any comments on this build?

firas

firas

2[H]4U
Joined
Oct 29, 2006
Messages
2,458
t56bed.jpg


it's for a friend and mainly for gaming. it's his first PC, he owns a PS3 & a MacBook.
we'll buy the NZXT Phantom (the white small one not the 410) from a local store.
1200W PSU for a 2nd video card in the future, wanted the EVGA SuperNOVA NEX1500 Classified for the red/black scheme we're trying to do but it's not out yet.
Amazon is a must (order will be forwarded internationally)
 
It's a really overpriced build. The one part you didn't overspend on was the SSD and that's because you underspent on that.

Please answer the stickied "Answer these quesitons first!" so that we can help you better.

EDIT: Also how badly does your friend want that red and black color scheme? Enough to spend $500+ for it?
 
Last edited:
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
gaming, web browsing, he's a medical student so he'll use it for studying also.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
about 4000 USD
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
KSA with a US based mailbox
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
all the mentioned parts +
Corsair Air Series SP120 CO-9050007-WW
SteelSeries QcK mass Gaming Mouse Pad - Black
Logisys Dual 12" Cold Cathode Kit - Red
and a mouse (couldn't really recomend one for him)
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
will not reuse anything
6) Will you be overclocking?
yes
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
30" at 2560x1600. and he'll get a 22" one in the future. at first we were planing to get one of the korean 27" monitors.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
today
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
mainly SLI
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
not sure whats his OS plans, I recomended Win7 for him but another friend told him that Win8 is the best thing ever!
 
Ok I recommend these alternative parts if you can ditch that red/black color scheme:
$230 - Intel Core i5-3570K CPU
$180 - Asus P8Z77-V Intel Z77 ATX Motherboard
$90 - 2 x Corsair Vengeance Low Profile CML8GX3M2A1600C9 2 x 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM
$199 - Samsung 830 Series 256GB SSD
$177 - Corsair HX850 850W Modular PSU

You're saving $532 but you're getting the same gaming performance and better quality SSD. That $532 can be used towards a larger SSD or even a second GTX 680 4GB.

No, you don't need a 1200W PSU unless your friend is planning on quad Crossfire or SLi. No you don't need DDR3 2133 RAM since it makes no difference when it comes to games.
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
thats a nice magical med school failure machine you got there!

JK -

But honestly I agree with the overpriced part. Your buddy must be totally loaded cause none of my med school friends would have the funds to build anything resembling this, but more power to him/her!

Here are my comments:

- I'm from the camp where you either get SLI upon first build or you'll never end up getting that second card. When the time comes to upgrade 2 gens down the road or whenever there will be a single card solution that will be way more attractive than SLI. Adjusting the mobo and PSU would save you a few hundred very easily

- You could easily save $150+ on an 8gb set . 16gb is for VM work and/or serious multitasking and the DDR3 2133 frequency is entirely unnecessary. No matter how hard your friend games I doubt he/she they will approach 8gb. unused RAM is wasted RAM.

- For gaming, a 3570K would be $100 cheaper and yield no tangible decrease in performance.

There! saved about 20% on your tower with ZERO loss in performance for your friend's uses :) you can even keep that color scheme if you want.

$4000 is an awful lot to spend on a gaming machine, considering that for gaming performance this rig could be matched or beaten by a rig built for under $2000 in about a year. That's just how gaming hardware goes.
 
Last edited:
we didn't really try hard for the red/black scheme, he went with the Maximus V so I suggested the memory to match it because it's not that expensive than similar models. the red color in the SSD/PSU was a lucky coincidence.

this is good news, are you sure a 850W PSU will handle an OCed Ivy and 2 GTX 680 Classifieds?

I think 256GB is enough but any other SSD with larger size you recommend?

edit: @Nakamori: he's that med school guy with a 2012 BMW 740.
I agree with 3570K and 8GB ram and I'll let him read this thread.

I don't know about the 2nd video card , my original plan was a 27" but he wen't with the 30" monitor so I told him to get one card now and get another one if he finds that he actually like the whole PC gaming thing and felt that he cant run his favorite games smoothly.
 
Last edited:
That keyboard.... 299.. Dear lord. SO many better keyboards out there for so much less. Stupid buy if you get that IMO.
 
Danny you mentioned the HX but linked to the AX, I think you mean the AX since the HX is more expensive on amazon for some reason.

any advice about the monitor?
shipping the Dell u3011 will cost about $270 (total $1370 for the monitor alone which is crazy)
this is 30" and IPS and will cost $807 with shipping.
and for the 27" size there is the Achieva, Catleap, Crossover and Potalion. don't know whats the best to go with but I'm afraid non of them is IPS but any of them will cost around $300 including shipping
 
As an eBay Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Way overkill on the PSU.
$240 for ram? Why?
$300 keyboard? A KEYBOARD!?
 
firas said:
Danny you mentioned the HX but linked to the AX, I think you mean the AX since the HX is more expensive on amazon for some reason.
Click to expand...
Yeah I meant the AX.

firas said:
any advice about the monitor?
shipping the Dell u3011 will cost about $270 (total $1370 for the monitor alone which is crazy)
this is 30" and IPS and will cost $807 with shipping.
and for the 27" size there is the Achieva, Catleap, Crossover and Potalion. don't know whats the best to go with but I'm afraid non of them is IPS but any of them will cost around $300 including shipping
Click to expand...
All I can say is check out this article:
http://techreport.com/articles.x/23291

And hit up our displays forum. And yes definitely look around for a different keyboard.
 
