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[Aztechnology]

So GAF, building a new beast after 5 years for gaming and casual use. Here's what I got:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/xNbdXH
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/xNbdXH/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($345.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 7 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($192.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($154.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card ($444.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master MasterCase Pro 5 ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($116.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1535.69


Thoughts, criticism, advice?

Also, couple of questions:

- Is the i7 6700K really worth it over the i5 6600K?
- Is 32GB memory overkill over 16GB? And more to the point, does it matter or hurt given the cost of memory these days?
- I have a CM Mastercase Pro, but am also kicking around a HAF 932 and a Phanteks Evolv Mid Tower? Recommendations?
- Lastly, the note on the OP build list mentions data corruption on SSDs due to power loss. I have a battery backup, but its still testy at times and I can see the system losing power every few months or so. How high a risk is the data corruption and is it significant enough to stick with a disc drive?

Thanks in advance for all responses.

Yes I think the difference between the 6600k to 6700k is absolutely worth it. Check slick deals and antonline's eBay store as it often goes on sale for ~$300 sometimes even better with eBay cash back offers. But hyperthreading can seriously help the long term viability of your CPU especially now.

32GB is overkill and costs twice as much. The price difference from 2x4 to 2x8 is typically fairly minimal. However when jumping up to 2x16GB or 4x8GB the price goes up substantially. In addition there's pretty much no performance benefit for gaming so if that's your intended purpose definitely go 2x8 for now.

Lastly the motherboard is largely overkill if you're going for a single card GPU solution. Grab a Z170 for PC. But you can shave off a really good chunk by grabbing a solid board for almost $100 less like the Asus Z170-A Pro which will give you all the features you need including overclocking of CPU and Memory and all new port and legacy features as well.

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/7592/asus-z170-pro-intel-motherboard-review/index11.html

Or as LilJoka suggested check out some MicroATX boards that are great and even a little cheaper than what I suggested for comparable features. The main difference is really extra PCI slots for sounds cards, GPU's etc.

In the end that's nearly $200 back in your pocket without virtually any change to performance.

 

[gatti-man]

If you ask me there is no point in spending more money on a lowerend cpu and overclock it compared to a higherend cpu.

You can usually pay for an entire watercoolingn solution plus change in the difference between a high end CPU and a middle range CPU that's over clocked to be faster than a high end CPU. Intel charges ridiculous prices for their top end.

I've always done this. Buy the cheapest version of the best architecture then overclock the blazes out of it.

There isn't really much benefit to an open loop over a closed loop. It just looks cleaner. This will be in my living room so I'd like it to not be a normal desktop tower.

 

[LilJoka]

You can usually pay for an entire watercoolingn solution plus change in the difference between a high end CPU and a middle range CPU that's over clocked to be faster than a high end CPU. Intel charges ridiculous prices for their top end.

I've always done this. Buy the cheapest version of the best architecture then overclock the blazes out of it.

There isn't really much benefit to an open loop over a closed loop. It just looks cleaner. This will be in my living room so I'd like it to not be a normal desktop tower.

It used to work better than it does now.
Eg i7 920, overclock and beat an i7 960.
Or Q6600 overclock and match or beat a Q9450. The latter CPUs had their legs stretched to some extent already, you couldn't squeeze much more.

But now you are at an inherent disadvantage when you OC an i5 to try beat an i7, as the i7 has yet to stretch its legs. Since we only have 6600k and 6700k, it's not the same as it used to be. If you can afford the i7, get it.

 

[Adry9]

Not sure if I should ask this here but I'm having some problems overclocking my 7950. I used to have it OC'd to 1100/1500 but these past days the OC is not working at all, it just runs at stock speeds. Tried setting the speeds both with AMD Overdrive and MSI afterburner but the last one tells me it's running at stock. Anyone had this issue before?

PS: Just installed new drivers and the problem persists.

 

[gatti-man]

It used to work better than it does now.
Eg i7 920, overclock and beat an i7 960.
Or Q6600 overclock and match or beat a Q9450. The latter CPUs had their legs stretched to some extent already, you couldn't squeeze much more.

