Asus P8Z68-V Pro/Gen3 to similar MB today?

[techiemon]

Hey guys, it's been seven years since my last new machine build, and I just had a look at the Asus website and so much has changed..

This is my current MB: https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P8Z68V_PROGEN3/

I have no idea where to start for a new build. I don't do much gaming, but I do need lots of RAM as I am a crazy internet browser freak, having 100s of opened tabs at a time, even with the 16gb I had with the old MB it was still bogging down. But I see some new MBs have 64GB chips x 4. woo hoo! Things have come a long ways! Although I may want more as I had no idea it had already been seven years!!!

I need some advice for a new build.

I have a bunch of things that need USB. My current box has 4 front end USB ports which is really needed. And of course I need a bunch on the back too.

Basically I need something similar to the Asus P8Z68-V Pro/Gen3 but of course with loads of new stuff! My current build is below in my signature, and I would need to upgrade everything, I will start from 0 and build a new machine completely.

Some recommendations for everything would be highly appreciated at least it gives me a place to start. Including how big of a power supply I am going to need for the new build? Thanks in advance!!!!

 

[EarthDog]

Budget please!

 

[techiemon]

Budget please!

Man that's a hard question... My current build was like $1200-$1500 if I can remember... And that was everything..

I have no idea how much things costs now...

For MB I don't really want to spend more than about $200-$250... Ease of OC, runs cool, lots of USB and ports for cards. Unless something more will provide significant better performance and stability for the long term. (Edit, on check, it seems MB prices have dropped significantly here. seems I can pick up a prime board for just over $100, this is good news. So maybe I can get away with $150-$175?)

For a CPU, I would really like to go with an i7 chip this time if it is not overly expensive. 6-8 cores would be great if affordable, high stability ease of OC. Let's say $150-400?

2x WD 6TB HDDs ~$500 here. 1x intel SSD 512gb ~$120 here...

Power supply no idea. $100?

Good memory up to $500, but I want at least 128gb if I can get something decent, memory here might be more expensive and not sure I can get the brand, offer multiple suggestions. Don't know if it is better to go with 2x 64s or 4x 32s? Also my current memory sucks. Nanya is horrible.

As I want to get back into folding and get my ranks up, gonna need a good GPU graphics card, $250-$400 would be max probably. Nvida for sure. and just one card I think is enough. I usually have onboard graphics as a back up, but with folding I need the GPU. Helps also as I still play old sim city games, might need something for graphics in the future.

Accessories and stuff, fan, case, etc. probably $250?

Win 10 + newest office, no idea? How much does that run now? $400-$500 for the two of them?? I'm doubting it.

Let's try to keep it around $2000-$2500 I really don't want to spend that much, but a decent CPU, memory, and graphics card are going to run it up... Let' start with this and see how far it goes..

 

[trents]

If you are wanting to be able to install 128 gb of RAM then you will need an LGA 2066X, 299 chipset motherboard like this: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132994 and an i5x, i7x or i9x CPU if you go with Intel.

Alternatively, you could go with AMD Threadripper. X399 chipset boards, socket sTR4 like this: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157785


I question whether or not you need nearly that much memory for surfing the net, even with lots of tabs open. A fast m.2 NVME system drive (flash storage) would offset the need for so much memory.

Also, have you investigated the One Tab extension for the Chrome browser which helps address the memory hog nature of Chrome? https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/onetab/chphlpgkkbolifaimnlloiipkdnihall?hl=en

 

[EarthDog]

I'd be floored if you needed more than 32GB for browsing the web....have you seen your memory and PF use when doing these things and confirmed you actually NEED it? Unused RAM is a waste of cash.

 

[techiemon]

The MB you recommend seems pricey for what you get. I don't know am I missing something. It seems it has almost no extra cooling for the new M.2 you mention. Is it not needed?

And I can tell you that I have maxed out my current 16GB ram I have now, so I am not going anything near that again. I will look into the Chrome addon you mention, that could be helpful, thank you.. I still use FF sometimes too. Yeah it's old, but I like it, but yeah it's a memory hug too.

