Building a new rig - Do I have to do a mid tower? Need Mobo/RAM recommendation too.

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
X

xizorgetspeed

Distinguished
Dec 10, 2007
44
0
18,530
Hey guys,

Okay, so I've been out of the game for quite a while and am slowly getting myself caught up.

My current system is (6yrs old):
i7-930
6GB RAM
GTX 480
1000W Gold PS (Antec)
Antec Nine Hundred case

I've just put down a backorder for a GTX 1080 FTW (EVGA) and an Oculus Rift (hopefully I'll get it before 2017 lol).

It seems the CPU to go with is the i7 6700k.

What I still need help with is which mobo to go with and RAM.

I was planning on just putting in the new components in my existing case but it would be cool to have a smaller form factor. And I don't even know if this is possible for the CPU/MB combo I want.

I am open to your expert recommendations and guidance.

Any advice is much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
 
Solution
Bearmann


No, I didn't say that! I just said that most gamers are satisfied with good on-board sound.

For completeness sake, I would look at these two MB's also. The Asrock got a very nice review at Tweaktown.

http://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/asrock-motherboard-z170gamingitxac,asus-motherboard-maximusviiiimpact/


For a GTX 1080 you'll want about 550W. These would all be very nice...
Sort by date Sort by votes
There are a plethora of great choices for motherboards and smaller cases. I would recommend choosing a mid tower case, as you don't lose out on any features, and are still given a case much smaller than the Antec model.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU Cooler: CRYORIG C7 40.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($37.49 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI Z170-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: PNY Anarchy 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($27.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $205.46
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-12 13:14 EDT-0400
The motherboard should work great with the i7, and will support the memory I selected. The case is one of my personal favorites, and will support the GTX 1080 easily.

Best of luck!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
How small? Budget? You'll have to check the PSU and heatsink to make sure that they fit.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($314.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-C14S 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($78.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170N-Gaming 5 Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($145.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2800 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 8GB FTW Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card (Purchased For $0.00)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV ITX Mini ITX Tower Case ($85.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Pro 1200W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $695.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-12 13:51 EDT-0400
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
@Stormbrew thanks for the recommendation, but that case isn't really that much smaller than my nine hundred (about 50mm)

@Bearmann, i'm liking this EVOLV mITX case... :) to answer your questions. Smaller the better, but I plan to put in 1 ssd, plus possibly 2 HDD, so this case seems like it'll be able to do that. Budget, I don't really have one... Of course I want to spend as little as possible, but I don't mind spending money on the "right product". Take my getting a GTX 1080 over a 1070 for example.

Also, what's the deal with on board audio? Back in the day, we would run from on board audio because of impact to FPS and also just quality of sound. Is getting a sound card even still a variable for gaming?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote


So, there is no improvement to sound quality by getting a discrete sound card?

 
Upvote 0 Downvote


Wow... just reading the specs of this mobo. They have wireless built into motherboard's now? ac to boot?

Impressive. I believe I have found a winner... just need to make sure the components will fit.

So this means, the only thing I will take from my previous rig is the power supply. I wonder if I'm better off just selling the system whole. If that's the case, I'm thinking my 1000W power supply is now overkill no? The GTX480 was a beast so it needed that PSU. What quality product do you recommend for GTX 1080, 6700K, 32GB RAM, 2 HDD, 1 SSD?

What do you recommend?

Also, is 32GB RAM overkill. Besides gaming, I am thinking of using it to edit home videos, photography etc... And RAM seems cheap...
 
Upvote 0 Downvote


No, I didn't say that! I just said that most gamers are satisfied with good on-board sound.

For completeness sake, I would look at these two MB's also. The Asrock got a very nice review at Tweaktown.

http://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/asrock-motherboard-z170gamingitxac,asus-motherboard-maximusviiiimpact/


For a GTX 1080 you'll want about 550W. These would all be very nice:

http://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/corsair-power-supply-cp9020091na,evga-power-supply-210gq0650,evga-power-supply-220g20550y1,seasonic-power-supply-ssr550rm/

http://pcpartpicker.com/product/6p8H99/evga-power-supply-220p20650x1


Some games may benefit from faster RAM. For video and heavy Photoshop use, 32GB is appropriate.

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1478-page1.html

https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/492721-skylake-gaming-performance-scaling-with-ddr4-ram-frequency/

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

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er_Fuz54U0Y


I like these 2800's which are only 1.2V and formulated specifically for Skylake:

http://pcpartpicker.com/product/2q38TW/gskill-memory-f42800c16q32gvr

 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
Bearmann, all very helpful thank you.

I am now curious to see what recommendation you would make for a mid tower and atx sized MB. I am second guessing my desire for a smaller form factor. It seems that I can't really add anything more than the core guts in the future.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Well if you like the little Phanteks, you should look at the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ATX and maybe the new one with the tempered glass. It's a bit more, though. The Phanteks P400's are nice too at a budget price.

http://www.phanteks.com/Enthoo-Evolv-ATX-TemperedGlass.html

The Corsair 200R/ SPEC 02/03 are the budget cases to beat. Corsair also makes some nice higher end cases in all shapes and sizes.

http://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/corsair-case-200r,corsair-case-cc9011051ww,corsair-case-cc9011052ww,corsair-case-cc9011053ww/

http://www.corsair.com/en-us/cases

The NZXT H440 is nice, but I'm not as fond of their lower end cases. Fractal makes some nice cases (the R5 is the new version of the R4).

http://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/fractal-design-case-fdcadefr4bl,fractal-design-case-fdcadefr5bk,fractal-design-case-fdcadefsbkw,nzxt-case-cah442cm8/

Of course, all these come in various colors, windows, etc.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
These Z170 (overclocking) MB's are nice and all have the 1150 codec:

http://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/asus-motherboard-maximusviiihero,asus-motherboard-maximusviiiranger,asus-motherboard-z170progaming,gigabyte-motherboard-gaz170xgaming3/

I just started with the Gigabyte Gaming 3, but the 5, 6, & 7 are equally as nice.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Okay more questions... Liquid cooling, what's the deal?

Went to my local ncix and the guy there recommended the cordair h100. He did say that properly done fans will cool better but it's up to me.

I'm thinking really because if I go with the evolv tempered glass case then I want everything inside to be slick. And it seems liquid cooling does a better job at that.

The quieter the better as well... My current system sounds like a car. My previous rig sounded like a jet lol...
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Cool, you've been super helpful. It seems many people have paired the H100i v2 with the 6700k processor and are having great results.

Okay, everything has been purchased, except the graphics card. Need to hunt that down, but I think that's going to be a mission currently

Thanks again for all your help!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom