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[Volotaire]

Hi again.

I've got the Fractal Design Node 804 and was preparing to install the PSU. I had one small question about it. Should the power supply exhaust fan be facing up or down?

Here's a picture of the case for the unfamiliar (The PSU is in the bottom right corner).

It has a slide out vent underneath if that helps on the bottom (where a fan on the PSU would face).

 

[RGM79]

Thanks a lot for your help. I sent him the above setup and he really likes it. I changed two things in it though

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/

I changed the case to a corsair 300r as he wants that now S, I know) and went with the Asus VS228H-P as its on sale for 138 dollars. He has already ordered the monitor as the sale ends on the 31st and he'll get the remaining parts on the 1st.

Oh, ok, that's fine. When you said Corsair 300R I thought that was an example, not that he actually and specifically wanted the Corsair 300R. Monitor is alright as well.

 

[opticalmace]

Yeah. I found it on the socket. Couldn't see it at first because the fan was blocking it.

What motherboard/cpu do you have? What cpu are you thinking of getting? Keep in mind there are sometimes newer CPUs that are on the same socket but your motherboard's bios might need to be updated first before it can support them.

 

[knitoe]

Hi again.

I've got the Fractal Design Node 804 and was preparing to install the PSU. I had one small question about it. Should the power supply exhaust fan be facing up or down?

Here's a picture of the case for the unfamiliar (The PSU is in the bottom right corner).

It has a slide out vent underneath if that helps on the bottom (where a fan on the PSU would face).

Face down which allows it to pull fresh cooler air from under outside of the case.

 

[Volotaire]

Face down which allows it to pull fresh cooler air from under outside of the case.

Thanks!

 

[Jag]

NCIXUS.com is having a sale on Fractal Design cases. Picked up an R5 Black Window for $99+ship.

 

[naeht]

I'm looking to build a new PC within the next month or so and debating between the i7 4790k or i7 6700k. The performance difference doesn't seem so large from what I read but it would cost about $150 more if I went with Skylake

The last PC I built was 5 years ago and didn't make any major upgrades, so I'm not sure if future proofing with a Skylake build is worthwhile to me

PC would be for general use, 1080p/60 gaming and maybe streaming

My current build plan:
http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/7zkLRB

Trying to keep the budget under $1500 after taxes. Canadian prices suck :*(

Thoughts?

 

[Ecto311]

Looking for a graphics card for my wife's pc. She plays wow for the most part but said her 460gtx is giving issues. Looking at the 950gtx but can't find it anywhere. Is there a major benefit to that one over the 750ti? Finding tons of those for decent prices. Will that even make a difference in wow or a waste of cash?

 

[LilJoka]

I'm looking to build a new PC within the next month or so and debating between the i7 4790k or i7 6700k. The performance difference doesn't seem so large from what I read but it would cost about $150 more if I went with Skylake

The last PC I built was 5 years ago and didn't make any major upgrades, so I'm not sure if future proofing with a Skylake build is worthwhile to me

PC would be for general use, 1080p/60 gaming and maybe streaming

My current build plan:
http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/7zkLRB

Trying to keep the budget under $1500 after taxes. Canadian prices suck :*(

Thoughts?

Just on the build list alone, go for the MSI gamer 970 if it's not too much more money. Get a Fractal Design Define Mini which is mATX rather than an ATX case, or Arc Mini.

750W is overkill unless you know you will SLI. Although nobody should SLI 970s since it only has 3.5Gb VRAM. So either save money on a lower wattage psu or buy a better quality lower wattage psu like a Gold certified.

 

[The Last Wizard]

So I'm look at the dell xps and was wondering Is a i5 good enough for Photoshop and Lightroom?

 

[Polioliolio]

Alrighty guys, here's my situation in where I want to install two new hard drives.

I have a flaky drive that seems to have some issues. It's the only one I've had in this PC for about 5 years.

Now, I've purchased two hard drives to replace this old HDD.

One 1TB HDD for files and content, and a 120GB SSD for the operating system and other program installs (though do I want steam on it?)

Anyway, before I want to start this, I wanted to upgrade to Windows 10, and I just did that today. My previous Windows was Windows 7, but Japanese and patched in English.. I didn't want to hassle in Japanese language again when dealing with these new drives.

So anyway, here's what I would like to do, but being an amateur, I'm not sure how I should go about doing it (neither of the new drives are physically in the case yet. It seems intimidating.)

