Building a new system, could use advice.

[sirgray]

So I am building a brand new system, it has been a long time since I built my last system, so I am a little out of the loop. I have been looking and these are what I have currently selected.

Intel Core i7 3770K Unlocked Quad Core Hyperthreading Processor LGA1155 3.5GHZ Ivy Bridge 8MB Retail $319.99

Corsair Cooling Hydro Series H100 Extreme Performance CPU Cooler System LGA1366 2011 1156 AM2 AM3 $119.99

ASUS Sabertooth Z77 ATX LGA1155 DDR3 SLI 3PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 SATA3 HDMI DisplayPort USB3.0 Motherboard $229.99

Intel 520 Series 240GB 2.5IN SSD MLC 25nm SATA3 Solid State Disk Drive Retail w/ Mounting Bracket $224.99

Seasonic X850 Gold ATX 12V 24PIN 850W Active PFC 80PLUS Gold Modular SLI Ready Power Supply $189.99

Mushkin Enhanced Blackline Frostbyte 16GB 2X8GB PC3-12800 DDR3-1600 CL10 Dual Channel Memory Kit $79.99

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 680 OC 1137MHZ 4GB 6.0GHZ GDDR5 2xDVI HDMI DisplayPort PCI-E Video Card $579.99


So what are you guy's thoughts? should I be going for different components? are there better for around the same prices?

 

[jasont78]

Intel Core i7 3770K Unlocked Quad Core Hyperthreading Processor LGA1155 3.5GHZ Ivy Bridge 8MB Retail $319.99 nice but if its for gaming get a 3570k

Corsair Cooling Hydro Series H100 Extreme Performance CPU Cooler System LGA1366 2011 1156 AM2 AM3 $119.99 if your gonna do water cooling do it properly or not at all (custom loop or just get a big air cooler, check cooler guides on toms

ASUS Sabertooth Z77 ATX LGA1155 DDR3 SLI 3PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 SATA3 HDMI DisplayPort USB3.0 Motherboard $229.99 if its one of those ones with the 'battle armour i wouldnt get it they will get to hot without the fans running the come with it small fans equal noise usually

Intel 520 Series 240GB 2.5IN SSD MLC 25nm SATA3 Solid State Disk Drive Retail w/ Mounting Bracket $224.99 ok

Seasonic X850 Gold ATX 12V 24PIN 850W Active PFC 80PLUS Gold Modular SLI Ready Power Supply $189.99 probably could drop to 700watt unless u plan on sli

Mushkin Enhanced Blackline Frostbyte 16GB 2X8GB PC3-12800 DDR3-1600 CL10 Dual Channel Memory Kit $79.99 if its gaming 8gb is enough

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 680 OC 1137MHZ 4GB 6.0GHZ GDDR5 2xDVI HDMI DisplayPort PCI-E Video Card $579.99 nice

case???

 

[sirgray]

My case is an Antec DarkFleet-85, Which I have already purchased, hence why I didn't include it since it's too late to go for anything else now lol.


Edit: And yes, it's for gaming. Trying to build a straight up gaming machine.

 

[bigshootr8]

I'm going to be a bit more nicer and constructive. All in all I think you have the right idea but with a few little tweaks here and there you could end up with a solution that is probably more suited for you and a little cheaper for you.

If your main intent is to primarily game then I would suggest that you would go with the i5 3570k. Mainly because a lot of games do not see much in terms of performance in with the hyper threading cores that the i7's have. However, if you are into doing things like rendering, editing of most things the i7 will have good use not to say that the i5 can't do it can but you will get the better product from the i7. But the 3570k is the top tier gaming cpu.

Also, the sabertooth boards are really stable and have been ran quite thoroughly they aren't meant to be your top of the line boards they are meant to be your stable boards that last a while. Otherwise you would be just fine with a middle of the line board like this.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131837

The solid state is fine I like the samsung 830 however intel does make really good ssd's which are stable and reliable.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147135

The new HX series revision from corsair which is based off seasonic if I'm not mistaken is also a gold 80 plus power supply and is quite a bit cheaper so you may want to look into this one to save some money.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010

I'm in agreeance you probably don't need 16 but if you insist you can get cheaper. With just as good performance.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233386

With the performance of the 670 its hard to really recommend the 680 its pretty close to the 680 and the extra 200 dollars is just not worth it. If your intent was the project games on multiple screens then I would suggest yes the 4 gigabyte cards as well but more then likely a 2 gigabyte card will do fine and you could save quite a bit in the process.

