Finalizing New Build.. :D

[l0v3rboi]

Approximate Purchase Date: April 28

Budget Range: Increased my budget to 1600

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming

Parts Not Required: These are the things I already bought (note that these are included in the budget. Corsair 300r: 64.95, Razer Black Widow Mechanical Keyboard: 54.95)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Will go to the NCIX store and attempt to negotiate a better price as we are also buying a laptop for my gf. Suggestions for this one will also be appreciated (we're thinking of getting a lenovo ideapad z750 mainly because of the i7 processor for software development).

Country: Canada

Parts Preferences: non

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: No but I'm wishy washy about this one so might change.

Monitor Resolution: The one i'm looking at is 1920 x 1080

Additional Comments:

Thanks everyone for all the help I received in making this build! This community is awesome. I just would like to ask everyone to look at my build one last time. Without further adieu, here it is.

Case: Corsair Carbide 300R_____64.95

PSU: Corsair Pro Series Gold Ax650_____149.41

MoBo: Gigabyte Z77-D3H_____129.99

CPU: i5 2500k_____239.99 (I chose this one because of the heat issues that seem to plague IB. Since it will be my first time OC, I would like to avoid unnecessary issues that the extra heat could cause.)

RAM: Mushkin Enhance Blackline Frostbyte PC3-12800, 4 x 2 Gb_____44.78

GPU: Sapphire Radeon 7950 (originally thought to get the 7870 but since its only 50 more, I decided to upgrade, is it worth it?)

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200 RPM 500 Gb_____89.98

SSD: OCZ Agility 3 60 Gb_____74.99

DVD Drive: Samsung 22x DVDRW_____23.85

Mouse: CM Storm Spawn_____36.44

Keyboard: Razer Black Widow Mech. Keyboard_____54.99

Wireless Adapter: Very long Ethernet Cable LOL_____19.99 (Was going to get a wireless adapter but decided against it)

CPU Cooler: CM Hyper 212 plus_____30.66

Case Fans: Scythe Slip Stream x 2_____11.94 (Will buy from directcanada.com)

LCD Display: Asus ML228H LED Backlit LCD_____155 (Will buy from directcanada.com)

OS: Windows 7 HP_____111.30

GRAND TOTAL: 1638.25_____ It's a little bit over budget but that's ok. I should be able to lower it a bit upon negotiation. Let me know what you're guys' thoughts are. Thanks =D

 

[azeem40]

Spend $5 more and get the EVO.

 

[l0v3rboi]

Isn't it only a few degrees colder than the 212 plus? I don't know much about OC but is it worth it? Just wondering.

 

[g-unit1111]

I'd forgo the extra case fans - you don't need them. Spend that money on upgrading your case or switching out your SSD - the Agility 3 is not a good choice and has really questionable reliability. Supposedly OCZ is introducing an entirely new SSD controller with the Vertex 4 and is returning to Marvell, so hopefully they should get better.

As for upgrading your GPU - it's absolutely worth the extra $50 to get the 7950, although I do love my 7870, I'll get a second one when they cut the price down a $100.

 

[Why_Me]

What's with the $150 650w psu? That's more than your motherboard cost. Also why a 650w psu when you have a board meant for a single card build?


There's a few ways you can go about this. That board down below runs dual cards @ x8 & x8 and is meant for a dual card set up.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131837 $154.99 FREE SHIPPING
ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

Then you can go with a cheaper psu to make up for the cost of that board up above...something like this down below that will push two of those 7950's.

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=15180AC8566&vpn=P1650SNLB9&manufacture=XFX $78.50
XFX 650W PRO650W Core Edition Single Rail ATX 12V 53A 24PIN ATX Power Supply 80PLUS Bronze PSU

 

[l0v3rboi]

I'd forgo the extra case fans - you don't need them. Spend that money on upgrading your case or switching out your SSD - the Agility 3 is not a good choice and has really questionable reliability. Supposedly OCZ is introducing an entirely new SSD controller with the Vertex 4 and is returning to Marvell, so hopefully they should get better.

As for upgrading your GPU - it's absolutely worth the extra $50 to get the 7950, although I do love my 7870, I'll get a second one when they cut the price down a $100.

Ya, I was going to go with the Crucial m4 but then I read the best SSD for your buck article of Tom's which was the Vertex 3 for that price range. :lol: Guess I'll switch it back.

 

[azeem40]

I am not saying the Crucial M4 is a bad SSD. It isn't by any means, but for cheaper, you can get a just-as-reliable SSD, the Mushkin Enhanced Chronos Deluxe 120GB.