I'd like to migrate (or fresh install if it's recommended) Windows 10 and the rest of the programs, over to the SSD. Then, I'd like the 1TB HDD to be available to move all my important files onto and basically anything and everything I'd be downloading from there.. I'd then like to keep the original HDD in the machine, but maybe reformatted, to be a back up storage area in case I need one for files that aren't that important.


So.. What do you experts recommend? And, how do I go about doing it?

Right now, I've got the new HDD and SSD sitting on the desk. They didn't come with cables, but I assume the cables are already in the computer, and the drive bays are tool-less.

I've copied the most important files onto a small external, but I didn't plan on wiping the old drive until the new ones are in and active, so I could simply pull data off of it and copy it into the new HDD.


I am at your mercy, wise ones.

 

[knitoe]

Alrighty guys, here's my situation in where I want to install two new hard drives.

I have a flaky drive that seems to have some issues. It's the only one I've had in this PC for about 5 years.

Now, I've purchased two hard drives to replace this old HDD.

One 1TB HDD for files and content, and a 120GB SSD for the operating system and other program installs (though do I want steam on it?)

Anyway, before I want to start this, I wanted to upgrade to Windows 10, and I just did that today. My previous Windows was Windows 7, but Japanese and patched in English.. I didn't want to hassle in Japanese language again when dealing with these new drives.

So anyway, here's what I would like to do, but being an amateur, I'm not sure how I should go about doing it (neither of the new drives are physically in the case yet. It seems intimidating.)

I'd like to migrate (or fresh install if it's recommended) Windows 10 and the rest of the programs, over to the SSD. Then, I'd like the 1TB HDD to be available to move all my important files onto and basically anything and everything I'd be downloading from there.. I'd then like to keep the original HDD in the machine, but maybe reformatted, to be a back up storage area in case I need one for files that aren't that important.


So.. What do you experts recommend? And, how do I go about doing it?

Right now, I've got the new HDD and SSD sitting on the desk. They didn't come with cables, but I assume the cables are already in the computer, and the drive bays are tool-less.

I've copied the most important files onto a small external, but I didn't plan on wiping the old drive until the new ones are in and active, so I could simply pull data off of it and copy it into the new HDD.


I am at your mercy, wise ones.

First, each drive needs to cables, SATA data and SATA power cables. If you PSU is not the modular type, you will find the cable coming out of the PSU. If you bought a modular PSU, it came with it. As for the data, they normally come with our MB package. They aren't usually found inside your case.


The easiest way to get the SSD as the OS is to clone it. I just use the free Macrium Reflect. It's simple, but google for instructions. After it's done and verify it works, shutdown your PC, unplug the old drive with the OS, go into the BIOS and select the new SSD as the boot drive. If everything works, you can reattached the old drive and format it. if you want, go into Disk Management and change drive letters.

If you want to fresh install Windows, run the Windows Media tool and create bootable Windows install on a USB. Disconnect all other drives except the SSD. Go into the BIOS and boot to the USB. You might see two option EFI and normal USB. Choose EFI. If not, just select the USB.

 

[RGM79]

So I'm look at the dell xps and was wondering Is a i5 good enough for Photoshop and Lightroom?

Any processor will run those, the only thing that changes is how long it'll take to process certain things. What are you looking at exactly?

 

[The Last Wizard]

Any processor will run those, the only thing that changes is how long it'll take to process certain things. What are you looking at exactly?

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/Dell-XPS-13-9343-Signature-Edition-Laptop/productID.312471000
The i7 model and there's another model not shown its the i5 with the same 8 gb of ram and 256 ssd

 

[MR ARCADE FOREVER]

Hey guys quick question. I am about to install Windows 10 on my new rig and I do not have a CD Rom drive. I'm using a USB stick to install it. How am I going to install the software included on the msi motherboard and gtx 980 ti gigabyte? Downloading from the website?

 

[anothertech]

Hey guys quick question. I am about to install Windows 10 on my new rig and I do not have a CD Rom drive. I'm using a USB stick to install it. How am I going to install the software included on the msi motherboard and gtx 980 ti gigabyte? Downloading from the website?

You can normally get the drivers off the manufacturers sites, and you have better chance of getting the newest drivers, so ya.

QUESTION to all:

What do you think about windows 10 and gaming right now? I have it installed for last couple weeks, but everything on steam and battle.net seems to be a little hit and miss.

For instance, Diablo 3 now seems to freeze intermitantly. It's always random, I tried a clean install, and same thing. Anyone else experience this?

Had a weird issue with Witcher 3, colors all inverted, everything else but the game was fine. So I fresh installed and it was back to normal. Nothing else has given me issues.

