First build compatibility Check

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Mojo__

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May 27, 2017
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Hello all, I want to finally finish a budget build I started late last year. Had to put it on hold but this week finished buying the rest of the components. But now i have older components and newer components. I did some research but I cant find these specific components mentioned.

GA Z97X SLI ATX LGA 1150
i7 7700
GA GTX 1080 Windforce
1600 Mhz DDR3 UDIMM 8GB RAM 1.5V (2)
600W 80Plus Bronze

I'm not planning on ever overclocking.
Will the Z97X motherboard support the 7700 processor??
Will the 7700 support the DDR3 ram??
Can the 600W support this build??
I've seen i7s run on the Z97X and DDR3 run with i7. But will these specific components play nice??
My graphic card just came in today so I'm itching to plug it all together. However I don't want to mess anything up. I know there are other better options but I need this to work. The i7 and the 1080 were on sell so I didn't want to pass it up. Same goes to pretty much very thing else.
 
Solution
raisonjohn
Honestly, your 4th-gen build is still as powerful as you can get, even with today's recently-released components. It is a viable and logical option for you to retain the Z97X mobo and the DDR3 RAMs and just purchase the i7-4790K as you mentioned. That i7-4790K, despite being an "old" 4th-gen CPU, is capable of handling the most powerful GPU you can throw at it (even the GTX 1080 Ti). That's in stock speeds. So, with the Z97X motherboard capable of OC and the i7-4790K also capable of OC, you would still be able to use those components for years to come.

Yeah, buying the i7-4790K (which would work already with your current components) is a less time-consuming ordeal than purchasing a new motherboard and a new set of DDR4 RAMs for...
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raisonjohn

raisonjohn

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Feb 22, 2015
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1.) The Z97X mobo does not support the i7-7700 CPU. It won't even physically fit (see #4 below).

2.) The i7-7700 only supports DDR4 RAM, not DDR3 @ 1.5V. But the CPU does support DDR3L (low-voltage DDR3 RAM @ 1.35V).

3.) Yes, the 600W is more than enough. But you have to check the quality of your PSU (as well as warranty and build).

4.) i7's that run on the Z97X and DDR3 are older-gen i7's (i.e., 4th-gen Haswell such as the i7-4790K). The 4th-gen has a different socket/pinout which is LGA 1150. The Z97X motherboard has an LGA 1150 socket and supports DDR3 RAM. On the other hand, the i7-7700 is 7th-gen Kaby Lake which has a LGA 1151 socket/pinout. That i7-7700 will only fit on LGA 1151-socket motherboards such as the B250, H270, or Z270 (the two former for non-overclocking use while the latter is for overclocking). Such motherboards only support DDR4 RAM. So, if you have the i7-7700 CPU, your choice of motherboard would be either the B250 or the H270.

5.) i7-7700 + GTX 1080 would be a nice pair. Just make sure your motherboard, RAM, and PSU are all compatible (as I have described above).
 
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Mojo__

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May 27, 2017
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510
Thanks for taking the time to answer. You said what I was afraid you would. Soo shitty I wasted money on the RAM and Mobo almost a year ago. There were on sell but still. The RAM is so damn expensive now.
What if i just get i7 4790k?? Will that fix the build?? I'm sure it'll be easier to sell the 7700 than the old RAM and mobo. All of these components have never been used. What would you honestly recommend??
 
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raisonjohn

raisonjohn

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Feb 22, 2015
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Honestly, your 4th-gen build is still as powerful as you can get, even with today's recently-released components. It is a viable and logical option for you to retain the Z97X mobo and the DDR3 RAMs and just purchase the i7-4790K as you mentioned. That i7-4790K, despite being an "old" 4th-gen CPU, is capable of handling the most powerful GPU you can throw at it (even the GTX 1080 Ti). That's in stock speeds. So, with the Z97X motherboard capable of OC and the i7-4790K also capable of OC, you would still be able to use those components for years to come.

Yeah, buying the i7-4790K (which would work already with your current components) is a less time-consuming ordeal than purchasing a new motherboard and a new set of DDR4 RAMs for your i7-7700.

But here's the catch, IF you buy a NEW i7-4790K (not used), it will cost you this much (~$340):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($339.14 @ OutletPC)
Total: $339.14
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-27 04:17 EDT-0400

But if you buy a NEW motherboard for your i7-7700 (which is not overclockable), and a NEW set of DDR4 RAM sticks, then, you can get them for as low as this price (~$170):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-B250M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($63.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($105.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $169.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-27 04:20 EDT-0400

The above is using an mATX motherboard with 4 RAM slots and is compatible with the i7-7700 you currently have (non-OCable). The RAM is 2x8GB (16GB) DDR4-2400MHz (max. speed that can be supported by your CPU/mobo) - albeit, color blue.

If you prefer an ATX-sized board, cost is a little bit higher (+$20 or so) than the mATX, but still definitely less than what you will spend if you get a NEW i7-4790K.

Of course, going with the i7-7700, which is a current-gen CPU, will be "more future-proof" (in terms of longetivity) than the previous-gen CPU. The only instance I would consider the i7-4790K is if I can get it for a steal/very low price. Else, if buying a NEW i7-4790K, I would personally get a new B250 motherboard and DDR4 RAMs for the i7-7700.
 
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Solution
M

Mojo__

Prominent
May 27, 2017
3
0
510
Yeah, either way Imma be in the whole a tad more than I was hoping. I need to dwell over this for a while. Sucks cuz I have a new 7700 and gtx 1080 just sitting here now as expensive paperweights. Anyways, thank you soo much for your help. All this was great info.
 
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