Ok, so do you guys think that the Rosewill Challenger will help very much in the cooling department? Also, an H97+ i5 4460 + R9 390 should work fine together (given I get a bigger PSU).
Oh alright, that kinda explains it then It will work fine if you get a bigger ( but still good quality PSU, I suggest any 80+ gold verified PSU, ex EVGA 750W G2 ) and if you get a case with either very good airflow or eventually a CPU cooler like the hyper 212 EVO. Also from what I see, both the Hyper 212 EVO and pretty much any 970 or 390 will fit in the case, so that's fine, and your case seems to be fine with airflow too.
So what specific H97 should I get? I noticed there is several different ones by different companies, most noticeably by ASRock. I noticed ASRock makes it both as an ATX and Micro ATX board, so which is the better version and will fit (preferably) and R9 390
I'd go for an ASUS H97-Plus or MSI H97 Gaming 3. ASrock is fine for more expensive boards but not very good on the low end (<$100). I've always used ASUS boards personally and they've always been very good. Remember to get an aftermarket CPU cooler if you're going for a 390, the stock Intel one is rubbish and your CPU could get too hot. The Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo is really good and inexpensive.
Thank you guys so much! I really appreciate all the help. Whilst I'm upgrading, should I consider getting more RAM?
Not really, the amount you have right now is already enough for usual work, unless if you do alot of multitasking.
8GB is enough for all games, though I have noticed that GTA V uses 6GB, but that shouldnt be a problem.
Ok, so my final question would probably be what to do with my old parts. Is it viable to sell them or toss them or what?
Hey guys, I'm slightly concerned with motherboard compatibility to the Rosewill Challenger http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...re=Rosewill_Challenger-_-11-147-153-_-Product to http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=msi_h97_gaming_3-_-13-130-787-_-Product or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...3132121&cm_re=Asus_H97-_-13-132-121-_-Product motherboards. I'm slightly concerned with dimensions, but they look like they could fit fine. I'm also a little concerned if I have to get the USB 3.0 Challenger version to be compatible with any of those motherboards. Also, I saw on Newegg that on the link of the Asus motherboard it says it has a more updated version of that. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...m_re=asus_h170-plus_d3-_-13-132-577-_-Product Is that worth anything or is it better to just stick between the two other boards. Sorry I had to ask about this but how well the motherboard fits seems to worry me the most.
You should go for the H97 mobos and the USB 3.0 Rosewill Challenger. The H170 motherboard is for a different generation CPU with a different socket ; the CPU you're getting ( i5-4460 ) is socket 1150 and the H170 is socket 1151. Also, your motherboard will definitely fit, because your motherboard is ATX and so is your case. So basically, go for the H97, and it'll fit.
Ok, I figured I was just being paranoid because I understood the whole ATX/ Micro ATX thing but I didn't understand about the 3.0 USB. Thanks for clearing that up!
Does the H97 leave much room for future upgrades of processor past an i5 4460? Also, what do you guys think of The Asus H97-PRO GAMER http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...R&cm_re=H97_pro_gamer-_-13-132-415R-_-Product
H97 will allow you to upgrade to any Haswell CPU, up to an i7-4790K. You can't overclock it, but the 4790K does have higher stock clocks than the 4790 so even on an H board it's better. You shouldn't worry about upgrading though, an i5-4460 is a pretty good CPU and shouldn't need upgrading any time soon. The board you linked is fine, but it's just a nicer looking more expensive H97-PRO. So just go for the non-gaming board.
So I know you said go for the H97-PRO but I'm just curious what offers the best performance. It seems the H97-PRO is geared more toward work PC's rather than gaming ones, so I would just be kind of curious to see you're input on each of the 3 Asus boards I am leaning towards. The H97-PRO the H97-PLUS, and the H97-PRO GAMER. I think cost doesn't really matter to me if it's 10-20 dollars, particularly if it's as vital of part as the motherboard. I looked up comparisons between those 3 Asus boards and couldn't find much so I really would appreciate the input. I've been using the official Asus site for reference of specifications.
The H97-PLUS is lower end. The only differences between the H97-PRO and the Pro Gamer is a better 'gaming' network controller, which doesn't actually do anything unless you, the server and every hop in between are connected via fiber - and your LAN is Gigabit-capable and Cat6 cabled. Not worth the extra money.