Anyways, hows it been for Win10 gaming for everyone else? Anyone know what the Diablo issue might be?

 

[RGM79]

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/Dell-XPS-13-9343-Signature-Edition-Laptop/productID.312471000
The i7 model and there's another model not shown its the i5 with the same 8 gb of ram and 256 ssd

That i5 processor is an energy efficient model, it's probably fine but not great. You're absolutely sure that you need to do Photoshop and Lightroom on the go? The rule of thumb is that generally for a given amount of money, a desktop PC will probably outperform a laptop at the same task.

Not to brush you off or anything, but there is a Laptop-GAF thread, you may be able to find more knowledgeable people there.

Hey guys quick question. I am about to install Windows 10 on my new rig and I do not have a CD Rom drive. I'm using a USB stick to install it. How am I going to install the software included on the msi motherboard and gtx 980 ti gigabyte? Downloading from the website?

Yes, you'll have to download the motherboard drivers from the MSI website and graphics drivers from the Nvidia website.

If you have another computer handy, I recommend using that. It's not guaranteed that you will be able to go online with your new PC right after installing Windows. Sometimes Windows won't have drivers for ethernet chipsets out of the box.

 

[RGM79]

You can normally get the drivers off the manufacturers sites, and you have better chance of getting the newest drivers, so ya.

QUESTION to all:

What do you think about windows 10 and gaming right now? I have it installed for last couple weeks, but everything on steam and battle.net seems to be a little hit and miss.

For instance, Diablo 3 now seems to freeze intermitantly. It's always random, I tried a clean install, and same thing. Anyone else experience this?

Had a weird issue with Witcher 3, colors all inverted, everything else but the game was fine. So I fresh installed and it was back to normal. Nothing else has given me issues.

Anyways, hows it been for Win10 gaming for everyone else? Anyone know what the Diablo issue might be?

I've got Windows 10 on my work PC. Haven't tried any intensive gaming, but it handles non triple-A gaming just fine.

A while back it was discovered that Nvidia's "Windows 10 ready" drivers were a bit buggy, have you tried updating or even rolling back to other driver revisions?

 

[The Last Wizard]

That i5 processor is an energy efficient model, it's probably fine but not great. You're absolutely sure that you need to do Photoshop and Lightroom on the go? The rule of thumb is that generally for a given amount of money, a desktop PC will probably outperform a laptop at the same task.

Not to brush you off or anything, but there is a Laptop-GAF thread, you may be able to find more knowledgeable people there.



Yes, you'll have to download the motherboard drivers from the MSI website and graphics drivers from the Nvidia website.

If you have another computer handy, I recommend using that. It's not guaranteed that you will be able to go online with your new PC right after installing Windows. Sometimes Windows won't have drivers for ethernet chipsets out of the box.

A desktop isn't really viable as I don't think I'd be able to connect it to Internet in my room. If I could I'd wouldn't mind going that route as a laptop isn't really necessary.

Posted in the laptop thread but it moves much slower than this thread.

 

[knitoe]

You can normally get the drivers off the manufacturers sites, and you have better chance of getting the newest drivers, so ya.

QUESTION to all:

What do you think about windows 10 and gaming right now? I have it installed for last couple weeks, but everything on steam and battle.net seems to be a little hit and miss.

For instance, Diablo 3 now seems to freeze intermitantly. It's always random, I tried a clean install, and same thing. Anyone else experience this?

Had a weird issue with Witcher 3, colors all inverted, everything else but the game was fine. So I fresh installed and it was back to normal. Nothing else has given me issues.

Anyways, hows it been for Win10 gaming for everyone else? Anyone know what the Diablo issue might be?

No problems with Diablo 3. Not related to Windows 10, but in the past, I did notice that if sound channel was set to >32, it cause game to stutter and fps to drop in certain areas.

 

[RGM79]

A desktop isn't really viable as I don't think I'd be able to connect it to Internet in my room. If I could I'd wouldn't mind going that route as a laptop isn't really necessary.

Posted in the laptop thread but it moves much slower than this thread.

Why can't you connect it?

 

[anothertech]

No problems with Diablo 3. Not related to Windows 10, but in the past, I did notice that if sound channel was set to >32, it cause game to stutter and fps to drop in certain areas.

K will look into this. Haven't heard of the sound thing.

.

Didn't know about the buggy drivers. Will look at that too.

 

[Wowfunhappy]

A desktop isn't really viable as I don't think I'd be able to connect it to Internet in my room. If I could I'd wouldn't mind going that route as a laptop isn't really necessary.

