First Time Build - Advice Appreciated

[XxButch2000xX]

Hello everyone, I've been frequently visiting this site for the past few months, doing research on my own to try and find a good first timer's desktop build. I plan on using the machine mainly for Adobe CS6 and some moderate gaming (mostly Skyrim, some shooters, although nothing online). This site has been my number one source of information and opinions, and now, as I near closer to actually purchasing my computer components, I'm asking for advice. First, my prospective build:

CPU: Intel i5-3570k OR i7-3770k (UNDECIDED)
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 1155
PSU: Corsair HX750
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8GB) Low Profile
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro 128GB AND Western Digital Black 1TB
Drive: Lite-On DVD/CD Writer (planning to add a Blu-Ray drive down the road)
Case: NZXT Phantom Black/Green
GPU: UNDECIDED

Right now, my build comes out to a little more than $1,000 according to Newegg (which is pretty much the max for my initial budget, as I do plan to add to this build in the near future). Also of note: I am planning to purchase everything from Newegg, as there are no component stores in my area and from what I've read, Newegg has a great return process in case something arrives DOA. But I have a few concerns, since this is my first build and aside from the four or so months of "research" I've been doing online, I do not have any computer hardware knowledge. Here are my concerns:

First, with either CPU, are there any glaring issues (i.e. compatibility problems, apparent bottlenecks, etc.) with my build as it is now? I know my budget is somewhat limited, but I would like a system that I can still use without headaches a few years down the road.

Second, with the cost of my build maxing my budget as it is, I am planning to run with the integrated graphics of the CPU for awhile until I can get a graphics card. Will the on-board graphics be adequate, or will I need a dedicated GPU ASAP? Any recommendations for a good graphics card (preferably within the $200-300 range (or cheaper!!!)) would be appreciated

Lastly, I would very much welcome some CPU advice overall. As I stated above, I'm currently torn between the i5 and i7, which were my two original choices when I started searching for components. I went through a "phase" where I thought a cheaper AMD processor would benefit me more, and I was trying to decide between the top of the line-ish FX-8350 (which I understood was a multi-tasking powerhouse) and the middle of the road-ish FX-4170 (which seemed to have good specs at a very attractive price, but "on the way out the door" in terms of technology). Then I read a thread on this site where everyone knocked AMD processors for their sub-par gaming performance (despite many Newegg reviews that supported both the 4170 and 8350 for gaming), so I went back to Intel. I am still leaning towards Intel for my CPU, but honestly I'm still on the fence, so if someone can convince me to go AMD again, I'll gladly thank them for saving me a substantial bit of money!!!

I've been back and forth a little too much for me to make a sub-$1000 purchase without any experienced input, so here I am! Thank you to all for reading, and I certainly appreciate any advice!

Edit: my apologies for not using the "Build Advice Template" for my post, I already have a build picked out, so I figured posting in that format would not be beneficial for me. I just need advice on some of the components

 

[admbautista]

1. i7 will not be beneficial for gaming. and may even crap your fps on some games with hypertheading. But I think since your not a hardcore gamer. It will all comes down to, "Are you will to spend more money?" If yes, then go i7, if no go i5. Not much of a difference in gaming but other than that, i7 will be fine and will be better on other aspects.
2. Are you planning on dual video cards in the future? if no, you can decrease that psu to 550w/600w.
3. You'll be fine with the integrated graphics as you plan to buy a video card in the future. But just don't expect too much on it. But I would say, hd grapics 4000 is great, with regards to its predecessors.
4. There is really no bottlenecks there. There would be if you add a cheap video card. I suggest don't waste money buying a cheap video card, save it then buy a high-end video card instead. there will be no bottleneck on high-end gpu with your build. anyway, what is the gpu you are planning with this build? 670 sli? 680 sli? 7950 cfx? 7970 cfx? or singles of those card? any of those will do. It would just depend on your budget. Just remember number 2. if your planning on single gpu.
5. Don't forget a cooler as you plan to overclock. a hyper 212 evo will do.

 

[XxButch2000xX]

Thank you for the quick response!

