Need Opinion On My Upcoming Build

[BigBoi]

Hi everyone!

I'm looking to replace my Core2Duo E7300 rig that I've been using for almost 7 years now i think.
and i need your opinion on some of the parts..

Im going to use this upcoming build for work, just about 15+ tabs of chrome, with some light chat/web video conference software, and gaming. I plan to play my steam games that i was able to get at a discount but didnt even bother to play because i know my current rig would struggle. Im talking about Company of Heroes, skyrim, witcher 1 & 2, etc etc.

First off, i would like to know if there is a huge feature difference from the 97 & 87 chipsets.
im really considering getting an Z87/H87 motherboard mainly because of Hackintosh capabilities.
I sort of "need" that OS for my job, but i dont always want to use my macbook that was provided to me.

So here is the build i have in mind:
Intel Core i5 4690
Corsair 8gb 1866 CL9
Seasonic G550 Modular 80+ gold
WD 1TB Black or Blue
Sapphire R9 270x Vapor-X or Sapphire r9 280x Dual-X
Gigabyte H97M-D3H or Asus H97M-plus
Crucial MX100 128GB or Samsung 840 EVO 120GB

I've already decided on the case which is a Fractal Design Arc Mini R2.
and i will be playing on 1080p, no plans on getting a bigger monitor in about 4 years.

Sapphire R9 270x Vapor-X or Sapphire r9 280x Dual-X
I play most of my games on my ps3 & ps4 so i dont mind setting my games as low as medium in a few years. So i think the 270x is enough,,,but i can probably go all out on the 280x but i would like to know if the Dual-X cooler is good compared to the Vapor-X on the 270x

Gigabyte H97M-D3H or Asus H97M-plus
i dont really plan to overclock thats why i chose the H97 chipset.
im looking at getting the Asus because it looks better & has Intel LAN.
I'm a fan of Gigabyte boards, actually i have a gigabyte board on my current rig and it's nice, but that H97M-d3h looks low quality or something.

Crucial MX100 128GB or Samsung 840 EVO 120GB
I'm leaning more towards the MX100 since its cheaper and wizz gave it an awesome score.



If I will go the Z87 path:
i5 4670k
Gigabyte Z87MX-D3H
will probably overclock it since that's the only decent Hackintosh-capable (not to mention stable) motherboard available in my country.

Thanks in advance for all your opinions!!

 

[rooivalk]

First off, i would like to know if there is a huge feature difference from the 97 & 87 chipsets.

z97 is only incremental update to z87 with addition of M2 slot.

Sapphire R9 270x Vapor-X or Sapphire r9 280x Dual-X

Vapor is better but they're two different chips. 270x is enough but I prefer 280x as the right balance between performance and price. Skyrim with many mods and Witcher 2 can be quite demanding.

Gigabyte H97M-D3H or Asus H97M-plus

Buy whatever has better after sales service in your country.

Crucial MX100 128GB or Samsung 840 EVO 120GB

I prefer EVO if it's cheaper, but I don't think you really need SSD, how about save money and buy some pizzas.

 

[MustSeeMelons]

Sapphire R9 270x Vapor-X or Sapphire r9 280x Dual-X

Go with the 280X if you can spare the extra cost - it's possibly the price/performance leader or very close to that.

 

[BarbaricSoul]

I could be wrong, but IIRC, don't you need a MAC compatible motherboard to run the MAC OS? I want to say that a certain BIOs chip is required on the motherboard for the MAC OS to run, meaning in order to run a Hackintosh, you have to have a MAC, you can't make a Windows PC into a Hackintosh.

Someone correct me if I am wrong.

 

[RCoon]

I could be wrong, but IIRC, don't you need a MAC compatible motherboard to run the MAC OS? I want to say that a certain BIOs chip is required on the motherboard for the MAC OS to run, meaning in order to run a Hackintosh, you have to have a MAC, you can't make a Windows PC into a Hackintosh.

Someone correct me if I am wrong.

