• Computers
  • Is I7 4770 the way to go for a new build? If so what is a good motherboard? (p.2)
2014/03/25 18:30:39
jcschild
did you bother to price out the listed motherboard separately to see the difference
2014/03/26 09:47:09
Mesh
HighAndDry
Isee tiger direct has a combo of the i7 4770 and Asus Z87 plus for 489.00  micro center has a a couple combos with the z87 for under 400.  one for about 360 and another for 385.  neither of them are the "plus"  so what is the difference?  is tiger direct that over priced?


From the little I checked (Newegg, Amazon, Micro Center etc..), Tiger Direct has the best deal on that combo....the i7 is a 4770k and the board is Asus Z87 Plus (not the Pro). The Plus seems to have 6 more USB ports than the Pro.
 
If you buy it seperately from different vendors, you can save about $48: the Asus Pro MB is $167 (after $15 rebate) at NCIX and the i7 4770k is $269 at Micro Center (in store pick up only). So, you'll need to shop around a bit.
 
I found this site to be very helpful when picking PC components:  http://pcpartpicker.com/
It shows the best prices for a lot of major vendors.
2014/03/26 13:15:51
HighAndDry
jcschild
did you bother to price out the listed motherboard separately to see the difference


I did. that mobo seems to go for around 160 to 170.  the processor I have seen for 270 to 340 or so   thanks
2014/03/26 13:18:17
HighAndDry
Mesh
HighAndDry
Isee tiger direct has a combo of the i7 4770 and Asus Z87 plus for 489.00  micro center has a a couple combos with the z87 for under 400.  one for about 360 and another for 385.  neither of them are the "plus"  so what is the difference?  is tiger direct that over priced?


From the little I checked (Newegg, Amazon, Micro Center etc..), Tiger Direct has the best deal on that combo....the i7 is a 4770k and the board is Asus Z87 Plus (not the Pro). The Plus seems to have 6 more USB ports than the Pro.
 
If you buy it seperately from different vendors, you can save about $48: the Asus Pro MB is $167 (after $15 rebate) at NCIX and the i7 4770k is $269 at Micro Center (in store pick up only). So, you'll need to shop around a bit.
 
I found this site to be very helpful when picking PC components:  http://pcpartpicker.com/
It shows the best prices for a lot of major vendors.


Great site.  thanks!
2014/03/26 21:00:36
musichoo
I had just upgraded to i7 4770 2 weeks ago with MSI Z89-G41 MOBO. It has 2 PCI socket because I am using M-audio 2496 soundcard. It is working fine and I can use the smallest latency setting which is 128 samples. I also have a Roland UA25EX usb audio/midi interface with which I can use the lowest latency. 
2014/03/27 12:57:33
HighAndDry
musichoo
I had just upgraded to i7 4770 2 weeks ago with MSI Z89-G41 MOBO. It has 2 PCI socket because I am using M-audio 2496 soundcard. It is working fine and I can use the smallest latency setting which is 128 samples. I also have a Roland UA25EX usb audio/midi interface with which I can use the lowest latency. 


thank you   glad its working good for ya
2014/04/01 14:33:49
makaze
Hi. I have never built a PC before and couldn't be happier now. I was going down the AMD route to get a cheep dedicated DAW but I went for the i7 4770k after going to buy a nearly new board and AMD chip, the guy had tried a DAW build with the chip and board but they weren't utting it, that made my mind up.
A word of caution. I went for mATX size (Areocool Dead Silent) and got the Asus Gryphon with the armour kit which makes it solid for getting all the components on and securing the heat-sink, helping thermals and keeping dust out. My PC is working a treat but getting my head round the over clock was tough but there are good tutorials.
Anyway, the i7 4770k is a flawed processor, and heats up a lot, so you end up having to get a big cooler. This is partly due to poor connection between the dye and IHS, a lot of people delid them and replace the crap thermal gunk with cool-labs stuff, again good guides on the net, I am about to do mine. The delid reduces temps from 10-20+ degrees meaning less fan is needed and more ghz can be gotten.
Intel have announced a new CPU will be released in the summer, without the poor design, runnaway heat and sloppy build of the 4770k's and are promising 5.00ghz with low temps. The 4770k's are also very variable and there are crappy batch numbers to avoid. I got mine (before realising all this stuff) from Amazon and it is an OKish middle of the road chip.  
2014/04/02 05:17:26
rontarrant
That's a lot of good info there, makaze. Sorry you had to get it the hard way.
As one of the people who recommended the 4770k, I apologize. I sincerely didn't know any of this and, since I don't own one but was going by Intel's other CPUs I've owned, I should have kept my opinions to myself. Next time, I will.
2014/04/02 06:16:59
makaze
Ron no apology necessary at all. I needed a new PC NOW, my last one was 10 year old, the i7 4770K IS the best way to go in my opinion from all research. They ALL clock upto 4.2ghz, then it's a lottery how high you can go. The over-clocking is easy to perform and 70% of 4770k's clock up to 4.5ghz. I'm happy with my new PC, I built it, it's fast, quiet, and I feel in control of it. This has been one of the most worthwhile projects I have done, alongside building my own tube amps. If I had gone down the AMD route I'd be regretting it. I always buy DELL, this PC would have cost me £1300,  I have saved over £400 from my normal purchase methods and have full user friendly control of the whole PC because the new style UEFI interface IS child's play.
I would wait till summer for the new chip if a new DAW was't urgent. If it is urgent then 4770k all the way.
 
What I would recommend is DON'T purchase the CPU from cheaper on-line stores, e.g Amazon. Intel KNOW how batches perform. If you were a sales guy what sort of chips would you sell Amazon? Specialist PC stores are the way to go and hope you get lucky and get a low heat 5.00ghz one. Also avoid any open box, like new, never fitted sales on ebay, they are poor clockers people are offloading. I went to several ebay sales to try and save money, but I can spot a liar and they all were. If you are buying a sealed box from someone check all seals are genuine and intact. Any scruffy box sale could also be a way of hiding the fact the CPU has been fitted and is poor. 
 
Intel also offer a 1 year-no quibble CPU swap should your amateur clocking attempts result in you degrading or destroying the chip. This over clocking insurance costs $25 direct from Intel. For me, that was the deal maker. They send you good ones in return for your damaged ones. Cooooool.
2014/04/02 19:35:09
rontarrant
Holy crap! That IS cool. Definitely something to keep in mind next time I'm upgrading. Thanks for sharing!
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