As you said, I will not be doing hardcore gaming (i.e. any online MMO type stuff), so I'm not looking for the perfect fps in games, just something playable coming from a lifetime of console gaming. As far as running Crossfire or SLI, it sounds interesting, but I couldn't justify the cost of two cards, I'm struggling deciding on one right now! On the processor side, the i7 still looks to be my best choice, mainly for its Hyperthreading feature over the i5, and Intel's significantly better single-thread performance versus AMD overall. The CPU is definitely something I DO NOT want to "save money" on. I will also look into a lower watt PSU to save maybe $20-40, but I will still most likely stay with a Corsair. The only other PSU brand I was interested in was Seasonic, but it didn't seem to have the same consumer support as Corsair.

I haven't really explored any "viable" options for video cards. I was originally looking at an MSI GT 630 4GB 128-bit but I later found advice that matches yours, basically that a cheap video card is a waste of money.

My issue with the video cards is that I don't understand what sets one card apart from another, for example:

Asus GTX 560 1GB 256-bit - $169 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121446
VS
MSI GT 630 4GB 128-bit - $79 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127684

Obviously, the model numbers, memory size, and interface stats are different, but why does the first card warrant the extra $90 cost?

To address your last point, I don't intend to overclock for sake of the warranty (I've read that oc-ing will void warranties, no thanks for me). For the extra $10, getting the unlocked model (3570/k and 3770/k) is a no-brainer. I was looking into getting the Hyper 212 Evo if the stock cooler under-performs at base clock, making temp an issue. But I've also read that using an aftermarket cooler will void the warranty on the CPU, so I'm on the fence about that as well.

I appreciate your input, especially on the video card and power supply. Your advice should save me some money when purchasing my parts (and also save me headaches later on!). I'm hoping to find a few more perspectives, possibly ones contrasting my choices of parts (I think its good to hear arguments from both sides). Thanks again to all for who read or respond!

EDIT: My apologies, the 3770/k price difference is $30 currently. I was mistaken. The K version may not be worth the extra money since I am already "at capacity" with my budget. Any opinions on the non-K vs K CPU for someone not planning to overclock would be welcome as well

 

[TheBigTroll]

if you are a worker, id suggest i7. if you dont want to pay full i7 price, you can get a xeon for 240 bucks. just that you cant overclock and there is no graphics
-no need for 750w. that is for dual video cards, and given you are not building a dedicated gaming rig, one is enough
-id get a gtx 660 given it can both game pretty well and you can use it for cuda accleration
-optical media is dying out. i really dont see any point in the near future to get a blu-ray

get this
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/y3gI

to get free shipping for the CPU go to us.ncix ,put a e3 1230v2 in the shopping cart and you can price match it with the 228.99 price of superbiz

 

[XxButch2000xX]

Thanks for the recommendations!

The Xeon sounds very intriguing. One reviewer on Newegg calls it an i7 without the integrated graphics (and also as you said, no overclock capability, which isn't a big deal). I will definitely look into the Xeon, and with the change in power supply, I may be able to squeeze a graphics card such as the one you recommended. One thing about the Xeon though, it's listed as a server processor on Newegg. Is that just because it has no integrated graphics, or is there some other characteristic to this CPU?

I did notice the XFX PSU in your build link is currently sold out on Newegg, but if I decide to go with that one, I can explore going through another online retailer (I've initially been looking for an all-Newegg purchase for easy RMA processes) unless it gets restocked soon.

As for other PSUs, any preferences on these (prices before rebates, I'm skeptical about mail-in rebates...):

Seasonic 620W - $84 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151095
----There is a similar model for $5 cheaper, but the reviews number fewer and have a lower average score as well.

Thermaltake 750W - $89 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153157
----This is a higher max power, but also $40 cheaper than the Corsair I originally chose.

Corsair 600W - $79 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139048
----I like the Corsair brand, this model is a new release though, early adopt maybe a risk? Out of the three, I like this one
the most however.

If it hasn't become obvious from my choices of PSU, I'm trying to find one that is of a modular design minimize cord clutter. I figure it will make my first computer build considerably easier

The GTX 660 seems a good choice for me: not too expensive yet up to snuff on performance. Is Galaxy a good brand? I'm in the dark as far as graphics go. Galaxy doesn't seem to have as many offerings as, say, MSI or EVGA, but that particular card in your build link has all good reviews on Newegg.

