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Yet another "Help me with a new build" thread..

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July 30, 2013 11:29:52 PM

A bit of background: I left the IT world back in the early 2000s and went into aviation. My last build was a Pentium 4 on an Abit AI7 (The very computer I'm using to write this up actually) This past weekend, it failed once again and after a couple days, I managed to get it running again, but it's time for a new machine.

3 days of research (and a LOT of reading here) has me just about as confused as I was when I did my first OC with an Abit BX6 and a Slot 1 Celeron. (yes, I'm that old. ehhehe)

So, I found the "template" for properly asking about build advice so here we go:

Approximate Purchase Date: Within the next few days

Budget Range: $1000-$1200 but I can fudge a bit higher if necessary.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: 3D CAD, Video/Photo Editing, Music, Office Apps, Web development, Web browsing/research, E-mail, games.

Are you buying a monitor: No, already set up with twin 24" widescreens.

Parts to Upgrade: Mobo, CPU, RAM, PSU, Case. Will re-use drives, video cards and other peripherals.

Do you need to buy OS: NEED? No. Probably should get off XP SP3 and move to at least 64-bit Win7 tho. :) 

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Doesn't really matter to me, but I've checked NewEgg, Tiger Direct, Micro Center, Frys, SuperBiiz, CompSource and next up is NCIX. I don't mind "shotgunning" my purchases if the shipping and tax don't eat up any savings I might get by doing so.

Location: North San Diego County, California, USA.

Parts Preferences: Definitely want to go with an i7 processor. Been eyeballing the 4770K since it's just a few bucks more than a 3770K and it might "future proof" me for a bit longer. We've had very good luck with the ASUS Sabertooth Z77 Mobos in our sims at work so I'm leaning towards the Sabertooth Z87 or the Z87 Pro at the moment, but would consider other makes/models with the Z87 chipset. Would prefer to not have the integrated video as I've got GTX 550s on hand right now, but not a show stopper if the board is a good value.

Looking at the folllowing:
Mobo: ASUS Sabertooth Z87 or Z87 Pro
CPU: Core i7 4770K
PSU: 800W+ (Corsair 850TXV2)
RAM: 32G DDR3 1600MHz (Corsair CMZ32GX3M4X1600C10)
Case: TBD (I did read a few "cheap case" reviews here earlier this evening but in the past, I've always gone InWin - Don't want to drop $200 on a case if possible)

Overclocking: Of course! hehehe

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe.

Your Monitor Resolution: Twin 1680x1050s right now. Would like some "overhead" to upgrade in the future though.

Additional Comments: Want to water cool with something like the Corsair H80/H90. Current rig is running 4 120mm Delta fans and honestly, I'm tired of the all the white noise between that and the fans in my equipment rack. Do NOT want LED fans and couldn't care less about a window in the side of the case or the front of the case looks like a Transformer or a Lamborghini. Front panel USB/Audio would be nice, as would a SATA HD dock on top, (I bring work home from time to time) but not deal breakers if they're not available.

Why Are You Upgrading?: 'cuz the only thing older than my computer is me. :) 

Not looking for "gimme" responses, but info to make an informed purchase. Unfortunately, I don't think I have the time left with this machine to be as informed as I would like. It's blue screened on me twice since I got it running again and frankly, I don't trust it to keep running through the week.

Appreciate pointers to do more research on my own as well!

Thx!

More about : build thread

July 30, 2013 11:42:44 PM

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3930K 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($499.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($81.00 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X79-UP4 ATX LGA2011 Motherboard ($235.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($277.13 @ TigerDirect)
Case: Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 850W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($104.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($124.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $1373.09
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-31 02:41 EDT-0400)

since it looks like you want a workstation this should serve your needs better.
July 31, 2013 12:37:06 AM

I came up with this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($279.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH Z87 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($229.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($277.13 @ TigerDirect)
Case: Antec GX700 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 850W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($104.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($124.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $1141.08
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-31 03:34 EDT-0400)

Interesting that the price for the CPU was initially listed at $339 from NewEgg, but then when I generated the code I saw the vendor had changed to Micro Center and the price was their $279.99 store pickup price.
Related resources
August 2, 2013 7:47:15 AM

More reading, more questions...

Read on a few sites (this one included) that maybe the Haswell CPUs aren't the way to go due to the high power requirements and heat generated and not much of a performance increase over the 3rd gen i7 CPUs. That's a bit "confusing" as the specs for the 3770 say it's a 77 watt unit and the 4770K is 82 watts. Certainly 7 watts isn't a large enough increase in heat to warrant some of the "sky is falling" comments I've read of late, or is it?

Reading reviews of both air and closed loop water coolers, it seems some of the air coolers are better performers than the pricey water units. I'm not a real big fan of enormous CPU coolers hanging off a vertically oriented mobo (We've had a few issues with that config here at work) and top performing air units like the NH-D14 are huge and the 9 coolers in the July 14 review were also quite large. We've used both the H80 and H100 closed loop coolers in our sims, but on i7 3770 CPUs and they perform quite well so I'm inclined to believe they'll work for the 4770K as well. Thoughts?

Lastly (for now) is RAM. Better to go with overall better timing specs or focus on low latency numbers?

FWIW, Micro Center told me yesterday that when the 4770K is back in stock in Tustin, the price will be increasing from $279.99 to $319.99. Not sure what the other locations are going to do with price...
August 9, 2013 4:16:05 PM

So I bought parts last night and started building this morning. Having a fitment issue with the H100i cooler. Backing plate went on just fine. Installed the pump with the thumbscrews in an "X" pattern, turning each screw about 1 turn at a time until all 4 were snug.

I found a problem with the USB3 cable's connection and had to pull the mobo to tweak the case a bit to relieve the connector strain. When I pulled the pump, I noticed one entire edge of the CPU had no thermal compound on it to a width of about 1/4". It appears as if the pump is not being clamped down evenly.

The docs with the cooler don't mention an 1150 socket, but the Corsair web site says it'll work. Anyone else running an H100i with an 1150 socket?

Thx!
October 31, 2013 8:19:00 PM

Forgot about this thread, but thought I'd provide an update in case it might help someone else.

So, nearly 2 months later, the new machine is cooking right along. Pretty much the rig I detailed above, but I ended up with the H100i cooler and an ASUS case. Super quiet, MUCH faster than my old box - my video rendering is almost real-time and my CAD stuff takes seconds to rebuild even pretty complex models, versus the several minutes it used to take.

Pushbutton OC got me to 4.5GHz pretty easily and temps are still very cool - high-30s to low-40s most of the time. Video card and RAM get warmer than the CPU.

Still want to get Solid State Drives, but not bad for a tick over $1000.
!