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Custom Build Advice (Detailed)

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Hello,
This is my first time posting on the forums and my first build. I have been planning a custom rig for a few weeks now and I wanted to ask a few questions before I start making purchases. This will be my third computer and I will be using it solely to play World of Warcraft: MoP (new expansion).

Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: I'd like all parts at my house by the end of August

Budget Range: $800-1000 (more for monitor)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Only for World of Warcraft

Are you buying a monitor: Yes

Parts to Upgrade: All New

Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg and Tigerdirect but open to other options

Location: Fairfax, Virginia

Parts Preferences: None

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: No. Two reasons: Save money and I've heard it's not that great for WoW

Your Monitor Resolution: I'd like to get a monitor that pairs well with my GPU.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Want to experience the game on higher graphics settings.


Current Parts:
Motherboard
ASUS P8Z68-V LX Intel Z68 Motherboard
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/ite...

CPU
Intel Core i5-2500K
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/ite...

RAM
Patriot G2 Series 8GB DDR3 (1600 Mhz)
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/ite...

GPU
GTX 560 Ti 1GB
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/ite...

Case
Cooler Master HAF 912 Mid-Tower
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/ite...

Parts Missing:
Nothing has been purchased yet but I am still far from a decision on the power supply, HDD or SDD and monitor.



Questions and Comments:
  • For my mobo/CPU, should I buy 1333mhz RAM or the 1600 I have listed above? Should I consider switching from Patriot to G skill?
  • For my GPU, I've read a lot about purple screens and youtube viewing problems with the 560ti, am I just being paranoid?
  • For my case, I've read that the top vents offer little protection to dust and dog hair requiring vent filters. This brings the cost to about $70. Should I upgrade my case? I want all black with no glass or lights and a bottom vent for the power source.
  • After reading dozens of power source reviews I am terrified to purchase one. I've probably spent the most time researching power supplies and every model has a horror story. I originally was planning on an Ultra 650W but I've been scared into going top of the line to protect my mono/cpu/gpu. I don't care about efficiency as much as fire and component safety. What do you guys trust to power your rigs?
  • For the hard drive, I've been seriously thinking about putting my OS and Warcraft files on a 128gb SDD. What is a reliable SDD brand? What is a reliable HDD brand?
  • For the monitor, I have a 1080i lcdtv but I've read that the 560 really needs 1080p to really show its worth. What would be a large monitor to compliment my gnu? What is a reasonable price to pay for the quality I need?

    Thank you so much for your responses I really value your opinions and experience.

    EDIT: Spelling

    • More about : custom build advice detailed

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    Some more details about component options I have been considering.

    SSD
    Crucial CT128M4SSD2 m4 2.5" Solid State Drive - 128GB, SATA III 6Gb/s
    http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/ite...

    Samsung MZ-7PC128B/WW 830 Series 2.5" 128GB Solid State Drive - 128GB, SATA, SATA III-6Gb/s
    http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/ite...


    HDD
    Seagate ST1000DM003 Barracuda 1TB Hard Drive - 7200RPM, 64MB, SATA 6Gb/s
    http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/ite...

    Western Digital 250 GB Caviar Blue SATA 6 Gb/s 7200 RPM 16 MB Cache Bulk
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00461K1QW/ref=ox_sc_a...


    Power Supply
    OCZ OCZ-ZS750W ZS Series Power Supply - 750W, 80 Plus
    http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/ite...

    Ultra LSP650 650-Watt Power Supply
    http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/ite...

    The first power supply is the one I'm thinking about now and the second one is the Ultra I mention in my first post.

    I'd stay away from ultra, that's my opinion. However its really best to take each power supply on its own merits. Do you want modular or not? 750W is probably a little overkill, however if you found down the road that You'd like a second video card, you'd be covered.

    I recommend visiting www.jonnyguru.com for the latest in power supplies. Top brands include Corsair, Antec, Seasonic.

