PC Tech Would this be a significant upgrade?

[Jwheel86]

My current PC is a i7 7700k, 16gb RAM, 980ti. I use it for work (remote into a Windows 365 vm), YouTube, and games along the lines of Oxygen Not Included and Stellaris. Recent the H100 cooler has been revving up really load under load and I'm concerned it's about to die on me. 

 

 

Thinking along these lines:

Just a moment...

PCPARTPICKER.COM

 

[Spork3245]

1 hour ago, Jwheel86 said:

My current PC is a i7 7700k, 16gb RAM, 980ti. I use it for work (remote into a Windows 365 vm), YouTube, and games along the lines of Oxygen Not Included and Stellaris. Recent the H100 cooler has been revving up really load under load and I'm concerned it's about to die on me. 

 

 

Thinking along these lines:

Just a moment...

PCPARTPICKER.COM

 

Yea, that’d be a big upgrade, but is there any reason you’re going with DDR4? Also, do you have a microcenter nearby?

[Spork3245]

Also, definitely don’t spend $100+ on Windows. If your current PC’s Win10 (assuming Win10 ) is genuine then you can upgrade to 11 for free and use it in your new system. If you really want a new key you can find them for $15-25:

https://computers.woot.com/offers/microsoft-windows-11-home-or-pro-your-choice-3?utm_medium=share&utm_source=app 

[Spork3245]

@Jwheel86

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/WTYvdH

I assume you prefer an Intel build over AMD:

I changed the CPU to a 13700k as there’s a barely 1-2% difference vs the 14700k (sometimes even less) and you might as well save the price difference to put into other parts. I changed the motherboard to a better z790 (if you want to stick with ASUS swap to the Asus Z790 Prime for $20ish more), changed the RAM to significantly faster DDR5 (and you’ll have pretty lights!) which will also make a noticeable difference with this CPU (12th gen didn’t have much difference vs DDR4, 13th gen showed a nice improvement iirc), and swapped to a significantly faster video card (RTX 4070). I also removed Windows assuming you can reuse your current key, otherwise add $20-25 if you purchase from Woot.
It’s a little less than $50 more without Windows ($70-75 if you need a new Windows key) and should be a more-than-worth the $50 step up from the original build posted. You could also consider going AMD with a 7800x3D for a similar price.

 

EDIT: updated the build to a cheaper but roughly-as-good m.2 SSD: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/VPKzh3

Now the price is down to $1664.42 without Windows, less than $20 more than the original build.

[cusideabelincoln]

It's a good upgrade, but you would need to do more demanding tasks or play more demanding games to really see the benefit.

 

Now considering that, there are a few changes I'd make.

 

-Downgrade the 14700k to the 13600k

 

-The 4060 Ti isn't a terribly great card because of the 8GB of VRAM. Games are starting to benefit from more than that, so in the future this can start to suck really bad. Even though there is a 16GB version of the 4060 Ti, it's not a good value. Even though I said what you currently do is fine, maybe something in the future catches your eye. In which case you should get a 4070 or consider the Radeon 7800XT

 

-DDR5 version of the motherboard along with DDR5 RAM.

 

-I believe there are some other SSDs almost as good (or sometimes better) than the 980 Pro for less. Prices fluctuate a lot though, thanks to sales.

 

[Spork3245]

7 minutes ago, cusideabelincoln said:

I believe there are some other SSDs almost as good (or sometimes better) than the 980 Pro for less. Prices fluctuate a lot though, thanks to sales.

Unfortunately I checked and all the prices seem to be up from a couple weeks ago. Mostly looked at SK Hynix and Western Digital. I don’t know how Crucial P5 compares to the durability of the others mentioned or I’d have checked that too.

 

Dropping to the 13600k would save another $70 off the build I proposed, though, thinking about it, the KF makes more sense unless he wants the integrated video as a backup, as the KF is $30 cheaper than the 13600k.

[cusideabelincoln]

3 minutes ago, Spork3245 said:

Unfortunately I checked and all the prices seem to be up from a couple weeks ago. Mostly looked at SK Hynix and Western Digital. I don’t know how Crucial P5 compares to the durability of the others mentioned or I’d have checked that too.

 

The P5 Plus is basically in the same class the 980 Pro and WD SN850. Sometimes it's better, sometimes not. And I've seen it be <$90 several times this year (even bought one). It's an awesome drive, with the same advertised endurance as the 980 pro.