Lastly, the Blu-Ray add-on isn't something I'm for sure going to do. If Blu-Ray does become more prominent (and less expensive per movie), I may consider the extra drive. I'm not a fan of digital media; I prefer the physical media myself. Either way, it won't be considered until later down the road.

Thanks again for the build link and advice! The price is definitely tempting, especially since I'm planning to purchase Windows separately (knocking the price down by ~$100), but as for my other parts (storage, mobo, case, etc.), I'm pretty dead-set there. I will definitely check into the other parts you recommended though.

 

[TheBigTroll]

difference between a regular i7 and a xeon is that a xeon uses less power, runs cooler, and is tested for stability. you can run these one month straight at 100% load without it crashing

the psu i suggested is better than the ones you have except for the seasonic given the xfx is made by seasonic and uses the same platform. id buy most of my components at us.ncix instead of newegg. customer service is un-matched

galaxy is a pretty good brand.


id change the motherboard given z77 is essentially pointless without a K chip. h77 offers the same features

WD drives are extermely overpriced. would never get anything more than a WD blue 1tb 64mb.for the price of a WD black, i can get a 2tb seagate

840 pro is pretty overpriced. you cant really tell the difference in performance between the 2 SSDs. would not waste my money there

case you chose is suitable for a build above 1300 dollars. anything lower get something else.

 

[XxButch2000xX]

I've put together this build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/y3xo

Intel Xeon E3-1230
Asus P8Z77-V LK (I'm thinking the UEFI BIOS of the Asus would be useful for a first time build)
Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB
WD Caviar Black 1TB
Samsung 840 Pro 128GB
Galaxy GTX 660
NZXT Phantom (Black/Green)
Corsair CX600M PSU
Asus DVD/CD Writer

For a grand total of $1054.42 after rebates and shipping, from 3 different merchants (Newegg, TigerDirect, and NCIX US). This is pretty much within my budget, and excellent in my opinion because not only am I getting the HD/SSD combo I really want, but I'm also getting both a processor and dedicated graphics card that are of excellent performance for the price. I may explore the prices exclusively from Newegg as well as checking out these other merchants and their RMA policies.

Still open for suggestions though! I'm pretty dead-set on the HD/SSD combo, and as far as the case goes, its more of an aesthetic choice but I also wanted a full tower case to have the most room for easy air flow and workspace (again, first time builder). I noticed TheBigTroll's build link included a Micro-ATX mobo, which I would entertain the idea of it, but since I've picked out a full tower case (it's probably the coolest looking case I've seen, honestly), I think a Micro in a Full Tower would be incredibly silly. I wouldn't mind having a smaller form factor "tower" for space-saving purposes, so I will check around for smaller towers. Thanks again for all the advice!

 

[TheBigTroll]

-give me a full valid reason to get the 840 pro SSD and the WD black drive. otherwise, get something else
-corsair ram is no different from kingston ram. dont waste money
-the cx series are sub par by any comparison to the xfx 550w
-also give me a valid reason to get the phantom. asthetics are not one of them

 

[XxButch2000xX]

difference between a regular i7 and a xeon is ...

Sorry, I did not see your post before I composed and posted my latest one. My main concern with the HD/SSD combo was brand reliability. As far as the 840 Pro, I was originally considering the 830 when I started gathering info, in the meantime the 840s were released. I've heard nothing but good things about the Samsung SSDs (both 830 and 840 Pro, I haven't looked into the 840 much, I heard the TLC technology it utilizes has a shorter lifespan compared to the MLC tech the 830 and 840 Pro has). As for other brands I have read about, it's been hit or miss, while Samsung seems to have a pretty stellar SSD record.

I figured the added price of the WD Black with the 5 year warranty (opposed to a 2 or 3 year warranty with another WD or other brand) would justify the cost difference. I've heard that Seagate HDs are of a lower quality, are re-branded Samsung drives, among other discouraging comments (not sure of the validity of these claims however). I originally had chosen a Seagate HD, but changed my mind to the WD brand after reading a LOT of reviews. I will re-evaluate Seagate however, starting with the model you recommended in your build link.