The very least I am willing to go down to is 4x 16GB chips or 2x 32GB chips. That's 64GB and I even feel that is pushing it. If I ever want to do more with the computer than I will run out of memory fast, like I have with my current system already. I am trying to plan not to upgrade again for about 5-7 years. It might have been overkill for 128GB, but... I need to make sure my system is not going to have issues again like it has in the past. So yes, I definitely need more memory than the 16GB I am currently using. but 32GB is pushing it. I would be happy to drop it 64GB and that would lower my cost considerably, I agree with Earth that it is a waste of cash, but, I think I need at least 64.

I am not buying an AMD, period. Thanks, but no thanks.

m.2 NVME system drive seems very new, and I like it, and it looks like Samsung is running the best for these at 1TB for about $200. It seems with this, I don't need to buy a traditional 2.5" SSD bay drive. It may help speed things up a bit. I only use the SSD for commonly accessed programs, i.e. O/S, Office, etc. This could be good. But will need better cooling as my office gets really hot in summer.

 

[trents]

The MB you recommend seems pricey for what you get. I don't know am I missing something. It seems it has almost no extra cooling for the new M.2 you mention. Is it not needed?

What "new" m.2 do you refer to? Do you mean new as in new technology? Many of them come with heat sinks and you can also purchase aftermarket heat sinks for the ones t hat don't for very little money. There is SATA m.2 which gives the same performance as a SATA drive. Then there is NVME which uses the PCI-e bus which is much wider than the SATA bus. This results in much faster boot times and file transfer times when moving large files.

 

[techiemon]

What "new" m.2 do you refer to? Do you mean new as in new technology? Many of them come with heat sinks and you can also purchase aftermarket heat sinks for the ones t hat don't for very little money. There is SATA m.2 which gives the same performance as a SATA drive. Then there is NVME which uses the PCI-e bus which is much wider than the SATA bus. This results in much faster boot times and file transfer times when moving large files.

For me it is new technology, I mean look at how old my current board is. I never even heard of m.2 until I started looking at the board and realized what it was for. I think it's cool. And seems cheaper than buying a 2.5" SSD. So yeah, I am excited!

Is a heat sink enough? Is the board you showed me coming with the heat sink?
SATA m.2 i am not familiar with, I thought the m.2 was only for SSDs.

NVME don't know what that is either, but from your description faster is of course fantastic! Woo hoo!!!

 

[EarthDog]

For me it is new technology, I mean look at how old my current board is. I never even heard of m.2 until I started looking at the board and realized what it was for. I think it's cool. And seems cheaper than buying a 2.5" SSD. So yeah, I am excited!

Is a heat sink enough? Is the board you showed me coming with the heat sink?
SATA m.2 i am not familiar with, I thought the m.2 was only for SSDs.

NVME don't know what that is either, but from your description faster is of course fantastic! Woo hoo!!!

1. M.2 is a form factor. There can be SATA based m.2 drives (limited to 500/500 MB/s R/W) and pcie nvme (fast, up to 3500/3500 theoretical)
2. Some boards have a heatsink for the m.2 slot(s). Look at the board he suggested.... does it come with one?
3. Better cooling isnt going to cool your office... think about it. It's the same heat load you are cooling no matter what...a better heatsink (which you want regardless) will be more efficient and put more heat into the room. The good news is your system will likely use a bit less power overall anyway.
4. RAM... again... confirm your actual use... 16GB DIMMs are the most you are going to get really. So any dual channel platform you are limited to 64GB anyway. Youd have to go x299 or x399 for more and prices go up quite a bit.

 

[techiemon]

So which is going to be better M.2 SSD or NVME PCI-Ex4 SSD? M.2 seems better because it is SSD which is wear all the important stuff I need fast will go. And I will use the other 6 sata ports for other drives.

I saw some boards have a heatsink, this one I don't know I need to check again. I am aware that better cooling is not going to cool my office, but I want to make sure my chips and drives stay cooler inside the machine, that's all. As I am not gaming it is not going to get crazy, but there is a lot of dust in my office also that I have to pay attention to and clean the case more often.

