Custom PC Build

[remo220]

I posted this earlier today but got no comments so i am re-posting it,

I am building a new computer this summer and will be using this for gaming on maximum settings. I will also be using this for other media like iTunes to listen to my music and watch movies. I have over 3,000 songs and also 20 movies and counting. I would like to keep this computer for a long time, like 5+ years. So my question is: Will this set up work (i.e. do all of the parts work with each other), is the power supply a good wattage, is this a good gaming PC, can it handle all of this music and movies, and how long will this last me before i need to upgrade. Also if you have any suggestions on how to make this a better gaming PC, please give them.
My computer build will be:

-Intel Core i7-3770 Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I73770

-EVGA SuperClocked+ 02G-P4-2684-KR GeForce GTX 680 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card (Purchase 2)

-Crucial M4 CT512M4SSD2BAA 2.5" 512GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

-OCZ Vertex 4 VTX4-25SAT3-128G 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

-ASUS P8Z77-V LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

-CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9

-LITE-ON 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 12X DVD-RAM 8X BD-ROM 8MB Cache SATA Blu-ray Burner with 3D Playback iHBS212-08 LightScribe Support

-Antec EarthWatts Platinum Series EA-550 550W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS PLATINUM Certified Power Supply

-Antec DF-85 Black Steel / Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case


Extras:

-Acer S243HLbmii Black 24" 2ms(GTG) Full HD LED Backlight LCD monitor 250 cd/m2 ACM 8,000,000:1 w/Speakers

-RAZER Black 7 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Optical/Laser 6400 dpi Mamba 2012 Elite Ergonomic Wireless Gaming Mouse

-RAZER Blackwidow Ultimate - Dragon Age II Black USB Gaming Keyboard

- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium

I will load my operating system and all of my games onto the OCZ Vertex, while the rest of my data such as my movies and music will be on the Crucial M4. Also, I will be running the two EVGA GTX 680's in SLI. So tell me what you think, and please give me any suggestions you have. I would like to build the ultimate gaming PC that will last me a long time.

 

[g-unit1111]

First off you're spending way too much money on SSDs. The OCZ Vertex isn't a good choice as they're not known for reliability. The M4 is a good choice but a 512GB for secondary storage is major overkill - and you're spending about $600 on one drive - you could get a second 680 or two additional monitors for that. Go with a 128GB M4 and drop your 512GB to a 1 or 2 TB mechanical drive.

Second the DF 85 isn't a good choice from what I hear - Antec is generally known for quality but the DF85 isn't. Go with a Corsair Carbide 500R or Fractal Design Define R3.

I'd also up your PSU to a 750 or even 850 if you're planning to SLI that 680.

The 3770 is a good CPU but you should be getting the 3570K and invest that money elsewhere. 16GB isn't needed - you will not use it all.

I'm also not a fan of expensive peripherals - you can always get good ones after you get your build up and running but I'd rather concentrate on the tower and what's inside it before getting the expensive stuff outside it.

What's your max budget and are you buying from Newegg or internationally? I can definitely suggest a better system if I know those things but you should definitely drop the 512Gb SSD.

 

[azeem40]

I'd also up your PSU to a 750 or even 850 if you're planning to SLI that 680.

The GTX 680 uses 536W in SLI, and that is on an i7-3960. Even a 650W PSU is enough power.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5805/nvidia-geforce-gtx-690-review-ultra-expensive-ultra-rare-ultra-fast/4 The test system.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5805/nvidia-geforce-gtx-690-review-ultra-expensive-ultra-rare-ultra-fast/16 The consumption.

 

[g-unit1111]

The GTX 680 uses 536W in SLI, and that is on an i7-3960. Even a 650W PSU is enough power.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5805/nvidia-geforce-gtx-690-review-ultra-expensive-ultra-rare-ultra-fast/4 The test system.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5805/nvidia-geforce-gtx-690-review-ultra-expensive-ultra-rare-ultra-fast/16 The consumption.

I always like to plan ahead on my builds though - sure 536W is fine for a single but if you plan to run a second at some point in SLI you're SOL.

 

[g-unit1111]

1x Crucial M4 64GB SSD for OS, and 2x Samsung Spinpoint F3's 1TB in RAID-0 is what i use, and my pc runs very rapidly.

You will not need anything past this.

I agree - $650 for a 512GB SSD is insane - I wouldn't advise anyone to purchase one when you don't need anything beyond this setup.

 

[azeem40]

I always like to plan ahead on my builds though - sure 536W is fine for a single but if you plan to run a second at some point in SLI you're SOL.

You can never go wrong with a benchmark of cards. It is much more reliable than some crappy PSU Calc.

