Support NeoGAF

[Flaxh]

Hey guys! This is my setup.

I'm using the 2 fans that came with the Define R4: one for front intake and the other for rear exhaust.

I'm now looking to add a third or maybe even a fourth fan to the case and I'd like to know if any of you has the Corsair AF140 or the bequiet! silent wings 2 140 because I can get the Corsair Twin Pack for 30€ but some people say they make a lot of noise.

 

[Canklestank]

I went from air cooled to Corsair H80 then to an EK L120 kit. Hated both and will never do it again. Too much noise not enough impact.

A kit with a D5 might be worth it, but a lot more cost that I can't justify.

From what I've heard, a single fan AIO is basically pointless. You might have better luck with something like an H100, H115, or even H110, or other brand equivalents.

Hey guys! This is my setup.

I'm using the 2 fans that came with the Define R4: one for front intake and the other for rear exhaust.

I'm now looking to add a third or maybe even a fourth fan to the case and I'd like to know if any of you has the Corsair AF140 or the bequiet! silent wings 2 140 because I can get the Corsair Twin Pack for 30€ but some people say they make a lot of noise.

The Quiet Edition fans shouldn't be noisy. Especially if you put a custom fan curve on them. I don't know if they're quieter than the bequiet fans (probably not), but they're generally well regarded.

 

[ethomaz]

I'm thinking in get the Corsair CS550m PMU for my PC due budget restrictions.

Is it good? Suggestions around the price?

Edit - I'm not reading good things about It are these any good and cheaper Seasonic?

 

[Elitist1945]

So I had an 8GB USB stick which I imaged to be able to update my BIOS or something along those lines and now the capactity is 48 megabytes. What do?

 

[rrs]

So I had an 8GB USB stick which I imaged to be able to update my BIOS or something along those lines and now the capactity is 48 megabytes. What do?

reformat the drive, most likely the imaging tool created a partition just large enough to store the firmware.

 

[Elitist1945]

reformat the drive, most likely the imaging tool created a partition just large enough to store the firmware.

I've tried that and it doesn't do anything :/ Under disk management it shows 7GB unallocated but it doesn't let me do anything with that either.

 

[ethomaz]

Fuck... upped my budget again (well at least I got good deals with mobo + RAM).

RM550x or EVGA 550 G2?

I'm close to buy the first.

 

[camequipped]

Yes, you should be fine.

Thanks!

 

[Elitist1945]

Weird question, but is it possible to like 'mount' your PC on the wall? Like are there brackets or something I could buy? Or would I just be better off buying a big shelf.

 

[Zeneric]

Fuck... upped my budget again (well at least I got good deals with mobo + RAM).

RM550x or EVGA 550 G2?

I'm close to buy the first.

Looks like RM550x is the best choice.

 

[saveweyard]

I've tried that and it doesn't do anything :/ Under disk management it shows 7GB unallocated but it doesn't let me do anything with that either.

not sure if you already figured this out but this is what I did earlier today:

open command prompt
run diskpart
list disk
select disk # (# corresponding to drive you want)
list partition
selection partition # (# of partition you want to delete)
delete partition
exit

This should give you a clean disk that you can format using the disk management tool


On another note, I'm completely in love with my new build. The white S340 case looks so sleek on my desk, and cable management was a breeze so everything looks nice and clean inside. Just the chassis fan connectors that I was having a hard time hiding in a good spot since the pins were pretty far away on my mobo.

 

[ethomaz]

Looks like RM550x is the best choice.

Yeap brought it...

Spec-02 Case + RM550x

 

[kennah]

What pump do you have and what kind of noise is it making? I don't hear my D5 at all even when running full out with the case panels on...?

DDC and my case has no sound dampening at all. It's a bit whiny because I have to run it at full speed (molex and h67 motherboard didn't push enough juice on the fan header)

 

[scogoth]

Only took three years. It's not Smokey level, but a beauty none the less.

One of the hardest things I've done in computing is putting the water block on this GPU. I was so nervous.

Final Specs.

Case: Compact Splash

i7 3770K @ 3.9GHz
Gigabyte H67N-USB3-B3
8gig of Samsung Magic DDR3
128gig Samsung 830
240gig Kingston V300
EVGA GTX670 4gig
Silverstone SFX 450Bronze PSU

Cooling Specs:
XSPC EX240 and EX120
DDC Pump with EKWB XRES100
EKWB FC670 GPU waterblock
DazMode Special Muskoka Dark Blue Tube
Dazmode Special Canada EKWB CPU Waterblock
3x Yellow Silenx Fans
A shitload of fittings and angle adaptors.

