Now I need a faster PC... But which processor to buy?

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ChrisInEstes
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Re: Now I need a faster PC... But which processor to buy?

Post by ChrisInEstes »

Parts all ordered yesterday... Come on UPS!

I haven't figured out which RAM to get, yet. The CPU and MoBo are both capable of overclocked RAM, so some Googling seems to show 2400 MHz RAM is the cutoff point between price & return on investment for my CPU and MoBo.

Just for the heck of it, I could try my 2 4GB 1333 mismatched brand DDR3s. I haven't noticed any issues with it so far.

It's FRIDAY! 8)

Chris
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Re: Now I need a faster PC... But which processor to buy?

Post by ger21 »

I'm not an expert, but I spent a LOT of time researching before building my PC. RAM speed has a very minimal impact on performance. But what you do want to do is use a matched pair in Dual channel mode.
DDR3 is dirt cheap. I'd just get a set or two of these or similar.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820231455

I've got G.Skill DDR4 in my machine, because it was the best price I could find for midrange DDR4. It's worked flawlessly, but it was $450 for 32 Gigs. and that was about 20% cheaper than anything else available at the time. I got 8 - 4 Gig sticks, or it would have been even more expensive.

The price difference between DDR3 and DDR4 had me on the fence for a while on which system to buy.
But ultimately, I figured that since I planned on using this PC for at least 5-7 years, that an extra $500 (total) on an X99 based system would be money well spent. So far, I've been extremely happy with it.
Gerry - http://www.thecncwoodworker.com

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ChrisInEstes
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Re: Now I need a faster PC... But which processor to buy?

Post by ChrisInEstes »

Gerry,

The price differences between DDR3 and DDR4 & the newest Intel processors vs last year's was why I went with last year's stuff.

I've read that RAM speed makes a difference, and I've read that it doesn't make much difference. For the parts in my system, it seems 2400 MHz is the sweet spot. I can get 2 matched 8GB sticks of G.Skill 2400 DDR3 for about $150, or 2 8 GBs of 1866 for about $130. That $20 difference isn't much. I'll likely get the 2400 MHz stuff. I'm still trying to figure out if I'd notice any difference between 8GBs and 16GBs.

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Re: Now I need a faster PC... But which processor to buy?

Post by ChrisInEstes »

The case, processor, and MoBo showed up yesterday. The PSU is on the UPS truck and should be here any time now. Woohoo!

I'm leaning towards G.Skill Trident X 2400MHz RAM. (2) matched 8GB sticks for $150 on Newegg. It seems to have the best speed numbers for the money, and is a good brand. Here's a link in case you're interested. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820231589

The case is way better than I thought it was going to be for $100. It's mostly steel, and has room for a liquid cooling radiator up top. If the fan on the processor runs at high speed most/all the time, I'll likely get a liquid cooling system for it. Gotta keep that 4GHz race-car processor cool!

I hope I get this all together and running w/o letting the smoke out of it. :shock:

Chris
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Re: Now I need a faster PC... But which processor to buy?

Post by Leo »

Is that red thing the case?

Gonna be a rocket - fer sure
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Re: Now I need a faster PC... But which processor to buy?

Post by ChrisInEstes »

Leo wrote:Is that red thing the case?

Gonna be a rocket - fer sure
Yeah, that's the case. They had a white one, but what the heck, eh? It matches my truck...

It's bigger than I wanted, and bigger than I thought it was going to be, even though I looked at the dimensions. It'll still fit under my desk in the spot I have for it. With the "front" USB ports being on top, I won't have to bend over as far to gather up G-Code. :lol:

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Re: Now I need a faster PC... But which processor to buy?

Post by ger21 »

I have an original Phantom in white - It's huge.
The original Phantom's didn't leave much room for radiators, but I managed to squeeze one in.
I picked up a Cooler Master Nepton 140XL for about $60 after rebate. My motherboard controls the fans speed based on CPU temps, and it's nearly silent.

Are you going to be using an SSD? If so, you'll be amazed at how fast it'll be.
Gerry - http://www.thecncwoodworker.com

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Re: Now I need a faster PC... But which processor to buy?

Post by ChrisInEstes »

ger21 wrote:I have an original Phantom in white - It's huge.
The original Phantom's didn't leave much room for radiators, but I managed to squeeze one in.
I picked up a Cooler Master Nepton 140XL for about $60 after rebate. My motherboard controls the fans speed based on CPU temps, and it's nearly silent.

