First PC Build, few questions

xtheatomic

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May 25, 2015
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Hey,

I am currently building my first PC setup (~1500€) and I'm a newbie, so I have a few questions.

1) i5 4690k or xeon e3-1231 v3
Don'r really know which one to choose, I want to use the PC for gaming (mainly) but also for 3d CAD. I'm not sure if the hyperthreading (xeon) or the overclocking (i5) is better for me. (Never overclocked a CPU before)

2) Motherboard and cooler
Which mobo and cooler work the best with the cpu's?

3) What RAM do you guys recommend? (8gb)

4) A good power supply?

The other parts:
EVGA GeForce GTX 970 FTW, 120 gb SSD, 1 tb HDD, Zalman Z11 case, Benq XL2411Z





 
Solution
1)Take the xeon as it is pretty much an i7 without the graphics,which doesnt matter as you already have a better gpu in the pc
2)technically any motherboard with the LGA-1150 socket,just check the manufacturer's website to be 100% sure
3)i would take the corsair,adata or kingston rams
4)i would buy an evga or corsair psu

Red Penguin

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May 19, 2015
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1)Take the xeon as it is pretty much an i7 without the graphics,which doesnt matter as you already have a better gpu in the pc
2)technically any motherboard with the LGA-1150 socket,just check the manufacturer's website to be 100% sure
3)i would take the corsair,adata or kingston rams
4)i would buy an evga or corsair psu
 
Solution
1) Overclocking can give some good benefits in gaming and other tasks, if done properly. For a successful overclock you need a better motherboard, power supply, and cooler than you would for a stock clock build. If you're going to be doing CAD as well I would take the Xeon for the extra threads and skip the OC.
2) Stock cooler is fine for stock clocks. For the Xeon I would get an H97 board like the Asrock H97 Anniversary or the MSI H97 PC Mate. For the 4690K I would get a decent Z97 with 8 phase power and VRM heatsinks like the Asus Z97-A combined with a decent air cooler like a Cryorig H7.
3) Nothing less than DDR3 1600 Cas 9. Any decent reputable manufacturer like G.Skill, Mushkin, Corsair, Crucial, Kingston, Team etc.
4) For a single GPU I would get an XFX 550w, Seasonic 550w, Antec High Current 550w.
 

xtheatomic

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May 25, 2015
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Ok, thanks for the quick answers.

I have another question, the monitor has HDMI, DVI-DL, VGA ports and the GPU has 2xDVI, 1xHDMI 2.0, 1xDisplayPort. Can I achieve 144hz? Or just 120hz?
 

whassup

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May 21, 2015
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With the i5 4690K provided you have Z series chipset motherboard, you can Overclock the CPU. But the Xeon e3-1231 v3 won't support overclocking but supports Hyper threading features which is a plus for your 3D CAD usage. I think you had to choose between these CPUs.

Motherboard there is lot of choice. ASUS Z97-A is good choice.

RAM: You can go with brands like Gskill, Corsair, Kingston, Crucial etc all these are pretty good.

PSU: SeaSonic G Series SSR-550RM > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151119
 

Red Penguin

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May 19, 2015
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you can get 144hz if your monitor supports it

 

whassup

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May 21, 2015
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Yes you can achieve 144Hz on both DVI as well as on HDMI 2.0
 

Mac070

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I recommend AMD for gaming. AS they have more cores so you can game and be photo editing. (You can add an extra screen if you want but make sure the Graphics Card has 4gb). You'd get better performance with the AMD FX 9590 Black Edition 4.7ghz stock. Also comes with a free game if you order it from this link:http://www.microcenter.com/product/423307/FX_9590_Black_Edition_47GHz_Eight-Core_Socket_AM3_Boxed_Processor

Comes with Dirt Rally game free too! :) Might want a powerful wattage power supply. Get a good fan and your good.
 

xtheatomic

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May 25, 2015
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Ok, one last question.

I'm going with the xeon (and ASRock H97 Anniversary), any suggestions on a good and quiet cooler? I don't want to use the stock cooler, because I think they are too loud.
 

Red Penguin

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May 19, 2015
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go with the cooler master hyper 212 evo or if you have more money go with the corsair h60