If you want a great performance with great cooling you can stick with gigabyte and get.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125423

or if you want good performance and a brand with ten fold customer support and reliability over gigabyte something like this.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130787

I feel the h100 is just fine if your case can fit it and you want to do it then go for it. There are advantages and disadvantages of doing a custom loop system. The fans that come with the h100 are quite loud and annoying. They just came out with the 2nd version of the 100 and that may be a better one to look into. If you are looking for extremely low temps and ability to overclock you could also look at the Noctua NH-D14 which will provide most with everything they need and is also a little cheaper.
Noctua
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018
New H100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181032

 

[sirgray]

I see, the Noctua NH-D14 Looks massive, Luckily the Antec df-85 is a pretty big case so it should be compatible, Would the Noctua be quieter? and cooler?

And I am tempted to get the 4gb 680, because I want to eventually get a Extreme definition monitor and run at 2560×1600. And perhaps use my current 24" 1920x1200 as a second monitor.

 

[bigshootr8]

The Noctua is a pretty large cooler however the ram I suggested is a low profile set of ram and would make it quite easy to install in your setup. yes its quite cool would it be more quiet well I haven't used the newer version of the h100 I have the old h100 and where it is quite cool the stock fans were not quiet what so ever so I went out and spent 20-30 dollars on cougar pwn fans. This guy tiny tom logan makes review videos and tech videos in general and he shows off the cooler. The noctua nh-d14 is cool and pretty damn silent the h100 isn't always.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKHRPJfZ5Y8

They do make 4 gigabyte versions of the 670 as well. I think you are on the right side of things by going with a 4 gigabyte card if you are going with multiple screens if you went to 3 or 4 I would suggest going with 2 cards if you wanted you normal 60+ frames in games.

 

[sirgray]

Just checked out the H100i, seems to have better fans, so I am hoping it's not too loud. I think I might try it out.

The Noctua just seems so bulky and kind of ugly, I know that I really shouldn't care how it looks just that it's efficient, but for once I'd like to make a really great looking and powerful system.

 

[bigshootr8]

No I can see how you could see that. The new h100 has some nice features the fan modes are no longer on the device but software now. the fans look like a cheaper version of there current high performance fans so it very well could be a great cooler.

 

[sirgray]

Ya I am tempted to go with the H100i and money isn't too much of an issue as i am currently working strictly towards a new pc, got 1000$ so far and another 600$ my next paycheck, case is already purchased, so I think I might just go with what I originally posted, unless I can get something better for around the same price, looking to spend about 2000$ max. Want to make a real beast of a machine.

 

[bigshootr8]

And with your build I don't think you will have any problem getting the beast effect

 

[sirgray]

Heh thanks, would you recommend a dedicated Sound card? I have a Sennheiser pc 360 headset.

Also how is the maintenance on liquid cooling like the h100, would I need to replace the liquid every few years, how much would that cost and is it a pain? perhaps I should go air cooling and forget about it.

All my previous pc's have been pretty much stock everything, so I am pretty new to all the after market stuff and I have never overclocked before, But I would like to overclock the Intel Core i7 3770K Unlocked 3.5GHZ to 4.2 GHZ or whatever is safe.

 

[bigshootr8]

I would only recommend a sound card if you are more of a audiophile most of the modern day onboard sound cards are just fine for most. I have a Astro A40 and needed a sound card to get the most out of it. Also if you have a higher quality set of speakers you may want a sound card to get the most out of them.

The maintenance of the h100 is 0 there isn't any other then taking a can of air and spraying out the dust that gets caught in the cooler every now and then. You will have a extremely easy time doing that with a h100. Remember the h100 is a closed loop water cooling system so there isn't the same level of care that is needed for a custom loop system.

 

[bigshootr8]

I just saw you listed your headset I will look at it when I get a chance.

 

[sirgray]

ok, From reading up on the h100's and people complaining about pump noise and certain people saying it leaked and ruin there system has me a little scared, Perhaps I should go with the Noctua, but I am also worried it will be too big and I wont have access to my memory slots... hmm. I am stumped.


Also what would you recommend for a sound card? I was looking around and some were suggesting that I buy a Astro mix amp and plug my headset into that.

 

[bigshootr8]

Well, I would firstly like to say its near impossible for a h100 to leak mainly because its a closed loops water cooling system. And the liquid inside of the h100 isn't the same as a normal water cooling system its more of a liquid vapor more then anything.

HOWEVER, if you were to go with the noctua you would have no zip no issues if you bought low profile ram such as this.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233186

Also, fits just fine with your motherboard
http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=compatibility_gen&products_id=34&lng=en#LGA1155_Asus

In terms of whether or not to get the mixamp here is something you should know. Yes you could use the mixamp and yes it would work just fine but I have a couple of complaints with the mixamp coming from someone who has the Astro A40 and the mixamp. Firstly you need to have a separate cable attached to the mixamp to use the microphone with the optical cable I think this is kind of a waste and that you would get more out of a sound card. This is being said strictly from the PC perspective as with a headset like that I would think its safe to assume you would be doing a good amount of voice chat with it.

now I don't know what kind of money you would want to spend on a sound card.
But I will list the sound cards that I think would be a good fit for you. I would recommend the Essence STX however your headset has 3.5 mm connections and the essence STX doesn't have the ability to accommodate your headset. I take that back it comes with an adapter for is so that may be a option as well.

