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Opinions on 1st time build

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Hello,

I am planning to build my first desktop with solid/lasting gaming capabilities and I am looking for opinions. I have small disk needs as I will store most stuff in an external drive. Here is my current list:

Case: Fractal Design Define R3 - Silver Arrow
CPU Cooler: NOCTUA NH-D14
Case Fans: "2x Coolermaster Case Fan 14cm, 2x Arctic Cooling F12-PWM"
CPU: Intel i7 3770K
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V
GPU: Gigabyte GTX 670 OC
Memory: Corsair DDR3 1600MHz 8GB
SSD: Corsair Force Series GT SSD 180GB SATAIII 6GBPS 2.5IN
Optical Drive: Lite On IHES112 Blu-ray Combo 48/32/16/12/12/4
PSU: Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 850 Watt, 80+ Silver
Monitor: HP ZR2440W LED

I want to have the options of adding a graphics card, memory, and disk in the future, as well as light overclocking.

The main things I am hesitating on are:
- the MoBo - should I get the ASUS P8Z77-V Pro or deluxe instead? Should I go for a 12 or 20 cpu phase instead of the 8 offered by the P8Z77-V
- I am most uncertain about the PSU, as I have been seeing lots of contradictory advice regarding the wattage...

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gumb said:
Hello,

I am planning to build my first desktop with solid/lasting gaming capabilities and I am looking for opinions. I have small disk needs as I will store most stuff in an external drive. Here is my current list:

Case: Fractal Design Define R3 - Silver Arrow
CPU Cooler: NOCTUA NH-D14
Case Fans: "2x Coolermaster Case Fan 14cm, 2x Arctic Cooling F12-PWM"
CPU: Intel i7 3770K
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V
GPU: Gigabyte GTX 670 OC
Memory: Corsair DDR3 1600MHz 8GB
SSD: Corsair Force Series GT SSD 180GB SATAIII 6GBPS 2.5IN
Optical Drive: Lite On IHES112 Blu-ray Combo 48/32/16/12/12/4
PSU: Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 850 Watt, 80+ Silver
Monitor: HP ZR2440W LED

I want to have the options of adding a graphics card, memory, and disk in the future, as well as light overclocking.

The main things I am hesitating on are:
- the MoBo - should I get the ASUS P8Z77-V Pro or deluxe instead? Should I go for a 12 or 20 cpu phase instead of the 8 offered by the P8Z77-V
- I am most uncertain about the PSU, as I have been seeing lots of contradictory advice regarding the wattage...

Everything but the psu looks great. Dump that CM psu for a Seasonic, Corsair, XFX, Enermax, Antec, PC Power & Cooling, LEPA, or Silverstone. Also a 750w psu will easily push dual 670's and still leave you with some headroom.

gumb said:
Hello,

I am planning to build my first desktop with solid/lasting gaming capabilities and I am looking for opinions. I have small disk needs as I will store most stuff in an external drive. Here is my current list:

Case: Fractal Design Define R3 - Silver Arrow
CPU Cooler: NOCTUA NH-D14
Case Fans: "2x Coolermaster Case Fan 14cm, 2x Arctic Cooling F12-PWM"
CPU: Intel i7 3770K
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V
GPU: Gigabyte GTX 670 OC
Memory: Corsair DDR3 1600MHz 8GB
SSD: Corsair Force Series GT SSD 180GB SATAIII 6GBPS 2.5IN
Optical Drive: Lite On IHES112 Blu-ray Combo 48/32/16/12/12/4
PSU: Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 850 Watt, 80+ Silver
Monitor: HP ZR2440W LED

I want to have the options of adding a graphics card, memory, and disk in the future, as well as light overclocking.

The main things I am hesitating on are:
- the MoBo - should I get the ASUS P8Z77-V Pro or deluxe instead? Should I go for a 12 or 20 cpu phase instead of the 8 offered by the P8Z77-V
- I am most uncertain about the PSU, as I have been seeing lots of contradictory advice regarding the wattage...


Well that motherboard is good no question - get the Pro, you don't need all the features offered by the deluxe version.

Switch your SSD - I hate Sandforce drives (and I have one) - you'll run into nothing but problems. Go with a Marvell based drive or get the new OCZ Vertex 4 - they're far more stable than any Sandforce based drive.

The Vengeance RAM is fine as long as you get the low profile version if you're going to be using a D14: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

If gaming is the primary focus - you don't need the i7 - drop that to the i5 and invest the difference in a good 1TB primary HD and use your external for backups.

Quote:
Well that motherboard is good no question - get the Pro, you don't need all the features offered by the deluxe version.


I was actually thinking of getting the plain P8Z77-V (with pro or deluxe as alternatives). Why do you suggest the PRO? Due to the 4 additional cpu phases? Some other reason?

Quote:
The Vengeance RAM is fine as long as you get the low profile version if you're going to be using a D14


You mean because of space in the box? I can't find that model here (Switzerland). What do you think of these: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
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Why_Me said:
Everything but the psu looks great. Dump that CM psu for a Seasonic, Corsair, XFX, Enermax, Antec, PC Power & Cooling, LEPA, or Silverstone. Also a 750w psu will easily push dual 670's and still leave you with some headroom.


Ah thanks! I was looking into the Corsair AX750, but the specs say it has "PCI-E 6+2", while the motherboard has "1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s)". Will this be compatible?

gumb said:
Ah thanks! I was looking into the Corsair AX750, but the specs say it has "PCI-E 6+2", while the motherboard has "1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s)". Will this be compatible?

It will work fine, although the AX is a bit expensive in most parts. If you can get your hands on a XFX or Corsair HX I would look at that.

PCI-E 6+2 is for your graphics card. If you're getting the GTX 670 it will require 2 x PCI-E 6 pin connectors. The mobo will require 1 x 8 Pin ATX 12V power and the standard 24 Pin connector.

Your build is similar to mine (see below). I choose the Pro version for the mobo because it had wireless (which i needed) and additional slots for SLI configurations. Plus I got a really good deal on it with my processor.

Good luck on the build!

My new build:
Intel i5 3570k @ 3.4 GHz, ASUS GTX 680 2GB, ASUS P8z77-v Pro, 16 GB G.SKILL Ripjaws Series, Samsung 830 128 GB SSD, WD Caviar 500 GB HDD, Corsair HX 1050W, CM Hyper 212 EVO, Rosewill Thor V2, Windows 7

gumb said:
Quote:
Well that motherboard is good no question - get the Pro, you don't need all the features offered by the deluxe version.


I was actually thinking of getting the plain P8Z77-V (with pro or deluxe as alternatives). Why do you suggest the PRO? Due to the 4 additional cpu phases? Some other reason?

Quote:
The Vengeance RAM is fine as long as you get the low profile version if you're going to be using a D14


You mean because of space in the box? I can't find that model here (Switzerland). What do you think of these: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...


1. The Pro will allot for more memory and up to 3-way SLI should you choose to run it, if not then the regular P8Z77 will suffice.

2. It's because of the height of the heat sinks in contrast with the cooler - the PWM fans on your cooler sit directly on top of your RAM and the tall combs will make installing fans difficult as you need to reposition your fans to accommodate for the RAM height. If there's a local store you buy from knowing that will help to suggest better parts. That's pretty much the same RAM I suggested.
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