You say XFX is made by Seasonic? That is interesting, because the XFX you recommended is at a very desirable price point. That may very well be my PSU.

I forgot that the Z77 line of mobos were "optimized" for overclocking. That is something I will definitely re-evaluate. However, as I mentioned in my previous post, would ATX vs. Micro-ATX have any glaring differences, besides their size, I guess?

Along with the motherboard, I will re-evaluate my case decision as well. My original choice was the considerably more expensive Corsair CC650DW, which I liked because of the easy access side door and good choice of connections in front and back. {EDIT: I then switched to the NZXT because I couldn't justify paying $150 for a case with an easy-to-open side panel as its main feature for me. I do understand that looks alone should never determine a case choice (unless one has the money to spend for it), but it seemed to me to have a relatively good structure and a good amount of connections, as well as enough pre-installed fans to run without any extra cooling purchases. Cooling is something, much like the graphics cards, that I know next to nothing about and would rather not mess up }

I do appreciate the advice! I'm very glad that I posted here before pulling the trigger on the build I originally had! Also, I will start checking out the NCIX site. Until today, I had never heard of it. I figured Newegg was kind of like the go-to merchant for the computer hardware market.

EDIT: I'm also still a few weeks away from actually purchasing the new build. I made the build with PCPartPicker mainly to check out its functionality. It's extremely useful!

 

[TheBigTroll]

so what if the SSDs are good. the price isnt and the performance difference is almost non existent. plextor is a great brand and id say they are just as good

seagate drives are not lower quality. they make samsung drives.i have no problems with them. if you dont want a seagate, the WD blue is a better option. same drive but with less warranty that costs 30 bucks. not worth it

yes i have a xfx unit. they are all built by seasonic

650D is pretty terrible in my opinion. my friend has one and hates it. at that rate you are better off with a R4

 

[XxButch2000xX]

so what if the SSDs are good...

I was actually considering a WD Blue at one point in time, but I noticed that the Black has a 64Mb cache while the Blue only had a 32Mb, and for the $10 difference, I would prefer double the cache and double the warranty as well. As far as the 2TB Seagate vs. WD Black goes, the price is basically the same as you said. I understand that the Seagate has double the capacity while matching up with the Black as far as speeds and cache are concerned, but the 5 year warranty and better overall reviews (gauging quantity and quality of reviews) on Newegg still has me leaning towards the Black's smaller capacity with better quality assurance. I think if there were a substantial price difference between the Seagate and the Black (>$20), I would be sold on the Seagate, but at the same price point, I'd prefer a longer warranty over more capacity. As a comparison, I'm currently using a 5 year old laptop with a 250GB HD and I still have over 150GB available, so capacity isn't a big deal for now. Mind you, this has only been a light work computer, so storage would definitely increase on the new machine, but if I need more space, I think I'd prefer to add another drive in the future. I respect your stance on the issue by all means, and appreciate the advice, but as I said, I'd prefer double the warranty over double the capacity, at least for my first storage drive.

As for the SSDs, the Plextor at a $100 price point is very desirable, and that is Newegg's currently advertised price, but they appear to be out of stock until almost April (something I just noticed). PCPartPicker's price comparison has MicroCenter as the next competitive price at $120, then Amazon at $130, and NCIX at almost $150. At those prices, it seems to me that the Samsung may be a more reasonable deal, with NCIX selling it at $130, right? I know it probably sounds like I'm stuck on this SSD (which I am a little) but I do very much like the reputation that Samsung holds as an SSD manufacturer. According to sources I've read, they own and manufacture all of their SSD technologies in-house, as opposed to other companies that may borrow technology from one another. That's got to account for something right? Anyhow, at a current $10 difference, I would prefer going with the Samsung 840 Pro over the Plextor, but if prices or availability change, that preference may very well change as well.

I'm pretty well sold on the XFX. Count me in for that one.

I will be re-examining the case issue within the next day or two, I will return with results.

Likewise with the motherboards.

Oh, and I'm on board for the Kingston RAM instead of the Corsair. Great recommendation there!

