for the bigger on-board sound. Unless you're using a quality headset/speaker there's no use.
I would recommend the Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H.

Also, I would highly recommend a new psu. Gigabyte aren't very known for making good quality psus.
This is a great psu: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207022

Dark Lord of Tech · Jul 29, 2013

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Power Supply: OCZ ZT 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $59.99
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-29 22:57 EDT-0400)

mastrom101 · Jul 29, 2013

realchaos :

The i5-4670k is all you'll need for gaming. But seriously, don't expect 4.5ghz on default voltage. Even with the luckiest chip in the world, I doubt you can increase the speed by 1.1ghz without raising the v.core.

Don't know why you'll need 16gb of ram. Unless you plan on running 2-3 VMs at the same time while you're gaming......
However, if you do seriously need 16gb, grab the corsair one. The difference between 1600, 1866 and 2400mhz is minimal since you're not running an APU. Also, just stick with 1.5v on the RAM.

No need for the bigger on-board sound. Unless you're using a quality headset/speaker there's no use.
I would recommend the Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H.

Also, I would highly recommend a new psu. Gigabyte aren't very known for making good quality psus.
This is a great psu: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207022

+1

Aboo154 · Jul 30, 2013

Thanks realchaos. Looks like i'll go 1600Mhz Corsair LP then. 8GB.

i4670K then. The 4.5Ghz part was more wishful thinking. 4.3Ghz at < 1.15v more realistic ?

I have a Z5500 5.1 system which i game and watch movies on (hdmi to a 37" Aquos).

For the PSU, it's this: http://www.anandtech.com/show/2283
Granted it's almost 4 years now (i got it around 2009), but it 's pretty reliable with some good amperage on the rails and 85% efficiency.

realchaos · Jul 30, 2013

I would definitely recommend a new psu now.
It's recommended to dump your psu after 4-5 years, and it's around that time to ditch it.

Aboo154 · Jul 30, 2013

How about the Corsair AX 760 ? Comes with 7 year warranty. It's about the same price ($20 more) than the Seasonic X-750. With the intention of fully using it for 7 years (or more), might as well get a higher rated PSU for higher future resistance ?

realchaos · Jul 30, 2013

The AX760 is definitely a good psu but you don't need such a big psu. The XFX one i listed above is cheap, extremely high quality and enough for your system. 760w is only needed if you plan to crossfire/sli, but the drivers for crossfire are so bad that it's not worth it.

Aboo154 · Jul 30, 2013

Not available here sadly (Malaysia). How about the AX650 ?

realchaos · Jul 30, 2013

Try to find a 550-600w psu from Corsair (No CX), XFX or Seasonic.

Dark Lord of Tech · Jul 30, 2013

AX650 will be fine.

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Help with Haswell Build - going crazy, can't decide -

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