[Spork3245]

5 minutes ago, cusideabelincoln said:

 

The P5 Plus is basically in the same class the 980 Pro and WD SN850. Sometimes it's better, sometimes not. And I've seen it be <$90 several times this year (even bought one). It's an awesome drive, with the same advertised endurance as the 980 pro.

Looks like the 2tb P5 Plus is $117, but if you buy it with a preinstalled heatsink it’s $105 (wtf  ). Prices really jumped in the past 2-3 weeks, I think this was like $80ish around Black Friday.

I edited my build so @Jwheel86can save some money, though  

[cusideabelincoln]

And concerning his old PC:

 

IF you don't hear gurgling noises or any other weird noises coming from the water pump, I bet the thermal paste has just dried out too much which is causing more heat to build up. And this is an easy fix to keep the system running for whatever reason (sell it off, backup). edit: But if new paste doesn't fix the issue, and everything sounds fine, then there's probably gunk build-up inside which means replacement time (not an easy fix to do yourself, if at all possible).

[Jwheel86]

10 hours ago, Spork3245 said:

Yea, that’d be a big upgrade, but is there any reason you’re going with DDR4? Also, do you have a microcenter nearby?

 

I completely check out of PC hardware once I buy a PC so I just slapped that list together.

 

8 hours ago, Spork3245 said:

@Jwheel86

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/WTYvdH

I assume you prefer an Intel build over AMD:

I changed the CPU to a 13700k as there’s a barely 1-2% difference vs the 14700k (sometimes even less) and you might as well save the price difference to put into other parts. I changed the motherboard to a better z790 (if you want to stick with ASUS swap to the Asus Z790 Prime for $20ish more), changed the RAM to significantly faster DDR5 (and you’ll have pretty lights!) which will also make a noticeable difference with this CPU (12th gen didn’t have much difference vs DDR4, 13th gen showed a nice improvement iirc), and swapped to a significantly faster video card (RTX 4070). I also removed Windows assuming you can reuse your current key, otherwise add $20-25 if you purchase from Woot.
It’s a little less than $50 more without Windows ($70-75 if you need a new Windows key) and should be a more-than-worth the $50 step up from the original build posted. You could also consider going AMD with a 7800x3D for a similar price.

 

EDIT: updated the build to a cheaper but roughly-as-good m.2 SSD: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/VPKzh3

Now the price is down to $1664.42 without Windows, less than $20 more than the original build.

 

Is a liquid cooler needed? I don't plan to OC anything. 

 

8 hours ago, cusideabelincoln said:

And concerning his old PC:

 

IF you don't hear gurgling noises or any other weird noises coming from the water pump, I bet the thermal paste has just dried out too much which is causing more heat to build up. And this is an easy fix to keep the system running for whatever reason (sell it off, backup). edit: But if new paste doesn't fix the issue, and everything sounds fine, then there's probably gunk build-up inside which means replacement time (not an easy fix to do yourself, if at all possible).

 

Are any of those temps concerning? I don't notice a big difference when it revs down.  

[cusideabelincoln]

34 minutes ago, Jwheel86 said:

 

I completely check out of PC hardware once I buy a PC so I just slapped that list together.

 

 

Is a liquid cooler needed? I don't plan to OC anything. 

 

 

Are any of those temps concerning? I don't notice a big difference when it revs down.  

A 14700k does need a liquid cooler. It uses a lot of power. 14600k or 13600k can get by with a good air cooler, but liquid is preferred. Compared to the old 7700k, these newer CPUs putting off 2-3 times heat and wattage.

 

Out of the box, these CPUs are designed to overclock themselves, and you can change these parameters. More power+performance = more heat, and vice versa. So technically you don't need liquid because you can configure the CPU to run at a lower power draw. You'll sacrifice maybe 5-10% gaming performance depending on how low you go. The biggest drop in performance comes in fully multithreaded applications that use the entire CPU at once.

 

If you were playing a game those temps look fine.

 

If you were doing nothing, then they are a bit high. Even the GPU is high.

 

I'd also guess you have some dust buildup in the heatsinks and radiators.  A good cleaning can help temps too.

[AbsolutSurgen]

3 hours ago, Jwheel86 said:

 

I completely check out of PC hardware once I buy a PC so I just slapped that list together.