I don't have an exact total, but I'm pretty sure I spent about $500US on the cooling by the end of it all.

This'll suit my needs just fine for quite a while. Looking forward to a GTX970 for cheap in a couple years (since the water block I have will fit on it). Other potential improvements will be a Gold rated modular PSU, Sleeved cables, and bigger SSDs.

But, I'm super happy that I finally did it.

Cool, quiet, and so attractive.

I know this is 4 months late, but I waited three years to see this finished and missed it. CONGRATULATIONS! It's about time.

Spoiler

Do the sleeved cables yourself. There's another $500

 

[kennah]

I know this is 4 months late, but I waited three years to see this finished and missed it. CONGRATULATIONS! It's about time.

Spoiler

Do the sleeved cables yourself. There's another $500

Miss ya buddy.

As is for a while until I move East.

Spoiler

If I don't sell to pay for moving

 

[scogoth]

Miss ya buddy.

As is for a while until I move East.

Spoiler

If I don't sell to pay for moving

Don't sell! 3 years of

Spoiler

little

work!

Hopefully this by end of this weekend I'll have the most epic build log ever. Of used parts..... to build a server...... in a crap steel case.

 

[LilJoka]

From what I've heard, a single fan AIO is basically pointless. You might have better luck with something like an H100, H115, or even H110, or other brand equivalents.



The Quiet Edition fans shouldn't be noisy. Especially if you put a custom fan curve on them. I don't know if they're quieter than the bequiet fans (probably not), but they're generally well regarded.

It wasn't the fans that were loud, it's the pumps.
I run air cooling now where by all case fans turn off at idle and my CPU fan runs at like 600rpm. PSU fan also off at idle.
At load the fans only spin up at 70c CPU temps which is rare, so the PC is always silent without any buzzing.

The H80i died in 3 months so I got the EK L120 kit.

Both kits cooled my 3960X at 4.7Ghz, so performance was fine.

Sold the rig in its entirety and now gone for a 6700k cooled by my Venomous X.

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

It wasn't the fans that were loud, it's the pumps.
I run air cooling now where by all case fans turn off at idle and my CPU fan runs at like 600rpm. PSU fan also off at idle.
At load the fans only spin up at 70c CPU temps which is rare, so the PC is always silent without any buzzing.

The H80i died in 3 months so I got the EK L120 kit.

Both kits cooled my 3960X at 4.7Ghz, so performance was fine.

Sold the rig in its entirety and now gone for a 6700k cooled by my Venomous X.

How's the performance with the 6700k? I imagine it would not be so much of an upgrade yeah? That 6 core is a beast.

But yeah, you got that sweet deal. Though I cannot help but wonder if it is even worth it still.

 

[LilJoka]

How's the performance with the 6700k? I imagine it would not be so much of an upgrade yeah? That 6 core is a beast.

But yeah, you got that sweet deal. Though I cannot help but wonder if it is even worth it still.

No difference, like we are talking a frame here or there, it's not even measurable. Plus too many variables with DDR3 vs DDR4. I'm not running any CPU heavy games either, mainly GTA V and Witcher 3.

I did consider going for the 5820K and ITX, but I already sidelined the 3960x for the 3770 and felt no issues with 2 cores less. So the cost/noise/heat didn't justify it.

I think if you have SLI/Xfire it may make more of a difference or heavily CPU bottle necked games.

Single core performance of a 6700k at 4.5Ghz will trounce the 3960x at 4.7ghz, remember the 3960x is sandy bridge. So it's great for emulators too.

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

No difference, like we are talking a frame here or there, it's not even measurable. Plus too many variables with DDR3 vs DDR4. I'm not running any CPU heavy games either, mainly GTA V and Witcher 3.

I did consider going for the 5820K and ITX, but I already sidelined the 3960x for the 3770 and felt no issues with 2 cores less. So the cost/noise/heat didn't justify it.

I think if you have SLI/Xfire it may make more of a difference or heavily CPU bottle necked games.

Single core performance of a 6700k at 4.5Ghz will trounce the 3960x at 4.7ghz, remember the 3960x is sandy bridge. So it's great for emulators too.

