i7 k Builds - Which one to buy? Best Value? Or Build from Scratch?

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christonian

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Hey guys looking to upgrade my system

any builds in the 600-700 canadian range will also be considered but would like to have a machine I could sell to recoup as much money as I can

My setup I think I can get $400-500?

i5 2500k
Gigabyte P67A-UD3-B3
GTX 670/680 (keep my 780)
8gb 1333
1.5tb
OCZ 700watt Modular
HAF 912

Here are the 2 options to buy, both are priced at $650

i7 3770k - sold gone :(
Asus P8Z77-V PRO Mobo with WiFi dongle
Corsair H70 Liquid Cooling
GTX 670 OC Edition
16GB 1866Mhz GSKill RAM
OCZ Vertex 4 120GB
Samsung 840 120GB
Corsair Force 3 120GB
NZXT HALE 90 850 Modular Gold Cert PSU
Corsair CX750 Bronze Cert PSU
Sound Blaster® X-Fi XtremeMusic 7.1 Sound Card
Corsair Carbide 500R Case

------------------------------------

i7 3770k
32GB Corsair DDR3 1600
Gigabyte Nvidia GeForce 680 2gb
Gigabyte z77x-d3h Motherboard
Corsair H100i Liquid Cooling System
Samsung 250gb Evo SSD
Intel 120gb SSD
Corsair HX750 Power Supply
Corsair Custom Blue Sleeved Cables
Gelid Wing Blue Fans
Fractal Define R4 Black Case w/ Window


New contender
i7 4790k
ASRock ASRock Fatal1ty Gaming Fatal1ty Z97 Killer
8gb G skill ram
900w Evga PSU
NZXT H440
120gb ssd

for $550
 
Solution
Barty1884
If you can hold out longer, great. What I'm trying to address here is your hope to recoup a significant amount of your outlay when the time comes to sell the 3770K rig you intend to buy. Since you want to hold out a few years with it, you're not going to recoup much/anything - and there are added pitfalls like the CPU cooler and potentially even PSU.

You're right, there's not wholesale differences between the 3770K and 6700K - but there are improvements.

Your budget doesn't stretch to a new i7 based build, so your options are:

1. Build one of the 3770K $650 builds you mentioned
2. Upgrade your CPU to a 3770K on exisiting motherboard, + RAM & + Cooler (perhaps?)
3. Wait it out with your i5 until you can afford an entirely new...
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Epsilon_0EVP

Epsilon_0EVP

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The second system is clearly better in almost every spec. The GPU is better, and it has twice as much RAM, aside from a better CPU cooler. It has slightly less storage, but still plenty of it, and that can be easily upgraded later. The motherboard and PSU are comparable, and the rest are a subjective choice.
 
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Barty1884

Barty1884

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Honestly, neither seem very viable when you consider you can have new components, a couple of generations on, with manufacturers warranty for ~$700 without a GPU.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($324.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X31 69.5 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($68.79 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170A-X1/3.1 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($97.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: GeIL EVO POTENZA 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($53.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Silicon Power S60 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($66.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $732.52
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-14 17:59 EDT-0400

I just threw that together quickly as an example - whether I'd even recommend it is another question all-together.

Are you planning to reuse the 780? Or do you just want to keep it?

What are you actually looking to do with your new rig? If strictly gaming, things like the i7* & 32GB RAM is going to be pointless for you.

*If it is just gaming, at 1080p or 1440p then an i5 will do you just fine. If 4K, then there's definitely the argument for the i7.

Of course, if you're doing more with it, then I may have to have a rethink.
 
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christonian

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lol sorry admin please take this away as the answer

I thought the GPU were very close? also the 1st build has a 2nd PSU that I could sell and a better case overall?

Just looking for best bang for the buck

also I have H90 on my video card would I still have a way to vent that or would it cut the flow of my entire machine with a rad on top the h100i and h90 venting out back?
 
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christonian

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I need the system to be able to do editing, streaming/recording at sametime, multiple monitors, I find I am maxing out my i5 sometimes

Also I want something I can sell afterwords so I am only 100-200 in the hole after a semi upgrade
 
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Epsilon_0EVP

Epsilon_0EVP

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I unselected the answer already. I agree more with Barty's answer, too; I was just answering the actual question, too.

The GPU is marginally better in the second machine, but it is still better. It's a fully enabled GK104 versus a partially enabled chip.

Second PSU could be sold, yes. But if we're not restricting ourselves to buying whole machines, I'd just go with Barty's suggestion and upgrade individual components of your machine. That would be cheaper and more efficient.

I currently have dual 140mm's on top and a 120mm on the rear exhaust, and it works fine. I do also have extra fans on the side panel and one on the front, though. In the end, it's possible to have proper airflow, but you have to plan it out properly.
 
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Barty1884

Barty1884

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Then that justifies the i7, so that's fine.

I would still look to a new build (something like I posted as a framework anyway). Investing in a used system doesn't make much sense. New products (where you'll be the original owner), with warranty and on the latest platform should allow you to recoup more of your outlay when the time comes to sell.

If you invest in a 3770K build now (that's already used and who knows how hard it was used), it'll just lose more value as time goes on. Don't get me wrong, it's still viable - but if you held onto it through another generation or two of Intel releases, and assuming AMD offer decent competition through Zen - it'll be getting further into 'old' territory & potentially even obsolescence (obsolete is unlikely, as the 3770K should be viable for a few years yet)
 
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christonian

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I thought side window was glass plastic? Fractal Define R4 Black Case w/ Window

Gpu will just be thrown into old build so doesnt really matter to me but I guess resale it matters
 
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christonian

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Also forgot to put I am canadian so how much does that affect the build

Yeah I have looked at a lot of comparisons and benchmarks and the 2600k, 3770k, etc 6700k there is maybe a little difference but worth making a whole new machine?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhuC8Tf9i3I
 
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christonian

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also because there is no side vent is ok to vent the h90 down through bottom vent? I know it would be better to vent out back but would that cut the air flow for whole case?

from seller
The top two have two 120mm fans with the liquid cooler, and two at the front have two fans as well, 1 back vent
 
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Barty1884

Barty1884

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Ah, Canadian - that changes things!

