Help me decide on my new build ($2000+) FK ORIGIN

dkdow0 · May 8, 2013

So, today I made an account on this website and asked the community to review the order I had worked on for the last few weeks via origin pc.

This thread can be found here

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1670967/rate-origin-build.html

TLDR: fuck those guys. I'm building my own pc/paying someone to do it for me.

This computer will primarily be used for gaming/streaming.

I figured before I blindly asked for help from the community I'd have a go myself and give you guys something to pick at for me.

Here's what I'm thinking so far:

[strike]Motherboard: ASUS Rampage IV Formula Motherboard ($349) [/strike]
- pccasegear.com

Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme6 Motherboard ($155) - pccasegear.com

[strike]Cpu: Intel Core i7 3770K ($342)[/strike]
- pccasegear.com

Cpu: Intel Core i5 3570K ($235) - pccasegear.com

[strike]GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 680 2GB[/strike] ($509) - pccasegear.com

Sapphire Radeon HD7970 GHz Edition 6GB Vapor-X Edition ($599) - pccasegear.com

Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB/BEBS SATA DVDRW Drive OEM ($22) - pccasegear.com

[strike]Power Supply: Corsair TX-850 V2 Power Supply ($139) [/strike]- pccasegear.com

Power Supply: Seasonic M12II 850W Power Supply ($175) - pccasegear.com

[strike]Memory: Corsair Vengeance CML16GX3M2A1600C10 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 ($132) [/strike] - pccasegear.com

Memory: G.Skill Sniper F3-1600C9D-16GSR (2x8GB) 16GB DDR3 ($139) - pccasegear.com

Storage #1: Corsair Neutron Series 128GB SSD ($139) - pccasegear.com

[strike]Storage #2: Western Digital WD Black 1TB WD1002FAEX ($99)[/strike] - pccasegear.com

Storage #2: Seagate Barracuda 1TB ST1000DM003 ($69) -pccasegear.com

OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit with SP1 OEM ($99) - pccasegear.com

[strike]Cooling: Corsair Hydro Series H90 140mm CPU Cooler ($110)[/strike] - pccasegear.com

Cooling: NZXT Kraken X60 All-In-One Liquid Cooling Solution ($155) - mwave.com.au

[strike]Case: Corsair Obsidian 800D Case ($315) [/strike] - pccasegear.com

Case: Phantom 630 ($200) - pccasegear.com

Monitor: 2x S24B300h

Sleeved LED Kit NZXT ($9) - NZXT.com

MOST IMPORTANTLY

USB plasma ball - ($16) - pccasegear.com (not debatable, its happening).

All prices are AUD

[strike]Total cost: $2255[/strike]

Total cost: $1952

That leaves me with [strike]$400 remaining[/strike] 690 from the refund from origin after their $500 cut.

This money can either be kept as change for future upgrades/whatever the fuck I want

Or feel free to spend this money in your suggestions for my build

That's basically my budget ($2655)

Things i want you to tell me

What do you like about it?
What do you hate about it?
How would you improve it?
Any observable imbalances within the build. (any parts which are too weak/too strong in comparison to the rest of the build) mainly power supply, cooling etc.
Literally anything that comes into your head when you read it.

Specific questions I have
The gtx 680, despite being renowned for being awesome wasn't featured in the best graphics cards for April 2013, why?

The 680 is slower than the 7970 GHz Edition, more expensive, and doesn't OC as well. Get a pair of 7970s (you can OC them to match the GHz Editions) and CF them.

Are there any other things I need to buy in order to complete the build. I do not mean things like a screwdriver. I mean small components that I have not mentioned that are required to build a working computer. It's hard for me to give an example since I don't know what I don't know, but maybe fans? Cables? Adapters? Temp control? You tell me what I may need.

How can I make my computer more sexy? Obviously since I found this site after ordering an origin pc, visual appeal of my system is important to me. Why have a sexy computer under the hood if it looks like a regular computer eh? What are some common ways people pimp their rigs? I'm talking lights and shit. whatever.

I am more than likely going to be hunting for a computer shop guy around town to build my baby. What are some things I should look out for or ask, to make sure he knows what he's doing? How can I ensure he's done a good job, and what are some tell-tail signs of good/bad workmanship?

Is Custom watercooling worth the trouble over my corsair prebuilt system?

What is the difference between an EVGA/Gigabyte/Asus GTX680? I noticed there are price differences etc. Does this matter...at all?

Will add more later/add answers to these questions once I've found some to help others out.

