Question Can I get some help with checking compatibility? Solved

Aug 6, 2019
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These are the components I’m going to order and I’ve checked compatibility as far as my knowledge goes. Can someone please double check for me? I’ve gathered a list.

I’m most curious about CPU, MotherBoard and the RAM, the rest should easily be compatible.

CPU: Intel i9-9900k
GPU: ASUS RTX 2070 Strix
MB: ASUS TUF Z390-Plus
RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 2x16GB (32GB)
Case: Enthoo Evolv X
PSU: Corsair RM750x
SSD/HDD: PNY CS900 480GB SSD / Intel 660p 512GB M.2 SSD/ 2x SeaGate FireCuda 2TB SSHD
CPU Cooler: Hydro H100X
Case Fans: 1xB 2xF Phanteks Premium 140mm

Thanks in advance!
 
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Your "memory" specs are lacking. What is the speed? What is the memory TYPE? Those could be DDR3 sticks, and we'd never know it, because you don't list the full memory specs or at least the model number.

Also, if you're going to go with a liquid cooler on a 9900k, I'd be looking at MINIMUM of 280mm models, not 240mm, if want ANY breathing room at all. That is a high TDP processor and the 95w it lists does not account for boost performance which will radically increase the TDP and temperatures.
 
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Ralston18

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Check everything via the motherboard's supported components list.

Download the motherboard's User Guide/Manual and carefully read through all of the installation instructions.

Likely to be some fine print caveats.....

Is the RAM dual channel, matched pair?

Not sure but you may run into SATA problems with respect to the drives and M.2 configuration.

PSU wattage seems low. Add up the required wattages for all components and add 25%. How close is that total to 750 watts?
 
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Your "memory" specs are lacking. What is the speed? What is the memory TYPE? Those could be DDR3 sticks, and we'd never know it, because you don't list the full memory specs or at least the model number.
The RAM is: Crucial Ballistix Sport LT grå 32GB, 2 x 16GB DDR 4 3200MHz
 
Aug 6, 2019
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Check everything via the motherboard's supported components list.

Download the motherboard's User Guide/Manual and carefully read through all of the installation instructions.

Likely to be some fine print caveats.....

Is the RAM dual channel, matched pair?

Not sure but you may run into SATA problems with respect to the drives and M.2 configuration.

PSU wattage seems low. Add up the required wattages for all components and add 25%. How close is that total to 750 watts?
Uh oh, I have little experience with M.2 SSDs, my current PC has a Samsung evo 2.5" disk and a 3.5" SeaGate HDD. Is there configuration involved and in an M.2 disk? And what do you mean by SATA problems? Sorry! I have usually just upgraded one and one part of my current PC so I thought building a new one would be a fun thing to do!
 
Aug 6, 2019
12
0
10
Check everything via the motherboard's supported components list.

Download the motherboard's User Guide/Manual and carefully read through all of the installation instructions.

Likely to be some fine print caveats.....

Is the RAM dual channel, matched pair?

Not sure but you may run into SATA problems with respect to the drives and M.2 configuration.

PSU wattage seems low. Add up the required wattages for all components and add 25%. How close is that total to 750 watts?
And in terms of PSU, which is the "best"? A modular one or the traditional one with a bunch of pre-installed cables?
 
And in terms of PSU, which is the "best"? A modular one or the traditional one with a bunch of pre-installed cables?
Modular, or at least semi-modular, are advisable. The model you have selected is a good one. You can take a look at the recommendations below if you'd like more information about which models are recommended.

Let's start with the biggest misconception out there, which is that if a unit has high watts it will be ok or is good. Well, that couldn't be further from the truth.

There are plenty of 750-1000w units out there that I wouldn't trust to power a string of LED lights and might in fact be a much worse choice than a unit with a significantly lower listed capacity.

If the platform isn't good to begin with, how many watts or amps it says it can support is irrelevant.

Higher 80plus certification doesn't mean anything, UNLESS it is a PSU platform that we already know is good anyhow. For example, a Seasonic Prime platinum unit is going to be a better product than a Seasonic Prime Gold unit, because we already know the Prime platform is very good, and platinum efficiency along with it shows there are some improvements internally to account for the higher efficiency.

In a case like that, it might be worth it. It's likely the unit will create less heat, it will probably have better performance in regard to ripple, noise and voltage regulation. It might shave a few pennies, or dollars, off the electric bill over the course of a year.

Other than that, it is not going to perform any better than the same platform with Gold efficiency. On the other hand, just because a unit has Titanium 80plus ratings doesn't mean the unit is any good at all. For example, there are Raidmax units with Titanium efficiency and I wouldn't trust one of those to power a light bulb. There are a lot of units like this out there.

