Advice on a custom build for photo editing

Austinian said:

SarahBK said:

- I know I should go for a good quality PSU, but I still don't know at what wattage to get it, or what brand to go for.

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The brand name is often less important than the OEM that actually makes the PSU; a relatively few OEMs make a vast number of branded PSUs.

There are a lot of reasonable choices, but to keep it simple, if you look for a Seasonic-made PSU of approximately 500 watts I don't think you'll go far wrong. But I wouldn't be surprised to find contrary opinions here,

Click to expand...

edispics said:

At this point you should start using pcpartpicker.

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/

It will help you identify all the parts, show compatibilities/incompatibilities, calculate approx power supply size and show you part availability and pricing. It also helps you do a lot of what-if calculations quickly and simply.

I believe you said you were moving to the UK. If you have the option, consider buying a Dell XPS with the 6700K and 256GB SSD.

My most recent build uses the 6700K, liquid cooling, 32GB mem, GTX960 with 4GB, and Samsung EVO SSDs - for OS, Photo working sets and cache, catalogs, etc. I use WD Blacks for photo storage and 4TB WDs for external backup. The system is mildly overclocked at 4.6 and you can do this easily just using something like the ASUS Z170 motherboard and using its OC utility. It's a no brainer. It cranks up the settings and tests automatically.

My cousin just bought a Dell XPS with the 6700K, air cooled, 32GB, 256GB SSD, GTX960. We added an extra internal spinner for storage. He's running it not overclocked, it's very quiet, it cost less than my build and in normal day to day processing - PS, LR and a ton of plugins, you can't really see much of a difference, if at all. I set it up for him and it was a no effort proposition - works like a charm with Win 10. Just like this one:

http://www.costco.com/Dell-XPS-8900...phics-|-Blu-ray-Player.product.100232616.html

It replaces an older Dell XPS he's been running 24/7 since 2010.

So, if you build, use pcpartpicker. But also consider buying a Dell, most of the goodness at a lower price point and a lot less drama.

Click to expand...

SarahBK said:

edispics said:

At this point you should start using pcpartpicker.

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/

It will help you identify all the parts, show compatibilities/incompatibilities, calculate approx power supply size and show you part availability and pricing. It also helps you do a lot of what-if calculations quickly and simply.

I believe you said you were moving to the UK. If you have the option, consider buying a Dell XPS with the 6700K and 256GB SSD.

My most recent build uses the 6700K, liquid cooling, 32GB mem, GTX960 with 4GB, and Samsung EVO SSDs - for OS, Photo working sets and cache, catalogs, etc. I use WD Blacks for photo storage and 4TB WDs for external backup. The system is mildly overclocked at 4.6 and you can do this easily just using something like the ASUS Z170 motherboard and using its OC utility. It's a no brainer. It cranks up the settings and tests automatically.

My cousin just bought a Dell XPS with the 6700K, air cooled, 32GB, 256GB SSD, GTX960. We added an extra internal spinner for storage. He's running it not overclocked, it's very quiet, it cost less than my build and in normal day to day processing - PS, LR and a ton of plugins, you can't really see much of a difference, if at all. I set it up for him and it was a no effort proposition - works like a charm with Win 10. Just like this one:

http://www.costco.com/Dell-XPS-8900...phics-|-Blu-ray-Player.product.100232616.html

It replaces an older Dell XPS he's been running 24/7 since 2010.

So, if you build, use pcpartpicker. But also consider buying a Dell, most of the goodness at a lower price point and a lot less drama.

Click to expand...

I've been on pcpartpicker a few times since others had also mentioned it, but the lists were endlessly long and found it very difficult to navigate without a clearer idea of what I wanted. I think however it was not the UK one that I'd seen... that seems more relevant to me.

