Alright, to continue on the last post, I've finalized and ordered the upgrade parts! Everything should be here Tuesday next week (Yay holiday weekends...). The final list changed a bit, but it's not too different:
I decided on the Asus over the Gigabyte board in my previous post as i felt it was technically superior for a similar price point. After reviewing the specifications, it seemed to have better reviews, newer Intel gigabit LAN, and a better on board audio setup utilizing an isolated section of the PCB for audio, better capacitors, and an EM shielded audio chip. I plan on dropping my HT Omega Striker, so I'm trying for the best on board audio in my price range. The processor in the order remains the same - I'm used to having a Core i5, and performance wise it's very similar in gaming and day to day usage as the i7 4790k is, so I don't see a point in hyperthreading. I have an ESXI lab box for anything that's massively threaded anyway. I also decided to drop the M.2 SSD in favor of a SATAIII model, mainly because the M.2 would disable 2 SATA ports, and the unit I wanted was back ordered. The 850 EVO SATAIII has great reviews, and performance seems to be solid. I'm also going to try operating without a dual gigabit NIC in my desktop to try streamlining my network a bit. I've since removed my poor man's VLAN management switch, threw my ESXI management on the main network, and direct connected the file server's second NIC to the ESXI box. This should cut down on cabling tremendously.
Next step in the upgrade train will be a case overhaul, along with a new set of fans. I've decided on:
I'll be keeping my NH-U12P, and replacing the P12 that's currently running on it with dual NF-F12s. This is primarily for PWM control, but the F12 is also a bit of a higher performance model as well. I unfortunately lost the second set of fan clips for it, but a quick message to Noctua with the invoice for the NH-U12P got a set of them shipped to me at no charge! Can't complain about that level of support for an 8 year old heat sink. The Define R5 is a quiet case, which is a bit of a departure from what I'm generally used to, but I don't really need the extreme levels of cooling or the gamer looks afforded by my history of Coolermaster cases. I want to start prioritizing noise in computing, and the Define R5 is one of the best options for silent cases at it's price point on the market. Coupling this with the amazing performance and sound levels provided by Noctua fans, all the PWM headers on the Z97-PRO GAMER, and Asus' great fan control options, I should be able to have a quiet system that can really push some air when load starts to get a bit heavier.
Once everything with the case and initial upgrade is completed, I'll evaluate and determine what might be next. I believe my GTX670 is going to be plenty of video card for my current needs, but if I find myself gaming more, I may look into a GPU upgrade - The Asus Strix cards have really caught my attention with their "0 decibel technology" which basically doesn't spin up the fans until a certain temperature is hit, allowing for silent operation. The GTX970 would be a very good stepping stone from the GTX670, and would definitely fall in line with all of my past GPU purchases (Value enthusiast FTW!). I may also consider replacing all of my mechanical storage in the desktop with solid state stuff. 1TB SSDs are coming down considerably in price, and the file server generally handles any large storage requirements like virtual machines or video storage. Time will tell. Upgrades have been a long time coming, and considering how long of a life I generally get out of my hardware, I don't mind splashing out a bit of money for good stuff.
Anyway, another boring text post, but I do hope to have a lot of pictures of the upgrade.
Intel Core i5 4690K
Asus Z97-PRO GAMER
Samsung 850 EVO 250GB SATAIII SSD
I decided on the Asus over the Gigabyte board in my previous post as i felt it was technically superior for a similar price point. After reviewing the specifications, it seemed to have better reviews, newer Intel gigabit LAN, and a better on board audio setup utilizing an isolated section of the PCB for audio, better capacitors, and an EM shielded audio chip. I plan on dropping my HT Omega Striker, so I'm trying for the best on board audio in my price range. The processor in the order remains the same - I'm used to having a Core i5, and performance wise it's very similar in gaming and day to day usage as the i7 4790k is, so I don't see a point in hyperthreading. I have an ESXI lab box for anything that's massively threaded anyway. I also decided to drop the M.2 SSD in favor of a SATAIII model, mainly because the M.2 would disable 2 SATA ports, and the unit I wanted was back ordered. The 850 EVO SATAIII has great reviews, and performance seems to be solid. I'm also going to try operating without a dual gigabit NIC in my desktop to try streamlining my network a bit. I've since removed my poor man's VLAN management switch, threw my ESXI management on the main network, and direct connected the file server's second NIC to the ESXI box. This should cut down on cabling tremendously.
Next step in the upgrade train will be a case overhaul, along with a new set of fans. I've decided on:
Fractal Design Define R5 Windowless
3x Noctua NF-A14 PWM
2x Noctua NF-F12 PWM
I'll be keeping my NH-U12P, and replacing the P12 that's currently running on it with dual NF-F12s. This is primarily for PWM control, but the F12 is also a bit of a higher performance model as well. I unfortunately lost the second set of fan clips for it, but a quick message to Noctua with the invoice for the NH-U12P got a set of them shipped to me at no charge! Can't complain about that level of support for an 8 year old heat sink. The Define R5 is a quiet case, which is a bit of a departure from what I'm generally used to, but I don't really need the extreme levels of cooling or the gamer looks afforded by my history of Coolermaster cases. I want to start prioritizing noise in computing, and the Define R5 is one of the best options for silent cases at it's price point on the market. Coupling this with the amazing performance and sound levels provided by Noctua fans, all the PWM headers on the Z97-PRO GAMER, and Asus' great fan control options, I should be able to have a quiet system that can really push some air when load starts to get a bit heavier.
Once everything with the case and initial upgrade is completed, I'll evaluate and determine what might be next. I believe my GTX670 is going to be plenty of video card for my current needs, but if I find myself gaming more, I may look into a GPU upgrade - The Asus Strix cards have really caught my attention with their "0 decibel technology" which basically doesn't spin up the fans until a certain temperature is hit, allowing for silent operation. The GTX970 would be a very good stepping stone from the GTX670, and would definitely fall in line with all of my past GPU purchases (Value enthusiast FTW!). I may also consider replacing all of my mechanical storage in the desktop with solid state stuff. 1TB SSDs are coming down considerably in price, and the file server generally handles any large storage requirements like virtual machines or video storage. Time will tell. Upgrades have been a long time coming, and considering how long of a life I generally get out of my hardware, I don't mind splashing out a bit of money for good stuff.
Anyway, another boring text post, but I do hope to have a lot of pictures of the upgrade.