[Georgia Peach]

Hello all --

 

First thanks for offering your help. You've been extremely helpful (and kind) in the past, and now we're building another and would like your advice.

 

I've been using a pretty nice Toshiba laptop for 4-5 years now (too much effort to find original invoice...sorry!) It still works great, so I'm not interested in changing to a faster/lighter one. However, I'm tired of slow results when editing photos, creating graphics or editing video or audio (and yes, playing the occasional video game), so I want to make a nice desktop system that will be fast and have lasting appeal.

 

Here is the link to my build:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/q7sPBm

 

There may be some overkill here, but I'd really like something I'm going to keep loving for a long time.

 

Thanks again!

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Hello Georgia Peach,

 

Some pointers on your list of parts (not criticisms  )

 

Your after market cooler, using any cooler other than that which is supplied with a PIB (processor in a box) has the potential to void the standard three year CPU warranty.

 

The warranty details provided by Intel are somewhat vague and using a third party cooler does not automatically void your warranty but please be aware of the following stated by Intel;

 

damage to the Product due to external causes, including  accident, problems with electrical power, abnormal electrical, mechanical or environmental conditions, usage not in accordance with product instructions,  misuse, neglect, alteration, repair, improper installation, or improper  testing;

 

 

Full Intel article here

 

With the above in mind I would suggest that you first try the stock cooler provided, if you later decide to use a third party cooler because you are unhappy with the performance of the stock cooler please be aware that you use any third party cooler at your own risk.

 

FWIW: Having asked an Intel representative the question regarding third party coolers voiding the Intel PIB three year warranty**, the answer was no it does not directly void the warranty, Intel CPUs returned under warranty will be subject to inspection to determine if the processor failure was the result of incorrect installation of the processor and/or the cooler or usage outside of the recommended Intel guidelines such as extreme overclocking.

 

** Transcript available if required.

 

The MB while ok would be better if it was the full ATX type as the smaller mATX can be tight for space and especially with the newer more powerful add on video cards which are often around 12" long and take up two slots on the MB.

 

Increase the Ram to 16GB.

 

Not convinced that the case is a good choice, take a look at the Newegg reviews here and you will see why.

 

Be more than happy to see what parts I would suggest for around the same budget.

[phillpower2]

Hello Georgia Peach,

 

Some pointers on your list of parts (not criticisms  )

 

Your after market cooler, using any cooler other than that which is supplied with a PIB (processor in a box) has the potential to void the standard three year CPU warranty.

 

The warranty details provided by Intel are somewhat vague and using a third party cooler does not automatically void your warranty but please be aware of the following stated by Intel;

 

damage to the Product due to external causes, including  accident, problems with electrical power, abnormal electrical, mechanical or environmental conditions, usage not in accordance with product instructions,  misuse, neglect, alteration, repair, improper installation, or improper  testing;

 

 

Full Intel article here

 

With the above in mind I would suggest that you first try the stock cooler provided, if you later decide to use a third party cooler because you are unhappy with the performance of the stock cooler please be aware that you use any third party cooler at your own risk.

 

FWIW: Having asked an Intel representative the question regarding third party coolers voiding the Intel PIB three year warranty**, the answer was no it does not directly void the warranty, Intel CPUs returned under warranty will be subject to inspection to determine if the processor failure was the result of incorrect installation of the processor and/or the cooler or usage outside of the recommended Intel guidelines such as extreme overclocking.

 

** Transcript available if required.

 

The MB while ok would be better if it was the full ATX type as the smaller mATX can be tight for space and especially with the newer more powerful add on video cards which are often around 12" long and take up two slots on the MB.

 

Increase the Ram to 16GB.

 

Not convinced that the case is a good choice, take a look at the Newegg reviews here and you will see why.

 

Be more than happy to see what parts I would suggest for around the same budget.

[Georgia Peach]

Hi Phillpower2,

 

Thanks for the in-depth reply. I have used after-market coolers on intel CPUs before without realizing the chance of messing up the warranty. Thanks for the warning!

 

I would be glad to take any advice on parts you'd like to give. I like a nice-looking case as well as a useful one. The abundance of up-front USB ports and enough size for the graphics card was what made me look at that case. Again, I'm well open to your suggestions.

 

Thanks again!

[phillpower2]

Hello Georgia Peach,

 

A little over your original budget but does include 16GB of Ram and a MB that has built in Wi-Fi, list here

 

NB: The PSU is Gold efficiency rated rather than platinum but it does have a 10 year warranty.

