Build Thoughts

[Vicpdx17]

So I am thinking of buying a new computer soon and so far this is what I have come up with on a computer building website:

Intel core I7-3770K
Cooler-master V6 GT 6 copper heat pipe CPU Cooler
16GB 2X8GB DDR3 1866 Dual channel Ram
Geforce GTX 670 2GB x16 dual head
240GB Kingston Hyper X SSD
1TB Western Digital Black HDD with cooler 7200RPM
LG Blu-ray 12X Recorder/16X DVD recorder combo drive
ASUS Xonar DSX 7.1 PCI express sound card
CoolerMaster HAF X Black case
Extra 120MM Case Fan
Antec high current gamer series 900W Power supply
Samsung 27 inch HDTV/Computer monitor.

Games primarily used: Fallout 3/new vegas, Flight Simulator X with PMDG add on aircraft and GSX, Grand theft auto Series, Mirrors Edge, Battlefield 3 premium, The sims 3, Portal/Portal 2.

Current Build:
Intel Core 2 duo E8400 3Ghz
ASUS P5Q Pro Turbo
Arctic cooler Freezer pro
Maxtor DiamondMax 320GB HDD 7200RPM
6GB G.Skill ram
Nvidia GTX 550 TI FPB(Free performance boost)
Lite-on dvd drive
Antec 500 case with no side vent.





Now is the time where you come in! I would like for people to comment on my potential new build and to share if it is overkill or just right or even underpowered. Also to give me some pointers and possible changes to the config before I buy it.

Thanks!

 

[g-unit1111]

Intel core I7-3770K
Cooler-master V6 GT 6 copper heat pipe CPU Cooler
16GB 2X8GB DDR3 1866 Dual channel Ram
Geforce GTX 670 2GB x16 dual head
240GB Kingston Hyper X SSD
1TB Western Digital Black HDD with cooler 7200RPM
LG Blu-ray 12X Recorder/16X DVD recorder combo drive
ASUS Xonar DSX 7.1 PCI express sound card
CoolerMaster HAF X Black case
Extra 120MM Case Fan
Antec high current gamer series 900W Power supply
Samsung 27 inch HDTV/Computer monitor.

Let's see - you don't need the sound card or the extra case fan, you're just wasting money there. On a gaming rig you won't use the i7 or RAM with that speed and capacity. Plus there's better SSDs you could go with and that power supply is kind of overkill.

Try this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UP4 TH ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($192.86 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($45.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Switch 810 (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($179.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk II 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1406.75
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-31 02:04 EST-0500)

 

[Vicpdx17]

Oh ok sweet! thanks for the tip! What do you and anybody else think of this build:

Case: Cooler Master HAF X($159.99@ Amazon)

CPU: Intel Core I5-3570K 3.4ghz ($219.99@ Amazon)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master V8 CPU cooler with 8 heat pipes($47.99 @ Amazon)

Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V Pro($199.99 @ Amazon)

RAM: Corsair vengeance 16gb ram 1600 DDR3($77.99 @ Amazon)

HDD: Western Digital Cavier Black 1TB($89.99 @ Amazon)

SSD:Corsair Force GS series 240GB SSD SF-2200 Controller($217.19 @ Amazon)

Video Card: EVGA Geforce GTX 670 FTW(For The Win) ($389.99 with rebate @ Amazon)

Disk Drive: Lite on Blu-ray writer($89.61 @ Amazon)

PSU: Corsair Professional Series AX 850 Watt modular PSU($169.99 @ Amazon)

Monitor: Samsung T Series 27 inch monitor with HDTV built in($323.15 @ Amazon)

All components plus extras omitted come out to $2,204.81. Price includes Free Amazon Prime shipping on all items, No Sales Tax, price increases/decreases(as of 1/3/2013), a few extended warranty's, cables and extras.

 

[Technoflicks]

Oh ok sweet! thanks for the tip! What do you and anybody else think of this build:

Cooler Master HAF X($159.99@ Amazon)

Intel Core I7-3770K 3.5 ghz quad(324.98 @ Amazon)

ASUS P8Z77-V Pro($199.99 @ Amazon)

Corsair vengeance 16gb ram 1600 DDR3($77.99 @ Amazon)

Western Digital Cavier Black 1TB($89.99 @ Amazon)

Corsair Force GS series 240GB SSD SF-2200 Controller($217.19 @ Amazon)

EVGA Geforce GTX 670 FTW(For The Win) ($399.99 @ Amazon)

Lite on Blu-ray writer($89.61 @ Amazon)

Cooler Master V8 CPU cooler with 8 heat pipes($47.99 @ Amazon)

Corsair Professional Series AX 850 Watt modular PSU($169.99 @ Amazon)

All components plus extras omitted come out to $2,316.33. Price includes Free Amazon Prime shipping on all items, No Sales Tax, price increases/decreases, and a few extended warranty's.

