Hi folks,
I'm looking at upgrading my PC. I will be carrying over some parts from my existing machine. I'd like to get people's thoughts on the build.
Usage:
I work from home and it will be a dual use machine. I will be performing CPU intensive simulations for my work and I also play games such as Elite Dangerous (Lol, I'm OLD
), Arma 3 and I will be hoping to play GTA V sometime in 2055 when it eventually gets released. So in summary, I want a decent performing machine that can play games at decent settings is reasonably future proofed and is very stable.
New components:
CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K Box, LGA1150
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD5H, Sockel 1150, ATX
RAM: Kingston 16GB 1600MHz DDR3 Non-ECC CL9 DIMM Kit of 2 XMP HyperX Savage
Video: MSI GeForce GTX 960 Gaming 2G, 2GB GDDR5
From existing machine:
SSD (OS): Samsung SSD 830 Series (256GB)
HDD (Data): Samsung HD753LJ (750GB, 7200RPM)
PCI Sound card: Creative SB X-FI Extreme Gamer (Move audio processing from CPU to dedicated hardware)
Case: Antec Sonata III (500MW PSU) (I will be modding this to add a front intake fan and perhaps some top fans).
Rationale
Motherboard:
Where I'm most uncertain is regarding the motherboard. I want to get a good stable board for gaming and general use but I won't be doing SLI or anything like that (maybe at the end of it's life?), so I don't think anything over the €200 is really needed in my case. I won't be overclocking either - again, I could look into this towards the end of its life but I certainly won't be overclocking from the start (I want stability). The rationale for the board I've chosen: Latest Z97 chipset and socket 1150 for CPU. I currently have a gigabyte board and have had no issues. The board has 12 phase regulator so should be stable. To use my Creative XFi Extreme gamer soundcard I need a legacy PCI slot - this would rule out the Asrock z97 Extreme 4 for example. My problem here is that to get a high quality board with, say, 12 power phases, I'm also getting a ton of other stuff that I probably don't need (SLI, over clocking functionality). Maybe I've missed something. I'm open to suggestions here. I.e. if I were to rule out SLI and overclocking, what is the best board to get for maximum stability and performance? Looking at it another way, if I only have to spend another €50 on a board to keep SLI and overclocking options open for later in the system's life, it's probably worth it. Another concern is that I will need a ton of USB ports for my gaming peripherals.
Video:
I've gone with the GTX 960. I know it's only marginally better than the 760 but I'm attracted by its efficiency and that it runs cool (I don't have the best case). Since it is efficient and runs cools, you could probably throw a second one in for SLI in a few years time when the prices drop. I'm thinking its also probably going to be cheaper buying a new x60 series every 3 years than an x70 or x80 series every 5 years?
Sound Card:
I have a Creative SB X-Fi extreme gamer PCI sound card. It works great. My chosen MB has a legacy PCI slot so I'm good. The card is old and on my current system it's probably giving me some performance benefit in games by offloading audio processing from the CPU... but I wonder will it make any difference in this new system? The marketing blurb about my proposed new board says the on-board audio circuits are isolated from the other stuff on the board and each channel is on a different side of the board to minimise interference - so it sounds like the on-board audio on my new board would be better? On the other hand, on my current Gigabyte board (EP35-DS3R) I get mad interference using on-board audio. When plugged into my monitor, I get a constant noise which gets worse depending on CPU activity). No such problems with the Creative card though.
Any feedback on this build?
I'm looking at upgrading my PC. I will be carrying over some parts from my existing machine. I'd like to get people's thoughts on the build.
Usage:
I work from home and it will be a dual use machine. I will be performing CPU intensive simulations for my work and I also play games such as Elite Dangerous (Lol, I'm OLD
), Arma 3 and I will be hoping to play GTA V sometime in 2055 when it eventually gets released. So in summary, I want a decent performing machine that can play games at decent settings is reasonably future proofed and is very stable.New components:
CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K Box, LGA1150
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD5H, Sockel 1150, ATX
RAM: Kingston 16GB 1600MHz DDR3 Non-ECC CL9 DIMM Kit of 2 XMP HyperX Savage
Video: MSI GeForce GTX 960 Gaming 2G, 2GB GDDR5
From existing machine:
SSD (OS): Samsung SSD 830 Series (256GB)
HDD (Data): Samsung HD753LJ (750GB, 7200RPM)
PCI Sound card: Creative SB X-FI Extreme Gamer (Move audio processing from CPU to dedicated hardware)
Case: Antec Sonata III (500MW PSU) (I will be modding this to add a front intake fan and perhaps some top fans).
Rationale
Motherboard:
Where I'm most uncertain is regarding the motherboard. I want to get a good stable board for gaming and general use but I won't be doing SLI or anything like that (maybe at the end of it's life?), so I don't think anything over the €200 is really needed in my case. I won't be overclocking either - again, I could look into this towards the end of its life but I certainly won't be overclocking from the start (I want stability). The rationale for the board I've chosen: Latest Z97 chipset and socket 1150 for CPU. I currently have a gigabyte board and have had no issues. The board has 12 phase regulator so should be stable. To use my Creative XFi Extreme gamer soundcard I need a legacy PCI slot - this would rule out the Asrock z97 Extreme 4 for example. My problem here is that to get a high quality board with, say, 12 power phases, I'm also getting a ton of other stuff that I probably don't need (SLI, over clocking functionality). Maybe I've missed something. I'm open to suggestions here. I.e. if I were to rule out SLI and overclocking, what is the best board to get for maximum stability and performance? Looking at it another way, if I only have to spend another €50 on a board to keep SLI and overclocking options open for later in the system's life, it's probably worth it. Another concern is that I will need a ton of USB ports for my gaming peripherals.
Video:
I've gone with the GTX 960. I know it's only marginally better than the 760 but I'm attracted by its efficiency and that it runs cool (I don't have the best case). Since it is efficient and runs cools, you could probably throw a second one in for SLI in a few years time when the prices drop. I'm thinking its also probably going to be cheaper buying a new x60 series every 3 years than an x70 or x80 series every 5 years?
Sound Card:
I have a Creative SB X-Fi extreme gamer PCI sound card. It works great. My chosen MB has a legacy PCI slot so I'm good. The card is old and on my current system it's probably giving me some performance benefit in games by offloading audio processing from the CPU... but I wonder will it make any difference in this new system? The marketing blurb about my proposed new board says the on-board audio circuits are isolated from the other stuff on the board and each channel is on a different side of the board to minimise interference - so it sounds like the on-board audio on my new board would be better? On the other hand, on my current Gigabyte board (EP35-DS3R) I get mad interference using on-board audio. When plugged into my monitor, I get a constant noise which gets worse depending on CPU activity). No such problems with the Creative card though.
Any feedback on this build?
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram