Questions regarding mobos, CPU, my Cooler Master 311 Case and my MSI 970 GTX card

[Deleted]

Hi all,

I'm currently upgrading my computer piece by piece due to finances, making the jump from console to PC gaming, and just needed a few questions answered before I commit to a new mobo, CPU, and potentially a new case. Background shtuff first:

My case is a Cooler master Elite 311. My current mobo is an Asus A55BM-E, which was what came with the computer when I bought it a couple of years back. About a month or so back I bought an MSI GTX 970 and a Corsair modular 750w PSU.

The card doesn't exactly sit pretty inside the case, owing to the size of the mobo which as I understand is a micro-ATX. The case is able to fit a regular sized ATX mobo so I'm strongly considering purchasing one - the side of the GTX scrapes against the 3.5" drive bays and is very awkward to fit. I have removed one of the driver bays so the GTX could fit comfortably with a larger mobo. My only concern is that a lot of the PCI Express x16 3.0 slots still look to be quite high up on the ATX mobos I've looked at, and I'm worried about investing in a standard ATX wouldn't alleviate my GTX 970 from its snug fit and scraping the 3.5" bay.

Really, it's two questions I have:

1) Should I invest in an ATX mobo that will hopefully fit my card in my case with plenty of room around it, or invest in a micro-ATX and a new case which would mean moving my PSU, HDD and DVD drive into it?

2) I'm thinking of purchasing an Intel Core i5 4460 CPU. Would this be a good purchase, and if so what mobo would be recommended to go with it? I'm looking to spend around £150 on the CPU, and around £150 on a mobo too. Currently I just focus on WoW and Hearthstone, and Deus Ex: Human Revolution was a treat to play through after I put the GTX 970 in, but I would like to branch out into Overwatch, Doom, X-Com and am very much looking forward to Mankind Divided. I'd like to play on high settings with a smooth framerate - ultra settings aren't a must-have, I'd just like the games to look pretty and run at 60FPS.

If you have follow-up questions I'd be happy to respond - it's bound to be a slow day at work today so I'll keep an eye on the thread.

Thanks in advance!

[Kagthul]

My only concern is that a lot of the PCI Express x16 3.0 slots still look to be quite high up on the ATX mobos I've looked at, and I'm worried about investing in a standard ATX wouldn't alleviate my GTX 790 from its snug fit and scraping the 3.5" bay.

It will not alleviate the issue. The top PCIe slot is in the exact same spot on mATX and mITX boards as the top slot on a full ATX board. If it isn't causing performance issues... then its not causing an issue, honestly.

[the boar]

so you wanna do this? http://olbmart.com/image/cache/data/...-1200x1200.jpg

or you are already doing this and it still doesn't fit?

[Deleted]

It will not alleviate the issue. The top PCIe slot is in the exact same spot on mATX and mITX boards as the top slot on a full ATX board. If it isn't causing performance issues... then its not causing an issue, honestly.

I thought that might be the case. I just get very antsy about potentially damaging components (as any sane person would), and noticed after dusting the case last week that there were some scratches on the corner of the plastic casing around the fan. It's just superficial damage but it's something I'm aware of as a potential problem down the road.

so you wanna do this? http://olbmart.com/image/cache/data/...-1200x1200.jpg

or you are already doing this and it still doesn't fit?

That looks like what I want to do, yes. The PCI slot on my mATX means the GTX ends up partially sitting in the empty 3.5" drive bay. It's a pain to put in and take out and as above it's already made a couple of superficial scratches on the plastic around the fan. I can take a picture later today and upload it to show how it currently sits if that helps, but that picture you linked is pretty much what I wanna do.

[the boar]

edit: i think this post is mostly irrelevant now so if you are new to this thread just skip down~

an matx board with a pci-e 3.0 x16 slot where you want it down there is going to cost a bit more.. but if you are happy with your budget up to £150 you can do it if you do want to upgrade your cpu/mobo

i'll go seek out some matx boards that meet your requirements quickly

edit: seems only a couple matx boards have a second pci-e slot that will actually run at x16 - though if anyone can prove me wrong please go ahead! i am going by the manufacturer specification pages.

MSI Z97M Gaming £115
Asus Gryphon Z97 £135+ (but if you can find it without the "Armour Kit" it should be cheaper)

also, the Gigabyte GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5 has a 2nd pci-e slot that runs at x8 - i am not an expert at all but i have read the performance difference between x8 and x16 is really small.. can anyone confirm or deny this?

there is also an ASRock Z97M OC Formula but the website is kinda unclear, i think it is similar situation to the Gigabyte.

the uk must be running low on Gryphon's though, on pcpartpicker they have the Z97 at £800 (maybe a typo? lol) and the Z97 + the big ugly armour stuff (unless you are into that) for £135. sadly even a quick google shopping search, can't find the Z97 without the armour kit.. which is kinda a waste of £40-50. i am sure my gryphon was only around £70-80 when i got it with no armour, but it was a Z87 and a couple years ago.

so i guess based on your budget and the naked gryphon being £800 for some reason.. maybe this?

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£175.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£114.96 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £290.95

hmm unless anyone can do better than me with skylake

edit: alternatively, you could get a new case and a much cheaper board. £115 just to use a different pci-e slot is a bit extreme

[Deleted]

Than you for your continued help, boar! If you think dropping £115 on a board is a bit extreme I'll heed your advice and opt for a cheaper mobo and new case.

I was thinking, then for the board either the Asus Z97-P ATX, or the MSI Z97 PC Mate, leaning more towards the MSI due to the number of USB ports (which sounds really trivial in hindsight but there we are).

Just hopped over to PCpartpicker for a rundown on a list of cases that would support my bulky GTX 970. So far this Corsair tower, or this one are catching my eye, but I'm open to suggestions!

(P.S. Sorry for being so nooby about this - At the most I've upgraded RAM or graphics cards before so I'm making sure to read stickies and guides even though I'm a bit clueless!)

[the boar]

first off, oops i am a sick fool, i misread the original post quite a bit. your case can support ATX boards, but as said before the primary pci-e slot is always gonna be in the same place. and i am not even sure if the boards i recommended would run the card at x16 or x8 in the secondary slot, the words on the website suggest x16 but with my current head-pain comprehension is probably off. a new case is probably just a better idea overall if you really don't like squashing it into the gap every time.

as always i invite everyone to come and pick the bones and suggest better ideas~

quick skylake build a bit over the £300 mark:

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor (£185.76 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H170M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£80.95 @ CCL Computers)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory (£25.49 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 88R MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£41.57 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £333.77


quick haswell refresh build (reusing your current ram):

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£175.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI H97M-E35 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£59.98 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 88R MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£41.57 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £277.54


finally a haswell refresh build you can overclock, since you play the wows (your ram again) bit over £300 again:

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£189.00 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG M9i 48.4 CFM CPU Cooler (£16.98 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: MSI Z97M-G43 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£82.14 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 88R MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£41.57 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £329.69

i am super dehydrated and my eyes hurt, take these as rough examples of what is possible.
(also wow even those h-boards cost more than i remember motherboards costing)

[Deleted]

Thanks again, boar. I'll definitely be re-using my current ram since I dropped money on 16GB a month or two ago. I'll go ahead and grab the second or third option. You've been a tremendous help. Hope you get well soon - drink dem fluids!

I'm not sure if it's thread etiquette but I'll provide updates as and when. Big thanks!

[Dedweight]

If you have the tools, or know someone that does, you could always cut out those bottom bays. It shouldn't affect the durability of the case too much, if at all, just be sure to do a thorough cleaning before you put everything back in the case to avoid shorting anything out due to stray shards of metal.