Hello everyone
I'm planning to buy a PC soon and I've spent some hours putting together some parts online (first build of mine):
CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ Amazon Canada)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($31.05 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LX ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($114.11 @ DirectCanada)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($107.49 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Canada Computers)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($168.58 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Video Card ($459.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($38.88 @ Canada Computers)
Case Fan: Cooler Master R4-L2S-122B-GP 39.8 CFM 120mm Fans ($10.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Case Fan: Cooler Master Megaflow 110.0 CFM 200mm Fan ($12.00 @ Vuugo)
Case Fan: Cooler Master Megaflow 110.0 CFM 200mm Fan ($12.00 @ Vuugo)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($64.99 @ Canada Computers)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($55.97 @ DirectCanada)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 Full (64-bit) ($104.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $1621.02
Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: 1-2 weeks
Budget Range: $1700-2000
System Usage from Most to Least Important: music production, gaming (mostly World of Warcraft)
Are you buying a monitor: No
Do you need to buy OS: Yes
Overclocking: Maybe
SLI or Crossfire: No
Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080
Additional Comments:
My concerns are:
1) CPU - I chose i7-3770K because honestly I didn't mind to spend another $100 (from i5) on it. I'm not really a pro overclocker, but wouldn't mind ability to speed my machine up a bit if I want. I heard that games don't benefit from i7 that much, but some music plugins that I plan to use are heavy on CPU. Is it fine?
2) Video Card – Would GTX 680 be an overkill for WoW on 1920x1080 Ultra? Would 670 be enough maybe? Maybe 660 even? I’ve just spotted this review - http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-670-review,3200-9.html – and it shows that 670 is just tiny amount behind 680 in WoW. This the game I play primarily at the moment and I wish to try in on Ultra. In general I've always had pretty average video on my machines and now I want to try something of good quality. Just don't want to throw my money away.
3) Memory – I’ve spent a lot of time trying to select between DDR1600 and DDR2133. Based on what I’ve read, timings are not that important unless I’m going into heavy overclocking, but if it will bring me some performance I would go for it. I chose DDR1600 for now. Also considered getting 32 GB, but then decided that I can upgrade if needed.
4) Motherboard – was a bit blind choice on my part. Chose it based on socket, Z77 chipset and price. Any advice would be appreciated…
5) SSD – Is Samsung is good brand for SSDs? I selected Intel 160 GB but then found this one for the same price but with more capacity. I wish to have as much actively used software on SSD as possible. And WoW (~25GB).
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading:
I want to build a robust system that is going to serve me for a relatively long time. I'm tired of using a laptop as my home computer. I plan to do some music production (heavy on CPU, RAM, HDD) on my machine. And play some WoW in-between. I've bought monitor on boxing day in advance and I plan to have a separate budget for sound system.
And in general I want to ask for advice if there are any parts on which I could spend a little more and get much more, or spend less on some without any significant performance loss.
Thanks for help
I'm planning to buy a PC soon and I've spent some hours putting together some parts online (first build of mine):
CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ Amazon Canada)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($31.05 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LX ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($114.11 @ DirectCanada)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($107.49 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Canada Computers)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($168.58 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Video Card ($459.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($38.88 @ Canada Computers)
Case Fan: Cooler Master R4-L2S-122B-GP 39.8 CFM 120mm Fans ($10.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Case Fan: Cooler Master Megaflow 110.0 CFM 200mm Fan ($12.00 @ Vuugo)
Case Fan: Cooler Master Megaflow 110.0 CFM 200mm Fan ($12.00 @ Vuugo)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($64.99 @ Canada Computers)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($55.97 @ DirectCanada)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 Full (64-bit) ($104.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $1621.02
Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: 1-2 weeks
Budget Range: $1700-2000
System Usage from Most to Least Important: music production, gaming (mostly World of Warcraft)
Are you buying a monitor: No
Do you need to buy OS: Yes
Overclocking: Maybe
SLI or Crossfire: No
Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080
Additional Comments:
My concerns are:
1) CPU - I chose i7-3770K because honestly I didn't mind to spend another $100 (from i5) on it. I'm not really a pro overclocker, but wouldn't mind ability to speed my machine up a bit if I want. I heard that games don't benefit from i7 that much, but some music plugins that I plan to use are heavy on CPU. Is it fine?
2) Video Card – Would GTX 680 be an overkill for WoW on 1920x1080 Ultra? Would 670 be enough maybe? Maybe 660 even? I’ve just spotted this review - http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-670-review,3200-9.html – and it shows that 670 is just tiny amount behind 680 in WoW. This the game I play primarily at the moment and I wish to try in on Ultra. In general I've always had pretty average video on my machines and now I want to try something of good quality. Just don't want to throw my money away.
3) Memory – I’ve spent a lot of time trying to select between DDR1600 and DDR2133. Based on what I’ve read, timings are not that important unless I’m going into heavy overclocking, but if it will bring me some performance I would go for it. I chose DDR1600 for now. Also considered getting 32 GB, but then decided that I can upgrade if needed.
4) Motherboard – was a bit blind choice on my part. Chose it based on socket, Z77 chipset and price. Any advice would be appreciated…
5) SSD – Is Samsung is good brand for SSDs? I selected Intel 160 GB but then found this one for the same price but with more capacity. I wish to have as much actively used software on SSD as possible. And WoW (~25GB).
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading:
I want to build a robust system that is going to serve me for a relatively long time. I'm tired of using a laptop as my home computer. I plan to do some music production (heavy on CPU, RAM, HDD) on my machine. And play some WoW in-between. I've bought monitor on boxing day in advance and I plan to have a separate budget for sound system.
And in general I want to ask for advice if there are any parts on which I could spend a little more and get much more, or spend less on some without any significant performance loss.
Thanks for help