Hi all,
I've worked with computers for over 30 years and I know my way around the innards, but I've never build one from scratch and I've never OC'd. So I'm being as meticulous as possible in the hopes I get it all right the first time. I hope you'll forgive the novice questions.
And as for OCing, I'm going to be very conservative. I'll run everything at default speeds for awhile and then push to 4.2 GHz and let that run for awhile. And then push to 4.4 or 4.5. Whatever speed I end up at, I'm not planning to increase the voltage at all. Like I said - conservative. I just want to make sure I'm putting a system together that will handle it.
First, the system:
MB - Intel DZ77GA-70K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121605
CPU - i7-3770K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116501
RAM - not sure yet. considering:
CORSAIR Vengeance 32GB (4x8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233232&Tpk=CMZ32GX3M4X1600C10
and
CORSAIR DOMINATOR 32GB (4x8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233229&Tpk=CMP32GX3M4X1600C10
Cooler - not sure yet. considering:
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099
SSD - 2 x Intel 330 Series Maple Crest 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167121
HDD - not sure yet.
may wait awhile for prices to come down, so I'll use what I have for now.
PSU - CORSAIR AX850 850W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139015
Video - not sure yet. considering:
Radeon HD 7850 (don't know which manufacturer is best)
and
GeForce GTX 670 (again, which manufacturer is best)
Case - not sure yet.
Second, the usage:
Photoshop CS6 and Lightroom 4. Very likely I'll be processing the monster image files from a Nikon D800. Not particularly insterested in video, but I'm sure I'll play with it some, just because it's there. And hey, you never know how much I'll like it.
In addition to PS and LR4, I usually have another 10-12 programs (office stuff, programming, utilities and such) open with a couple of them running things concurrently. And I always have a million tabs open in Firefox.
I want a system that's responsive.
Third, the questions:
Memory
- Any suggestions on memory? Finding out if the Corsair memory is compatible with the MB was like pulling a camel's teeth out from the rear. And honestly I'm still not 100% sure because even their own site has conflicting lists: This one doesn't show compatibility - http://www.corsair.com/learn_n_explore/ (select the Intel DZ77GA-70K motherboard), and this one does http://www.corsair.com/en/blog/intel-ivy-bridge-and-corsair-memory-compatibility.
- Since I'm planning to OC a little, should I get 1600 memory, or something faster? Corsair says their memory has room for OCing so my inclination is to go with the 1600.
CPU Cooler
- I need to make sure whatever cooler I get will fit and not bump into the memory. I'm not quite sure how to go about finding this out. It looks like any memory I get is going to have large heat spreaders. The Corsair low profile memory doesn't go up to 32GB. I've read some comments about this being a problem and I'd like to avoid it if possible. Any suggestions? Not interested in liquid cooling.
- Oddly enough, or perhaps not, I'm a little concerned about the thermal paste. Seems like this has to be done just right to work properly. I will of course watch a few videos before I do it myself. Also, will the paste that comes with the cooler be OK, or should I spring for Arctic Silver 5 that seems to be all the rage.
Video
- I've enjoyed NVidia more than ATI in the past, but the 670 is expensive so I'm considering a 7850. I want 2MB of memory on the card because Photoshop now loves the GPU. Any special consideration I should take into account?
- The Radeon cards only have 1 DVI connection. I have two monitors with DVI connections. Just use an adapter for one of the Display Ports?
Case
- Looking for suggestions. I like the little SSD cage in the COOLER MASTER HAF 912, but it only has USB 2.0 in front so that's no good. Things I'd like: Less than $100, USB 3.0 in front, power and any ports on or near top, a 3.5" bay for a media card reader, and a couple of 5.25" bays for optical drives. Not looking for anything fancy, plain but functional is just fine, although I wouldn't mind a few ease of use features. I assume airflow is a consideration. I'd like larger, quieter fans and one at the top too, I think. I've been busy researching everything else, so I haven't spent much time on the case yet.
I've spent many hours researching and have learned a lot (and yes, for the most part I have enjoyed it), but there's a ton of info and of course some of it is conflicting since everyone has their own experiences with components. But I'm always up for more opinions.
Thank you very much for your help.