 

[l0v3rboi]

What's with the $150 650w psu? That's more than your motherboard cost. Also why a 650w psu when you have a board meant for a single card build?


There's a few ways you can go about this. That board down below runs dual cards @ x8 & x8 and is meant for a dual card set up.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131837 $154.99 FREE SHIPPING
ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

Then you can go with a cheaper psu to make up for the cost of that board up above...something like this down below that will push two of those 7950's.

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=15180AC8566&vpn=P1650SNLB9&manufacture=XFX $78.50
XFX 650W PRO650W Core Edition Single Rail ATX 12V 53A 24PIN ATX Power Supply 80PLUS Bronze PSU

Hey,
My rationale was gold rated = more energy efficient = lower power bill. Am I wrong with my assumptions? I was originally going to go with either the Seasonic S12II 620W for 89.99 or the PC Power and Cooling MkIII 600W for 79.86. The specs of the you're suggesting looks good as well. Which one do you think is the best one out of the three though if I just forego the gold rated one?

 

[l0v3rboi]

I am not saying the Crucial M4 is a bad SSD. It isn't by any means, but for cheaper, you can get a just-as-reliable SSD, the Mushkin Enhanced Chronos Deluxe 120GB.

Yah I was considering that Mushkin one but decided not to because it uses Sandforce controllers. It is faster (according to the specs). What sets this SSD apart from the other Sandforce SSD's that makes it more reliable?

 

[azeem40]

You are right, but at most, it will save you $12/yr, maybe less. PSU brand quality and reputation, but most importantly, series reputation within that brand, are more important than whether the PSU is 80+ BRONZE, SILVER, GOLD, or PLATINUM Certified.

 

[l0v3rboi]

You are right, but at most, it will save you $12/yr, maybe less. PSU brand quality and reputation, but most importantly, series reputation within that brand, are more important than whether the PSU is 80+ BRONZE, SILVER, GOLD, or PLATINUM Certified.

Ahhh... only by that much huh. It's not worth it then. Which PSU would you recommend for my build?

 

[azeem40]

If you think at any point you will ever want to go CF/SLI, get the PC Power and Cooling Silencer MK 750W PSU for $100. It may be Silver certified, but it is simply better bang for buck.

 

[l0v3rboi]

If you think at any point you will ever want to go CF/SLI, get the PC Power and Cooling Silencer MK 750W PSU for $100. It may be Silver certified, but it is simply better bang for buck.

Hrmm.. Unfortunately the store only has the 950W version of that PSU you're suggesting. Thanks anyway. I'll just go with the PSU Why_Me is suggesting.

 

[Why_Me]

Ahhh... only by that much huh. It's not worth it then. Which PSU would you recommend for my build?

That XFX psu I linked up above is manufactured by Seasonic. Seasonic manufactures Seasonic psu's, all XFX psu's and the mid and upper tier Corsair psu's.

 

[l0v3rboi]

That XFX psu I linked up above is manufactured by Seasonic. Seasonic manufactures Seasonic psu's, all XFX psu's and the mid and upper tier Corsair psu's.

Hey,
I looked into the MoBo you suggested which is this one: ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 1155 Intel Z77. Do you think its worth it to get the Gigabyte z77-UD3h. Its more expensive by a few bucks but has much more PCI slots for expansion. Asrock z77 Extreme 4 also has x8/x8 capacity. Hrmmmm... so many choices. Lol

 

[l0v3rboi]

Hey guys,
Here's what I have so far:

Case: Corsair Carbide 300R_____64.95 (already bought)

PSU: XFX Pro 650W_____79.99

MoBo: Gigabyte Z77-UD3H_____163.99
or
Asrock z77 Extreme 4_____149.99
or
ASUS P8Z77-V_____154.99

CPU: i5 2500k_____239.99

RAM: Mushkin Enhance Blackline Frostbyte PC3-12800, 4 x 2 Gb_____44.78

GPU: Sapphire Radeon 7950

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200 RPM 500 Gb_____89.98

SSD: Crucial M4_____84.99

DVD Drive: Samsung 22x DVDRW_____23.85

Mouse: CM Storm Spawn_____36.44

Keyboard: Razer Black Widow Mech. Keyboard_____54.99 (already bought)

Wireless Adapter: Very long Ethernet Cable LOL_____19.99 (Was going to get a wireless adapter but decided against it)

CPU Cooler: CM Hyper 212 plus_____30.66

Case Fans: Scythe Slip Stream x 2_____11.94 (Will buy from directcanada.com)

LCD Display: Asus ML228H LED Backlit LCD_____155 (Will buy from directcanada.com)

OS: Windows 7 HP_____111.30

What do you guys think? Good to go? Also, please help me choose between the 3 MoBo's. Thanks.