 

You are welcome btw 

[Georgia Peach]

Thanks phillpower2 -- looks quite good. Here's another question for you, though:

 

I understand that the CPU fan that comes with the chip may not be up to scratch, and is noisy. Is this your experience? I'm not just dying to get that liquid cooler, but I don't want the machine running hot.

 

Cheers!

[phillpower2]

I understand that the CPU fan that comes with the chip may not be up to scratch, and is noisy

 

 

For over clockers then maybe!

 

Intel k processors are intended for over clockers, if you do not intend O/Cing then there is no need to consider any third party cooler, the non k version is not as fast but blink and you will miss it  

[terry1966]

phils advice is always good, but i do always disagree with him about his warnings and recommendations on using aftermarket coolers.

 

personally i would always use an aftermarket cooler for my own systems especially if your going to be working the system hard at 100% load (which video editing and graphical work will do.), intel stock coolers are usually just adequate at keeping the cpu cool where as an aftermarket cooler (good ones.) will keep the cpu temps at least 20C cooler when under 100% load in my experience.

 

here's a review of 4790k using stock cooler, not overclocked and still reaching over 80C under 100% load :- http://www.digitalst...stock-idnum294/

an after maket cooler would keep the cpu much cooler, and where electronics is concerned cooler is always better.

 

not saying phil is wrong because he's not, just over cautious in my opinion on his warranty warnings and thoughts on using after market coolers but that does mean you are fully informed about everything.

 

so my opinion would be to get the cooler you originally listed straight off the bat and not even think about using the intel cooler, and as the intel rep said there are no warranty issues and the cooler temps are always beneficial for the life of a cpu.

 

 

 

 

 

Specifically, they showed about a 10 degree drop at stock speeds in their tests, which is nice, but not completely necessary unless you’re overclocking,

http://lifehacker.co...arke-1696501558

Edited by terry1966, 04 September 2015 - 05:44 PM.

[phillpower2]

Best Answer

phils advice is always good, but i do always disagree with him about his warnings and recommendations on using aftermarket coolers.

 

 

Aye we agree to disagree 

 

Levity apart, both have merit and terry is quite correct in that you should be as informed as possible before deciding, it is your final decision on the choice of cooler and to be fair you now have more information to help you choose.

 

An alternative approach to your upgrade would be to choose a CPU that does not ship with a stock cooler such as the latest Intel® Core™ i7-6700K Processor this will allow you to use a third party cooler without fear of voiding the 3 year Intel warranty, this assumes that all components are fitted correctly and that the processor is not used outside of the stated Intel guidelines, extreme overclocking for example, you may need to wait on some of the following parts to become available due to the present demand;

 

ASUS Z170-AR Motherboard - LGA1151 

 

Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0 GHz Quad-Core Processor Limited 3-Year Warranty

 

Noctua NH-D9L 92mm SSO2 Low-profile Premium CPU Cooler, NF-A9 PWM Fans

 

Mushkin Blackline 16GB (2x 8GB) DDR4 UDIMM PC4-2133

[terry1966]

 

Aye we agree to disagree 

yep.  even though your advice is not wrong.

 

one thing i definitely agree with you on though is that nice new 6700k skylake system, it would definitely be my first choice for a new system build at this time, especially for someone who does a lot of video editing and graphical work, cost permitting of course.  

 

review here :- http://arstechnica.c...6700k-reviewed/

 

For a slightly more real-world performance test, we encoded a 15GB MKV video file in Handbrake using the iPad preset and all other settings at their default values. Here the Core i7-6700K shows a great improvement, completing the task 14 minutes faster than the Core i7-4790K, showing a 16 percent gain. The first impressive result.

 

and here :- http://techreport.co...cessor-reviewed

 

Edited by terry1966, 05 September 2015 - 05:39 AM.

[phillpower2]

yep.  even though your advice is not wrong. 

 

 

 

[Georgia Peach]

Hi guys,

 

Sorry -- thought I had responded! I definitely enjoyed the debate. I'm still fence-sitting, myself. You both make valid points. Thanks for the popcorn moments (and emoji!)

 

Cheers all!

 

PS and FWIW -- I'd mark both of you "best answer" if I could!

Edited by Georgia Peach, 18 September 2015 - 02:20 PM.

[terry1966]

 

PS and FWIW -- I'd mark both of you "best answer" if I could!

thanks but you've marked the correct post for best answer in my opinion, and i'd definitely build a new 6700k skylake system if i were in your shoes.