• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

Gaming Computer

Sif

New Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2014
Messages
2 (0.00/day)
I want to build my first gaming pc. This is what I got it so far. I would like to know what your thoughts are on the parts and if these are compatible:

GPU Asus GeForce GTX 770 - DC2OC-2GD5-2GB-PCI-E
Motherboard Asus Z97a
CPU I'm thinking about one of these: Intel Core i7- 4790K (4 GHz), or Intel Core i5- 4690K (3.5GHz). I have read that the i7 is better. However, my budget is limited. I wanted to know if it is worth the upgrade, because it is about €100 more.
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 1TB, Sata-600 (1TB is more than enough for me.)
Case: Corsair Graphite 230T (Orange)
Power Supply: XFX PRO 750W. Is this one good enough? Again, some people told me there are better ones, but the price difference is quite significant.
Memory: Here I'm at a complete loss. I was thinking of this one: Corsair 16GB (2x8) DDR3, 1866MHz Vengeance Pro. The reason I'm uncertain is that some people told me to get a low profile one and kit paired. I have no idea what that even means! So, is this one good? If it's not, please recommend one that is.
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS/DVD Burner (I'm not interested in bluray)


To remind you, I have never done this before and I have no idea what I'm doing! I want to use it for gaming, but I do have a limited budget. Any tips are welcome.
 

Kursah

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 15, 2006
Messages
14,666 (2.30/day)
Location
Missoula, MT, USA
System Name Kursah's Gaming Rig 2018 (2022 Upgrade) - Ryzen+ Edition | Gaming Laptop (Lenovo Legion 5i Pro 2022)
Processor R7 5800X @ Stock | i7 12700H @ Stock
Motherboard Asus ROG Strix X370-F Gaming BIOS 6203| Legion 5i Pro NM-E231
Cooling Noctua NH-U14S Push-Pull + NT-H1 | Stock Cooling
Memory TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 32GB (2x16) DDR4 4000 @ 3600 18-20-20-42 1.35v | 32GB DDR5 4800 (2x16)
Video Card(s) Palit GeForce RTX 4070 JetStream 12GB | CPU-based Intel Iris XE + RTX 3070 8GB 150W
Storage 4TB SP UD90 NVME, 960GB SATA SSD, 2TB HDD | 1TB Samsung OEM NVME SSD + 4TB Crucial P3 Plus NVME SSD
Display(s) Acer 28" 4K VG280K x2 | 16" 2560x1600 built-in
Case Corsair 600C - Stock Fans on Low | Stock Metal/Plastic
Audio Device(s) Aune T1 mk1 > AKG K553 Pro + JVC HA-RX 700 (Equalizer APO + PeaceUI) | Bluetooth Earbuds (BX29)
Power Supply EVGA 750G2 Modular + APC Back-UPS Pro 1500 | 300W OEM (heavy use) or Lenovo Legion C135W GAN (light)
Mouse Logitech G502 | Logitech M330
Keyboard HyperX Alloy Core RGB | Built in Keyboard (Lenovo laptop KB FTW)
Software Windows 11 Pro x64 | Windows 11 Home x64
Do you plan to overclock? If not..don't buy a K series CPU. If you buy a K series CPU, then also buy the extra Intel Performance Tuning plan...or if your CPU fails from OC-ing your warranty is void.

Both CPU's are solid...but the 46x0k is plenty for gaming. The i7 has hyperthreading and a little more speed. HT doesn't always increase gaming performance...odds are you won't notice anyways. Save the funds in this spot unless you're a power user or plan to do more CPU intensive things outside of gaming.

G.Skill is another good memory option too..but Corsair is solid as well. 1866 is a good speed. 1600 is good too... more RAM is better than faster RAM in most situations. I'd go with 16GB 1600 over 8GB 2400 any day.

Consider an SSD for OS duties...a 120GB SSD should suffice for OS plus some programs, use the 1TB for data and games. Will make system snappy and boot super fast, plus modern SSD's are sooooo fast, run cool, silent and are much more durable than ones from 5 years ago.

The GTX770 is a great card! I love mine! What resolution are you gaming at? Are you strictly Nvidia or open to AMD options as well?

I prefer Corsair, EVGA, Seasonic and Antec for PSU duties. I've had good luck with Rosewill as well.

