New Build, opinions welcome!

vlanctot · Jul 31, 2012

Ok after much research this will be the computer I will build with minor changes depending on when I build it (Octoberish). I have decided to build it myself since I can save approximately $300 pre-taxes/shipping. This will be my first build since 2004 and wow have things changed a bit since then!

I plan on using the computer for about 75% gaming (Skyrim, D3, GW2, BF3), 20% digital photography editing in photoshop lightroom, and the remaining 5% web applications and music listening.

Any recommendations on the build?

Cooler Master HAF 932 Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160

Intel i5 3570K CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504

Phanteks PH-TC14PE CPU Cooler: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835709001

ASUS Sabertooth Z77 Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131821

Kingston HyperX 8GB Ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104173

EVGA Geforce 670GTX FTW GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130787

SSD (will change depending on order date): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233191

Seagate 1TB Hard Drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840

Corsair TX750 PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021

ASUS 24x DVD Burner: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

Rosewill Card Reader: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820223103

ASUS Xonar DX Sound Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132006

Windows 7 Pro (Is it worth it)
24" LED LCD Monitor (plan to run dual in the future)
Accessories are picked out for the most part

Thanks!

Vince

g-unit1111 · Jul 31, 2012

Windows 7 Pro is only worth it if you need more than 16GB of RAM. For gaming you won't.

You can drop the sound card as it isn't needed, that card reader is crap (if you must, get this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820176021),

I also wouldn't pay the money for the Asus Sabertooth. You're overpaying for nothing really more than plastic covers. This motherboard is $70 cheaper and has tons of extra features: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128545

And then get this for your SSD - the Corsair GT uses a Sandforce controller. You're better off getting a Marvell drive like this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147163

And then get the Noctua D14 over that Phanteks, it has better reviews and won more awards: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018

DeusAres · Jul 31, 2012

Here's my base recommendation...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($132.86 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($40.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($102.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($109.00 @ B&H)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($404.98 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced ATX Full Tower Case ($159.45 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($105.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($24.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1301.21
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-07-31 16:52 EDT-0400)

You're more than welcome to add whatever accessories you plan on buying in there.

You won't need Windows 7 Pro. It's a waste. Just get the 64 bit home premium edition. You also won't need that CPU cooler. You can actually get about the same performance and save cash by going with the hyper 212 evo instead. Or you can do as g unit suggested and go with the noctua. It performs extremely well.

If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask.

Onus · Jul 31, 2012

Asking for recommendations now for a purchase in October may be of limited value, with the changes that will likely have taken place. Prices could be very different for a lot of things.
In general though:
1. That $90 cooler seems unlikely to me to be worth the price. IB has trouble getting heat from the chip itself to the heat spreader. I suspect something like a Xigmatek Gaia for around $30 would be sufficient.
2. I always recommend against anything from Crappermaster. The company has been proven in competent technical reviews of some products to be not merely careless or guilty of exaggeration, but to be willfully dishonest. A rational individual does not support dishonesty, regardless of the quality of other products.
Many companies exaggerate, or offer best-case scenarios that are unrealistic at best, but claiming protection circuits that are in fact missing is an outright lie. Here are some sample links:
LL=Liar Label, MC=Missing Circuits

1. LL: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/art [...] ew/1550/11
2. MC: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/art [...] iew/1184/9
3. LL AND MC: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/art [...] iew/1005/9
4. LL: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/art [...] iew/1034/9
5. LL: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/art [...] view/969/9

...I think that's enough. These aren't dings for poor quality, but for dishonesty. Many others get dinged for quality; my favorite is probably the remark in HardOCP's review of the GX-650 calling it a "polished turd in a box."
So anyway, there you have it; a company which should not be supported, regardless of the quality of its other products. And get this, it gets worse. Having been called on it, they're going to pull them from the North American market and foist them off elsewhere. This per Gabriel Torres: "I had a meeting with them during Computex and, according to them, they are removing all power supplies with fake wattage from the North American market (and dumping them somewhere else)."
So, instead of Crappermaster, check out Rosewill, Silverstone, Antec, or Lian Li for cases.

aznshinobi · Jul 31, 2012

You could save a lot of money and still get the same performance. Here's a round up, the Asus boards are terrible for the performance/price offered.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/z77-extreme6-z77a-gd65-z77h2-a2x,3187-22.html
Performing and overclocking only as good as a $160 for about $50 more.