But now you are at an inherent disadvantage when you OC an i5 to try beat an i7, as the i7 has yet to stretch its legs. Since we only have 6600k and 6700k, it's not the same as it used to be. If you can afford the i7, get it.

I'd just buy a core i7 and overclock it past the upper i7 versions

 

[Big-E]

When replacing a broken CD/DVD drive, do you need to uninstall any drivers or can you just rip it out and replace?

 

[gamma]

When replacing a broken CD/DVD drive, do you need to uninstall any drivers or can you just rip it out and replace?

Just replace.

 

[lostsupper]

I completed my new build. Hopefully this will last me another 7+ years.


i7-6950X
Corsair 32GB DDR4-3333
MSI Sea Hawk EK 1080GTX
ROG Asus Rampage V Edition 10
Samsung 950 PRO NVMe SSD 512GB
Koolance RP-452X2 (Dual Pumps in Series)
CPU EKWB Supremacy EVO Elite
Koolance QD3s
EKWB CoolStream SE360 Radiator
Some random ThermalTake Radiator that will be replaced.
HTC Vive

I still have some tidy up to do (sleeving etc.)

For that money you should have gone with rigid tubing.

 

[JoeBoy101]

Thanks for the replies guys. Tweaked down the memory, went for the Asus Z170 Pro, and kept with the i7 6700K. I stayed with full ATX, but mid-tower as I like room to work with. Its not that big a deal and I have the space for it, as its a downgrade from my full tower right now.

 

[Aztechnology]

I completed my new build. Hopefully this will last me another 7+ years.

i7-6950X
Corsair 32GB DDR4-3333
MSI Sea Hawk EK 1080GTX
ROG Asus Rampage V Edition 10
Samsung 950 PRO NVMe SSD 512GB
Koolance RP-452X2 (Dual Pumps in Series)
CPU EKWB Supremacy EVO Elite
Koolance QD3s
EKWB CoolStream SE360 Radiator
Some random ThermalTake Radiator that will be replaced.
HTC Vive

I still have some tidy up to do (sleeving etc.)

7 years? At the level you're at it's diminishing returns for costerformance is really high. Sure it will probably work in 7 years time, but nowhere near the performance you'll probably want, and at that point your parts will have depreciated so much you end up offloading them for next to nothing.

The buy super expensive and expect it to last ages approach has never made sense to me. Tech changes and moves too fast for that. I subscribe to the part rental approach where I buy close to bleeding edge, but it's the best Bang/Buck. Then every couple of years while my parts still have value I sell and upgrade as needed. In the long term, I probably get a much better gradient of performance compared to doing that and at a substantially lower cost. But you're not me, and I don't know what you're using this computer for. But assuming it's gaming, I think you went way too far.

Just my opinion though.

 

[longdi]

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/7777/asrock-x99-taichi-intel-motherboard-review/index11.html

I saw the above review on Asrock X99, really good pricing and performs very good.
Good entry to sweet unlocked 6 cores goodness imo.

 

[Lockjaw333]

I created a USB windows 10 boot drive. When I install on my new build, will I need a product key? My windows 10 is a free upgrade from windows 7, can I use my windows 7 key?

 

[WadeitOut]

I created a USB windows 10 boot drive. When I install on my new build, will I need a product key? My windows 10 is a free upgrade from windows 7, can I use my windows 7 key?

Yes. If it says it's already used just call the toll free number to deactivate so you can use it again.

 

[NOLA_Gaffer]

Any recommendations for general purpose monitors that'll display stuff from a computer alongside other HDMI sources?

 

[Lockjaw333]

Yes. If it says it's already used just call the toll free number to deactivate so you can use it again.

Thanks!

 

[Elitist1945]

When my PC wakes up from sleep my 2nd monitor doesn't wake up along with my first. How do I fix this?

 

[NobleXenon]

Well, it's official; my computer is finally dead. I was hoping to squeeze out another year, but there is still a silver lining to this. Since my GTX 980TI is still working great, I'm going to use that in my next computer, which saves me can use the 500 bucks for other parts.

