Oct 7, 2020
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Hello. I'm having a problem deciding what to upgrade first.

What I have:
-Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H-CF Mobo
-i5 4690k 3.5 ghz
-Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo air cooler
-32GB Ram
-MSI Gtx 1070 8GB vRam
-Using 47in tv in PC mode for monitor
-750 watt Modular power supply

What I might get:

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/bYWdnL

(if link doesn't work)
-z490 Mobo
-i5 10600k
-any air/aio liquid cooler
-DDR4 Ram

Most games run great with only slight stutters once in awhile but what really bugs me is a lot of straight lines are choppy looking more so with far off lines. I was thinking about upgrading to a RTX 3080 but those seem to be sold out until 2021 so I figure why not upgrade mobo, processor, and RAM? Maybe my processor is bottlenecking my GPU? My buddy hates intel and suggests I go with AMD considering that Zen 3 stuff is coming out tomorrow but I've only ever had Intel and this pc has been running almost every game at max/ultra settings with very little problems for the last 5-6 years. (upgraded GPU from 970 during that time) I have no loyalty to Intel or AMD I just want what's going to run everything in ultra settings, I game a lot. I have around $1000 budget give or take a couple hundred.

Any and all advice would be very helpful. Thank you in advance.
 
Last edited:
Oct 7, 2020
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I posted this before but I'm not sure if I put it in the correct area. In fact I'm still not sure I'm doing this right.

I currently have a gigabyte MoBo, i5 4690k, MSI GTX 1070 8 gig, 32 gigs ram 1800, hyper 212 air cooler, 750 watt power supply. My system is about 5 years old and runs everything pretty good on high settings.

I plan on getting an RTX 3080 when they're available again so I know I'll need to upgrade everything to avoid bottlenecks.

Here's what I'm looking at:
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/GPMRsX

My problem lies in which z490 motherboard to get. I'm really trying to keep the price below $1000 which seems about impossible when I want a fancy Aio and way more ram than I probably need. I'm hoping I can pick some of this up on Amazon prime day or black Friday/ cyber Monday for a little cheaper.

I primarily game...a lot. I would like to eventually game in 4k and have everything on max settings. I plan on using the psu, gpu, and hdd/ssds from my current rig until I get the 3080. If anyone has any input/ suggestions I would greatly appreciate it.
 

Phaaze88

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-That Kraken Z is clearly a luxury item and not a necessity. It offers jack-squat over the X version in terms of performance. ~100USD saved, or spent elsewhere, with a simple swap.

-A 2x 16GB kit of the same ram would be a little cheaper...

-Regular size O11 Dynamic is a fair bit cheaper.

-The O11 chassis comes with no fans. The 360mm hybrid cooler's fans will serve as chassis fans on one end, so you'll want 3 more. Perhaps you already have 3.

Motherboard:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nakLNkNwch8
 
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Oct 7, 2020
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-That Kraken Z is clearly a luxury item and not a necessity. It offers jack-squat over the X version in terms of performance. ~100USD saved, or spent elsewhere, with a simple swap.

-A 2x 16GB kit of the same ram would be a little cheaper...

-Regular size O11 Dynamic is a fair bit cheaper.

-The O11 chassis comes with no fans. The 360mm hybrid cooler's fans will serve as chassis fans on one end, so you'll want 3 more. Perhaps you already have 3.

Motherboard:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nakLNkNwch8


Yeah, I have 5 fans now but I'll probably get rgb because all mine are just blue now. I really shouldn't mind spending more money considering I seem to upgrade/rebuild every 5 years and if I break that down im not spending very much per month to enjoy basically my only hobby. Lol. The kraken is probably overkill, would you suggest anything specific? I looked at water blocks custom loop...$560 holy crap! Not sure why I chose the larger of the lian li cases other than it had more pictures and I could see where the ssds go and the fan screens. Heh.
 

Phaaze88

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The kraken is probably overkill, would you suggest anything specific?
Just step away from the Z73 and look to the X73 instead. It should give you a fair bit more breathing room in your budget.


The O11XL is basically a slightly larger version of the original. Room for a couple more storage drives, as well as some of the larger air coolers - but this is a chassis intended for liquid cooling anyway.
 
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Oct 7, 2020
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this is a chassis intended for liquid cooling anyway.


I think I'd eventually like to get a custom loop going after I get my 3080 so I think I'll stick with the lian li case. I've been looking through them and may go with a cheaper option. I want the pc to look really pretty as it's in my livingroom under my TV and kind of a central focus. 😁
 
Oct 7, 2020
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I think this is what I've decided on:

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/K3H99N

and probably 1-2 orders of these case fans
https://www.amazon.com/GIM-Addressable-Motherboard-Controller-Adjustable/dp/B088TGMGP9

I chose the i5 instead of the i7 because from what I've read It'll be just fine for the next couple of years as the i7 seems to be overkill for my strictly gaming needs. I've opted for the smaller Lian Li case, and the Kraken x73 cooler. I think the ram I chose might be a little more than what i had before but it's cas 14 which from what I've read is better? I really don't know but I'm sure anything I get will be much better than what I have. All for around $1100.00... If anyone has any suggestions of what would be better for me for gaming please leave a comment. I would greatly appreciate it. =)
 

Phaaze88

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[Delta hit harder than expected. Power was out for 4 nights.]

Looking good!
A)Memory timings don't matter that much in Intel builds, so you're not gaining/losing anything major with looser/tighter timings.

B)I do hope those chassis fans can be synced with the rest of your hardware? Well, that's if you care about that.
I've never heard of that brand.
 
Oct 7, 2020
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Ijust said screw it and bought all this this morning. Lol.


https://pcpartpicker.com/list/3vBJxc


https://www.amazon.com/SAMSUNG-980-...=1602625360&sprefix=m.2+pci&sr=8-5&th=1&psc=1

Should have it up and running by the end of the week. I will need to up the ram voltage to support what I got and will also need to buy some more rgb case fans but for now what i have in my current case should be fine for a couple weeks. The fans I want are like $125 for 3 and I want at least 2 sets. I saw a few people had issues getting the gpu working with this motherboard but a bios update seemed to fix it. We shall see.
 
Oct 7, 2020
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I honestly don't know what I'm doing. I've forgotten everything from the research I did to build the first one 5 years ago. This pc has been good to me with only one thing going wrong in all that time. Had to replace a bad stick of ram. Going to rely on Google to put this thing together. Lol