That's actually a really good price for the Dell (the total for my build comes close to that without a graphics card and less RAM!), and is another option. I had gone on the Dell UK part of the site initially but it seems I cannot find any option to get such a desktop with a 256GB SSD, which is what put me off initially. In the long description it does say you can though, so I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong (see for yourself http://www.dell.com/uk/p/xps-8900-desktop/pd). Also, since the monitor I'd like is a Dell (and naturally might as well try to add it on through the site), there's no option to include it! It names the u2515h, but it says it's a 27" monitor which it's not. It's weird.

I also just had a look at Scan UK which also offer custom PC building, and got mentioned earlier on. I went through selecting all the components from what was available (and through that identified the Asus Z170-A which seems like the motherboard I'd go for). Prices are nearly identical to Amazon UK bought individually, with the added bonus that I'd get it ready built and have a guarantee on the system for 3 years! They also offer the option of overclocking the i5 and i7 K CPUs themselves for free (and both up to 4.6KHz) meaning I could go for the i5 6600K for about £100 less and get more speed out of it than a non overclocked 6700K had I to buy it and build it myself! This new information has made me bring this option (of getting an i5) back for reconsideration.

I'd like to compare the build I resulted with on Scan UK to the Dell, but till I can find out how to add on a 256GB SSD I cannot really.

Click to expand...

edispics said:

SarahBK said:

edispics said:

At this point you should start using pcpartpicker.

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/

It will help you identify all the parts, show compatibilities/incompatibilities, calculate approx power supply size and show you part availability and pricing. It also helps you do a lot of what-if calculations quickly and simply.

I believe you said you were moving to the UK. If you have the option, consider buying a Dell XPS with the 6700K and 256GB SSD.

My most recent build uses the 6700K, liquid cooling, 32GB mem, GTX960 with 4GB, and Samsung EVO SSDs - for OS, Photo working sets and cache, catalogs, etc. I use WD Blacks for photo storage and 4TB WDs for external backup. The system is mildly overclocked at 4.6 and you can do this easily just using something like the ASUS Z170 motherboard and using its OC utility. It's a no brainer. It cranks up the settings and tests automatically.

My cousin just bought a Dell XPS with the 6700K, air cooled, 32GB, 256GB SSD, GTX960. We added an extra internal spinner for storage. He's running it not overclocked, it's very quiet, it cost less than my build and in normal day to day processing - PS, LR and a ton of plugins, you can't really see much of a difference, if at all. I set it up for him and it was a no effort proposition - works like a charm with Win 10. Just like this one:

http://www.costco.com/Dell-XPS-8900...phics-|-Blu-ray-Player.product.100232616.html

It replaces an older Dell XPS he's been running 24/7 since 2010.

So, if you build, use pcpartpicker. But also consider buying a Dell, most of the goodness at a lower price point and a lot less drama.

Click to expand...

I've been on pcpartpicker a few times since others had also mentioned it, but the lists were endlessly long and found it very difficult to navigate without a clearer idea of what I wanted. I think however it was not the UK one that I'd seen... that seems more relevant to me.

That's actually a really good price for the Dell (the total for my build comes close to that without a graphics card and less RAM!), and is another option. I had gone on the Dell UK part of the site initially but it seems I cannot find any option to get such a desktop with a 256GB SSD, which is what put me off initially. In the long description it does say you can though, so I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong (see for yourself http://www.dell.com/uk/p/xps-8900-desktop/pd). Also, since the monitor I'd like is a Dell (and naturally might as well try to add it on through the site), there's no option to include it! It names the u2515h, but it says it's a 27" monitor which it's not. It's weird.

I also just had a look at Scan UK which also offer custom PC building, and got mentioned earlier on. I went through selecting all the components from what was available (and through that identified the Asus Z170-A which seems like the motherboard I'd go for). Prices are nearly identical to Amazon UK bought individually, with the added bonus that I'd get it ready built and have a guarantee on the system for 3 years! They also offer the option of overclocking the i5 and i7 K CPUs themselves for free (and both up to 4.6KHz) meaning I could go for the i5 6600K for about £100 less and get more speed out of it than a non overclocked 6700K had I to buy it and build it myself! This new information has made me bring this option (of getting an i5) back for reconsideration.