Read reviews (pro and user reviews) for each component. Know what you expect from your investment. We can all recommend but it is ultimately your wallet and choice. You have a great start to a very good build though! Welcome to TPU! :toast:
 
Joined
Jun 19, 2012
Messages
141 (0.03/day)
Location
Sabah, Malaysia
System Name My White Theme Desktop PC
Processor 4770k / 4670k
Motherboard ASUS
Cooling CM 412 slim
Memory Kingston 8GB DDR3-1600
Video Card(s) GTX 770 / GTX 670
Storage Kingston SSD v300 120GB + 1TB Black + 1TB Green + 1TB Green + 1TB Blue
Display(s) 23" Philips IPS White Slim x 3 / Acer
Case Thermaltake Revo White Snow Edition / Cooler Master
Audio Device(s) Creative Sound Blaster 5.1
Power Supply AC 650w 80+ bronze x 2 White
Why not buying MSI 770 Gaming Edition, 9.8 rating by this site TPU and its cheaper than ASUS. So u can either use the extra money for SSD or i7.
A review from other tech geeks with gaming purposes, 1600 and 1866 RAM don't make any difference while u are gaming... save some $$$
 

Sif

New Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2014
Messages
2 (0.00/day)
Thank you for your fast response! So according to you the i5 should be sufficient for me. I'm not sure about the overclocking yet, but I will look into the insurance. Thanks for the tip!
Regarding the memory.. As you can see that one has both 16gb and 1800MHz so no trouble there, right? But is this a 'low profile' one?

Could you recommend a specific PSU? There are a lot of series and not every one is as good as the other.

Since I will not be getting the i7, I can invest that money in a seperate SSD.

On the GPU, I'm open to AMD but everyone recommended the GTX770.

Would the EVGA Supernova G2 750W be a good power supply?

I'm reading as much as I can, but all the technical jargon is quite hard to understand sometimes!
 
Joined
Oct 17, 2012
Messages
9,781 (2.34/day)
Location
Massachusetts
System Name Americas cure is the death of Social Justice & Political Correctness
Processor i7-11700K
Motherboard Asrock Z590 Extreme wifi 6E
Cooling Noctua NH-U12A
Memory 32GB Corsair RGB fancy boi 5000
Video Card(s) RTX 3090 Reference
Storage Samsung 970 Evo 1Tb + Samsung 970 Evo 500Gb
Display(s) Dell - 27" LED QHD G-SYNC x2
Case Fractal Design Meshify-C
Audio Device(s) on board
Power Supply Seasonic Focus+ Gold 1000 Watt
Mouse Logitech G502 spectrum
Keyboard AZIO MGK-1 RGB (Kaith Blue)
Software Win 10 Professional 64 bit
Benchmark Scores the MLGeesiest
Thank you for your fast response! So according to you the i5 should be sufficient for me. I'm not sure about the overclocking yet, but I will look into the insurance. Thanks for the tip!
Regarding the memory.. As you can see that one has both 16gb and 1800MHz so no trouble there, right? But is this a 'low profile' one?

Could you recommend a specific PSU? There are a lot of series and not every one is as good as the other.

Since I will not be getting the i7, I can invest that money in a seperate SSD.

On the GPU, I'm open to AMD but everyone recommended the GTX770.

Would the EVGA Supernova G2 750W be a good power supply?

I'm reading as much as I can, but all the technical jargon is quite hard to understand sometimes!

The i5's are PERFECTLY capable of gaming Right along side of the i7's. I have a 2nd generation i5 2500k and it STILL kicks ass. If all You are doing is gaming, get the i5, and save the $$.

As far as PSU's go, If it were ME building a system, I'd buy a Corsair. They have Always treated ME and ALL of my builds for customers VERY well. NZXT's arent terrible, Seasonic, FSP, Sparkle. To name a good group. Keep in mind that the Power supply is the Most important component in the entire system. If it is of Poor quality, it will not only possibly stop working, but they are VERY capable of taking many other components with them, and MOST component manufacturers add a clause to theyre warranties that Absolve them of the "cheap PSU" based issues, meaning Your stuck footing the bill.
 
Joined
Jul 2, 2008
Messages
8,068 (1.40/day)
Location
Hillsboro, OR
System Name Main/DC
Processor i7-3770K/i7-2600K
Motherboard MSI Z77A-GD55/GA-P67A-UD4-B3
Cooling Phanteks PH-TC14CS/H80
Memory Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) LP /4GB Kingston DDR3 1600
Video Card(s) Asus GTX 660 Ti/MSI HD7770
Storage Crucial MX100 256GB/120GB Samsung 830 & Seagate 2TB(died)
Display(s) Asus 24' LED/Samsung SyncMaster B1940
Case P100/Antec P280 It's huge!
Audio Device(s) on board
Power Supply SeaSonic SS-660XP2/Seasonic SS-760XP2
Software Win 7 Home Premiun 64 Bit
You don't need a PSU that large. Unless you plan to add a second GPU latter, a 500 watt unit will suffice. Choosing a PSU is a difficult process. You normally get what you pay for. Look at reviews and consider warranty lengths as a general rule of thumb. You can use this database to find out who actually manufacturers a particular PSU: http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page625.htm
If you don't have the money for a SSD, get the 2TB HDD. It's faster than the 1TB.
 
