i7-4790K or i7-4790, and is the Asus Z97-A good with either

[Nuklearpuppy]

I'm hoping this is nearly the last question I have to ask before placing my order for parts for a new build lol

I'm building a music PC, I heavily use VSTs and lots of FX, my music isn't all sample based and I like having control of VSTs in real time, rather than bouncing down to WAV straight away... So I need a fast, powerful, reliable system. Most parts are decided upon, I'm just wanting some last minute advice, recommendations on a choice of CPU, I'm pretty set on either the Intel Core i7-4790K or Intel Core i7-4790, and I've read that the Asus Z97-A MB would be good... I still have a little money in my budget, so could stretch another £100 if need be to buy a better CPU or MB, suggestions please, or is this as good as I'll get and more than enough for my needs?

Thanks

 

[i7Baby]

The 4790k can overclock. But you pay more for it.

If you want the 4790k then you need the Z97 mobo to be able to overclock.

If you want the non-k 4690, you can get any lga1150 mobo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGA_1150

The H87 (or now 97) would be the best of the non-overclocking motherboards.

 

[Nuklearpuppy]

Do I need to over-clock it for music production, I'll be honest and say I don't know the ins and outs of over-clocking, is it more for gaming than anything else?

 

[i7Baby]

You won't need to overclock the cpu for music production. It might help for video production though.

 

[ksham]

Make sure the BIOS version of the Auss Z97-A is 1008. Otherwise, you cannot run Devil's Canyon CPUs on it.

As for overclocking, it pushes the CPU to work faster than it is designed to. This means it will use up more power, work faster, and also emit more heat. The primary use in gaming is to not bottleneck the GPU. You are unlikely going to see overclocking playing a large role in games with those i7 CPUs even without overclocking. You will need to overclock for some multi-GPU setup if you want to have the GPUs work in full potential. It can help a lot more in your audio encoding.

 

[Nuklearpuppy]

If I get the i7-4790K, is there a better MB than the Asus Z97?

Would that then make the build pretty future proof?

 

[i7Baby]

There's lots but they all cost more. Maybe except the ASRock Z97 Extreme 4 which tipped out the Z97-A per http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/mainstream-gaming-z97-motherboard,3824.html

Or jump up again eg Maximus Hero - http://www.asus.com/us/site/motherboards/Z97/comparison/

or ASRock Z97 Extreme 6

 

[ksham]

No build is future-proof. The only component in your build that is future proof is the case. And if you have a quality power supply, then it will be the next most-future-proof item in your build. Everything else is not future-proof. You can keep that setup for years to come, if that's what you meant.

A better motherboard won't make it more future-proof. You can still have issues with RAM dying or something dying. It's possible. Electronic devices die all the time. I always try to buy components based on what I need and try to not overspend so I have money left over in case something died. Warranty is nice to have, but they take a very long time so in the meantime, you'll be buying a new replacement because you don't want to wait.

 

[Nuklearpuppy]

I get that future proof doesn't mean parts won't break, I was more meaning I'll not need to upgrade one part due to demands placed on the machine in the coming years.

Case and PSU wise I've ordered:
Cooler Master 690 III ATX Mid Tower Case
Cooler Master Seidon 120V 86.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
CoolerMaster 650W VS Series V650S 80 Plus Gold Modular PSU
(case and coller bought as a bundle for £80, so thought it was a good deal)

And I've ordered Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory, and will buy another 2 possibly in the future...

 

[i7Baby]

Sounds OK to me.

 

[ksham]

The i7-4790K will last for years, especially with its overclocking potential. The build looks good though. So there's really not much to say. Make sure the motherboard supports the CPU if you don't have another compatible chip required to update the BIOS. Get a SSD if you don't have one. It makes your experience so much better. Programs loading in a split second feel a lot better than waiting on a slow loading screen.

 

[Nuklearpuppy]

I already have a Crucial 512GB M550 SSD and a Seagate 2TB 3.5" HD...

Right the i7-4790k looks like the one, will the Z97 be more than enough then?

Thanks for this peeps

 

[ksham]

Z97 is the only option so it'll have to do even if it isn't enough, right? Jokes aside, yes, it's fine.

 

[i7Baby]

I already have a Crucial 512GB M550 SSD and a Seagate 2TB 3.5" HD...

Right the i7-4790k looks like the one, will the Z97 be more than enough then?

Thanks for this peeps

For the i7 4790k cpu, you need to get a Z97 motherboard.

 

[Nuklearpuppy]

Z97 is the only option so it'll have to do even if it isn't enough, right? Jokes aside, yes, it's fine.

Could I get better for similar money or a bit more, or is that just over kill?

 

[i7Baby]

Get what? For better than how much?

 

[Nuklearpuppy]

Get what? For better than how much?

A better CPU and MB, I'd be spending £340 on the i7-4790K and Z97-A, for that money, or a little more could I get a better CPU and MB for my needs, or would that be over kill, a waste of money, or if I can spend more, why not get as good a machine as I can?

Obviously getting a good machine for the right money is great, but I'd like this machine, bar something breaking or needing replaced, to be the machine I use for the next 3 - 5 years at least ha ha, hence the investing ahead of time 😉

I'm selling my older i7 studio PC to part fund this build, and would most likely do the same with this one in time, but would like to get a good period of time use out of it, and to the most of its capabilites... I hope that all comes across properly and as its meant?

 

[i7Baby]

i5 4690k 180 quid http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/processor...

ASRock Z97 Extreme 4 110 quid http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/motherboa...

 

[ksham]

A better CPU and MB, I'd be spending £340 on the i7-4790K and Z97-A, for that money, or a little more could I get a better CPU and MB for my needs, or would that be over kill, a waste of money, or if I can spend more, why not get as good a machine as I can?

Obviously getting a good machine for the right money is great, but I'd like this machine, bar something breaking or needing replaced, to be the machine I use for the next 3 - 5 years at least ha ha, hence the investing ahead of time 😉

I'm selling my older i7 studio PC to part fund this build, and would most likely do the same with this one in time, but would like to get a good period of time use out of it, and to the most of its capabilites... I hope that all comes across properly and as its meant?

The i7 isn't a bad idea. If you want to downgrade a little, I would recommend an Intel Xeon CPU. For gaming, i5 is fine, but for audio encoding, Intel Xeon or the i7 would be much better. That is not to say that the i5 won't work for audio encoding, but the Intel Xeon and i7 would do a much better job at them.

In terms of gaming, the Intel Xeon performs similar to the i5 but it has hyper-threading like the i7. The downside is that you cannot overclock an Intel Xeon CPU.