The cooler is also overkill even for overclocking. I'd say the EVGA Superclock is already pretty good cooler or this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106187

Check out my $1100 build here:
http://www.squidoo.com/electronicandmore
You could switch the 7950 for the GTX 670, ultimately your choice. Should save you money but give you performance that is equivalent for less. As for teh Sound card, I don't think you'll need it honestly. MB sound is pretty good nowadays so... It'll really be only a slight difference. I mainly use a headset so it's never an issue.

batuchka · Jul 31, 2012

Hmm by October the scene could be rather different with GTX 660Ti, AM3+ Piledrivers and what not ^^ Also for audio : are you feeding powered speakers via analog or feeding a digital receiver?

Smeg45 · Jul 31, 2012

Don't start with that Coolemaster rubbish again. The make some of the best cases in the business. Get over yourself.

aznshinobi · Aug 1, 2012

^+1

The Cooler Master Products have gotten better. Maybe you'd know if you've used them. The Cooler Master Silent Pro series is a solid PSU series. Using the 700w version right now. Downright silent and good steady energy coming out of it. Plus many reviewers praise the Silent Pro series besides the price. The CM Scout has been one of the best cases out there for the money, and the newer 922 and 932 are pretty sweet as well.

g-unit1111 · Aug 1, 2012

batuchka :

If Piledriver is going to use AM3+ (I've heard it won't) then it isn't worth waiting for. AM3/AM3+ has been around so long now and it's so old that new CPUs can't keep up with it. If AMD wants to stay competitive with Intel then they need to ditch AM3.

Onus · Aug 1, 2012

Smeg45 :

I don't care if their cases are made of mithril. The company is willfully dishonest, and does not merit the support of any rational individual; that's how dishonesty flourishes.

batuchka · Aug 1, 2012

g-unit1111 :

It is AM3+ socket
http://hexus.net/tech/news/cpu/41801-amd-fx-8350-piledriver-based-cpu-land-mid-q3/
for new buyers even this is irrelevant - what matters is what sort of price/performance these incoming chips get the end users. If it creeps closer to Ivy yet asks around the same price for its current Bulldozer line up could be a home run

aznshinobi · Aug 1, 2012

Well oh well.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/eleven-hundred-storm-enforcer-agusta-arc-midi-kl04,3233-9.html
Many people like their cases and the cases never fail for the budget IMO.

DeusAres · Aug 1, 2012

Onus :

And other companies aren't dishonest?

It's the ways of marketing and business; deal with it. If someone offers a superior product for much less, I'm pretty much buying it no questions asked. I couldn't care less about their other affairs.

vlanctot · Aug 1, 2012

Thanks everyone for the replies already! I have taken many of them into consideration:

I will be overclocking he cpu, but not to the extent as some...probably around 4.2-4.6ghz. If I don't need that large HSF I will save my money and get something like the CM 212. Also, the HAF 932 case was mainly chosen because it is wider and would be able to fit the Noctua inside, although that case is still nice and may decide to hang onto it.

I did recently hear that the 1.65v ram isn't very good with intel processors, so I will pick some 1.5v stuff out instead, like the G.skills recommended.

That is surprising news about the sound card since I have always had one in my systems and could notice the difference, but my last system was built around 2006-07. I will be using a 3.5mm headset when gaming and will have a 2.1 system for movies/music: http://www.amazon.com/Cyber-Acoustics-Subwoofer-Satellite-CA-3602/dp/B0027VT6V4/ref=dp_cp_ob_e_title_2

And yes Oct is just an estimate, I will be slowly ordering the accessories now and then begin ordering the hardware, but have some other matters to take care of first before I start with that large order.

I will swap out that MB, gigabyte was my 2nd choice.

g-unit1111 · Aug 1, 2012

batuchka :

That's a mighty big *IF* there - the key is if it's going to rely on the operating system as much as Bulldozer/FX has.

I did recently hear that the 1.65v ram isn't very good with intel processors, so I will pick some 1.5v stuff out instead, like the G.skills recommended.

Yes, go with something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231546

That is surprising news about the sound card since I have always had one in my systems and could notice the difference, but my last system was built around 2006-07. I will be using a 3.5mm headset when gaming and will have a 2.1 system for movies/music: http://www.amazon.com/Cyber-Acoust [...] _e_title_2

Yeah a sound card is only needed if you're hooking up to a digital / analog receiver or using something greater than 5.1. Otherwise the built in sound will work fine. It's been greatly improved since 2006.

And yes Oct is just an estimate, I will be slowly ordering the accessories now and then begin ordering the hardware, but have some other matters to take care of first before I start with that large order.

It's better to order everything at once so that way you have a good idea when you assemble it if something works or it doesn't.

aznshinobi · Aug 1, 2012

Yep then the headset will be fine.

Heat generated by the Ivy Bridge chips, I'd try to go for at least the Hyper 612 for the cooler honestly. 4.5ghz would be the 612, but the 4.2GHZ mark the Hyper 212+ or Evo could probably handle.

