Final check of upgrade package before I finalize order

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Joseph DeGarmo

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Mar 12, 2014
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I'm upgrading my HP desktop and will install a new motherboard, CPU, and RAM. I want to have a non-OEM motherboard which will be capable of anything, including SATA III, overclocking, high-grade PSU, and GPU upgrades. I already have a full version of Windows 8.1, so that's already covered. I will be using the same GPU for now until the Nvidia Maxwell performance GPUs are released. My RAM seems to be compatible with the new CPU, but I decided to get a new and faster RAM kit. (I'll leave the original RAM with the original motherboard and CPU so that I could use them to rebuild a dead Compaq Presario desktop into a secondary Windows 7 PC.) I originally planned on getting the CPU at Micro Center for a lower price, but with the cost of the trip to the nearest store, including gas, meals, etc., I decided that it's not worth the long drive to that store and will order the CPU online at the regular price. I included a Micro ATX board and a CPU cooler which look to fit the PC case. So does this look perfect or is there anything which can be improved? Will I need to format and reinstall Windows after installing the new components?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($339.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($16.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($90.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $547.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-01 08:38 EDT-0400
 
Solution
byza
Good to hear that it's all up and running. Idle temps sound good. Not a bad idea to run a burn in test, just search google for how to do one. The intel burn in test is pretty popular for new CPU's. Select best answer if you don't have any more questions.
Did you install windows in a separate partition to the rest of your programs and data? It's often a good idea as if the OS gets corrupted you can do a fresh install without losing your data. Although if you are restoring data from a non-partitioned backup i'm not sure if you can do it.
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byza

byza

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What are you planning on using the computer for? If it is just gaming than you'll only need an i5. The i7 is only worth the money if you will be doing HD editing or rendering. Put the money towards a slightly better CPU cooler if you want to overclock. The 212 EVO is a great budget cooler and probably the minimum i'd use for overclocking. I'd probably only use the tx3 as a quieter replacement to a stock cooler, not for overclocking.
 
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Joseph DeGarmo

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I want to optimize performance in games with minimal or no lag and also do some audio mixing / rendering and light to moderate 1080p video editing, possibly going 4K in the future. I like the i7-4790k due to the 4 GHz clock speed. I don't mind spending an extra $100 for a boost in overall performance in Windows and next-generation games like Far Cry 4. My current motherboard is basically crap and outdated and I want a more modern motherboard. As for the CPU cooler, I doubt that the Hyper 212 EVO will fit in the case, so that's why I have the Hyper TX3 on my shopping list. Perhaps there may be a low-profile performance cooler in the Noctua line of products. Any ideas on that? I won't overclock in the immediate term, but will do so in at least a year from now. If the CPU temps do get a bit high, then I could adjust the CPU clock speed between 3.5 GHz and 4.0 GHz. With this CPU, I could have the flexibility to change the clock speeds and toggle hyperthreading on and off at will, depending on the programs being run.
 
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byza

byza

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The nocuta low profile coolers are a premium product so they are good but more pricey. Have you measured the CPU cooler clearance or just guestimating? The evo is 158/9mm so it needs about 160mm of clearance.

The i7 has a higher base clock rate, but the i5 will reach around the same frequency as the i7 when both are OC'd. Hyperthreading can give you up to a 30% increase in performance, but not many games use hyperthreading so the i7 and i5 tend to perform very similar in games. You also wont notice a difference in general usage. The only time you really see an advantage is in processor heavy applications like editing and rendering. If you have the money to spend on it, go ahead, i'm just letting you know that from a gaming perspective it's not really useful.
 
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Joseph DeGarmo

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I have placed the order for the aforementioned parts. I stuck with the Hyper TX3 CPU cooler because the Hyper 212 EVO is too large. I chose a rush next-day delivery option. After installing the new components, do I need to reinstall Windows 8.1 from the retail disc?
 
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byza

byza

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Yes you'll need to reinstall windows. If all your current stuff is working, you might want to 'sys prep' the HDD. I've not done it myself but to my understanding it removes the windows license from the HDD so when you swap the motherboard you just enter the key rather than having to do a fresh install. A fresh install is good once in a while, you just don't want to lose all your data, so if you haven't back it up it's worth trying. No guarantees though, as I said I haven't done it myself.
 
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Joseph DeGarmo

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All new components installed. Had a little issue with the RAM sticks not positioned properly for dual-channel setup and had to redo the RAM configuration, but other than that, installation went smoothly. Reinstalling Windows was a bit rough, though. Could not connect to internet until I realized that I needed to install the LAN drivers along with some others. Had to contact Microsoft to reactivate Windows. Now everything is working fine so far and the CPU temps are at about 37°C in idle mode. So far, so good. I'll test out a few games later on once I install Windows updates and reinstall programs.
 
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byza

byza

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Sep 7, 2013
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Good to hear that it's all up and running. Idle temps sound good. Not a bad idea to run a burn in test, just search google for how to do one. The intel burn in test is pretty popular for new CPU's. Select best answer if you don't have any more questions.
Did you install windows in a separate partition to the rest of your programs and data? It's often a good idea as if the OS gets corrupted you can do a fresh install without losing your data. Although if you are restoring data from a non-partitioned backup i'm not sure if you can do it.
 
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Joseph DeGarmo

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Mar 12, 2014
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10,960
Windows is reinstalled after a disk format. I had to cut back on some things. My multimedia card reader built in the front of the case will not function since the new motherboard does not have a port for it. I also have to ditch the PCI-E TV tuner card because plugging it into the PCI-E 2.0 slot hogs up PCI-E lanes, bottlenecking the GPU by forcing it to run in PCI-E 3.0 x8 mode. Fps runs better with just the GPU plugged into the PCI-E 3.0 x16 slot. I don't see why the TV tuner will not plug into the standard PCI slot, but I guess I'll just get an external TV tuner USB device. The new CPU has support for only 16 PCI-E lanes instead of 40 on my old CPU. So much for not going with an LGA 2011 build. :lol: Now I get no more lagging in Elder Scrolls Online. :D
 
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