I really appreciate any help I get, even if it's not answering any of my questions like just commenting on the build etc.

Thanks

Someone Somewhere · May 8, 2013

You can't use an LGA2011 board with an LGA1155 CPU - it just won't fit. I also consider ROG boards to be paying for the brand, not actual performance/quality. Sure, they're better, but not 3x better than a Z77 Extreme4 at a third of the price.

Colour matching components (building to a colour scheme e.g. black/red) and good cable management, plus picking a case you like the look of. LED fans and/or strips can light up your PC too.

The 680 is slower than the 7970 GHz Edition, more expensive, and doesn't OC as well. Get a pair of 7970s (you can OC them to match the GHz Editions) and CF them.

You might want to consider a QHD (2560*1440) monitor - apparently they are nice, and you budget has a lot of room.

If it's gaming there is little difference between a 3570K and 3770K.

That case is probably more expensive than it needs to be - one case I'm kind of interested in is the BitFenix Shinobi window. I've been eying up the non-window version for a while.

Little point in getting a WD Black drive - blue/barracuda perform perfectly well and are cheaper.

8GB RAM is enough, and there is no real point in leaving the other slots open with 16 as that's the limit of Home Premium. Get 2x4GB, or 4x4GB if you run out (very unlikely). Get CAS 9.

Have a look at the newegg videos and see if you think you are up to building it yourself first. It's quite satisfying to be able to say you built something from scratch, and know that it's your own work.

Jack Revenant · May 8, 2013

Hoo boy. I have a great deal of picking to do in the general direction of this rig. To start off with, your motherboard is a socket 2011, while your CPU is a socket 1155. This means that they are utterly incompatible.
Beyond that, both are very much overkill. For gaming, a i5-3570k is as much as you need, particularly if you overclock it. On the mobo side, an ASRock Extreme6, or, at the very upper end of reasonable, an ASUS Sabertooth should be absolutely fine. There's no need to use the ROG boards.
The 680 wasn't included on the chart because it's "Best Graphics Cards for the Money". That is, the most price-efficient graphics options, which the 680 is not. It performs only marginally better than the 670, which costs $100 less. If you prefer nVidia, I would go with an SLI of 670s. If you're alright with AMD, the 7970 is an excellent choice (although CrossFire has a significant number of outstanding issues).
I would not advocate that cooler, or, in fact, most Corsair liquid coolers. There's only one closed-loop liquid cooler that I recommend, and that's the NZXT Kraken x60, which has truly impressive performance. Short of that, a Noctua DH14 should serve you in good stead.
While case is a personal choice, and the 800D is a fine one, I would tend to suggest the NZXT Phantom 820, both for good cooling, and stylish appearance.
I would never, however, object to the plasma ball.

On the looks front, you might consider LED fans, and the LED strip/controller that NZXT sells. Both are rather good looking, particuarly if you go with the Phantom which I recommended, which has LEDs of its own. You may also consider lowering the suspension and adding spinning rims, but that's usually seen as rather gauche.

Custom water cooling isn't needed unless you plan to overclock very intensively. Or, alternatively, you just like custom water cooling. I know that at least a few people do it as a hobby. However, for the average user, a good air or closed-loop liquid cooler should be absolutely fine.

You should also check if the CPU cooler comes with thermal paste. If not, you need some. Things will get messy otherwise.

For builder quality, I wouldn't know. I have an assembler work on my builds, but he's consistantly good and I got lucky on the first shop I tried, so I haven't seen the warnng signs of a bad builder.

dkdow0 · May 8, 2013

Someone Somewhere :

Can you please expand on your first point? Those terms are not something I am familiar with and it definitely sounds important. (probably should have mentioned in this thread that I am an absolute rookie with everything hardware related).

Ok I will change the RAM so that all slots are being used.

I was under the impression that Nvidea video cards have better synergy with nvidia processors. That's why i went with the 680. Is this lack of synergy with the amd gpu an issue?

Thanks heaps for your feedback!

Jack Revenant · May 8, 2013

dkdow0 :

Someone Somewhere :

Can you please expand on your first point? Those terms are not something I am familiar with and it definitely sounds important. (probably should have mentioned in this thread that I am an absolute rookie with everything hardware related).

Ok I will change the RAM so that all slots are being used.

I was under the impression that Nvidea video cards have better synergy with nvidia processors. That's why i went with the 680. Is this lack of synergy with the amd gpu an issue?

Thanks heaps for your feedback!