A new i7-6700K is >$400 CAD. $600-$700 isn't going to get you very far on a new i7 build unfortunately.

That makes the 3770K builds a little more appealing. I'd say the second over the first though.

That being said, it sounds like you only need an i7 and the rest of your build is still working for you.
How about dropping an i7-3770K onto your existing board.
Appears you could get an i7-3770K on eBay for around ~$250:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Intel-Core-i7-3770K-3-5GHz-Quad-Core-BX80667I73770K-Processor-/252531722102?hash=item3acc104776:g:eek:eQAAOSwgmJX0et1

Then sell your i5, and likely recoup ~$150 of that.

You end up spending a net $100 and getting the performance you want.
 
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christonian

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yes but now I lose out on ram upgrade and cooling for cpu etc

decisions decisions...

 
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Barty1884

Barty1884

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Do you NEED a RAM upgrade? That part I can't answer...... you only mentioned your i5 was maxing out, not your RAM....

As for the CPU cooling, that is true - you'd need to look at a cooler upgrade in you wanted to OC - you could run on the stock cooler though if needbe.

There's not too much in either of those new rigs that warranty a >$600 outlay compared to your existing rig.

Consider - buy an i7-3770K, sell your i5. You'd end up spending around ~$100 net.
A decent CPU cooler, doesn't have to be crazy - Corsair H55/H60, Kraken x31 for liquid (not as good as an H100i though) and Noctua NH-D15/D15S - near top-of-the-line air coolers (or even D14/D14S) are all available for $100 or less.

A RAM 'upgrade' is debatable, considering it's simply "more RAM" and not moving to DDR4. You could add another 8GB for ~$50.

All things considered, you'd be out maybe $250 overall (after selling your i5) and have a comparable rig.

 
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christonian

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thanks it is back and forth sometimes maxing out CPU sometimes Ram just matters what I am doing at that moment

I am leaning more towards the second build as after that all I need to do is upgrade the GPU down the line in a few years hopefully and that will put my machine back towards the top/middle and get a few more years out before needing a full rebuild
 
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Barty1884

Barty1884

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In a few years, a GPU upgrade would put it somewhere in 'middle ground' territory at best.

The CPU is not going to be as effective or efficient, and is ~4 years old already. In a "few years" you're pushing into 6+ year old territory on the CPU. That's like looking at an i7-860 today. It still works, but it's nowhere near top/middle.

You may have bottleneck issues at that point too (I wouldn't bet on it, as the 3770K is still a good CPU, but it's a possibility)

Add to that the increasing age of the PSU (although it has a 7 year warranty) and a liquid cooler that'll require maintenance (despite being an AIO) or worse, a replacement - I wouldn't bank on have that second rig for a long time.
Hopefully all works out, but I don't see it being a particularly viable long-term solution.
 
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christonian

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yeah but with my budget I think that all I can do or I can wait for another few years and live with issues I have now and save? right now I just dont see much difference between a 3770k and 6700k so why make a new build when I can stick with what works then build in a few years when there is real change on CPU front not just a 10-20% gain

 
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Barty1884

Barty1884

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If you can hold out longer, great. What I'm trying to address here is your hope to recoup a significant amount of your outlay when the time comes to sell the 3770K rig you intend to buy. Since you want to hold out a few years with it, you're not going to recoup much/anything - and there are added pitfalls like the CPU cooler and potentially even PSU.

You're right, there's not wholesale differences between the 3770K and 6700K - but there are improvements.

Your budget doesn't stretch to a new i7 based build, so your options are:

1. Build one of the 3770K $650 builds you mentioned
2. Upgrade your CPU to a 3770K on exisiting motherboard, + RAM & + Cooler (perhaps?)
3. Wait it out with your i5 until you can afford an entirely new rig.

Sounds like you only want to entertain option #1, which is fine. The second build you linked is better than the first.
You just have to accept if you pay $650 for it and use it for a few years, you may be lucky to see $200 back out of it.
 
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christonian

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ohh that is fine when I am ready for a new build in a few years I might be just keeping it as living room machine, if I get $200 for it then it really costed me nothing, as currently if I buy 3770k and sell my current machine this is going to cost me ~150, so if I sell it in few years for $200 that will be fine (as in my crazy head I break even for another few years before spending 1500-2000) or keep it as a media machine which is also fine
 
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christonian

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lol also found this monster

Cooler Master Cosmos II case (HUGE case)
Intel I7 3770K
Asus Maximus V motherboard
16gb G skill ripjaw Z ram (2133mhz)
Asus Direct cu ii gtx680 OC
Western digital black 1tb hard drive
OCZ vertex 3 120gb SSD
Full swiftech custom water cooling system with apogee cpu block, dual 240mm radiators ect (this is basically the best liquid cooling system you can get)
Gentle typhoon fans all throughout the computer

for ... $600
 
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christonian

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yeah I dont think I am that brave lol if I got that I would be to tempted to scavenge it and sell off the case, liquid cooling etc and put that money towards more simple cooling, case etc
 
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christonian

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Good Deal?

i7 4790k
ASRock ASRock Fatal1ty Gaming Fatal1ty Z97 Killer
8gb G skill ram
900w Evga PSU
NZXT H440
120gb ssd

for $550

 
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