First Build, <$1800 Video Editing/Gaming

jord2438

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Feb 9, 2012
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Hi all,

First Build, looking to for under $1800 for a video editing/gaming pc. This would be my first build, so I also want to make sure the parts I have are compatible.

Plan to purchase: May 12-ish

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS

Reasons to buy: 1) I do a lot of programming with 1080 HD videos in matlab. I hope to leave my desktop at home and remotely access it everyday from my research lab.
2) gaming

Preferred Website(s): newegg, microcenter in minneapolis
Location: Minneapolis, Mn

Overclocking: Yes, but with caution. I've read IB OC'ing is unstable

Crossfire: Possibly in the long future.

Preferred Parts: IB i7, at least 16GB of RAM

Proposed Parts:

CPU: Intel Core i7 3770K 3.5GHz LGA 1155 $290
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0388575

Mobo: Asus P8Z77-V LGA 1155 Z77 ATX $210
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0386886

GPU: MSI R7870 Twin Frozr 2GD/OC Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 $350
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127662&Tpk=msi%207870

RAM: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600 $114
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233246

PSU: Corsair Professional Series HX750W 80 PLUS SILVER Certified $146
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010

Case: Corsair Graphite series 600T Mid-Tower Gaming Case BLACK $155
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139007

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5'' Internal $110
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0347237

SSD: OCZ Technology Petrol 128GB SATA III 6Gb/s 2.5'' Internal $90
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0381969

CPU Air Cooler: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO $35
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

CD/DVD: Lite-ON 24x SATA DVD Burner $18
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0322335

Other thoughts:
1) I really like this mobo because of the added in wi-fi. My system will not be near a router so I will have to use wi-fi anyway.
2) My system will be constantly running/analyzing HD videos when I am not using it for gaming. With that said, my PSU still might be overkill... but I am still kind of confused on how much leeway room I should give my system.
3) I am also considering buying a UPS since I will be remotely accessing my system everyday and want a backup in case there is a power outage. I am unsure how much power my system will need but am looking at an APC 1000VA 600W UPS for $150 from newegg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16842101393


TOTAL: ~$1,670

Thanks again for your comments!
 
Solution
Those tall heat spreaders on that Corsair RAM is going to impede that CM EVO. You want low profile RAM.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231558 $114.99 FREE SHIPPING
G.SKILL Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C10D-16GAO

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Professional-750-Watt-Certified-Compatible/dp/B0029F21LK/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1335769190&sr=1-5 $138.98 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair HX Professional Series 750-Watt 80 Plus Certified Power Supply Compatible with Core i7 and Core i5 - CMPSU-750HX

Here's a case worth looking at. Build in multi channel fan controller, dust filters, LED on/off, etc... you name it...

g-unit1111

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That looks really good - the only thing I would change would be your SSD - OCZ doesn't exactly have the best reputation on the market. Pay a bit more and get a Crucial M4, Samsung 830 or Plextor PX-M3.

The UPS is definitely a good idea but you shouldn't include that in your system budget - you can always get that after you get your build up and running.
 

pdxalex

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Apr 25, 2012
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I'd also consider swapping the 5400 rpm HDD for a faster 7200 unit. Better yet, a 7200 driver with SATA III. If I'm not mistaken, all their "green" drives are 5400.

I'm looking at the same CPU / MB combo.
 
Those tall heat spreaders on that Corsair RAM is going to impede that CM EVO. You want low profile RAM.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231558 $114.99 FREE SHIPPING
G.SKILL Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C10D-16GAO

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Professional-750-Watt-Certified-Compatible/dp/B0029F21LK/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1335769190&sr=1-5 $138.98 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair HX Professional Series 750-Watt 80 Plus Certified Power Supply Compatible with Core i7 and Core i5 - CMPSU-750HX

Here's a case worth looking at. Build in multi channel fan controller, dust filters, LED on/off, etc... you name it and this case has it.

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-Series-Gaming-CC-9011012-WW/dp/B005E983JW/ref=sr_1_6?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1335769269&sr=1-6 $114.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair Carbide Series 500R Mid Tower Gaming Case CC-9011012-WW

http://www.corsair.com/pc-cases/carbide-series-pc-case/carbide-series-500r-mid-tower-case.html <----- another look at that case

Like g-unit pointed out...those OCZ SSD's have a bad rep.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226236 $118.99 FREE SHIPPING
Mushkin Enhanced Chronos MKNSSDCR120GB 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
 
Solution

jord2438

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Feb 9, 2012
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Why_me, thanks for addressing the RAM clearance issue. I've read that the CM EVO can cause clearance problems. If the GSkill Ares are going to fit, then I will go with those.

The 500R case looks nice. My main requirements are a case with removable dust filters and one that would fit the CM EVO. The 500R comes with two front fans, a rear fan, and a side fan. Would you recommend I buy at least one exhaust fan for the top also?

And your PSU and SSD recommendations look good also.
 

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator


It's mainly due to the Sandforce controller - anything that is Sandforce based (and I have one so I'm speaking from experience) is more likely to give you issues and errors than any Marvell-based drive like the Crucial M4, Plextor PX-M3, or Samsung 830 would.
 

jord2438

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I see. I read up some more on Sandforce vs Marvell, and its no surprise there are mixed reviews on both. But it looks like I will stick with the Crucial M4, since I have seen a lot of good reviews for it and its cheap.
 

aicom

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I know you've said the OS is not a requirement, but I'd suggest going with at least Windows 7 Professional which gives you access to the fantastic Remote Desktop support that Windows has. I haven't seen any remote access solution with better performance in my experience.
 
Looks pretty good. Other than what others have said the only think I would add is to consider moving up to a SB-E platform as Matlab will eat up the extra cores, plus there is added space for more ram on most SB-E boards. But at the same time IB has some great features and I am sure it would do just fine.
 

jord2438

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I was debating IB vs a 6 core SB-E. Based on tom's hardware review using matlab of the i7 3960X SB-E
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/sandy-bridge-e-efficiency-core-i7-3960x,3075-5.html
the margins aren't high enough for me to spend almost 3 times as much money. Even though they do not review the i7 3930k SB-E; based on the benchmarks of the 3960X I personally cannot justify to spend $500 on the 3930k, which is also going to drive up my electricity bill. Thanks for the suggestion though.