 

 

Is a liquid cooler needed? I don't plan to OC anything. 

 

 

Are any of those temps concerning? I don't notice a big difference when it revs down.  

If you want RGB, many AIOs include an RGB controller -- and they also have fans that can save you from buying additional case fans.  I don't think liquid cooling is actually much more expensive than air in many cases.

[Spork3245]

4 hours ago, Jwheel86 said:

Is a liquid cooler needed? I don't plan to OC anything. 

You might be able to get by with a higher end air cooler, but I would just keep the AIO liquid cooler you picked.

[Jwheel86]

17 hours ago, Spork3245 said:

@Jwheel86

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/WTYvdH

I assume you prefer an Intel build over AMD:

I changed the CPU to a 13700k as there’s a barely 1-2% difference vs the 14700k (sometimes even less) and you might as well save the price difference to put into other parts. I changed the motherboard to a better z790 (if you want to stick with ASUS swap to the Asus Z790 Prime for $20ish more), changed the RAM to significantly faster DDR5 (and you’ll have pretty lights!) which will also make a noticeable difference with this CPU (12th gen didn’t have much difference vs DDR4, 13th gen showed a nice improvement iirc), and swapped to a significantly faster video card (RTX 4070). I also removed Windows assuming you can reuse your current key, otherwise add $20-25 if you purchase from Woot.
It’s a little less than $50 more without Windows ($70-75 if you need a new Windows key) and should be a more-than-worth the $50 step up from the original build posted. You could also consider going AMD with a 7800x3D for a similar price.

 

EDIT: updated the build to a cheaper but roughly-as-good m.2 SSD: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/VPKzh3

Now the price is down to $1664.42 without Windows, less than $20 more than the original build.

 

Idiot question. I noticed a lot of motherboards have a heat spreader over the M.2 slots. Do you take the heat sink off the drive or use both?  

[Spork3245]

4 hours ago, Jwheel86 said:

 

Idiot question. I noticed a lot of motherboards have a heat spreader over the M.2 slots. Do you take the heat sink off the drive or use both?  

It’s not an idiot question at all: it’s a super common one tbh. So, the m.2 I put in there was cheaper with a heatsink for whatever reason. Because it already has a heatsink installed you’d either not use the one built into the motherboard or you’d remove the m.2 from the heatsink it came with.

BUT, I think the center m.2 on that motherboard (next to the 1x PCIE port) doesn’t have a built-in heatsink so you could just use that port: just check the motherboard’s manual to make sure it’s a gen4 m.2 port.

[SuperSpreader]

On 12/10/2023 at 1:52 AM, Spork3245 said:

Now the price is down to $1664.42 without Windows, less than $20 more

Just a moment...

PCPARTPICKER.COM

 

 

[Spork3245]

3 hours ago, SuperSpreader said:

Just a moment...

PCPARTPICKER.COM

 

 

That RAM is significantly slower, it’s CL36. But, yea, he can save money with a non-Corsair cooler, though IIRC, that MSI one has a high failure rate. Cooler Master or ID Cooling I think perform well: but I’d check reviews to see how they fair against the Corsair.

[Spork3245]

@Jwheel86 if you want to go air-cooled, the Be Quiet Dark Pro 5 seems to be a good choice, currently $80 at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/quiet-Cooling-Immensely-high-Performance-BK036/dp/B0CJY3DYQ3/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3CF3YN53GF1N2&keywords=be%2Bquiet%2Bdark%2Brock%2Bpro%2B5&qid=1702393914&sprefix=be%2Bquiet%2Bda%2Caps%2C85&sr=8-2&th=1

Aesthetically I prefer the 240mm AIO, especially the Corsair as they tend to have the best RGB. But if you don't care about that it looks like the Dark Rock Pro 5 while in it's quiet mode should only be about 10% higher thermals-wise from a decent 240mm AIO with a 13700k:

Intel Core i7-13700K Thermal Results - Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro V and Dark Rock Elite Review: Kings of Quiet Cooling - Page 2 | Tom's Hardware

WWW.TOMSHARDWARE.COM

---

Can you hear that? No? I didn’t think so.

 

 

The Elite version is another good option, but it's about $35 more than the current sale price of the Pro 5.