Yeah I figured. But like I said, I would have done the same given the discount. lol.

 

[nicoga3000]

I was playing Dark Souls 3 last night and started thinking...Are there any upgrades I could make to my PC to get the graphical settings to Ultra? I'd rather not drop another $500+, so I'm wondering if there are any smaller upgrades, additions, or tweaks I can make to improve performance.

CPU: i7-4770K (not O/C'd, running 3.50 GHz)
GPU: GTX 970
RAM: 16 GB
MOBO: Z87-G45 Gaming

I'm running my games and OS off my SSD.

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

I was playing Dark Souls 3 last night and started thinking...Are there any upgrades I could make to my PC to get the graphical settings to Ultra? I'd rather not drop another $500+, so I'm wondering if there are any smaller upgrades, additions, or tweaks I can make to improve performance.

CPU: i7-4770K (not O/C'd, running 3.50 GHz)
GPU: GTX 970
RAM: 16 GB
MOBO: Z87-G45 Gaming

I'm running my games and OS off my SSD.

Overclock that CPU is the easiest and cheapest thing you can do. The game constantly push one core to 80%-90% usage while the rest hovers around 35% on my 4.3ghz 4670k.

 

[Cute Dragon Here]

I was playing Dark Souls 3 last night and started thinking...Are there any upgrades I could make to my PC to get the graphical settings to Ultra? I'd rather not drop another $500+, so I'm wondering if there are any smaller upgrades, additions, or tweaks I can make to improve performance.

CPU: i7-4770K (not O/C'd, running 3.50 GHz)
GPU: GTX 970
RAM: 16 GB
MOBO: Z87-G45 Gaming

I'm running my games and OS off my SSD.

Overclock that GTX 970. With any luck, it should end up performing more like a GTX 980. What exact model, and what power supply you're using?

CPU OC is nice to do too. Start at single-core turbo clocks + 100 MHz, and test there. Add voltage if necessary until cooler can't handle it OR 1.35V, whichever happens first (that feels like a safe-ish voltage limit). (Auto voltage should take you far enough if the motherboard's decent enough, though. Play around.)

 

[Roarer]

I'm sure this has been asked a million times already, but when are we expecting new Intel processors to hit and is it going to be a generational leap or more of an incremental upgrade? My 2500K is starting to show its age in Dark Souls 3 and Hitman and I'm itching for an upgrade...

 

[Cute Dragon Here]

I'm sure this has been asked a million times already, but when are we expecting new Intel processors to hit and is it going to be a generational leap or more of an incremental upgrade? My 2500K is starting to show its age in Dark Souls 3 and Hitman and I'm itching for an upgrade...

It's quite incremental, but all these incremental upgrades do stack.

Going to an i5-6600K right now would net you noticeable performance benefits stock-to-stock. Even more if it's an i7-6700K in the comparison instead. Here's another comparison, again, showing relative gains.

Just the question: Skylake is going to turn one year old pretty soon, so do you think you have enough patience to wait for Kaby Lake?

(Also, knowing the video card you're using helps, too.)

 

[nicoga3000]

Overclock that CPU is the easiest and cheapest thing you can do. The game constantly push one core to 80%-90% usage while the rest hovers around 35% on my 4.3ghz 4670k.

Overclock that GTX 970. With any luck, it should end up performing more like a GTX 980. What exact model, and what power supply you're using?

CPU OC is nice to do too. Start at single-core turbo clocks + 100 MHz, and test there. Add voltage if necessary until cooler can't handle it OR 1.35V, whichever happens first (that feels like a safe-ish voltage limit). (Auto voltage should take you far enough if the motherboard's decent enough, though. Play around.)

I've never dealt with overclocking - are there any good "go-to" articles or sites to help understand what to do and how not to break shit?

I'm not 100% sure on my 970, I only know that it was an EVGA and I bought it about a month before the whole fiasco regarding how much RAM was on the box versus how much was actually being utilized. I'll do some checking. I'm at work, but when I get home I can verify that and my PSU (I'm nearly positive it's 850W).

 

[ethomaz]

I'm sure this has been asked a million times already, but when are we expecting new Intel processors to hit and is it going to be a generational leap or more of an incremental upgrade? My 2500K is starting to show its age in Dark Souls 3 and Hitman and I'm itching for an upgrade...

Skylake was a new generation (tock) of Intel processors... the next one is just a revision of Skylake called Kaby Lake supposed to hit the market late this year.

