Purchasing a i9-9900K - Water Cooler or Air Cooler?

[martin-w 3,235]

1 hour ago, vc10man said:

Thanks, Martin. Will do, when I get around to starting the build, and thanks for all your advices. My current rig from which I am typing this, has the D14, I think you recommended at the time, and it's still going strong, and barely audible keeping a 4.2Ghz overclock cool👍

 

I wouldn't have recomended the NH-D14. That's an old cooler. Would have been the NH-D15S or NH-D15. 

[vc10man 732]

23 minutes ago, martin-w said:

 

I wouldn't have recomended the NH-D14. That's an old cooler. Would have been the NH-D15S or NH-D15. 

Didn't you recommend way back in 2014-15? If not you, someone did here.

[martin-w 3,235]

18 hours ago, vc10man said:

Didn't you recommend way back in 2014-15? If not you, someone did here.

 

Oh right. Way back then I could have indeed. 😁 I had a D14, my son still has it in his PC.

[vc10man 732]

2 hours ago, martin-w said:

 

Oh right. Way back then I could have indeed. 😁 I had a D14, my son still has it in his PC.

See, I thought I had taken a recommendation from you as I have valued your hardware opinions here for a long while.

Am still hunting a 28-inch to 32-inch monitor, and am being pulled hither and thither with 'non-simming friends' advice'. Missed an Acer 32-inch IPS as out of stock just a shade too late to pulling the trigger. Not sure if VA, TN are acceptable alternatives. Perhaps you are also up there on these?

[Noel 4,499]

2 hours ago, martin-w said:

 

Oh right. Way back then I could have indeed. 😁 I had a D14, my son still has it in his PC.

You did indeed recommend it to me too Martin-w!  This machine is still running strong 6.5y later and it survived moving last winter 1000mile w/ the thing still attached!  I used zip ties to support it you recall.  I'm shocked at how good this old beast can run P3D V3.4 it just won't die!

Edited December 2, 2019 by Noel

[Noel 4,499]

1 hour ago, vc10man said:

See, I thought I had taken a recommendation from you as I have valued your hardware opinions here for a long while.

Am still hunting a 28-inch to 32-inch monitor, and am being pulled hither and thither with 'non-simming friends' advice'. Missed an Acer 32-inch IPS as out of stock just a shade too late to pulling the trigger. Not sure if VA, TN are acceptable alternatives. Perhaps you are also up there on these?

I'm not martin but I can recommend using a curved screen for P3D's primary screen.  I'm using a Dell U3415W, 3440x1440 and it's great, though would be better were it OLED ;o)

Edited December 2, 2019 by Noel

[vc10man 732]

Thanks, Noel, have 24-inch Dell UltraSharp IPS at the moment, and it has been just superb since I got it way back in 2013 to replace am Iiyama CRT and if my pockets were deep enough,I'd gladly get another one, but sadly they are not, being a mere pensioner.

[martin-w 3,235]

On 12/2/2019 at 4:11 PM, Noel said:

You did indeed recommend it to me too Martin-w!  This machine is still running strong 6.5y later and it survived moving last winter 1000mile w/ the thing still attached!  I used zip ties to support it you recall.  I'm shocked at how good this old beast can run P3D V3.4 it just won't die!

 

 

Oh yes Noel. 6 years ago.  😁 Are you still running with two fans? I removed one of them in my sons PC. Barely any difference to temp. One or two degrees. 

 

Quote

6.5y later and it survived moving last winter 1000mile w/ the thing still attached!

 

So much for the "it will destroy your motherboard" nonsense. Zip ties good idea. 

Edited December 4, 2019 by martin-w

[martin-w 3,235]

On 12/2/2019 at 4:11 PM, vc10man said:

See, I thought I had taken a recommendation from you as I have valued your hardware opinions here for a long while.

Am still hunting a 28-inch to 32-inch monitor, and am being pulled hither and thither with 'non-simming friends' advice'. Missed an Acer 32-inch IPS as out of stock just a shade too late to pulling the trigger. Not sure if VA, TN are acceptable alternatives. Perhaps you are also up there on these?

 

To be honest Rick, I'm certainly not an expert when it comes to Monitors. In fact I'm still using a BenQ 1080P 144 Hz. Hoping to upgrade in a few months time after I (hopefully) move to the Cotswold's. Will probably opt for 1440P 

[vc10man 732]

1 hour ago, martin-w said:

 

To be honest Rick, I'm certainly not an expert when it comes to Monitors. In fact I'm still using a BenQ 1080P 144 Hz. Hoping to upgrade in a few months time after I (hopefully) move to the Cotswold's. Will probably opt for 1440P 

Thanks for your input, Martin.

Currently on a Dell UltraSharp 24-inch 1980 x 1080 IPS display, and it's a superb display but not ideal to show the whole Overhead Panels in most aircraft. Have to pan up/down/sideways.

[Noel 4,499]

3 hours ago, vc10man said:

Thanks for your input, Martin.

Currently on a Dell UltraSharp 24-inch 1980 x 1080 IPS display, and it's a superb display but not ideal to show the whole Overhead Panels in most aircraft. Have to pan up/down/sideways.

Here's my recommendation for you:  https://www.newegg.com/black-acer-cz0-series-cz350ck-bmiiphx-um-cc0aa-002-35/p/N82E16824011189

I really like this resolution and curved format for flying and the price isn't too bad.

[vc10man 732]

Thanks, Noel, but I think you or somebody else sent me that link elsewhere.