I want to get an Intel Core i7-6850K 15M Broadwell-E 6-Core 3.6 GHz LGA 2011-v3 140W Processor and a Samsung 950 PRO M.2 512GB PCI-Express 3.0 x4 Internal Solid State Drive.

My question is, what is the best motherboard for those two? For me, it seems like the motherboard is the first component to die on me, so I want to get a good one this time.

 

[gatti-man]

7 years? At the level you're at it's diminishing returns for costerformance is really high. Sure it will probably work in 7 years time, but nowhere near the performance you'll probably want, and at that point your parts will have depreciated so much you end up offloading them for next to nothing.

The buy super expensive and expect it to last ages approach has never made sense to me. Tech changes and moves too fast for that. I subscribe to the part rental approach where I buy close to bleeding edge, but it's the best Bang/Buck. Then every couple of years while my parts still have value I sell and upgrade as needed. In the long term, I probably get a much better gradient of performance compared to doing that and at a substantially lower cost. But you're not me, and I don't know what you're using this computer for. But assuming it's gaming, I think you went way too far.

Just my opinion though.

He can always upgrade his gpu. Everything else should easily last 7 years. That's been my experience anyways.

Also judging by his photo he's pretty wealthy. Might just be a hobby for him too.

 

[Phanatic8390]

I cannot decide if I want to go Optical Drive less. Currently looking at the Fractal Design Define R5 but the S looks sharp as well. It seems like its more for Water Cooling which I don't really have any interest in.

Anyone with some good air cooled case suggestions?

 

[super-famicom]

Built my PC and turned it on. It didn't explode and I was able to install Windows 10. Still need to get driver's and programs downloaded but I'm heading out now. Will post pictures later!

 

[gatti-man]

I cannot decide if I want to go Optical Drive less. Currently looking at the Fractal Design Define R5 but the S looks sharp as well. It seems like its more for Water Cooling which I don't really have any interest in.

Anyone with some good air cooled case suggestions?

Best air cooled case I've ever owned was the HAF X by coolermaster. Mammoth fan mounts and side fan. Had 3 in and 3 out. Huge air flow.

 

[Atraveller]

Around 73 degrees F.

I got pulled away on work last night so I didn't have a chance to do more testing. I have things I need to take care of tonight but opefully I'll be able to do it afterwards if it's not too late.

It's ok because...I've already built my new PC!

Here are my specs:
CPU: i7 6700K
Cooler: Noctua NH-D15S (giant cooler that covers the entire motherboard just because)
MB: MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC
RAM: 8GB ADATA DDR4 2800MHz *2
GPU: (From last rig) Gigabyte GTX1080 G1 Gaming
Drives: (all from last rig) Intel 535 480GB, Crucial MX100 256GB, WD Blue 1TB, WD Green 2TB
Case: Fractal Design Define Nano S
PSU: Seasonic G-650W

I've turned on XMP to take full advantage of my RAM, and now all I gotta do is to figure out how to actually OC my CPU.

 

[Celcius]

^^Nice build, I bet it's pretty silent!

 

[BasicMath]

I have a 5820k/6core a closed loop doing 4.5ghz at 1.3volt. it runs on a $70 Seidon 240m at ~50c highest at 100% load during a benchmark(45 or so is the highest I've seen gaming). Is my CPU low end? Most people aren't buying super low end CPU's they're just buying what they feel is necessary to get the performance they want. Is that still the case? Is a liquid cooling setup beyond a significantly cheaper and easier to manage closed loop system still beneficial today?

To start of, congrats on winning the silicon lottery.
But yeah, it's mostly acoustics, performance and looks/art. Yes, performance is still better with a custom loop. Is the increase marginal and far more expensive? Definitely, but it doesn't stop it from being better. This shouldn't surprise you. It's the same thing in other areas as well. Look at how many people were buying Titans/Titan Xs instead of the cheaper alternative.