Last edited:

Tallencor

TPU's First Patreon
Supporter
Joined
Nov 25, 2013
Messages
789 (0.21/day)
Location
N.S. Can.
System Name Francis
Processor 7700k @5.0 delid
Motherboard Rog Maximus IX Code
Cooling Corsair H100i V2
Memory 32 GB Gskill Trident Z RGB 3200 xmp
Video Card(s) MSI RX 480 Gaming x 8G
Storage Samsung960evo250GB os Samsung 860 evo 500GB (Games)Samsung 840 120 (Storage)
Display(s) Viewsonic XG 2701 Freesync
Case Corsair Crystal 570x
Audio Device(s) On board Supreme FX
Power Supply Evga 850 G3
Mouse Logitech G900
Keyboard Logitech G810
Software Win 10 Home 64
Benchmark Scores 11+12=19?

64K

Joined
Mar 13, 2014
Messages
6,104 (1.66/day)
Processor i7 7700k
Motherboard MSI Z270 SLI Plus
Cooling CM Hyper 212 EVO
Memory 2 x 8 GB Corsair Vengeance
Video Card(s) MSI RTX 2070 Super
Storage Samsung 850 EVO 250 GB and WD Black 4TB
Display(s) Dell 27 inch 1440p 144 Hz
Case Corsair Obsidian 750D Airflow Edition
Audio Device(s) Onboard
Power Supply EVGA SuperNova 850 W Gold
Mouse Logitech G502
Keyboard Logitech G105
Software Windows 10
An i5 4690 is more than enough for gaming. Like has already been said if you're not going to overclock it then get the non k version. Also if you're not going to overclock then you can just use the stock cooler that comes with the CPU. That will save you some more too. The reason that someone told you to get low profile RAM is so it will clear the CPU cooler. All that means is don't choose RAM sticks with the big heat spreaders on top. Also check with whatever motherboard website you are thinking about and make sure that the RAM you choose is compatible with your motherboard. As far as PSU. If you're not going to add a second card later then 500 or 600 watt PSU is enough. I like Corsair and Seasonic.
 
Joined
Apr 29, 2014
Messages
4,180 (1.15/day)
Location
Texas
System Name SnowFire / The Reinforcer
Processor i7 10700K 5.1ghz (24/7) / 2x Xeon E52650v2
Motherboard Asus Strix Z490 / Dell Dual Socket (R720)
Cooling RX 360mm + 140mm Custom Loop / Dell Stock
Memory Corsair RGB 16gb DDR4 3000 CL 16 / DDR3 128gb 16 x 8gb
Video Card(s) GTX Titan XP (2025mhz) / Asus GTX 950 (No Power Connector)
Storage Samsung 970 1tb NVME and 2tb HDD x4 RAID 5 / 300gb x8 RAID 5
Display(s) Acer XG270HU, Samsung G7 Odyssey (1440p 240hz)
Case Thermaltake Cube / Dell Poweredge R720 Rack Mount Case
Audio Device(s) Realtec ALC1150 (On board)
Power Supply Rosewill Lightning 1300Watt / Dell Stock 750 / Brick
Mouse Logitech G5
Keyboard Logitech G19S
Software Windows 11 Pro / Windows Server 2016
Thank you for your fast response! So according to you the i5 should be sufficient for me. I'm not sure about the overclocking yet, but I will look into the insurance. Thanks for the tip!
Regarding the memory.. As you can see that one has both 16gb and 1800MHz so no trouble there, right? But is this a 'low profile' one?

Could you recommend a specific PSU? There are a lot of series and not every one is as good as the other.

Since I will not be getting the i7, I can invest that money in a seperate SSD.

On the GPU, I'm open to AMD but everyone recommended the GTX770.

Would the EVGA Supernova G2 750W be a good power supply?

I'm reading as much as I can, but all the technical jargon is quite hard to understand sometimes!
I would get an i5 if I were you specifically for gaming because its just the best option for the budget oriented gamer. On top of that it matches the i7 for performance in games while costing less (Clock to Clock) so I would say its the best option.

As for GPU, a GTX 770 is just fine but I would recommend a R9 280X as its cheaper and performs the same while containing more VRAM so its a little better for future proofing and saving you money on top of giving you 3 free games. But it all depends where you shop but on the sites I visit it is the cheaper option.