As an eBay Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Again, your friend does not need the 3770K at all since the biggest thing he's doing with that PC is gaming. Unless your friend is doing a ton of video, 3D, or audio editing/rendering, he'll be fine with the Core i5 3570K.

In addition, will your friend actually be using all the of the extra features that the Asus P8Z77-V Pro has over the Asus P8Z77-V?

Also, I don't recommend the Mad Catz at all since it's seems way too pricey for it.
 
You do not need DDR3 2133 RAM for an Ivy Bridge setup. Look for a 2x8GB DDR3 1600 kit for around $90. This will allow you friend to upgrade to 32GB at a later date.

You wont notice ANY difference between DDR3 1333 and DDR3 2133, muchless DDR3 1600 and DDR3 2133. In fact, all of it will run at DDR3 1333 anyway.
 
I can agree more with the above guys.

Drop the CPU, it will OC just as well.

See if the Pro is worth it for your needs. I have features on my mobo i dont use.

Ditch the 16GB of ram, and high speed ram, get DDR1600, and only get 2x4GB. I have 16GB of ram, I couldnt touch it, and it makes it less stable when I OC, so I have two sticks sitting on the ledge in my office collecting dust.

Have a look at the logitech G510 keyboard. I have it, its not too bad. Its a little clicky feeling (i like mech keyboards), but I used its G-Keys (18 of them), to make macros for online gaming, and I use its LCD to monitor temps, GPU usage, Mem Useage etc in single player games.

And now I dont game anymore (no time), and want to downgrade to a mini HTPC.
 
For the budget allowed, no reason not to go with 16GB with 2 8GB sticks. It'll be just as stable overclocking as your 2x4GB kit.
 
I have seen many with issues with having 4 sticks. Mostly there has to be a slight bump to the ram voltage to maintain stability.
 
I was commenting on the last screen shot of basket, where it showed 4x4, sorry didnt see you say to go with 2x8.
 
Danny Bui said:
Again, your friend does not need the 3770K at all since the biggest thing he's doing with that PC is gaming. Unless your friend is doing a ton of video, 3D, or audio editing/rendering, he'll be fine with the Core i5 3570K.

In addition, will your friend actually be using all the of the extra features that the Asus P8Z77-V Pro has over the Asus P8Z77-V?

Also, I don't recommend the Mad Catz at all since it's seems way too pricey for it.
Click to expand...

I already saved him fro another guy's recommendations (the 30" Dell, socket 2011 build & a caselabs case with watercooling)
going from the Dell to the CrossOver saved $870
and the new mobo, ram, SSD and PSU saved about $500

so I'll pass the $20 save in the Asus V, and I passed the CPU since he knows I own it.

the keyboard, mouse & case is just a personal preference. I gave him alot of options and told him about the mechanical keyboards and recomended the G510 and a Lian Li case. he can choose whatever he likes.

and TBH it's a nice keyboard http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_2DfKJuoz8

Skillz said:
You do not need DDR3 2133 RAM for an Ivy Bridge setup. Look for a 2x8GB DDR3 1600 kit for around $90. This will allow you friend to upgrade to 32GB at a later date.

You wont notice ANY difference between DDR3 1333 and DDR3 2133, muchless DDR3 1600 and DDR3 2133. In fact, all of it will run at DDR3 1333 anyway.
Click to expand...

I sent him those links to keep him away from the 2400Mhz models
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4503/sandy-bridge-memory-scaling-choosing-the-best-ddr3/6
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/memory/display/sandy-bridge-ddr3_7.html#sect0
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/memory/2011/01/11/the-best-memory-for-sandy-bridge/10

sonyman said:
The Geforce GTX 670 is a much better value than the 680 with very similar performance. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130782. Someone else will have to comment on 2GB VRAM vs 4GB.
Click to expand...

I don't think the GTX 680 is too much for 2560X1440

Stupid_Newbie said:
Have a look at the logitech G510 keyboard. I have it, its not too bad. Its a little clicky feeling (i like mech keyboards), but I used its G-Keys (18 of them), to make macros for online gaming, and I use its LCD to monitor temps, GPU usage, Mem Useage etc in single player games.

And now I dont game anymore (no time), and want to downgrade to a mini HTPC.
Click to expand...

I don't like or use the LCD in my G15 and thats why I added the G110 not the 510.

Stupid_Newbie said:
I have seen many with issues with having 4 sticks. Mostly there has to be a slight bump to the ram voltage to maintain stability.
Click to expand...

Asus Z77 boards have this T-branch thing

from Raja
Just to clear up confusion; T-branch won't do anything clock for clock, but will extend OC margin with all slots populated.
Click to expand...

I have 4x4 and was able to hit 5100 with my IB (at 4800 for 24/7) at stock voltage and timings.
 
Still no reason to get DDR3 2133 over DDR3 1333 or even DDR3 1600. The price to performance ratio just isn't there. You gain hardly no performance with them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top