Build review...

[dopefish lives]

I'm going to take my current system and freshen it up for my brother to use since he is getting more into gaming and the dog he is using now doesn't handle Team Fortress 2 very well.

The current specs I've been enjoying for the last couple of years:
Lian-Li PC60
Corsair HX520 PSU
Abit IS7-E mainboard
Intel Q6600 Core2Quad
4GB Corsair DDR2 PC5300 memory
EVGA GeForce 8800GTX
Creative Labs X-Fi PCI
WD Caviar Black 120GB & 250GB
LG DVD/RW

Since my system is moving down the line I need another to replace my Fileserver/Mild-Gamer/Graphics-Editing station. Since I haven't so much as looked at hardware since building my last system I'm a little out of touch with the hardware available today. It seems a lot of companies (ATI/nVidia/etc) have run through the series/names so many times that now they are overlapping and the way they pair up or compete makes very little sense to me. Short of a decent case, I think I have everything else locked in for the build, I'm just hoping to get some input from those keeping themselves better educated on the hardware available today.

Corsair HX650 PSU
Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z Z68 Micro-ATX mainboard
Intel Core i5 2400 3.1Ghz (3.4Ghz TB)
G.Skill Ripjaw X DDR3 1600
XFX Radeon 6870 1GB
Crucial M4 64GB SSD (OS)
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB (Datastore) -- Plan to add one more at a later date, as needed.

I want a small case, hence going with a Micro-ATX board as I don't have many peripherals. Only using one expansion card (video), not intending to use an optical drive at all and all my other needs are built-in to the board. I really wanted another Lian-Li, but their smaller cases all lack the well thought out design of their earlier mid-tower models, yet they still keep the premium pricing. :/

Thanks for the input guys.

Edit: I am aiming to OC a bit -- that little itch of this hobby never left me, though I don't know if paying the premium for a 2500K processor is worth the extra freedoms... That in mind, I'll probably keep the stock cooler for now, but may break back into watercooling at a later date. (My 2nd gen P4 was watercooled as was the C2Q initially before moving to a Zallman 'orb' copper cooler).

 

[mda]

If you plan to OC, then the 2500K is the bare minimum you should consider. The 2400 can probably overclock 100-200MHz at most, but that sucks. Watercooling now probably isn't necessary, as a decent 30-40$ heatsink+fan combo should get the 2500K into the 4.5GHz without much trouble.

 

[Dangman]

I have moved this thread to the correct forum.

Please answer the stickied "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST!" so that we can help you better.

 

[dopefish lives]

I have moved this thread to the correct forum.

Please answer the stickied "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST!" so that we can help you better.

Thank you sir, in response to your request:

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
A: Mild gaming (TF2 / SC2), Mediastore (MP3's/HD Videos), Photoshop/AutoCAD and occasional browsing.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
While I aimed to stay below 600-700$, it is clear that is unrealistic for the quality of hardware I am after. That said, my budget is flexible to meeting a high standard of quality, not seeking the 'latest and greatest' just for the sake of saying I have it.

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
The Land of Opportunity (USA)

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.
Case and all contents, for an inventory of what components I lack, please see above.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
I will be re-using my keyboard, mouse and display; nothing else.

6) Will you be overclocking?
Maybe.

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1680x1050, 22"

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
1-2 months.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.
No needs beyond what associated hardware may require. I would prefer to future-proof it slightly, so USB3.0 and SATA III are bonuses.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7 licenses. Presently the 64-bit key is in use on my current machine, but could easily be moved when the new one is built and this one is formatted/reloaded.

 

[HeavensCloud]

I second the 2500K as the minimum, but if you do a lot of heavy editing the extra 4 cores in the 2600K might be worth it if you can afford it. Non K series don't overclock.

 

[Dangman]

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
1-2 months.

Do note that our recommendations tends to change from month to month and sometimes even weekly. So 2-3 weeks before you actually buy, bump up this thread again with your updated build list to make sure that the parts you're buying are still good buys.

For now, assume that all of my recommendations will be good up until the end of this month and possibly half of the latter month.

Now onto your list of parts:
- Where you planning on getting a mATX case or something? I ask because outside of using a mATX case, that mATX mobo you chose isn't that good for the money. From everything you've said so far, you should be fine with this mobo instead:
$145 - MSI P67A-GD55 Intel P67 ATX Motherboard

- Which G.Skill Ripjaw X DDR3 1600 were you planning on getting?

- That Samsung drive is no longer our top recommendation for hard drives as it's been beaten out in terms of performance by this similarily priced Hitachi drive:
$156 - Hitachi Desktar 7K1000.D HDS721010DLE630 1TB SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive

- Definitely go with the Core i5 2500K if you want to be able to OC past 3.6Ghz.

 

[Forceman]

I second the 2500K as the minimum, but if you do a lot of heavy editing the extra 4 cores in the 2600K might be worth it if you can afford it. Non K series don't overclock.

The non-K chips can overclock 4 turbo multipliers past their stock settings. So they overclock a little.

 

[E4g1e]

The non-K chips can overclock 4 turbo multipliers past their stock settings.

Actually, 4 turbo multipliers past their default turbo settings So, the i5-2400 can overclock up to 3.8GHz in single-threaded use (3.6GHz in quad-threaded use). The difference is that the non-K chips do not allow setting the multi-core multipliers independently of the maximum multiplier.

 

[dopefish lives]

Do note that our recommendations tends to change from month to month and sometimes even weekly. So 2-3 weeks before you actually buy, bump up this thread again with your updated build list to make sure that the parts you're buying are still good buys.