If the platform isn't good to begin with, whether or not it has an 80plus certification or is irrelevant.

Whatever you do, don't EVER buy a power supply based on whether it has RGB or lighting, or looks like it might be a quality unit. Some of the biggest hunks of junk out there look just as good as a Seasonic Prime Ultra Titanium, but I assure you, they are not. So far there are very few very good units out there that have RGB built in. Maybe one or two models, but rest assured you'll be be paying for the lighting, not for the quality of the power supply.

I don't know what country you reside in, and I know that sometimes it's hard to come by good units in some regions, but when possible, when it comes time to get that PSU, I'd stick to the following if you can.

Seasonic. Seasonic isn't just a brand, they are a PSU manufacturer, unlike many of the PSU brands you see they make their own power supply platforms AND a great many of the very good PSU models out there from other brands like Antec, Corsair and older XFX are made by Seasonic.

Just about anything made by Seasonic is good quality for the most part. There are really no bad Seasonic units and only a very few that are even somewhat mediocre. They do make a few less-good quality OEM style units, but mostly those are not going to be units you come across at most vendors, and they are still not bad. Also, the S12II and M12II 520 and 620w units are older, group regulated models. At one time they were among the best units you could buy. Now, they are outdated and not as good as almost any other Seasonic models. They are however still better than a LOT of newer designs by other manufacturers.

The Seasonic 520w and 620w S12II/M12II units CAN be used on newer Intel platforms, if you turn off C6/C7 in the bios, but I'd really recommend a newer platform whenever possible. Prices are usually pretty good on those though, so sometimes it's worth accepting the lack of DC-DC on the internal platform. Higher capacity versions of the High current gamer are not based on that platform, so they are fine. Those being the 750w and higher versions.

Most common currently, in order of preference, would be the Seasonic Focus series, then Focus plus, then Prime, then Prime ultra. It's worth mentioning that there are generally Gold, Platinum and Titanium versions within each, or most, of those series, but that does not necessarily mean that a Focus plus Platinum is necessarily better than a Prime Gold. It only means that it scored better in the 80plus efficiency testing, not that the platform is better.

Again, don't let yourself get tangled up in the idea that a higher 80plus rating specifically means that it is a better unit than another one with a lower rating, unless you know that it is a good platform from the start. All these Focus and Prime units are pretty good so you can somewhat focus on the 80plus rating when deciding which of them to choose.

Super Flower. Super Flower is another PSU manufacturer. They are like Seasonic and they make power supplies for a variety of other companies, like EVGA. Super Flower units are usually pretty good. I'd stick to the Leadex, Leadex II and Golden Green models.They also make most of the good units sold by EVGA like the G2, G3, P2 and T2 models.

Super Flower doesn't have a very broad availability for the units with their own brand name on them, and are not available in a lot of countries but for those where there is availability you want to look at the Leadex and Leadex II models. The Golden green platform is fairly decent too but is getting rather long in the tooth as a platform AND I've seen some reviews indicating a few shortcomings on units based on this platform.

Even so, it's a great deal better than a lot of other platforms out there so you could certainly do worse than a Golden green model. Units based on the Leadex and Leadex II platforms are much better though.

Corsair. The CX and CXm units are ok as a budget option, but I do not recommend pairing them with gaming cards. The newer 2017 models of CX and CXm are better than the older ones, but still not what we'd call terrific, so if it specifically says 2017 model, or it has a capacity other than an even 100, like 550w, 650w, 750w, etc., then it's likely at least better than those older ones. Aside from that, any of the TX, RMx, RMi, HX, HXi, AX or AXi units are good. Those are listed from best to worst, with the best being the AX and AXi units.

Antec. The True power classic units are made by Seasonic, and are very good, but are not modular. The High current gamer 520w and 620w, or any other PSU you see on the market that is 520w or 620w, are also made by Seasonic, based on the S12II and M12II platform for modern versions, and are pretty good units but again they are an older platform that is group regulated so if you go with a Haswell or newer Intel configuration you will want to avoid those because they do not support the C6/C7 Intel low power states.

The Antec High current gamer 750w and 850w units are very good and are not the older design, which came in 520w and 620w capacities and were good for back then but again, are an aging Seasonic platform that is not the best choice most of the time these days. Occasionally, these older units MIGHT be the best unit available and you could do worse than one of them, but a newer DC-DC platform is desirable when possible if it doesn't mean sacrificing quality elsewhere in the platform. There are however older and newer HCG models, so exact model number will likely be a factor if choosing one of these however both the older models and the newer models are good.

Antec Edge units are ok too, but reviews indicate that they have noisy fan profiles. I'd only choose this model if it is on sale or the aesthetics match up with your color scheme or design. Still a good power supply but maybe a little aggressive on the fan profile. This may have been cured on newer Edge models so reading professional tear down reviews is still the best idea.