For a PSU, if your going with 1 GPU, you do not need more than a 550Watt PSU even when overclocking. I recommend Seasonic for being one of the top dogs when it comes to PSU's.
 
Joined
Mar 31, 2014
Messages
1,533 (0.42/day)
Location
Grunn
System Name Indis the Fair (cursed edition)
Processor 11900k 5.1/4.9 undervolted.
Motherboard MSI Z590 Unify-X
Cooling Heatkiller VI Pro, VPP755 V.3, XSPC TX360 slim radiator, 3xA12x25, 4x Arctic P14 case fans
Memory G.Skill Ripjaws V 2x16GB 4000 16-19-19 (b-die@3600 14-14-14 1.45v)
Video Card(s) EVGA 2080 Super Hybrid (T30-120 fan)
Storage 970EVO 1TB, 660p 1TB, WD Blue 3D 1TB, Sandisk Ultra 3D 2TB
Display(s) BenQ XL2546K, Dell P2417H
Case FD Define 7
Audio Device(s) DT770 Pro, Topping A50, Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, Røde VXLR+, Modmic 5
Power Supply Seasonic 860w Platinum
Mouse Razer Viper Mini, Odin Infinity mousepad
Keyboard GMMK Fullsize v2 (Boba U4Ts)
Software Win10 x64/Win7 x64/Ubuntu
Haven't had the time to read the rest of the posts, but here's what I'd be looking at. (assuming you are in the USA.)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($234.66 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($76.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Dual Superclocked ACX Video Card ($309.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair Graphite Series 230T Orange ATX Mid Tower Case ($67.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX XTR 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $983.09
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-16 16:58 EDT-0400

i5 Will do fine in pretty much all games. It has great single thread performance and still manages to keep a lot of multi thread performance so both older and newer games will run fine. Board and CPU Cooler are both great choices.

For memory I usually look for 1600-2133MHz kits at max CAS10 and under 1.6v. These black kits will fit pretty well with the motherboard, and are pretty well priced for 1866C9 kits. You won't need 16GB for gaming, and if you end up needing it later on, just get another pair of sticks.

Hard drive is really whatever, there's a good chance drives arrive broken due to shipping damage, and it doesn't seem to be very much affected by the manufacturer. Just get some 1 or 2TB drive from a non-shady company.

GPU I went with the EVGA, IMO they have better warranty than Asus/MSi and look better with that board, but you could save yourself 30 bucks by going with the MSi, performance wise there won't be too much difference.

I would personally suggest a different case, IMO the NZXT Phantom 410 is a much better deal for the price. Otherwise you could look at something like the Fractal define R4, or maybe look through the TPU reviews, there's plenty of good stuff there.

For the PSU, that XTR Gold is pretty well priced ATM, and really good quality unit, based on Seasonic G-series. Otherwise the EVGA G2 850w is on sale ATM, $95 is not a bad price for that unit, but it's unnecesary as a 4690k and 770 will run fine off a good 450w PSU.

I would suggest at least thinking about waiting for the GTX900 series to release and hit the shelves, it should push around the prices of other GPUs, or maybe even be an attractive option for your build (GTX970?). Not to mention you could probably snatch an R9 290 for around 330USD... As for SSD, I'd get a 512GB MX100 if you have the budget, otherwise a 256GB one will be fine, but sacrificing a bit in write performance.
 
Joined
May 1, 2012
Messages
1,027 (0.24/day)
Location
New Jersey, USA
System Name Current Rig
Processor AMD 7800X3D
Motherboard MSI x670e Tomahawk wifi
Cooling Artic Freezer II 360
Memory G.Skill 32gb ddr5 6000mhz
Video Card(s) AMD 7900XTX 24 GB
Storage Samsung SSD 980 PRO 2TB
Display(s) Alienware 3420DW 120 Freesync
Case LianLi Lancool III white non-rgb
Audio Device(s) Onboard ALC
Power Supply Corsair Shift 1000W
Mouse G502 Hero
Keyboard Ducky Shine 5
Software Win 11 64bit
Benchmark Scores The second best!
Thank you for your fast response! So according to you the i5 should be sufficient for me. I'm not sure about the overclocking yet, but I will look into the insurance. Thanks for the tip!
Regarding the memory.. As you can see that one has both 16gb and 1800MHz so no trouble there, right? But is this a 'low profile' one?

Could you recommend a specific PSU? There are a lot of series and not every one is as good as the other.

Since I will not be getting the i7, I can invest that money in a seperate SSD.

On the GPU, I'm open to AMD but everyone recommended the GTX770.

