Some questions about buying a new CPU and MB

[regenzeus]

Hello,

I am in the process of buying a new PC. I have done some research but there are some questions that I was not able to answer myself. I would like to ask them to you.

I am currently looking at an i7 7700. I am unsure if I should buy a K-version or not. In the past I always bought K with the idea in mind that I would be able to eventually overclock the system to get more life out of it. This however hasn't really happened. The CPU was never really the bottleneck in any way. I currently have a 4770k and it is doing just fine without overclocking.

(Before you tell me that if I have a 4770k already I don't need to upgrade: I don't upgrade. I just need a second PC. I live in two places at once and don't want to carry a PC arround with me. I also don't want a laptop.)

I thought that the advantage of the K version is that the clock multipler has no cap so you can run the CPU faster then originally intended. Other then that there should be no difference right?

Well, it seems like the 7700k version is faster then the 7700 version out of the box without any overclocking taking place. Did I observe this correctly? The price difference between this models is about 40€ which is quite a lot imo. Does it make sense to buy a K if you don't really plan on overclocking?

Secondly I have watched some videos that show that some 270 MBs give way to much voltage to the CPU so it becomes really hot and consumes a lot of power. I don't have a clue what to look for when buying a mainboard since they seem to all be the same. Could you guys help me and suggest some good 270 MBs? I dont care about the design at all. I only care about bare functionality.

Regarding the application that this PC will be used in. The most CPU demanding will probably be gaming. I am also toying arround with the idea of getting me some VR gear.

Edit: Oh I also have a 144Hz 1440p monitor so the gaming demands are quiet high. I am undecided if I will buy a 1070 or a 1080. Maybe I will just buy a really bad graphics card as bridge solution and wait for the AMD cards because my monitor has free sync but no g sync.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Merle]

Well, for the first part your observations are correct. It is indeed just the free multiplicator for overclocking plus an increased base and turbo clockrate. That is, on the other hand, not really insignificant. We are talking about 4,2/4,5GHz vs. 3,6/4,2GHz (base/turbo).
If i would invest in an i7, i would pick the k version. I would overclock so my preferences are probably more obvious though.

No clue on the mainboard part.

If you're interested in using Free/G-Sync I would consider bridging the time as well with some cheap hardware. That really depends on your gaming requirements. I always preferred vsync (quality wise), so i would do as you suggested.

 

[HominiLupus]

You should buy a K version simply cause it is clocked higher, yes. Compared to the price difference between i5-7600k and i7-7700 it's not a lot, no.

The voltage thing might be a microcode/firmware problem with the platform and soon fixed. Even if not, you should still be able to undervolt manually.

Buy a B250 mainboard. There is not really a suitable reason to buy a H270 one: better save on the board to invest more into the CPU. The pretty much only important reason to buy a "better" mainboard are features like NVMe M.2 slot or USB 3.1, better sound, better NIC: none of them depends on the chipset. The chipsets itself are irrelevant between B250 and H270. Back in the day one could do FakeRAID, but in the age of SSDs this is irrelevant.
If you want a bare one, get the cheapest B250 with 4 DIMM slots. If you want more like M.2 and USB 3.1, invest 20€ more.

For a cheap bridging videocard: buy a used one. 7950 and up.

 

[SpiII]

If the 4770k has enough power for you, the 7700 should be fine, if you want to save 40€ to the k-model.
Maybe you can choose a Skylake CPU with unlocked multiplier.

If you want to undervolt because of the high temperature, you will need a Z-Chipset or a H-Chipset. I think H-Chipset also can adjust the voltages. Maybe some lower chipsets like H or B could also adjust the voltage but you have to find out which model exactly give you this option in UEFI/BIOS.

About graphics card: minimum a 1070, but ultra settings and 144hz will be problematic sometimes. it depends on settings and the game/engine.

 

[sloven]

7700 or 7700k: Your decission. The 7700k ist about 6 % faster but more than 10 % expensive. If you want to buy a really fast system, go for 7700k or.... wait a month. AMD is expected to bring out the Ryzen-Prozessor, which might be faster and cheaper, depending on your games you want to play.

If you choose the 7700 (without k), spend less money for the mainboard. You will not need an expensive Z270-Mainboard, which were made for overclocking, which is not possible with the 7700.