That's easily solved. Get a wifi usb adapter, or a motherboard with built in wifi.

(Or a power-line, but it seems like you really don't want to fuss with ethernet at all)

 

[MR ARCADE FOREVER]

You can normally get the drivers off the manufacturers sites, and you have better chance of getting the newest drivers, so ya.

QUESTION to all:

What do you think about windows 10 and gaming right now? I have it installed for last couple weeks, but everything on steam and battle.net seems to be a little hit and miss.

For instance, Diablo 3 now seems to freeze intermitantly. It's always random, I tried a clean install, and same thing. Anyone else experience this?

Had a weird issue with Witcher 3, colors all inverted, everything else but the game was fine. So I fresh installed and it was back to normal. Nothing else has given me issues.

Anyways, hows it been for Win10 gaming for everyone else? Anyone know what the Diablo issue might be?

That i5 processor is an energy efficient model, it's probably fine but not great. You're absolutely sure that you need to do Photoshop and Lightroom on the go? The rule of thumb is that generally for a given amount of money, a desktop PC will probably outperform a laptop at the same task.

Not to brush you off or anything, but there is a Laptop-GAF thread, you may be able to find more knowledgeable people there.



Yes, you'll have to download the motherboard drivers from the MSI website and graphics drivers from the Nvidia website.

If you have another computer handy, I recommend using that. It's not guaranteed that you will be able to go online with your new PC right after installing Windows. Sometimes Windows won't have drivers for ethernet chipsets out of the box.

Thanks for helping!

 

[Daffy Duck]

I've seen a deal popup on a few parts I was dithering over, now this replaces a Skylake build with very similar spec but would I be stupid to go for this over a Skylake build with an MSI 970?

Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming 7 Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard
Intel Core i5-4690K 3.50GHz Quad Core Processor - Unlocked
Corsair Vengeance Pro Red 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 PC3-14900C9 1866MHz
MSI GeForce GTX 980Ti Gaming 6144MB GDDR5 Graphics Card
NZXT H440 Mid Tower Case - Black
EVGA SuperNOVA 650W G2 Power Supply - 80PLUS Gold
2TB Toshiba DT01ACA200 3.5" SATA III Hard Drive
250GB Crucial BX100
Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor

This is only like £8 more than the Skylake build but with the 980Ti instead of the 970 like I said.

 

[Hoplatee]

My 670 has finally died. It served me well.

I do need to buy a new one ASAP. My budget is around 400 euros so the Asus GTX 970 seems to be the only real choice. Am I correct? I have very little interest in AMD due to past experiences. I also have no desires in overclocking.

Bonus is that you get MGS5 for free so in theory it's 60 euro less.

Any reason I should NOT get the 970? I can not wait months for newer cards which probably would also be way above my budget.

I am not that understanding of all the tech/benchmarks but its fair to say it would be a gigantic upgrade anyway? Witcher 3 ran around 30 fps with most settings maxed at 1080p on my 670 with some dips to 25.

Reason I am thinking about the Asus version is that it seems to have the same dimensions as the 670 and I was very fond of the (lack of) noise production.

E) oops, 670, not 680

 

[komplanen]

Seen on Reddit:

Don't be that guy. Clean your PC!

 

[Jzero]

Seen on Reddit:

Don't be that guy. Clean your PC!

god damn i bet it sounded like a turbine.

 

[The Last Wizard]

Why can't you connect it?

The modem is in my living room and I'd rather not have a Ethernet cord running from my room to the living room.

That's easily solved. Get a wifi usb adapter, or a motherboard with built in wifi.

(Or a power-line, but it seems like you really don't want to fuss with ethernet at all)

That's possible? I didn't know that. How reliable are they?

 

[FrouFrou]

Would anyone recommend the Asus R9 390 over the MSI GTX970 for an extra 50$? Benchmarks are almost the same,but I need the card to last me around 4 years and i'm scared that the 4gb will be outdated in the next 1-2 years.

 

[Zaph]

That's possible? I didn't know that. How reliable are they?

Depending on your home electrical wiring, powerline can be just as reliable as ethernet, with similar latency and speeds.

However, every house is so different you don't really know the performance until you've tried. It's best to just buy a well-reviewed pair from a retailer with a good returns policy.

My current speed is 483Mb/s going across 5 rooms in a very old brick house.

 

[Blackage]

Seen on Reddit:

Don't be that guy. Clean your PC!