I did confirm earlier as I mentioned in my message, I don't need to confirm again, I used 16GB of member just on web browsing and with everything else running, I need more RAM than 16GB, is that... clear? 64GB will be enough. But I did see some boards have 32GB dimms. But I am assuming the price is going to go up with that, so best to use 4x 16gb dimms.

Alright, so beyond this, what cpu, gpu, power supply, brand of memory and cpu fan would you recommend?

Although, this board has, Ultimate Protection with Thermal Radar 3 for customizable total system cooling and stability during overclocking , does that mean I do not need any additional accessories for cooling? It also has this: Thermal Armor protective shielding with Thermal Radar 3 provides ducted airflow and complete system cooling control. And I am not familiar with any of this...

 

[EarthDog]

Again, M.2 is the form factor. There are M.2 SATA based SSDs and M.2 PCIe NVMe based drives. The PCIe/NVMe drives are typically a lot faster (on paper). Also, when using one of these, depending on the platform and board (see manual), a SATA port (or two) may be unavailable when using an M.2 device due to how their lanes are shared.

You did confirm you used 16GB. But didn't mention what your use was. I was simply trying to save money. I also suggested 32GB and said 64GB was a limit on dual channel platforms (board limit), just to confirm and make that clear.

That said, I would look at 9900K, Z390 based motherboard that fits your requirements, 4x16GB DDR4 3200 MHz, and a 2x120mm AIO. If you need more RAM than 64GB, as we said earlier, you will need to jump up to the HEDT platforms and get X299/Intel (supports 128GB), or X399/AMD Threadripper (128GB).

 

[techiemon]

I think we are not on the same page. I did a resource check and it was using almost all of the 16gb! My system just about came to a standstill. And on some occasions it blue screened or system locked up, everything got slow. Doing a resource check on multiple occasions because of this revealed that I simple do not have enough RAM. i know you are trying to save me money, appreciate it, but every time I upgrade my system I find out that my RAM just simply is not enough. And I don't want to deal with this after a few years. haha. I would love to do the 128GB, but I know I probably don't need that much and I don't want to deal with the different platform, I don't need that much RAM. But 64GB is what I insist on regardless of my usage of all of it. Because I know eventually it will probably get used up. Better to buy it all at the same time, more stable. So..... I'll take the 9900k,z390 option then. 4x16gb ddr4 3200 should be enough. Which brand would you recommend that would work well with an ASUS motherboard and intel chipset?

As for the form factor, ok, as this is new technology, I am really out of the loop, 7 years is a long time...

 

[Zerileous]

I can see it's confusing when we say a SATA M.2 drive. SATA is a specification that extends from the chipset all the way to the drive, including both the logic on the chipset itself to control/access the drive as well as the ports on the motherboard, the cables, the plug on the drive, and even the PSU power connector. So there are both form factor and logic elements.

M.2 drives are SSDs that use a specific slot on the motherboard. These drives can use either the PCIe lane specification or the SATA specification to communicate with the chipset. Drives that use the M.2 port but SATA logic do not differ in performance from 2.5" SATA SSDs, however they do have the advantage of being mounted on the motherboard directly (not in performance, just cool factor). Pricing is usually similar. Drives that use the PCIe lanes are called "NVME," and they are faster because have significantly more bandwidth, however unless you are writing large files it is not necessarilly going to impact your usage substantially enough to warrant the price premium.

According to Gamers Nexus it could actually be less optimal to heatsink the SSD (but probably irrelevant for typical use). Heatsinks/heatspreaders can be had for < $10 if desired. Therefore I wouldn't factor it into a motherboard decision unless I was very concerned about appearance.

The motherboards Trents advised were for X series (X299) intel or Threadripper AMD systems. This is possibly a new segment in the market since your last build which sits in between consumer and typical enthusiast CPUs and server CPUs, called HEDT. They are oriented towards enterprise / production workloads that benefit heavily from multiple cores and come with typically more than 10 cores, although you can buy an intel X CPU with 6 or 8 cores. X CPUs use a different socket and chipset. They were recomended to you because they are compatable with up to 128GB of memory. If you can live with 64GB then look at the Z390/9900K as EarthDog advised.

