My New Build - Your thoughts???

[Ransome]

This is the system I plan on buying, some things need to be filled.
Please advice me as best as you can, and tell me what you think:

1) GPU: Asus Nvidia Geforce 670GTX DC2T

2) CPU: Intel Core i7 3770K 3.5Ghz s 1155 8MB, CPU Core, (tray)

3) Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth Z77 s 1155 Core i3/i5/i7, Intel Z77 DDR3 XMP, 3xPCI-E

4) Case: Corsair CC600TWM-WHT Graphite Special Edition White Mid-Tower Case

5) PSU: Corsair TX650M 650W Modular Active PFC 14cm Fan >>> Anything better HELP ???

6) RAM: Corsair 2x8 GB Vengeance DDR3 1600MHZ Dual Channel CL 10-10-10-27

7) CPU cooler: shop offered Zalman CNPS11x Extreme?? >>> What should I buy?? MUCH HELP NEEDED.

8)Also looking to buy: SSD drive - Crucial/Corsair/Intel what would you recommend? how much space for both windows and games?

Please share your thoughts.
Thank you.

 

[TheBigTroll]

no bro get this. if you really like sabertooth, go ahead but there isnt much benefit

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/d01f

 

[rex000]

Your build is very good.

1) Drop the i7-3770K and go for the i5-3570K, same real world performance really... save yourself $100.

2) CPU cooler, I personally love the Corsair Hydro series, so I would recommend the H60, H80 or H100. Get a pair of Gentle Typhoons and you're set for overclocking. However, others will suggest huge air coolers, which work as well. Noctua (too expensive imho) is what is generally recommended. CoolerMaster Hyper212+/evo if you're going to cheap.

3) SSD: go for Intel/Crucial for reliability.
I would get AT LEAST 240GB if you have a few games, and even then.. it's not enough if you have lots of games, especially off steam.
The reason being, you might want to leave 60-80GB for the OS and all applications.
I read somewhere that it's almost important not to fill up your SSD all the way, 80% of storage is a safe amount.. otherwise you're going to suffer a performance/relability decrease.

4) RAM. Why is yours CL10? Get CL9. 8GB 1600Mhz CL9 can be had for $40. Goes on sale pretty much everyday. Make sure it's 1.5v!

Hope this helps.

 

[rex000]

I just noticed your whole build is pretty much ASUS + Corsair (w/ Intel). I love it. My favourite brands ;D

 

[TheBigTroll]

@rex000: most 8gb memory sticks come in cl10 configurations. only high end 8gb dimms are cl9

 

[rex000]

@TheBigTroll, you are correct. I thought he was getting 2x4GB for total of 8GB. My mistake. Carry on as you were.

 

[Ransome]

A) About RAM, whats best?
for the Corsair Vengeance = 4x4gb CL is 9-9-9-24 or 2x8gb 10-10-10-27??
Anything else?
B) I decided to take the Ivy bridge i7 3770k, since I buy a system once in a blue moon.

C)CPU cooler: PLEASE HELP, I don't know what to buy.
That Corsair Hydro sounds great, which MODEL is best? do you need anything extra to go with it ?

I wanted to buy Noctua cooler, but they told me it doesnt fit with Corsair RAMs, what should I do?

D)SSD costs a fortune, but it's the future is it not? the build is for heavy gaming, lots of games so yes I have a problem with room.

E) I heard good stuff about the Motherboard I picked, what do u think?
F) Is the PSU I picked right for th rig?
G) Supposdly the Corsair white graphite case has good cooling.

 

[Ransome]

I just noticed your whole build is pretty much ASUS + Corsair (w/ Intel). I love it. My favourite brands ;D

Yeah I noticed it too, I think this idea is nice )

 

[rex000]

1) About RAM, whats best?
For the Corsair Vengeance = 4x4gb CL is 9-9-9-24 or 2x8gb 10-10-10-27??
Anything else?
2) I decided to take the Ivy bridge i7 3770k, since I buy a system once in a blue moon.

3)CPU cooler: PLEASE HELP, I don't know what to buy.
That Corsair Hydro sounds great, which MODEL is best? do you need anything extra to go with it ?

I wanted to buy Noctua cooler, but they told me it doesnt fit with Corsair RAMs, what should I do?

4)SSD costs a fortune, but it's the future is it not? the build is for heavy gaming, lots of games so yes I have a problem with room.

5) I heard good stuff about the Motherboard I picked, what do u think?
6) Is the PSU I picked right for th rig?
7) Supposdly the Corsair white graphite case has good cooling.

1) RAM, since you buy a system once in a blue moon, just get the 2x8GB CL10. It's better for your memory controller anyway. MOAR OVERCLOCKINGZ!