Basically, think of it as square peg, round hole. The motherboard you have selected literally will not fit the CPU you have selected. Beyond that, the line it's from (ASUS's Republic of Gamers) is rather overpriced, and doesn't usually bring anything terribly useful to the table.

There's no such thing as nVidia processors, and AMD and nVidia GPUs work about equally well with both Intel and AMD CPUs.

Edit: On the processor/GPU bit, there is SOME debate, but if there are differences, they surely don't surpass the differences between the cards themselves.

dkdow0 · May 8, 2013

Jack Revenant :

Hoo boy. I have a great deal of picking to do in the general direction of this rig. To start off with, your motherboard is a socket 2011, while your CPU is a socket 1155. This means that they are utterly incompatible.
Beyond that, both are very much overkill. For gaming, a i5-3570k is as much as you need, particularly if you overclock it. On the mobo side, an ASRock Extreme6, or, at the very upper end of reasonable, an ASUS Sabertooth should be absolutely fine. There's no need to use the ROG boards.
The 680 wasn't included on the chart because it's "Best Graphics Cards for the Money". That is, the most price-efficient graphics options, which the 680 is not. It performs only marginally better than the 670, which costs $100 less. If you prefer nVidia, I would go with an SLI of 670s. If you're alright with AMD, the 7970 is an excellent choice (although CrossFire has a significant number of outstanding issues).
I would not advocate that cooler, or, in fact, most Corsair liquid coolers. There's only one closed-loop liquid cooler that I recommend, and that's the NZXT Kraken x60, which has truly impressive performance. Short of that, a Noctua DH14 should serve you in good stead.
While case is a personal choice, and the 800D is a fine one, I would tend to suggest the NZXT Phantom 820, both for good cooling, and stylish appearance.
I would never, however, object to the plasma ball.

On the looks front, you might consider LED fans, and the LED strip/controller that NZXT sells. Both are rather good looking, particuarly if you go with the Phantom which I recommended, which has LEDs of its own. You may also consider lowering the suspension and adding spinning rims, but that's usually seen as rather gauche.

Custom water cooling isn't needed unless you plan to overclock very intensively. Or, alternatively, you just like custom water cooling. I know that at least a few people do it as a hobby. However, for the average user, a good air or closed-loop liquid cooler should be absolutely fine.

You should also check if the CPU cooler comes with thermal paste. If not, you need some. Things will get messy otherwise.

For builder quality, I wouldn't know. I have an assembler work on my builds, but he's consistantly good and I got lucky on the first shop I tried, so I haven't seen the warnng signs of a bad builder.

Someone Somewhere and yourself had some similar points, I'll make those changes right away. Thanks for your help today dude, you especially have been such a fucking blessing to me today. I will name my firstborn son in your honour.

Jack Revenant · May 8, 2013

dkdow0 :

Jack Revenant :

Someone Somewhere and yourself had some similar points, I'll make those changes right away. Thanks for your help today dude, you especially have been such a fucking blessing to me today. I will name my firstborn son in your honour.

It's my pleasure. I enjoy helping people out when I'm able, and this has been a particularly enjoyable instance because I actually feel like I've helped. With a lot of folks, things are so subjective that you can only state your opinion and let them choose what they prefer, but in your case I was able to actually show a dramatically superior option and have a measurable impact. Thank you for the opportunity.

Someone Somewhere · May 8, 2013

Synergy is generally one of those marketing BS terms. If someone tries to get you to buy something because of it they are often either a)clueless or b)trying to con you into something.

I'm a bit of a value fanatic - I don't like people paying extra for worthless junk.

Jack Revenant · May 8, 2013

Someone Somewhere :

Change "I/I'm" to "We/We're" and you basically have the motto of this forum.

Someone Somewhere · May 8, 2013

Uhh - the FM2 board won't work either. That's for Trinity APUs.

You want something with a Z77 chipset. Some good options:

ASRock Z77 Extreme4, Extreme6.

Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H, GA-Z77X-UD3H, GA-Z77X-UP4TH (maybe).

ASUS P8Z77-V, P8Z77-V LK.

That's about all I'd go for.

Jack Revenant · May 8, 2013

As Someone said, you're going to want a Z77 board. I would add that on the high end an argument could be made for the ASUS Sabertooth, if only for its robust warranty. That said, the Extreme6 is a superb board, and I highly recommend it.

Also, if you're sinking this much money on a system, you're usually going to want a bit more graphics. Something along the lines of dual 670s or 7970s.

dkdow0 · May 8, 2013

Someone Somewhere :

Thanks, lucky you're on the ball. I just saw a 6 and i figured i'd nailed it.

