Help confirming componets for new I7 PC Build

[ironwarrior]

You guys have been awesome in the past and helped me select the components of my PC Build 5 years ago. Now I am ready to upgrade again since my system has been dogging when doing basic multitasking, movie serving, photo viewing and basic office functions. I play a few games from time to time, but overall I am just looking for a system that will give me more than enough power for the next 5 years to play current games, multitasking, run movie server, view/edit photos, basic office work. I thought the hyperthreading functions of the I7 would be a good choice.

Here is what I have now....
Antec 1200 case
E8500 Duo Core Processor 3.16 GHZ
Motherboard Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P P45 775
Corsair 750 Power supply
2gb x2 Gskill DDR2 1000 memory
Sapphire HD4870 1G Video Card
Xigmatek CPU Cooler
(2) LG Blu Ray DVDs
(2) 2TB WD Black HDDs

Considering these componets for new build
Planning on using Same Antec 1200 case
Hoping to use same Corsair 750w P/S if possible
I7-4790K Processor
Geforce GTX 780 video card

Motherboard....
This is where I need some help.
I am considering ...

GIGABYTE GA-Z87X-OC LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS 4 star 31 reviews
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128594
187.99

Or
299.79
ASUS MAXIMUS VI FORMULA LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX gaming board with double-sided ROG Armor, 23C-degrees cooler CrossChill and 120dB SNR, 600ohm audio
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-038-_-Product

OR
ASRock Z87 Extreme4 LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-369-_-Product

Memory with ASROCK 5 stars 374 reviews
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-16GXM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231568
164.99

Please help me decide the best components for my new build.
My motherboard preference is Gibabyte since that is what I used on my last build..
Or I hear the AS Rock is a great board too..

 

[Termie]

Some thoughts:

1) a new system will definitely be a big upgrade from what your have.
2) the biggest difference you would feel is putting the OS on an SSD.
3) Hyperthreading won't help much for your uses, but the 4790K's high clock speed will.
4) you want a z97 board, not z87. Better compatibility with new chips and newer drive interface options.
5) the gigabyte z97x-ud3h or ud5h would be good picks.
6) you need a new psu, as it's almost certain yours isn't compatible with Haswell low power sleep and will crash the system.
7) that RAM is overpriced. Nothing special about it, and 8GB is enough for your uses. You can always add more later.
8) replacement for gtx780 is being announced this week, so might want to see how that turns out.

Hope that helps!

 

[mfenn]

For your stated uses, the i5 4690K is just as good as the i7 4790K. You can pick it up in combo with a Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI for $349. Since you're looking for 16GB of RAM, check out this Crucial DDR3 1600 16GB kit for $143.

As for the PSU, I think you'd be fine with your current 750W unit from a compatibility perspective because, with a GTX 780, the system isn't going to idle low enough to give the unit any problems with low draw. It's probably time to replace it due to sheer age and efficiency considerations however.

 

[Termie]

For your stated uses, the i5 4690K is just as good as the i7 4790K. You can pick it up in combo with a Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI for $349. Since you're looking for 16GB of RAM, check out this Crucial DDR3 1600 16GB kit for $143.

As for the PSU, I think you'd be fine with your current 750W unit from a compatibility perspective because, with a GTX 780, the system isn't going to idle low enough to give the unit any problems with low draw. It's probably time to replace it due to sheer age and efficiency considerations however.

mfenn - it's not idle that causes the Haswell crash, it's low-power sleep. I've come across a number of cases where people reused older Corsair power supplies only to have chronic crashes during sleep. These were fixed by switching to a Haswell-ready power supply.

 

[ironwarrior]

Hey Termie and Mfenn,
I thank you both for the very helpful information.
I will take all of it in and will try to do some more research this weekend
in compiling my final parts list for this build.

I definitely made some mistakes in my last build.
- Running a 32-bit OS (4gb memory limit)
- Running a spinning drive for my OS (Huge performance loss from not running SSD)
- Only Installing 4gb ram initially
DDR2 Ram now costs a small fortune since you can't find it and it's obsolete
It's not cost justifiable to upgrade. I should have installed at least 8gb from the get go.
This is kind of why I feel that with this new build I want to install a larger amount of ram from the beginning this time (i.e. 16-32gb).

I was totally unaware about the new power supply requirements relating to the sleep power.
Thanks again for bringing me to light on this. Again, I appreciate both of your viewpoints on this. Based on your info, I think I will just purchase a new power supply. Since mine has been pushing hard for 5 years, it is tired and better to play it safe and avoid future problems by just getting a new one. I was considering another Corsair, but this time going with a modular design. What wattage level would you guys recommend?

I will search for some SSD drive deals and hope to get a list made up this weekend.
I will post it for you guys to check out and hopefully get your input as to whether I am getting the right stuff.