2) Whatever floats your boat.

3) CPU cooler, just get the Hydro Series. That's the reason why I'm using them with my Dominator modules. Besides, having a huge chunk of metal dangling from your motherboard is NOT good. I've seen my warp... so it's best to keep the weight off it. Backplate bends too and doesn't do *** ==".

4) Either, buy a 120GB SSD for a boot drive + programs. Then get some HDDs for the games.. SSD only helps with the load times so it's not THAT IMPORTANT. If you have the money.. just get like 1TB worth of SSD!

5) Sabertooth FTW. I would buy that in a heartbeat if I had the money. Forget about other brands. ASUS all the way.

6) XFX, Seasonic, Corsair.. they're all good. I would get a larger one though, as you may want to get a second GPU in the future. This way, you won't have to buy another power supply when the time comes. 800-100W to be safe/efficient.

7) I have no idea, but it is a quality case so good choice.

** I'm kinda assuming you have an unlimited budget here as you rarely buy a system .. so.. forgive me if my suggestions are overboard.

 

[hilltopmonk]

if ssd, get samsung 830 - much quicker than either my ocz or corsair disks, and all around the same price. - 120gb minimum

also will need a hdd. your choice here.

 

[TheBigTroll]

honestly, i would never touch the hydro series. they arent even good until you buy a h100.

you have to buy the h100 if you are getting vengeance ram. you will also need to buy corsair sp120 quiet fans for the h100 since the stock fans are like hair dryers

 

[Ransome]

3) CPU cooler, just get the Hydro Series. That's the reason why I'm using them with my Dominator modules. Besides, having a huge chunk of metal dangling from your motherboard is NOT good. I've seen my warp... so it's best to keep the weight off it. Backplate bends too and doesn't do *** ==".

4) Either, buy a 120GB SSD for a boot drive + programs. Then get some HDDs for the games.. SSD only helps with the load times so it's not THAT IMPORTANT. If you have the money.. just get like 1TB worth of SSD!

6) XFX, Seasonic, Corsair.. they're all good. I would get a larger one though, as you may want to get a second GPU in the future. This way, you won't have to buy another power supply when the time comes. 800-100W to be safe/efficient.

3) Which model and why? lets not forget I still don't have unlimited budeget, and theres no need to go crazy.

4) SSD costs a furtune, but mixing a good SSD with HDD will cost even more. Shouldn't I just buy a single SSD?

6)Isn't 800 wwayyyyy too much? Common whats the minium for possible SLI in the future? 850 Corsair costs alot:
http://ksp.co.il/?uin=16001
Someone suggested I take 620W of Seasonic, I also thought 650W Corsair will be enough.

Damn I don't know what to do...

 

[Ransome]

honestly, i would never touch the hydro series. they arent even good until you buy a h100.

you have to buy the h100 if you are getting vengeance ram. you will also need to buy corsair sp120 quiet fans for the h100 since the stock fans are like hair dryers

So Hydro Series is out of the question..?!
It is rather expansive.... and takes some room. What about the cooler I initially posted? or thermal tech cooler maybe? Artic cooler?

Can't anyone recommend a fan&heatsink to get the job done?

 

[Ransome]

Still to figure out:
5) PSU = ? ? ?
7) CPU fan&heatsink = ? ? ?
8) SSD/ HDD/ SSD&HDD = ? ? ?

Gaming system.

 

[rex000]

3) Which model and why? lets not forget I still don't have unlimited budeget, and theres no need to go crazy.

4) SSD costs a furtune, but mixing a good SSD with HDD will cost even more. Shouldn't I just buy a single SSD?

6)Isn't 800 wwayyyyy too much? Common whats the minium for possible SLI in the future? 850 Corsair costs alot:
http://ksp.co.il/?uin=16001
Someone suggested I take 620W of Seasonic, I also thought 650W Corsair will be enough.

Damn I don't know what to do...

3)

H100: The best performing of the series. All purpose. Buy it if you can (if you have space in your case, I think you do). Pair it up with 2 high statics pressure fans (ie. Gentle Typoons (preferred), or Corsair SP series). $90-100 on sale.

H80: If you can't fit the H100, this is what you should get. Get the same fans as above. Just a shorter rad, but it is twice as thick, performs very well. $80-90 on sale.

H60: If you just want a cooling solution that will allow decent overclocking and get away from the noise of a stock heatsink. $50-$60 on sale.

To be honest, they all work decently-amazingly well. I have a Phenom II X4 @ 4.0Ghz (125W TDP, running hot) is cooled by Antec H60 equivalent and doesn't even touch 50c (that's good.). I am using CHEAP Scythe Ultra Kaze 3000s with a fan controller so the performance is there when I need it, and the noise isn't when I don't.

