Possible new build; Need opinions/advice

WJX · Oct 9, 2014

Hi guys,

I will be building a gaming PC with a budget of around 1500 pounds this winter and have drafted a build. It would be great if someone/people could take a quick look and tell me what you think.

http://tinyurl.com/qx734g2

p.s. I am torn between the Z97 Gene and the Z97 Gryphon (with the TUF Armour)

Thanks in advance

tiny voices · Oct 9, 2014

The TUF armor is a scam. I have seen time and time again how it causes the motherboard to run hot.

You are overpaying for so much stuff that you could lose no performance but save enough money to put a gtx980 in there.

WJX · Oct 9, 2014

tiny voices :

So would you recommend the Z97 Gene instead?

What do you mean I'm overpaying for stuff? Also, as for the Gtx 980, I don't think there's any point in me paying ~£150 extra to get slightly more FPS on a 60Hz 1920x1080p monitor.

tiny voices · Oct 9, 2014

You won't be paying the extra money as you can save it elsewhere.

You can save 10 on the RAM
Quite a bit with a cheaper motherboard that still performs the same.
could ditch the cable extensions
There are cheaper and quieter air coolers that perform better than the h100i

All of this could probably save you enough to swing a 980.

WJX · Oct 9, 2014

tiny voices :

Fair points, but this computer is going to be next to me on my desk, so I want it to look nice and I think air coolers don't look great, quite ugly in fact, especially Noctua ones. Also, as I said before, I doubt there is much point in getting a Gtx 980 over a Gtx 970 for 60Hz 1080p gaming. If I want more power in the future, I could always just get a second Gtx 970

Which RAM could I get that would save me 10 quid? And, have you got any ideas about which Mobo I could get which still has good overclocking potential and a nice set of features but for cheaper?

tiny voices · Oct 9, 2014

People always talk about "features" when they talk about motherboards but no one knows what that is. In reality a $90 motherboard will have the same stuff as a $200 board will. I would recommend trying to shave 20-30 quid off the motherboard and have the same overclocking potential. I understand the looks thing. For some it is worth the extra money.

Are you going to replace the fans on the h100i? If so I have warnings about that.

WJX · Oct 9, 2014

tiny voices :

I guess when I say 'features' I just meant cool things, like the Gene's on board sound etc. Also, I am attracted to the BIOS on the RoG boards, but yeah, I will look into some MSi Mobos as they share the same colour-scheme (as shallow as it may seem) and they seem to be around 30 quid cheaper than the Gene.

And yes, I was planning on replacing the h100i's stock fans. I thought it was a relatively simple process?

tiny voices · Oct 9, 2014

Any motherboard you buy will have VERY good onboard sound. It is standard.

I personally like MSI's BIOS the most. They are all good though.

Replacing the fans with sp120s will nerf the performance of the h100i but 3-5c making it no better performing than a $70 air cooler and it will still be loud. You are paying like almost double the price of an air cooler that will perform better and be MUCH quieter.

WJX · Oct 9, 2014

tiny voices :

Surely the SP120 High Performance Edition fans would be better than the stock fans? I've seen tonnes of people replacing the stock fans so assumed it must be better? And, as I said before, I really dislike the look of the air coolers, they just make the PC look so cluttered. I get that in terms of raw performance, then a Noctua NHD-15 or equivalent would be better, but I'm not really up for having sick/brown coloured fans.

tiny voices · Oct 9, 2014

Nope they are less powerful than the stock fans by a decent amount (hence how loud the stock fans are).

They do it because it is quieter and they like to say "I have water cooling". it has nothing to do with performance as it actually will decrease cooling ability.

The D15 beats the H100i with its stock fans, let alone sp120s.

There are plenty of less awful looking coolers that beat a stock h100i.

WJX · Oct 9, 2014

tiny voices :

Any suggestions for air coolers that would beat the h100i without looking hideous? But can I just say, I'm not going to be doing any serious CPU overclocking, probably ~4.4Ghz max.

tiny voices · Oct 9, 2014

Phanteks PH-TC14PE. This cooler beats the H100i even when it is set on "performance" mode while still remaining 3x quieter.

It even comes in may colors. Red/black/blue/white.

If you get a cooler like this you will need to get low profile RAM.

WJX · Oct 9, 2014

tiny voices :

Ok, thanks, I'll take a look into it. As for the rest of the build, does it look OK to you, does everything fit together OK etc.?

tiny voices · Oct 9, 2014

Everything will work fine. It WILL be very cramped in that case when you add 12in to each cable with those extensions though. I previously had extensions and ditched them as they took up SO MUCH space they actually made my cable management worse.

WJX · Oct 9, 2014

tiny voices :

They're not extensions, they're just replacement cables (At least I think they are)?. And I will have to do some more research into the mATX platform, I was set on using the h440 with an ATX mobo until I saw the 350D a couple of days ago and loved it.

tiny voices · Oct 9, 2014

No, they are not. They are extensions. They DO NOT plug into the PSU, they connected to the end of the existing cables.

WJX · Oct 9, 2014

tiny voices :

Oh, that's not good. Are all coloured cables extensions or is there some purely replacement cables around?

tiny voices · Oct 9, 2014

Most are extensions. You have to buy replacement cables form the PSU company. I believe only Corsair and NZXT sell these for their respective PSUs and they are EXPENSIVE.

Most people sleeve their own cables.

WJX · Oct 9, 2014

tiny voices :

That's a shame and yeah, no way I'm paying 60 quid for a set of cables from Corsair+the cost of one of their PSUs. I'll look into sleeving my own cables then. I'm guessing it would be a bad idea to plug extensions straight into the PSU and then plug them into their respective components?

tiny voices · Oct 9, 2014

You cannot plug extensions into the PSU. just plain don't fit/wrong connectors/doesn't work. You can clearly see how they are meant to connect to a cable (one female and one male end) and NOT into a PSU (would need 2 male ends like the stock cables have).

WJX · Oct 9, 2014

tiny voices :

Actually, something like this isn't a bad price: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/corsair-psu-hx-and-txmodular-series-individually-sleeved-modular-cables-pack-red

Do you think a set like this would only work on the Corsair HX/TXM series PSUs as advertised? As Scan don't sell HX or TXM PSUs? I would consider a set like this if they'd work along with an RM series PSU.

tiny voices · Oct 9, 2014

You DO NOT want an RM PSU. The 650, 750, and 850w units are junk.

WJX · Oct 9, 2014

tiny voices :

REALLY? I thought they they were one of Corsair's best lines? I've read tonnes of good reviews on them.

tiny voices · Oct 9, 2014

Nope the 450w and 1000w units in that line are very good. Everything else uses bad quality Capacitors that fail easily. They are barely a tier 3 unit and are essentially the same as the CX line. They even lie on the BOX!

I recommend Antec, XFX, Seasonic for PSUs always.

WJX · Oct 9, 2014

tiny voices :

Oh, what a shame

So I'm best of going for the Antec Edge I was originally planning on getting? I will buy the extensions and see how it pans out, I can always detach them if they're causing issues.
Thanks for your help

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Possible new build; Need opinions/advice

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