New Build: Seeking opinions on parts and assembly

[Hadwell]

tower = EM protection, both for things outside the case, and things inside the case, dust protection, and also protection from the elements... cats... little humans, big, but dumb humans, etc...

 

most sound cards aren't really better than the one on the motherboard, all software driven...

 

really you get a more expensive sound card to add 1/4" jacks,or better latency with ASIO, I have a PCI soundblaster fatal1ty with 1/4 jacks and optical in on the front panel, i use it with amplitube and ASIO to play guitar in real-time with no delay.

 

but even on lower end motherboards they support full 5.1 playback, and often have optical out.

Edited March 21, 2016 by Hadwell

[Specter1075]

MegOhm_SD: I dont mind the size of a tower. I have stepped away from liquid cooling for now. It could change later, but right now I do not anticipate a need to overclock right now.

 

Thanks Hadwell. I am inclinded to agree about the sound card given what Ive read. If I find the onboard sound quality seems to be lacking, I can add a card later.

[MegOhm_SD]

Ok got ya...I used air cooling for the CPU. My graphics card has liquid cooling .The case I am referring to has so many other good features to consider. Not only about cooling as a recommendation.

 

Worth looking at the features.

 

Stable 4.6 with just air cooling.

Edited March 22, 2016 by MegOhm_SD

[lonememe]

 

Both cpu (i5, i7) are excellent. Try the i7 at stock speed with the stock cooler and see how it goes.

 

 

I agree with this, but I think I read somewhere that neither of the new Intel chips (i5 or i7 6XXXk) come with stock coolers. Something to consider.

[Demon_]

True! $525 without cooler :megalol:

[Wrecking Crew]

I'll bet you read this post on the 4K Success story -- there are some comments in there of mine.

 

I like mid-tower cases and got this latest in the Cooler Master Storm Scout series --

Storm Scout 2

 

This case would be pretty tight for water cooling -- if you want water cooled I suggest a full tower case.

 

This Scout 2 case is a bit tight but will take the GTX 980Ti cards -- I have two in it. The GPU temps were too high for my liking *until* all the fan holes in the case were populated. I ended up putting two 4-pin fans (all fans are 120 mm) on each side of the CPU cooler and now have seven 3-pin case fans in all the openings. The two top fans and the two side fans are on splitters. Two fans per motherboard fan header.

 

After all the case fan openings were filled I was able to get good temps on the GPUs.

 

WC

[Wrecking Crew]

When I run DCS and WOWS, my new

CyberPower OR1500PFCLCD PFC Sinewave UPS 1500VA 1050W PFC battery backup draws about 540 watts. I have a 850 watt power supply.

 

DO get an uninterruptable power supply for your system.

 

WC

[Demon_]

:D http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=161208

[Specter1075]

True! $525 without cooler :megalol:

 

You really seem to hate this processor, and yet everything I read about it seems favorable. Did an i7 6700k run over your dog? Why are you so opposed to it?

 

I'll bet you read this post on the 4K Success story -- there are some comments in there of mine.

 

I like mid-tower cases and got this latest in the Cooler Master Storm Scout series --

Storm Scout 2

 

 

Thanks Wrecking Crew! I'll look into that case for sure. And I guess I should look into UPS options too.

[zxarkov]

It does not offer the performance to dollar ratio that earlier gen i7s offer. Especially overclocking wise.

 

DDR4 ram does not really seem to offer any major performance jumps vs the cost either...

[BitMaster]

Get a good motherboard, the fastest i7 you can grab, watercool & overclock it,either old or new, add a FAT Nvidia, 16GB, one or two SSDs and you are good to go.

 

It really doesnt need the newest CPU to play at very high fps but very high clock rate.

 

Honestly, I am so happy with my 2600k I wouldnt even consider changing it if u put all the goodies on my table for free, screw that, seen newer builds performing terribly...

[Specter1075]

It does not offer the performance to dollar ratio that earlier gen i7s offer. Especially overclocking wise.

 

Yeah, I see that now. I can understand wanting to be efficient with money, but I just thought Demon was VERY against the i7s for some reason. Its not like I was asking him to pay for it. :)

 

Am I wrong to say that the i5s all have lower clock speeds? That to get to 4.0ghz, I will need to overclock them? As soon as I do that, I am into more robust cooling solutions that would negate the lower cost of the i5, no?

 

 

Get a good motherboard, the fastest i7 you can grab, watercool & overclock it,either old or new, add a FAT Nvidia, 16GB, one or two SSDs and you are good to go.

 

It really doesnt need the newest CPU to play at very high fps but very high clock rate.

 

Honestly, I am so happy with my 2600k I wouldnt even consider changing it if u put all the goodies on my table for free, screw that, seen newer builds performing terribly...