All around, great discussion and advice! I'm calling it a night, but in the meantime, I'll be reading up on the mobo and case alternatives, starting with the products mentioned. Thanks again!

 

[TheBigTroll]

-there is a caviar blue with 64mb of cache. you searched up the older model
-cache makes no difference when a SSD is doing the speed work

you could try out the m5 pro.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820249026&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

 

[admbautista]

You can still get the black if it doubles the warranty for a small amount difference. But you can probably go with something like this.
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/y51i
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/y51i/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/y51i/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($289.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($93.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($77.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($129.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($209.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($88.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1083.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-17 12:29 EST-0500)

 

[TheBigTroll]

You can still get the black if it doubles the warranty for a small amount difference. But you can probably go with something like this.
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/y51i
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/y51i/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/y51i/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($289.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($93.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($77.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($129.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($209.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($88.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1083.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-17 12:29 EST-0500)

picked up the wrong blue drive. the more expensive one is the older model with less performance. and 30 bucks extra for a hard drive is a lot of extra storage i can buy

 

[timmy97236]

Please WATCH this before you buy intel cpu...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu8Sekdb-IE&list=UUNovoA9w0KnxyDP5bGrOYzg&index=3

I have a an intel i5 2550k and I am very happy with it... This youtube channel has gaming builds, editing builds and basically tech advice. I have always preferred intel, but supposedly the new FX 8350 is actually very good. I wont go with a xeon chip due to fact that you cannot overclock them and they are not made for general consumer use, but workstation, servers, etc.

On the topic of graphics card, I believe the AMD are much better bang of the buck... But for editing the CUDA cores on some of the Nvidia chips improve performance in photoshop and video editing very significantly... So i would suggest a 660 ti or something like that... You wont need anything more then 700 watt for a power supply or even 600 watts for that matter.

Watch the videos in that channel.. including http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8Ga_26h1MU to get a sense of what is recommended.

But for a $1000 build, I wouldnt get a i7 or a xeon for that matter. i5 or a FX 8350 is probably best.

 

[TheBigTroll]

-my friend uses a xeon x5660. and hes using it for gaming, problem?
-i find logans builds pretty terrible if you ask me. i can change just about everything except for the CPU
-it would be dumb to recommend a i5 for a workstation build. a fx 8350 would be nice, but given it uses 2x as much power and that a good amd board (120 dollars) + a fx 8320 cost more than my xeon + motherboard, id get intel
-note that for the gaming tests, he didnt test skyrim. go look at toms review and you see a 20fps difference. skyrim is always CPU intensive and not so much multi-threaeded

 

[timmy97236]

-my friend uses a xeon x5660. and hes using it for gaming, problem?
-i find logans builds pretty terrible if you ask me. i can change just about everything except for the CPU
-it would be dumb to recommend a i5 for a workstation build. a fx 8350 would be nice, but given it uses 2x as much power and that a good amd board (120 dollars) + a fx 8320 cost more than my xeon + motherboard, id get intel
-note that for the gaming tests, he didnt test skyrim. go look at toms review and you see a 20fps difference. skyrim is always CPU intensive and not so much multi-threaeded

LOL an x5660, why not an Intel Core i7-3970X ... That is a $1200 cpu, that is completely not relevant in this conversation and its just plain overkill... of course it wont make a difference when compared to an fx or i5 or i7 for gaming. Based on his comparison of the new 8350 it shows that is is better in MOST circumstances. Yes most of all the FX cpus are not worth getting likethe 8320, but the 8350 is... yes it does require more power, but in overall the motherboard socket will most likely last him longer then the intel 1155... intel changes sockets sized all the time... amd makes more products for their sockets over longer periods of time. And now that there is an actual fx cpu that is worth buying, it will last longer and be just as good if not better. Also the fx is overclockable, like the i5 and i7... but the xeon is not, thus once it slows down... you will have to upgrade to something else... and knowing intel, you will have to upgrade the motherboard as well.

Also when you looked at the benchmarks on tomshardware you didnt look at the 2560x1600 skyrim benchmarks which are nearly identical for the 8350, 3570k, and 3770k. Also tomshardware only reviewed three games skyrim, battlefield 3, and world of warcraft... Watch logans video again, he tested a bunch more games.... like crysis, metro (with is very cpu-gpu intensive).... there is also a 8350 that comes bundled with a watercooling kit... so you are ready to overclock whenever you are ready.