I'd like to compare the build I resulted with on Scan UK to the Dell, but till I can find out how to add on a 256GB SSD I cannot really.

Click to expand...

http://www.dell.com/uk/p/xps-8900-desktop/pd?oc=cdx8906&model_id=xps-8900-desktop

Dell UK with 6700K and 256GB SSD. You can tweak the config.

Click to expand...

SarahBK said:

edispics said:

http://www.dell.com/uk/p/xps-8900-desktop/pd?oc=cdx8906&model_id=xps-8900-desktop

Dell UK with 6700K and 256GB SSD. You can tweak the config.

Click to expand...

Ah - that's exactly what I wanted to get to somehow. Thanks!

Indeed, it's actually cheaper than buying components separately... and for the same money I do get much more than I would otherwise - not only is it ready built, but I'd get even more RAM and a bonus - a good graphics card which I was not going to purchase for the time being. As well as peripherals. I would have thought otherwise.

Click to expand...

Austinian said:

SarahBK said:

edispics said:

http://www.dell.com/uk/p/xps-8900-desktop/pd?oc=cdx8906&model_id=xps-8900-desktop

Dell UK with 6700K and 256GB SSD. You can tweak the config.

Click to expand...

Ah - that's exactly what I wanted to get to somehow. Thanks!

Indeed, it's actually cheaper than buying components separately... and for the same money I do get much more than I would otherwise - not only is it ready built, but I'd get even more RAM and a bonus - a good graphics card which I was not going to purchase for the time being. As well as peripherals. I would have thought otherwise.

Click to expand...

The major manufacturers can buy components much cheaper than we as individuals, and (hopefully) test them to make sure those components don't fail prematurely.

No doubt the entire system is designed for quick and easy assembly, so labor costs should be small.

That looks like quite a nice PC; I see the link's config includes a monitor that could be upgraded if you wish, but I don't see a way to remove it entirely.

Click to expand...

SarahBK said:

Austinian said:

SarahBK said:

edispics said:

http://www.dell.com/uk/p/xps-8900-desktop/pd?oc=cdx8906&model_id=xps-8900-desktop

Dell UK with 6700K and 256GB SSD. You can tweak the config.

Click to expand...

Ah - that's exactly what I wanted to get to somehow. Thanks!

Indeed, it's actually cheaper than buying components separately... and for the same money I do get much more than I would otherwise - not only is it ready built, but I'd get even more RAM and a bonus - a good graphics card which I was not going to purchase for the time being. As well as peripherals. I would have thought otherwise.

Click to expand...

The major manufacturers can buy components much cheaper than we as individuals, and (hopefully) test them to make sure those components don't fail prematurely.

No doubt the entire system is designed for quick and easy assembly, so labor costs should be small.

That looks like quite a nice PC; I see the link's config includes a monitor that could be upgraded if you wish, but I don't see a way to remove it entirely.

Click to expand...

I see.

The site is rather non-user friendly, but I think I've figured it out now. I managed to find a link which does not include any monitor here - http://www.dell.com/uk/p/xps-8900-desktop/pd?oc=cdx8905&model_id=xps-8900-desktop

Wish I could swap out the wired keyboard and mouse for their wireless versions, but apparently it's not possible. I wish they had some more tweaking options though. I'm seeing other available combinations, but none are absolutely perfect. http://www.dell.com/uk/p/configurat...n#!facets=65235~0~4953270,40186~0~5225961&p=1

Click to expand...

SarahBK said:

I'd fix up their mid priced option as follows if I could - I'd take the 16gb of ram of the cheapest, the 256GB SSD of the most expensive, the 6700K of the most expensive, and the mid-priced graphics card option.