I get how bewildering this can be, until December the last PC I built didn't even have an IHS on the CPU. Take your time and do your research and you'll be rewarded by the advancements.

 

[techiemon]

I can see it's confusing when we say a SATA M.2 drive. SATA is a specification that extends from the chipset all the way to the drive, including both the logic on the chipset itself to control/access the drive as well as the ports on the motherboard, the cables, the plug on the drive, and even the PSU power connector. So there are both form factor and logic elements.

M.2 drives are SSDs that use a specific slot on the motherboard. These drives can use either the PCIe lane specification or the SATA specification to communicate with the chipset. Drives that use the M.2 port but SATA logic do not differ in performance from 2.5" SATA SSDs, however they do have the advantage of being mounted on the motherboard directly (not in performance, just cool factor). Pricing is usually similar. Drives that use the PCIe lanes are called "NVME," and they are faster because have significantly more bandwidth, however unless you are writing large files it is not necessarilly going to impact your usage substantially enough to warrant the price premium.

According to Gamers Nexus it could actually be less optimal to heatsink the SSD (but probably irrelevant for typical use). Heatsinks/heatspreaders can be had for < $10 if desired. Therefore I wouldn't factor it into a motherboard decision unless I was very concerned about appearance.

The motherboards Trents advised were for X series (X299) intel or Threadripper AMD systems. This is possibly a new segment in the market since your last build which sits in between consumer and typical enthusiast CPUs and server CPUs, called HEDT. They are oriented towards enterprise / production workloads that benefit heavily from multiple cores and come with typically more than 10 cores, although you can buy an intel X CPU with 6 or 8 cores. X CPUs use a different socket and chipset. They were recomended to you because they are compatable with up to 128GB of memory. If you can live with 64GB then look at the Z390/9900K as EarthDog advised.

I get how bewildering this can be, until December the last PC I built didn't even have an IHS on the CPU. Take your time and do your research and you'll be rewarded by the advancements.

Thank you for all of that. useful! I appreciate your patience with explaining, the technology now has changed so much in 7 years, it's a great thing, but a bit confusing. Yes, I was thinking it could just be a cool factor, and maybe a lower price because there is no case for the SSD. Being mounted on the board, yeah, it's cool, and out of the way which means more airflow through the system as nothing to block it.

Here's a confusing thing though, I went to newegg, punched in the things I wanted, and there is no Z390/9900k with RAM of DDR4 3200 MHz. there were only two boards with 3200, none of which were 390. So I am totally confused.. Also I did not find, by search, a Z3900 board that supports the i9 chip. Also this seems like the latest technology and will be the most expensive of any system. All of the MBs were for gaming that I came across that even had a review.




Earthdog, by the way where is my decade badge???

 

[EarthDog]

Sorry about the lack of details..I guess I'm a teach a man to fish kind of guy.

We arent on a different page regarding RAM... I think you are misunderstanding my point. I see you say you need it (you have said you need over 16GB) and have simply shared you are limited by platform as to how much you can have. 64GB on mainstream and 128GB on HEDT. In other words, if you go z390 its 64GB regardless if 32GB DIMMs are available (board specs show this information).

IIRC.m.2 sata is a bit more costly than a 2.5" sata ssd. Typically 2.5" drives are mounted on the back or bottom and dont get in the way of airflow. This depends on the case though.

HEDT was around 7 years ago...its chipset was called X79 at the time. HEDT was around back then.

Z390 boards support well over 3200 mhz ram. I9-9900k are compatible with these boards. What are you looking which says otherwise?

EDIT: Here is something I put together really quickly...

i9-9900k + ASUS Prime Mobo - $700
GSkill Trident X 4x8GB DDR4 3200 - $320
MSI RTX 2070 - $500
EVGA 650W G3 - $90
Corsair H100i RGB Cooler - $160

Case is your choice if you are getting one. This board supports front panel USB 3.1, as well 3.0 and 2.0. What does your current case have on it exactly? Each motherboard in its specfiications tells you how many internal headers for front panel connectivity.


