New build reality/spec check

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greg611

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Oct 24, 2012
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Thanks for all the help I've already got reading this forum- the experience and help you all provide is outstanding. Really.
This new machine will be for fairly heavy graphics (Photoshop, Lightroom, occasionally Avid), some gaming and daily use. Overclocking probably not something I'll ever do. Already have monitors.
The choices I made have been based on bang for the buck and reliability and price. Would like to be around $2000, less would be nice but I hope to use this computer for several years so I expect to spend some money here. Would like to put it all together within the next couple months. I have a Micro Center within striking distance so I'll probably end up going there. Note on the case- chose a big one because I read that video card is huge and needs a very big case. Power supply might be overkill- maybe I could save a few bucks there.
Thanks for looking.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3820 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($299.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($7.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus P9X79 DELUXE ATX LGA2011 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($71.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($71.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($71.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($71.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($162.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($354.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom (Black) ATX Full Tower Case ($132.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 850W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1721.85
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-22 14:03 EDT-0400)
 
Solution
g-unit1111
Well it's a decent start. Purchasing that many 2 x 4GB RAM kits is not a wise use of funds. Get one set of 4 x 8GB kits and call it a day. And neither is that extra thermal compound - Silver 5 is incredibly overrated and Cooler Master includes stuff that's better for free. Buying thermal compound is always a waste of money. So you're buying the same part twice. I wouldn't buy the 3820 when the 4770K is newer and has a significant speed increase over the 3820 plus an unlocked multiplier at that. You don't necessarily need a big case either, hell with most builds a Bitfenix Prodigy can handle any modern GPU.

I would do something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU:...
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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Jul 27, 2011
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Well it's a decent start. Purchasing that many 2 x 4GB RAM kits is not a wise use of funds. Get one set of 4 x 8GB kits and call it a day. And neither is that extra thermal compound - Silver 5 is incredibly overrated and Cooler Master includes stuff that's better for free. Buying thermal compound is always a waste of money. So you're buying the same part twice. I wouldn't buy the 3820 when the 4770K is newer and has a significant speed increase over the 3820 plus an unlocked multiplier at that. You don't necessarily need a big case either, hell with most builds a Bitfenix Prodigy can handle any modern GPU.

I would do something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($339.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U9B SE2 37.9 CFM CPU Cooler ($60.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($166.13 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($259.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Plextor M5S Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: ATI FirePro V5800 1GB Video Card ($349.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Gunmetal/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($111.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($71.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1763.01
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-22 14:19 EDT-0400)

- I switched the 3820 for an i7-4770K
- GPU is professional grade
- Windows 7 Pro lifts the 16GB RAM ceiling
- Included 256GB SSD and 1TB for mass storage
 
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Solution
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greg611

Honorable
Oct 24, 2012
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10,640
Ok- updated the list. Changed some components per suggestions. Regarding the RAM- changed that but still four sticks. Changed mobo tho-- so maybe that's not an issue anymore? I'm considering starting with just 16g and doing an easy upgrade in the future.
Speaking of RAM- why 1333? $40 more for 2400. Just wondering.
The video card- I keep coming back to that. The Firepro chipset- not familiar with it so have to find some time to read up on it. Same price for Firepro with 1g versus GTX670 with 2g. Read pretty consistently good things about the EVGA so I left that in there for now.
Power supply- compromised on that- I was worried 620w is cutting it too close and it's only $16 more for the extra power- and something like $80 less than the first one [850w] I chose. If I decide to add another video card in the futre would 620w still be enough?

Here's the updated list:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($279.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U9B SE2 37.9 CFM CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($259.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Plextor M5S Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($179.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($149.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($349.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Gunmetal/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($97.88 @ TigerDirect)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($86.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($124.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $1763.78
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-22 19:31 EDT-0400)
 
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greg611

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Oct 24, 2012
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10,640
Changed a couple things and have settled on the items on the list below. Suggestions? Upgraded a few things after reading multiple reviews. I figure overkill with some items. I don't mind spending a couple extra hundred dollars if it makes life easier (space in the case, reliability, etc.). Hopefully someone can point out mistakes I've made? Thanks!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($279.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12P SE2 54.4 CFM CPU Cooler ($62.18 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD4H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($179.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($259.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($214.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($149.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($339.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($93.49 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Thermaltake EVO Blue 2.0 750W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($137.19 @ TigerDirect)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($124.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $1859.78
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-23 19:36 EDT-0400)

edited to update RAM choice
edited again to change case
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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Jul 27, 2011
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Because you don't really need the fast RAM speeds if you aren't using the onboard video. Plus if something goes wrong with your CPU, Intel will void your warranty if they find you've been using RAM above a certain speed
 
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greg611

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Oct 24, 2012
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I'm sorry to say that the RAM I chose isn't on the Qualified Vendors List in the manual. Not sure what to do now- the modules on that list are very limited- and only one set of low profile RAM on the entire list-- 4x4 .
Is it a verboten to not go by the list in the manual?
 
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