HT OMEGA CLARO 2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829271007
Asus Xonar DX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132006
Asus Essence STX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132010&Tpk=essence%20stx

 

[sirgray]

hmm, so with the ASsus Essence STX it would emulate virtual 7.1 into my stereo headset? how is that? I tried that Razr megalodon headset once with it's virtual 7.1 and I thought it was terrible, playing tf2 the medibeam was too loud/bass and just hurt my ears.


I might save up to get that then if it's good. Also I am leaning back towards the h100i, as long as the pump is not too loud. how was it on the h100? If the fans are loud I can always just purchase some noctua fans to replace them, but if the pump is annoying I can't really do anything about that.

I like the fact that it come pre-filled and you don't have to replace anything so I can hook it up and not have to open up my system to service it every once in awhile. And as long as I install it correctly it shouldn't leak, I hope. I would be devastated if I spent all this money on a new system for it to get ruined.

 

[bigshootr8]

Well the Razer magalodon comes with a breakout box that is no where near the quality of the ASUS Essense STX. How would it sound with the simulated 7.1 I really have no idea I know though the sound would sound pretty damn good with that sound card.

You can purchase any 120 mm fans you want and hook them up to your h100. I went with the cougar pwm fans.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835553002

here is a picture prior to my gigabyte gtx670

 

[bigshootr8]

You are pretty safe with the h100 although I think the h100i would be the better option better to get the updated model.

I found a video with a guy messing around with it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBrWS2B7BdY

 

[sirgray]

Hmm interesting, seems that running the fans into the fan controller on the h100i causes it to put too much voltage to the pump causing it to make noise, so perhaps it's better to plug the fans into an alternate source of power?

I think I am gonna go with the h100i though, And It seems like that sound card only comes with one 3.5mm adapter so I'd have to get another for my mic to be plugged in.

I'll probably build it without a soundcard and just use on-board for now and then purchase a soundcard at a later date, I am still unsure which soundcard I want to get.

 

[sirgray]

Actually what would be a better card, maybe 4gb vram I don't need. as If I go with an extreme definition monitor I'll probably only use one.

I was thinking between these.
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=71118

http://ncix.com/products/?sku=76835

The thing is, after mail in rebate they are both the same price, so would going with the 4gb vram model be more bang for my buck??

Also the 2gb vram model looks much cooler, but that's really a secondary concern.

 

[bigshootr8]

I would go with the 1st link. The customer support from gigabyte is quite poor and the cooling on that asus card is nuts costs a little more but as you said ends up around the same price.

What inputs would you need for your headphone just 2 3.5 the essence stx has that with the adapter if I'm not mistaken has a breakout pink and green for mic and stereo.

I'm unsure about the fan controller I suppose that may reduce the sound I'll have to give it a try with my h100 and tell ya.

 

[bigshootr8]

Well in that video link i sent you for the h100i the guy had the standard fans and I think because the controller was pushing the fan at a slower speed that it couldn't handle it without making noise or something I'm unsure maybe it was the voltage. The h100i comes with 4 pwm ports which would be hard to find unless you were to go out and get a fan controller not many motherboards have 4 of them. The radiator is the only thing I hear with my h100 and its not to bad shrugs.

 

[sirgray]

hmm are you sure? The cards are the same price but the 1st one is only 2gb vram, so it almost seems like maybe I should go with the 4gb vram, because for the same price wouldn't it be better?


Actually it looks like asus is gearing up to release a 4gb version of the ASUS GeForce GTX 680 with Dual-Slot DirectCU II Cooler, maybe I should just wait for that.

 

[bigshootr8]

Oh to right you are yes 4 gigabyte is a better option honestly you could always go with a evga card they have a 4 gigabyte model. I like them because if something were to go wrong you don't get shitty terrible english customer support.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130799

 

[sirgray]

oh ya, that is a good one, I prefer Evga as well. I might go with that, although with the single fan it's cooling might not be that great, honestly I really hope that 4gb ASUS GeForce GTX 680 with Dual-Slot DirectCU II Cooler comes out soon, because the card not only runs like a beast it looks pretty awesome, and my whole system is gonna be set to a red and black style, with all red LED's

might swap out the h100i fans to some better fans, that hopefully come in red.

But like I said looks are a secondary concern. Luckily the only thing I have purchased so far is my Antec DF-85 case, so everything else I can still work out exactly what I need/want.

You have been really helpful so far Bigshootr8, I really appreciate it.

Especially since this is my first real build, I mean I have replace a few parts on my older systems here and there, but I mostly had stock pre-built systems. So I want to get all my information so I can build the best rig I can.