I'll get your badge going when I'm not mobile...congrats!

 

[techiemon]

Sorry about the lack of details..I guess I'm a teach a man to fish kind of guy.

We arent on a different page regarding RAM... I think you are misunderstanding my point. I see you say you need it (you have said you need over 16GB) and have simply shared you are limited by platform as to how much you can have. 64GB on mainstream and 128GB on HEDT. In other words, if you go z390 its 64GB regardless if 32GB DIMMs are available (board specs show this information).

IIRC.m.2 sata is a bit more costly than a 2.5" sata ssd. Typically 2.5" drives are mounted on the back or bottom and dont get in the way of airflow. This depends on the case though.

HEDT was around 7 years ago...its chipset was called X79 at the time. HEDT was around back then.

Z390 boards support well over 3200 mhz ram. I9-9900k are compatible with these boards. What are you looking which says otherwise?

EDIT: Here is something I put together really quickly...

i9-9900k + ASUS Prime Mobo - $700
GSkill Trident X 4x8GB DDR4 3200 - $320
MSI RTX 2070 - $500
EVGA 650W G3 - $90
Corsair H100i RGB Cooler - $160

Case is your choice if you are getting one. This board supports front panel USB 3.1, as well 3.0 and 2.0. What does your current case have on it exactly? Each motherboard in its specfiications tells you how many internal headers for front panel connectivity.


I'll get your badge going when I'm not mobile...congrats!

Heya! Thanks for everything here.

For HEDT it must have come out just after my MB then because once I bought it I didnt look back. Or it was a very expensive MB that I did not even look at. Mine was already higher end at the time.

So it looks like the onboard m.2 is still a good choice then. it frees up another SATA port too, which is a plus. I want 6x just in case. I will put in a dvd player still too.

1. Yeah, I understand, no need to say sorry, you've got thousands of users asking the same questions over and over and over and over and it gets old, I get it. I am not a newbie to technology, but I will say I am getting slow over 40. haha. I used to be crazy about pcs, but now I just use it for work and browsing, but I do folding and have tons of external things plugged into it. Wanna buy a new weather station as well!! But this last jump in technology at 7 years is sort of surprising. I was actually really afraid that the pc was going away, forever!!! I don't wanna a laptop, it can't do nearly as much as a pc can. But I can see pc stuff is still going strong, lots of new things, but of course less demand = more cost.

2. For a fan.. am I crazy? I think this crazy thing: NZXT Kraken X62 haha. or is the corsair simliar and better? Just curious. I have no preference.
3. For memory, I can put that memory in my machine at 16gb x 4 (64gb) dimms right? you gave me only 8gb dimms I still want 64gb if I don't have to change platforms to HEDT. but funny that it is very difficult to find 16gb dimms. to get to that 64gb total memory.
4. GPU a little overkill at $500. haha. And I don't want anything from MSI. I used to work for them, bad blood. Asus GPU more compatible with Asus MB anyway.
5. 650W power supply? Holy F*$$! Things have gotten nuts!! My UPS is only rated at 1000VA! And it is a $400 model!!! SMX1000. hahaha. And why EVGA can I ask? I've always used sea sonic. I am not against changing brands, but I would like to know why you guys choose EVGA over others? Personal preference or? I gotta say it looks lovely.

You asked my my front panel. Fight now there is one blue 3.0 and 3x 2.0 USB ports. And I also have front audio. I like it, and that is what I am hoping for again.

 

[EarthDog]

For HEDT it must have come out just after my MB then because once I bought it I didnt look back. Or it was a very expensive MB that I did not even look at. Mine was already higher end at the time.

X58 was HEDT and out well before that. The point is that it was there.

So it looks like the onboard m.2 is still a good choice then. it frees up another SATA port too, which is a plus. I want 6x just in case. I will put in a dvd player still too.