Also the motherboard that you had selected is the Asus P8Z77-V LK ($135), and for the xeon cpu is $245... that is $380... for that money get the fx8350 ($200) and the sabertooth 990fx R2.0 ($180). the sabertooth is a TON better then the cheaper p8z77-V ... it has 6, YES 6 SATA 6Gb/s compared to the Asus P8Z77-V LK which has only 2.... its really makes no sense to buy a CRAPPY motherboard that has only 2 SATA 6Gb/s when you can get a much better motherboard and processor that will last longer and be better in overall.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113284
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131877

Just look at the specs of the motherboard and compare it to the features of the Asus P8Z77-V LK, plus the sabertooth has a 5 year warranty.

And dont get me wrong, again I love my i5 2550k. But right now i would get the CHEAPER, EQUAL in processing power, am3+ socket will last longer then the 1155, and its OVERCLOCKABLE.
* The ONLY downside of the FX series is the power usage.

PLEASE watch this again, since you didn't pay attention the last time... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu8Sekdb-IE&list=UUNovoA9w0KnxyDP5bGrOYzg&index=3

Its really funny how people are so into recommending the stuff that they already bought... because they have to justify it to themselves... Again i have an overclocked intel 2550k with a asus sabertooth z77, so I have no ego invested in this like some people.

 

[TheBigTroll]

-hes rich. he doesnt give a crap. he actually BOUGHT windows 7 ultimate even though he didnt have more than 8gb of ram in his build. last time i checked there was a gtx 280 inside and hes using it to watch movies and cat videos
-lol. a 8320 is a 3.5ghz 8350. are you sure that you know what you are talking about?
-am3 boards werent exactly compatable with fx chips. i dont see your point
-a fx chip uses double the power of a intel counterpart. toms had a review of the 3970x and the fx used the same amount of power
-the 8350 that comes with a $hitty watercooler costs more than a intel 3570k. watercooler might be a lot better than the stock heatsink, but still not good as good as a good heatsink like the d14
-why would someone be dumb enough to get z77 if they were not to overclock or do dual video cards. i used a h77 board for the build, that was 90 bucks.
-i have never recommended a asus z77-v board. never. only the Lk but when i do, its 120 bucks.
-a z77 sabertooth vs a z77-v pro has no differences in terms of performance. you just pay for a plastic shell that does crap. you sir made a pretty terrible purchase with that sabertooth board that you have bought
-if i were to get an amd board, it would be the m5a99x r2. or something like that

 

[timmy97236]

-hes rich. he doesnt give a crap. he actually BOUGHT windows 7 ultimate even though he didnt have more than 8gb of ram in his build. last time i checked there was a gtx 280 inside and hes using it to watch movies and cat videos
-lol. a 8320 is a 3.5ghz 8350. are you sure that you know what you are talking about?
-am3 boards werent exactly compatable with fx chips. i dont see your point
-a fx chip uses double the power of a intel counterpart. toms had a review of the 3970x and the fx used the same amount of power
-the 8350 that comes with a $hitty watercooler costs more than a intel 3570k. watercooler might be a lot better than the stock heatsink, but still not good as good as a good heatsink like the d14
-why would someone be dumb enough to get z77 if they were not to overclock or do dual video cards. i used a h77 board for the build, that was 90 bucks.
-i have never recommended a asus z77-v board. never. only the Lk but when i do, its 120 bucks.
-a z77 sabertooth vs a z77-v pro has no differences in terms of performance. you just pay for a plastic shell that does crap. you sir made a pretty terrible purchase with that sabertooth board that you have bought
-if i were to get an amd board, it would be the m5a99x r2. or something like that

The reason why I bought a sabertooth is because they are insanely reliable, they run cool, and easy to overclock, .... I'm not planing to do sli or crossfire, so it didn't matter. They run cool and had the specs that I wanted at the time. But again games that ran at higher resolution then 1080p worked better then the i5 or i7 is my biggest turning point to the fx... Everything is going to towards higher resolution another at 1200 or 1440... Even look at how metro played on higher resolution in the video that I posted. In overall the fx work well in computing that uses more cores and in multitasking... I'm not saying that intel is worse, just for the money I would by the fx... And I have overclocked my gpu and CPU and it was fine... The sabertooth and there are plenty of reviews to show that it is a great motherboard, so you can say whatever you want but it has been reviews by many and eveyone likes them.

