Gaming Entertainment PC

[grumpyjoe]

Approximate Purchase Date: ASAP

Budget Range: Close to $3000

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Work, Distributed Computing (CPU & GPU), Entertainment (Movies, TV, Music, Web, ect)

Parts Not Required: ...

Preferred Websites for Parts: Any

Country: Canada

Parts Preferences: Intel, nVidia, Asus, Case (Black) with easy removable dust filters prefered, no water cooling

Overclocking: Maybe but doubtfull

SLI or Crossfire: Possibly later on

Monitor Resolution: Anything above 1440x900, preferably in the 1920x1080 range

Additional Comments:
I'm replacing my 5+ years old system thats been throwing every BSOD known to man at me for the past 6 months. I've had enough.

You could say that this computer will be the new center of my universe, so to speak. I'll work on it, play on it and relax with it. So it is imperative that it be reliable.

Fast Audio & video transfer/conversion from older media (Vinyl, Tapes, Beta, VHS, ect) is a big plus if not a must.

It doesn't need bling or flashy lights, but it should be as quiet and cool (as in, not over-heating) as possible.

UPC and mass storage (5TB+) suggestions welcome but dont need to be included in price listed above.


Thanks in advance.

 

[SSri]

How about this?

CPU would be i7 3770K
Mobo: ASROCK Z77 extreme 6.... or MSI Z77A-GD65 ~ $160 - $200
GPU: eVGA superclocked GTX 680 $520 (when in stock)
SSD: Samsung 830 256 gb $310
SATA: Samsung F4 hd204UI 2TB $120
Cooler: NH-D14 OR CORSAIR H100 or CM hyper 612 ($40 - $120)
Fan: Cougar CF-V12 HP Vortex Hydro Dynamic Bearing - $17 or Prolimatech Pro-BV12 $12
RAM: G.Skills Ripjaws X 16 GB DDR3 1600
CASE: CM haf XM RC $130 OR SilverStone Fortress FT02 or NZXT Whisper or CM Cosmos II or Corsair Obsidian Series 800D
PSU: Cooling Silencer MKII 950W 80+ silver or Seasonic x750
Optical: LG 12x super multi blue with 3D playback and M-Disc support $80

For pure gaming, you do not need more than i7 3570K and 8 GB RAM; BUT you would need the extra RAM and CPU core/threads for your computing (depending on the intensity).

BTW, to use 16 GB DDR3, you would need Win7 64 bit Pro or Ultimate.

 

[grumpyjoe]

CPU
Any particular advantages of taking a 3770k over a 3770 or a 3820? Which is better in terms of "future proofing"?

SSD / HDD
256 might be too big since all there is going to be on it is the OS and a couple of games. Everything else will be on secondary HDD or transfered out to storage. ie. Current setup has 150/500 and ive never been close to filling them.

Mobo / RAM
Ive seen those in a lot of posted builds, so i'm guessing they are that good?

Case
Some expensive choices in there, but i do like what Corsair has to offer.

Any suggestions on keyboard, mouse, speakers or monitors?

 

[SSri]

CPU: If you want to properly over clock, you will need the K version. Note there are heat issues reported while over clocking the Ivy Bridge processor. You might be fine as long as you do not push it to the limit and keep the volts/etc within Intel's prescribed limit. But it is the latest processor and more efficient. It is a small step, however, from the Sandy Bridge CPUs. The 3770K is 22nm max 77w, while 3820 is 130W. If you already own an i7/i5, there is no need to upgrade. It is better to over clock the existing one and wait for next year. If I own a pre i5/i7, I would buy Ivy Bridge unless I want extra 2 cores / 4 treads from the i7 3930K. Otherwise, my choice would be i7 3770K with Z77 mobo. I won't go for 3820 as I think it is not great compared to i7 2700K or i7 3770K. I'm afraid you may lose the quicksync and overclocking abilities in 3820. I think you get a better processor with i7 3770K.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ivy-bridge-benchmark-core-i7-3770k,3181.html
http://ark.intel.com/products/63698/Intel-Core-i7-3820-Processor-(10M-Cache-3_60-GHz)

Please see this comparison at AnandTech's!