4) I think you've got it mixed up. SSDs are the expensive ones. The more you buy, the more you pay. It's not very economical @ $0.50-$1/GB. Getting a HDD is much more budget friendly. You can get 1TB for less than $100. Mixing the two, will give you the best bang for buck.

6). 650W will be fine for now, since you are only using 1 graphics card. I was pointing out that if you were to buy a second later on, 650W will NOT be enough. 800W-1000W will be future proof.

 

[rex000]

No offence, but whoever is bashing on the Hydro Series.. is just being stubborn.
It performs very well, better than the CoolerMaster. The only thing is that there is a price premium to pay over a cheap heatsink... but it works just a well if not better. But what choice do you even have with such tall RAM?

**The most/least important point is that the CoolerMaster Hyper 212+/evo looks like sh!t. I think it makes the whole system feel cheap, which is not for me. If I'm going to build a high-end gaming PC, it should feel/look like one if you're going to pay so much for the case and sabertooth and awetgaweilguawblguiaweg.

 

[Ransome]

A) Wait ... why do I need to add 2 fans for the Hydro series??? my case got enought fans and no room for more.

Can't Hydro keep cpu cold by its own? where do you place those 2 extra fans?
I really don't understand what you guys meant.
I always thought to cool a CPU you need a proper fan&heatsink product.

**Can you advice the best - most practical bang for buck combination of SSD&HDD for gaming?

***Can you recommend a PSU model for my purpose?

Thanks alot, I rather invest more in things like CPUs and GPUs and RAMs, but be smart and as efficient as possible with the electronic parts that don't directly give performance.

 

[TheBigTroll]

i see corsair and asus fanboi here

of course you have a choice with tall ram: GET LOW PROFILE RAM DUH. the heatsinks do nothing but make it look a tad cooler

as for the h60 being good, it sucks in every way. if you are going water cooler, get a h100 or else dont bother

 

[TheBigTroll]

corsair stock fans are hair dryers

 

[TheBigTroll]

750w is more than enough for SLI 670s + a oc i5 3570k/3770k. at full load, you wont be drawing more than 400w. so that makes the statement of using a 800w dumb. 850w psus are more suitable for older gen 2way SLi setups or 2 dual gpu card setups

 

[rex000]

Wait why do I need to add 2 fans for the Hydro series??? my case got enought fans and no room for more.

Can't Hydro keep cpu cold by its own? where do you place those 2 extra fans?
I really don't understand what you guys mean.
I always thought to cool a CPU you need fan&heatsink.

OK, I guess I should be a little clearer with my explanation.

The Corsair Hydro Series is like a mainstream version of water cooling. You have a small pump/waterblock that goes directly onto the CPU, the internal 'water' transfers the heat to the larger radiator, where the FANS will push cold air through and cool down the water again. This is a cycle/loop and will keep your CPU temperatures in check.

Now, you don't NEED to buy more fans. The Hydro series includes all the fans you need. We just suggest better (optional) ones for the sake of noise/small performance increase. The radiator mounts to your case, which takes the bulk of the cooler away from the CPU socket, allowing you to use whatever RAM you want.

This solution is very functional, and is space efficient. The only con is price (if you can get it on sale, then this becomes a lesser con). Corsair is very confident with this system and provides 5-year warranty. If anything happens, they will most likely re-imburse you for everything damaged (that's what I've read, at least)

 

[Ransome]

@Addict
aside for thrashing, you are not really helping.

EDIT: Your comment about PSU actually helps alot.

Can you recommend a model?

 

[TheBigTroll]

did you not see the build i posted above?.....

 

[rex000]

In the end, it's your decision right? So doesn't really matter what we say here.

I am a fanboi. I like ASUS, Corsair, EVGA, XFX, NVIDIA. I like their products, their company. So what?
I think they're superior in _x_ ways, so I recommend them.

Personally, I like the Vengeance/Dominator RAM. So I bought them.
I like the All-in-one water cooling solution. So I bought it.
(I actually got the Antec 620 [H60 equivalent], for $40)

As for 750W being enough, he's probably right. I just don't like pushing my PSU to the limit. I try to keep it @ 50-75% usaging giving me more headroom for add-ons/overclocking. This also increases longevity of the component. My advice for you, just buy accordingly.

 

[TheBigTroll]

the antec unit is made by astek while the corsair's coolers are made by coolit. slightly different but same function and better fans (antec)

i like asus and i own a corsair 550d (because it was on sale), but you have to find the best bang for the buck instead of buying for looks and things that you will never need