i7-4790K 4.0GHz and 980 TI. What do I need to overclock safely?

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zacheriahb

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Mar 28, 2016
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I'm currently looking at doing a new build (pretty much my first real build) with these parts:

The i7-4790K: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i74790k
The 980 TI: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-06gp41996kr
And the Z97 Gaming 5: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-z97gaming5

1. Will a high end air cooler be sufficient for me to overclock the CPU as high as it will safely go? Or should I be looking at watercooling? (I've read that often watercooling isn't necessary).

2. Is EVGA's hybrid card sufficient for overclocking to the card's limits as long as I've got good airflow in the case?

3. Does the motherboard choice matter at all? Is the z97 gaming 5 going to be good enough for my plans?

I'll be using this pc primarily for gaming, ideally with the highest performance I can get. Hopefully something that's going to let me play newer games for the next couple of years on the highest settings without seeing the performance suffer at all.
That being said, I also am very new to overclocking and just learning about how to do it, what the benefits are, etc, so your insights will definitely be appreciated!
 
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Geekwad
My basic answer is that a great air cooler will get you 90%+ of the way there (for what the chip has to offer) for a 24/7 overclock for everyday use. It certainly is a better use of funds just to get a good air cooler and then invest elsewhere where you'll notice a bigger difference in the user experience. A single good 1440p 144hz monitor would be great with that card. Can always get a cheap second for more desktop/multitask space, but in my experience gaming on two monitors is annoying.

If you'd eventually go with a third and second 980ti, then I understand though.

For the board, I'd say that matches up great with an air cooler too. At the highest end with superb power delivery designs, then cooling the whole board for big...
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zacheriahb

Commendable
Mar 28, 2016
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Looking at two of these right now: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor

Thinking about getting the 1440 instead, but haven't decided.
 
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Geekwad

Geekwad

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Sep 25, 2015
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My basic answer is that a great air cooler will get you 90%+ of the way there (for what the chip has to offer) for a 24/7 overclock for everyday use. It certainly is a better use of funds just to get a good air cooler and then invest elsewhere where you'll notice a bigger difference in the user experience. A single good 1440p 144hz monitor would be great with that card. Can always get a cheap second for more desktop/multitask space, but in my experience gaming on two monitors is annoying.

If you'd eventually go with a third and second 980ti, then I understand though.

For the board, I'd say that matches up great with an air cooler too. At the highest end with superb power delivery designs, then cooling the whole board for big over-clocks can be done......but again, these usually aren't 24/7 over-clocks anyway. The hybrid will also allow you to go as high as possible with that design:

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/70502-evga-gtx-980-ti-hybrid-review.html

Though again the full board contact designs do best.......just at a much higher system cost. The only consideration I'd say to keep in mind is if you do SLI this....to make sure you have space for the two 120mm rads.




 
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