Quote (Xet @ Jan 12 2022 03:39pm)

You downgraded from 11th Gen Intel to 10th Gen. And you picked Samsung 980. While it will work...you're not taking full advantage. 10th Gen Intel does not have PCIe Gen4. So it won't take full advantage of the read/write speeds of Samsung 980. 970 will take full advantage because that is Gen3, while 980 is Gen4.

For your OS storage, 250GB is enough...if you have the money or whatever, sure, get a 500GB. I personally would go for a Samsung 970 Evo 2TB (Amazon has it for $220 USD), your original configuration.

Double check the Noctua website for heat sink compatibility. Not in terms of fitting but being able to cool sufficiently. I'm not sure if the U9 will be enough for an Intel i9.

You mentioned gaming and do you use Bluetooth connection for your controller? If yes, then you lost Bluetooth with your newer motherboard selection. You'll have to buy an add-on card for WiFi/Bluetooth. These typically are a combo.

Quote (purplex @ Jan 12 2022 04:10pm)

I think I would go with the 10900k and the 2TB 970 (adding another 2TB later is more optimal here).. but the 11th gen is a good choice too. for me, multiple VMs or two games + tabs/media streams (spotify, Xet's personal tapes plex server) would warrant the extra cores and less latency over the IPC gains from the 11th gen. you should get the NH-U14S cooler.

edit: don't go to 650w, stay at 750/850w gold, or at least if you do need to save that amount of money there's other places it should be saved first.

Quote (Xet @ Jan 12 2022 04:22pm)

Adding on to the 11th Gen vs 10th Gen, with your original list, you can change the CPU to 10th Gen and keep the same Z590 motherboard from your original list.

I'm not sure if that will lower your costs, because new 10900K on reputable sites with stock, show they're $10 USD more than 11900K. It's $10...and hopefully it won't be a significant impact to your budget/cost.

Quote (purplex @ Jan 12 2022 04:42pm)

solid, that heatsink is the other best choice from them other than the u14s. they trade blows depending on what benchmark you look at, some people conclude that a dual fan U14S is slightly more optimal but we're talking less than 1c of a difference.

Quote (Xet @ Jan 12 2022 04:53pm)

I don't like the following combination - case, RAM and CPU cooler.

The case has a max allowable CPU cooler height of 160mm. The CPU cooler is 166mm, I think? And the RAM height is 42mm? So what does this mean?

First, CPU cooler isn't going to fit. Actually it will fit but you can't put on the side panel on.
Second, because of the RAM height, you're going to shift the second fan attached to the CPU cooler. So the CPU cooler height goes from 166mm to perhaps 170mm.

I recommend sticking to Corsair Vengeance LPX (32mm) or Crucial Ballistix (34mm) and Corsair 4000D Airflow (170mm allowable).

I personally use the NH-D15 with Crucial Ballistix (non-RGB). My case is Fractal Design Define 7 (185mm) and my other PC which is built similar with NH-D15 and Corsair Vengeance LPX on Fractal Design Meshify 2 (185mm).

Quote (Xet @ Jan 12 2022 05:36pm)

I'm not disliking or dis-approving the product selection. I'm just pointing out the size/fitting and how they don't work. Unless you want the side panel off.

NH-D15S or NH-D15 are good choices. You can keep them. You just need a bigger case (wider width) to make everything fit.

Corsair 4000D Airflow or 5000D Airflow are good choices too. They allow 170mm CPU cooler height. Look at their manufacturer's page and search for CPU cooler height. If you stick to this, then you need to get shorter RAM (Corsair Vengeance LPX or Crucial Ballistix). I recommend Corsair.

For RAM, yes speed and CAS does matter. But the typical/common speed you want to aim for is 3200/3600MHz and C16/C18. Unless you have professional, specific use case, I don't see a huge impact for 4000MHz.