 

[tuxfool]

To start of, congrats on winning the silicon lottery.
But yeah, it's mostly acoustics, performance and looks/art. Yes, performance is still better with a custom loop. Is the increase marginal and far more expensive? Definitely, but it doesn't stop it from being better. This shouldn't surprise you. It's the same thing in other areas as well. Look at how many people were buying Titans/Titan Xs instead of the cheaper alternative.

4.5 Ghz at 1.3V doesn't seem to be a particularly outlandish result. I can do 4.5 at even lower voltages than 1.3V.

 

[Atraveller]

^^Nice build, I bet it's pretty silent!

I haven't tried games on it yet, but normally it sounds alright with the amount of fans running in the case.

 

[BasicMath]

4.5 Ghz. at 1.3V doesn't seem to be a particularly outlandish result.

100% load 5820k barely breaking 50 at 4.5/1.3 on a 240mm rad is.
I know almost a dozen 5820ks doing 4.2GHz that hit the 60-65C easily with either h100/h110s. It may be a difference in stability testing but that's really good.

 

[tuxfool]

100% load 5820k barely breaking 50 at 4.5/1.3 on a 240mm rad is.
I know almost a dozen 5820ks doing 4.2GHz that hit the 60s with is. It may be a difference in stability testing but that's really good.

Temperatures can be due to various conditions. He doesn't mention the benchmark, but if you're doing stability testing you're probably using a power virus to test, which generates a lot more heat.

Then there is the ambient temperature and case airflow to be considered.

I may be mistaken but I don't believe that the silicon lottery really governs the temperature voltage ratio in that way.

 

[BasicMath]

Temperatures can be due to various conditions. He doesn't mention the benchmark, but if you're doing stability testing you're probably using a power virus to test, which generates a lot more heat.

Then there is the ambient temperature and case airflow to be considered.

I may be mistaken but I don't believe that the silicon lottery really governs the temperature voltage ratio in that way.

No, you're right. It has to do more with voltage needed to achieve a given clock frequency which in turn gives you your temps. That is the relationship between all three. Those temps still surprise me, though.

 

[mercenar1e]

finished cleaning my build using Metro DataVac that came in today. i absolutely recommend it.

 

[NimbusD]

GAF - looking to you for a great 4K monitor (money not too big of an option) with low MS, high refresh rate (know I can't hit 144hz, but can I hit 100? 120?) and a reliable brand.

What's out there?

I almost pulled the trigger on this: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/viewsonic-xg2700-4k-27-inch-ultra-hd-freesync-monitor,4538.html

Mainly because I also edit video and it was like a happy medium between freesync and a crazy calibrated screen for a gaming monitor. But I wound up doubling my budget and getting a real creative class monitor that's not quite as fast, but gotta put stuff that helps me pay the bills first. (wound up getting an ASUS PA329Q)

The only thing I regret on spending that much money on a monitor (was like 1400 roughly), was that on prime day I couldn't take advantage of ddr4 offers and go crazy and up my computer from 16gb to 64gb (actually would have really benefitted from that due to most likely editing 4k and raw footage in the future now that I have a monitor capable of taking advantage of those formats).

 

[Aztechnology]

To start of, congrats on winning the silicon lottery.
But yeah, it's mostly acoustics, performance and looks/art. Yes, performance is still better with a custom loop. Is the increase marginal and far more expensive? Definitely, but it doesn't stop it from being better. This shouldn't surprise you. It's the same thing in other areas as well. Look at how many people were buying Titans/Titan Xs instead of the cheaper alternative.

From everything I've heard I'm right in the middle of the pack, if not a bit lower left on the bell curve.

