A couple of build questions

[Ryguy64]

Hi,

I was one of the lucky few who won an i7 8086k. At this point I still haven't built with it. I made a half-hearted attempt at selling on craigslist, but only got one ridiculously low-ball offer. Now I have some money to do an upgrade and would like some advice. I am thinking about replacing as few parts as necessary, other than an m.2 drive (~500 GB) but may get a new GPU as well.

First, I'm upgrading from an i5 6500, 16 GB DDR4 2133, RX 480 (factory OC sapphire nitro+ 4GB) on an asrock mini itx board. It has been a great build and the only reason I am upgrading is because of the free 8086k.

So a few questions:
1. Do I need new ram? I know the newer CPUs support faster ram, but is it going to make much of a difference? RAM prices are shockingly high compared to when I built 2 years ago. My kit is currently $30 less than I paid for the RAM/MoBo combo.

2. I don't really want to get a bigger case (I have Phanteks Evolv ITX), so I'm planning on sticking to mini itx. I was looking at the asrock z390 phantom gaming. It looks like a decent board to me, but picking a motherboard has always been the most frustrating part of the build. One of the reasons I didn't build already was because I didn't find any z370 itx boards that didn't compromise in some way. Does anybody have any recommendations?

3. If I do upgrade the GPU, which GPU would be worth it at this point? My limit is about $300. There isn't anything I play that seems to be too limited by my RX 480 at 1080p. I would like to upgrade to a freesync monitor in the future. I don't really know of anything in my price range that is much better than what I have. Should I wait for the rumored RX 590?

4. Cooling. I know I need something. I don't plan on any extreme overclocking. I was thinking big Noctua air like the NH-D15. I saw a few people who put it in my case without any problem. I don't like AIOs because they seem to be louder at max fan speed, and I've heard they don't last as long. Are there any other coolers like the NH-D15 that may be better?

Thanks to all of you for looking.

 

[UsandThem]

Your build plans are a little complicated. You haven't stated what you use your PC for, but since you game at 1080p, I'll base my opinion on that.

If I were you, I'd sell the 8086k, keep your i5-6500. Buy a fast NVMe drive, some faster RAM (can be reused in your next build), and a faster GPU like a GTX 1070ti or GTX 1080. That can also carry over into your next build.

Otherwise, you will need to sell your current motherboard, CPU, and RAM as DDR4 2133 is way to slow to pair with a high-end CPU. This way, you also don't need to drop $90 on a CPU cooler. Your current CPU is fine for 1080p gaming, and a better GPU will allow you to play at the top visual settings at that resolution.

If you still want to go with your original plan, there's not much you can do to upgrade your GPU sub $300, and you'll want to buy at least DDR4 3000 - DDR4 3200. The Noctua cooler will fit in your current case, you'll just have to look on Noctua's support list to make sure it will fit on whatever board you end up going with.

https://noctua.at/en/nh-d15/comp

 

[Kartajan]

1. Need? no. The slower RAM does present you with a significant bottleneck. write-up here:
https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews...e_Lake_Memory_Performance_Benchmark_Analysis/
2. What features matter to you? ITX will always require some compromise somewhere just to fit in the form factor..
If your intent is to stick with the 8086k, you only need a 370 chipset.. Compare that to (Asrock Fatal1ty Z370 Gaming-ITX/ac and Asus Strix Z370-I Gaming)
3. If your 480 is working for you, I would stick it out for another generation (or two?)
4. Maybe one of the be quiet! Dark Rock coolers...

 

[DigDog]

I would just sell the 8086. Because your system is fine, if maybe the 480 is getting a bit old.

Otherwise just stay with what you have. You likely will not even need an aftermarket cooler, but if you do the 212 is still the go-to cooler. The dh15 is not a cheap option and you dont need it for mild overclocks.
The dark rock is a solid suggestion.

For the ram, overclock it. It doesnt matter if it doesnt blaze at 4ghz because - we gather - you dont have any hardcore needs.

Everything else is fine.




I really cant tell you what gpu to get because that depends on your monitor and your games. For modern high spec games, get a 1060 or 1070. For just normal stuff at 1080p, stay with the 480 or buy a used gpu from ebay ...

 

[Ryguy64]

Thanks everybody.

Overall I am still pleased with my system. My needs really aren't that great. Mostly 1080p gaming, surfing, occasional adobe illustrator/photoshop when the wife wants to use it. No hardcore needs, as DigDog put it.

Where would be a good place to sell the 8086k? As I said, I tried selling it on craigslist but got an offer quite a bit less than I was asking. That was disappointing, so I decided to look at build options. I'd be happy to sell and use that money next summer for a new build, if I can find a good place to do it.

 

[Kartajan]

ebay?