Help in planning a new PC build

[Walter Clements 29]

Here are my questions:

1. In CPU coolers, does higher CFM affect performance of the CPU?

2. What is more effective in cooling the CPU, AIO water coolers or Custom water cooling?

3. Does a higher VRAM have much better performance?

    e.g. GTX 1050 Ti - 4GB

           GTX 1060 - 3GB

4. Do higher cores affect performance in a CPU?

5. Do people buy these expensive motherboards for design, or they have better performance?

6. Can you put different kinds of RAM altogether?

    e.g. G.Skill Trident Z 16GB in the 1st socket

           TEAMGROUP T-Force 8GB in the 2nd scoket

           Patriot Viper 4GB in the 3rd socket

7. Does more RAM matter?

8. What's better, an open frame case or a closed case? (with fans of course)           

[HaRdSTyLe_83 5,179]

1- unless the CPU starts thermal throttling, you wont see significant performance loss

2- depends on the AIO, custom usually gets better results and you can always add more rads + blocks etc. doing a 360 rad custom loop against a good 360 AIO will probably get the same results.

3- No, but if a game uses 4GB and your GPU only have 3GB you going to need to drop some settings.

4- Yes

5- Bit of both, some Mobos come with more headers for watercooling, more Usb ports and usually better components, some like the NZXT N7  are just for the looks 😛

6-  You can use different brands and different speeds, the motherboard will set them all to the lowest speed (ex 2x8GB 2400mHz + 2x8 GB 3200mHz, they will be set at 2400mhz) i doubt you can use different GB but im not sure.

7- It matters if the application you are using needs it, 16 GB are more them enough for gaming

8- open case will get better temps, but more dust and more noise.

[yoječ 487]

1. No. CFM is a measure of fan's performance (the amount of air it can push through per minute), which does not automatically mean the CPU cooler with higher CFM fan(s) dissipates heat better - it's more complicated than that (it also depend on the heatsink's material, heat dissipation surface etc.). Not to mention the CFM measured by different manufacturers are not comparable, due to no uniform measurement procedure (i.e. they're quite worthless, just like dBa noise ratings). And even then - a better performing heatsink won't necessarily make the CPU faster, only if it stops the CPU from throttling.

 

2. As a rule of thumb AIO don't hold a candle to custom water loops. In all honesty, for home use either one is not worth the money (a good air cooler will beat cheap, similarly-priced AIO), unless you're considering one for reasons other than performance/price (looks, space/weight constraints, etc.)

 

3. Yes, the higher amount of VRAM will make a difference if the game can utilise it (depends on the quality settings, resolution, antialiasing, etc.). But that's just only one of many factors that define the card's performance in games. It's debatable whether to go for the GTX1060 3GB or GTX1050Ti 4GB - the former has barely enough VRAM for Full HD, while the other has a slower GPU. Both cards have their drawbacks which you should be aware of. (personally I'd prefer the RX570 if you can get one for a similar price)

 

4. Generally speaking yes, but again - it's just one of a lot of things you should take into consideration, especially when choosing a gaming rig. A CPU with more cores will not necessarily perform better in games, in fact - it might be worse.

 

5. More often than not the motherboard does not affect the system performance in itself. It might however support faster RAMs, allow for a higher CPU overclock, etc.

 

6. You can, but all sticks have to operate with the same settings (speed, timing, voltage, etc.) which basically means the better stick will be "downgraded" to match the worse one, unless it can handle the overclock. Also, having different sized RAM stick will hinder the operation Dual Channel (I'm not even sure if it'll work at all; I've read reports though that newer platforms support asymmetric Dual Channel, so you should be fine to some degree).

 

7. Once again - depends on the applications. Many games are fine with just 8GBs, but many will happily make use of 16GBs (mostly EA titles). In general, 16 gigs seems like an optimal choice for gaming at the moment.

 

8. Debatable. Personally I'd go for the closed case, as it's way easier to manage the airflow and keep the dust out by using appropriate filters.

Edited July 18, 2018 by yoječ

[Walter Clements 29]

Thank you very much. Now I understand some certain aspects. That's all I need.