Quiet and 4 year lasting Fine

Nuvola84

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Oct 17, 2012
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Approximate Purchase Date: 23-27 October

Budget Range: 3000-3200 euros

System Usage from Most to Least Important:
gaming
video watching
office working

Are you buying a monitor: Yes



Parts to Upgrade:

Monitor: Benq XL2420T
CPU: Intel Core I7 3770k
Mainboard: Asus Sabertooth Z77
Keyboard: Corsair K90
VideoCard: 2*Msi Gtx 670 Power Edition OC (sli)
Ram: Corsair DDR3 1600Mhz 4*4gb Cas 7 low profile
SSD: 2*Ocz Vertex 4 256Gb (Raid 0)
Storage: 2* Seagate Barracuda 14.1 7200Rpm 1Tb Sata 6gb (Raid 0)
Case: CoolerMaster Cosmos II
PSW: Corsair AX850 plus Gold
CPU Fan: Noctua Nh-d14
Gaming Headset: Razer Tiamat 7.1


Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Amazon, Planet Hardware, BpmPower, Tradeco (italian ones)

Location: Milano, Lombardia, Italy

Parts Preferences:

Love
Asus, Corsair
Hate
Gigabyte
Dislike
Zotac

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: Yes

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920*1080

Additional Comments: as title above

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading:
Every 4,5 years i am usually upgrading my pc changing all the parts, this time i will keep my naga mouse, the steelseries mousepad and 2.1 logitech.

My main Goal is play at 100fps all games i didn't play til now (Mass effect 3,Batman Arkham City, Battlefield 3, Crysis 2 etc etc) and all the future games for at least 3 years. If at a point i will have to sacrifice some graphic details to keep the game running smooth at 100hz i will do that

Main Reasons for this thread: need advice about compatibility and synergy among the parts i have chosen.
Thx in advance for your time
Christian
 

JJ1217

Honorable
Don't need an i7 for just gaming, only time I'd ever recommend that is if you were a professional editor, even a i5 would be enough for light editing.

The Sabertooth's thermal armor has a habit to make heat be trapped under it, I think you can add fans, but just something to be noted.

You don't need 16GB of ram for gaming either. Its low profile, which is much better in my opinion though, wouldn't impact if you got a NH-D14 or something.

About the 670 Power Edition, you might want to read this :
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/MSI-GTX-660-670-overvolting-PowerEdition,18013.html

Good choice about two 670's however, as since you are running a 120hz monitor, you WOULD want more than 100fps to utilise that monitor.

I've heard the Razer Tiamats are absolute crap in a box, although that is just what I have heard. I've never had good experiences with Razer Headsets.

The Cosmos II is quite overkill, however it is really up to preference to that.

If you do choose to run 8GB/16GB ram, make sure your Windows 7 is 64 bit, as 32 bit OS's only detect up to 4GB of ram.
 

Nuvola84

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Oct 17, 2012
10
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10,510
Thx very much for your fast response, i have a question tho:
- what kind of good replacement would u suggest me for videocard,mainboard and gaming headset then?
Thx again for your advices, i appreciate it.
 

JJ1217

Honorable
For Video Cards:

http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-GeForce-GTX-670-DC2-2GD5-GTX670-DC2-2GD5/dp/B0081IFO2C/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1350466032&sr=8-7&keywords=GTX+670

Its voltage locked, however the cooler is magnificent, and unlike other DirectCUII coolers its only two slots, instead of three, meaning on your motherboard you'll most likely have a slot between the cards:)

For your motherboard, especially since you are getting a case that supports 4 way SLI, I would recommend this. Its a little bit more expensive, but its much better imo.

http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-CrossFireX-NVIDIA-Motherboard-G1-SNIPER/dp/B007R21KAI/ref=sr_1_16?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1350466126&sr=1-16&keywords=

Gaming headset, I have no clue, its entirely up to you. I have a pair of Siberia V2's and they are great, very comfortable, although it really is up to preference and ear shape.

For your CPU, I would recommend getting either an i5 2500k, or an i5 3570k. The Ivy Bridge (3570k) temps seem to skyrocket when overclocking, the sandy bridge (2500k) seems to be much cooler while overclocking. However, I still prefer ivy bridge, so you should go for an i5 3570k.

Your PSU is fantastic, planning to get one of those at the end of the year.

No worries, thats why T.H are here.
 

Robert Pankiw

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Mar 26, 2012
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10,960
Hi there, I won't make an overly detailed reply, but I do have a few suggestions /questions.