It's even cheaper when you select the monitor with it. According to someone on the site I spoke to online, the alleged (in my opinion, incorrectly written) 27" u2515h option is actually the 25" one I've been wanting. Added on to the £1149 tower brings the total to £1337. Buying the monitor separately would cost £309. That means effectively that beast of a tower (the most expensive one) would cost me £1000. Certainly can't build it myself at that price.

Click to expand...

SarahBK said:

Austinian said:

SarahBK said:

edispics said:

http://www.dell.com/uk/p/xps-8900-desktop/pd?oc=cdx8906&model_id=xps-8900-desktop

Dell UK with 6700K and 256GB SSD. You can tweak the config.

Click to expand...

Ah - that's exactly what I wanted to get to somehow. Thanks!

Indeed, it's actually cheaper than buying components separately... and for the same money I do get much more than I would otherwise - not only is it ready built, but I'd get even more RAM and a bonus - a good graphics card which I was not going to purchase for the time being. As well as peripherals. I would have thought otherwise.

Click to expand...

The major manufacturers can buy components much cheaper than we as individuals, and (hopefully) test them to make sure those components don't fail prematurely.

No doubt the entire system is designed for quick and easy assembly, so labor costs should be small.

That looks like quite a nice PC; I see the link's config includes a monitor that could be upgraded if you wish, but I don't see a way to remove it entirely.

Click to expand...

I see.

The site is rather non-user friendly, but I think I've figured it out now. I managed to find a link which does not include any monitor here - http://www.dell.com/uk/p/xps-8900-desktop/pd?oc=cdx8905&model_id=xps-8900-desktop

Wish I could swap out the wired keyboard and mouse for their wireless versions, but apparently it's not possible. I wish they had some more tweaking options though. I'm seeing other available combinations, but none are absolutely perfect. http://www.dell.com/uk/p/configurat...n#!facets=65235~0~4953270,40186~0~5225961&p=1

I'd fix up their mid priced option as follows if I could - I'd take the 16gb of ram of the cheapest, the 256GB SSD of the most expensive, the 6700K of the most expensive, and the mid-priced graphics card option.

It's even cheaper when you select the monitor with it. According to someone on the site I spoke to online, the alleged (in my opinion, incorrectly written) 27" u2515h option is actually the 25" one I've been wanting. Added on to the £1149 tower brings the total to £1337. Buying the monitor separately would cost £309. That means effectively that beast of a tower (the most expensive one) would cost me £1000. Certainly can't build it myself at that price.

Click to expand...

Austinian said:

SarahBK said:

The site is rather non-user friendly, but I think I've figured it out now. I managed to find a link which does not include any monitor here - http://www.dell.com/uk/p/xps-8900-desktop/pd?oc=cdx8905&model_id=xps-8900-desktop

Wish I could swap out the wired keyboard and mouse for their wireless versions, but apparently it's not possible. I wish they had some more tweaking options though. I'm seeing other available combinations, but none are absolutely perfect. http://www.dell.com/uk/p/configurat...n#!facets=65235~0~4953270,40186~0~5225961&p=1

Click to expand...

I wouldn't be concerned about that. Dell's cost for a generic keyboard and mouse is probably tiny; you'd save very little by deleting them.

Just take a bit of the money you've saved on the Dell and buy the aftermarket mouse and keyboard of your dreams!

Often, the most attention is paid to the spec-oriented hardware like CPUs and graphics cards, etc., but IMO an even bigger contributor to our happiness with our PCs depends on the quality of the user-interface hardware like the display, keyboard, mouse, desk, chair, etc.

I'll buy whatever it takes to get those things that make spending time at the PC as enjoyable as possible.

Click to expand...

Austinian said:

Austinian said:

I'd fix up their mid priced option as follows if I could - I'd take the 16gb of ram of the cheapest, the 256GB SSD of the most expensive, the 6700K of the most expensive, and the mid-priced graphics card option.