    The OCZ PSU is fine, but the ZX is better than the ZS. Even better, the Fatality 750W is the same price so I'd look at that one.

    There are number of 24" monitors that can be had for $180 or less. I am using an ASUS model that I like a lot. Here's a link:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

    For the SSD I would get for myself the OCZ Vertex 4 256GB. It is less than $1 per gig, and will perform quite well.

    CPU: Intel Core i5 2500K
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

    MOBO: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

    RAM: G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB @1600mhz CL9
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

    GPU: SAPPHIRE 11188-22-20G Radeon HD 6950
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

    HDD: Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

    ODD: Samsung DVD Burner
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

    Case: Cooler Master HAF 912
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

    PSU: SeaSonic S12II 620 Bronze 620W
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

    CPU Cooler: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... add a monitor and your good to go and if you want SSD i suggest Crucial M4 128GB

    Related ressources
    Ask the community

    Thanks for the suggestions!

    @buzznut: The Ultra power supply is definitely not what I'm going with. Is there any particular reason (other than $/gb) that you think a 256gb ssd will perform better than a 128gb?


    @bigcyco1: Why do you recommend the ASrock mobo over the ASUS? Why the GPU change? Would that GPU work in the ASUS mobo?

    Thanks again guys!

    sunchip said:
    Thanks for the suggestions!

    @buzznut: The Ultra power supply is definitely not what I'm going with. Is there any particular reason (other than $/gb) that you think a 256gb ssd will perform better than a 128gb?


    @bigcyco1: Why do you recommend the ASrock mobo over the ASUS? Why the GPU change? Would that GPU work in the ASUS mobo?

    Thanks again guys!
    For the motherboard i for some reason thought you had a z77 Asus motherboard listed my bad there actually no reason to change it as for the GPU change the 6950 is a more powerful card has more vram as well! And yes it will work with the Asus mobo ;) 

    @bigxyco1: Thanks for the reply. I've been talking to a lot of people who play the game this build is intended for and they are all saying positive things about the 560 ti and it has had extensive troubleshooting on community forums in case a problem does arise. Also, WoW is mostly dependent on the processor so I'm not too worried about the GPU.

    Why the recommended RAM change?

    For the power supply, I'm thinking about going with the:
    SeaSonic M12II 620 Bronze 620W
    (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...)

    Any thoughts on this over the SeaSonic S12II?

    sunchip said:
    @bigxyco1: Thanks for the reply. I've been talking to a lot of people who play the game this build is intended for and they are all saying positive things about the 560 ti and it has had extensive troubleshooting on community forums in case a problem does arise. Also, WoW is mostly dependent on the processor so I'm not too worried about the GPU.

    Why the recommended RAM change?

    For the power supply, I'm thinking about going with the:
    SeaSonic M12II 620 Bronze 620W
    (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...)

    Any thoughts on this over the SeaSonic S12II?
    I prefer Gskill no real reason to i guess i am a Gskill fanboy :lol:  that's fine on the PSU also you can get a gtx 570 right now for 249.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... just thought i let you know ;) 

    @azeem40: Thanks for the encouragement!

    @bigcyco1: I really like the 560ti haha but thanks for the tip!

    Any thoughts about my plan to run Win7 and WoW on one 128gb SSD? When I play now I keep my mac on next to me for music, internet browsing, email, etc. so the game files and os would be the only programs on the ssd. I've read it can be taxing on the ssd cycles but I feel like life span is really luck of the draw.

    sunchip said:
    Any thoughts on the Rosewill fortress 550w? That's what I'm leaning towards now.

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
    It's a good PSU go for it but personally for around that Price range i would go with one of these would leave you the option to OC hardcore and run SLI in the future if you ever decided you wanted to though this is just what i would do personally before i considered that PSU don't get me wrong your choice is fine as well ;)  This for $124.99
    SilverStone Strider Plus ST75F-P 750W ATX Modular Power Supply - ATX, 750-Watts, Modular, 80-Plus Silver
    http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/ite...

