new system build/help/advice

[Kalik212]

I've had my current system now for 8.5 years (other then the video card which I upgrade more frequently)...I'm finally looking into building a new one...but technology and hardware has changed so much ((NVMe, MLC/TLC, M.2 etc) that I'm slightly overwhelmed...I've been researching online the past week and think I've gotten a better understanding of things but I'm still confused about certain aspects and need advice/help...some of the questions may be very noobish so forgive me ahead of time

here's my current proposed build...I'm mainly using it for gaming and light overclocking...I want my system to last another 6+ years so I'm looking for long term value...I'm going to be re-using certain parts such as my GTX 1070 and Lian Li A70B case

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/sQmddX

1) I'm totally confused about NVMe...there are PCIe, SATA and M.2 versions...using certain ones seem to either disable some pci-e lanes or disable SATA ports or lower performance etc...which is the best way to hook these up?...in the m.2 slot of the mobo or using a pci-e adapter?...or is it better to just use standard SATA 3 SSD's like the Crucial MX500?

2) my case has room for 7 fans (not counting the CPU fan)...my proposed board has 7 fan headers on it:

4-pin CPU_FAN
4-pin CPU_OPT
4-pin AIO_PUMP
4-pin M.2_FAN,
4-pin CHA_FAN1
4-pin CHA_FAN2
5-pin EXT_FAN

I know the CPU cooler goes into the CPU_Fan header but can I place my remaining fans in any of the other headers?...also do all case fans come with Molex plugs, 3 pin and 4 pin plugs?...so every fan (3 pin or 4 pin) I plug directly into the mobo is able to be monitored and controlled through the BIOS?

I also have an NZXT Sentry 2 fan controller...is it better to plug them all into the controller versus the motherboard fan headers?...what is the advantage of one over the other?

3) any recommendations on quality but affordable 1200mm case fans?...I need at least 5

thanks for any help!

 

[bmockeg]

M.2 is the interface, it has 2 speeds, NVME(32Gbps) and SATA (6Gbps). For the averagw user, a non NVME drive is sufficient and little to no noticible difference in the premium of a NVME price tag.

Your case shows its age and looks like it has poor intake airflow blocked by hard drive bays. If you are using it as is, I would recommend a newer more efficient setup. Just MHO. It would certainly be quieter as well to get a newer one.

As not all,of those headers are designed for case fans they likely will work. If You want to control individual speeds I would keep the fan,controller. I have all mine plugged into the motherboard at 100%.

 

[gingerrankin]

I try to clarify some doubts:
TLC / MLC are two SSD disk technologies. You should not worry too much about it. The Samsung 860 EVO is one of the best current SSD drives. The Crucial MX500 SSD also.
The M.2 is a new "disk" format that is much smaller than conventional SSDs. An M.2 can be SATA with what has almost identical properties that a conventional SSD or NvME that can achieve much higher speeds.
A M.2 SATA is only advised when size is important as in laptops. It has no advantage over conventional SSDs and heats up more.
  In a desktop a M.2 only interested if it is NvME. In any case, do not expect the SSD-> NvME change to be comparable to what the HDD-> SSD change meant.
If you have to use M.2 NvME it is always advisable to do it with a mobo that has M.2 connectors natively. Do it through PCIE only if the above is impossible.

Regarding the limitation of PCI-Lanes is more a problem for mobo designers who will not be able to present all the elements they would like. For you, at most, it means that if, for example, you use two M.2 connectors, you must stop using one of the 6 SATA connectors.

AIO_PUMP It is reserved for liquid cooling.

 

[Kalik212]

M.2 is the interface, it has 2 speeds, NVME(32Gbps) and SATA (6Gbps). For the averagw user, a non NVME drive is sufficient and little to no noticible difference in the premium of a NVME price tag.

Your case shows its age and looks like it has poor intake airflow blocked by hard drive bays. If you are using it as is, I would recommend a newer more efficient setup. Just MHO. It would certainly be quieter as well to get a newer one.

As not all,of those headers are designed for case fans they likely will work. If You want to control individual speeds I would keep the fan,controller. I have all mine plugged into the motherboard at 100%.

I actually love my Lian Li case...they don't make simplistic cases like this anymore...I'm not into clear side panels or lots of flashing lights...I love the brushed aluminum finish, tons of interior space, tons of cooling options etc

so any fan I plug into the motherboard will always run at 100% speed or does the motherboard control the speed based on temps?...so is 3-pin better then 4-pin?...or PWM?...everything seems overly complicated

 

[Kalik212]

AIO_PUMP It is reserved for liquid cooling.

thanks for the M.2 info...as far as the AIO_PUMP motherboard header, is it OK for me to plug a case fan into that even though it's labeled for water cooling setups...same with the other headers like chassis_1, cpu_opt, M.2_fan etc?

 

[bmockeg]

You can use tge AIO header for a regular fan, its for radiator fans but any fan(s) will work. The EXT header is not for fans directly and you can't use it. You can buy splitters and connect up to 4 fans on 1 header.