It's even cheaper when you select the monitor with it. According to someone on the site I spoke to online, the alleged (in my opinion, incorrectly written) 27" u2515h option is actually the 25" one I've been wanting. Added on to the £1149 tower brings the total to £1337. Buying the monitor separately would cost £309. That means effectively that beast of a tower (the most expensive one) would cost me £1000. Certainly can't build it myself at that price.

Click to expand...

Neither could I. I build because I want very specific hardware setups, not to save money. Although reuse of existing components does help keep my upgrade costs down.

Click to expand...

SarahBK said:

Austinian said:

SarahBK said:

The site is rather non-user friendly, but I think I've figured it out now. I managed to find a link which does not include any monitor here - http://www.dell.com/uk/p/xps-8900-desktop/pd?oc=cdx8905&model_id=xps-8900-desktop

Wish I could swap out the wired keyboard and mouse for their wireless versions, but apparently it's not possible. I wish they had some more tweaking options though. I'm seeing other available combinations, but none are absolutely perfect. http://www.dell.com/uk/p/configurat...n#!facets=65235~0~4953270,40186~0~5225961&p=1

Click to expand...

I wouldn't be concerned about that. Dell's cost for a generic keyboard and mouse is probably tiny; you'd save very little by deleting them.

Just take a bit of the money you've saved on the Dell and buy the aftermarket mouse and keyboard of your dreams!

Often, the most attention is paid to the spec-oriented hardware like CPUs and graphics cards, etc., but IMO an even bigger contributor to our happiness with our PCs depends on the quality of the user-interface hardware like the display, keyboard, mouse, desk, chair, etc.

I'll buy whatever it takes to get those things that make spending time at the PC as enjoyable as possible.

Click to expand...

Fair point! There's nothing like having comfortable chair especially

Wondering if to go for their wireless keyboard/mouse set they offer... but to be honest I haven't really looked into it. The keyboard that comes with it might be alright...

Click to expand...

SarahBK said:

I know I will certainly miss my laptop's track pad (prefer it entirely to a mouse for editing) so I'd probably also invest in a Wacom tablet of some sort.

Click to expand...

SarahBK said:

SarahBK said:

SarahBK said:

I'd fix up their mid priced option as follows if I could - I'd take the 16gb of ram of the cheapest, the 256GB SSD of the most expensive, the 6700K of the most expensive, and the mid-priced graphics card option.

It's even cheaper when you select the monitor with it. According to someone on the site I spoke to online, the alleged (in my opinion, incorrectly written) 27" u2515h option is actually the 25" one I've been wanting. Added on to the £1149 tower brings the total to £1337. Buying the monitor separately would cost £309. That means effectively that beast of a tower (the most expensive one) would cost me £1000. Certainly can't build it myself at that price.

Click to expand...

Neither could I. I build because I want very specific hardware setups, not to save money. Although reuse of existing components does help keep my upgrade costs down.

Click to expand...

Agreed that's definitely the benefit of custom building, which is why I wanted to go down that route in the first place. In my case, with this option, the components of the build that I'm deciding on are equal to (such as the i7 6700K) or inferior to my selected components (24GB ram vs 16GB, gtx 960 vs no graphics card) for the same price. Which is a good thing overall...! And I'd get it ready built... which has its pros (it will definitely work and won't ruin anything) and its cons (I do enjoy making stuff myself and was kinda looking forward to a DIY project!).

I suppose I can't tell exactly if this build would then allow overclocking (mainly can't find information about the exact motherboard and cooling system), but I presume it would already be really powerful right out of the box and a massive improvement over what I'm currently using and is unlikely to be the first thing on my mind when I got it.

Click to expand...

Austinian said:

The major manufacturers can buy components much cheaper than we as individuals, and (hopefully) test them to make sure those components don't fail prematurely.