[Jwheel86]

35 minutes ago, Spork3245 said:

@Jwheel86 if you want to go air-cooled, the Be Quiet Dark Pro 5 seems to be a good choice, currently $80 at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/quiet-Cooling-Immensely-high-Performance-BK036/dp/B0CJY3DYQ3/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3CF3YN53GF1N2&keywords=be%2Bquiet%2Bdark%2Brock%2Bpro%2B5&qid=1702393914&sprefix=be%2Bquiet%2Bda%2Caps%2C85&sr=8-2&th=1

Aesthetically I prefer the 240mm AIO, especially the Corsair as they tend to have the best RGB. But if you don't care about that it looks like the Dark Rock Pro 5 while in it's quiet mode should only be about 10% higher thermals-wise from a decent 240mm AIO with a 13700k:

Intel Core i7-13700K Thermal Results - Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro V and Dark Rock Elite Review: Kings of Quiet Cooling - Page 2 | Tom's Hardware

WWW.TOMSHARDWARE.COM

---

Can you hear that? No? I didn’t think so.

 

 

The Elite version is another good option, but it's about $35 more than the current sale price of the Pro 5.

 

I leaning towards the NZXT cooler, mostly for the stupid display. The Corsair case seems to only have one fan, should I get more? 

[Spork3245]

56 minutes ago, Jwheel86 said:

 

I leaning towards the NZXT cooler, mostly for the stupid display. The Corsair case seems to only have one fan, should I get more? 

 

Which NZXT cooler? The Kraken?

 

The 4000D comes with 2 120mm fans, so you'd want one or two more so you can have 2-3 intake + 1 rear exhaust (if you're getting a 240mm AIO it'll come with two 120mm fans that you'll ideally want to mount on the top as exhaust - if you're not getting the AIO and are going air, I'd get at least two more case fans so you have 3x intake and 1x exhaust, if temps are high then add 2 more for top-exhaust)

[SuperSpreader]

I have noctua fans + nzxt aio cooler and I never, ever, ever, ever hear my PC make a noise

[AbsolutSurgen]

3 hours ago, Jwheel86 said:

 

I leaning towards the NZXT cooler, mostly for the stupid display. The Corsair case seems to only have one fan, should I get more? 

If you're planning on going RGB, you need to consider what software you're using to control everything.  Ideally, you don't want to have multiple apps running.

The Corsair also has a display that is sold separately.

[AbsolutSurgen]

On 12/10/2023 at 10:06 PM, Jwheel86 said:

 

Idiot question. I noticed a lot of motherboards have a heat spreader over the M.2 slots. Do you take the heat sink off the drive or use both?  

I've lost track of which MB you're getting.

If you're still with the Asus MB -- you'll probably want to use the m.2 slots that go direct to the CPU, rather than through the chipset first.  Some MBs have a PCIe 5 slot -- which you would ideally want to leave free (unless you're putting in a 5.0 drive).  Using that slot may limit the bandwidth available to your GPU (by reducing the amount of lanes from the GPU slot to the CPU from 16 to 8).

[Jwheel86]

12 hours ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

If you're planning on going RGB, you need to consider what software you're using to control everything.  Ideally, you don't want to have multiple apps running.

The Corsair also has a display that is sold separately.

 

This what I'm leaning towards, I just can't decide on a case. I really like the NZXT H6 but I don't want to have to use Cam and iCue, suggestions or alternative cases? 

 

Just a moment...

PCPARTPICKER.COM

 

[Spork3245]

12 hours ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

If you're planning on going RGB, you need to consider what software you're using to control everything.  Ideally, you don't want to have multiple apps running.

The Corsair also has a display that is sold separately.

Yea, iCue is the easiest and most user-friendly RGB software by a lot, it’s one of the reasons I left the h100i on there rather than switching to something cheaper.
You can buy the LCD screen for the Elite/Cappelix models separately or you can buy a version with the screen already installed (it prices out the same either way).

 

The screen is fun

 

[Spork3245]

2 minutes ago, Jwheel86 said:

 

This what I'm leaning towards, I just can't decide on a case. I really like the NZXT H6 but I don't want to have to use Cam and iCue, suggestions or alternative cases? 

 

Just a moment...

PCPARTPICKER.COM

 

You don’t want to use CAM and iCue at all or you don’t want to have them running simultaneously?

[Jwheel86]

2 minutes ago, Spork3245 said:

You don’t want to use CAM and iCue at all or you don’t want to have them running simultaneously?