It's not the 1080 that's the crazy part to me, it's everything together and the final statement. The processor is a $1650 processor. More than my entire computer costs with a 5820k/1070. So unless they are rendering complex scenes in 3DS max, maya, mudbox tesselation etc. Or are running tons of virtual machines, Works in production or something else that really benefits from a powerful CPU and it makes sense fiscally to own one then I'm at a loss (Even then a professional usually switches out more often than 7 years in my experience). I really don't see them getting much benefit from their CPU over say a 5820k or 6700k at ~$300-50, or even the 6800k at $400-450. They can do 4-5 CPU's over the next 20 years near bleeding edge for the cost of that CPU. It's just everything being purchased in extreme excess 32GB ram, a $600 Mobo, liquid cooled GPU that is pretty much already bios limited to not overclock really any better than it's air cooled compatriots that also tend to run decently cool anyway. I mean it looks and sounds amazing on paper, but in practical applications it just doesn't make much sense to me at all. So I just go, oh it's a bench-marker or build enthusiast type person that's always living on the cutting edge and easily has the means to do so. Someone that's replacing parts constantly to have the absolute best. But then brings it back to reality by saying they hope it lasts 7 years. I guess it broke me a bit, because it just seems so irrational to me personally. I know that's not fair though, I don't know anything about them.

4.5 Ghz at 1.3V doesn't seem to be a particularly outlandish result. I can do 4.5 at even lower voltages than 1.3V.

100% load 5820k barely breaking 50 at 4.5/1.3 on a 240mm rad is.
I know almost a dozen 5820ks doing 4.2GHz that hit the 60-65C easily with either h100/h110s. It may be a difference in stability testing but that's really good.

Temperatures can be due to various conditions. He doesn't mention the benchmark, but if you're doing stability testing you're probably using a power virus to test, which generates a lot more heat.

Then there is the ambient temperature and case airflow to be considered.

I may be mistaken but I don't believe that the silicon lottery really governs the temperature voltage ratio in that way.

No, you're right. It has to do more with voltage needed to achieve a given clock frequency which in turn gives you your temps. That is the relationship between all three. Those temps still surprise me, though.

I was using ROG real bench 1 hour test, but it did break 50c on that, it got up to max temps around 54-56c. During gaming it really never gets up to those temps though. It stays between 43-46c on more CPU intense games (But I've yet to really see anything tax it out side of rendering.). Idle it's ~22-25c dependent on core/package.

 

[23qwerty]

Got my new Gigabyte G1 1080 installed today, replacing an Asus Strix 970

What a monster that 970 was

Barely managed to fit into my secondary Corsair Air 240 case x.x

 

[Aztechnology]

Got my new Gigabyte G1 1080 installed today, replacing an Asus Strix 970



What a monster that 970 was

Barely managed to fit into my secondary Corsair Air 240 case x.x

I can't believe how much beefier (Size) my new MSI 1070 was compared to my reference 970. I have ample room for it. But still, surprised me.

 

[datsunzep]

finished cleaning my build using Metro DataVac that came in today. i absolutely recommend it.

The metro datavac is the best computer tool I've ever bought. Blows way harder than compressed air and it lasts forever.

I can't believe how much beefier (Size) my new MSI 1070 was compared to my reference 970. I have ample room for it. But still, surprised me.

I had to buy a new case because my 1070 was gonna be too big. I had a 6950 before it, which was much bigger than the 4770 it replaced. I don't like this trend. 😳

 

[wihio]

That feeling when you have received your new processor and mobo, know that your hd and cooler are delayed until friday, and case, ram and power supply come tomorrow...

Graphics wise, I am going to stick with my 7950 for the time being, but want to see what the 480 aftermarket + vulcan numbers are before I make my decision. This video, while preliminary, forced me to look: https://youtu.be/ZCHmV3c7H1Q

 

[Young Magus]

x-post from the widescreen thread:

So Yo,

Im coming from a HDTV and I want a monitor for PC/Consule gaming. Mainly play fighting games so input lag is a huge factor. I also want to completely get rid of my HDTV and only use a monitor.

Is there an 21:9 monitor with low enough input lag that makes it good for fighting games or should I stick with a standard gaming monitor or keep my HDTV?

 

[Jyrii]

Does anyone have an idiot proof Skylake overclocking guide (Asus, if there are any motherboard differences)?