Jack Revenant · May 8, 2013

Also, do you have access to SeaSonic PSUs, out of curiosity? None of the sites I checked had the larger ones, but if you can get them, they're hard to beat for quality.

dkdow0 · May 8, 2013

Jack Revenant :

Struggling to update my thread as fast as you guys are giving me this stuff but i'm loving it

Seasonic M12II 850W Power Supply $175. Its going on the list.

Jack Revenant · May 8, 2013

dkdow0 :

Excellent. I'm rather a fan of that particular PSU.

Also, good news and bad news. Bad news: I checked NZXT's compatibility sheet, and the 800D doesn't support the Kraken x60.
Good news: I found those LED strips I mentioned: http://www.nzxt.com/product/detail/101-sleeved-led-kit-case-accessory
Actual good news: There are several good cases which support it, including the Phantom 820, the Rosewill Thor V2, the Cooler Master Cosmos II, and the Fractal Design R4. Full list: http://icrontic.com/uploads/features/2012/11/Kraken-Compatibility-PR_Page_2.png

Edit: You could also switch to an air cooler, such as the Noctua DH14.

dkdow0 · May 8, 2013

Jack Revenant :

dkdow0 :

Excellent. I'm rather a fan of that particular PSU.

Also, good news and bad news. Bad news: I checked NZXT's compatibility sheet, and the 800D doesn't support the Kraken x60.
Good news: I found those LED strips I mentioned: http://www.nzxt.com/product/detail/101-sleeved-led-kit-case-accessory
Actual good news: There are several good cases which support it, including the Phantom 820, the Rosewill Thor V2, the Cooler Master Cosmos II, and the Fractal Design R4. Full list: http://icrontic.com/uploads/features/2012/11/Kraken-Compatibility-PR_Page_2.png

Edit: You could also switch to an air cooler, such as the Noctua DH14.

I think I like the look of the cosmos.
Rad, thanks again

Jack Revenant · May 8, 2013

dkdow0 :

Jack Revenant :

I think I like the look of the cosmos.
Rad, thanks again

Yeah, the Cosmos is an impressive case.
As always, my pleasure.

Jack Revenant · May 8, 2013

So, looking over what you've got there so far, no love for the SLI/CrossFire option?
Also, have you considered the Samsung 840 and 840 Pro series for your SSD?

Someone Somewhere · May 8, 2013

Just realised your 4x4GB ram is more expensive than the 2x8GB it replaced - which is quite unusual.

What about these: http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=186_538_913&products_id=21327

They're CL9, which explains the price increase of $3 over your first ones.

dkdow0 · May 8, 2013

Jack Revenant :

I just don't really know whether I need another graphics card

I have been thinking about it since I've had so much money left over...

Are there much greater benefits with that branding?

dkdow0 · May 8, 2013

Someone Somewhere :

I thought you said i shouldn't get 2x8?

Jack Revenant · May 8, 2013

dkdow0 :

Whether you need it or not varies by two things: 1, what resolution you intend to play on. A single 7970 Ghz. Edition can handle just about anything on a single 1080p monitor. Not so much on two or three of the things. If you're only going to game on one monitor, CrossFire/SLI would be overkill for the moment, and you would be better off saving your money.

Faster write speed, mostly. The Neutron series is fine as well. In this case I literally am just checking to make sure you've considered a comparable option.

Jack Revenant · May 8, 2013

dkdow0 :

Due to a pricing oddity, the 4x4 you have now are most costly than that 2x8. This is somewhat atypical.

Someone Somewhere · May 8, 2013

Mainly because 2x8GB is pretty much always more expensive than equivalent 4x4GB. In this case it's not, so go for it. It will usually overclock better with two sticks, and if you later go to say Win9 you can get another 16GB (though it's unlikely to be necessary).

dkdow0 · May 8, 2013

Jack Revenant :

dkdow0 :

Whether you need it or not varies by two things: 1, what resolution you intend to play on. A single 7970 Ghz. Edition can handle just about anything on a single 1080p monitor. Not so much on two or three of the things. If you're only going to game on one monitor, CrossFire/SLI would be overkill for the moment, and you would be better off saving your money.

Faster write speed, mostly. The Neutron series is fine as well. In this case I literally am just checking to make sure you've considered a comparable option.

I'll stick with one for now and if I get any grief I can always just get another

Help me decide on my new build ($2000+) FK ORIGIN

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