As I mentioned already, using M.2 may or may not free up a SATA slot. It depends on the board and M.2 device used (PCIe/NVMe or SATA based). If you look in Z390 motherboard manuals for example, they frequently say something like 'when using M.2 slot 1 SATA 0 will be disabled. So you may not get all 6 (or more). In this case, you need to find a motherboard with 8 total SATA ports (2 are handled by another controller so you should always have 6 SATA ports available in that case).

2. For a fan.. am I crazy? I think this crazy thing: NZXT Kraken X62 haha. or is the corsair simliar and better? Just curious. I have no preference.

The Kraken is solid, yep.

3. For memory, I can put that memory in my machine at 16gb x 4 (64gb) dimms right? you gave me only 8gb dimms I still want 64gb if I don't have to change platforms to HEDT. but funny that it is very difficult to find 16gb dimms. to get to that 64gb total memory.

Sorry, yeah, I did go 32GB, more so by accident than anything. I'll say one last time I hope you can use close to 32GB already as more is a waste of cash. Here is 4x16GB DDR4 3200 MHz.. Its $480.

4. GPU a little overkill at $500. haha. And I don't want anything from MSI. I used to work for them, bad blood. Asus GPU more compatible with Asus MB anyway.

Ok, so, An RTX 2060 is a solid choice for a modern GPU. For the record, brand with brand when talking GPUs and Mobos are NOT "more" compatible with each other. That is bologna.

5. 650W power supply? Holy F*$$! Things have gotten nuts!! My UPS is only rated at 1000VA! And it is a $400 model!!! SMX1000. hahaha. And why EVGA can I ask? I've always used sea sonic. I am not against changing brands, but I would like to know why you guys choose EVGA over others? Personal preference or? I gotta say it looks lovely.

What do you mean things have gotten nuts? Power use has remained the same in GPU land really, though CPUs have gone up in some cases. You also have a budget GPU versus here one that can actually play games at 1080p with high/ultra settings. A GTX 1660 Ti is a good choice (~$300), as are AMD GPUs... but they use more power (650W is still plenty regardless). Heck, even a last gen GTX 1060 6GB would be plenty since you do not game a lot... that can offset your copious amounts of RAM I'm not convinced you NEED.

The EVGA PSU I chose is arguably one of the best 'bang for your buck' tier 1 PSUs around. You can buy a seasonic at the same quality level but will pay more for it (don't hesitate to look around at newegg on your own... ).

You asked my my front panel. Fight now there is one blue 3.0 and 3x 2.0 USB ports. And I also have front audio. I like it, and that is what I am hoping for again.

So for your motherboard, you need one USB 3.0 connector and a USB 2.0 connector. I can't think of a board which DOESN'T have that. Front panel audio is the same way.. All boards have it AFAIK.

 

[techiemon]

RE: HEDT, then I missed it seven years ago. haha. Probably didn't think I needed more RAM back then, when in reality I did. haha.

RE: M.2. Got it, and not doing the 8 SATA, not many boards with it, and I don't need that many. 6 is ok, even with -1 for SSD regardless if using the PCIe/NVMe or Sata based drive. I am ok with either, so it doesn't matter. just something kinda cool still.

RE: So which one out of the Corsair or Kraken would you recommend? either or? Same same?

RE: Yeah, I know, but I still wat 64GB I'll find a way to max it out just to prove to you I needed it. 1000x tabs opening at one time might do it? hahahahahaa

RE: GPU, I'd rather have a card that only takes up one slot. That 2060 you sent seems takes up 2 hdmi plus 2 display ports. I don't really see the reason this is necessary. The more expenisve GPU you sent the first time took up only one. I don't see the necessity of having it occupy so much space. $400 is still high, BUT as I want to do some prime number and block chain folding, a good GPU will be necessary. Kinda want some more options on this.

And thanks for calling out the BS on the compatability! That opens some doors. so long as it is nvidia, I am fine.

