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Since the launch of the newest Intel 6th Generation CPUs, hundreds of gamers started planning to re-build or upgrade their PC’s.
Most of you are planning to upgrade to the new Z170 platform, but here, we will give you a new option with the X99 platform as well.
The major difference between the Z97 and Z170 is the latter supports DDR4, which allows the PC to have memory up to 64Gb in the future.
For those hardcore gamers or video editors, you may want to upgrade to Z170 for your needs.
But, as we know, the X99 motherboard is the first platform which supports DDR4 memory.
Today, we will show you the difference between Z170 and X99, and help you start your first X99 PC build.
(Image from: http://goo.gl/XhrlmI)
On the chart above, you can find the differences between the Z97 / Z170 / X99 including the following features:
- PCI-E support
- Number of SATA Ports(MAX 6 Gb/s)
- Supports DDR3 / DDR4
In the following chart, it shows the detail and difference between DDR3 and DDR4 memory:
(Image From: http://goo.gl/mSaQlI)
As you can see, DDR4 has much better transfer rates and memory density to deliver faster speed. Once we know the difference between DDR3 and DDR4 memory, we will start to talk about the build examples with the X99 and Z170 Platforms.
A suggested list of parts to build your own gaming PCs [Standard X99 V.S. High-end Z170 platform]:
CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X61 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Motherboard: MSI X99A Raider ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory
Storage: Intel 535 Series 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 4GB Twin Frozr Video Card
Case: NZXT Source 530 ATX Full Tower Case
Power Supply: NZXT HALE82 V2 700W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
Total: $1848.87
And the other is the list for high-end Z170 PC
CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X61 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Motherboard: MSI Z170A GAMING M9 ACK ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory
Storage: Intel 535 Series 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 4GB Twin Frozr Video Card
Case: NZXT Source 530 ATX Full Tower Case
Power Supply: NZXT HALE82 V2 700W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
Total: $1640.90
As you see, to upgrade to X99 from a high-end Z170 PC build, the cost difference is around USD $200, and for $200 more, your X99A Raider PC will have the following features which Z170 PC does not offer:
- Support 3-ways SLI and Cross Fire
- More USB and SATA ports
- Better CPU you can have
- And, it’s also the workstation!
About MSI X99A Raider Motherboard
(More info: http://goo.gl/7JNEf9)
For all MSI X99 Motherboards, they are supporting the following features, which can boost your PC performance:
- OC Genie
OC Genies, on Z170 series we call it Game boost, like its name, it can boost your CPU performance without any complex bios settings. It can easily increase up to 20% of your system gaming performance,
it’s more like the motherboard benefit, and what you need to do is simply click the OC Genie button in the BIOS screen, which can automatically overclock your system without any problems.
- Ramdisk
In the MSI Command Center, there is a Ramdisk option you can check. Ramdisk is a technology allowing you to use your PC Memory to work as the virtual drive, which enables speeds 20x faster than a modern SSD.
- USB 3.1 Type A
USB 3.1 allows for speeds up to 10 Gbps, doubling the speed compared to USB 3.0 and 20x faster than legacy USB 2.0. USB 3.1 is even faster than SATAIII! Transferring your favorite games,
music and movies over USB 3.1 significantly increase transfer speeds for less wait time on data transfers.
