New PC For both gaming and Emulation

gamedev21

Hey Guys,

I wanted to ask your opinion on my build

Cant post link because im a new user sooooo

CPU I7 6700K

CPU Cooler Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler

MB Asus MAXIMUS VIII HERO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard

Memory G.Skill TridentZ Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3400 Memory

Storage Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" SSD + Western Digital
. . Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

GPU MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card

Case Cooler Master Storm Trooper ATX Full Tower Case

Power supply EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX




1. What is your budget? 2000 euro (roughly)

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? 4k Gaming and Emulation, the likes of PCSX2 Dolphin etc

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? No, Ill dig one up somewhere :L

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? Going to a family member so no

5. Do you need a monitor? Yes, this is an interesting one I'm open to suggestions

5a. If yes, what size do you need. open to suggestions

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future? Current monitor is a 50" TV 1080P 1024x768 i think

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? No, I have the basics to get me going

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? Most definitely, its a necessity for the emulators

8. How can you pay? Debit Card/PayPal

9. When are you purchasing? 26th of this month

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? I do not


I dont know why the artic thermal paste is there I meant to remove it so ignore that one, I know the H100I comes with pre applied paste

The reason the power supply is that high is because i'm stuck between getting a GTX 980TI or waiting for the new pascal GPU's and I i decide to go with the 980TI I might have to go SLI in the future

I'm also worried 16Gb is not enough ram

any suggestions welcome

Digital Solitude

Not sure about Dolphin but PCSX2 is really easy to run, I was actually going to say that 8gb RAM is likely enough.

Please don't hook this up to a 1280x768 monitor :pac:

Looks grand on the whole scale though.

A similarly priced air cooler can be better than liquid CPU coolers, I'd have a look at that

gamedev21

Thanks for the feed back, as long as the Cooler doesn't interfere with the ram I'm not 2 fussed, Need to see some comparisons tho before I switch encase it screws with the overclock

Eoinmc97

The H100i shouldn't obtrude into the RAM on the Storm Trooper. Looks good to me! (You might be able to save on your PSU, maybe knocking down to a 750 Modular unit?)
I noticed the motherboard you have chosen is quite expensive. Any particular reason for this board? Could the Ranger version do, (or Gigabyte's Gaming K3?)
Just shop around I guess for the best value. Good luck!

gamedev21

I went with the Hero VIII purely on the reviews, I have never owned a Hero Mb before and there a few minor differences I like, the USB 3.0 for example

tech.firstpost.com/product/compare-motherboards/compare-maximus-viii-hero-399482-vs-maximus-viii-ranger-399502-vs-z97deluxeusb-31-390732.html

you need to put http:// infront of tech first, I still cant post links :L

Serephucus

Only thing that I'd say is if you do go with a H100i or similar, do yourself a favour and replace the stock fans. If there's one thing Corsair really doesn't do that well, it's fans.

Noctuas are the go-to, Noiseblocker eLoops are great too. Silent Wings from BeQuiet as well, though they don't push as much air as the others. There's also the Venturi line from Fractal Design, as well as the Vardar line from EK. These are based on Gentle Typhoons, widely accepted as TheBestFanEver(TM).

Eoinmc97

gamedev21 wrote: »

I went with the Hero VIII purely on the reviews, I have never owned a Hero Mb before and there a few minor differences I like, the USB 3.0 for example

tech.firstpost.com/product/compare-motherboards/compare-maximus-viii-hero-399482-vs-maximus-viii-ranger-399502-vs-z97deluxeusb-31-390732.html

you need to put http:// infront of tech first, I still cant post links :L

You miscompared the Hero to a previous gen of the Maximus line. Which is why I still believe ASUS need to actually number their generations with 1234456789 instead of Roman Numerals.
This is a cheaper board, with all the main features: http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/Asus-ROG-Maximus-VIII-Ranger-Intel-Z170-So-1151-Dual-Channel-DDR4-ATX-Re_1009408.html
Or the ASUS Z170A is also a spectacular board.

gamedev21

Eoinmc97 wrote: »

You miscompared the Hero to a previous gen of the Maximus line. Which is why I still believe ASUS need to actually number their generations with 1234456789 instead of Roman Numerals.
This is a cheaper board, with all the main features:

They do number them :L are you talking about the maximus 7 hero ???

tech.firstpost.com/product/compare-motherboards/compare-maximus-viii-hero-399482-vs-maximus-viii-ranger-399502-vs-z97deluxeusb-31-390732.html

there are differences, more USB 3.0 Greater max memory etc

here is a comparison between the 2 boards, there are differences, mostly minor ones tho,

Eoinmc97

Make sure you pay close attention to the LGA Socket. The Maximus 7 Ranger is not comparable to the Maximus 8 Hero, which is what you have up there. Search instead for the Maximus 8 (VIII) Ranger, which runs in around €50 cheaper.
You cannot compare an LGA 1151 against LGA 1150. They house different chipsets and CPUs.

gamedev21

Eoinmc97 wrote: »

Make sure you pay close attention to the LGA Socket. The Maximus 7 Ranger is not comparable to the Maximus 8 Hero, which is what you have up there. Search instead for the Maximus 8 (VIII) Ranger, which runs in around €50 cheaper.
You cannot compare an LGA 1151 against LGA 1150. They house different chipsets and CPUs.

I'm using it with a 6700K which is LGA 1151 socket ?

Eoinmc97

The website you are using has confused the Maximus 7 for the Maximus 8.
On reading up on their specs on ASUS.com, the Hero has these following features that the ranger does not;
A voltage check button
A clear BIOS button
RGB LED on the logo (with more connectors for more LEDS)
An extra Type A USB 3.1 Gen 2 Port


So if this is €50 worthy to you, then fire away with the Hero. If not, the Ranger will do fine.