Antec Earthwatts Gold units are very good also.

BeQuiet. BeQuiet does have a few decent models, BUT, you must be VERY selective about which of their models you put your trust in. From model to model their are huge differences in both quality and performance, even with the same series. If you cannot find a review for a BeQuiet unit on HardOCP, JonnyGuru or Tom's hardware that SPECIFICALLY says it is a very good unit, and does not have any significant issues in the "cons" category, I would avoid it. In fact, I'd probably avoid it anyhow unless there is a very great sale on one that has good reviews, because their units are generally more expensive than MUCH better units from Antec, Seasonic, EVGA and Corsair.

EVGA. They have BOTH good and not very good models.

Not very good are the W1, N1, B1, B3 (Most models failed testing), BQ, BR, BT and G1 NEX models.

Good models are the B2, G2, G2L, G3, GQ, P2 and T2 models.

FSP. They used to be very mediocre, and are a PSU manufacturer like Seasonic and Super Flower, although not as well trusted based on historical performance. Currently the FSP Hydro G and Hydro X units are pretty good.

I would avoid Thermaltake and Cooler Master.

They do have a few good units, but most of the models they sell are either poor or mediocre, and the ones they have that ARE good are usually way overpriced.

This is just ONE example of why I say that. Very new and modern CM unit. One of the worst scores ever seen on JonnyGuru for a well known brand name product. Doesn't look to be much better than a Raidmax unit. Sad.

Cooler Master Masterwatt Lite 600W review

And most of the models I have linked to the reviews of at the following link are at least good, with most of them being fantastic.

Power supply discussion thread

The Powerspec units sold my Microcenter are a mixed bag. Some of them are fairly decent using the same platform as the Sirfa High power astro lite platform, so not total dumpster fire type units, but not particularly good either, and some of their units are simply garbage and should be listed below in the DO NOT USE category, but I'm leaving them out because there are really no reviews of them and since there are a few units from them that are ok-ish, I'm giving them a "use at your own discretion but buy a better model if you can" grade.

A gray label CX or CXm unit would probably be an upgrade from one of those Powerspec models, without any doubt.

Certainly there ARE some good units out there that you won't see above among those I've listed, but they are few and far between, much as a hidden nugget of gold you find in a crevice among otherwise ordinary rocks and don't EVER assume a unit is good just because of the brand.

If you cannot find an IN DEPTH, REPUTABLE review on Tom's hardware, JonnyGuru, HardOCP, Hardware secrets (Old reviews by Gabe Torres), Kitguru (Only Aris reviews), TechPowerUP, SilentPC crew or a similar site that does much more than simply a review of the unboxing and basic tests that don't include reliable results for ripple, noise, voltage regulation and a complete teardown of the unit including identification of the internal platform, then the unit is a big fat question mark.

I recommend not trusting such units as companies generally always send out review samples of any unit they feel is going to get a good review, and don't send them out if they know they are going to get hammered by the reviewer. No review usually equals poor quality. Usually.


Other models that should never be trusted OR USED AT ALL, under any circumstances, include

A-Top, AK Power, Alpine, Apevia, Apex (Supercase/Allied), Artic, Ace, Aerocool (There might be one model worth using, but I'd still avoid them.), Aspire (Turbocase), Atadc, Atrix, Broadway com corp, Chieftech, Circle, CIT, Coolmax, Deer, Diablotek, Dynapower, Dynex, Eagletech, Enlight, Eurotech, Evo labs, EZ cool, Feedtek, Foxconn, G7, HEC/Compucase Orion, HEDY, High power, iBall, iStar computer co., Jeantec, JPac, Just PC, Kolink, LC Power, Linkworld electronics, Logisys, Macron, MSI, NmediaPC, Norwood Micro (CompUSA), Okia, Powercool, Powmax, Pulsepower, Q-tec, Raidmax, Rave, Rocketfish, Segotep, SFC, Sharkoon, Shuttle, Skyhawk, Spire, Startech, Storm, Sumvision, Tesla, Trust, Ultra, Wintech, Winpower, Xilence (Until I see a reputable review of a model showing different), xTreme (Cyberpower), Youngbear and Zebronics.
 
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Thank you very much Darkbreeze and Ralston18! I’ll make sure to check out the links provided and decide, I think I’ll stick with the 750W modular CPU, the 850W version is a large price step-up to an already very expensive PC. Thanks again!
 

jostegogar

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everything is compatible. but i really dont recommend the motherboard. the TUF series are low entry level in z series with poor quality VRM that cant keep up with your cpu. if you dont have enough budget for the motherboard just get an i7 9700k with a high end motherboard that would give much better performance
 
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Your "memory" specs are lacking. What is the speed? What is the memory TYPE? Those could be DDR3 sticks, and we'd never know it, because you don't list the full memory specs or at least the model number.

