DBounlom

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Jun 5, 2012
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Hello. This is my very first build. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Date needed: Immediately unless great deals coming up

Budget Range: ~ $1300. Flexible.

System use: Gaming (all types from Skyrim to Diablo 3 to BF3). Photoshop. Also some video and sideshow editing.

Parts NOT required: Need everything

Preferred parts sites: Will use any site. I live close to the Micro Center in Tustin, CA.

Country: USA

Parts preference: I lean towards Intel and nVidia

Overclocking: In the future

SLI/Crossfire: Maybe, but most likely not.

Monitor resolution: 1920 x 1280

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I am very open to any suggestions. I am a novice who reads forums. Here is my build.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/9v6e

Rough price is $1294

I plan on getting a 1TB 7200 HDD later in a few months.

I kind of want the i7 for more processing power during video edits (not sure if this is even true). I chose the i7-2700k because the 2600k isnt in stock at my Micro Center in Tustin, CA. I assume they are interchangeable. If it is cheaper to go to the Micro Center I will happily go.

Please let me know if there are any compatibility issues. Any comments on other things I might need is appreciated. Please let me know if I forgot anything. Thank you in advance for the help!
 
Solution

Other than a few sets, all 4x4GB sets of RAM are quad channel now. There's a reason for that. It works as dual channel in the 1155 boards, and quad channel in the socket LGA 2011 boards. It kills two birds with one stone for the manufactures..so they don't have to make identical sets. Ya that RAM will work fine.

l0v3rboi

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Mar 30, 2012
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If you're doing a lot of editing, it may be beneficial for you to get 16 Gb (2 x 8 Gb).

Also, didn't see any OS. Do you already have one?

Aftermarket cooler if you are overclocking.

The rest are good choices. It will be a very solid build.
 

DBounlom

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Jun 5, 2012
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Hi everyone. Thanks for the help.

Yes, thank you for the suggestion on an aftermarket cooler. When I OC, I will definitely get a cooler.

Thank you for the information about the 16 GB of RAM. Do you have any recommendations? I was looking at 2 x 8 GB sticks, but they're over $100. If I get 4 x 4 GB sticks, then I can stay under $100. How do I know if my MOBO can handle 4 modules vs 2 modules?

Yes, my friend has a Windows 7 64 bit install for me. This might sound noobish, but the install he wants to give me is for his laptop that died. Is there a difference between laptop and desktop Win 7?

I have some concerns of the SSD I chose. I chose it because of the price. I was reading some reviews on Newegg, and people are complaining about the bad speeds and disk fails. Should I splurge a little more and get a Crucial M4? Is there another SSD anyone recommends?

Is my PSU of 750W overkill? Should I downgrade to a 650W one? Any recommendations?

I switched my monitor to one that has speakers built in. It costs a little more, but it also does have a 2 ms rate versus 5 ms.

Here is my new build.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/9wu2
I am slightly over my budget. Is there anyway to lower the price back down to 1300? If not, I'll splurge a little more for the upgraded SSD, memory, and monitor.

Thanks!
 

l0v3rboi

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Mar 30, 2012
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It would be listed in the details under "memory slots." The one you have has 4 so you should be covered.

As for RAM, you can get the 4 x 4 Gb if its cheaper. I don't think you will need anything higher in the near future anyway. However, if you do want to upgrade, you would have extra sticks of RAM that you probably don't need. 8 Gb x 2 is the way to go in my opinion.

If you switch back to your original SSD, get a cheaper case like the Haf 912, and switch back to your original monitor, you would get closer to your 1300 target budget. As to get lower than 1300, you would be sacrificing quality.

Essentially, desktop and laptop Windows OS is the same. Some laptop manufacturers modify their Windows OS to optimize performance. Just make sure the disk he/she has will provide a clean install.
 