Also, I am currently using XMP profile for RAM upclocks (running @ 3200Mhz). Can I keep using XMP with CPU overclock, or do I have to do a manual RAM overclock?

 

[Aztechnology]

Does anyone have idiot proof Skylake overclocking guide (Asus if there are any motherboard differences)?

Also, I am currently using XMP profile for RAM upclocks (running @ 3200Mhz). Can I keep using XMP with CPU overclock, or do I have to do a manual RAM overclock?

Check to see if your RAM speed and XMP profile is affecting what's called your CPU blck speed. I believe it does at those speeds, but I'm not familiar with the new Skylake. Basically it just changes how you multiply to get your CPU ratio. So if it's 125mhz instead and you want a 4.5ghz your CPU multiplier would be 36 instead 36*125=4.5 (I think you probably get it.)

 

[LilJoka]

No, you're right. It has to do more with voltage needed to achieve a given clock frequency which in turn gives you your temps. That is the relationship between all three. Those temps still surprise me, though.

Soldered heatspreader too. Makes a big difference.

 

[samar11]

This might sound silly but whats the difference between a regular 60hz monitor and 144hz monitor? Mean is 60hz but I get frames over 100fps and it looks fine.

 

[23qwerty]

This might sound silly but whats the difference between a regular 60hz monitor and 144hz monitor? Mean is 60hz but I get frames over 100fps and it looks fine.

a 60hz monitor can't display over 60fps, you're not actually seeing over 60fps. A 144hz monitor can display up to 144fps, which of course looks significantly better.

 

[samar11]

a 60hz monitor can't display over 60fps, you're not actually seeing over 60fps. A 144hz monitor can display up to 144fps, which of course looks significantly better.

Like I said mine is 60hz and it displays over 60fps and it looks amazing weather its fake or not.

 

[LilJoka]

Like I said mine is 60hz and it displays over 60fps and it looks amazing weather its fake or not.

It doesn't display over 60fps though. It would look the same at 60 or 999fps (apart from screen tearing).

 

[23qwerty]

Like I said mine is 60hz and it displays over 60fps and it looks amazing weather its fake or not.

It doesn't display over 60fps. Your gpu is outputting over 60fps sure, but your monitor cannot display that. You'll be getting screen tearing that looks something like this when your GPU is outputting over your monitors limit.

Turning on vsync will limit your framerate to your monitors limit and eliminate screen tearing at the cost of slight input lag.

 

[Aztechnology]

Like I said mine is 60hz and it displays over 60fps and it looks amazing weather its fake or not.

No... that's the thing it's literally impossible for it to actually show those extra frames. They are being lost. If you are watching an FPS counter and have Vsync off it doesn't matter if it shows 100fps. You're still only seeing 60fps.

 

[danthefan]

What is the story with the 1070, is it widely available yet?

Can anyone point me in a good direction to get one from a European site? Amazon looks very expensive to me.

 

[Jezbollah]

What is the story with the 1070, is it widely available yet?

Can anyone point me in a good direction to get one from a European site? Amazon looks very expensive to me.

One of the reasons they're so expensive is that they are not widely available....

 

[Aztechnology]

What is the story with the 1070, is it widely available yet?

Can anyone point me in a good direction to get one from a European site? Amazon looks very expensive to me.

https://www.nowinstock.net/uk/computers/videocards/nvidia/gtx1070/

https://www.nowinstock.net/de/computers/videocards/nvidia/gtx1070/

https://www.nowinstock.net/fr/computers/videocards/nvidia/gtx1070/

 

[Dries]

Hey GAF,

Quick question: these are the new components I'm buying:

i7-6700K
ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger ROG
2x 8GB RAM (Kingston HyperX Fury)
Samsung 950 Pro 256GB

These are the components I already have and will not be upgrading (yet)

CPU cooler: Scythe Mugen 2 rev.B SCMG-2100
700W PSU
HDD - 1 TB
GTX 980 4GB (EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Superclocked ACX 2.0)
1440 monitor

Can anyone see or foresee any problems with this build? I'm looking for every advice I can. Much appreciated