Also, if you're going to go with a liquid cooler on a 9900k, I'd be looking at MINIMUM of 280mm models, not 240mm, if want ANY breathing room at all. That is a high TDP processor and the 95w it lists does not account for boost performance which will radically increase the TDP and temperatures.
Hm OK, I’ve checked your edit and the case fits both a 360mm or a 280mm radiator top mounted, which would you pick? Or in the other case, what would be sufficient in terms of Air cooling? I’ve so far had great experience with Noctua fans, although they are rather large. My current one is a Noctua DH-15 and requires my current left case plate to be open at all times.
 
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Aug 6, 2019
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everything is compatible. but i really dont recommend the motherboard. the TUF series are low entry level in z series with poor quality VRM that cant keep up with your cpu. if you dont have enough budget for the motherboard just get an i7 9700k with a high end motherboard that would give much better performance
Then what is a Motherboard you’d recommend with it? I thought that was an alright Motherboard for the CPU?
 
Honestly, I'd go with either a 280, 360 or 420mm (Only ONE 420mm AIO that I know of) and it would absolutely be front mounted in an intake configuration to take advantage of the cooler outside ambient air. It might only make a few degrees difference but when you're talking about a CPU that can toe the line in terms of thermal compliance, I'll take every advantage I can give myself.

Top mounted would not be recommended to use in an intake configuration and using as an exhaust configuration might result in a couple degrees higher temps since you'll be using the already heated internal air to try to cool it with.
 
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Top mounted would not be recommended to use in an intake configuration and using as an exhaust configuration might result in a couple degrees higher temps since you'll be using the already heated internal air to try to cool it with.
OK, so I’ll move the pre-installed front mounted 140mm fans to top and put the radiator in front, if the it’s possible? (The liquid cooling tubes seem kind of short.)

About what jostegogar posted, do you think the TUF motherboard will be lacking and not take full advantage of the i9-9900k?
 
That board has only a four phase design, and it's probably "ok" for stock operation, but it could potentially see some minor problems under boost conditions and is definitely not a board you'd want to use for ANY level of overclocking.

What is your actual budget you can afford to throw at a motherboard?
 
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jostegogar

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If you get a good quality cooler, it will likely have hoses that are plenty long enough to reach the front on most cases. Shouldn't be a problem. I'd maybe look at the H115i Pro or H150i models. There are some very good options out there from Eisbar, EVGA, NZXT and Deepcool as well, in addition to Corsair.
 
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That board has only a four phase design, and it's probably "ok" for stock operation, but it could potentially see some minor problems under boost conditions and is definitely not a board you'd want to use for ANY level of overclocking.

What is your actual budget you can afford to throw at a motherboard?
The price for the TUF where I’m ordering from in my country is 180£ (Local currency is 1870NOK/kr) Absolute max is 280£ but I’d like to spend less considering I’ve got to buy a 360mm liquid cpu cooling fan.
 
You can get by with a good 280mm if that helps. Especially if you have no plans to be overclocking the CPU. There isn't much overclocking headroom on the 9900k anyhow, so I probably wouldn't plan on it. If you want to overclock, I'd advise going with the 9700k instead.

I'd look at professional reviews for Z390 motherboards and try to stick to motherboard models that use 8 phase or higher VRM configurations, based on what is available to you where you are. I have no way of knowing where you can get them from or what your options are, so you are best suited to do that part based on reviews. You'll need to do some legwork yourself here.
 
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You can get by with a good 280mm if that helps. Especially if you have no plans to be overclocking the CPU. There isn't much overclocking headroom on the 9900k anyhow, so I probably wouldn't plan on it. If you want to overclock, I'd advise going with the 9700k instead.

I'd look at professional reviews for Z390 motherboards and try to stick to motherboard models that use 8 phase or higher VRM configurations, based on what is available to you where you are. I have no way of knowing where you can get them from or what your options are, so you are best suited to do that part based on reviews. You'll need to do some legwork yourself here.
UPDATE: I’ve ordered the MotherBoard linked below as it was suggested for the i9-9900K alongside the "Prime" version and a "Maximus" version, Prime which was not available from my retailer and the Maximus which is 330£ in my country which is over budget...

I’m not too keen on OverClocking yet so that won’t be an issue. This is within reach https://www.netonnet.no/art/datakom...1/asus-rog-strix-z390-f-gaming/1005177.11759/

It’s an ASUS ROG STRIX Z390-F GAMING

I can’t find anything about VRM and phases, not too sure what they are either on the MotherBoard...
 
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