You do not need the 3770k, you should get the 3570k, better price and the gains you MIGHT get from the 3770k are not worth the price jump, in some games multithreading might actually make games SLOWER.

 

[g-unit1111]

SSD:Corsair Force GS series 240GB SSD SF-2200 Controller($217.19 @ Amazon)

That's not much better than the Kingston - it still uses the same old, slow and outdated Sandforce 2.0 controller that the previous drive did. It's not worth purchasing a Sandforce drive anymore when newer controllers like Bigfoot (OCZ Vector), Samsung MDX (Samsung 840 Pro), and LAMD (Corsair Neutron) are eclipsing it in every single benchmark.

Intel Core I7-3770K 3.5 ghz quad(324.98 @ Amazon)

Again you're overpaying for the CPU when you don't need to be.

Corsair vengeance 16gb ram 1600 DDR3($77.99 @ Amazon)

You don't really need 16GB of RAM for a gaming rig and only get the Vengeance if it's low profile.

 

[Technoflicks]

SSD:Corsair Force GS series 240GB SSD SF-2200 Controller($217.19 @ Amazon)

That's not much better than the Kingston - it still uses the same old, slow and outdated Sandforce 2.0 controller that the previous drive did. It's not worth purchasing a Sandforce drive anymore when newer controllers like Bigfoot (OCZ Vector), Samsung MDX (Samsung 840 Pro), and LAMD (Corsair Neutron) are eclipsing it in every single benchmark.

Intel Core I7-3770K 3.5 ghz quad(324.98 @ Amazon)

Again you're overpaying for the CPU when you don't need to be.

Corsair vengeance 16gb ram 1600 DDR3($77.99 @ Amazon)

You don't really need 16GB of RAM for a gaming rig and only get the Vengeance if it's low profile.

Hey, what do you think of windows 8, are you using a touch screen, touch mouse, or just mouse and keyboard (building a new system). Is windows 8 better than windows 7 with mouse and keyboard, or is it just frustrating.

 

[Vicpdx17]

Alright here is my 3rd revision of my component list:

Case: Cooler Master HAF X

CPU: Intel Core I5-3570K

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master V8 With 8 heat pipes and mirror finish.

RAM: Corsair 8GB 1600mhz DDR3

motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V PRO

SSD: Corsair Neutron GTX 240GB SSD

HDD: Western Digital Cavier black 1TB

GPU: Nvidia GTX 670 FTW(For The Win)

Optical Drive: Lite on blu-ray drive

PSU: Corsair Professional Series AX 850W

Keyboard: N/A

Mouse: Cobra 1600 DPI gaming mouse

What do you guys think of this build?, Also I have tried Windows 8 on a keyboard and mouse with my old core 2 and really I dont see much difference cause really in the end windows 7 is better then 8 but I would go with touch for 8.

 

[Technoflicks]

Alright here is my 3rd revision of my component list:

Case: Cooler Master HAF X

CPU: Intel Core I5-3570K

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master V8 With 8 heat pipes and mirror finish.

RAM: Corsair 8GB 1600mhz DDR3

motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V PRO

SSD: Corsair Neutron GTX 240GB SSD

HDD: Western Digital Cavier black 1TB

GPU: Nvidia GTX 670 FTW(For The Win)

Optical Drive: Lite on blu-ray drive

PSU: Corsair Professional Series AX 850W

Keyboard: N/A

Mouse: Cobra 1600 DPI gaming mouse

What do you guys think of this build?, Also I have tried Windows 8 on a keyboard and mouse with my old core 2 and really I dont see much difference cause really in the end windows 7 is better then 8 but I would go with touch for 8.

For the CPU cooler I would recommend either the H40 or the H60.
And the case if you are really looking for airflow go with the LanBoy Air (up to 15 fans!)

http://www.amazon.com/Antec-High-Flexibility-LanBoy-Air-Blue/dp/B003WMVI2M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357262494&sr=8-1&keywords=antec+lanboy

 

[g-unit1111]

Hey, what do you think of windows 8, are you using a touch screen, touch mouse, or just mouse and keyboard (building a new system). Is windows 8 better than windows 7 with mouse and keyboard, or is it just frustrating.

I think it's fine. It gets a lot of crap for the Metro interface - which I can take it or leave it. If you're using a touch screen like the Microsoft Surface then that's where you will benefit more, but for a regular desktop it's pointless to put a cell phone interface over it. I think Microsoft is going to get a lot of crap for it down the road - not that they have initially - but once you get past Metro it's Windows as normal.

