New build help appreciated.

S

SueMyChin

n00b
Joined
Apr 17, 2015
Messages
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Hello,

So I'm finally going to upgrade on my 5 year old system and I'm struggling to settle on hardware. It was suggested I ask here by a friend who couldn't speak highly enough of the advice you gave him.

Firstly, I'm from the UK and plan on building/ordering this weekend if I can.

Purpose : I'll use the new system for Gaming & Work (tasks of note: video editing, photoshop, some light 3D modelling in C4D). I'm self employed so I often work late and my partner is usually asleep in the room while I do so it has to run quiet.

I would like it to last me about 4-5 years ideally. This machine will run 12 hours a day 5 days a week so reliability and longevity is paramount. In fact - Reliability > Performance / Cost / Noise Levels.

Features:
  • I've no desire for SLI
  • It would be great if the MoBo had Wifi as my Wifi card is hopeless and will save an extra purchase.
  • Optical Audio out is essential and I'm not in need of an audio card as yet.
  • I won't be overclocking either.

I've always used Scan.co.uk in the past as it used to be the cheapest over here but Amazon and Overclockers.co.uk are options, I'm open to suggestions though...

Budget : £800 - £1000. Prefer £800 but I'm happy to pay the top end if it should last longer.

Components needed:
  • PSU
  • Motherboard
  • Processor (CPU)
  • CPU Cooler/Heatsink with Fan (HSF)
  • Memory (RAM)
  • Hard Drive
  • GPU
  • Case (possibly)
  • Optical Drive (possibly)

I own and intent to keep:
  • 24" monitor (1920x1080)
  • Keyboard
  • Mouse
  • Speakers
  • Surge protector

I also have 4x 12" case fans and a fan controller I'd happily transfer to the new build if I'm able to and it's worth doing.

My old system - any advice on what to do with this. If it's redundant but working would you sell it as one (though I'm keeping the HDDs) or as individual parts? I could keep the case and optical drive if sold separately...

OS: I have good old XP Pro on my current system and a copy of Win 7 my brother's gave me as he's just upgraded. I'll buy new if it's beneficial though.

Fan vs Water Cooling : From what I've read something like the Noctua D15 is just as quiet as say the Cooler Master Nepton with comparable performance. Would I see any benefit?

SSD : This is the first time I've thought about using SSD, just wanted to know if there are any restrictions on installing the OS like XP had with SATA HDDs or does it work effectively just like a SATA drive?

I've spent the best part of the day looking through review sites and the like and I have only settled on a few options but based on what I've read here and elsewhere:

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£174.90 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler (£54.17 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI Z87 MPOWER ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£88.76 @ Scan.co.uk) (any good? partly chosen for Wifi adapter)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£104.86 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£80.00 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (£272.20 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£91.90 @ Amazon UK)

Total: £866.79
PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/Gs7sCJ

Where I'm torn...

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 (£178 @ Scan.co.uk)
OR CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K (£193 @ Scan.co.uk)

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 GTX 970 GAMING 4G (£285 @ Scan.co.uk)
OR Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 960 GTX 960 GAMING 4G (£198 @ Scan.co.uk)

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 (£65)
OR CPU Cooler: COOLER MASTER Nepton 280L RL-N28L-20PK-R1 (£75)
PC Hound Part List

Unsure what to go with between these. Is there any point in getting 4690'k' considering I'm not overclocking? Is the 970 too much in that rig? ..and I'm not sure if any Mobo with WiFi would be hindered by it. Would I be better off a separate WiFi adapter?

Any help would be much appreciated :)
 
For gaming you'll want a 4790K but 4690K is good too, don't buy a non-K, they have locked multipliers.

If you're a value conscience individual get either a r9 290 or a 970 GTX, those are the best bang for the buck high end cards.

Most after market coolers are pretty much the same if installed correctly, pick one that fits your budget and case.

I suggest the largest PSU (Corsair or SeaSonic) you can afford, around 750w+ for future proofing the system and not stressing the PSU at always being at load.
 
Since you're not overclocking at all, there is no need to get the 4690K. Nor is the 4690 CPU worth it either. Go for the Core i5 4590 CPU.

For the OS, what edition is that Windows 7? Home Premium? Pro? Ultimate? Is that Windows 7 key is 32bit or 64bit?

As for the SSD, technically the SSD will work just like a regular hard drive if you use Windows 7 or newer. But for XP, that XP+ SSD question is a bit unnecessary: Pretty much any new Intel motherboard released after Windows 8 does not come with Windows XP drivers. So while you can use XP on a SSD (but it'll require more maintenance on your part and won't be as fast as if you were on Windows 7 or 8), you wouldn't realy be able to use the system itself due to the lack of drivers.

As for the case, you didn't mention what case you're reusing or planning on buying. With that said, if you really want a quiet system, you need to get a quiet case like these:
$84 - Fractal Design Define R4 Black ATX Case
$124 - Fractal Design Define R5 Black ATX Case
$120 - NZXT H440 White/Black ATX Case

To follow up on having a quiet system, go with the cheaper Scythe SCKTT-1000 HSF. If that Scythe fan isn't available in the UK, stick with the Noctua NH-D15 HSF. Basically avoid using a CLC like the Nepton 280L.

That Seasonic 550W PSU is more than enough for your planned setup.
 
Thanks for the help.

Sorry I completely forgot to mention the case, it was 5am by the time I got sick of 'researching' and came for help :/

My old case is this horrid looking thing - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811103015

My only requirements is that the case is no wider than 24cm or taller than 51cm and that any fans can be adjusted for noise and any lights can be turned off, be it via a switch or permanently unplugged.

NZXT H440 (Orange/Black) £82 (inc del.) Amazon UK
Fractal Design Define R4 (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid £76 (inc del.) Amazon UK

They both just about fit but H440 is slightly smaller so that might swing the deal.

Scythe SCKTT-1000 HSF is available here and is £20 cheaper :)

OS is likely to be home and I believe he said 64bt but I'll double check when he wakes up, he's on nights.

The only lingering concern is with the MoBo really, would you have any reservations with that board or should it be fine? Wifi card is about £25 separate.

Thanks for you help, you guys are doing a service here, I'm much obliged.
 
Last edited:
SueMyChin said:
OS is likely to be home and I believe he said 64bt but I'll double check when he wakes up, he's on nights.
Click to expand...
Also ask where he got that key from.

If it is Windows 7 Home, you're limited to 16GB of RAM max. If that key is legit and reusable, you can use Windows 7 for now and upgrade to Windows 10 whenever it comes out. That'll allow you to use more than 16GB of RAM.
SueMyChin said:
The only lingering concern is with the MoBo really, would you have any reservations with that board or should it be fine? Wifi card is about £25 separate.
Click to expand...
Normally I wouldn't recommend an older motherboard but for the price and the fact that you need Wifi, that MSI motherboard is a good choice.
 
Great thanks.

It's Win 7 Home Premium 64 and it's store bought too.

Thank you for your help with this, you're a credit to this community.
 
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