Thanks again for your help...

 

[Termie]

With a GTX 780, you'd want at least a 500W power supply, as it will be the minimum size that will include two 6+2-pin PCIe power connectors. Some of the best options for a build like yours would be the Seasonic 550W G Modular Series and its derivatives from XFX (TS) and Cooler Master (V Series).

There's also the Corsair CS550, but I think it might be a bit overpriced for the quality. I also don't recommend Corsair's mid-grade units like the RM series. A few too many corners were cut. Corsair's best units are really only available with 750W and up, so they're not ideal for your system.

 

[masteraleph]

As others have noted- the 970 is supposed to be competitive with the 780, but with much lower power usage and correspondingly running much cooler, so it might be worth waiting until later in the week.

 

[mfenn]

mfenn - it's not idle that causes the Haswell crash, it's low-power sleep. I've come across a number of cases where people reused older Corsair power supplies only to have chronic crashes during sleep. These were fixed by switching to a Haswell-ready power supply.

Hmm, I don't think I've ever put my computer to sleep, so I didn't even think about that. Good point.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Hmm, I don't think I've ever put my computer to sleep, so I didn't even think about that. Good point.

Interesting. I'll have to keep that in mind. I normally turn sleep mode off for desktops anyways. (I leave my rigs on 24/7.)

 

[ironwarrior]

As others have noted- the 970 is supposed to be competitive with the 780, but with much lower power usage and correspondingly running much cooler, so it might be worth waiting until later in the week.

I agree... masteraleph.
I will certainly check out the 970 and compare it with the 780.
If anything, this should drive the cost of the780s down 🙂.

 

[ironwarrior]

With a GTX 780, you'd want at least a 500W power supply, as it will be the minimum size that will include two 6+2-pin PCIe power connectors. Some of the best options for a build like yours would be the Seasonic 550W G Modular Series and its derivatives from XFX (TS) and Cooler Master (V Series).

There's also the Corsair CS550, but I think it might be a bit overpriced for the quality. I also don't recommend Corsair's mid-grade units like the RM series. A few too many corners were cut. Corsair's best units are really only available with 750W and up, so they're not ideal for your system.

A 500 watt sounds pretty underpowered to me.
I always seem to lean on the higher power side to make sure I have enough.
My thought was 750w minimum, but perhaps the new power supply's and other components draw less power now and are more efficient. I'm running an Antec 1200 case so I have to power like 6 fans (2) dvd drives, up to 4 hard drives, 4x8 memory modules, and of course the video card. Wouldn't you think I should go more like a 750. My thought was the Corsair 750 or 850 modular.

 

[ironwarrior]

Now I'm still juggling Motherboards
- Gigabyte Z97
- AS Rock
- Asus

So many to choose from. I guess it gets to a point where you just have to flip a coin 🙂

 

[Termie]

A 500 watt sounds pretty underpowered to me.
I always seem to lean on the higher power side to make sure I have enough.
My thought was 750w minimum, but perhaps the new power supply's and other components draw less power now and are more efficient. I'm running an Antec 1200 case so I have to power like 6 fans (2) dvd drives, up to 4 hard drives, 4x8 memory modules, and of course the video card. Wouldn't you think I should go more like a 750. My thought was the Corsair 750 or 850 modular.

The old thinking was to overpower machines, because power supplies were often rated at higher wattage than they could actually provide. Nowadays that is no longer true with quality units from Seasonic, Corsair, etc.

You don't need more than the 550W units I recommended. A maxed out GTX 780 system will use 350W. You only need more if you'll be running two cards, in which case 750-850W would be a good pick.

 

[ironwarrior]

The old thinking was to overpower machines, because power supplies were often rated at higher wattage than they could actually provide. Nowadays that is no longer true with quality units from Seasonic, Corsair, etc.

You don't need more than the 550W units I recommended. A maxed out GTX 780 system will use 350W. You only need more if you'll be running two cards, in which case 750-850W would be a good pick.

Are you running duel 780Ti's in your referenced gaming build?
It is showing you are running an EVGA 850w.
After you mentioned about the power supply issue it lead me to some research and I have been reading about many of the new components pushing more energy efficient products.
I know that is definitely a good thing especially with the cost of power these days. Not to mention heat from these high power items... But like you say it is sometimes hard to get away from the old school thinking.. My thought is to still go with at least a 750watt if for anything (like you mentioned) to have future capability of running duel video. I'm still anxious to see how these new GTX video cards play out and how much it will lower the predecessors. Sometimes it's not an easy task picking out components for a new build.
So much competition and choices out there today... Glad to have you guys to help 🙂

 

[Termie]

