Advice on a couple of aspects of new build

[Killa|3yte]

The other day while playing Dying Light, I decided that I was tired of screen tearing, so I logged onto Newegg and bought a 27" 1440p G-SYNC monitor. I also threw in a Titan X for good measure. Both the monitor and GPU will be arriving tomorrow.

I've been thinking that this might be an appropriate time to just upgrade everything else. I've put together this build:

PC Hound Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K ($334.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASUS MAXIMUS VII HERO ($175.97 @ TigerDirect)
Memory: G.SKILL 16GB (2 x 8GB) Trident X Series ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: ASUS GeForce GTX TITAN X GTXTITANX-12GD5 ($0 - Owned)
Power Supply: CORSAIR 760W AX series AX760 ($144.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair Obsidian Series 450D ($119.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: CORSAIR Hydro Series H105 CW-9060016-WW ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Windows: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit ($0 - Owned)
Monitor: ASUS ROG Swift PG278Q ($0 - Owned)
Total: $1,010.91

I am hoping to achieve a 4.7GHz overclock (2400 RAM) with these parts.

First: Although my current system was built in 2011, I can't quite tell if what I've put together will provide a tangible increase in gaming performance. We're talking about going from quad-core Sandy Bridge @4.2 to quad-core Haswell @4.7. If the answer to this is "meh" then I'd like to know, even if it means I should keep using my old 2011 motherboard that doesn't even have proper UEFI.

In the case of this being a justifiable upgrade, I would appreciate thoughts on the following things:

CPU: While I do have some audio and video applications that could put a Haswell-E/DDR4/X99 build to use, there doesn't seem to be really any benefit to gaming. Thoughts?

RAM: 4x4GB or 2x8GB?

Cooling: I'm a little torn on air vs water cooling. If I go watercooling, it will be AIO. Most of the time, the case window will be against a wall, but if that ever changes, the water cooling seems like it would make for a more interesting view than a Noctua NH-D15. Seems like the Corsair AIO CPU coolers are a pretty mainstream/popular option these days, but I know some people still avoid water like the plague.

Case: I changed to the Corsair from NZXT CA-H440W-W1 at the last minute. They both got glowing reviews from [H] and I don't mind having no optical drive. Thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Elf_Boy]

I'd say 8gb ram is pretty much bottom line now for a "gaming" system. Sixteen + is really more like it.

I have 24 gb and with the win 8.1 disk caching I can and will utilize the entire block of ram when playing a MMO or if I am bouncing between a few games.

Motherboards have pretty good built in sound these days. A discrete sound card does still have its points.

I used win 7 x64 for years. I have now also used win 8/8.1 for years. The naysayers for win 8 are all about the GUI. Even if the start screen is really upsetting for you, it can easily be set to boot to desktop with no added tools or software.

Thread management and other under the hood benefits for 8.1 are worth it. Of course it will be win 10 soon enough I suppose.

Your going to have 4 real and 4 hyper threads, right? (more of an AMD side myself both are good) I'd definitely go 8.1.

I dont see drives listed.

A good size SSD for boot and key games + a large magnetic drive -- which I suppose you may already have.

Thats my .02 -- I am sure everyone else will also have some spare change to give.

 

[Killa|3yte]

Thanks for your input!

I have a 1TB RAID-0 for the OS and a 4TB storage drive. Yes, that would transfer over to the new build.

Also, I'm planning 16GB RAM, my question was to do 4x4GB or 2x8GB

 

[John P. Myers]

If you plan or overclocking your RAM, 2x8GB is better because it will be more stable. If not OCing, 2x8GB would still use less power than 4x4GB but not enough to matter. Another benefit of 2x8GB is it would allow open space between the modules for better cooling, as compared to 4x4GB which puts all the modules up against each other. But then again, heat shouldn't be an issue with non-OC'd RAM in either configuration.

When choosing RAM, it's best to pick modules that run stock at 1.5v. Any amount above that, and it's a sign you're paying extra for factory overclocked RAM. You can OC it yourself for free.

 

[Dangman]

Not worth upgrading from your current setup man. Haswell is only 8% to 10% faster clock for clock than your current Sandy Bridge CPU. In addition, there's no guarantee that you'll actually hit 4.7Ghz. Under best case realistic scenario, you're looking at a 15% performance increase if you hit 4.4 to 4.5Ghz overclock. That's not worth spending $500 for just the CPU and mobo alone let alone an entire upgrade.

So stick with your current setup. Don't even bother with buying high speed RAM either.

 

[Deleted member 88227]

That's a lot of money for not gaining much in performance. Other than the GPU upgrade.

 

[Killa|3yte]

Not worth upgrading from your current setup man. Haswell is only 8% to 10% faster clock for clock than your current Sandy Bridge CPU. In addition, there's no guarantee that you'll actually hit 4.7Ghz. Under best case realistic scenario, you're looking at a 15% performance increase if you hit 4.4 to 4.5Ghz overclock. That's not worth spending $500 for just the CPU and mobo alone let alone an entire upgrade.

So stick with your current setup. Don't even bother with buying high speed RAM either.

That's a lot of money for not gaining much in performance. Other than the GPU upgrade.

So, what you're saying is that I really need a 5960X?

 

[Dangman]

So, what you're saying is that I really need a 5960X?

Honestly, not even a 5960X is worth it in your case. It won't be until the release of Intel's Skylake CPU that you might see a worthwhile performance increase over your current Sandy Bridge CPU.

 

[Elf_Boy]

Thanks for your input!

I have a 1TB RAID-0 for the OS and a 4TB storage drive. Yes, that would transfer over to the new build.

Also, I'm planning 16GB RAM, my question was to do 4x4GB or 2x8GB

Ah,

if you plan to overclock 2*8, or if you plan to upgrade to 32 sometime 2*8.

Very minor speed boost based on your cpu/mobo 4*4.