Would the EVGA Supernova G2 750W be a good power supply?

I'm reading as much as I can, but all the technical jargon is quite hard to understand sometimes!

o_O I would never consider insurance on a i7-4790k.

Now insurance on a i7-5960x would be something to consider.
 
Joined
Mar 31, 2014
Messages
1,533 (0.42/day)
Location
Grunn
System Name Indis the Fair (cursed edition)
Processor 11900k 5.1/4.9 undervolted.
Motherboard MSI Z590 Unify-X
Cooling Heatkiller VI Pro, VPP755 V.3, XSPC TX360 slim radiator, 3xA12x25, 4x Arctic P14 case fans
Memory G.Skill Ripjaws V 2x16GB 4000 16-19-19 (b-die@3600 14-14-14 1.45v)
Video Card(s) EVGA 2080 Super Hybrid (T30-120 fan)
Storage 970EVO 1TB, 660p 1TB, WD Blue 3D 1TB, Sandisk Ultra 3D 2TB
Display(s) BenQ XL2546K, Dell P2417H
Case FD Define 7
Audio Device(s) DT770 Pro, Topping A50, Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, Røde VXLR+, Modmic 5
Power Supply Seasonic 860w Platinum
Mouse Razer Viper Mini, Odin Infinity mousepad
Keyboard GMMK Fullsize v2 (Boba U4Ts)
Software Win10 x64/Win7 x64/Ubuntu
o_O I would never consider insurance on a i7-4790k.

Now insurance on a i7-5960x would be something to consider.
It's like $30 and you basically get a second chip. I'd go for it on a 4690k, and see how the voltage scaling is on the first chip, if it's bad run it at 1.4v until it inevitably dies and you get a replacement (which hopefully will be better) if the first one's good, just run it at 1.3 and be happy.
 
Joined
May 1, 2012
Messages
1,027 (0.24/day)
Location
New Jersey, USA
System Name Current Rig
Processor AMD 7800X3D
Motherboard MSI x670e Tomahawk wifi
Cooling Artic Freezer II 360
Memory G.Skill 32gb ddr5 6000mhz
Video Card(s) AMD 7900XTX 24 GB
Storage Samsung SSD 980 PRO 2TB
Display(s) Alienware 3420DW 120 Freesync
Case LianLi Lancool III white non-rgb
Audio Device(s) Onboard ALC
Power Supply Corsair Shift 1000W
Mouse G502 Hero
Keyboard Ducky Shine 5
Software Win 11 64bit
Benchmark Scores The second best!
It's like $30 and you basically get a second chip. I'd go for it on a 4690k, and see how the voltage scaling is on the first chip, if it's bad run it at 1.4v until it inevitably dies and you get a replacement (which hopefully will be better) if the first one's good, just run it at 1.3 and be happy.

$30 insurance for running on air with a $30 Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO?

Why bother losing the $30 if it's just going to be used for gaming? If the OP is going to use LN or even high end liquid cooling then I see splurging on insurance.

To each his/her own.
 
Joined
Sep 17, 2014
Messages
20,780 (5.97/day)
Location
The Washing Machine
Processor i7 8700k 4.6Ghz @ 1.24V
Motherboard AsRock Fatal1ty K6 Z370
Cooling beQuiet! Dark Rock Pro 3
Memory 16GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 3200/C16
Video Card(s) ASRock RX7900XT Phantom Gaming
Storage Samsung 850 EVO 1TB + Samsung 830 256GB + Crucial BX100 250GB + Toshiba 1TB HDD
Display(s) Gigabyte G34QWC (3440x1440)
Case Fractal Design Define R5
Audio Device(s) Harman Kardon AVR137 + 2.1
Power Supply EVGA Supernova G2 750W
Mouse XTRFY M42
Keyboard Lenovo Thinkpad Trackpoint II
Software W10 x64
The reports of blown up Intel i's are really, really rare. Sure if you take a sledgehammer or have a tesla coil for a PSU, you'll destroy them. Otherwise? You'd have to really try hard.

It's not without reason Intel offers that plan. They earn money on it. Not you.
 

