My first! GA-Z87X-UD5H / i7 4790k / 32gb / GTX 760 / 10.9.4

[Lorenstrex]

Hi everyone,
I have been reading around on the forums a lot, and haven't found anyone trying the latest CustoMac Pro build for August. I tried searching up the specs, and found someone doing this with the Z97X, but the buyer's guide recommends the 8-series. I want to build this for audio production, and I'm entry level fresh out of university and I've saved money up during the summer to survive in London for 6 months without income and then getting this computer, so it's extremely important that the parts are compatible, because if I waste my money I'll have to go live with my parents, which I DO NOT wanna do. I know the guide says it will work, I just wanted to hear what complications might occur with this configuration. I'm a noob, but I have read around a lot and have caught the basic gist of things. I want to run Mavericks (10.9.4) on it and will do RAM/CPU heavy music production (and maybe play games sometimes). I might be taking a risk with my money, but I think you guys can help me out so I'll be alright! Without further ado:

GA-Z87X-UD5H
i7 4790k
GTX 760 (EVGA Nvidia GeForce GTX 760 Superclocked ACX 2GB GDDR5)
32gb RAM (Crucial Ballistix Tactical, DDR3 1600Mhz, 4x8)
250gb SSD (Samsung 840 EVO)
1TB HDD (Seagate 3.5 inch, SATA 6gb/s, 32mb, 7200RPM)
650W Power (Corsair RM650 80 Plus Gold 650w ATX/EPS Fully Modular)
WiFi card (TP-LINK TL-WDN4800 N900 Wireless Dual Band PCI Express Adapter)
Cabinet (Corsair Carbide 500R microATX Midi PC Tower Black)

I'm also considering getting a CPU fan, if you think that's wise.

All this comes roughly to £1175 (1950$), but the market prices seem to go up and down daily (mostly for other people looking to do this build).

So my questions are:
- Are there any known problems with any of these components in terms of audio, graphics, wifi, or other compatibility issues?
- What are common work arounds to get stuff to work for these components?
- Is there something I should be particularly careful of with these components or when building it/installing in general?
- Will Mavericks 10.9.4 run smoothly, and is the installation process "simple"?
- Is a CPU cooler fan necessary?
- If I get an Apple Keyboard, will there be any troubles with getting special buttons like volume control to work?

If there are any questions I haven't listed that you think I should take into consideration when buying and building this computer, please tell! I don't want to order it before I have 100% confirmation that the parts are compatible together and with 10.9.4. The installation process is something else, so I suppose that's a different chapter which I will solve after, but firstly I need to know that step 1 is solid.

Thanks in advance!!!

 

[DrEskimo]

Should be fine mate. Search that motherboard and you will see literally hundred of builds with it. Your CPU might be different, but the install process will be the same.

The only additional step you will have will be to ensure the motherboard has the latest BIOS, otherwise it won't work with the new 4790K. There seems to be people that say you can flash it with a USB, while others suggest it won't even post unless you have a compatible CPU installed. I had trouble finding anyone in the UK that would update it for me, so unless you have access to an older CPU, you might have to research it more. In the end, I saved myself the extra work/money and just went with the 4770K.

1/ No issues with anything, other than audio. Look at my build guide and you will see I had to do some simple installs following a guide on here by Toleda. Since then everything has been working fine.

2/ Watch build guides to familiarise yourself with building the computer (CPU install is probably the only 'cautious' bit since the pins are fragile). Read the install guide on here loads and you will be fine.

3/ You need an aftermarket CPU cooler if you plan to over clock the CPU. If you don't, you could go for cheaper components (i.e. non-K cpu and H87 motherboard). An aftermarket CPU cooler can also help cool the CPU better, and therefore have the fans lower and therefore lower the noise of the rig, if thats important to you.

4/ No problems with Apple Keyboard.

Hope that helps

 

[Zomby_Woof]

Should be fine mate. Search that motherboard and you will see literally hundred of builds with it. Your CPU might be different, but the install process will be the same.

The only additional step you will have will be to ensure the motherboard has the latest BIOS, otherwise it won't work with the new 4790K. There seems to be people that say you can flash it with a USB, while others suggest it won't even post unless you have a compatible CPU installed. I had trouble finding anyone in the UK that would update it for me, so unless you have access to an older CPU, you might have to research it more. In the end, I saved myself the extra work/money and just went with the 4770K.
Hope that helps

Do not get that CPU, I spent some time trying to get this to work and ended up having to return the motherboard to Newegg. On the Gigabyte website it lists the CPU to be compatible, damn I'm mad.

 

[DrEskimo]

Do not get that CPU, I spent some time trying to get this to work and ended up having to return the motherboard to Newegg. On the Gigabyte website it lists the CPU to be compatible, damn I'm mad.

Which one, the 4770k or the 4790K? I presume you are referring to the 4790K?

Did you send the motherboard back to Newegg to get it flashed to the latest BIOS? Did it not solve the issue you were having?

 

[Zomby_Woof]

Which one, the 4770k or the 4790K? I presume you are referring to the 4790K?

Did you send the motherboard back to Newegg to get it flashed to the latest BIOS? Did it not solve the issue you were having?

I purchased the 4790K. Do Newegg flash motherboards, because I have not sent it back yet.

 

[DrEskimo]

No idea mate. I am from the UK so don't use them. None of the online computer retailers here in the UK would flash the board so I gave up on the idea.

Some still suggest that it can be done via USB, while others say thats not possible on Gigabyte boards. Haven't tried myself so still in the dark about the whole matter.

If the USB flash install is not possible, I think buying the cheap 1150 Celeron CPU is the best way to go.

Whats the issue with yours? Will it POST?

 

[Zomby_Woof]

Will not post, I'm going to phone Newegg tomorrow and see what can be done.

 

[dougoftheabaci]

Will not post, I'm going to phone Newegg tomorrow and see what can be done.

If they don't Gigabyte might. Always worth asking.

 

[bramcom]

i have the GA-Z87X-UD4H with 4790K, I bought a cheap celeron and put it in and flashed the MB. check it out:

http://www.tonymacx86.com/user-buil...i7-4790k-16-gb-ram-msi-gtx760-gaming-2gb.html

 

[Lorenstrex]

Thanks for the advice guys!
I guess I'll look around to see whether the Z87X-UD5H can be flashed to update the latest BIOS to work with the 4790K, if not I suppose I'll save myself trouble by going with the 4770K then. I want the least trouble I can, and the most important is obviously that the sound works perfectly.

Edit: Is it advisable to use the Z97X-UD5H instead? I have seen a successful build with this motherboard, although on the buyer's guide it recommends me to get the 8-series. What are your thoughts on this?

Edit2: I checked around the internets for compatibility and found that the Z87X-OC seems to have the best compatibility with the 4790K. I suppose it needs to have a flashed BIOS to match, though, but I was hoping to get a motherboard that works out of the box with 4790K. I'm not planning on overclocking, so is this setup overkill?