new system build/help/advice

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Kalik212

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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!
 
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Kalik212

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Kalik212

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Kalik212

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I've always been a fan of G.Skill as well but a lot of people claim the Corsair Dominator Platinum is just as good or better

what's the difference between the one you linked and the one I linked in an earlier post?...yours just has higher timings?...and was made for an earlier Intel generation of CPU's?...this is the one I linked earlier...

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820232217&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-VigLink2-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=12087162&PID=8167372&SID=jl77jvh26g000a1705278&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_source=afc-VigLink2

 
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bmockeg

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Buy whichever suites you, they don't make the memory they just assemble it. Its all typically the same thing with different branding. Most people buy Gskill at the moment, corsair, crucial, Kingston, team probably all work just as well. If there's a part that you could buy without worry about brand it would be RAM. Paying more money for,RAM is,also the biggest waste IMO
 
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Kalik212

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so I have everything set to order...the only dilemmas are...

1) should I wait 5 weeks for the 9700K/9900K release

2) is it better to keep my i7 980X for a bit longer (6- 12 months) as I'm able to get 60fps in most of my current games at 1440p...plus most benchmarks show the 2600K (close enough to my 980X) as still being a very viable CPU even today in terms of gaming

3) keep the i7 980X for a bit and upgrade to the GTX 2070 which will be cheaper then building out a new system and more beneficial in terms of noticeable improvements (I have a 1440p 144hz G-Sync monitor)
 
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bmockeg

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Most i7 CPUs are still fine for gaming. What decision you make is based on YOUR personal preference.

You won't get a huge boost in upgrading a CPU as there hasn't been big gains in technology since the 1st i7 CPUs. Playing at a higher resolution depends much more on the GPU than the CPU. If you are currently playing the games you like and not having issues, why change?

The best upgrade in your situation would be GPU if you need more gaming performance. The rest of your system is getting outdated and eventually parts will start to fail, probably getting time for a new PSU at a minimum.
 
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Kalik212

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good points...I'm mainly looking for a complete upgrade to get everything current...my current rig doesn't have USB 3, PCIe 3, SATA6 or NVMe support...a complete upgrade paired with my 1440p monitor and GTX 1070 should show a decent boost but a GPU upgrade would definitely get a bigger boost...either way it's nice to have a complete system build log so I can just jump in anytime

 
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Kalik212

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I have another newbish question...in the ASUS ROG Strix Z370-E Gaming motherboard manual it states that the rear I/O is covered by the following:

1 x DVI-D
1 x DisplayPort
1 x HDMI
1 x LAN (RJ45) port(
2 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A + USB Type-C
2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 (blue)
2 x USB 2.0
1 x Optical S/PDIF out
5 x Audio jack(s)
1 x ASUS Wi-Fi GO! module (Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth v4.1)

looking at a pic of the I/O shield, I don't see all 6 USB ports...I attached a pic where I labeled some of them...is that correct and where is the last one?...so the blue ones are USB 3.1?...and the black ones directly above it are the USB 3.0 ports?...red one is USB 2.0?...so where is the last USB port?...*click the pic to make it bigger




 
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Kalik212

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thanks for the help...are you saying the 6th one is underneath the one I labeled as '5'?...but why does the port look much smaller with a different design and no red color?...how can you tell which port is 3.1 and 2.0?...just by the color alone?...they always share the same color scheme across different motherboards and manufacturers?

so USB type-C does not accept the typical USB connections plug found in the 'normal' USB ports?...I'm asking because I have at least 4 USB devices I would want to plug into the I/O port
 
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Kalik212

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why do they differentiate between USB 3.1, 2.0 etc?...I thought 3.1 was backwards compatible with everything that came before?...so why wouldn't they just make all 6 ports USB 3.1?...specifically what's the point of the USB 2.0 ports?

 
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