Kursah

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 15, 2006
Messages
14,666 (2.30/day)
Location
Missoula, MT, USA
System Name Kursah's Gaming Rig 2018 (2022 Upgrade) - Ryzen+ Edition | Gaming Laptop (Lenovo Legion 5i Pro 2022)
Processor R7 5800X @ Stock | i7 12700H @ Stock
Motherboard Asus ROG Strix X370-F Gaming BIOS 6203| Legion 5i Pro NM-E231
Cooling Noctua NH-U14S Push-Pull + NT-H1 | Stock Cooling
Memory TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 32GB (2x16) DDR4 4000 @ 3600 18-20-20-42 1.35v | 32GB DDR5 4800 (2x16)
Video Card(s) Palit GeForce RTX 4070 JetStream 12GB | CPU-based Intel Iris XE + RTX 3070 8GB 150W
Storage 4TB SP UD90 NVME, 960GB SATA SSD, 2TB HDD | 1TB Samsung OEM NVME SSD + 4TB Crucial P3 Plus NVME SSD
Display(s) Acer 28" 4K VG280K x2 | 16" 2560x1600 built-in
Case Corsair 600C - Stock Fans on Low | Stock Metal/Plastic
Audio Device(s) Aune T1 mk1 > AKG K553 Pro + JVC HA-RX 700 (Equalizer APO + PeaceUI) | Bluetooth Earbuds (BX29)
Power Supply EVGA 750G2 Modular + APC Back-UPS Pro 1500 | 300W OEM (heavy use) or Lenovo Legion C135W GAN (light)
Mouse Logitech G502 | Logitech M330
Keyboard HyperX Alloy Core RGB | Built in Keyboard (Lenovo laptop KB FTW)
Software Windows 11 Pro x64 | Windows 11 Home x64
$30 insurance for running on air with a $30 Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO?

Why bother losing the $30 if it's just going to be used for gaming? If the OP is going to use LN or even high end liquid cooling then I see splurging on insurance.

To each his/her own.

It's insurance if you have issues with your CPU while overclocking. You VOID your standard warranty even on a K series if you overclock at all. I had to use mine as my first 4770K was unstable at Turbo speeds, but this was after I had overclocked..I was on air, still am. They replaced it, no questions asked. That was a $340 CPU... the protection plan was $25. Ya to each their own...I'd rather spend $25 to have a 3-yr OC replacement warranty than be out $340 on a bum CPU. Why risk it when it's that cheap?

If the user isn't going to OC, then there is no need for a K series CPU in the first place. If you physically damange/modify the CPU they will not cover it... if you overvolt it and fry it, they will. But I can tell you from experience, this small investment in protecting an expensive investment is very much worth it.

:toast:
 
Joined
Sep 17, 2014
Messages
20,780 (5.97/day)
Location
The Washing Machine
Processor i7 8700k 4.6Ghz @ 1.24V
Motherboard AsRock Fatal1ty K6 Z370
Cooling beQuiet! Dark Rock Pro 3
Memory 16GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 3200/C16
Video Card(s) ASRock RX7900XT Phantom Gaming
Storage Samsung 850 EVO 1TB + Samsung 830 256GB + Crucial BX100 250GB + Toshiba 1TB HDD
Display(s) Gigabyte G34QWC (3440x1440)
Case Fractal Design Define R5
Audio Device(s) Harman Kardon AVR137 + 2.1
Power Supply EVGA Supernova G2 750W
Mouse XTRFY M42
Keyboard Lenovo Thinkpad Trackpoint II
Software W10 x64
Cheap?! You're talking about an 8-10% markup. Relatively that is pretty damn steep. Imagine doing that with your car insurance.

On S2011 I could imagine this to be sensible. On 1150, no way.
 
Joined
Mar 31, 2014
Messages
1,533 (0.42/day)
Location
Grunn
System Name Indis the Fair (cursed edition)
Processor 11900k 5.1/4.9 undervolted.
Motherboard MSI Z590 Unify-X
Cooling Heatkiller VI Pro, VPP755 V.3, XSPC TX360 slim radiator, 3xA12x25, 4x Arctic P14 case fans
Memory G.Skill Ripjaws V 2x16GB 4000 16-19-19 (b-die@3600 14-14-14 1.45v)
Video Card(s) EVGA 2080 Super Hybrid (T30-120 fan)
Storage 970EVO 1TB, 660p 1TB, WD Blue 3D 1TB, Sandisk Ultra 3D 2TB
Display(s) BenQ XL2546K, Dell P2417H
Case FD Define 7
Audio Device(s) DT770 Pro, Topping A50, Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, Røde VXLR+, Modmic 5
Power Supply Seasonic 860w Platinum
Mouse Razer Viper Mini, Odin Infinity mousepad
Keyboard GMMK Fullsize v2 (Boba U4Ts)
Software Win10 x64/Win7 x64/Ubuntu
IDK, Personally I'd get it. Just to be able to smash the volts around a bit...

I still look at it as you are paying 10% for a second chip...
 
