$2000+ Workstation/Enthusiast PC

[froutson]

This will be my first attempt at building my own pc. I have been given a fairly high-end gaming GPU, Geforce GTX 480, that does not fit in any of the old Dells we have lying around. It has been suggested that we build a custom pc to put it in and make it a teaching opportunity for my students. Please review this build and give some advice on the components. Here are the details:

Approximate Purchase Date: April 2011

Budget Range: < $2500

System Usage from Most to Least Important: CAD development, animation, some gaming

Parts Not Required: GPU, our FIRST team was given an unbranded GeForce GTX 480 from Nvidia

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: neweggbusiness.com

Country of Origin: United States

Parts Preferences: Intel CPU, P67 express chipset

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: Future (Maybe)

Monitor Resolution: min. 1920x1080, prefer 1920x1200

Additional Comments: This will be a classroom PC and should have a wow factor (bling?) to get students excited about building their own PC.

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Parts I am proposing to buy:

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz

Motherboard: ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

PSU: CORSAIR Professional Series AX850 850W ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM

Boot Drive: OCZ Vertex 3 VTX3-25SAT3-120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - This item is currently out of stock. Would consider options.

Storage Drive: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F4 HD204UI 2TB 5400 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Optical Drive (bu-ray): LG WH10LS30 10X Blu-ray Burner - LightScribe Support - Bulk - OEM

optical drive: ASUS Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced RC-932-KKN5-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Compucase Case with USB 3.0 and Black Interior

Monitor: ASUS PA246Q Black 24" 6ms P-IPS Height/Swivel/Pivot Adjustable LCD Monitor w/2 USB hub, Card Reader & Display port 400cd/m2 50000:1 DCR

CPU Fan: I have no idea. I like the big Noctua but don't know if it will fit. I figure the Cooler Master ones will fit in the case but what about the board (ie. memory clearance.)

Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM

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I am strongly committed to the Intel CPU and ASUS motherboard but I am willing to consider alternatives for everything else. I chose items that I considered "safe" and what seemed to be well recommended. Thanks to all the regular commenters for the earlier posts that have gotten me this far.

Fred R.
Robotics Mentor/PLTW Teacher

 

[WR2]

Hello froutson;

Excellent choice of parts.

Except for the CPU cooler and an operating system there isn't anything you'd need apart from the usual speakers, keyboard and mouse.

You probably realize your power supply is sized for two graphics cards. If you don't have plans for that 2nd graphics card think about downgrading the PSU to a Corsair 650HX.

The Noctua NH-D14 will fit the HAF 932 and it has adjustable fans to solve any possible RAM clearance issues.
NewEgg customer feedback show owners using the HAF 932, Asus P8P67 Pro and G.Skill Ripjaws RAM successfully.
The accessory kit of the Noctua NH-D14 has some Noctua NT-H1 thermal compound and there is no need for the Arctic Silver 5.

Noctua NH-D14 review

 

[WR2]

Everything checks out nicely.

Be sure to let us know how things work out.

Here is some corporate knowledge on the process of assembly: Step-by-Step Guide to Building a PC

The only thing missing there is the SSD install and first boot. After the first boot and before you install the OS you want to make the switch in BIOS to AHCI. I'd do the initial boot and OS install with the HDD disconnected.


It might be useful to your demonstration purposes to do the assembly and first boot with the motherboard outside of the case. Makes it easier to see the process if you have more than 2 or 3 watching.

Look over the forum's "System won't boot" checklist to see some of the common build errors and how to avoid them.

-> The usual advice; read the manual / install guide; look at the parts, read the manual again and if everything makes sense and looks right - then go ahead with the install.

While you're waiting for delivery you can download the online version of the motherboard manual and start getting familiar with it. Same for the other parts you want to order if they have install guides or manuals available.

 

[froutson]

Best answer selected by froutson.