And why would someone by a d14 cooler when they can water cool for that price... H80 sometimes are on sale for a similar price... Buying a air cooler for more the $50 is just plain stupid if you ask me.

Also I'm just saying that amd uses their socket much longer then intel... And you can't argue with that, that is just plain fact.

It's just silly to me that people like you ignore the facts that Logan in the video has posted and he was surprised himself... But it's rediculous that the fx 8350 is equivalent or better in gaming, especially in higher resolution... Also it's very overclockable... And you have pointed out only a single drawback, is that it used more power... So What??? What does that even matter as long as you don't get a cheap ass motherboard?

 

[admbautista]

There are people who doesn't like water cooling... Getting a cheap motherboard like h77 board is actually better than wasting money on stuffs that you won't use.

 

[XxButch2000xX]

Wow! A lot of discussion here! I'm intrigued by the FX-8350 recommendation; I had been considering that CPU for awhile. But most of the opinions I read have ranked it slightly lower than the 3570k in terms of performance, with an affinity for multi-tasking with the 8 cores, but with a reportedly lower single-thread performance versus the Intel processors.

If I went with an AMD processor, I would definitely be looking for a significantly cheaper CPU/mobo combo, because really, isn't that the caveat of getting an AMD versus an Intel?

To address a few of the talking points being debated, I don't plan on using watercooling, I don't plan on overclocking (which is why the Xeon processor appeals to me, well, that and the $100 difference with the 3770k), and I am looking into an H77 board (although it is different from the board recommended by TheBigTroll), the MSI ZH77A-G43
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130674&Tpk=MSI%20ZH77A-G43

Does this mobo seem like a decent choice? Price-wise, it is $40 cheaper than the Z77 I had selected initially, and it still features a UEFI Bios, which I'm interested in. Although, I cannot seem to find this motherboard on PCPartPicker, so could there be something wrong with it, or perhaps it is an old/discontinued model? Any thoughts? As a general rule, I would like to stick with a standard ATX form factor, just for simplicity's sake. The advice and discussion here is great!

 

[timmy97236]

There are people who doesn't like water cooling... Getting a cheap motherboard like h77 board is actually better than wasting money on stuffs that you won't use.

I'm not saying regular old air cooling is bad... But when you suggest an aftermarket huge air cooler that you need a big enough case for, plus you have to pay $80, you might as well buy a corsair h80 and get the benefits of liquid cooling.... But if you don't want to get any aftermarket cooler or just a cheaper one like the 212, I agree with that.

On the topic on motherboards, read this http://www.pugetsystems.com/blog/2012/04/12/z68-z77-and-h77-whats-the-difference/

I agree the H77 are ok for everyday, regular computing use... But if your thinking of adding an additional graphics card one day or maybe overclocking, you can't... Also it has only 2 Sata 6gb/s, so if you add an additional ssd or hard drive, or even blu-ray drive it will be slower.... Again I'm not saying the the h77 chipset is bad, but it's subpar because it limits what you can do in the long haul. For a $500-700 build maybe a h77 with an i3 or i5 would be great... But for 1000 you definitely have room to breath and can get something that will last longer and get be overclocked... Why not get the better motherboard that is more stable and offers duel graphics and overclocking... Why not get a CPU that will play games at higher resolutions like 2560 x 1440 because that the next stage of moniter tech...

It's easy to buy crap and not think ahead. Especially when people act like they know what they are talking about.... But why are people suggesting the Xeon CPUs for a regular guy that wants to do some regular computing and play games once in a while. Xeon CPUs are for Workstations and servers... They have low power usage, because they are made to stay on the whole day if not for weeks and months at a time... Who never turns off their computer at home? I do and everyone else I know. If you don't plan to ever turn off your computer then a Xeon might be a good choice... But for performance and regular day-to-day computing, don't talk about power usage... It's doesn't really make a differance...