Mainboards: There was an error in the microcode in the new CPUs from Intel. A new bios for the X2XX Mainboards from Intel will fix this. There is no reason, not to buy a X2XX Mainboard.

GPU:
Try a 480 Card from AMD. This one is not the fastes card on the market, but will fit to your monitor (freesync).
Later this your, you will be able to sell ist it for about 200 Euros (Loss: About 30 €, try mydealz.de to find the 480, 8gb, for about 230-235 € and the so calles VEGA will be at least as fast as the 1080, but will support freesync.

 

[HominiLupus]

AMD is expected to bring out the Ryzen-Prozessor, which might be faster and cheaper, depending on your games you want to play.

This I simply deny. It might be, hopefully is, fast enough, but it won't best a 6 year old, very much refined and optimized architecture and still the best manufacturing process in the world, on the first try. Hopefully it is a bit cheaper tho.

 

[regenzeus]

Thanks for your answers.

I will buy the K Version. I thought that maybe instead of buying a cheap graphics card, I could use the Intel Graphic chip inside the CPU for it? Sure it is slow but for a month I can handle it...

I also could think about moving the graphics card with me. I have a gtx 780. I dont want to bring the whole PC with me but the card would be fine.

I was planning on buying a M.2 SSD so I have to take that into account when choosing a mainboard.

Do I understand the mainboard buying process correct? My algorithm atm is the following:

"Buy cheapest mainboard with desired chipset that has all the slots/interfaces that I need and that is from a resonably reputable company."

Regarding the graphics card. I don't care that much if its in the highest settings. Sure it would be nice but what I really care about is the resolution and the framerate.

Also: Can you please recommend me a good air cooler for the CPU? I always tend to go way over the top with that... But I am not sure because it seems like Kaby lake is really hot so maybe a more expensive one is necessary?

 

[HominiLupus]

Only buy a M.2 NVMe SSD when it costs only 5$ more than SATA and is an actual PCIe x4 model. Otherwise it's a waste of money, on a gaming PC especially.

Also buy cheapest chipset which has the features. There are only 3 categories: H110 (less RAM and fewer ports), B*/H* (they are equal für all intents and purposes), Z* (for overclocking and SLI).
Typically 4 reputable manufacturers in alphabetical order: Asrock, Asus, Gigabyte, MSI.

A EKL Ben Nevis will suffice for cooling. Kaby Lake is not hotter or if it is right now it's only a firmware problem, since it's the same damn CPU as Skylake, no differences that are actually meaningful. If you want to go overboard, silent freak, semi passive cooling, etc.: Macho 120. That is the upper limit pricewise without OC, and there are many many people who use the Macho 120 for successful OC.

 

[regenzeus]

I wanted to go with this SSD since it recommended in the Sticky thread in this forum:
https://www.mindfactory.de/product_...A-6Gb-s-TLC-Toggle--MZ-N5E500BW-_1004681.html

Thanks, I think I will go with the Macho 120. I am sure the cheaper one is fine too but I like that one better for some random reason.

 

[HominiLupus]

Cause they are simply morons. You only advise for a M.2 SATA SSD if you are space constrained (Notebook, Mini ITX case, etc.), otherwise it's a waste of a precious socket. Only future usable precious socket, but still.

 

[regenzeus]

Hey HominiLupus. I really appriciate your advice. I tend to agree with you, however I will still buy the M.2 SSD because the 2,5" model of the same SSD is pretty much exactly the same price and I have made really good experiences with the EVO series. I have 4 of these (840 but still) in use atm and they worked perfectly for a long time. So I want to go with the same series again. I also think I can spare the slot.

(I also find it more convenient if I have less cable salat in my case... I tend to be not very proficient when it comes to cable management.)

https://www.mindfactory.de/product_...TA-6Gb-s-TLC-Toggle--MZ-75E500B-E_987649.html

Have a good day Sir!

 

[Merle]

I tend to be not very proficient when it comes to cable management.

thats a cross most of us have to bear

 

[HominiLupus]

The EVO series is fine, but buy the 2.5" version. Keep the M.2 Slot free so you can buy a new, much much faster SSD in 2 years, a Samsung 1060 Evo or whatever.

 

[regenzeus]

All right, you are persistent enough to convince me that I am probably wrong and since I don't care about it that much anyway I will go with the 2.5" version.

Why open such a thread if you are not going to listen to the members anyway?