New build, awesome parts but scared sh%$&@(* about over clocking

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Medicgarou

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Sep 20, 2013
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I'm building my first PC in YEARS. Last time I did I think it was a pentium with a 3DFX card (yeah that long ago) Back then over clocking was like running blindfolded down an interstate. Now it seems easy enough to do. Would there be any harm in putting it together with the stock cooler and making sure it works to get my confidence up, then later buying a better cooling solution and overclocking ?
 
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No harm, unless you really hate cleaning thermal compound off of things. You'd want to make sure that you got a -k processor and a Z-series board if you were going Intel, however, as those are designed for overclocking.
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Medicgarou

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Sorry I should have included that. I have an i5 4670k, Asus Z87-Pro motherboard, Asus GTX 760 video card and all the rest is pretty normal. Would there be a better option that liquid cooling and better than the stock cooler ? I was thinking coolers by Cooler Master or Noctua ?
 
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Medicgarou

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Sep 20, 2013
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Sorry I should have included that. I have an i5 4670k, Asus Z87-Pro motherboard, Asus GTX 760 video card and all the rest is pretty normal. Would there be a better option that liquid cooling and better than the stock cooler ? I was thinking coolers by Cooler Master or Noctua ?
 
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markwp

markwp

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An aircooler like a Hyper 212 EVO or Xigmatek GAIA will work just fine with that setup. If you have already bought your ram, check the clearance before you purchase an aircooler. The "blingy" ram with the tall heat spreaders often interferes with an air cooler. The manufacturers web site should give you clearance figures from the bottom of the fins.

Once you get up and running, do a little reading on overclocking, although with the new boards and software it is really just a matter of pushing a button and selecting "fast, faster and OMG".

Mark
 
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Jack Revenant

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The Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo is generally agreed to be the most efficient air cooler, while the Noctua NH-D14 is one of the best air coolers on the market. It's pretty hard to beat the NH-D14 with liquid, actually, unless you go for a one of the big 2x120 or 2x140 rad closed-loops (if you wanted to do so, I would recommend the NZXT Kraken x60), or a custom loop.

As markwp said, make sure that your RAM will allow clearance before you buy an air cooler. Very tall RAM can block the placement of many heat sinks.
 
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Medicgarou

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Sep 20, 2013
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Thanks for the replies guys ! This does make me wonder one other question.. Knowing the setup I have, will the "blingy" ram as you put it give me any better NOTICABLE performance ? Or would we be talking a few FPS. I also forgot to mention I'm coming from a 2008 gateway PC that can run most stuff at lower settings, so even at stock I think I'm going to see a huge improvement.
 
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markwp

markwp

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For ram, 1600mhz CL9 low profile (no tall spreaders) will work great for gaming.

Your real gaming experience will come from your cpu (the 4670k suggested above is a great cpu) and your gpu (this depends on budget, what frame rates you want, how much detail and monitor resolution).

Give us an idea of budget and what games and quality (playiing quality) you would like and let's see if we can make some suggestions.

Mark
 
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Medicgarou

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I've already purchased an Asus GTX 760 directCu OC card. From what I've read it should suit my needs for 1080p gaming. FPS shooters, War Thunder, stuff like Titanfall coming up. Watch Dogs, Batman Arkham Origins..
 
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Jack Revenant

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The 760 is a good card. In your shoes, I would have gone with the similarly priced 7970, but there's not a big gap in performance.

+1 to markwp regarding low profile RAM. With DDR3, you literally gain next to nothing from giant heat spreaders. They're purely for looks these days.
 
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Medicgarou

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Are there any advantages to using something like the Corsair H55 or H60 liquid cooling ? I don't know how much aesthetics counts but I kind of like the way they look in builds I've seen online. I've watched a few videos and they seem just as easy to install as an air cooler
 
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Jack Revenant

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Well, if you had already purchased non-low profile RAM, they would allow you to use it. Other than that, from the testing I've seen, the H55 actually outperforms the H60 for some reason, and has acceptable cooling and noise specs. However, it's not significantly better than the 212 Evo, and the NH-D14 is markedly better.
 
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Jack Revenant

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Superb!

If you do have any problems, you have any further questions, or otherwise need help, feel free to PM me.
Good luck and happy gaming!
 
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