Only time I've ever seen computers that dusty were @ work. I don't think I've ever seen somebody's personal PC that bad before heh.

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

Seen on Reddit:

Don't be that guy. Clean your PC!

Seeing the before and after PC is boner inducing.

 

[Daffy Duck]

I've seen a deal popup on a few parts I was dithering over, now this replaces a Skylake build with very similar spec but would I be stupid to go for this over a Skylake build with an MSI 970?

Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming 7 Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard
Intel Core i5-4690K 3.50GHz Quad Core Processor - Unlocked
Corsair Vengeance Pro Red 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 PC3-14900C9 1866MHz
MSI GeForce GTX 980Ti Gaming 6144MB GDDR5 Graphics Card
NZXT H440 Mid Tower Case - Black
EVGA SuperNOVA 650W G2 Power Supply - 80PLUS Gold
2TB Toshiba DT01ACA200 3.5" SATA III Hard Drive
250GB Crucial BX100
Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor

This is only like £8 more than the Skylake build but with the 980Ti instead of the 970 like I said.

Welp, I caved and ordered the above. Now I'm not sure if I should buy a Cryorig H5 cooler to replace the stock I5 one, no plans to OC the CPU though so not sure if it's worth it.

 

[MR ARCADE FOREVER]

Hi fellas,
I am having an issue trying to install Windows 10 on my new rig. I downloaded the ISO on a USB flash drive using the Microsoft usb installation utility (64-bits, i7 5820k) and change the boot order to usb first and ssd second. After entering the key product it starts installing windows and updating, however after that it reboots and the installation stops goping back to the first Windows installation screen (language/country). I am inserting the usb stick on the front panel on usb 3.0. Any tips/help!???

 

[SarBear]

Hi fellas,
I am having an issue trying to install Windows 10 on my new rig. I downloaded the ISO on a USB flash drive using the Microsoft usb installation utility (64-bits, i7 5820k) and change the boot order to usb first and ssd second. After entering the key product it starts installing windows and updating, however after that it reboots and the installation stops goping back to the first Windows installation screen (language/country). I am inserting the usb stick on the front panel on usb 3.0. Any tips/help!???

I used to have this problem with another rig I had. I usually found the solution was after the initial reboot (after everything is copied from the install) to just remove the usb stick.

 

[LilJoka]

I used to have this problem with another rig I had. I usually found the solution was after the initial reboot (after everything is copied from the install) to just remove the usb stick.

Yep remove USB after first reboot.

 

[MR ARCADE FOREVER]

I used to have this problem with another rig I had. I usually found the solution was after the initial reboot (after everything is copied from the install) to just remove the usb stick.

Yep remove USB after first reboot.

Thank you kindly I will try it out as soon as I get home from work!

 

[RGM79]

Welp, I caved and ordered the above. Now I'm not sure if I should buy a Cryorig H5 cooler to replace the stock I5 one, no plans to OC the CPU though so not sure if it's worth it.

I think you made a good choice. The GTX 980 Ti is very high above the GTX 970, and the 4690K isn't too far behind Skylake when it comes to performance. The build you just bought will probably have higher performance than the Skylake build, thanks to the far stronger graphics card.

If you're not overclocking now then an aftermarket CPU cooler isn't required yet, but getting one anyway would help with temperatures and noise.

Would anyone recommend the Asus R9 390 over the MSI GTX970 for an extra 50$? Benchmarks are almost the same,but I need the card to last me around 4 years and i'm scared that the 4gb will be outdated in the next 1-2 years.

Hard to say as we can't predict the future. I don't really expect 4GB to become a bottleneck in just two years, though. I don't think I'd recommend a GTX 980 Ti just because it has 6GB, though.

After 3~4 years you might not be able to play the latest games at the highest settings anyway, and you'd naturally have to turn down settings for a better framerate and certain settings will reduce VRAM usage anyway.

The modem is in my living room and I'd rather not have a Ethernet cord running from my room to the living room.

That's possible? I didn't know that. How reliable are they?

I have a cheap powerline kit from Trendnet. It's not the fastest, but it does its job just fine (connecting my dad's bedroom PC to the internet) and I find it reliable. My house is "only" 12 years old, though. Older houses with older, isolated, or just poor wiring may not turn out to work well, but in the case of old wiring I think you'd need to have a very old house to have problems at all.

But if not powerline, then a USB or PCI-E wifi adaptor for a desktop PC will work just fine.

 

[Boulevard Bob]

Just got my new build done yesterday. I swear to you guys, if this card was a single mm longer it would not have fit.

