General Build Questions

Erik

New member
Hello everyone! To start off with I'm just looking for some general recommendations for hardware I already have access to cheap and I listed a few of my questions below.


Here is a list of my gear.

1. Intel Core i7-4790K Devil’s Canyon Quad-Core 4.0GHz
2. ASUS Z97-A
3. G.SKILL Sniper Series 32GB (4 x 8G) 2133
4. SAMSUNG 840 Pro Series MZ-7PD256BW 2.5" 256GB (x2 in Raid 0)
5. EVGA 04G-P4-2983-KR GeForce GTX 980
6. Antec Kuhler H2O 620 Liquid Cooling System
7. Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro - 64-bit
8. CORSAIR TX Series CMPSU-750TX 750W
9. Antec 903 Case


I'm considering reusing my Antec Khuler H20 620 since it is still in good shape and it fits the LGA 1150 but ill be replacing the Antec fans with 2 Corsair Air Series SP120s. Ill also be replacing the 2 front case fans with the same.




My first few questions are:

1. Do you recommend I replace the Antec Khuler? I thought it should be sufficient for my new processor but I wasn't 100% sure. It's still in great shape.

2. Is there any reason not to reuse my existing case? The top fan is still working great and as stated above I'm swapping out the fans for better cooling.

3. What general recommendations would you have for target speeds on my cpu and memory? I'm just wondering what kinds of speeds I should start testing with.

Thank you in advance for any and all recommendations.

Erik
 
1. Well it depends, if you feel it suits your current needs then it'll be fine so long as you dont push it far. If you are worried about it i'd go for a 240AIO or a 360AIO if you really wanted to push it. I wouldn't buy Corsair SP fans though.. i have a couple and they are decent nothing great. Can get better if im honest.

2. Any reason? Well depends on who you ask.. my opinion is it's old and ugly. I'd go for something smaller as a Full Tower isn't really needed outside of Full Loop watercooling. I'd suggest something like a Fractal Design Define S or R5, or an Arc Midi R2. You can get a plethora of Corsair cases, to many to mention. Really any will do. Could also look at a Phanteks Enthoo Pro. It's a full tower class case, but tbh the only thing over a mid tower it has is height, other than that its about the same as all other mid towers. Probably the only one worth getting.

3. Drop down to 2x8GB sticks. No need for 32GB at all unless you do a monumental load of Video/Audio/Music/Mathematical work. 16GB is fine.. and after 1866mhz ram you start to see the point of no return. 1866 is a sweet spot. 2133 would help with all that pro software though.

Also a side note: The AMD 300 series is supposed to be revealed next month and possibly released.. IMO it is worth waiting for. I would hold off on a 980, but if you need it now then its worth getting. Although the prices may come down with the 300 series release.
 
Thanks very much for the feedback. The Fractal Design R5 is a thing of beauty, I think it will be a great replacement for my 903. Dropping to 16Gb Ram made the case free (or so I'm telling myself lol).

I think I will replace my CPU cooler with a 240mm version, but I will have to review them individually, I will need one that has the hose connectors on the top, bottom or left of the cpu so I have clearance for my ram and a long enough hose length to mount the radiator up front. Since I will only have drives in the stealth SSD trays taking out the 3.5" bays and putting it up front with push/pull makes the most sense. Plenty of room up there, good airflow and I wont have any unfiltered intake fans.

Thanks again for the advice, Ill post again in another thread once I have it together and I'm overclocking it.
 
You can fit a standard sized 240 AIO in the roof. The hoses won't get in the way of the ram. You can either install it with the hoses closest to the rear of the case or flip it around so the hoses are closest to the front of the case. It's probably a better option to have them be closest to the front as you have more room for the hoses. Putting the AIO at the front looks kinda tacky. You have room in the roof so it's worth putting it there as it makes less cable clutter.
 
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