Thoughts sought on new build

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Johnnyfireblade

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Mar 13, 2014
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Hi guys.

I'm thinking of following a build recently posted on pcpartpicker.com, but I intend to increase the RAM because the board only has two slots so I want to go for the max RAM from the start to avoid throwing away good DIMMs later.

Here's what I'm looking to go with: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/37z2P

This is my dilemma: a couple of my work colleagues are recommending AMD for CPU and GPU, due to the upcoming Mantle. Obviously, NVIDIA's also offering up G-Sync and the build I've been looking at utilises an i5 and a GTX 780 Ti. So am I really going to notice huge differences going one route or the other? Is this just VHS vs Betamax again?

I'm looking to shell out a fair old bit of cash for this build, so I'd like to be sure I won't be regretting any choices not too far down the line.

Cheers!
 
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maddogfargo

maddogfargo

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Nov 28, 2006
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Mantle has lead to both OpenGL and DirextX planning for the same type of change: Closer to bare metal APIs. So I see Mantle as being a great innovation, but a moot point now since the top APIs are going the same route.

As for G-Sync, AMD has also gone the same route and will be offering a slightly more open version of their GPU/Monitor syncing technology. So again, with similar plans coming up I see this as moot as well.

As for CPU/GPU combinations, you need to consider what games and apps you will be using and how many cores they will be able to use. You may even want to consider whether HyperThreading (i7 territory) will be a benefit, and whether you plan to go with 1 GPU or 2 GPUs in Crossfire/SLI. Knowing this can change your 'best fit' from being i5 to i7 or even from Intel 4 core CPUs to AMD 6-8 Core CPUs.
 
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J

Johnnyfireblade

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Mar 13, 2014
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Thanks, MDF. It certainly makes sense that they'll all want to achieve the same result.

Re: software being used, I'd like to be able to play most modern games on ultra detail settings for at least the next few years. Desktop software I use isn't too demanding, certainly no video editing or anything like that (and I'm hoping 16GB will eliminate pre-fetching to keep things speedy). I'm not sure, however, which games (if any) support HyperThreading or indeed if there's a noticeable benefit to playing games on an i7 (I'm running a 1st gen i7 currently, but I'm sure current gen i5s will easily be quicker).

I don't think SLI / Crossfire would be an option with the mobo / case combo due to only one PCI-E slot and the physical space available in the case, which is why I was sticking with the GTX 780 Ti option in the hope of ensuring almost best performance with a single card. The main reason I'm leaning towards the Corsair 250D is portability; it's tiny! Portability over power is a compromise I'm happy to make, but I want to be sure it'll at least perform well for the foreseeable future.

Thanks. :)

 
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geofelt

geofelt

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Oct 9, 2006
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Mantle is designed to reduce the cpu overhead in graphics processing.
It is of use in the amd apm chips which are weak. It will have negligible difference in a strong cpu like the 4670K.
And... who knows how many games will incur the extra expense of low level coding.
I would ignore mantle as a selection criteria.

Your build is very good with one glaring exception:
The 500w psu will not do the job.
I would look at a 650w unit of higher quality. Seasonic would be my pick.
Here is a list: http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx

ITX will not support crossfire or dual cards.

I do not much like all in one liquid coolers when a good air cooler can do the job.
A liquid cooler will be expensive, noisy, less reliable, and will not cool any better
in a well ventilated case.
Liquid cooling is really air cooling, it just puts the heat exchange in a different place.
The orientation of the radiator will cause a problem.
If you orient it to take in cool air from the outside, you will cool the cpu better, but the hot air then circulates inside the case heating up the graphics card and motherboard.
If you orient it to exhaust(which I think is better) , then your cpu cooling will be less effective because it uses pre heated case air.
And... I have read too many tales of woe when a liquid cooler leaks.
google "H100 leak"

A small case might be an exception. Still, unless you are looking at getting the last two multipliers out of an agressive OC, I would stick with a decent air cooler from noctua.
 
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J

Johnnyfireblade

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Mar 13, 2014
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Thanks, geo. Actually, thinking about it, the cooler would be a good place to save some money on the overall build. I'll have a look at the options, but fear they may be limited due to the space constraints in the case. Heard some good things about Noctua, so will look some up.

I was wondering about the PSU. pcpartpicker reckoned the overall power consumption would be 422W and had the 500W in the original build, but I guess I've increased the RAM and don't have much headroom for spikes. I've not used Seasonic before, so will check them out.

Thanks. :)
 
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