 

[g-unit1111]

You can never go wrong with a benchmark of cards. It is much more reliable than some crappy PSU Calc.

True - but what do they say about running a second? I know the 680 is one of the most energy efficient GPUs that NVIDIA has ever produced but I don't know how it performs in an SLI setup - and I can't seem to find any info on it.

I didn't realize that the SSD initially picked out was a Vertex 4 though - those are supposed to be based on a new controller that's not Marvell or Sandforce so we'll see if it can take the throne from the M4 or not.

 

[azeem40]

True - but what do they say about running a second? I know the 680 is one of the most energy efficient GPUs that NVIDIA has ever produced but I don't know how it performs in an SLI setup - and I can't seem to find any info on it.

I didn't realize that the SSD initially picked out was a Vertex 4 though - those are supposed to be based on a new controller that's not Marvell or Sandforce so we'll see if it can take the throne from the M4 or not.

You might want to re-look at the link there buddy. It mentions both SLI and single-GPU setups.

 

[g-unit1111]

You might want to re-look at the link there buddy. It mentions both SLI and single-GPU setups.

Wow - even the 690 uses 30W less. Pretty impressive.

 

[remo220]

Thanks for the response. I now see that my 512 GB SSD is complete overkill, I might go with 2 1 TB HDD's in Raid 0 like recon - uk said, but i feel like the HDD will fail and not last too long, what do you guys think. Also im still not sure, is the power supply i have fine?

 

[remo220]

First off you're spending way too much money on SSDs. The OCZ Vertex isn't a good choice as they're not known for reliability. The M4 is a good choice but a 512GB for secondary storage is major overkill - and you're spending about $600 on one drive - you could get a second 680 or two additional monitors for that. Go with a 128GB M4 and drop your 512GB to a 1 or 2 TB mechanical drive.

Second the DF 85 isn't a good choice from what I hear - Antec is generally known for quality but the DF85 isn't. Go with a Corsair Carbide 500R or Fractal Design Define R3.

I'd also up your PSU to a 750 or even 850 if you're planning to SLI that 680.

The 3770 is a good CPU but you should be getting the 3570K and invest that money elsewhere. 16GB isn't needed - you will not use it all.

I'm also not a fan of expensive peripherals - you can always get good ones after you get your build up and running but I'd rather concentrate on the tower and what's inside it before getting the expensive stuff outside it.

What's your max budget and are you buying from Newegg or internationally? I can definitely suggest a better system if I know those things but you should definitely drop the 512Gb SSD.

I am using Newegg. Also my budget is prefereably around 2,000 but i can go higher. Also what do you mean by peripherals?

 

[remo220]

Best answer selected by remo220.

 

[g-unit1111]

I am using Newegg. Also my budget is prefereably around 2,000 but i can go higher. Also what do you mean by peripherals?

Peripherals = keyboard, mouse, speakers, printers, MP3 players, game controllers, anything with a USB cord. They're the things that plug into your system. Monitor can be considered a peripheral but I usually don't.

Thanks for the response. I now see that my 512 GB SSD is complete overkill, I might go with 2 1 TB HDD's in Raid 0 like recon - uk said, but i feel like the HDD will fail and not last too long, what do you guys think. Also im still not sure, is the power supply i have fine?

Fine but underpowered.

Try this setup:

Case: Fractal Design Arc MIDI - $99.99
PSU: PC Power & Cooling Silencer MKII 750W - $94.99 ($20.00 MIR)
Motherboard: Asrock Z77 Extreme 4 - $139.99
CPU: 3.4GHz Intel Core i5-3570K - $249.99
Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo - $34.99
RAM: Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 - $42.99
SSD: 128GB Crucial M4 - $131.99
HD: 1TB Seagate Barracuda ST 7200 RPM - $99.99
Optical: LG Black BD-R Burner - $74.99
Video Card: EVGA Geforce GTX 680 - $499.99

Total: $1,474.89 - $20.00 MIR = $1,454.89

Use the difference for OS license, monitor and keyboard / mouse. Or anything else you might need.

 

[azeem40]

The Vertex 4 uses a totally different controller, so it is a fine drive.

 

[g-unit1111]

The Vertex 4 uses a totally different controller, so it is a fine drive.

Yeah I need to read more about it before I'll recommend it - the Marvell is the fail safe, but Sandforce is faster. It will be interesting to see how this new controller compares.

 

[remo220]

Peripherals = keyboard, mouse, speakers, printers, MP3 players, game controllers, anything with a USB cord. They're the things that plug into your system. Monitor can be considered a peripheral but I usually don't.