 

[niknovacain]

I'd forgo the extra case fans - you don't need them. Spend that money on upgrading your case or switching out your SSD - the Agility 3 is not a good choice and has really questionable reliability. Supposedly OCZ is introducing an entirely new SSD controller with the Vertex 4 and is returning to Marvell, so hopefully they should get better.

As for upgrading your GPU - it's absolutely worth the extra $50 to get the 7950, although I do love my 7870, I'll get a second one when they cut the price down a $100.

I agree here. But to add another view point about the case fans. If the extra case fans were planned to be exhaust fans it may help a little bit. How hot does the room get where this computer will be? If it gets hot (summer coming) the fans should definitely not be intake fans. And if you do not have a/c and it gets hot you may want some exhaust fans although it will only make a slight difference. Just another view. Pretty pointless, but the real lesson here is to take everything into consideration when building. Setting, room temp., exhaust or intake, etc. This is why a lot of build guides have "selecting components" as one of the major steps.

By the way, I like your original choice of power supply, that thing is fully modular and nice! It is a little pricey, but maybe do not go out to eat for a week or save money some other way and you can justify the purchase if price is that big of a motivator (which it should be), but quality parts are always nice.

 

[l0v3rboi]

I agree here. But to add another view point about the case fans. If the extra case fans were planned to be exhaust fans it may help a little bit. How hot does the room get where this computer will be? If it gets hot (summer coming) the fans should definitely not be intake fans. And if you do not have a/c and it gets hot you may want some exhaust fans although it will only make a slight difference. Just another view. Pretty pointless, but the real lesson here is to take everything into consideration when building. Setting, room temp., exhaust or intake, etc. This is why a lot of build guides have "selecting components" as one of the major steps.

By the way, I like your original choice of power supply, that thing is fully modular and nice! It is a little pricey, but maybe do not go out to eat for a week or save money some other way and you can justify the purchase if price is that big of a motivator (which it should be), but quality parts are always nice.

Hey,
Yah I was thinking that I'd add 2 fans: 1 as an exhaust at the top and the other as an intake to cool my GPU. If I was going to crossfire in the future, I might as well maximize the air flow right now. Also, it would be placed in a slot on my comp table which is a pretty tight fit (about 1" clearance). I thought I should generate as much air circulation as possible.

Also, I chose that PSU because I thought it was going to save me a significant number of dollars in terms of the power bill. But, since I was only going to save about $12 per year, its not worth it. I might as well get a PSU that is solid but is also efficient (though not by that much).

 

[l0v3rboi]

/bump

 

[g-unit1111]

I agree here. But to add another view point about the case fans. If the extra case fans were planned to be exhaust fans it may help a little bit. How hot does the room get where this computer will be? If it gets hot (summer coming) the fans should definitely not be intake fans. And if you do not have a/c and it gets hot you may want some exhaust fans although it will only make a slight difference. Just another view. Pretty pointless, but the real lesson here is to take everything into consideration when building. Setting, room temp., exhaust or intake, etc. This is why a lot of build guides have "selecting components" as one of the major steps.

By the way, I like your original choice of power supply, that thing is fully modular and nice! It is a little pricey, but maybe do not go out to eat for a week or save money some other way and you can justify the purchase if price is that big of a motivator (which it should be), but quality parts are always nice.

I always refer people to this guide as it's extremely helpful in how to properly setup a good cooling solution without wasting money on things you don't need: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cooling-airflow-heatsink,3053.html

For motherboard I'd go with the Gigabyte or Asrock. Asus makes good boards but they really skimp on features on their lower end models.

 

[l0v3rboi]

I always refer people to this guide as it's extremely helpful in how to properly setup a good cooling solution without wasting money on things you don't need: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cooling-airflow-heatsink,3053.html

For motherboard I'd go with the Gigabyte or Asrock. Asus makes good boards but they really skimp on features on their lower end models.

Hey G-Unit,

Thanks for the article. I have a question for you. Do you know if the Gigabyte z77-Ud3h allows for x8/x8 configuration if I Crossfire. I know the Extreme 4 does but I can't seem to find information about the Ud3h.

Thanks again for the help!