    This for $94.99 $74.99 After Rebate
    PC Power & Cooling PPCMK2S750 Silencer Mk II Power Supply - 750W, 80 Plus Silver, 135mm Fan, SLI Ready, CrossFire Ready, Active PFC
    http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/ite...
    Legendary Silencer Series with 7 Year Warranty

    This for $127.99 $117.99 After Rebate
    XFX P1750BNLG9 Pro Series XXX Edition ATX Semi-Modular Power Supply - 750W, 80 Plus Silver, 135mm Fan, Active PFC
    http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/ite...

    XFX 550W is better bang for buck than the Fortress. The Fortress is good, but the XFX 550W is better in price/performance. Bigcyco, he doesn't need 750W since he isn't gonna CF/SLI.

    azeem40 said:
    XFX 550W is better bang for buck than the Fortress. The Fortress is good, but the XFX 550W is better in price/performance. Bigcyco, he doesn't need 750W since he isn't gonna CF/SLI.
    Yeah your right

    Haha I went to sleep with a smile thinking I'd solved my psu woes. The search continues! (btw my psu budget is $160)

    My concerns with the fortress are that it's Rosewill's first time working with this manufacturer and apparently the unit doesn't have OTP. This is my first build and I'm reading product reviews/breakdowns but I'd love your opinion as to why you prefer those products.

    After throwing a PSU question up on another forum I was told that the VRM section of my mobo is weak. I checked that problem specifically and unfortunately the tip was correct. For this reason, I don't plan to OC the 2500k too hard.

    It was also suggested that my build needs a "solid 450w" to run. I agree with that but am looking to grab a 550 or 650 just to be sure it can handle a few minor upgrades and run peak efficiency.

    Let me know what you guys think and thanks for all the help!

    Well with your budget if you want the best of the best SeaSonic X Series X650 Gold ((SS-650KM Active PFC F3)) 650W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply $139.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... Here are reviews with benchmarks of that PSU http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=w...

    http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=w... But if you just want a decent reliable PSU XFX Core Edition PRO550W (P1-550S-XXB9) 550W ATX12V 2.2 & ESP12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply $74.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... the XFX is made by Seasonic by the way.

    Thanks for the reply bigcyco1.

    I read the johnnyguru review and his tests are encouraging. My main concern with the x650 is the customer reviews on newegg. As a percentage, there are a lot more negative reviews than I would like to see. I'm wondering if the silent mode on the seasonic allows the temp to get too high in the unit degrading its components after a few months. Is there a way to override silent mode and have the fan run at a low rpm?

    Let me break for a second your discussions on the PSU and say that you'd better go with an Ivy Bridge than a Sandy Bridge, they're like 1'5 years old already. An i5 3570k and a Asrock Z77 Extreme4 to be concrete.

    sunchip said:
    Thanks for the reply bigcyco1.

    I read the johnnyguru review and his tests are encouraging. My main concern with the x650 is the customer reviews on newegg. As a percentage, there are a lot more negative reviews than I would like to see. I'm wondering if the silent mode on the seasonic allows the temp to get too high in the unit degrading its components after a few months. Is there a way to override silent mode and have the fan run at a low rpm?
    Well see here the thing and the way i look at it newegg reviews are usually done by noobs or people that don't really know what they are talking about so i would take those with a grain of salt you want to listen to professionals and people who know what they are doing like johnnyguru and other legit professional reviews as for a way to override silent mode i am not aware of any sorry personally i would still get This for $94.99 $74.99 After Rebate
    PC Power & Cooling PPCMK2S750 Silencer Mk II Power Supply - 750W, 80 Plus Silver, 135mm Fan, SLI Ready, CrossFire Ready, Active PFC
    http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/ite...
    Legendary Silencer Series with 7 Year Warranty
    sure it's more than you need but it wouldn't hurt any plus most 650W cost the same or more so it's kind of a no brainer choice IMO it even comes with a 7 Year Warranty and is 80 Plus Silver
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