First of all, is the system being quiet more important than getting 100fps? Adding an SLI setup obviously makes a lot of heat, which is added fan noise.

Regarding your monitor, obviously the 120hz is what enables you to actually utilize 100FPS, but that seems to necessitate going with a TN panel, which will sacrifice a number image qualities IPS holds over TN.

Watching videos and doing office work are not considered demanding, so your only concern will be gaming when it comes to performance.

Seeing as your most demanding task is gaming, an 8 thread i7 3770k isn't going to be much better than a 4 thread i5 3570k.

I understand that you are trying to get the best that your budget can buy, but if you have RAID 0 SSDs, why do you RAID 2 1TB HDDs, instead of simply getting 1 2TB HDD? Is there a reason you choose 2 256GB SSDs over 1 512GB SSD? Generally it is better to have few parts, that way there are few things to go wrong.

The power supply is fine, it has 4 PCIe connectors (all 6+2), most lengths are 60cm, just under 2 feet.

I couldn't find Corsair RAM that was 1600mt/s AND cas 7 (I found them in CAS 9).

The case comes in at just under 50lbs (22kg) that, to me, is unacceptable, however, if that isn't a bother to you, the case does look nice. At an incredible 350 CAD plus 60 CAD shipping, you'd have to be sure you'll be happy with it before you throw down the cash, so you need to read a review on it before hand.

In case you video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DklUlve_C4Y

I won't comment on the headset, keyboard, or CPU cooler, I don't think it is needed.
 

Nuvola84

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Oct 17, 2012
10
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10,510
The main problem of making a build lasting 4 years is that i have to take overkill now so in 1-2 years will be used at maximum and in the last 2 ones i will need to sacrifice some details to make it run smoothly. Said this u think that 8gb Ram or Core i5 3570k will be fine in 2-3 years too?
 

JJ1217

Honorable


The beautiful thing about Ram is that it is cheap, and there is nothing stopping you from adding more of the same type LATER.

The i5 3570k overclocking capabilities, should make it last another 2-3 years, especially if you manage to get a 4.5 GHZ clock, which should be easy with a NH-D14. Its to my understanding that a NH-D14 = H80, and the H80 is much louder, and is a closed loop watercooling solution.

I don't agree with Pankiw's statement who says you don't need a CPU cooler. Are you mad? Who buys an overclockable chip and doesn't overclock it? Hurr Durr.

Also, I recommended the Asus cards because they are sooo quiet under load. I saw some in action in 3 way SLI. Crazily quiet. Its quiet and is the most effective cooler, which usually comes in one way and not the other. Its worth the premium, however a lack of overclocking ability is the only consequence. Its that or buy an unstable card(670 PE) that may break within two years.

Also, Robert in reference to you having fewer parts than more parts, it might apply somewhere else, but certainly not in HDD/SSD scenarios. Two SSD's failing in raid is almost nil, while one failing is a possibility. I agree with getting a single HDD though, will save you some aches when installing things.

Also I agree with Robert a little bit about the monitor.

IMO Res>Refresh Rate. Although, to get the best possible gaming experience, a 120hz is really superior. Played on a 120hz monitor once, simply outstanding, soo bloody smooth.
 

Nuvola84

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Oct 17, 2012
10
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10,510
In italy will cost a bit less both case and shipping, and for the ram i give u the link http://www.bpm-power.com/it/product/84638/ram_ddr3_16gb_1600mhz_corsair_vengeance_lp_5B4x4gb_5D_kit_cl7_1_2C5v_rt_5Bcml16gx3m4x1600c7_5D.html

My brother own an Asus ml239h is an ips panel and looks nice but i rly prefer smoothness over quality and since the XL2420T has an 88% srgb space post-calibrated i won't lose so much quality i guess

About the raid 0 i agree with u: is not necessary and could increase the chance of avoidable issues
 

Nuvola84

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Oct 17, 2012
10
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10,510
Analyzing the question about Monitor there are 3 possibilities:

-take a good 23-24 ips monitor and remove 1 videocard : this will cost me 350 euros less and i i will have better picture quality at 60hz
-take the benq XL2420t with 2 videocards: i will play even more smoothly at 100hz but i will sacrifice a bit of picture quality
-take a nice 27-30 ips with 2560*1600 or 2560*1440 and 2 videocards in sli: best image quality at 60hz but it will cost me 300-900 euros more cuz of monitor
 

Nw333

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Jun 24, 2012
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AMD cards beat Nvidia cards in terms of value, performance and overclock ability.