You have to buy very specific motherboards. It's been a while since I made one (2010 IIRC), but if you follow the general hardware specs of normal macs, you can usually buy the motherboard that they use internally. Very little can be toyed with in a Hackintosh, it has very specific hardware requirements, bar the CPU and storage.

GPU's however, may need a specific chip.

 

[Naito]

GPU's however, may need a specific chip.

In that case, he's not really gonna want to go with an AMD. It seem's Nvidia is highly advised, possibly due to driver support?

EDIT: In regards to chipsets, it is stated:

For early adopters, we've listed the following brand new 9 Series motherboards. These Socket 1150 motherboards are similar to 8 Series and fit the same 4th generation Core i CPUs. However, OS support is limited and workarounds for onboard audio and Intel HD 4600 graphics are necessary. For now we are recommending 8 Series motherboards for new users.

So maybe the Z87 is the best option?

 

[BigBoi]

z97 is only incremental update to z87 with addition of M2 slot.

Vapor is better but they're two different chips. 270x is enough but I prefer 280x as the right balance between performance and price. Skyrim with many mods and Witcher 2 can be quite demanding.

Buy whatever has better after sales service in your country.

I prefer EVO if it's cheaper, but I don't think you really need SSD, how about save money and buy some pizzas.

the MX100 is a bit cheaper. i really would like to experience having an SSD though..
ok i will consider getting the 280x but is the Dual-X cooler pretty good?

Go with the 280X if you can spare the extra cost - it's possibly the price/performance leader or very close to that.

ok i will consider getting the 280x but is the Dual-X cooler pretty good?

In that case, he's not really gonna want to go with an AMD. It seem's Nvidia is highly advised, possibly due to driver support?

EDIT: In regards to chipsets, it is stated:


So maybe the Z87 is the best option?

yeah, that's why im leaning towards getting the Z87 path. if the performance is not that big of a jump, i will galdly take the Z87 board

 

[BiggieShady]

It seem's Nvidia is highly advised, possibly due to driver support?

ok i will consider getting the 280x but is the Dual-X cooler pretty good?

Does not compute ...

I second the nvidia suggestion for hackintosh compatibility

 

[BigBoi]

Does not compute ...

I second the nvidia suggestion for hackintosh compatibility

i've seen hackintosh builds that has a 270x and a 280x so it will be ok.

thats actually not an option for me as much as i want to get an Nvidia card,
where im from, the Palit GTX 760 is priced very close with the Sapphire 280x Dual X . haha

 

[BigBoi]

I think i'm going with the Gigabye H97M-D3H + i5 4690.
What do you guys think of that motherboard?

I also need some feedback on the r9 280x Dual X.

 

[boomstik360]

I have a Gigabyte 280X OC with the tri fan cooler and it is dead silent and super cool.

 

[BigBoi]

I have a Gigabyte 280X OC with the tri fan cooler and it is dead silent and super cool.

Yeah sure, thanks. How about the Vapor-X?

 

[boomstik360]

I haven't had a Vapor-X card since the 3870 series so I can't comment personally but I have always heard good things lol. I'm just saying I recommend the Gigabyte card!

 

[BigBoi]

Ok thanks. But we dont have gigabyte cards here yet...

 

[ne6togadno]

I think i'm going with the Gigabye H97M-D3H + i5 4690.
What do you guys think of that motherboard?

I also need some feedback on the r9 280x Dual X.

i have 7970 dual X and it is good but at room temps above 28C+ it gets a bit nozy (fans run at 55-60%) and temps start to rize above 60C (case is haf932)
if i remember well you was from malaysia right? for your region i would recommend you 280x with 3fan cooler like windforce, trixx or even vapor-x if you can afford it.

i agree with @boomstik360 about gb windforce cooler. my 290x even at 70C and 70%+ fans cant overcome noze from case fans

 

[LaytonJnr]

I was looking at a Hackintosh build for someone, and generally most Gigabyte motherboards support Mac OSX (and some ASUS H97/Z97 now too). The 7870 and 7970 (same as R9 270X and R9 280X respectively) are both supported in Mac, but need some trickery to get fully working.