Joined
May 18, 2010
Messages
3,427 (0.68/day)
System Name My baby
Processor Athlon II X4 620 @ 3.5GHz, 1.45v, NB @ 2700Mhz, HT @ 2700Mhz - 24hr prime95 stable
Motherboard Asus M4A785TD-V EVO
Cooling Sonic Tower Rev 2 with 120mm Akasa attached, Akasa @ Front, Xilence Red Wing 120mm @ Rear
Memory 8 GB G.Skills 1600Mhz
Video Card(s) ATI ASUS Crossfire 5850
Storage Crucial MX100 SATA 2.5 SSD
Display(s) Lenovo ThinkVision 27" (LEN P27h-10)
Case Antec VSK 2000 Black Tower Case
Audio Device(s) Onkyo TX-SR309 Receiver, 2x Kef Cresta 1, 1x Kef Center 20c
Power Supply OCZ StealthXstream II 600w, 4x12v/18A, 80% efficiency.
Software Windows 10 Professional 64-bit
It's insurance if you have issues with your CPU while overclocking. You VOID your standard warranty even on a K series if you overclock at all. I had to use mine as my first 4770K was unstable at Turbo speeds, but this was after I had overclocked..I was on air, still am. They replaced it, no questions asked. That was a $340 CPU... the protection plan was $25. Ya to each their own...I'd rather spend $25 to have a 3-yr OC replacement warranty than be out $340 on a bum CPU. Why risk it when it's that cheap?

If the user isn't going to OC, then there is no need for a K series CPU in the first place. If you physically damange/modify the CPU they will not cover it... if you overvolt it and fry it, they will. But I can tell you from experience, this small investment in protecting an expensive investment is very much worth it.

:toast:

Why would you tell the manufacturer you were overclocking? There is no practical way for them to find out either unless you tell them.
 

Kursah

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 15, 2006
Messages
14,666 (2.30/day)
Location
Missoula, MT, USA
System Name Kursah's Gaming Rig 2018 (2022 Upgrade) - Ryzen+ Edition | Gaming Laptop (Lenovo Legion 5i Pro 2022)
Processor R7 5800X @ Stock | i7 12700H @ Stock
Motherboard Asus ROG Strix X370-F Gaming BIOS 6203| Legion 5i Pro NM-E231
Cooling Noctua NH-U14S Push-Pull + NT-H1 | Stock Cooling
Memory TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 32GB (2x16) DDR4 4000 @ 3600 18-20-20-42 1.35v | 32GB DDR5 4800 (2x16)
Video Card(s) Palit GeForce RTX 4070 JetStream 12GB | CPU-based Intel Iris XE + RTX 3070 8GB 150W
Storage 4TB SP UD90 NVME, 960GB SATA SSD, 2TB HDD | 1TB Samsung OEM NVME SSD + 4TB Crucial P3 Plus NVME SSD
Display(s) Acer 28" 4K VG280K x2 | 16" 2560x1600 built-in
Case Corsair 600C - Stock Fans on Low | Stock Metal/Plastic
Audio Device(s) Aune T1 mk1 > AKG K553 Pro + JVC HA-RX 700 (Equalizer APO + PeaceUI) | Bluetooth Earbuds (BX29)
Power Supply EVGA 750G2 Modular + APC Back-UPS Pro 1500 | 300W OEM (heavy use) or Lenovo Legion C135W GAN (light)
Mouse Logitech G502 | Logitech M330
Keyboard HyperX Alloy Core RGB | Built in Keyboard (Lenovo laptop KB FTW)
Software Windows 11 Pro x64 | Windows 11 Home x64
Why would you tell the manufacturer you were overclocking? There is no practical way for them to find out either unless you tell them.

I suppose that depends on ethics.

It wouldn't take much, a simple memory register that records the highest clock speed and multiplier wouldn't be all that hard for them to add to the silicon. Who's to say they haven't? I was a GM mechanic, and 6 years ago they had monitoring dedicated to reporting max torque, HP, rpms, if the PCM flash results with verification ID's, etc. Not saying Intel does now...but it wouldn't be very hard for them to. I don't know anyone that's RMA'd a K-series w/o the warranty...but I do know a few that have with the warranty. I think the warranty should be a part of the K-series since that's the whole point of getting one...but at $25 I couldn't really complain.
 