Are you going to be using an SSD? If so, you'll be amazed at how fast it'll be.
The case I got is listed as a Mid Tower size... I noticed Phantom makes and even bigger case. This one has more room in it than I'll likely ever need. Looks like liquid cooling costs somewhere between $50 and $150, with most around $100... That's less than I figured that'd cost.

I'll be using my 2-year old 1TB 7400 RPM spinner for a while, but an SSD is on the future upgrade list. I just read that Intel and Micron have some new SSD tech that'll make them much faster, cheaper, & bigger, that's supposed to be available later this year. Prices should come down, so maybe I can wait it out for a while... We'll see.

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Re: Now I need a faster PC... But which processor to buy?

Post by ger21 »

Find $100 and buy one of these now. It'll be the best money spent out of everything. Seriously.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820148820

Nothing new will be any cheaper than this. These get great reviews.
Gerry - http://www.thecncwoodworker.com

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Re: Now I need a faster PC... But which processor to buy?

Post by ChrisInEstes »

ger21 wrote:Find $100 and buy one of these now. It'll be the best money spent out of everything. Seriously.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820148820

Nothing new will be any cheaper than this. These get great reviews.
That is a good price... But first I have to find $150 for RAM :lol:

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Re: Now I need a faster PC... But which processor to buy?

Post by ger21 »

You won't be able to notice the difference between cheap, slower ram and higher end ram.
An SSD will make your PC seem like it's literally 10x faster.
Gerry - http://www.thecncwoodworker.com

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Re: Now I need a faster PC... But which processor to buy?

Post by ChrisInEstes »

ger21 wrote:You won't be able to notice the difference between cheap, slower ram and higher end ram.
An SSD will make your PC seem like it's literally 10x faster.
I understand what you're saying, and I appreciate the input. I realize I may not see any difference in RAM speed, and I know I would see big differences with an SSD.

I've read a lot about being able to notice RAM speed, and not being able to notice RAM speed. It seems that with the over-clockable CPU/MoBo combo I have, 2400 MHz RAM is the sweet spot. I'll run it at 1600 MHz at first, which is the fastest non-OC'd speed, then later, kick it up to see if there's any noticeable difference. The difference in price between the RAM speeds isn't that great, and with my first build, I have to do it just the way I want it.

The SSD you linked to is already off sale.... So I missed that one. My Mobo is M.2 compatible, which, with the right SSD, is up to 4GB/s faster than SATA III. I'll have to dig into SSDs to figure out which one I think is right for me. That'll likely have to wait for at least a month.

Thanks!
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Re: Now I need a faster PC... But which processor to buy?

Post by ChrisInEstes »

It's ALIVE! :lol:

I ended up getting 16GB of the 2400MHz G.Skill Triton X RAM. I ended up having to get a new Windows 7 Pro license because the license was linked to the other computer, and it would have taken an act of congress to swap it over. I found a place online that had 7 Pro for $60. That seemed a little fishy, but it turned out that the license was 100% legit and Microsoft approved. I'll just get another little SSD or HDD for the old computer and use it for Mach3.

And, Gerry... OK... I'm getting an SSD!

My research says a Samsung 850 Pro is the best bang for my buck. It's fast, like all SATA III SSDs, but has a couple things that set it apart from others in it's class. It has a 10 year warranty, & is tested to take 40GB/day of write data for those 10 years. The Sandisk Extreme Pro was #2, and the Crucial MX200 was #3.

Now the question is... 256GB for $150, or 512 GB for $280.

256Gb should be plenty for now when combined with the 1TB spinner.

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Re: Now I need a faster PC... But which processor to buy?

Post by ger21 »

I have a 256Gb 840 Pro.
Note that in Windows, it's actually 238Gb.
I have the following installed on it:
Windows 8.1 Pro
AutoCAD
other software
Aspire
V Carve Pro
Photoshop
Firefox
Open Office
Visual Basic Express
And a bunch of other smaller programs. I'm using 60Gb, and have 177Gb free.

I moved my Documents, Music, Pictures, and Downloads to another drive (500Gb WD Velociraptor) to save on space, and have a 3TB WD Black drive for storage.
Gerry - http://www.thecncwoodworker.com

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Re: Now I need a faster PC... But which processor to buy?

Post by ChrisInEstes »

I went with a Samsung 850 Pro 512GB, which should be here this morning.

Chris
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