Click to expand...

kelpdiver said:

Austinian said:

The major manufacturers can buy components much cheaper than we as individuals, and (hopefully) test them to make sure those components don't fail prematurely.

Click to expand...

But as people have have noted, you often have multiyear warranties on those parts bought individually (ie, hard drives), but systems are limited to one year unless you pony up considerable $$.

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kelpdiver said:

The discounts also, are not tremendous, at least not for the good parts. It's largely a commodities market.

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kelpdiver said:

The discount on the MS license is the most significant.

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SarahBK said:

Fair point! There's nothing like having comfortable chair especially

Wondering if to go for their wireless keyboard/mouse set they offer... but to be honest I haven't really looked into it. The keyboard that comes with it might be alright... I know I will certainly miss my laptop's track pad (prefer it entirely to a mouse for editing) so I'd probably also invest in a Wacom tablet of some sort.

Agreed that's definitely the benefit of custom building, which is why I wanted to go down that route in the first place. In my case, with this option, the components of the build that I'm deciding on are equal to (such as the i7 6700K) or inferior to my selected components (24GB ram vs 16GB, gtx 960 vs no graphics card) for the same price. Which is a good thing overall...! And I'd get it ready built... which has its pros (it will definitely work and won't ruin anything) and its cons (I do enjoy making stuff myself and was kinda looking forward to a DIY project!).

I suppose I can't tell exactly if this build would then allow overclocking (mainly can't find information about the exact motherboard and cooling system), but I presume it would already be really powerful right out of the box and a massive improvement over what I'm currently using and is unlikely to be the first thing on my mind when I got it.

Click to expand...

StIves said:

SarahBK said:

Fair point! There's nothing like having comfortable chair especially

Wondering if to go for their wireless keyboard/mouse set they offer... but to be honest I haven't really looked into it. The keyboard that comes with it might be alright... I know I will certainly miss my laptop's track pad (prefer it entirely to a mouse for editing) so I'd probably also invest in a Wacom tablet of some sort.

Agreed that's definitely the benefit of custom building, which is why I wanted to go down that route in the first place. In my case, with this option, the components of the build that I'm deciding on are equal to (such as the i7 6700K) or inferior to my selected components (24GB ram vs 16GB, gtx 960 vs no graphics card) for the same price. Which is a good thing overall...! And I'd get it ready built... which has its pros (it will definitely work and won't ruin anything) and its cons (I do enjoy making stuff myself and was kinda looking forward to a DIY project!).

I suppose I can't tell exactly if this build would then allow overclocking (mainly can't find information about the exact motherboard and cooling system), but I presume it would already be really powerful right out of the box and a massive improvement over what I'm currently using and is unlikely to be the first thing on my mind when I got it.

Click to expand...

The manual for the XPS 8900 indicates that it's running a Z170 chipset, so you should have access to the usual range of motherboard based overclocking options. https://www.manualowl.com/m/Dell/XPS-8900/Manual/458649

There's no info on the CPU cooler, this would probably be the limiting factor if you did decide to overclock it, but you could swap in something more appropriate later.

In my opinion, the keyboard is a disposable piece of flexy trash, but unless you're picky about these things, you will probably find it to be completely fine! Seriously, we have these at work and most people seem happy with them so just try it out first and see if you're okay with it. If you've been using a laptop, the Dell keyboard will probably feel okay. (I am heavily skewed in the other direction and super picky- run custom keyboards on my PCs and select my laptops specifically for their keyboards.)

Overall, this looks like the perfect route if you don't have system building experience.

Click to expand...

John Tait said:

StIves said:

SarahBK said:

Fair point! There's nothing like having comfortable chair especially

Wondering if to go for their wireless keyboard/mouse set they offer... but to be honest I haven't really looked into it. The keyboard that comes with it might be alright... I know I will certainly miss my laptop's track pad (prefer it entirely to a mouse for editing) so I'd probably also invest in a Wacom tablet of some sort.

