[SOLVED] Will my H310 motherboard bottleneck my build?

[imrannazlan]

I'm trying to do build my first gaming pc. The specs I've settled on for now is:

[Chasis] Cougar QBX ITX
[Motherboard] ASROCK H310CM-ITX/ac
[GPU] Zotac GTX 1080 TI Amp Extreme
[CPU] Intel i5 9400f
[Ram] Corsair Vengance LPX DDR4 1x16GB 2666Mhz
[PSU] Armaggeddon Voltron Gold 600w

I've been kinda worried looking at reviews and the "heads up's" I've gotten for H310 motherboards. The most recent thing I got was "The H310 chipset is not the best one for gaming and they cannot overclock the processors but as there are locked Intel processors available too, it means that it is best to use them with the H310 chipset."

I don't intend on overclocking any of my components, so I don't know if I should be worried about it as much. But I am worried. Will it bottleneck or limit the CPU or GPU and overall performance in any way? I'm not too mobo savvy.

The link to the motherboard I'm looking at:
https://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/H310CM-ITXac/index.asp

 

[AJNameS]

Barely, if it really does. As u said, such things are really related much more to overclocking. The PC is the CPU, gpu &ram, and mobo is them just overclocking for whoever wants to.

 

[MADD617]

I can't answer your question, but I'd like to know why you've chosen only 1 RAM card (not 2x 8gb)?

 

[sizzling]

Your hardware will perform just as well on this board as it would a Z370/390 board. You won’t be using the features a Z370/390 offers. However as above why 1 stick of RAM? That significantly impacts performance and the idea of adding a second stick later carries a risk of issues.

 

[imrannazlan]

I can't answer your question, but I'd like to know why you've chosen only 1 RAM card (not 2x 8gb)?

That's the budget I can currently afford. I intend to purchase a second exact same ram maybe a couple months down the line.

 

[MADD617]

Don't buy RAM separately and try to use them both in the same PC - they probably won't work. (Scroll to "mixed memory")
https://forums.tomshardware.com/faq...y-ram-and-xmp-profile-configurations.3398926/

 

[Wolfshadw]

Not sure of the pricing in your location, but lower your graphic card budget and increase your RAM and Power Supply budget.

-Wolf sends

 

[sizzling]

That's the budget I can currently afford. I intend to purchase a second exact same ram maybe a couple months down the line.

Unfortunately buying the exact same RAM does not guarantee it will work without issues. In most cases it does work but there is a risk of issues. Only RAM bought as a matched kit is guaranteed to work correctly together.

 

[geofelt]

Love those ITX builds.

On the motherboard, you are good.

On ram, 16gb is fine for a gaming build.
Make that ram a 2 x 8gb kit.
You will not need more unless you are multitasking while gaming.
If you later really want 32gb, plan on selling the old kit and replacing it.

I have a bit of a concern on the psu.
Your case supports only a 140mm long psu and I have no information on the unit you describe.
Past that, I have no information as to the quality.
You would be better off with a known good quality psu that is only 140mm long.
Seasonic focus, for example.

GTX1080ti is a great card. The Zotac version you picked is a highly overclocked version that needs more than the usual 600w.
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm
You might want to plan on more like 650w for that card.
Or, back off to a normal GTX1080ti or a RTX2070 super.

I might presume that you will use a m.2 ssd for the only drive and perhaps a couple of 120mm intakes for the bottom to give the graphics card cooling air.

The 9400f will be ok with the stock cooler, but mount it properly.
Here is how:
----------------how to mount the stock Intel cooler--------------

The stock Intel cooler can be tricky to install.
A poor installation will result in higher cpu temperatures.
If properly mounted, you should expect temperatures at idle to be 10-15c. over ambient.

To mount the Intel stock cooler properly, place the motherboard on top of the foam or cardboard backing that was packed with the motherboard.
The stock cooler will come with paste pre applied, it looks like three grey strips.
The 4 push pins should come in the proper position for installation, that is with the pins rotated in the opposite direction of the arrow,(clockwise)
and pulled up as far as they can go.
Take the time to play with the pushpin mechanism until you know how they work.

Orient the 4 pins so that they are exactly over the motherboard holes.
If one is out of place, you will damage the pins which are delicate.
Push down on a DIAGONAL pair of pins at the same time. Then the other pair.

When you push down on the top black pins, it expands the white plastic pins to fix the cooler in place.

If you do them one at a time, you will not get the cooler on straight.
Lastly, look at the back of the motherboard to verify that all 4 pins are equally through the motherboard, and that the cooler is on firmly.
This last step must be done, which is why the motherboard should be out of the case to do the job. Or you need a case with a opening that lets you see the pins.
It is possible to mount the cooler with the motherboard mounted in the case, but you can then never be certain that the push pins are inserted properly
unless you can verify that the pins are through the motherboard and locked.

If you should need to remove the cooler, turn the pins counter clockwise to unlock them.
You will need to clean off the old paste and reapply new if you ever take the cooler off.
Clean off old paste with alcohol and a lint free paper like a coffee filter.
Apply new paste sparingly. A small rice sized drop in the center will spread our under heat and pressure.
Too much paste is bad, it will act as an insulator.
It is hard to use too little.

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