I7 3770 maybe k if price drops z77 mobo/build help.

rabblerabble

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Aug 14, 2012
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10,510
I need help selecting the best MOBO bang for my buck. I am planning on a new build within about the next month. I may look into being able to overclock my machine if i get the necessary parts and i want the ability to, but my uses are for DL/Streaming, tv tuner stream/capturing, Casual Gaming (but I want to be able to play most any game out), SOME Video Editing and Rendering, Heavy Word Processing /MS Office. I am looking for this rig to last me for a while since I will be poor after this while going to school, but I want to have something that will last/able to continuously upgrade. I will also be open to any comparable cheaper boards (sub $200) that would stand up until the more expensive boards like maximus v extreme come down.

I am looking to purchase:

Tower:
Thermaltake Level 10 Gt, but I may go for the Black over White and the size is the same

anyways

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133192&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-_-pla-_-NA-_-NA

CPU:
i7 3700 (unless the K version is around 300 by then)

Motherboards:
I am looking at I dont want to go over $300 (at least form factor atx):

Dz77ga-70k
http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/motherboards/desktop-motherboards/desktop-board-dz77ga-70k.html/

z77pro
http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Fatal1ty%20Z77%20Professional/

g1. sniper 3
http://www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4169

z77a gd80
http://www.msi.com/product/mb/Z77A-GD80.html

golden z77h2
http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWebSite/Product/Product_Detail.aspx?DetailID=1324&CategoryID=1&MenuID=103&LanID=0

tz77xe4
http://www.biostar.com.tw/app/en/mb/introduction.php?S_ID=582

Memory:
DDR3 1600
either 2 G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB 240-Pin
or
4 G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB 240-Pin
I am wondering if i had 16g would it be better to have 4x4 or 2x8, but i was thinking 2x8 so
then later i can just add more 8 sticks for 32.

graphics:
it would matter by what board i got in terms of how it would affect my budget for a card, but for my purposes, would nvidia or ati be a better fit.

Power:
depends on the above, but open to suggestions.

HD:
ssd Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2CCA 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148448

Monitor:
LG E2442V-BN
http://www.lg.com/us/monitors/lg-E2442V-BN-led-monitor

OS:
Windows 7 but i may partition a copy of xp on it because i havent used the newer oses yet

cooling:
probably just some fans because since i won't oc out of the gate, i figure i can add something like that later on.

So, do you think I am on the right track for a good rig, or not? Any help/feedback will be appreciated and I will respond quickly.


 
Solution
Lets see

Case - Skip the level 10, it's got crap airflow and you can get much better case for 1/3 of the price e.g. Antec 300

Processor - how about the i5-3570K

Motherboard - I would shy away from the intel and ecs boards and take my pick of the rest.

Memory - why not go 2133MHz, the motherboard will gladly take it.

Graphics - I would say either a GTX560Ti or a GTX670 , for the minimal performance increase the GTX680 isn't worth the extra $100.

HDD - have you thought about a large storage drive, say about 2TB. An SSD is good for performance but they don't store a great deal especially if you're doing tv capture

Power - a half decent 80+ 600W supply will be more than ample for this little lot.

OS - I wouldn't put XP...

pauls3743

Distinguished
Lets see

Case - Skip the level 10, it's got crap airflow and you can get much better case for 1/3 of the price e.g. Antec 300

Processor - how about the i5-3570K

Motherboard - I would shy away from the intel and ecs boards and take my pick of the rest.

Memory - why not go 2133MHz, the motherboard will gladly take it.

Graphics - I would say either a GTX560Ti or a GTX670 , for the minimal performance increase the GTX680 isn't worth the extra $100.

HDD - have you thought about a large storage drive, say about 2TB. An SSD is good for performance but they don't store a great deal especially if you're doing tv capture

Power - a half decent 80+ 600W supply will be more than ample for this little lot.

OS - I wouldn't put XP anywhere near an SSD, it doesn't support TRIM, it'll destroy the SSD performance over time.
 
Solution
^ Personally I would prefer to stick with 1600Mhz, it'll save you a lot of money and the performance difference isn't really worth it IMO.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157293 This board is an excellent choice that would do all that you ask, if not more. It's got plenty of expansion slots, and you have the capability to overclock your K sku CPU if you so desired.

