First Time Build.... Photo Build (1500.00+-)

[slamothe]

Approximate Purchase Date: (e.g.: this week (the closer the better))


Budget Range: (1500.00 or so, Performance over Budget Somewhat)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: (Photoshop/Illustrator at same time, gaming, surfing the internet,)


Parts Not Required: (e.g.: keyboard, mouse, monitor24" Dell Ultra Sharp1920X1200, speakers, Win 7, I have 2 older 7800GTX GPU's, If I can use without to much performance loss I will)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: (Frys,Newegg)


Country of Origin: (USA, Calif)


Parts Preferences: by brand or type (Intel and full tower case)


Overclocking: Maybe


SLI or Crossfire: Yes

Monitor Resolution: ( 1920x1200)


Additional Comments: (I multi task my systems hard, I want horse power, More Photo stuff than gaming but I do a little online racing.)


OK, This is my first attemp at putting a list together, I don't mind any constructive feedback on my build as I'd like to get this right the first time
Here's what I selected,

CASE.......................................
(COOLER MASTER Storm Sniper SGC-6000-KXN1-GP Black Steel)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119194&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=12mmvb2znjgak


MOBO.......................................
(GigaByte Ultra Durable 3 GA-P67A-UD4 Desktop Motherboard - Intel - Socket H2 LGA-1155)
http://stores.tomshardware.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=842636516




Processor..................................
(Intel Core i7-2600K Quad Core Processor)
http://stores.tomshardware.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=849222068


Heatsink...................................
(COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R1)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=10aogpgkkinvi



Memory....................................
(Corsair Dominator GT CMT12GX3M3A2000C9 RAM Module - 12 GB 3 x 4 GB - DDR3 SDRAM)
http://stores.tomshardware.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=814549606




Storage...................................
(Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive(SSD))
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=12dlwhw023dlw


GPU.......................................(although if I can use my 2 7800GTX DDR2 cards thats cool)
(EVGA 01G-P3-1460-K1 GeForce GTX 560 Graphic Card - 810 MHz Core - 1 GB GDDR5 SDRAM - PCI Express 2.0 x16)
http://stores.tomshardware.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=885300948





Power Supply................................
(ENERMAX REVOLUTION85+ ERV1020EWT 1020W)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817194081&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=1qxkylwauz1gr

I wanted the larger power supply to have room to add, If I'm WAY OVER on PSU let me know.
I guess beyound performance I really want plenty of USB 2.0/ some USB 3.0/ several firewire/ front USB/Firewire.
I guess that sums it up, thank you in advance for any input of helping save me from myself!!

 

[Outlander_04]

the RAM kit you have listed is a triple channel kit for X58 motherboards
you want a 2 x4 gig dual channel kit

the 7800 GTX's are so old even a bottom end graphics card from 2011 is probably more powerful than both combined

a single 560 ti , or Radeon 6950 is a good starting point for gamers at your resolution

750 watt would give you room to SLI or crossfire either of those

 

[slamothe]

I just noticed that the Mobo I listed only has 1 PCI x16 slot so I already screwed up!
So I will look at other choices on that, Isn't 3 channel DDR3 the fastest way to go?
Than You for confirming what I figured on the GPU's :-(
So you think the 1000W PSU is to much?

 

[farsuka]

1000watt should be fine, remember to get a good brand so it doesn't blow up though.

 

[boiler1990]

1000watt should be fine, remember to get a good brand so it doesn't blow up though.

1000W is enough to run 2x580s and an i5/i7 with a strong OC (~4.7GHz). You'll only need a 750W PSU at the most - TX750V2, EA750, Silencer Mk II 750W are all great PSUs.

+1 to what Outlander has mentioned so far.


The P67A-UD4 is a solid board - mine's been chugging along just great.

Do you have hard drives already? All you have listed for storage is a SSD...

 

[slamothe]

Is the PSU I selected a decent one? I would like excelent quality for this part.

 

[slamothe]

Yes, I have a TB drive but not sure of the make, I also use 2 externals equaling about another TB, also noticed your PSU reccomendations... Thank You!
As I said, I have Zero expierience at this, appreciate the help

 

[nd_hunter]

Here's a suggestion....

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600k
GPU: HIS IceQ X Turbo HD 6950 2GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.749743
$565.98

Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3
Ram: 16GB Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 1600 C9
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.742715
$289.98 ($10 MIR available)

CPU Cooler: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Evo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099
$34.99

SSD: 128GB Crucial M4
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442
$197.99

HDD: 1TB Samsung Spinpoint F3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
$59.99

Optical: ASUS 24x DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204
$18.99

PSU: Corsair TX750v2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021
$104.99 ($15 MIR available)

Case: Silverstone Raven RV03B-WA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163185
$159.99

Total: $1432.90 before tax and shipping

 

[slamothe]

That Rocks nd_hunter!!
I'm loving the combo packages,
I will be adding another GPU card to the system and SLI'ing them so I'm still thinking I need 1000W, well I guess in this case, crossfire them.
My old dell XPS 710 required 1000W so I'm just Dbl checking.
I'll check your board suggestion for features and make sure it has all I need.
Thank You for that awesome input!!

