PCA Forums

I just bought an Asus Z170-K https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/Z170-K/

I haven't bought a new motherboard in a long time, let along a CPU or ram. What would you guys recommend for a CPU and RAM?

I would go with an I7 i7-6700K or an I5-6600K. The board will support the newer I7-7700K and I5-7600K too. The newer are slightly faster but not enough you'd ever notice. The only advantage I can find with the 7700's is that they support Optane on Z270 boards. I'd go with whichever one you find a good deal on. Make sure your board has the most rent BIOS if going with the 7700's.

For RAM, I'd go with Corsair or G-Skill DDR-4 2133 or 2400. 2133 should be supported by default. You need to turn on the XMP profile for the 2400 to be clocked correctly. I'd buy what you can find the best deal on. Personally, I prefer low-profile RAM so I don't have to worry with clearance issues from the heatsink.

Your processor will most likely not come with a cooler. A Cooler Master - Hyper 212 EVO is the best bang for your buck. They usually go for about $20 to $25. The Noctua - NH-U12S will offer slightly better cooling and quieter fan but run in ~$60. The Noctua - NH-U14S is one of the best air coolers you can buy and also runs about $60. However, it is massive. I don't have any recommendations for AIO coolers. I once tried a Corsair H80i GT and it left a bad taste in my mouth. I found it a pain to mount as the tubing is very stiff and it was terrible. It didn't cool much better than my Cooler Master 212 and sounded like a jet under a load. If I were to ever attempt water cooling again, I'd go with one of these kits: https://www.ekwb.com/shop/kits

Great. Thanks for the feedback.

Why not the newer version of the board?
https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/PRIME-Z270-K/

Losbot wrote:Why not the newer version of the board?
https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/PRIME-Z270-K/

because I bought it at a good deal, and it was never used.

Executioner wrote:

Losbot wrote:Why not the newer version of the board?
https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/PRIME-Z270-K/

because I bought it at a good deal, and it was never used.

Good reason.

Wow. The BIOS. I guess they have come a long way in programing. That is what happens since I haven't built one in years.



Got the board on the workbench with just the minimum. Tomorrow, I'm going to install Windows 8.1 Pro.

Yup, that's what they look like now. You haven't even pressed the Advanced button yet

FlyingPenguin wrote:Yup, that's what they look like now. You haven't even pressed the Advanced button yet

Yes I did. I spent about 10 minutes checking it out. Made sure that ACHI was enabled instead of RAID. Updated the date and time. Checked all the other settings.

LMAO

I haven't done a build in a couple of years - last time it was like WTF is all this stuff.

I'm dying to build a new gaming rig but the GPU prices are just STUPID right now. I might end up pulling the trigger on a pre-built one like Pengo did last time.

I only grabbed this mobo because of the price: $50 never used, and I bought it used from a geek on another forum. My only cost so far has been the CPU. I went with an i5 due to the price. Hard to believe, but my main pc that I use will be 9 years old this year in November. I bought the components when I was in Vegas Fry's back in 2009, all new stuff. I spent well over $1000 at the time. I've zero issues with the board or any other component when using XP then Win 7.

Huh, my motherboard is officially 6 years old this year. Doesn't seem like it's been that long. I, however, have since stepped up from the original i5 2500K to the maximum processor supported (i7 3770S). Still runs everything I throw at it with max settings. But then again, I'm not running 4k.

on the GPU prices, I saw somewhere that Microcenter will sell GPUs at closed to MSRP if you are building a rig and buy the other stuff from them. If they have any GPUs. Threads at other forums suggest GPUs are few and far between at any price.