Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread - Page 531

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Firkraag8

Sweden1006 Posts

August 22 2015 20:48 GMT

#10601

I still think it's a bit silly to emphasize RAM so much but if you can get better for the same price or just slightly higher then there's absolutely no reason not to. If it's, like where I bought my upgrade a price difference of around $50 between the 2133c13 and like 2666c15 then it's really not worth it, then it would be money better spent on a better CPU, GPU, larger SSD or w/e.

Making or breaking a system doesn't hinge on the speed of its RAM for sure.

Cyro

United Kingdom20335 Posts

August 22 2015 20:58 GMT

#10602

If you care for smaller margins, it's important. I'd put spending $15 from going to slow RAM to fast RAM above a better CPU cooler, for example. The price difference is just very small when it can make as much difference as adding 100-400mhz on the CPU for a decent range of tasks now. Hell, at one point last year it was literally cheaper to get ddr3 2133c9 than 1600c9 in the states

Firkraag8

Sweden1006 Posts

August 22 2015 21:08 GMT

#10603

As I said there's no reason not to get a faster set of RAM if the price difference is insignificant or unless money is not an issue. Let's just say that I was happy that my 2133c15 turned out to be 2133c13 which is still faster than the majority of 2400 sets and really close to 2666c15.

Cyro

United Kingdom20335 Posts

August 22 2015 21:14 GMT

#10604

Sry if you mentioned before, i can't find post (seem to remember one about OCing frequency vs timing but i can't find it for details now) ~ i think you're better off maintaining c15 or even c16 to drive up frequency at ~1.3 - 1.4v, at least for sc2. It might change task to task. sc2 has been demonstrated to show no notable performance change from using huge timing changes (for example, 1600c6 vs 1600c9) but big gains from frequency increases. I've never seen a test with ddr4 though.

Firkraag8

Sweden1006 Posts

August 22 2015 21:29 GMT

#10605

I would guess that's partly because of worse memory controllers on platforms that utilizes DDR3. This is the reason why in the past there was such a huge consensus on memory not mattering the slightest as long as you hit some sort of cheap baseline like 1600(and not cheaping out with 1333).

I'm not sure how much of a difference it makes today, but I hear it's improved with DDR4 and more modern chips but it's just hearsay at this point for me I still see most people say "get the cheapest ram, it doesn't matter much". I'll see about if latency can be sacrificed for some higher frequency later when I get around to overclocking and see if it makes a difference.

Errol

Canada102 Posts

August 22 2015 21:51 GMT

#10606

I just finished my build and was wondering if anyone could check it over. I didn't go for skylake because of the added cost and availability, though if I can get it fairly soon and at not much more that's fine. My main concern is mostly performance... oh and everything working ^^ Budget's around 2-2.5k CAD

What is your monitor's native resolution?
2560x1600, might add another 1080p monitor if I have room on my desk

What games do you intend to play on this computer? What settings?
Big fancy ones on max settings, though only looking for ~60fps

What do you intend to use the computer for besides gaming?
streaming and lots of stream watching

Do you intend to overclock?
No, but I might in the future. I got the unlocked CPU/MB because it was clocked higher at stock than the locked and the MB has WIFI. Since I needed WIFI anyways I don't think it added much costs.

Do you intend to do SLI / Crossfire?
No.

Do you need an operating system?
No.

Do you need a monitor or any other peripherals and is this part of your budget?
No.

What country will you be buying your parts in?
Canada

If you have any retailer preferences, please specify.
NCIX

And the build is:

CPU: i7-4790k $419.95
CPU Cooler: noctua nh-u14s $89.99 (Pricematch)
Motherboard: ASUS z87 pro $154.99 (-$35 after I rebate that sucker)
Memory: G.SKILL F3-12800CL10D-16GBXL $99.99
Storage: Crucial bx100 1tb $449.99
Video Card: ASUS GTX 980 ti Strix $894.99 (currently out of stock so might have to find another model)
Case: Corsair Air 540 $159.99
Power Supply: Seasonic 520 bronze $84.99
Optical Drive: Liteon drive $19.99
Total: $2374.87 CAD

Cyro

United Kingdom20335 Posts

August 22 2015 22:56 GMT

#10607

That was true more in the days of phenom II, core II, bulldozer etc. For 6 years at least, we've seen good gains in non-GPU bound titles from good memory, at least on the Intel side. AMD memory controller on phenom II and bulldozer is far worse than sandy-skylake controllers, though.

Firkraag8

Sweden1006 Posts

August 22 2015 23:04 GMT

#10608

@Errol, I like the build. That case and CPU cooler will allow for some serious overclocking and are of a really nice quality. I would probably aim a bit higher on the PSU side though, both rating wise and wattage.

http://www.ncix.com/detail/evga-supernova-650-g2-80plus-7a-111660.htm is a really popular quality one that's not terribly expensive. A PSU operates at it's highest efficiency around 50-70% load iirc, you don't want one that you're nearly maxing out and besides spending a little now might save you in the future not only in electricity costs but if you decide to get another GPU or something you'll have to replace that 520 bronze one.