 

Can I control the NZXT fans in icue?

[Spork3245]

4 hours ago, Jwheel86 said:

 

Can I control the NZXT fans in icue?

No, you’d have to use a fan controller (either physical or via your motherboard’s software if you connect the fans to the ports on your mobo), and if they’re RGB you’d either have to use NZXT’s software or something like OpenRGB (both are a PITA and trash tbh). If it’s a Corsair fan controller I think you can control the speeds in iCue, just not the RGB, though.

 

Here’s an alternative case if you want to be “unified” under one software and it comes with RGB fans:

Corsair Icue 465X RGB Mid-Tower ATX Smart Case, Black https://a.co/d/ddQiZ22
 

It comes with 3x Corsair LL120 RGB fans. Only downsides vs the other cases suggested are its a hair smaller (really only an issue with a 360mm AIO, which still fits but is a little tight) and it doesn’t have a USB-C port on the front, just 2x 3.0 (or 3.1? Can’t remember) type-A ports.

 

[Spork3245]

Corsair also has a 4000d + h100i + RM850x PSU + 3x SP120 RGB Fan bundle for $400:

4000D Airflow with Power Supply, AIO Cooler, and Fans Bundle

WWW.CORSAIR.COM

---

 

 

You’d need to buy the LCD Screen kit for the cooler separately ($90 iirc)

[Spork3245]

1 hour ago, Spork3245 said:

No, you’d have to use a fan controller (either physical or via your motherboard’s software if you connect the fans to the ports on your mobo), and if they’re RGB you’d either have to use NZXT’s software or something like OpenRGB (both are a PITA and trash tbh).

 

Here’s an alternative case if you want to be “unified” under one software and it to come with RGB fans:

Corsair Icue 465X RGB Mid-Tower ATX Smart Case, Black https://a.co/d/ddQiZ22
 

It comes with 3x Corsair LL120 RGB fans. Only downsides vs the other cases suggested are its a hair smaller (really only an issue with a 360mm AIO, which still fits but is a little tight) and it doesn’t have a USB-C port on the front, just 2x 3.0 (or 3.1? Can’t remember) type-A ports.

 

I read up on this case a little more: air flow + temps all seem comparable with the 4000 air flow series. Besides the previously mentioned lack of a USB-C port built in, and being slightly smaller is that top mounting an AIO has seemingly just enough clearance with where/how an ATX mobo mounts and it’s unlikely you’d be able to do a push + pull set-up (fans on both sides of the AIO). If you’re just doing fans on one-side then it should be okay (looks like the fans/radiator might be close to the RAM, which isn’t an issue but something to be aware of).

[Spork3245]

BTW, if you just want to go balls out on your case and not give a shit about price, these are my current favorites  

 

https://www.coolermaster.com/catalog/cases/full-tower/haf-700-evo/

 

https://hyte.com/store/y70?v=162

 

https://www.corsair.com/us/en/p/pc-cases/cc-9011230-ww/icue-5000t-rgb-tempered-glass-mid-tower-atx-pc-case-black-cc-9011230-ww

 

[SuperSpreader]

I use NZXTs software but have a Corsair keyboard that I use iCue for.

[AbsolutSurgen]

7 hours ago, Jwheel86 said:

 

Can I control the NZXT fans in icue?

One of the challenges of RGB is the various different software packages you need to keep running to support it.  They are all a drain on your system (some more than others), and sometimes the RGB that you want may not coordinate between different packages.

I decided to go with Corsair fans (and AIO), RAM, Keyboard.  Corsair's iCue can also control Asus video cards and motherboards.

5 hours ago, Spork3245 said:

BTW, if you just want to go balls out on your case and not give a shit about price, these are my current favorites  

 

https://www.coolermaster.com/catalog/cases/full-tower/haf-700-evo/

 

https://hyte.com/store/y70?v=162

 

https://www.corsair.com/us/en/p/pc-cases/cc-9011230-ww/icue-5000t-rgb-tempered-glass-mid-tower-atx-pc-case-black-cc-9011230-ww

 

That Hyte case is over the top.  

[Jwheel86]

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/f7BvDZ

 

Final list, I think. Look okay? Stupid?

[Spork3245]

4 hours ago, Jwheel86 said:

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/f7BvDZ

 

Final list, I think. Look okay? Stupid?

Looks good!