Again it's funny how people are suggesting CPUs and mobos that they have themselves. But hey if you wanna save costs and build a pc that you cannot overclock, or get sli/crossfire, then sure get the h77... But again for performance and longevity, I would advise against that. For $1000 build you really don't need to get a dumbed down chipset board, or locked CPU. You should be able to get a CPU is overclockable, a sli/crossfire mobo that is realiable and stable, 16gb ram, ssd, Hd, decent case, and gpu.
I haven't had time to look at exactly what mobo that I would get with the fx 8350 but based on the video review of it by Logan, I would suggest using that CPU... Again the only drawback is more power usage, but everything is similar or better, and it's overclockable.

If you seriously for some reason hate amd, although at this time it looks like a better buy... Get a decent z77 board and some sort of unlocked i5... Don't bother with an i7, unless your going to be doing video editing or serious rendering it won't make a big difference... But again going the intel route is more costly and in my opinion not worth it, especially cause if you don't have enough money you have to compromise and get crap in some other part on your pc.

 

[admbautista]

we know all of that. the deal is, if he is not planning or even wanting to have dual gpu/overclock why then waste money?

go ahead spend all the moeny you have for all the things that you won't be using. That is waht I'm trying to say. I know you can think ahead, but what if he doesn't want to? He would jsut stick with this for a long time. And with that period alot of newer generations would have came out. Try to look at the asker's point first before suggesting spending all his money to what he won't be using. He's been saying that he won't oc and stuffs. As for cooling, check this, http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/h100i-elc240-seidon-240m-lq320,3380.html
Why get sophisticated with cooling if you can have just air cooling with better cooling/noise value. Leaking all over the place... booom.

 

[admbautista]

And yeah, if you do not plan to overclock, you can live with the stock cooler and save money buy not buying an aftermarket cooler.

 

[TheBigTroll]

The reason why I bought a sabertooth is because they are insanely reliable, they run cool, and easy to overclock, .... I'm not planing to do sli or crossfire, so it didn't matter. They run cool and had the specs that I wanted at the time. But again games that ran at higher resolution then 1080p worked better then the i5 or i7 is my biggest turning point to the fx... Everything is going to towards higher resolution another at 1200 or 1440... Even look at how metro played on higher resolution in the video that I posted. In overall the fx work well in computing that uses more cores and in multitasking... I'm not saying that intel is worse, just for the money I would by the fx... And I have overclocked my gpu and CPU and it was fine... The sabertooth and there are plenty of reviews to show that it is a great motherboard, so you can say whatever you want but it has been reviews by many and eveyone likes them.

And why would someone by a d14 cooler when they can water cool for that price... H80 sometimes are on sale for a similar price... Buying a air cooler for more the $50 is just plain stupid if you ask me.

Also I'm just saying that amd uses their socket much longer then intel... And you can't argue with that, that is just plain fact.

It's just silly to me that people like you ignore the facts that Logan in the video has posted and he was surprised himself... But it's rediculous that the fx 8350 is equivalent or better in gaming, especially in higher resolution... Also it's very overclockable... And you have pointed out only a single drawback, is that it used more power... So What??? What does that even matter as long as you don't get a cheap ass motherboard?

the sabertooth doesnt run cool enough if it needs cooling fans to keep the shell (that traps heat) cool

because a h80 is 3x as loud and closed loop coolers have pretty crappy pumps and quality. you tack some good fans to that it will rack you 30 dollars more than usual. i see zero point of closed loop coolers unless you are space confined. and note, i can get 4ghz with my i7 3770k with a d14 passive. you cant with your watercooler. if i were to get one though, it would be the much higher quality swiftech h220.

assuming lga 775 was long lasting. and assuming fm1 was extremely short lived, id say they are about the same

if i can get 4.8ghz out of my i7 on a Lk series motherboard (with a good voltage push) what difference does it make for me to get anything higher. they literally perform the same. the only thing that would drive me to go higher (the z77-v pro) is more IO, but the odds are that most people dont fill up their IO. they will overclock the same. they show differences under watercooling

the "higher" level boards use more power bro. more power phases and more IO always mean more power