- eljay
I've worked with computers for over 30 years and I know my way around the innards, but I've never build one from scratch and I've never OC'd. So I'm being as meticulous as possible in the hopes I get it all right the first time. I hope you'll forgive the novice questions.
And as for OCing, I'm going to be very conservative. I'll run everything at default speeds for awhile and then push to 4.2 GHz and let that run for awhile. And then push to 4.4 or 4.5. Whatever speed I end up at, I'm not planning to increase the voltage at all. Like I said - conservative. I just want to make sure I'm putting a system together that will handle it.
First, the system:
MB - Intel DZ77GA-70K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121605
CPU - i7-3770K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116501
RAM - not sure yet. considering:
CORSAIR Vengeance 32GB (4x8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233232&Tpk=CMZ32GX3M4X1600C10
and
CORSAIR DOMINATOR 32GB (4x8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233229&Tpk=CMP32GX3M4X1600C10
Cooler - not sure yet. considering:
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099
SSD - 2 x Intel 330 Series Maple Crest 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167121
HDD - not sure yet.
may wait awhile for prices to come down, so I'll use what I have for now.
PSU - CORSAIR AX850 850W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139015
Video - not sure yet. considering:
Radeon HD 7850 (don't know which manufacturer is best)
and
GeForce GTX 670 (again, which manufacturer is best)
Case - not sure yet.
Second, the usage:
Photoshop CS6 and Lightroom 4. Very likely I'll be processing the monster image files from a Nikon D800. Not particularly insterested in video, but I'm sure I'll play with it some, just because it's there. And hey, you never know how much I'll like it.
In addition to PS and LR4, I usually have another 10-12 programs (office stuff, programming, utilities and such) open with a couple of them running things concurrently. And I always have a million tabs open in Firefox.
I want a system that's responsive.
Third, the questions:
Memory
- Any suggestions on memory? Finding out if the Corsair memory is compatible with the MB was like pulling a camel's teeth out from the rear. And honestly I'm still not 100% sure because even their own site has conflicting lists: This one doesn't show compatibility - http://www.corsair.com/learn_n_explore/ (select the Intel DZ77GA-70K motherboard), and this one does http://www.corsair.com/en/blog/intel-ivy-bridge-and-corsair-memory-compatibility.
- Since I'm planning to OC a little, should I get 1600 memory, or something faster? Corsair says their memory has room for OCing so my inclination is to go with the 1600.
CPU Cooler
- I need to make sure whatever cooler I get will fit and not bump into the memory. I'm not quite sure how to go about finding this out. It looks like any memory I get is going to have large heat spreaders. The Corsair low profile memory doesn't go up to 32GB. I've read some comments about this being a problem and I'd like to avoid it if possible. Any suggestions? Not interested in liquid cooling.
- Oddly enough, or perhaps not, I'm a little concerned about the thermal paste. Seems like this has to be done just right to work properly. I will of course watch a few videos before I do it myself. Also, will the paste that comes with the cooler be OK, or should I spring for Arctic Silver 5 that seems to be all the rage.
Video
- I've enjoyed NVidia more than ATI in the past, but the 670 is expensive so I'm considering a 7850. I want 2MB of memory on the card because Photoshop now loves the GPU. Any special consideration I should take into account?
- The Radeon cards only have 1 DVI connection. I have two monitors with DVI connections. Just use an adapter for one of the Display Ports?
Case
- Looking for suggestions. I like the little SSD cage in the COOLER MASTER HAF 912, but it only has USB 2.0 in front so that's no good. Things I'd like: Less than $100, USB 3.0 in front, power and any ports on or near top, a 3.5" bay for a media card reader, and a couple of 5.25" bays for optical drives. Not looking for anything fancy, plain but functional is just fine, although I wouldn't mind a few ease of use features. I assume airflow is a consideration. I'd like larger, quieter fans and one at the top too, I think. I've been busy researching everything else, so I haven't spent much time on the case yet.
I've spent many hours researching and have learned a lot (and yes, for the most part I have enjoyed it), but there's a ton of info and of course some of it is conflicting since everyone has their own experiences with components. But I'm always up for more opinions.
Thank you very much for your help.
- eljay
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