RE: power supply, well.. 10 years ago I was barely at 200w, then it was a jump to 430w which surprised me, now a 650W is like kinda alien to me, it's so big! and I don't even game. haha. But sure, having extra is not going to kill me. I can add stuff if I need without worry. And for brand, if you guys here say that EVGA is better, I listen and I follow and I buy! I want something safe and stable, my brother had one sparking one night, lucky for him he was home, the thing was like a flame thrower out the back of his machine, no idea what brand it was, but it wasn't a cheapy. Might have been a seasonic, or something else, but that scares me as I leave my pc on 24/7 even when I am not home, so having something good is critical, higher end for safety, nothing wrong with that. I love the look of it too by the way. Good qulaity is always something I look for.

RE: I would like a new USB 3.1 connector also, I think some devices could work better and would prepare me for the future of things to come.

Glad to know most boards can accommodate that.

 

[EarthDog]

6 is ok, even with -1 for SSD regardless if using the PCIe/NVMe or Sata based drive. I am ok with either, so it doesn't matter.

Good to know. Your words prior to this essentially said you NEEDED 6...

RE: So which one out of the Corsair or Kraken would you recommend? either or? Same same?

Either one is fine for your purposes.

RE: Yeah, I know, but I still wat 64GB I'll find a way to max it out just to prove to you I needed it. 1000x tabs opening at one time might do it? hahahahahaa

It's not my money!!!

RE: GPU, I'd rather have a card that only takes up one slot. That 2060 you sent seems takes up 2 hdmi plus 2 display ports. I don't really see the reason this is necessary. The more expenisve GPU you sent the first time took up only one. I don't see the necessity of having it occupy so much space. $400 is still high, BUT as I want to do some prime number and block chain folding, a good GPU will be necessary. Kinda want some more options on this.

The first card I suggested is NOT single slot. I dont think one partner makes that card as a single slot solution. There are very few single slot cards out honestly. I don't know what more options you are looking for... You need to figure out if "prime number and block chain folding" likes AMD or NVIDIA cards better. I have no idea. But since you refuse AMD, then it really doesn't matter.

RE: power supply, well.. 10 years ago I was barely at 200w, then it was a jump to 430w which surprised me, now a 650W is like kinda alien to me, it's so big! and I don't even game. haha. But sure, having extra is not going to kill me. I can add stuff if I need without worry. And for brand, if you guys here say that EVGA is better, I listen and I follow and I buy! I want something safe and stable, my brother had one sparking one night, lucky for him he was home, the thing was like a flame thrower out the back of his machine, no idea what brand it was, but it wasn't a cheapy. Might have been a seasonic, or something else, but that scares me as I leave my pc on 24/7 even when I am not home, so having something good is critical, higher end for safety, nothing wrong with that. I love the look of it too by the way. Good qulaity is always something I look for.

Well, here is the thing, you are a bit all over the place. You don't game (forst post said a little, now none - make up your mind, LOL), but need a powerful GPU for prime and blockchain folding. A 650 PSU is in the sweetspot of 'i can handle any CPU and single GPU you throw at me. If you went with a lower end card, then you can go with a lower output PSU.. but it depends. I was sizing it to ensure you had headroom.

RE: I would like a new USB 3.1 connector also, I think some devices could work better and would prepare me for the future of things to come.

Not sure what you mean by some would work better (USB 3.0 devices don't suddenly become faster when using this port - not sure what you are saying here). If you would like to use that 3.1 Gen 2 connector, your case needs to have a port for it.

 

[trents]

The "X" boards are geared toward those who do a lot of creative content type of work, like graphics artists who benefit from massive amounts of RAM. They have more memory slots, two banks of four slots each, and a wider electronic pathway (more lanes) to be able to use more memory. The "X" CPUs are geared toward the "X" boards. The "Z" boards are geared toward gamers and other enthusiasts who just want a fast system but they have less memory slots, typically one bank of four.

As ED has explained, using m.2 SATA drives typically disables one or more of the standard SATA connectors since they use the same electronic lane. Using m.2 NVME can reduce the PCI-e lanes used by one of the video card slots, which doesn't usually have much real world impact on video card performance.