8 years since last build... Time to build a new one!

[motojeff]

Hi guys,

I am getting some clicking on my raid 0 sata velociraptors and want to build a new one before this one dies.
Some details on my current PC:

W7-64
6GB DDR3 ram
i7 920 2.66 oc to 3.7
asus p6t motherboard
thermal right Ultra Extreme 120 RT 1366 fan
bfg gtx280 oc 1gb (had 2, but 1 died)
antec 900 case
PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W PSU
dual 300GB velociraptors in raid 0
1tb caviar black sata

If there is anything there that can be safely re-used, I am open to do so, but starting over with everything
is fine too. My goal is a high end system with good bang for the dollar. Definitely not bleeding edge for
minimal gains. My use case is video editing, gaming on a 2K monitor, winrar decompressing. I like to have
a ton of Firefox windows open, all with about 5-10 tabs in each, so I want a healthy amount of memory to
prevent thrashing. I bought my components last time at places like Newegg, buy.com, TigerDirect, and
CrazyPC in the U.S. I have no interest in OCing this time as I have a young child now and do not have the
time to fiddle. I plan to buy this soon and am posting this because I don't want to miss out on BF deals.
Note: stability is VERY important on this build. I am very dissatisfied with ASUS motherboards. Had many
problems with the last two I've had. Ideally I'd like (2) ssd drives say >=500GB each (1 as a source, 1 as a
destination), and one large as reasonable sata ?4tb? drive for camcorder video storage and backups. I have
no interest in raid 0 anymore after poor experience with ASUS's MB. I do not have a strict price limit.

Some questions I have:
1) Should I go windows 10 or stick with windows 7?
2) Can, should I, reuse my power supply?
3) Can, should I, reuse my case (latest usb compatibility?)
4) Can I avoid SLI now?
5) Is there a latest walk-through for a new windows install like I used on my last build?

I would need to buy OS, antivirus/firewall, acronis true image home. I'll re-use my keyboard and mouse.

This is the place I went to 8 years ago to get advice on my last build. I am so thankful to this community
and appreciate any help/wisdom you can share.

 

[whm1974]

For 2) I would replace the PSU since it is so old.
For 4) Yes you can avoid SLI now for anything below 4K.

 

[motojeff]

Ok, cool. Any component recommendations?

 

[giantpandaman2]

The stickied midrange build on this forum would be a good place to start. Might go up to 32 GB of RAM and drop the K on the processor since you don't plan on overclocking. With SSD's there's no reason to RAID anymore.

I'd go Win10. It's a very solid OS. Yes on changing the power supply (caps get old after all.) Your old case won't have USB C or Tbolt...so that's personal preference. If you're doing a lot of video importing/exporting it might be worth it to get. Installing Windows is really easy. Not sure you need a walkthrough anymore.

 

[vailr]

For now, try and get by with only a cloned SSD as replacement for the failing spinning drives.
In a month or two, KabyLake desktop processors are to be available, as an update revision for Skylake chipset boards.

 

[motojeff]

Ok, I'll take a look at the midrange. When I did my last build, you had to
install "intel matrix storage manager". Maybe that was for Raid, can't remember. I also had to install chipset INF drivers. Is any of that required?

 

[motojeff]

For now, try and get by with only a cloned SSD as replacement for the failing spinning drives.
In a month or two, KabyLake desktop processors are to be available, as an update revision for Skylake chipset boards.

Wow, this is good info. Let me read up on KabyLake.

 

[UsandThem]

Ok, I'll take a look at the midrange. When I did my last build, you had to
install "intel matrix storage manager". Maybe that was for Raid, can't remember. I also had to install chipset INF drivers. Is any of that required?

Yes. Whatever motherboard you select, go to their support page and download the needed files/drivers. The .inf is the first one you want to install.

Basically the .inf, SATA, audio, network, and USB 3.1. Everything else Windows 10 should handle.

 

[giantpandaman2]

Wow, this is good info. Let me read up on KabyLake.

Given the shitstorm that was Skylake at the start, I'm not sure I'd want to buy Kabylake processors + new chipset boards in the first 6 months. Intel's drivers have simply sucked for new hardware. Kabylake's numbers haven't been that impressive on the laptop side either. Something to think about.

 

[motojeff]

Does Kabylake processors need a new wave of motherboards? Or do you
use them with existing Skylake motherboards? Is the only difference between
the i5 and i7 processors the number of threads?