Id get 2 7970 GHz Editions, instead. The Sapphire Vapor-X one, if you can. Otherwise, XFX, or Powercolor. Maybe Asus but Ive heard some bad stuff that may be outdated but still.

Edit: The Cosmos II is so over rated. A simple case will still do the job. Check out the 600T, 650D or 500R from Corsair, Define R4 (very silent) from Fractal Design. If you want to water cool this build, go with a Silverstone case. (T011 or something, I forget the model.)
 

ohhgourami

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Sep 6, 2011
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If you want a quality "gaming" headset, this might be your best option. http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-MMX-300-Premium-Microphone/dp/B001BYMZ5W

Most, if not all, mainstream "gaming" headset are complete garbage. None of them have true surround sound or very good sound quality.

The MMX 300 is still a bit of a rip-off as it is actually a Beyerdynamic DT770 headphone with a built-in mic. A better alternative is getting a DT880 Premium 32 or 250ohm headphone and buying a separate desktop mic. The DT880 has a more neutral sound profile making things sound more realistic than the DT770.
http://www.amazon.com/Beyer-Dynamic-Premium-32-Headphones/dp/B0024NK358/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1350474697&sr=1-1&keywords=dt880+32ohm

If this cost too much for you, an Audio Technica AD700 is a great alternative and will beat any lousy overly market "gaming" headset: http://www.amazon.com/Technica-ATH-AD700-Open-air-Audiophile-Headphones/dp/B000CMS0XU/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1350474620&sr=1-1&keywords=ath+ad700

Whatever headphone you end up going with, you should one of these: http://www.amazon.com/ASTRO-Gaming-USB-MixAmp-xbox-360/dp/B004L6C6BK/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1350474767&sr=8-4&keywords=gaming+amp
It provides better sound quality than the crappy integrated audio portion of motherboards (all integrated sound is crap to true audiophile DACs/amps). It also does 5.1/7.1 channel conversion.

My recommendation is really getting that Astro Mixamp paired with a DT880 32ohm and a desktop mic. Oh yes, your music will sound fantastic too. It should blow your mind!
 

ohhgourami

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Sep 6, 2011
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You could always get a Catleap from ebay. Cost ~250 euros and uses the same panel used on Dell, HP, and Apple IPS panels. The reason it's so cheap is because these are not A+ grade panels, but A and A- grade that got rejected by the big companies. They might have a deadpixel or slightly off backlighting, usually unnoticeable! Most purchasers usually find their monitors come in flawless. Even with a deadpixel, a grain of dust on your screen is more noticeable at 2560x1440!

With this option, you can have 2 x GTX670s. I would really go with the Asus DirectCU model too.

Actually, if you want a super quiet CPU cooler, the Thermalright Silver Arrow. The Silver Arrow performs better, if not the same, than the NH-D14 and is quieter. I use the NH-D14 with the fans from the Silver Arrow. If I started over again, I would have started with the Silver Arrow instead.

EDIT: I also recommend looking at the Samsung Low Voltage 30nm ram. This ram OCs like crazy! You can get 9-10-10-27 1T @1866mhz with 1.5V! And these ram are extremely low profile so they fit under ANY heatsink or fan. Definitely worth considering if you choose the Silver Arrow.

If you want a very nice case, I would look into the Silverstone FT-02. A very sturdy and good looking case. Airflow is great and the layout is amazing too! Perfect for SLI setups!

Also going with one 512gb SSD is a better idea. RAID 0 with SSDs won't give you a significant increase in performance, at least not noticeably. RAID 0 has no TRIM support so your SSDs will slow down significantly too.

I also recommend an HDD silencer since that will normally be the loudest component in your whole setup.
 

Nuvola84

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Oct 17, 2012
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Thx again for your support
I remember that trim can be enabled in raid 0 too, or not?
So in the end are better 2* Sapphire 7970 ghz Vapor x or 2 Asus Gtx 670 DCII?
 

Nuvola84

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Oct 17, 2012
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I have found these differences about sli or crossfire configurations with these cards (asus dc2 and sapphire vapor)

-5-10 fps more generally
-60 euros more totally
-180 watt more power consumption
-6-8 more degrees at loud
-10 decibel more noise at loud

This would be with the latest amd drivers in theory, is worth it?
 

ohhgourami

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Sep 6, 2011
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You're right, there is trim support for raid now. I still don't see the need, but you could...
 

Nw333

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Jun 24, 2012
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That depends on when you read that. If the release of that article was only a few weeks ago, yes, chances are, those are the latest drivers.

The Vapor-X should just be on par with the DCII, maybe you checked out the Dual-X version?