Advice for a PC upgrade

Slimboiphatz · Oct 20, 2016

I'm currently in the process of picking the parts for my upgrade. I'm currently running

FX 8320
R9 280x (crossfire)
G.Skill Ripjaws 4x4 16GB ram
Asrock 970 extreme4 MoBo

The parts I'm considering are

I5 6600k
XFX RX 480 GTR
G.Skill Ripjaws V series 16GB DDR4-2400
MSI Z170A Gaming M7 ATX board
850 EVO SSD (for the OS)
WD Caviar Blue 1TB HDD (for storage and games)

Any advice on what I should consider about these parts or any kind of input whether it be different options or people's opinions would be much appreciated. I'm looking not to spend more than $1500 CAD. Those parts along with the Win 10 OS I want will be just under $1400 CAD.

Thank you in advance for any help in my decision making.

Slimboiphatz · Oct 20, 2016

I should note that I'm going for a red and black build.

coozie7 · Oct 20, 2016

First off: Why the switch? Apart from the inevitable Crossfire problems the system looks pretty OK to me.
Next: What monitor/s are you/will you be using?

Slimboiphatz · Oct 20, 2016

coozie7 :

I want a system that looks as good as it performs. My first build was just getting into building PC's but now i want more. I haven't given the monitor much thought but i know that eventually I'm going to want at least a 1080p capable monitor, maybe even 1440p. Not too concerned about 4k gaming, I just want better than what i have now.

coozie7 · Oct 20, 2016

Fair enough, I understand that compleately.

Can't see anything too 'wrong' with the build you list so a few suggestions you might want to consider:
The RX480 is good at 1080 and decent at 1440, but the GTX1070 has considerably more grunt, if you're seriously thinking about a 1440 display, I'd go for the faster card if you can afford it.
Like all the current parts, Skylake CPUs' like fast memory, DDR4 3000 is a bit quicker and the price premium won't be too great.
Don't forget to add a CPU cooler, the CPU you list isn't supplied with one.

Slimboiphatz · Oct 20, 2016

coozie7 :

Thanks for the tips. I currently have a Hyper 212 evo which i suspect to be good enough for now, I've considered going the water cooling route but I'm kinda nervous about using water because I have zero experience with it. I will for sure be overclocking so maybe i am better off going with water?

coozie7 · Oct 21, 2016

Depends on how far you want to push the overclock, the little Hyper 212 isn't a performance part but it's more than good enough for stock speeds or as a 'learner' giving you the chance to understand overclocking and experiment with it in relative safety so there's no real need to rush for another cooler just yet.

Big air coolers remain popular because they're relatively cheap and very, very effective, but they also have issues: Weight and size, the weight makes it positively dangerous to transport the system with a big air cooler attached and their sheer size means not all cases will accept them, some will also block one or two memory slots, so check carefully.

The current crop of AIO (All In One) liquid kits are really quite good, but to match a top line air cooler you'll need one with at least a 240mm rad, which will be a good deal more expensive. Also be aware, not all cases can accept a big radiator plus its fans, so if you want to take this route, take your time and do plenty of research before you 'Add to Basket'. A big plus for some is that it just looks neater and the small pump/coldplate block is very light and compact, no issues moving the system and no problems with memory slot clearance here.

Unless you're going to push for the ultimate, most stellar overclock, the CPU cooler won't matter much, there are air coolers and liquid AIOs' that will do the job equally well, they'll cool as well as each other and produce about the same amount of noise, but like any product there's plenty of variation!

Finally, if cash is tight, aim for the best system you can afford and skip the fancy cooling, you can add that at any time of your choosing, skip performance on the base build now and it'll only come back to haunt you later.

Slimboiphatz · Oct 21, 2016

coozie7 :

Depends on how far you want to push the overclock, the little Hyper 212 isn't a performance part but it's more than good enough for stock speeds or as a 'learner' giving you the chance to understand overclocking and experiment with it in relative safety so there's no real need to rush for another cooler just yet.

Big air coolers remain popular because they're relatively cheap and very, very effective, but they also have issues: Weight and size, the weight makes it positively dangerous to transport the system with a big air cooler attached and their sheer size means not all cases will accept them, some will also block one or two memory slots, so check carefully.

The current crop of AIO (All In One) liquid kits are really quite good, but to match a top line air cooler you'll need one with at least a 240mm rad, which will be a good deal more expensive. Also be aware, not all cases can accept a big radiator plus its fans, so if you want to take this route, take your time and do plenty of research before you 'Add to Basket'. A big plus for some is that it just looks neater and the small pump/coldplate block is very light and compact, no issues moving the system and no problems with memory slot clearance here.

Unless you're going to push for the ultimate, most stellar overclock, the CPU cooler won't matter much, there are air coolers and liquid AIOs' that will do the job equally well, they'll cool as well as each other and produce about the same amount of noise, but like any product there's plenty of variation!

Finally, if cash is tight, aim for the best system you can afford and skip the fancy cooling, you can add that at any time of your choosing, skip performance on the base build now and it'll only come back to haunt you later.

You sir are a gentleman and a scholar. Thank you very much for you're advice and I will most definitely take into account everything you said.

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