You want to buy your RAM in "sets" as in a single set.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006I2H0YS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER $78.54 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.
Corsair Carbide Series 300R Mid-Tower Gaming Case - CC-9011014-WW

http://www.corsair.com/carbide-series-300r-compact-pc-gaming-case.html <----- another look at that case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.964659 $184.98 save: $15.00 - $20.00 Mail In Rebates
OCZ ZT Series 550W Fully-Modular 80PLUS Bronze High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandy Bridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom
ASRock Z77 Pro4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=Z77%20Pro4 <----- another look at that board along with a link to the latest bios

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0388575 $289.99
Intel Core i7 3770K 3.5GHz LGA 1155 Processor

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099 $33.99 FREE SHIPPING
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 2011/1366/1155 and AMD FM1/AM3+

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226272 $89.99 FREE SHIPPING
Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model 993995

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-AD-7280S-0B-Internal-Drive-Black/dp/B0057FRTPW/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1338936111&sr=1-1 $17.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25
Sony AD-7280S-0B 24x SATA Internal DVD+/-RW Drive (Black)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820239045 $119.99 - $89.99 after mail-in rebate FREE SHIPPING
Kingston HyperX 3K SH103S3/120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) (Stand-Alone Drive)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%20600315498%20600311820&IsNodeId=1&name=GeForce%20GTX%20670 $400 - $430
GTX 670 2GB

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5818/nvidia-geforce-gtx-670-review-feat-evga <----- gtx 670 review w/benchmarks

http://www.amazon.com/VS228H-P-21-5-Inch-Full-HD-Monitor-Black/dp/B005BZNDOO/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1338926401&sr=1-1 $129.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
ASUS VS228H-P 21.5-Inch Full-HD LED Monitor (Black) | LED Backlit with 50,000,000:1 ASUS Smart Contrast Ratio; Full 1080P with HDMI

Total: $1,222.77 *not including shipping and rebates


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840 $99.99 FREE SHIPPING
Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986 $99.99 FREE SHIPPING
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM

 

Even at stock, the 3770k has better value.
 

paradoxeternal

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Oct 30, 2011
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18,680
your build is solid. the only reason i could see changing the PSU would be to make it bigger if you intend to SLI that gtx 670 in the future, if not then that 750 is perfectly fine for your system.

as for the CPU, get whichever quad-core intel CPU you can get cheapest, be it sandy bridge or ivy bridge. As long as its the 2600k, 2700k or 3770k, its fine because those have multi-threading which will help your CPU perform better in multi-threaded apps like video editing. Go with the cheapest of those three.

More memory also helps for video editing. 8 GBs is good, but 16 would be better, if you can afford it. If not, 8 will do you fine but you might need to upgrade in a year or so if you use newer software, i think.

Good build; will run new games pretty much maxed out, start up fast and video edit well. Nice job!
 

DBounlom

Honorable
Jun 5, 2012
20
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10,510
Hi everyone! Thank you all very much for the replies. You guys are so helpful. It's awesome.

I'm waiting for my local MicroCenter to get in either the 2600k or 3770k in stock. I live near the Tustin, CA one, and they only have the 2700k one in stock.

A few random questions. Sorry if they're so noobie.

If I get a i7-3770k chip, do I have to use a Z77 motherboard?

To Why_Me - You suggested a 550W PSU. I love that combo price, but is 550W enough for me?

Since this is my first build, should I be shopping for a modular PSU, or is it easy enough to get a non-modular PSU and zip tie all of the cords?

Is adding a 1 TB HDD later to my computer easy? I tried googling some guides, but I haven't seen any good ones.

I see in the forums people always suggesting "low profile" Ram. How do you know if a RAM is low profile or not? I never see that under "Details" in Newegg pages.

Thanks a million everyone!
 

That build I posted is for a single card set up and it's more than enough to power a single 670 and leave you juice left over for over clocking, etc... You want a 750w psu if you decide to leave option for a dual card set up. That and a board that runs dual cards @ x8. Keep in mind though most people never do end up picking up that second card for the fact by the time they think of adding another card something new on the market comes along that everyone has to have. That and the gtx 670 more than maxes out any game out there atm. As far as adding a h/d, you plug it in and format it and your good to go.

With the modular vs non modular psu's...if your case has room to hide the cables (zip ties ftw) then it's not really an issue and it's a money saver. It comes down to case size and budget.
 

DBounlom

Honorable
Jun 5, 2012
20
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10,510
Thanks!

@Why_Me
The RAM you suggested, the Mushkin Enhanced Blackline, says it is a quad channel kit. The MOBO you suggested is dual channel. Will this RAM work?

Does anyone know how to tell if RAM is low profile? Do I even need low profile RAM? Thanks.
 

Other than a few sets, all 4x4GB sets of RAM are quad channel now. There's a reason for that. It works as dual channel in the 1155 boards, and quad channel in the socket LGA 2011 boards. It kills two birds with one stone for the manufactures..so they don't have to make identical sets. Ya that RAM will work fine.
 
Solution