Thanks for the response. I now see that my 512 GB SSD is complete overkill, I might go with 2 1 TB HDD's in Raid 0 like recon - uk said, but i feel like the HDD will fail and not last too long, what do you guys think. Also im still not sure, is the power supply i have fine?

Fine but underpowered.

Try this setup:

Case: Fractal Design Arc MIDI - $99.99
PSU: PC Power & Cooling Silencer MKII 750W - $94.99 ($20.00 MIR)
Motherboard: Asrock Z77 Extreme 4 - $139.99
CPU: 3.4GHz Intel Core i5-3570K - $249.99
Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo - $34.99
RAM: Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 - $42.99
SSD: 128GB Crucial M4 - $131.99
HD: 1TB Seagate Barracuda ST 7200 RPM - $99.99
Optical: LG Black BD-R Burner - $74.99
Video Card: EVGA Geforce GTX 680 - $499.99

Total: $1,474.89 - $20.00 MIR = $1,454.89

Use the difference for OS license, monitor and keyboard / mouse. Or anything else you might need.

This is a sick set up! ill save a crap ton, like 1 k! Although i would still prefer an i7 processor, so that it lasts me a long time. Also, why did you choose Fractal Design Arc Midi Black instead of the DF 85, i would prefer a metal case to a plastic one. Lastly, should i run the HDD in raid 0, or is that not necessary?

 

[g-unit1111]

This is a sick set up! ill save a crap ton, like 1 k! Although i would still prefer an i7 processor, so that it lasts me a long time. Also, why did you choose Fractal Design Arc Midi Black instead of the DF 85, i would prefer a metal case to a plastic one. Lastly, should i run the HDD in raid 0, or is that not necessary?

I generally like the looks of the Arc MIDI - and for the price it has a lot of features not seen in its' class. I haven't heard good things about the DF85 (even though Antec is an excellent case manufacturer) - if you want a full tower I'd suggest something like the Azza Hurrican 2000 which is steel constructed and has lots of nice features for the price: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811517010&Tpk=azza%20hurrican

If it's a gaming setup - the i7 just isn't needed. The i5 is tailor made for gaming where the i7 is more tailor made for multimedia heavy applications like CS5. I'm running - or going to be running an i5 and that will more than handle what you need it to do.

RAID 0 isn't really necessary - RAID setups are far more likely to fail on you than if you ran your HDs independant of each other - but I will say that you do not want to fall for expensive storage gimmicks like the Revodrive or the WD Velociraptor HDs - they're far more expensive, you trade speed for space, and they're also far more likely to fail on you than the standard SSD / slow HD setup - it's what I use and it works great and it's never failed on me.

 

[remo220]

I generally like the looks of the Arc MIDI - and for the price it has a lot of features not seen in its' class. I haven't heard good things about the DF85 (even though Antec is an excellent case manufacturer) - if you want a full tower I'd suggest something like the Azza Hurrican 2000 which is steel constructed and has lots of nice features for the price: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811517010&Tpk=azza%20hurrican

If it's a gaming setup - the i7 just isn't needed. The i5 is tailor made for gaming where the i7 is more tailor made for multimedia heavy applications like CS5. I'm running - or going to be running an i5 and that will more than handle what you need it to do.

RAID 0 isn't really necessary - RAID setups are far more likely to fail on you than if you ran your HDs independant of each other - but I will say that you do not want to fall for expensive storage gimmicks like the Revodrive or the WD Velociraptor HDs - they're far more expensive, you trade speed for space, and they're also far more likely to fail on you than the standard SSD / slow HD setup - it's what I use and it works great and it's never failed on me.

I will not go with a RAID set up then, cause I want this to last me for a long time which is also why I probably will still choose the intel 3770k. And about the case, I want one that looks cool, and not like just a box. Also I have a dog and his fur gets every where. I know that both have filters, but it just looks like the DF 85 has the better filters. What do you think?

 

[g-unit1111]

I will not go with a RAID set up then, cause I want this to last me for a long time which is also why I probably will still choose the intel 3770k. And about the case, I want one that looks cool, and not like just a box. Also I have a dog and his fur gets every where. I know that both have filters, but it just looks like the DF 85 has the better filters. What do you think?

It's still not needed - it will be several years before games catch up to hyper threading technology so you'll be fine.

I understand dust issues but it's just something you have to live with - no PC on earth will be completely dust proof unless you work in a clean lab. You should look at that Azza case closer - it has room for a three-fan liquid radiator should you choose to do so. I'd also recommend the NZXT Switch 810: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146088

For a closer look check out this article: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/switch-810-cosmos-ii-strike-x-hurrican-2000,3151.html

 

[remo220]

I think I will choose this case, but what made you choose a different mobo instead of mine? which is better?