Are you running duel 780Ti's in your referenced gaming build?
It is showing you are running an EVGA 850w.
After you mentioned about the power supply issue it lead me to some research and I have been reading about many of the new components pushing more energy efficient products.
I know that is definitely a good thing especially with the cost of power these days. Not to mention heat from these high power items... But like you say it is sometimes hard to get away from the old school thinking.. My thought is to still go with at least a 750watt if for anything (like you mentioned) to have future capability of running duel video. I'm still anxious to see how these new GTX video cards play out and how much it will lower the predecessors. Sometimes it's not an easy task picking out components for a new build.
So much competition and choices out there today... Glad to have you guys to help 🙂

I actually chose the 850W power supply so that I could run dual R9 290s, but I have yet to need that much power - my 780 Ti is plenty at this point for 1080p/120Hz, and my R9 290 is mostly idling in my office machine. But I can tell you that neither of these single-card systems draws more than 400W while gaming even with significant overclocks, so you can rest assured that 550W would be plenty, especially if you pick up one of the upcoming GeForce 970/980 cards. But if you're interested in SLI/Crossfire, by all means go for a 750W unit. The EVGA Supernova G2 is a great pick at that power level.

 

[ironwarrior]

I actually chose the 850W power supply so that I could run dual R9 290s, but I have yet to need that much power - my 780 Ti is plenty at this point for 1080p/120Hz, and my R9 290 is mostly idling in my office machine. But I can tell you that neither of these single-card systems draws more than 400W while gaming even with significant overclocks, so you can rest assured that 550W would be plenty, especially if you pick up one of the upcoming GeForce 970/980 cards. But if you're interested in SLI/Crossfire, by all means go for a 750W unit. The EVGA Supernova G2 is a great pick at that power level.

Yeah I hear that the 780 Ti is a pretty screaming card.
I would like a card that will allow current games to run in 1920x1080 with no lag.
I was doing some more searching for motherboards today and stumbled across this one...
ASUS MAXIMUS VII HERO LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA . I am thinking this is a strong contender. What do you think?

 

[mfenn]

Yeah I hear that the 780 Ti is a pretty screaming card.
I would like a card that will allow current games to run in 1920x1080 with no lag.

The GTX 780 Ti is obsolete as of yesterday because the new GTX 980 for $555 AR AP is faster, less expensive, and uses less power.

I was doing some more searching for motherboards today and stumbled across this one...
ASUS MAXIMUS VII HERO LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA . I am thinking this is a strong contender. What do you think?

There's really not much reason to waste money on a super expensive motherboard. All >$80 these days are high quality construction, only varying in the number of extra features. A board like the ASRock Z97 Extreme4 has all of the basic features plus some nice extras (x8/x8 PCIe, Intel NIC) for $104.

 

[ironwarrior]

Thanks Mfenn...

I agree, I think you have a good recommendation of sticking with the best bang for the buck way of thinking. With that said it kind of made me lean toward a less expensive video card like perhaps the GTX 760 where the price has come down quite a bit and from what I hear it provides decent performance for most current games. If needed then I can just SLI another GTX 760. I've been reading where doing that can provide as much or more performance as the 780 Ti card.

I will check the specs on that AS Rock board you recommended to try to dial in a good compatible pair of 8GB ram chips. I have had good luck with GSkill so I will try to stick with that.

 

[ironwarrior]

Hey MFenn..

I did some research on the AS Rock board you recommended.
Unfortunately I found it didn't have eSata and many of the reviewers stated there was an issue with the Audio on that board. I found a Gigabyte board that seemed like it fit the bill. So far this is what I am coming up with on my build. I know I will need to tweek certain things, but this is what I have so far... (What do you think?)

Total Cost so far: $1329.94

Case
Original Antec 1200
* Will need to order USB 3.0 faceplate

Power Supply
129.99
CORSAIR HX Series HX750 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI CrossFire 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply New 4th Gen CPU Certified Haswell ReadyMotherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...scrollFullInfo

Motherboard
179.99
GIGABYTE GA-Z97X-UD5H LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-707-_-Product

Certified Memory
http://www.datamemorysystems.com/dms-memory/gigabyte-technology/ga-z97x-ud5h.htm

Video Card
229.99
EVGA SuperClocked 02G-P4-2765-KR G-SYNC Support GeForce GTX 760 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support w/ EVGA ACX Cooler Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...=-1&isNodeId=1

CPU
339.99
Intel Core i7-4790K Haswell Quad-Core 4.0GHz LGA 1150 Desktop Processor BX80646I74790K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...=-1&isNodeId=1

Memory
164.99
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-16GXM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231568

• DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
• Timing 9-9-9
• Cas Latency 9
• Voltage 1.5V

Hard drive
249.99
SAMSUNG 840 EVO MZ-7TE500BW 2.5" 500GB SATA III TLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-249-_-Product

Heat Sink
35.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835103099
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - CPU Cooler with 120 mm PWM Fan

 

[ironwarrior]

I'm actually thinking of doubling my ram order so that I get 4x8 = 32GB to max out board. I learned by my previous builds of always skimping on the memory. The problem with that is when you decide you need more you can't find the matching set that you originally had. Not to mention the cost goes up or they are no longer made. I have always learned to match the memory manufacturer and specs.