 

Thanks for the reply! I think I am heading in the direction you recomend. I am not sure about the overclocking yet, especially given the minimal returns that doing so would yield on the i7. That might be something I do in the future.

 

 

 

Thanks for the replies everyone! I really appreciate all the feedback, positive and negative. Im learning as I go, and it's nice to have specific things to look up.

[lonememe]

I was really hoping for something more conclusive on the i5 vs i7 6xxxk decision. Not to thread-jack, but I'm in a similar boat. I've been upgrading in piecemeal fashion, but my current build is old (Phenom II X4 955 at 3.2GHz, 8GB DDR3, the newest edition is an MSI 4Gb GTX970, which did wonders, but yes, I know bottleneck) and I just can't make the choice between a new i5 or i7.

 

I've looked all over the interwebz and it just doesn't sound conclusive for building an Oculus rig for gaming, or DCS for that matter. Both prices have been coming back to Earth (i7 is $373 and i5 is $239 on Amazon), but I could use that money to buy a worthwhile HOTAS (using a very broken Logitech Extreme 3D), rudder pedals, etc.

 

Otherwise, if I already have 8Gigs of DDR3, should I just get another 8, or scrap the DDR3 and get 16 of DDR4?

 

I am excited because it's the first time in 15 years of building my home PCs that I've been able to afford an Intel build!

[lazduc]

All my builds have been with I7. The I7 is a more powerful processor. Its design leads to better performance in many applications. Jacking up a I5 to keep up with an I7 is money not well spent. Putting in another 2-300 bucks into a I5 system so it can do the same processing as the same generation I7 is counterproductive. Get the fastest I7 you can afford. Its like...I will get this 283cu in engine cause its 300 bucks cheaper....then put headers, better manifold, larger carb, better ignition, nitrous, bored, stroked, etc and spend all that money so you can get the performance of a stock 427 that would have cost you 500-600 to start and blow the doors off your hopped up 283.

[lonememe]

All my builds have been with I7. The I7 is a more powerful processor. Its design leads to better performance in many applications. Jacking up a I5 to keep up with an I7 is money not well spent. Putting in another 2-300 bucks into a I5 system so it can do the same processing as the same generation I7 is counterproductive. Get the fastest I7 you can afford. Its like...I will get this 283cu in engine cause its 300 bucks cheaper....then put headers, better manifold, larger carb, better ignition, nitrous, bored, stroked, etc and spend all that money so you can get the performance of a stock 427 that would have cost you 500-600 to start and blow the doors off your hopped up 283.

 

That makes a lot of sense, and I appreciate the car analogy. My DIY interests include home wrenching, so that made complete sense to me! I actually think I'd be way less interested in home wrenching if my Dad never explained that working on a car is (conceptually) a lot like working on a computer.

 

Alright, since the prices have gone down on the i7 and i5, I can justify the extra $140 or whatever it is to get the i7.

[agrasyuk]

For all DCS intents and purposes i5 overcloaked to i7 frequencies will provide pretty much the same performance - DCS does not benefit from extra threads, the extra cash mem will be a minute difference.

 

AIO closed loop cooling systems do not operate any quieter or cool any better then the higher end air ones. I do not see any benefit to them at all. To surpass noctua ND and such one will need to build custom loop.

 

I do not see any point whatsoever going crazy with PSU. 750W gold efficient model from respectable manufacturer will pull off your config with lots of room to spare for your comfort.

 

Pascal indeed may be couple month away, but from day of release some time will pass untill availability gets sorted out. I tend to not jump on new architectures untill they are couple month in - bugs ironed out, drivers improved, partners begin to release better then reference design cards.

 

 

.

 

However, if you mount a large air cooler to your motherboard, that mass will constantly pull at a right-angle on your CPU socket mount, and may very well bend or crack the main-board over time. The risk of an AIO leaking is but a possibility; the bending effect of gravity is a certainty. A small force, of course, but a constant one.

 

The thrust of the fans (1 to 3 fans in a large air system) cooling the air tower also contribute to CPU socket strain, although, again, only in a small fashion. You could arrange fan thrust to offset the gravitational pull, but that would interfere with case cooling.

 

I'm really sorry, but I find this particular section absolutely laughable. Fatigue due to trust from the fans? What? :lol:

 

That makes a lot of sense, and I appreciate the car analogy..

Except that in this case analogy is entirely not correct. Both cpus are sold without coolers and will require paying for one regardless . overcloaking costs nothing. Extra threads on i7 can be useful in some applications, but for DCS there will not be much difference.

 

The "6700" number sure does have better ring to it then "6600" though

Edited March 24, 2016 by agrasyuk