 

[Vicpdx17]

Alright, the only thing im not confertable with is water cooling especially since i dont know anything about it or how to maintain it or anything like that. Mostly for now I will go on air cooling, so my question is what is the best CPU Fan cooler.

 

[g-unit1111]

Alright, the only thing im not confertable with is water cooling especially since i dont know anything about it or how to maintain it or anything like that. Mostly for now I will go on air cooling, so my question is what is the best CPU Fan cooler.

That's debatable. Noctua makes some of the best coolers on the market like the U9B and the flagship D14, but Cooler Master also makes good products. Other good manufacturers are Akasa, Prolimatech, and Thermalright.

 

[Technoflicks]

Alright, the only thing im not confertable with is water cooling especially since i dont know anything about it or how to maintain it or anything like that. Mostly for now I will go on air cooling, so my question is what is the best CPU Fan cooler.

Just saying, i have seen 1 review where a corsair water block has leaked (and i have read 100s of them since Im thinking of getting one), and even then since it doesn't even use water in it (it uses this weird liquid, kind of like the stuff that goes in cars) it didn't short out ANYTHING, and they also reported that when they RMAd, that corsair was very helpful and they only charged them 8$ for shipping (Ive seen many reviews on corsair products that said that their RMA and customer service is Top-Notch. Don't think that i am a fan-boy, because i always go for 4 things when i decide to buy a computer part (more things if its the graphics card or CPU)

1. Failure rate. ( ALWAYS CHECK THE FAILURE RATE, ESPECIALLY FOR HARD DRIVES )
2. RMA and customer service.
3. Quality of product.
4. Competition and relative price.

Also the type water cooling Im talking about doesn't need maintaining, its ready to go right out of the box (even comes with their best thermal paste applied, a generous amount too) They even have a software called Corsair Link that can connect to it and control fan speeds, monitor temperatures, and control lighting (there is lighting only on the H80i and H100i, they are VERY nice coolers, you should check them out)

I hope this has changed your view on water cooling, its actually very easy to do (except for custom water cooling, that when you have to start really maintaining things and have a bigger chance of leakage), and it will have less strain on your Mother Board (that's why I started looking into it)

 

[Vicpdx17]

Oh ok cause I was looking at the H70 and it had huge reports of leaking on amazon. But now since you got me alittle more interested in water cooling, since it is already pre-filled and everything would I have to change the fluid out? and how often if so?

 

[g-unit1111]

Just saying, i have seen 1 review where a corsair water block has leaked (and i have read 100s of them since Im thinking of getting one), and even then since it doesn't even use water in it (it uses this weird liquid, kind of like the stuff that goes in cars) it didn't short out ANYTHING, and they also reported that when they RMAd, that corsair was very helpful and they only charged them 8$ for shipping (Ive seen many reviews on corsair products that said that their RMA and customer service is Top-Notch. Don't think that i am a fan-boy, because i always go for 4 things when i decide to buy a computer part (more things if its the graphics card or CPU)

1. Failure rate. ( ALWAYS CHECK THE FAILURE RATE, ESPECIALLY FOR HARD DRIVES )
2. RMA and customer service.
3. Quality of product.
4. Competition and relative price.

Also the type water cooling Im talking about doesn't need maintaining, its ready to go right out of the box (even comes with their best thermal paste applied, a generous amount too) They even have a software called Corsair Link that can connect to it and control fan speeds, monitor temperatures, and control lighting (there is lighting only on the H80i and H100i, they are VERY nice coolers, you should check them out)

I hope this has changed your view on water cooling, its actually very easy to do (except for custom water cooling, that when you have to start really maintaining things and have a bigger chance of leakage), and it will have less strain on your Mother Board (that's why I started looking into it)

That's interesting. I've usually read nothing but bad things about closed liquid loops and I've been really skeptical about them. I kind of want to try the H100i because of Corsair Link but I've heard that software needs huge improvements before it's ready for prime time.

 

[Technoflicks]

Oh ok cause I was looking at the H70 and it had huge reports of leaking on amazon. But now since you got me alittle more interested in water cooling, since it is already pre-filled and everything would I have to change the fluid out? and how often if so?

Unless you are going to keep it for more than 4-5 years then you will not need to fill it, and you would have to do some SERIOUS modding to fill it anyway. Also the H70 was one of the first prototypes of the hydro series, it was made in 2010 and they have made Numerous improvements upon their design. One thing to prevent getting a more leak prone unit, is to check what type of tubing they are using, rubber tubing is better than plastic tubing. I recommend the H40, H80i, H100i (all of these have rubber tubing).

Also their warranty covers the H40 and H60 for 2 years (i think), and the H80i and H100i for 5 years.

In some circumstances where Corsair can tell it was a failure on their part not on yours, they will either replace your computer parts or give you the money to buy new parts.