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/523?vs=551

SSD: : Take Samsung 830 128 GB, if you think 256 GB is not needed. The 128 GB should give you enough space after OS and a couple of games. But remember, you may start losing flexibility and space if you throw-in more games. Besides, you may need at least 256 GB, if not more, if you want to install "Distributed Computing" applications on the same drive.

RAM G.Skills Ripjaws X DDR3s are good.

Displays: Dell ultrasharp 24".

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824260047

Misc I am afraid I cannot help you on keyboards, mouse and speakers. Please check this out, if it helps

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2226754
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5564/capsule-review-corsairs-vengeance-m60-and-m90-mice/3
http://boardreader.com/thread/Keyboard_and_Mouse_for_Gaming_6a29dX1b0b3.html

good luck

 

[grumpyjoe]

Im upgrading from a C2D E6600 + GTX 8800 + 19"@1440x900, so it will be a major step up.
Also not overly fond of overclocking or water cooling to be honest. Bad experiences and all that.

This is what you posted above (more or less):

http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/p/8rkv
CPU Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core $349.79
CPU Cooler Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler $84.99
Motherboard ASRock Z77 Extreme6 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard $229.99
Memory G.Skill Ripjaws Series 16GB DDR3-1600 $92.99
Hard Drive Samsung 830 Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk $299.99
Samsung Spinpoint F4 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM $129.99
Video Card EVGA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Video Card $519.99
Case Corsair Obsidian Series 800D ATX Full Tower $239.99
Power Supply PC Power & Cooling 950W ATX12V / EPS12V $139.99
Optical Drive LG WH12LS39 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer $84.99
Monitor Asus VS248H-P 24.0" Monitor $195.79
Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (64-bit) $139.99
Total: $2514.41


How does that compare to this?:

http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/p/8rl0
CPU Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor $349.79
CPU Cooler Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler $84.99
Motherboard Asus SABERTOOTH Z77 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard $239.99
Memory Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 $99.99
Hard Drive Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk $133.19
Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM $149.99
Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM $149.99
Video Card Asus GeForce GTX 680 2GB Video Card $529.99
Case Corsair Obsidian Series 800D ATX Full Tower $239.99
Power Supply Corsair 850W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply $149.99
Optical Drive Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer $17.99
Monitor Asus VS248H-P 24.0" Monitor $195.79
Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (64-bit) $139.99
Total: $2481.67


Or even a similar one but using the LGA2011?

http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/p/8rl8
CPU Intel Core i7-3820 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor $279.99
CPU Cooler Noctua NH-D14 SE2011 CPU Cooler $84.99
Motherboard Asus Sabertooth X79 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard $319.22
Memory Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 $99.99
Hard Drive Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk $133.19
Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM $149.99
Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM $149.99
Video Card Asus GeForce GTX 680 2GB Video Card $529.99
Case Corsair Obsidian Series 800D ATX Full Tower $239.99
Power Supply Corsair 850W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply $149.99
Optical Drive Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer $17.99
Monitor Asus VS248H-P 24.0" Monitor $195.79
Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (64-bit) $139.99
Total: $2491.10

For 300$ more i could go for overkill with the 3930k.

...
Thats if i havent messed up someplace, which i probably have.
Then again, i wouldnt be asking for help if i knew what i was doing.

And sorry for any typos and slow replies, im doing this through a boot cd interface, darn BSODs.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[SSri]

They all look good.

The PSU has a good review at Johnny Guru.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story5&reid=218

But, I would pick up a Gold certified PSU than the original post, say

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151102 (overkill?)


http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Seasonic-X-Series-850-W-Power-Supply-Review/1169/1

Memory: It is down to you...while I would take G.Skills Ripjaws if I were to build one today. Corsair is a good RAM manufacturer though.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145347

Case, Display (my choice would always be Dell Ultra Sharp), Optical Drives, etc are more of a personal choice. I like all those five cases. although I would suggest eVGA super clocked GTX680 over Asus.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139001
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130769 (out of stock but hopefully would be available soon).