If you like your case, thats all that matters. There's a reason nobody makes cases that way anymore. Newer components are putting out more heat. Me personally I would get a newer case with better airflow.

The fans will run at what you set in the bios.

 

[Kalik212]

here is a pic of the fan headers from my motherboard manual...maybe this can help make things more clear...based on that which type of 120 mm fans I should be looking to buy (3-pin, 4-pin PWM etc)?

 

[bmockeg]

Best you can get for the money Corsair ML120.

 

[Kalik212]

If you like your case, thats all that matters. There's a reason nobody makes cases that way anymore. Newer components are putting out more heat. Me personally I would get a newer case with better airflow.

I think the airflow is pretty amazing with this case...I bought the blowhole top panel separately which gives me 2 blowhole vents in the top of the case for exhaust...plus I can have 2 intakes in front, 2 fans over the GPU area and 1 fan in the back as exhaust

 

[Kalik212]

Best you can get for the money Corsair ML120.

thanks for the recommendation...$13 is a bit steep for 1 fan though...any other quality fans that are a bit cheaper?

 

[bmockeg]

$13 isn't bad. This is probably the best deal.

Cooler Master SickleFlow 120 - Sleeve Bearing 120mm Blue LED Silent Fan for Computer Cases, CPU Coolers, and Radiators $5 on Newegg.

I have seen your case, looked at the setup. It's great for,exhaust but piss poor in cool intake air. I have a much better one, you don't have to sell me on it. Like I said, if you like it, keep it.

 

[Kalik212]

$13 isn't bad. This is probably the best deal.

Cooler Master SickleFlow 120 - Sleeve Bearing 120mm Blue LED Silent Fan for Computer Cases, CPU Coolers, and Radiators $5 on Newegg.

I have seen your case, looked at the setup. It's great for,exhaust but piss poor in cool intake air. I have a much better one, you don't have to sell me on it. Like I said, if you like it, keep it.

thanks for the info...do you have any opinions on this Arctic case fan?...I think I read some good things about it

https://www.amazon.com/ARCTIC-F12-PWM-PWM-Signal-Configuration/dp/B00H3T1KBE?psc=1&SubscriptionId=AKIAITNV2DFZ5GUWNVXQ&tag=techlounge0f-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B00H3T1KBE

 

[bmockeg]

Looks like its louder and pushes less air than the $5 sickleflow

 

[Kalik212]

Looks like its louder and pushes less air than the $5 sickleflow

I wonder if that CoolerMaster case fan gets good reviews only because it's cheap or if it's really that high quality in terms of cooling and low noise levels

 

[bmockeg]

I've heard of it as a good fan, most newer cases use 140mm and larger. I'm certain they will last you till you are ready to replace the case

 

[Kalik212]

if I were to get the Arctic case fans which version?...there's like 6 models...everything else being equal I'm guessing the PWM version is always the best one?

 

[bmockeg]

The sickleflow pushes 40% more air so I would recommend that, but if you want the Arctic there doesn't appear to be any benefit in any of,the others. They all appear to push the same,CFM with the same noise.

 

[Kalik212]

The sickleflow pushes 40% more air so I would recommend that, but if you want the Arctic there doesn't appear to be any benefit in any of,the others. They all appear to push the same,CFM with the same noise.

but overall you would recommend the Corsair ML120 even over the Cooler Master SickleFlow right?

as far as the Arctic fans I was just wondering why one of them was specifically labeled PWM and the others weren't...I thought maybe PWM versions were always going to be better then non-PWM

 

[bmockeg]

Only advantage of the corsair is much better bearing for long term use. The sickleflow is probably best value with the price cut.

 

[Kalik212]

I think I've finally narrowed my case fan to 2 choices...I'm leaning towards the Silent Wings 3

Silent Wings 3 PWM 120mm (High Speed version)
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA68V46Y1206&ignorebbr=1

Corsair ML120 120mm PWM
https://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Premium-Magnetic-Levitation-2-Pack/dp/B01G5I6MRK

 

[bmockeg]

No reason to pay $21. I'd get the corsair out of the 2

 

[Kalik212]

No reason to pay $21. I'd get the corsair out of the 2

thanks for all your help...if I wanted to add a PWM fan splitter, would this be the right one to get?

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812119893&cm_re=pwm_splitter-_-12-119-893-_-Product

then all I would need to do is connect the single end into the motherboard fan header and connect 2 case fans to the other side?...is there any risk or danger in using 2 fans on 1 header?...what about 2-3 splitters in the same case?...I looked at the specs for the ML120 and it shows a Power Draw of 0.219 A...so 2 fans would draw 0.438...

 

[bmockeg]

Those splitters are fine. Typically 1 header can run 4 fans

 

[Kalik212]

Those splitters are fine. Typically 1 header can run 4 fans

I looked at the manual for the ASUS ROG Strix Z370-E Gaming and it states that the max amperage for the CPU fan connector is 1A...but it doesn't specify anything for the other connectors (chassis, opt_cpu, etc)...should I assume they also are 1A connections?...if it is 1 amp that means 4 fans would use 0.876...so looks like 4 is the limit

 

[bmockeg]

They will be a 1A at least