My First Gaming Rig (WIP) help wanted

[James Musacchio]

Id like to know if any of these parts are bad or not fully compatible or if you guys have any suggestions for improvements, thanx. I'd also like to know how to set up crossfire (the whole link procedure and drivers) thanx again. Also I'm not sure if the second case fan is necessary because I think the case already comes with a fan. I'm kinda new to building custom Pc's just turned 18 lol.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100 92.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M4 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($379.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($379.99 @ Newegg)
Sound Card: Asus Xonar D1 24-bit 192 KHz Sound Card ($89.00 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Black Widow 850W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Enermax UCTVD12A 71.8 CFM 120mm Fan ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1845.89

 

[James Musacchio]

oh also I think I need a better sound card in it, i want one that supports 7.1 surround and that has all the right jacks for a 7.1 surround sound system, but i'm not even sure what 7.1 system to buy.

 

[djangoringo]

You don't need the soundcard, if you have a motherboard with a good onboard audio, you have a z68 board, i'd get the z77 board for ivybridge cpus, that one is a old model, also for gaming you don't need the i7 or the 16GB of ram, i'd get a better psu, the thermaltake one isn't good, change some stuff, also i added an aircooler, it's as good as the watercooler and without risks of leaks and it's cheaper.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC12DX 68.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($65.66 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V PRO ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Intel Extreme Master, Limited Ed 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M4 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($379.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($379.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 850W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($122.75 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Case Fan: Enermax UCTVD12A 71.8 CFM 120mm Fan ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1815.29
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)


The phanteks cpu has several colors, for matching the motherboard and other stuff get the blue one : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835709019

The psu is actually $102.75 after mir, the ram in newegg 42$ after promo code.

 

[James Musacchio]

Wow, thanx man. But what port of how would i hook up surround sound to the motherboard with the receiver?

 

[James Musacchio]

thanx for that awesome fan and info about possible leaking. but do i need that second case fan for 16$ since the case itself comes with a fan?

 

[djangoringo]

It's not necessary the fan, it's just optional, since you had in the list, i just listed.
You need to connect the grey(middle),black(rear),green(front),orange(front center/subwoofer).

 

[James Musacchio]

Best answer selected by James Musacchio.

 

[James Musacchio]

It's not necessary the fan, it's just optional, since you had in the list, i just listed.
You need to connect the grey(middle),black(rear),green(front),orange(front center/subwoofer).

thanks a ton again. I didn't know exactly what went where. also thanx for the clarification on the fan. I looked at some of the higher end asus mother boards and they talk about having great on board audio. Do you know which board has the best onboard audio? also i would mind more PCI slots but the audio is a bigger concern.

 

[djangoringo]

Is the audio system a good one ?
It has to be really good to take advantage of the sound card.
If it's just get the sound card you had, there's no point in getting the rog boards for the sound, it will be even more expensive than a z77 + soundcard.

 

[James Musacchio]

Is the audio system a good one ?
It has to be really good to take advantage of the sound card.
If it's just get the sound card you had, there's no point in getting the rog boards for the sound, it will be even more expensive than a z77 + soundcard.

i'll be getting some onkyo 7.1 one for like 300-500ish so idk if thats good or not lol.

 

[djangoringo]

Yes, get the sound card then, and you can get this board, since it's cheaper : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128545
13$ off with promo code, it's as good as the asus.

 

[fixer762]

Just a word of caution, water coolers can leak, air coolers can't.
This Noctua NH-D14 can cool almost as good as those predone water coolers.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018

I have seen one of those Phantoms in person and it is one massive case, but it seems more of a style case instead of function based case.
If you aren't attached to that case try the following
Rosewill Thor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147158

CM Storm Trooper
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119245

or the white CM Stryker(same as above except it is white and has a window)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119260

Paul of Newegg.com also just did a Crossfire tutorial on his youtube. Basically you download the most up-to-date Amd drivers for the cards and open them and enable crossfire by clicking on a box.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZphJB5cUNKE

Get a Seasonic PSU, I have one and it is rock solid. And the modular cables are really nice. BTW I did the power calculation for you with Newegg's calculator it says get a PSU bigger than 906W!!! 850W won't do.

try this Seasonic 1,050W PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151110

Also more storage space would be a good idea. How about a 1tb Seagate Barracuda?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840

Get this low profile Ram from Corsair so you do not have to worry about ram heatsinks getting in the way of CPU coolers. Ram heatsinks are only for show and don't serve any real function until you get to way higher speeds.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233197
or this
It is the same thing, except denser 8gb sticks and it is cheaper.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233280

Last thought is if you want a cool system fill ALL of the case fan slots with the biggest fans appropriate. Cooler systems last longer and are more stable.

Hope this helps.

