Advice on current build (what to improve or change, if need be)

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Moukachino

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Jun 10, 2015
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4,510
Hello there,
I have been an avid reader of tom's hardware in the past weeks/months and decided to salvage the remaining of my last HP PC Desktop (H8-1211) from 2012 to this new build:

Tower/Case: Antec - Nine Hundred (usb 3.0) http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021
Motherboard: Gigabyte - LGA 1150 (Intel) http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128607
CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117372
(Added the Cooler Master EVO 212 instead of stock)
PSU: Corsair CX500M 500W (Modular) http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139050
GPU: GTX 750 2GB 128-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 HDCP http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125510
HDD: HITACHI 2TB 7200, RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145473
SDD: SanDisk SDSSDP 128GB SATAIII http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820171646
RAM: 4x4GB (in fact 2 diff dual channel 2x4) for 16GB - 9-9-9-24 DDR3-1330

Currently running under Windows 8.1

I bough a splitter for my case fans as the 900 has 4 fans and my motherboard can only plug 3.

My question: what can be improved, if necessary to my current build. I am a casual/moderate gamer with future projets of working on more multimedia-ish projects (videos, photoshop), on a casual basis as well. I also started mild overclocking to the CPU/GPU without pushing it "to the limit" and I plan of getting the max potential of that build or any future modifications to it (it means i'd like some OC advice too).

Thank you.
 
Solution
g-unit1111
I would look at upgrading the RAM to DDR3-2133 or better. 1333 MHz isn't going to cut it for modern games any more. I would also look at upgrading your PSU and graphics card. Upgrade the PSU to a Seasonic or Super Flower 650W - 750W and then throw in a GTX 970 (or 960 depending on monitor resolution), that will ensure system longevity for a while. Even if you are a casual gamer this will be a noticeable improvement.
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

Titan
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Jul 27, 2011
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I would look at upgrading the RAM to DDR3-2133 or better. 1333 MHz isn't going to cut it for modern games any more. I would also look at upgrading your PSU and graphics card. Upgrade the PSU to a Seasonic or Super Flower 650W - 750W and then throw in a GTX 970 (or 960 depending on monitor resolution), that will ensure system longevity for a while. Even if you are a casual gamer this will be a noticeable improvement.
 
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Solution
g-unit1111

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator
Jul 27, 2011
42,548
824
104,940


Not necessarily. Z97 is also rated at DDR3-1600 but it's perfectly fine to run RAM faster than that. It's usually Intel's specified guidelines that state that RAM has to be run at that speed only. But motherboard manufacturers generally state that you can run RAM faster than that. On default your motherboard will run at the lowest speeds it can handle. But on the other hand pairing a 4690K with a B85 motherboard means that you can't overclock the processor. If you have a 4690K you should definitely overclock, and on Haswell the extra speed will translate into an overall faster clock. That's one area I would look at improving. You can get a MSI Z97 board for ~$110 or the Asus Z97A or Asrock Z97 Extreme 6 for ~$140.
 
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M

Moukachino

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Jun 10, 2015
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4,510
I would have to disagree on the the impossible overclocking of a 4690K with a B85 motherboard. I already tested it changing the multiplier from 35x to 40x, when doing stress tests, I've been able to reduce the "task" from 7s to 3.9s.

That being said, I do not say B85 will bring the same results as a z97 would do.
 
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