It's not just a monitor for flightsimming alone, and that size, being curved would severely hamper my desk space. Plus, unavailable.

Am in no particular great rush. One will crop up somewhere along the line.

Edited December 4, 2019 by vc10man

[Bob Scott 7,720]

My primary sim rig at home is an 8086K at 5.3GHz on a custom water loop.  The custom water loop was first built 10 years ago and has lasted me through four systems to date, and it is by far the more capable cooling solution compared to an air cooler...I see temps 20-30 deg lower than on air or AIO water coolers, and it's dead quiet.

That said, I run a portable rig with a 9900K on a Noctua NH-D15, and it manages an all-core 5.0 GHz overclock running P3Dv4 with peak temps in the high 60s to low 70s, depending on ambient room temp.  I have HT off in both cases, as my P3D experience with HT on using 6+ core CPUs is less smooth.  The 9900K brings 33% more L3 cache to the party than the 9700, so I disagree with the notion that turning HT off "turns your 9900 into a 9700"--especially given my belief that memory performance is more important to a smooth P3D experience than most people give it credit for.

Honestly, either cooling solution is workable.  If you want to max perform your system, a good custom water loop is the way to go, but it brings some disadvantages--leaks, complexity, cost etc.  I think the risk of a leak in a water loop--AIO or custom--that's being bounced and vibrated on long road trips is high enough that I considered it a last resort option for the portable build...plus I had this NH-D15 sitting new in the box in my spares bin for several years now, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well it keeps up with the 9900K.  But I did have to accept a little risk, as I can't sustain long stress tests stable on the NH-D15 without unacceptably high temps.  Here's where some understanding and feel for the margins between voltages, temps, and workloads inspired a judgement call to try and run P3D where prime95 can not go.  It's working quite well.

I'm running a 24-inch Dell G-Sync monitor at 2560 x 1440 on the portable rig...with reading glasses on and sitting close-in with a viewing distance of ~22 inches, it works very well, but certainly not as grand a view as on my 55-inch 4K display at home.  Portability entails compromises...but they're not nearly as severe as I had imagined.

 

[Noel 4,499]

21 minutes ago, w6kd said:

But I did have to accept a little risk, as I can't sustain long stress tests stable on the NH-D15 without unacceptably high temps.  Here's where some understanding and feel for the margins between voltages, temps, and workloads inspired a judgement call to try and run P3D where prime95 can not go. 

Therein is where I part ways with the bulk of 'enthusiasts' on flight sim forums and here's why:  w/ P3D/FSX there is considerable range of performance overhead secondary to which sliders are moved to what position, some being more CPU, some more GPU dependent.   There is just little point in trying to get to the bleeding edge of performance--the visual and experiential payoff just is not there.  On a 6.5 y/o system, by being a little mindful of where I'm flying and in what, I experience liquid smooth performance, truly.    When flying into a complex terminal in a complex plane I might need to dial back autogen to Normal or even less, and disable terrain and cloud shadows.  Whoopdeedoodaday!   I can hardly perceive the difference as I'm focused on managing the plane during approach and landing.   I will clearly benefit by upgrading from the 3930K at 4.42Ghz (often at 4.32Ghz if that's sufficient) to a 9900K at say 4.7 or 4.8Ghz.   The holy grail of >5.0Ghz just is hardly relavent over 4.7 or 4.8.  I postulate no one, in a double-blinded test, would be able to perceive the machine is running at 5.2 or 4.8Ghz by viewing performance while flying.   The reality is a slight tweak to GPU or CPU related sliders will make 4.8 and 5.2 equal, and no one will see any difference.  Quite clearly, I'm not 'an enthusiast', and I'm happy not to be!

I'll do the NH-D15 but need to learn how to find low profile memory when it's time to build the new system.   My old system just won't die!

Edited December 4, 2019 by Noel

[TechguyMaxC 516]

4 hours ago, Noel said:

Therein is where I part ways with the bulk of 'enthusiasts' on flight sim forums and here's why:  w/ P3D/FSX there is considerable range of performance overhead secondary to which sliders are moved to what position, some being more CPU, some more GPU dependent.   There is just little point in trying to get to the bleeding edge of performance--the visual and experiential payoff just is not there.  On a 6.5 y/o system, by being a little mindful of where I'm flying and in what, I experience liquid smooth performance, truly.    When flying into a complex terminal in a complex plane I might need to dial back autogen to Normal or even less, and disable terrain and cloud shadows.  Whoopdeedoodaday!   I can hardly perceive the difference as I'm focused on managing the plane during approach and landing.   I will clearly benefit by upgrading from the 3930K at 4.42Ghz (often at 4.32Ghz if that's sufficient) to a 9900K at say 4.7 or 4.8Ghz.   The holy grail of >5.0Ghz just is hardly relavent over 4.7 or 4.8.  I postulate no one, in a double-blinded test, would be able to perceive the machine is running at 5.2 or 4.8Ghz by viewing performance while flying.   The reality is a slight tweak to GPU or CPU related sliders will make 4.8 and 5.2 equal, and no one will see any difference.  Quite clearly, I'm not 'an enthusiast', and I'm happy not to be!

I'll do the NH-D15 but need to learn how to find low profile memory when it's time to build the new system.   My old system just won't die!

Pausing the sim in order to dive into settings menus is somewhat immersion-breaking, I would rather attain the requisite performance necessary to avoid this endeavor altogether, but to each their own.