The 10nm shrink of Skylake was delayed to late 2017... it is called Cannonlake (tick).

A new generation is expected in 2018-2019 with Icelake (tock) but little is know about it but that is supposed to be a generation leap.

My guesses...

2016 Kaby Lake (revision)
2017 Cannonlake (10nm shrink, tick)
2018 Icelake (new generation, tock)

 

[dealer-]

Looking to buy a pre-built PC from a local shop, want to go with the r9 390 ideally for future proofing. 1080p, 60fps would be the target for now. Specs are:

i5 4460
8GB DDR3 RAM
R9 390 8GB
Asus H81M-D Motherboard
700W PSU
Windows 10

£725. It's also listed on eBay. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191544102665?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2648&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

I desperately need something new as I'm running along on an old laptop but is it worth waiting for pascal now?

 

[Roarer]

Just the question: Skylake is going to turn one year old pretty soon, so do you think you have enough patience to wait for Kaby Lake?

(Also, knowing the video card you're using helps, too.)

Skylake was a new generation (tock) of Intel processors... the next one is just a revision of Skylake called Kaby Lake supposed to hit the market late this year.

The 10nm shrink of Skylake was delayed to late 2017... it is called Cannonlake (tick).

Thanks. I'm on a 970 and getting mostly fine performance out of everything right now. If the upcoming processor is a revised/tick upgrade then I'll pull the trigger whenever I run into a game that seems to severely CPU constrain me, regardless of what's hitting later this year.

 

[Flaxh]

Weird question, but is it possible to like 'mount' your PC on the wall? Like are there brackets or something I could buy? Or would I just be better off buying a big shelf.

Check this case.

 

[Cute Dragon Here]

Looking to buy a pre-built PC from a local shop, want to go with the r9 390 ideally for future proofing. 1080p, 60fps would be the target for now. Specs are:

i5 4460
8GB DDR3 RAM
R9 390 8GB
Asus H81M-D Motherboard
700W PSU
Windows 10

£725. It's also listed on eBay. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191544102665?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2648&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

I desperately need something new as I'm running along on an old laptop but is it worth waiting for pascal now?

Do you mind not getting the video card right now?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor (£152.99 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: Asus B150M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£56.00 @ CCL Computers)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory (£27.09 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£52.38 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 390 8GB Video Card (£249.59 @ Aria PC)
Case: Corsair SPEC-03 Blue ATX Mid Tower Case (£49.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£49.99 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£10.06 @ Aria PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) (£71.88 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £719.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-29 13:46 BST+0100

Personally, though, I might rather opt to drop the video card and cost by with the Intel HD 530 for the time being. Then when the new cards hit the scene, you just buy that card, add it in, and presto!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£197.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler (£26.49 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: MSI Z170A SLI PLUS ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£104.72 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (£66.99 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£51.34 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£52.38 @ CCL Computers)
Case: Corsair SPEC-03 Blue ATX Mid Tower Case (£49.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£82.09 @ CCL Computers)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£10.06 @ Aria PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) (£71.88 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £713.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-29 13:51 BST+0100

The second rig is what happens if I were doing it and the video card's budget went to other things...

 

[Aticos]

How do I check which motherboard I have? because I want to upgrade one of my sister HP desktop computer.

 

[Vuze]

How do I check which motherboard I have? because I want to upgrade one of my sister HP desktop computer.

Speccy or HWMonitor should be able to help.

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

How do I check which motherboard I have? because I want to upgrade one of my sister HP desktop computer.

http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html#version-history

Install this, look at mainboard tab.

 

[dealer-]

.

Thanks for the reply dude, much appreciated.

That's a good point, I hadn't thought about waiting on the GPU. So for a £750 budget including GPU eventually, the first build would be ideal? Then just add a card in over the summer? Could I swap out the 6400 for the 6600?

The second build looks nice, but I'd probably have to scrimp on the GPU eventually if I went for that.

 

[Cute Dragon Here]

Thanks for the reply dude, much appreciated.

That's a good point, I hadn't thought about waiting on the GPU. So for a £750 budget including GPU eventually, the first build would be ideal? Then just add a card in over the summer? Could I swap out the 6400 for the 6600?

The second build looks nice, but I'd probably have to scrimp on the GPU eventually if I went for that.

Ahem...