Joined
May 1, 2012
Messages
1,027 (0.24/day)
Location
New Jersey, USA
System Name Current Rig
Processor AMD 7800X3D
Motherboard MSI x670e Tomahawk wifi
Cooling Artic Freezer II 360
Memory G.Skill 32gb ddr5 6000mhz
Video Card(s) AMD 7900XTX 24 GB
Storage Samsung SSD 980 PRO 2TB
Display(s) Alienware 3420DW 120 Freesync
Case LianLi Lancool III white non-rgb
Audio Device(s) Onboard ALC
Power Supply Corsair Shift 1000W
Mouse G502 Hero
Keyboard Ducky Shine 5
Software Win 11 64bit
Benchmark Scores The second best!
It's insurance if you have issues with your CPU while overclocking. You VOID your standard warranty even on a K series if you overclock at all. I had to use mine as my first 4770K was unstable at Turbo speeds, but this was after I had overclocked..I was on air, still am. They replaced it, no questions asked. That was a $340 CPU... the protection plan was $25. Ya to each their own...I'd rather spend $25 to have a 3-yr OC replacement warranty than be out $340 on a bum CPU. Why risk it when it's that cheap?

If the user isn't going to OC, then there is no need for a K series CPU in the first place. If you physically damange/modify the CPU they will not cover it... if you overvolt it and fry it, they will. But I can tell you from experience, this small investment in protecting an expensive investment is very much worth it.

:toast:

I understand being cautious. :)

But the only reason that Intel sells unlocked "K" processors is for the customer to overclock. Intel expects anyone who buys a "K" processor to overclock it - they just say otherwise as to not be at fault. Otherwise they wouldn't offer you the "K" product.

I've been overclocking Intel chips going back to the first Pentium introduced [ 75mhz stock, over clocked to 125/133 MHz !! ]. Intel's chips are rock solid, unless you are committing to *extreme overclocking* with LN.
 
Joined
Mar 31, 2014
Messages
1,533 (0.42/day)
Location
Grunn
System Name Indis the Fair (cursed edition)
Processor 11900k 5.1/4.9 undervolted.
Motherboard MSI Z590 Unify-X
Cooling Heatkiller VI Pro, VPP755 V.3, XSPC TX360 slim radiator, 3xA12x25, 4x Arctic P14 case fans
Memory G.Skill Ripjaws V 2x16GB 4000 16-19-19 (b-die@3600 14-14-14 1.45v)
Video Card(s) EVGA 2080 Super Hybrid (T30-120 fan)
Storage 970EVO 1TB, 660p 1TB, WD Blue 3D 1TB, Sandisk Ultra 3D 2TB
Display(s) BenQ XL2546K, Dell P2417H
Case FD Define 7
Audio Device(s) DT770 Pro, Topping A50, Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, Røde VXLR+, Modmic 5
Power Supply Seasonic 860w Platinum
Mouse Razer Viper Mini, Odin Infinity mousepad
Keyboard GMMK Fullsize v2 (Boba U4Ts)
Software Win10 x64/Win7 x64/Ubuntu
You can still kill chips on air/water cooling.
 
Joined
Oct 29, 2012
Messages
1,926 (0.46/day)
Location
UK
System Name TITAN Slayer / CPUCannon / MassFX
Processor i7 5960X @ 4.6Ghz / i7 3960x @5.0Ghz / FX6350 @ 4.?Ghz
Motherboard Rampage V Extreme / Rampage IV Extreme / MSI 970 Gaming
Cooling Phanteks PHTC14PE 2.5K 145mm TRs / Custom waterloop / Phanteks PHTC14PE + 3K 140mm Noctuas
Memory Crucial 2666 11-13-13-25 1.45V / G.skill RipjawsX 2400 10-12-12-34 1.7V / Crucial 2133 9-9-9-27 1.7V
Video Card(s) 3 Fury X in CF / R9 Fury 3840 cores 1145/570 1.3V / Nothing ATM
Storage 500GB Crucial SSD and 3TB WD Black / WD 1TB Black(OS) + WD 3TB Green / WD 1TB Blue
Display(s) LG 29UM67 80Hz/Asus mx299q 2560x1080 @ 84Hz / Asus VX239 1920x1080 @60hz
Case Dismatech easy v3.0 / Xigmatek Alfar (Open side panel)
Audio Device(s) M-audio M-track / realtek ALC 1150
Power Supply EVGA G2 1600W / CoolerMaster V1000 / Seasonic 620 M12-II
Mouse Mouse in review process/Razer Naga Epic 2011/Razer Naga 2014
Keyboard Keyboard in review process / Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2014/Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2011
Software Windows 7 Ultimate / Windows 7 ultimate / Windows 7 ultimate
Benchmark Scores cinebench 15.41 3960x @ 5.3ghz Wprime32m 3.352 3960x @ 5.25ghz Super PI 32m: 6m 42s 472ms @5.25ghz
You can still kill chips on air/water cooling.
Most peoples cooling will quit way before they push too much vcore. The other voltage are a different story killing the IMC is pretty easy since it doesn't make much heat.
 
Top