Regarding HDD, please see this

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/4tb-3tb-hdd,3183.html (Seagate’s new 3 TB Barracuda (ST3000DM001) - fastest but not designed for 24x7).

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/charts/hdd-charts-2012/benchmarks,134.html

You will have to decide if you definitely need that extra 2 cores/4 treads for your computing, etc.....If you think you would, it is definitely worth it. Once you decide and post your final choice, I am pretty sure experts on this forum would post their views/advice/recommendations especially if they see something is not right/compatible with your final selection.

 

[grumpyjoe]

I choose mostly Asus & Corsair parts in the above builds since theres a shop nearby that specialize in those and they have great prices on those.

PSU overkill, i really dont know, but i have many suggested build here use a 750w which isnt that far off from the one i posted. I took another look at some of those PSU certifications and found a Corsair 850w PSU with Gold certification, the CMPSU-850AX.

I took Corsair RAM since thats whats in the current one and they've served me well. But if the G.Skills Ripjaws are better then thats what ill get. I dont mind paying a little more for quality and reliability since i'm hoping this new build will last me, at the very least, 5 years.

It seems that doing research pays off since most of the Corsair cases have either hot swap bays or a drive dock which takes care of my mass storage need, are black and have easy to remove filters. All i'll need further down the line are reliable HDD that i can plug in, do backups, unplug and store away till they are needed again.

That also means i can drop the 2 Seagate 3Tb and replace them with something smaller that can run 24/7. I might go back to the WD Raptor / WD Caviar Black combo i currently use and drop the SSD as well.


What!? You aren't one of those forum experts? ;p

So does that mean i need to make a new post or can i just edit the title of this one to -Summon- those experts?


Thanks again for helping.

 

[SSri]

Asus and Corsair are reputed manufacturers; Your Asus motherboard and Corsair Vengeance are good choices. Overall, you have got some solid specs. I won't worry much about the choice between Corsair Vengeance and G.Skills or getting yourself an 850W PSU. If Corsair has served you well, you may stick with them. I read the review of CMPSU-850AX at JonnyGuru. It is recommended by this great site.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story5&reid=197

Hot Swap Bays are extremely useful in RAID as well.

If you want a HDD for 24x7, please check these out:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136798

Tom's mentions a couple of them:

"However, Seagate didn't design this Barracuda for 24/7 operation. If you need higher availability, you'll want to check out Seagate’s Barracuda XT or Hitachi's Deskstar 7K3000. Both are five-platter designs, robust, and still fast enough for video editing or video surveillance servers. "

Source: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/4tb-3tb-hdd,3183-16.html

Choices:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148506&Tpk=Seagate%20barracuda%20XT
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136798
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145473

Check out the reviews on these links and also search for reviews at experts' sites.

I would still keep an SSD for OS and a few games. Atleast 128GB and ideally 256GB.

So does that mean i need to make a new post or can i just edit the title of this one to -Summon- those experts?

I don't think you need a new post on the same topic.

This forum is full of seasoned and experienced system builders, gamers and technicians; they can not only suggest suitable parts but also have a knack of identifying any potential issues on the specs posted on the forum. They would read yours, if they visit the forum, and point out if there have a suitable advice or identify any issues.

 

[grumpyjoe]

Done a few tweaks to the above.

http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/p/8wwL
CPU Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard Asus SABERTOOTH Z77 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
Memory Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600
Hard Drive WD RE4 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM
SSD Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
Video Card Asus GeForce GTX 680 2GB Video Card
Case Corsair CC650DW ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply Corsair 850W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply
Optical Drive Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer
Monitor Asus VS248H-P 24.0" Monitor
Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (64-bit)

Mind you there are some parts im not sure about.
Its a <i dont plan to but i might> situation concerning overclocking and SLI.
In that sense, is the CPU Cooler and Motherboard adequate or are they too fancy?

Then theres the case. I keep going back and forth between the Corsair 650 and 800. Which works best in that situation?

Depending on the final price (its 2200$ now) i might up the monitor from a 24 to a 27.

Choices, choices.

 

[grumpyjoe]

Final check.