 

[giantpandaman2]

Does Kabylake processors need a new wave of motherboards? Or do you
use them with existing Skylake motherboards? Is the only difference between
the i5 and i7 processors the number of threads?

Kabylake doesn't need a new wave, but a new chipset is coming which will have improved IO. AFAIK Kabylake will be able to run on current motherboards with a UEFI update. However, with TBolt and USB-C some might prefer the new chipset for more PCIE lanes and what not.

On the desktop, the main difference between i5 and i7 is threads, yes.

 

[biostud]

You could get an X99 and 6800K, hex-core since you do video editing.

Asrock usually gives you good motherboards for the dollar.

 

[motojeff]

I see x99 is a chipset. What other chipset options are there?

 

[Torn Mind]

Milk that PSU for all of its worth. Use it for another two or three years. You spent a hundred on it, if it doesn't last 10 or more years, you didn't get your money's worth. However, you should line up a successor in the future by keeping track of units on a site like pcpartpicker. $70 can get you a PSU with the necessities(good enough DC output and protection circuitry) to power a stock box for a good while. Any further money spent on a PSU must actually go towards tangible luxuries like less noise, decreases in power consumption, and/or modularity. Quite frankly, I would go even cheaper and just get a EVGA 500B or 600B or a Thermaltake TR2- 600 if you just needs something that works and keep your old PSU as a spare.

The Seasonic G550 is a step above and costs $60. There is a $15 mail-in-rebate promo on it right now too. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151119&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker, LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

Generally speaking, W7 users have their habits burned in and the transition will be painful. For you, you can get a taste of 10 by downloading and 10 iso and loading up a virtual machine. Who knows, you might be a flexible one.

Since you are a WD man, if you restrict youself to only their products, you can use their WD-only version of Acronis for free. Of course, if you have media that isn't WD, you'll need your paid license.

 

[biostud]

I see x99 is a chipset. What other chipset options are there?

atm Z170 with Skylake , soon replaced by Z270 and Kabylake or X99 with broadwell-E. (and lots of cheaper, but not worth mentioning here)

Basically the X99 platform supports processors with 6,8, or 10 cores, and even more if you choose a Xeon CPU, while Z170 and Z270 support 2-4 core CPUs. The downside is that the processor generation of X99 is 1 and soon 2 generations behind the Zxxx platform (and the cost of the processors with 8+ cores are really high). So if you run lots of software that can benefit from more cores like video editing, then you might want to got for the X99 platform and the 6800K (hex-core), but otherwise Z270 and Kabylake 7700K will most likely be the way to go.

Windows 10 is the way to go, the only reason to choose win7 is if you have some specific software that will not run on win 10. Some things are different, but in daily use it is pretty much the same.

 

[motojeff]

Thanks for all the help guys! Is there any way to tell from intel's website which
chipset each core needs? For example, this link I can't tell:

http://ark.intel.com/products/94189/Intel-Core-i7-6800K-Processor-15M-Cache-up-to-3_60-GHz?q=6800k

 

[biostud]

Socket 2011-3 is used with X99 chipset
Socket 1151 is used with Z170 and Z270

 

[biostud]

Before deciding I would wait for the Kabylake 7700K and the Z270 chipset to be released and reviewed, since newer technology and higher clockrates of the 7700K might make up for a good deal of the performance gap in having less cores, and having better performance in software that doesn't take good use of all the cores.

When I bought my X99 setup the 5820k was same cpu generation as the 4790k with the z97 chipset, making the decision quite easy. But with two generations advantage with Z270 and 7700K compared to the 6800K and the X99, the choice is more complicated.

 

[motojeff]

Thanks biostud. I will do that. Best to wait and see I figure. Either get a good
deal on old chipset or go with the shiny and new chipset. I keep these PCs
for a long time, so best to get the latest IMHO.

 

[wingman04]

I would go for the i7 7700K and the Z270.

 

[motojeff]

I may. I keep watching front page for release and review news. I think I am
gonna go dual samsung 960 pro's 512GB and then a sata drive for backups.
Thinking 32 GB ram.

 

[motojeff]

Just checking back in. Any Kabylake motherboards out yet?

 

[wingman04]

Just checking back in. Any Kabylake motherboards out yet?

I have seen 59 Z270 motherboards.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Yes, I believe so. Z270 boards.

 

[motojeff]

I haven't seen any z270 mb reviews on the front page yet. Anyone know of
any reviews?