However, I do agree about the recommendation of the i5 3570k if you're looking to overclock and casually game. You don't really need the i7 unless you're doing some HEAVY long hour sessions of rendering/video editing where the extra performance will come into play.

For your GPU, I would suggest waiting a little bit as the GTX660 Ti is soon to be released (sometime this week or next week). For $300, I doubt you could go wrong with the GTX660Ti. If the performance isn't what you're seeking, you could always beef up your options and go with a 670.

I would also prefer to stick with an SSD. The M4 you have picked out is a great choice, very reliable and has a good reputation. However, I would suggest getting a 1TB-2TB Hard drive if you really need more storage for recording your media. They can be obtained for reasonable prices and you wouldn't sacrifice the snappy-ness of an SSD :)

I agree with pauls with the recommendation of NOT putting XP on your SSD, I would much prefer to put Win7 (give this OS a shot, it's worth it).

A QUALITY branded PSU should be able to power all your components without a hitch. Here are some examples that I would personally prefer -

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139020
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151106
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207014
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703036
 

rabblerabble

Honorable
Aug 14, 2012
8
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10,510
pauls3743

Thank you for your response.
For the tower:
I might just skip the level 10, and go for a cheaper midsize tower, and just buy a full later if i need it.

Processor:
I just looked into the i5-3570k and it does look appealing, so if the price of the i7 3770 doesn't go down i just might look into that.

MOBO: Thank you. I was weary about both of the manufacturers and that'll just narrow down my choice.

Memory: I didn't know the i5-3570k took it until i looked at the compatibility sheet. it just said 1333/1600 on the cpu spec sheet

Graphics: I might go with the GTX670 pending the changes i do with the case/processor savings

HDD: I might just go big with those but im not too sure which frequency i should look into or anything like that. any good recommendations or are they all about the same?

Power: alright, didn't know if i needed 800 or anything like that.

OS: thanks. if i do go with the regular drive could i do the partition without a problem? i figure i still can.

Any idea about the monitor i posted?

 

rabblerabble

Honorable
Aug 14, 2012
8
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10,510
mocchan

Thank you for the memory recommendation. i might just use what i save and try to pack it with 32 of 1600.

The i5 is looking more and more appealing. I might just have to cave if the i7 3770 doesnt drop to 250. i guess i was wrapped up in that name.

Graphics: it will be about a month so it would be released by then. I just wanted to be able to play the new games that are coming out because hopefully with this rig i would be able to get more into gaming.

HD: yeah, i knew the constant writing of an ssd degrades it and the cost/storage isnt up to par yet. i guess i could just buy multiple disk drives and backup from each as necessary as i would hate to lose the already 1.5 tb of tv shows i currently have.

Power: yeah, i was going to get a nice power supply because that's the blood of the beast, and i guess for what i have picked out that 650 would be enough. i just didn't want to get not enough power.

Also, if i do get the regular disk drive, i will be able to have the partition without a problem, correct? i am open to trying windows 7 but i want xp as a fallback if i need it.

 
Yes you could always partition your drives for other OS's :)

However, where do you live? the i7 2700k may be in your favor if you're looking for something with that much power. In store only, but for this price? It's hard to resist! http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0376491

However a word of advice, install your OS on your SSD, and put all your other stuff onto your HDD's. This way you're limiting the writes being put on your SSD.
 

rabblerabble

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Aug 14, 2012
8
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redeemer

Thank you for your input for the processor and new tower. i did want a full size that was good looking and didn't break the bank and decent airflow.

ill still have to decide between the 2133 and 1600. what is the performance benefit of the 2133 over 1600 for my purposes? i would like to fill up the slots with 32 g but would 32 of 1600 be better than 16 of 2133?

on the gpu, ill probably just have to wait until it is closer to my build date since more have been coming out. thanks for the recommendation though.

do you think i would need 850? or is that just a good size that i can be able to upgrade stuff to?

ill just have to do side by side i guess with the more narrow selection of mobos. the prices are pretty close together and i just want to get the best i can out of the group.
 

rabblerabble

Honorable
Aug 14, 2012
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mocchan

thanks. yeah, if i do end up getting an ssd, i would just use that for os because of the boot time. i may just get a cheaper 60 gig or something for using it just for that and use the rest for hdds.

I live in the southeast us. but i was trying to get ivy bridge, and for the price the 3770 and k were the same price if not cheaper without the walkin deal.