Darn almost forgot to tell you to check prices with another parts seller. NCIX
http://us.ncix.com/
They are a Canadian company and have a US office now and ship International. Sometimes they have better prices on some things, one example would be case fans here are way cheaper than the same exact fans at Newegg.

 

[djangoringo]

That's wrong, a quality psu with 850W will do for two 7950, he doesn't need 1000W.
http://tpucdn.com/reviews/ASUS/HD_7970_CrossFire/images/power_peak.gif

The xfx is modular and made by seasonic.
He doesn't need 16GB of ram, it's just a waste.
The phanteks PH-TC12DX has clearance for tall heatsinks like the patriot ram.

 

[James Musacchio]

ill do more research on the psu and will probably go without the liquid cooling but what i dont understand is how are there built in USB ports on the case if the if motherboard already has them?

 

[James Musacchio]

and yeah honestly the phantom case is just to sexy to pass up but i seriously dont get how there are are already usb ports on cases when the mother board has them right on it :/

 

[James Musacchio]

like do i connect the mother boards ports to the case's ports?

 

[djangoringo]

See the manual of the motherboard.
The motherboard has usb 3.0 ports in the back, any has, some have more than two, the gigabyte has four(in case you did check the motherboard link) the asus has also four.

 

[James Musacchio]

See the manual of the motherboard.
The motherboard has usb 3.0 ports in the back, any has, some have more than two, the gigabyte has four(in case you did check the motherboard link) the asus has also four.

thanx but now im wondering if i should wait for the radeon 8000 series and the gtx 700 series since they will be out within 2
months probably.

 

[djangoringo]

They won't be coming so soon, specially the radeon 8000 series : http://www.techpowerup.com/180009/No-New-GPUs-from-AMD-for-the-Bulk-of-2013.html

There's the geforce Titan coming, which by the rumors will be almost as good as a 690 gtx, but with just a single gpu on the pcb, with a price point within 700-900$(rumors), it's to be said that it will come by the end of this month, i don't know if you want to wait for a review of it, and see if it has a decent good value price/performance, and if it really is better as a single card than two 670 gtx.

 

[James Musacchio]

They won't be coming so soon, specially the radeon 8000 series : http://www.techpowerup.com/180009/No-New-GPUs-from-AMD-for-the-Bulk-of-2013.html

There's the geforce Titan coming, which by the rumors will be almost as good as a 690 gtx, but with just a single gpu on the pcb, with a price point within 700-900$(rumors), it's to be said that it will come by the end of this month, i don't know if you want to wait for a review of it, and see if it has a decent good value price/performance, and if it really is better as a single card than two 670 gtx.

oh thanx, so do you think it's still a good idea to got for the 7970's because their price vs performance is a really good ratio still? or should i consider two different cards?

 

[James Musacchio]

They won't be coming so soon, specially the radeon 8000 series : http://www.techpowerup.com/180009/No-New-GPUs-from-AMD-for-the-Bulk-of-2013.html

There's the geforce Titan coming, which by the rumors will be almost as good as a 690 gtx, but with just a single gpu on the pcb, with a price point within 700-900$(rumors), it's to be said that it will come by the end of this month, i don't know if you want to wait for a review of it, and see if it has a decent good value price/performance, and if it really is better as a single card than two 670 gtx.

I also heard from a friend that the ram I choose isnt fully usable in windows 7. he said that the fastest that windows 7 actually capable of fully using is 1600 and nothing above or something.

 

[djangoringo]

Yes, my mistake, i thought it was two 670 gtx, from another thread, 7970 CF is a good option to go with, for a dual gpu setup, specially with the games offered by amd never settle.
It's up to you if you want to wait for a review of the geforce titan or get the two 7970 now.
The patriot ram is 1600 mhz and with 1.5v it's fine for ivybridge cpus.

 

[James Musacchio]

Yes, my mistake, i thought it was two 670 gtx, from another thread, 7970 CF is a good option to go with, for a dual gpu setup, specially with the games offered by amd never settle.
It's up to you if you want to wait for a review of the geforce titan or get the two 7970 now.
The patriot ram is 1600 mhz and with 1.5v it's fine for ivybridge cpus.

is the titan a card from their 700 series?

 

[James Musacchio]

Yes, my mistake, i thought it was two 670 gtx, from another thread, 7970 CF is a good option to go with, for a dual gpu setup, specially with the games offered by amd never settle.
It's up to you if you want to wait for a review of the geforce titan or get the two 7970 now.
The patriot ram is 1600 mhz and with 1.5v it's fine for ivybridge cpus.

wow, i looked up the titan and it seems amazing but its like $900 and both of 7970's together aren't even that that expensive.

 

[djangoringo]

It appears to be based on the Tesla K20.
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/GeForce-Titan-leak-launch,20977.html

Yes, two 7970 might be cheaper, like i said, it's up to you if you want to wait for a review of it or not.