The first build is the build with a 390, targeting price parity with the linked build your PC shop is offering.

The second build is what would have been if the 390's budget went to other components instead, going with integrated graphics, until you are able to buy a newer video card later. There is no video card in the second build. Seeing as your hard budget is 750, including video card, I suspect the second build will not provide instant gratification (due to it expecting the video card to be bought later, when you should have at least some income excess)

Swapping out the 6400 to a 6600 is a good idea if you have the budget to do so. Also recommend changing the PSU in the first build into something a bit more suitable, though it will be fine as is. Though personally I'd go with either 6500 or go all the way to a 6600K + cooler.

I'm just bothered by your PC shop offering you an old platform :3

Also, I'm thinking of a compromise build... Hang in there~

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

I've never dealt with overclocking - are there any good "go-to" articles or sites to help understand what to do and how not to break shit?

I'm not 100% sure on my 970, I only know that it was an EVGA and I bought it about a month before the whole fiasco regarding how much RAM was on the box versus how much was actually being utilized. I'll do some checking. I'm at work, but when I get home I can verify that and my PSU (I'm nearly positive it's 850W).

Sry dude, somehow missed this.

Watch these 2 videos on overclocking the CPU.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cp5wPNUshw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mL...ew-vl&list=PLZT_SZiFdpElbG0yfJxJpQ6NWUnf2wXs8

For the GPU, it's much easier.

Download MSI Afterburner, see this vid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIzICd3mnc8

Sry can't really talk in details, at work, post more questions if you still need help.

 

[TheExodu5]

Okay, so in anticipation for new GPUs, I think I'm going to go ahead and upgrade from my 2500K. 6700K seems like the solid choice. Good idea? Or no? Also looking to upgrade from my 240GB OCZ Vertex 3. Maybe a 1TB SSD. What are some good candidates?

 

[Aztechnology]

Okay, so in anticipation for new GPUs, I think I'm going to go ahead and upgrade from my 2500K. 6700K seems like the solid choice. Good idea? Or no? Also looking to upgrade from my 240GB OCZ Vertex 3. Maybe a 1TB SSD. What are some good candidates?

6700k is a great choice. Unless you want to hold out for a price drop I can't really see any reason not to.

 

[Cute Dragon Here]

Okay, so in anticipation for new GPUs, I think I'm going to go ahead and upgrade from my 2500K. 6700K seems like the solid choice. Good idea? Or no? Also looking to upgrade from my 240GB OCZ Vertex 3. Maybe a 1TB SSD. What are some good candidates?

6700K is a massive upgrade compared to the 2500K (Scroll up, I think I linked a bunch of comparisons) All the incremental improvements stack.

Seeing a lot of this lately. Not sure how good Mushkin parts are, so that's probably up to you to do research.

 

[TheExodu5]

6700k is a great choice since it can use the same Mobo. Unless you want to hold out for a price drop I can't really see any reason not to.

6700K is socket 1151 and my 2500K is socket 1155. Don't think they're compatible.

 

[Cute Dragon Here]

6700K is socket 1151 and my 2500K is socket 1155. Don't think they're compatible.

Think you're up for a motherboard recommendation, too? (You will be able to reuse your existing aftermarket cooler, if any.)

Thanks for the reply dude, much appreciated.

That's a good point, I hadn't thought about waiting on the GPU. So for a £750 budget including GPU eventually, the first build would be ideal? Then just add a card in over the summer? Could I swap out the 6400 for the 6600?

The second build looks nice, but I'd probably have to scrimp on the GPU eventually if I went for that.

As a bit of an update, you probably should add 100 to your budget so that you're able to eke out a comfortable CPU overclock. (Went and gave the RAM heat spreaders, since, well, DDR4-2400 is barely more expensive...)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£197.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler (£26.49 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: MSI Z170A PC MATE ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£86.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Kingston FURY 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory (£29.56 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£52.38 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 390 8GB Video Card (£249.59 @ Aria PC)
Case: Corsair SPEC-03 Red ATX Mid Tower Case (£49.99 @ Novatech)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£82.09 @ CCL Computers)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£10.06 @ Aria PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) (£71.88 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £857.02
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-29 16:03 BST+0100

Most of the additional budget went into CPU, its cooling, and the PSU to enable it as well as safe overclocking on both CPU and GPU.

 

[ethomaz]

All parte purchased except the SSD.