 

[vailr]

With that said it kind of made me lean toward a less expensive video card like perhaps the GTX 760 where the price has come down quite a bit and from what I hear it provides decent performance for most current games. If needed then I can just SLI another GTX 760.

There may also soon be a Maxwell GPU successor to the GTX 760. Which would be similarly priced, but much better in so far as needing less power for the same or better performance. Thus far, only GTX 970 & 980 Maxwell GPU's have been officially announced, but a GTX 960 card would also seem likely in the near future.
So: complete the build re-using the old video card, until such time that a Maxwell GTX 960 is released.

 

[mfenn]

Hey MFenn..

I did some research on the AS Rock board you recommended.
Unfortunately I found it didn't have eSata and many of the reviewers stated there was an issue with the Audio on that board. I found a Gigabyte board that seemed like it fit the bill. So far this is what I am coming up with on my build. I know I will need to tweek certain things, but this is what I have so far... (What do you think?)

If eSATA is a feature that you need for whatever reason, then of course you would need to get a board that has it. However, eSATA is pretty much obsolete due to USB 3.0. I'm not sure what you're referring to when you say that the Z97 Extreme4 has audio issues, it is a very standard ALC892 design. Persoanlly I don't put much stock at all into user reviews on the Internet because they are (a) self-reported and so are extremely biased and (b) come with no evaluation of the reviewer's technical aptitude (IOW, most issues are user error).

Power Supply
129.99
CORSAIR HX Series HX750 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI CrossFire 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply New 4th Gen CPU Certified Haswell ReadyMotherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...scrollFullInfo

Way overpriced for a 750W unit, and you don't need anything like 750W anyway. This Rosewill Hive 650W for $50 AR AP.

Motherboard
179.99
GIGABYTE GA-Z97X-UD5H LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-707-_-Product

Certified Memory
http://www.datamemorysystems.com/dms-memory/gigabyte-technology/ga-z97x-ud5h.htm

Pretty overpriced in my opinion. If you need eSATA, then check out the ASRock Z97M OC Formula for $120 AR. It's MicroATX, but most people don't have many add-in cards these days anyway.

Video Card
229.99
EVGA SuperClocked 02G-P4-2765-KR G-SYNC Support GeForce GTX 760 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support w/ EVGA ACX Cooler Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...=-1&isNodeId=1

The GPU is the number one determiner of graphics performance, and planning to "upgrade to SLI" will generally leave you with an expensive, hot, and finicky computer versus stickin with a single faster card. A ~$200 card will absolutely not play current games for 5 years, but it's not a terrible idea to plan to upgrade the GPU every 2 years.

That being said, the GTX 760 is a bad choice in its price range. It is generally slower than the R9 280 3GB for $181 AR, but costs $50 more and has less VRAM.

CPU
339.99
Intel Core i7-4790K Haswell Quad-Core 4.0GHz LGA 1150 Desktop Processor BX80646I74790K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...=-1&isNodeId=1

Given your stated uses, the 4790K is a waste of money compared to the i5 4690K for $240. You'll see performance that's 10-15% higher in your applications, yet it costs 42% more.

Memory
164.99
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-16GXM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231568

Going for 16GB of RAM is fine, but that kit is not a good choice compared to this Crucial DDR3 1600 CAS 9 1.35V kit for $143.

Hard drive
249.99
SAMSUNG 840 EVO MZ-7TE500BW 2.5" 500GB SATA III TLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-249-_-Product

Good drive, but expensive for the capacity. The Crucial MX100 512GB is in the same class but costs $210.

 

[ironwarrior]

Thanks MFENN...
I am back to the drawing board.
I will take in your suggestions and remap my build strategy.
Thanks for trying to save me some money.. I appreciate that.
I will do some more research based on what you have mentioned and try to
lay out a new build. Hopefully I will have one layed out in the next few days.

 

[mfenn]

I think your general idea was good. My tweaks are basically just to make it more cost efficient. You can take them and run with them instead of going all the way back to square one! 🙂

 

[vailr]

the GTX 760 is a bad choice in its price range. It is generally slower than the R9 280 3GB for $181 AR, but costs $50 more and has less VRAM.

If you're worried about better performance per watt of electricity (an aspect which mfenn seems to be not so interested in), nVidia cards shouldn't be left out of consideration. Especially the latest Maxwell GPU cards, which pretty much leave AMD cards in the dust, efficiency-wise.