Cyro

United Kingdom20335 Posts

August 23 2015 00:24 GMT

#10609

@Errol, bx100 is budget, lower performance (and maybe warranty etc) SSD ~ wouldn't be my first choice for a >250GB drive

and by now you should get skylake. Even a 6600k if 6700k's are not available

Firkraag8

Sweden1006 Posts

August 23 2015 00:46 GMT

#10610

One thing to keep in mind is that large SSD's are usually faster, I'm not sure exactly by how much but it should probably be faster than your average sized(~250ish) high performance SSD or at the very least pretty close. Warranty could be something that they've used to cut costs though.

Cyro

United Kingdom20335 Posts

August 23 2015 00:54 GMT

#10611

They're usually faster for writes particularly, but that's also not as important as random/queued small file reads and sequential read speed

Firkraag8

Sweden1006 Posts

August 23 2015 01:19 GMT

#10612

Ya I would consider getting a faster 500gb SSD for the OS and games then like a cheaper mechanical drive for storage.. Unless there's a specific reason for needing an SSD that large..

Errol

Canada102 Posts

August 23 2015 01:51 GMT

#10613

I'd just be using the SSD for games/OS but I play A LOT of games. I doubt 500GB would be enough, plus I'm a bit lazy.

I'm alright with getting a better model, how are the M500 (even cheaper than bx100? :O ) and MX200 series? I like the idea of upgrading the PSU as well. I'm not as sure about skylake, seems pricey.

Firkraag8

Sweden1006 Posts

August 23 2015 02:06 GMT

#10614

There's a reason we can download games off steam unlimited times and that most nowadays have cloud saves and even then 500gb will fit a lot of games. I'm pretty sure I saw a MX200 drive that wasn't much higher in price at 1tb and I believe it's indeed faster if you're set on 1tb!

You would do right getting a better PSU, the one I linked will definitely serve you well. A good PSU is just a solid investment overall and one that shouldn't be skimped on too heavily.

Cyro

United Kingdom20335 Posts

August 23 2015 02:09 GMT

#10615

On August 23 2015 10:51 Errol wrote:
I'm not as sure about skylake, seems pricey.

A 6600k setup is way cheaper than a 4790k setup

Firkraag8

Sweden1006 Posts

August 23 2015 02:12 GMT

#10616

On August 23 2015 11:09 Cyro wrote:

Show nested quote +

A 6600k setup is way cheaper than a 4790k setup

Since he's looking to be streaming a lot I would prefer an i7, wouldn't you agree? HT does help with encoding. And he also noted not being willing to overclock, even if getting an amazing CPU cooler & case the 4790k is faster at stock!

Errol

Canada102 Posts

August 23 2015 02:27 GMT

#10617

@Firkraag8, is there much of a difference between the PSU you linked and http://www.ncix.com/detail/evga-supernova-650-gs-80-57-107146.htm ? They have the same base price but this one has a mail in rebate.

Cyro

United Kingdom20335 Posts

August 23 2015 02:31 GMT

#10618

@Above stuff; if not overclocking for performance, you probably don't care that much about the more limited type of performance that you'd get from paying extra for HT. In that case you're stuck with i7 anyway though due to stock clocks being held hostage on the top tier sku since devil's canyon - you'd still get a 6700k over a 4790k unless the price was terrible and you couldn't wait at all. Pricing should be pretty much the same, but may be temporarily elevated on the CPU itself due to availability

Also it's "maybe OC in the future" stuff when spending like $160 extra on OC-capable hardware due to it being required to support a 4790k/6700k properly. It doesn't make that much difference to drop in an i5, but you do have to set the settings yourself rather than using defaults out of box

Firkraag8

Sweden1006 Posts

August 23 2015 03:34 GMT

#10619

@Errol:, I'm unsure about the exact differences between the PSU you linked and the one I did. I know that the G2 is solid and widely recommended around here that's all and I've used it personally to replace a broken PSU in an acquaintances computer. The GS does look pretty good on paper, I probably wouldn't worry about the PSU if I got that either so go for it. A 650 gold rated PSU with Japanese capacitors should do you good!

@Cyro: I actually took a second to look for the 6700k on the website that he's using and it seems they won't be seeing a 6700k for like a month and a half. I don't know how soon he wants the new computer and if it's no rush then I would definitely wait for it too ofc..

Errol

Canada102 Posts

August 23 2015 04:10 GMT

#10620

Skylake wasn't a bad price, came out about even (I upped the RAM when I probably didn't have to, and had to get a wireless adapter). So if I get something like (changed MB/CPU/RAM for skylake, changed PSU/SSD). I'd see around the same performance at stock with bit of a dip for encoding... and the faster RAM wouldn't contribute much unless I OC'd?

CPU: i5-6600k $329.98
CPU Cooler: noctua nh-u14s $89.99 (Pricematch)
Motherboard: Gigabyte z170 hd3 rev 1 $149.00
Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws 4 16GB 2X8GB DDR4-3000MHZ C15 $169.99 (pricematched)
Storage: Crucial mx200 1tb $499.99
Video Card: ASUS GTX 980 ti Strix $894.99
Case: Corsair Air 540 $159.99
Power Supply: supernova 650 gs $139.99
Optical Drive: Liteon drive $19.99
Wireless: TP-LINK TL-WDN4800 $34.98

Total: 2488.89 CAD

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