850 EVO SATA3
850 EVO M.2

Same price... tell me which one GAF please.

 

[Frostburn]

All parte purchased except the SSD.

850 EVO SATA3
850 EVO M.2

Same price... tell me which one GAF please.

You are going to get near identical performance from those two (The 950 Pro M.2 is another story). If you go with the M.2 you'll have a slightly cleaner setup (No messing with cables) so it is really up to you.

 

[Aztechnology]

6700K is socket 1151 and my 2500K is socket 1155. Don't think they're compatible.

Wow I'm a fool. I have no idea why I thought they were the same chipsets. I was looking at boards and my brain somehow matched the chipsets in my head. I'm exhausted. Time for sleep.

Seriously what was I thinking. A five year old CPU with the same socket? I'm crazy.

You could also consider the 5820k as they are similiar priced. I guess it will depend on what you want your usage is though.

 

[ethomaz]

You are going to get near identical performance from those two (The 950 Pro M.2 is another story). If you go with the M.2 you'll have a slightly cleaner setup (No messing with cables) so it is really up to you.

I'm reading some issues with M.2 boot (the installation needs be everything UEFI to not be slow) and how about the heat?

I guess I going with SATA3 unless the performance is different.

 

[Frostburn]

I'm reading some issues with M.2 boot (the installation needs be everything UEFI to not be slow) and how about the heat?

I guess I going with SATA3 unless the performance is different.

UEFI should be the default on new board anyway so that typically isn't an issue (Unless you need to change it for compatibility with something older. Heat shouldn't be a problem unless you have very limited airflow in the case. SATA3 is always a safe bet though and I've had two of the 850 EVOs for about a year now and have been very happy with their performance (Use a 250GB one as a boot/Windows drive and local applications, 500GB one as a Steam games drive).

EDIT: You won't notice any performance difference between the two, the M.2 is just a convenience advantage as far as cable management and installation goes on a desktop.

 

[dealer-]

Think you're up for a motherboard recommendation, too? (You will be able to reuse your existing aftermarket cooler, if any.)



As a bit of an update, you probably should add 100 to your budget so that you're able to eke out a comfortable CPU overclock. (Went and gave the RAM heat spreaders, since, well, DDR4-2400 is barely more expensive...)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£197.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler (£26.49 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: MSI Z170A PC MATE ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£86.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Kingston FURY 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory (£29.56 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£52.38 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 390 8GB Video Card (£249.59 @ Aria PC)
Case: Corsair SPEC-03 Red ATX Mid Tower Case (£49.99 @ Novatech)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£82.09 @ CCL Computers)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£10.06 @ Aria PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) (£71.88 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £857.02
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-29 16:03 BST+0100

Most of the additional budget went into CPU, its cooling, and the PSU to enable it as well as safe overclocking on both CPU and GPU.

Great, thank you! I could stretch to £850. So the 290 should be good for the foreseeable future if I bite the bullet now?

 

[Cute Dragon Here]

Great, thank you! I could stretch to £850. So the 290 should be good for the foreseeable future if I bite the bullet now?

390, and yeah, it should look good if you're thinking of doing it now. Though it is a bad time to buy a new high-end video card in general if the rumours are worth anything, though.

You can always leave out the video card and wing it with Intel integrated for the time being. Even though the HD 530 is a lot weaker than a high-end video card, it should work well within the Windows desktop, and most popular online video games (think DOTA2, CS:GO, most MMOs, Rocket League, that kinda thing.) I believe you can even stretch the integrated graphics to play current-gen games, though at potato settings.

Make sure that you like the case's looks first. If you don't like it, do advise.

Also, no SSD, since seeking parity with offered rig (2TB HDD). Do you think you want an SSD instead?

 

[ethomaz]

UEFI should be the default on new board anyway so that typically isn't an issue (Unless you need to change it for compatibility with something older. Heat shouldn't be a problem unless you have very limited airflow in the case. SATA3 is always a safe bet though and I've had two of the 850 EVOs for about a year now and have been very happy with their performance (Use a 250GB one as a boot/Windows drive and local applications, 500GB one as a Steam games drive).

EDIT: You won't notice any performance difference between the two, the M.2 is just a convenience advantage as far as cable management and installation goes on a desktop.

Thanks I will play safe with SATA3 until 950 Pro get cheaper or Samsung releases 950 EVO... with 950 I will go with m.2.