Agreed that's definitely the benefit of custom building, which is why I wanted to go down that route in the first place. In my case, with this option, the components of the build that I'm deciding on are equal to (such as the i7 6700K) or inferior to my selected components (24GB ram vs 16GB, gtx 960 vs no graphics card) for the same price. Which is a good thing overall...! And I'd get it ready built... which has its pros (it will definitely work and won't ruin anything) and its cons (I do enjoy making stuff myself and was kinda looking forward to a DIY project!).

I suppose I can't tell exactly if this build would then allow overclocking (mainly can't find information about the exact motherboard and cooling system), but I presume it would already be really powerful right out of the box and a massive improvement over what I'm currently using and is unlikely to be the first thing on my mind when I got it.

Click to expand...

The manual for the XPS 8900 indicates that it's running a Z170 chipset, so you should have access to the usual range of motherboard based overclocking options. https://www.manualowl.com/m/Dell/XPS-8900/Manual/458649

There's no info on the CPU cooler, this would probably be the limiting factor if you did decide to overclock it, but you could swap in something more appropriate later.

In my opinion, the keyboard is a disposable piece of flexy trash, but unless you're picky about these things, you will probably find it to be completely fine! Seriously, we have these at work and most people seem happy with them so just try it out first and see if you're okay with it. If you've been using a laptop, the Dell keyboard will probably feel okay. (I am heavily skewed in the other direction and super picky- run custom keyboards on my PCs and select my laptops specifically for their keyboards.)

Overall, this looks like the perfect route if you don't have system building experience.

Click to expand...

I don't believe any name brand computer offers a "K" cpu.

Click to expand...

John Tait said:

It seems people are overclocking non-K skylakes, but there are real negatives. You can read about it here:

http://overclocking.guide/asus-z170-non-k-overclocking-guide/

I wouldn't overclock a Dell or any other name brand computer. I doubt the MB allows it, but if it does you would be asking for trouble. I'm certain it would void the warrantee. Swapping the cooler would also void your warrantee.

John

Click to expand...

John Tait said:

I don't believe any name brand computer offers a "K" cpu. It seems people are overclocking non-K skylakes, but there are real negatives. You can read about it here:

http://overclocking.guide/asus-z170-non-k-overclocking-guide/

I wouldn't overclock a Dell or any other name brand computer. I doubt the MB allows it, but if it does you would be asking for trouble. I'm certain it would void the warrantee. Swapping the cooler would also void your warrantee.

John

Click to expand...

edispics said:

John Tait said:

edispics said:

Overall, this looks like the perfect route if you don't have system building experience.

Click to expand...

I don't believe any name brand computer offers a "K" cpu.

Click to expand...

What? You haven't been keeping up with the previous posts, have you?

http://www.costco.com/Dell-XPS-8900...phics-|-Blu-ray-Player.product.100232616.html

My cousin bought one, runs like a charm, and it is a K.

edispics said:

It seems people are overclocking non-K skylakes, but there are real negatives. You can read about it here:

http://overclocking.guide/asus-z170-non-k-overclocking-guide/

I wouldn't overclock a Dell or any other name brand computer. I doubt the MB allows it, but if it does you would be asking for trouble. I'm certain it would void the warrantee. Swapping the cooler would also void your warrantee.

John

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

StIves said:

paradisephoto said:

I have added another 16GB Ram ($85), and replaced the NVidia GT730 card with the much larger and faster Asus NVidia 4GB GTX 960 ($214) video card (needed for 4K encoding and decoding), and two SSD drives (250GB Samsung 840 EVO for the boot/Windows drive, 1TB 850 EVO for data). Admittedly this much this quick is out of the reach of a lot of people all at once, but piecemeal is doable over a period of time while starting out with enough power

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Have you updated the firmware on the 840 EVO? There's a known problem with that model where the NAND loses state data over time and the whole drive slows down. There's a firmware workaround for it, but you have to apply the firmware manually.

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