Alex07024 · Aug 1, 2012

DeusAres :

There is a combo deal in microcenter - 3570K along with ASRock Z77 Extreme4 board gives you an extra 50$ off and takes the price of motherboard down to 85 bucks

Sounds like sweat deal to me

I just started similar thread, but with smaller budget - Little @$$ gaming computer and 3570K CPU is on of the options

Smeg45 · Aug 1, 2012

I'd recommend the HAF X or the HAF XM if you have less room.

vlanctot · Aug 1, 2012

I have a few more questions:

I was thinking about getting this board based on the recommendations above: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128545
Will this board support DDR3 1866mhz ram? The only reason I ask is I am getting some from a friend who doesn't need it and can get it cheaper then the 1600mhz from the store. The board says it supports this: DDR3 2400(OC)/1600/1333/1066, but I assume it will be fine since it supports 2400?

Do you think this ram http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231456 will fit underneath this HSF? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103106&Tpk=hyper%20612
The ram is 1 5/8 inches pins to top of heatsink.

USB 3.0: Is this backwards compatible with 2.0?

Then my internet connection: I am currently running 1.0-1.5Mbps and I run only netflix through it and web browsing. What will I need for gaming? Keep in mind these are my choices/prices affiliated:

1 Mbps - 1.5 Mbps......$52.95/month
2 Mbps - 3 Mbps............$55.95/month
4 Mbps - 5 Mbps............$60.95/month
7 Mbps - 10 Mbps..........$70.95/month
15 Mbps - 20 Mbps........$78.95/month

Headsets: I am stumped on what to get, have a few I am looking at, don't want to spend over $100 and I will have the 2.1 speaker system for movies/music. Here is what I have found so far to appeal to me: http://www.amazon.com/Plantronics-GameCom777-Gaming-Headset/dp/B003NVMDYY/ref=pd_cp_pc_2 or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826249036

Also If I get this 2.1 system, will I need a sound card?
http://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-ProMedia-Certified-Computer-Speaker/dp/B000062VUO/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1343828851&sr=1-1&keywords=klipsch+promedia+2.1

Thanks for the help!

g-unit1111 · Aug 1, 2012

I was thinking about getting this board based on the recommendations above: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128545
Will this board support DDR3 1866mhz ram? The only reason I ask is I am getting some from a friend who doesn't need it and can get it cheaper then the 1600mhz from the store. The board says it supports this: DDR3 2400(OC)/1600/1333/1066, but I assume it will be fine since it supports 2400?

Yes but it's incredibly pointless to use anything above 1600MHz. By default your motherboard will run the lowest speeds and timings it can handle. Overclocking your RAM has the potential to lead to serious system instability and Intel and even Gigabyte will void your warranty if they find you've been doing so.

Do you think this ram http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231456 will fit underneath this HSF? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] yper%20612
The ram is 1 5/8 inches pins to top of heatsink.

No. It's better to get this RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148544

USB 3.0: Is this backwards compatible with 2.0?

USB 3.0 will run devices for USB 2.0 but not the other way around.

Also If I get this 2.1 system, will I need a sound card?
http://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-ProM [...] omedia+2.1

No - sound cards are unnecessary for 2.1 systems, you don't need them. Put the money you'd be spending on a sound card elsewhere.

Headsets: I am stumped on what to get, have a few I am looking at, don't want to spend over $100 and I will have the 2.1 speaker system for movies/music. Here is what I have found so far to appeal to me: http://www.amazon.com/Plantronics- [...] pd_cp_pc_2 or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6826249036

I wouldn't worry about a headset now - you can always add one later when you get your build up and running. Don't include expensive peripherals in your budget if it means cutting corners on crucial parts of the build.

vlanctot · Aug 1, 2012

Awesome thanks g-unit!

Anyone have an idea about the internet bandwidth?

DeusAres · Aug 1, 2012

I say you'd be ok with the 7-10Mbps package. I have a 512 kb/s connection. Most games I play lag a little. So you'd be fine with anything in the 7-20Mbps range.

g-unit1111 · Aug 1, 2012

vlanctot :

That all depends on your ISP - are you using cable, DSL, FIOS/U-Verse?

vlanctot · Aug 1, 2012

DSL I believe. It's a glass encased fiber-optics line that runs directly into the house and they provide a modem (mounted outside the house) to convert the line into an ethernet, which is inside the house.

You might be able to get more information then I can, I am not as good with the networking stuff: http://home.runestone.net/rta/internet_service_options.htm

g-unit1111 · Aug 1, 2012

vlanctot :

The 7 / 10MPS will give you equivalent speeds of a cable / T1 line.

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