 

[boiler1990]

I will be adding another GPU card to the system and SLI'ing them so I'm still thinking I need 1000W, well I guess in this case, crossfire them.

2x560Tis or 2x6950 2GB will run fine on 750W. Again, 1000W is a huge waste of money, because you won't reach that unless you dump 4 times what you're spending on you current GPU into the system.

 

[slamothe]

OK, got it!
Just wanted to be sure.

 

[nd_hunter]

That Rocks nd_hunter!!
I'm loving the combo packages,
I will be adding another GPU card to the system and SLI'ing them so I'm still thinking I need 1000W, well I guess in this case, crossfire them.
My old dell XPS 710 required 1000W so I'm just Dbl checking.
I'll check your board suggestion for features and make sure it has all I need.
Thank You for that awesome input!!

I think Crossfired 6950s will be overkill unless you are going to game in Eyefinity or play Battlefield 3, Crysis 2, or Metro 2033 in DX11 mode with everything maxed. Save the money and send your girl to the spa for the day so she doesn't bitch about you ignoring her.

As boiler stated, 750 watts is plenty even if you do Crossfire two 6950s. I'm guessing a nice system overclock (CPU, GPUs) would pull around 600-620 watts from the wall...

 

[boiler1990]

Save the money and send your girl to the spa for the day so she doesn't bitch about you ignoring her.

It's a good investment, lemme tell ya

 

[slamothe]

Ok, So here's my final list I used to build.
My son and I built the system in about 3 hours and had successful post first time through, Operating system loaded perfectly and she's running at full steam!
Building a system for the first time was a lot of fun and very rewarding!

CASE: Cool Master HAF 942
MOBO: GA-Z68XP-UD4
CPU: I7-2600K
Mem: Corsair 16GB Vengance 1600 DDR3
PSU: Seasonic 760W
Cooler: V8 180W
GPU: Dual EVGA GTX570HD
Drive: Crucial M4 128GB SSD
Storage: Used my old mech. drivesdrives
Opticals: Used my old drives

Brought build in at exactly 1585.00 so not to bad!
Thank You to all that helped with input and advice,
Especially nd_hunter and boiler1990, I took your advice and that got me.... well, special time!...LOL

 

[nd_hunter]

You're welcome. That's one screamin' machine you got there. Glad everything went together well.

 

[slamothe]

I do have a question though thats way over my head, I'm starting to do the research to figure out my best method but figured I should ask here for expert advice1
Should I use the Marvell Controller Sata port for my SSD or the Intel one. I found conflicting reports onb the Marvell not supporting Trim and that it could be slower.
Right now I have it in the Intel.
Thanks for any responses,
Steve

 

[nd_hunter]

Keep it on the Intel port. You can google search some guides for optimizing your SSD. Sadly, I don't have one yet so I don't have any tips that I know work for sure. I do know, however, that you should use TRIM and need to move the location of certain folders (Pictures, Music, Videos, etc) to a mechanical drive. You also need to make sure NOT to defrag the SSD and turn off any automated defraging (if Win 7 hasn't already done that). The SSD forums on Crucial's website will also be a good source of information for you.

 

[slamothe]

Thank You, Yep my understanding is Win7 would do it for me but for sure I'll dbl check that and get those folder off to storage drives.
Thanks Again!
Steve

 

[boiler1990]

Ok, So here's my final list I used to build.
My son and I built the system in about 3 hours and had successful post first time through, Operating system loaded perfectly and she's running at full steam!
Building a system for the first time was a lot of fun and very rewarding!

Looks like a great build, and should easily hold its own for the next 2-3 years in games. It's always fun to learn to build, and it's actually great experience too. Learning how to assemble/disassemble hardware and fix hardware/software issues pays off big.

You definitely have room to grow into that case. Next investment: watercooling (?)

 

[slamothe]

Thank you Boiler!
Best part was doing it with my son, now he's pumped to build his own so another GEEK is born! LOL
If I see temp issues with the heat sink or GPU's I'll consider water cooling, but based off my use I don't expect it, not a big gamer, I just love H.P.

 

[boiler1990]

The air cooling in those cases is great, but absolute worst case scenario you shouldn't get over 80C. The stock coolers generally hold about 60-65C comfortably.

The 942 has mounting points for a 3x120mm radiator (a relatively large radiator), so you can easily move into watercooling if/when the time comes.

 

[slamothe]

Best answer selected by slamothe.