I hope this is helpful,

Layton

 

[BigBoi]

i have 7970 dual X and it is good but at room temps above 28C+ it gets a bit nozy (fans run at 55-60%) and temps start to rize above 60C (case is haf932)
if i remember well you was from malaysia right? for your region i would recommend you 280x with 3fan cooler like windforce, trixx or even vapor-x if you can afford it.

i agree with @boomstik360 about gb windforce cooler. my 290x even at 70C and 70%+ fans cant overcome noze from case fans

Im from the Philippines. ok, i will consider getting the 280x with a 3-fan cooler. but right now, i think im ok with the 270x vapor x.
thanks!

I was looking at a Hackintosh build for someone, and generally most Gigabyte motherboards support Mac OSX (and some ASUS H97/Z97 now too). The 7870 and 7970 (same as R9 270X and R9 280X respectively) are both supported in Mac, but need some trickery to get fully working.

I hope this is helpful,

Layton

yeah, i already know this guide, not really concerned about AMD GPUs working on hackintosh, its the motherboard that im really having a difficult time choosing.
maybe i will base my decision on if i can find a 4670k, i will go with the Z87mx board, if not, ill go with the H97m.

i know you own a 270x, what can you say about it man?

Thanks buddy

 

[LaytonJnr]

yeah, i already know this guide, not really concerned about AMD GPUs working on hackintosh, its the motherboard that im really having a difficult time choosing.
maybe i will base my decision on if i can find a 4670k, i will go with the Z87mx board, if not, ill go with the H97m.

i know you own a 270x, what can you say about it man?

Thanks buddy

The Gigabyte mobo should work fine then.

The R9 270X has quite a lot of bang for its buck - pretty close to a GTX 760, and quite a bit cheaper. Its a solid option for general gaming at 1080p - I have yet to have a game that struggles to maintain 60FPS+ on Ultra/High settings. Although, I think my heavily modded Skyrim game seems to be the most intensive game I'm running right now, and there's only the occasional lag spike when rendering the largest landscape areas. If you won't be playing the really intensive games (probably the Metro series comes to mind) at Ultra, I think the R9 270X is probably the most solid option at 1080p.

Layton

 

[BigBoi]

The Gigabyte mobo should work fine then.

The R9 270X has quite a lot of bang for its buck - pretty close to a GTX 760, and quite a bit cheaper. Its a solid option for general gaming at 1080p - I have yet to have a game that struggles to maintain 60FPS+ on Ultra/High settings. Although, I think my heavily modded Skyrim game seems to be the most intensive game I'm running right now, and there's only the occasional lag spike when rendering the largest landscape areas. If you won't be playing the really intensive games (probably the Metro series comes to mind) at Ultra, I think the R9 270X is probably the most solid option at 1080p.

Layton

Nice! Thats pretty awesome. Thanks for the feedback

 

[GorbazTheDragon]

Don't have time to read through the whole thread, but my thoughts would be something like H87-D3H and locked i5/E3-1230v3 or a Z87x-D3H and 4670k. Most of the Gigabyte 8-series boards are far better than their 9-series, and are IMO better than many of the competition too, since you are probably not too worried about getting a broadwell chip in your system you should just go with one of the 8-series ones. Gskill memory kits seem to be at a lower price point than corsair ones most of the time, but really depends on what you can find, 1866C9 is usually pretty good, just look for 1.5v kits, the 1.65v ones are usually crap.

You might be able to get a better PSU for the price. Look for ones like the EVGA G2-750w. There are other PSUs that are rebranded G550s some with and some without modular capabilities that are cheaper too. Would help to see what your choices are.

Not sure of hackintosh interactions with Radeon vs Geforce, but the AMD cards usually better priced. I have an EVGA 760 in one of my rigs, great little card, and probably fits in the best price/performance bracket in the current market. I'd stick to the ~200USD mark, so 270x/280/760. They are all pretty damn powerful and cheap too.

At 120GB the 840 EVO is probably better than the MX100, but if you are willing to go for a 250/500GB model, get the MX100.