Case: Corsair 380t
CPU: i7-4790
GPU: ASUS 6GB 980ti
RAM: 16GB Crucial DDR3
480GB SSD & 4TB HDD

Ready for VR, baby

 

[Wowfunhappy]

That's possible? I didn't know that. How reliable are they?

Reliability depends completely on which Wifi usb adapter. You could spend $63 on a super high performance adapter or just get a cheap one for $10.. I highly suspect that even that $10 adapter will give better range/performance than a wifi chip crammed into a standard laptop, but I certainly couldn't say for sure.

Powerline or actual ethernet will, of course, probably perform even better if you don't mind dealing with the extra hassle. Either way, you definitely shouldn't have trouble getting a desktop connected to the internet.

 

[Hedonism Bot]

Can anyone here help me with my monitor mounting predicament. I want to use two seperate monitor mounts which clamp to the desk for these two monitors (when I've got them):

Dell u715h
Acer Predator XR341CKA

The weight of the acer in particular seems like it'd be an issue, considering I'd like to be able to move the monitors around without it feeling too stiff. Anyone in a similar situation with some advice? Or can anyone point me towards some reliable mounts? Preferably available to buy in the UK.

 

[Armaly]

So uh i've asked a few times and never got a reply but this monitor is on sale for an even lower price now. Could I get some opinions? $160 for a 144hz monitor is really tempting.

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

Just got my new build done yesterday. I swear to you guys, if this card was a single mm longer it would not have fit.

Case: Corsair 380t
CPU: i7-4790
GPU: ASUS 6GB 980ti
RAM: 8GB Crucial DDR3
480GB SSD & 4TB HDD

Ready for VR, baby

This is the best kind of fit.

 

[Argyle]

Reliability depends completely on which Wifi usb adapter. You could spend $63 on a super high performance adapter or just get a cheap one for $10.. I highly suspect that even that $10 adapter will give better range/performance than a wifi chip crammed into a standard laptop, but I certainly couldn't say for sure.

Powerline or actual ethernet will, of course, probably perform even better if you don't mind dealing with the extra hassle. Either way, you definitely shouldn't have trouble getting a desktop connected to the internet.

I don't disagree with your premise but IMHO a laptop's built in Wi-Fi will have better reception than a USB Wi-Fi adapter, the laptops usually have large antennas built into the display bezel.

 

[Guri]

Hey, guys, I am asking this for a friend. What's the best choice now? Buy a high-end GPU (and, if so, which one, up to 450 euros?) or get something like a 960 and wait until next year to buy a new one? By the way, this is for a new PC, so it has to be a new card. Could be either AMD or Nvidia.

 

[Wag]

My heatsync finally came in on Tues (took 1 1/2 weeks) so I'm going to build my new setup this weekend. Cross your fingers everybody!:

5820k
MSI X99A Plus Mobo (Refurbished, I know, but it comes with 6mos warranty)
True Spirit 140 BW Rev. A Heatsync
G-Skill DDR4 PC4-19200 4GBx4 (quad kit)

The rest are old parts off my current build. Antec 1300w PSU, 2x 980Ti's. Old HAF-X case. I hope it was my current mobo that was bad and not one of my 980Ti's. We'll find out...

 

[Daffy Duck]

I think you made a good choice. The GTX 980 Ti is very high above the GTX 970, and the 4690K isn't too far behind Skylake when it comes to performance. The build you just bought will probably have higher performance than the Skylake build, thanks to the far stronger graphics card.

Great, thanks for that just what I wanted to hear!

I ordered the H5 cooler in the end, figured I may as well prep for an OC if I ever I want to scratch that itch and not have to pull it apart and redo the thermal paste.

 

[Jag]

My heatsync finally came in on Tues (took 1 1/2 weeks) so I'm going to build my new setup this weekend. Cross your fingers everybody!:

Speaking of heatsinks. Are there any guides on applying thermal paste? I'm getting the Cryorig H7 and I've never done the paste before. Horror stories scare the crap out of me. My plan is to just put a bead in the center but the manual says to put a thin, barely visible layer.

 

[Azulsky]

Speaking of heatsinks. Are there any guides on applying thermal paste? I'm getting the Cryorig H7 and I've never done the paste before. Horror stories scare the crap out of me. My plan is to just put a bead in the center but the manual says to put a thin, barely visible layer.

Some people will say grain of rice as well.

The die of the cpu is rectangular, so making sure that the paste gets on the same area as the die is probably the most reasonable bet.