For now, assume that all of my recommendations will be good up until the end of this month and possibly half of the latter month.

Now onto your list of parts:
- Where you planning on getting a mATX case or something? I ask because outside of using a mATX case, that mATX mobo you chose isn't that good for the money. From everything you've said so far, you should be fine with this mobo instead:
$145 - MSI P67A-GD55 Intel P67 ATX Motherboard

- Which G.Skill Ripjaw X DDR3 1600 were you planning on getting?

- That Samsung drive is no longer our top recommendation for hard drives as it's been beaten out in terms of performance by this similarily priced Hitachi drive:
$156 - Hitachi Desktar 7K1000.D HDS721010DLE630 1TB SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive

- Definitely go with the Core i5 2500K if you want to be able to OC past 3.6Ghz.

I appreciate the thorough responses.

I intend on going mATX, and would consider ITX if a decent board existed in that form-factor. So far the limiting factor is that none of the cases I've come across have proven to be as impressive as my trusty old PC-60. The Fractal Designs Core 1k looks the part but it is a little costly given that it is of steel construction and doesn't have a removable mainboard tray. I could just say screw it, buy a new PC-60 (or variant) and go with a standard ATX board -- I just don't need the additional expansion ports.

What is better about the MSI board compared to the ASUS?

I didn't realize there was any difference in the Ripjaw X DDR3 1600's... CAS timings 9-9-9-24 2 x 4GB (8GB total) kit. Honestly I've always run Corsair memory in the past and had very good luck with it, it just seemed the overwhelming consensus that G.Skill was every bit as good (and came at a slight discount).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428

So pay the extra 30$ for the K-series chip, got it.

Danny, how does the WD Black compare to the Hitachi's and Samsungs? Again, I've always run WD drives with no issues what so ever, but in my recent reading, other manufacturers have been noted time and time again as offering stiff competition. Also, are there still concerns regarding the reliability of 2TB and 3TB drives? If the current 2TB units are as stable as the 1TB units, I don't see any reason not to go that route instead.

 

[Dangman]

I intend on going mATX, and would consider ITX if a decent board existed in that form-factor. So far the limiting factor is that none of the cases I've come across have proven to be as impressive as my trusty old PC-60. The Fractal Designs Core 1k looks the part but it is a little costly given that it is of steel construction and doesn't have a removable mainboard tray. I could just say screw it, buy a new PC-60 (or variant) and go with a standard ATX board -- I just don't need the additional expansion ports.

None of these Lian Li cases do it for you?:
$120 - Silverstone TJ08B-E mATX Case
$110 - Lian Li PC-V351A Silver mATX Case
$110 - Lian Li PC-V351B Black mATX Case
$110 - Lian Li PC-A04B Black mATX Case
$100 - Lian Li PC-A04A Silver mATX Case
$130 - Lian Li PC-V354A Silver mATX Case
$150 - Lian Li PC-V354B Black mATX Case

What is better about the MSI board compared to the ASUS?

Pretty much better pricing. It has most of the features of that Asus mobo and has extra space for a Crossfire or SLI setup. The only way IMO that Asus mobo would be a justifiable purchase at its $178 shipped price tag is if you're getting a mATX case. There are quite a few ATX mobos in the $145 to $180 price range that has most, if not all, of the features of that Asus mobo.

I didn't realize there was any difference in the Ripjaw X DDR3 1600's... CAS timings 9-9-9-24 2 x 4GB (8GB total) kit. Honestly I've always run Corsair memory in the past and had very good luck with it, it just seemed the overwhelming consensus that G.Skill was every bit as good (and came at a slight discount).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428

Get that RAM today as it's on sale.

Danny, how does the WD Black compare to the Hitachi's and Samsungs? Again, I've always run WD drives with no issues what so ever, but in my recent reading, other manufacturers have been noted time and time again as offering stiff competition.

If you're talking about the WD 1TB Black SATA 6.0Gb/s drive, that drive performs as fast as the Samsung F3 1TB drive but often costs a lot more than the Samsung drive. Most of the other WD Black drives are significantly slower than the Samsung F3 1TB. However, the Hitachi that I recommended outperforms the Samsung F3 1TB and the WD 1TB Black SATA 6.0Gb/s drive.

Also, are there still concerns regarding the reliability of 2TB and 3TB drives? If the current 2TB units are as stable as the 1TB units, I don't see any reason not to go that route instead.

They're just as stable as 1TB units. However depending on which 2TB drive you're talking about, some of those 2TB drives are slower than their 1TB cousins/brothers

 

[dopefish lives]

Ordering memory today -- that's nearly a 35% from when I first saw it.

None of these Lian Li cases do it for you?:
$120 - Silverstone TJ08B-E mATX Case
$110 - Lian Li PC-V351A Silver mATX Case
$110 - Lian Li PC-V351B Black mATX Case
$110 - Lian Li PC-A04B Black mATX Case
$100 - Lian Li PC-A04A Silver mATX Case
$130 - Lian Li PC-V354A Silver mATX Case
$150 - Lian Li PC-V354B Black mATX Case

None of Lian-Li's small cases impress me. They all lack the detail in design and thoughtfulness that their full-size cases tend to exhibit. None of them have the infinity handy removable mainbaord tray or have the consideration for component lay out that the PC-60 and V1000. I love the styling of the PC V600, but at nearly $200 it lacks a removable mainboard tray and several reviews note that the internal layout is rather poorly thought out.

For that reason, I'd rather get the Fractal Designs Core 1000. At least it comes in at a sub-100$ price point for it's lack of features while maintaining decent appearances and construction quality.

 

[Tony Ou]

The TJ08-E is not a Lian-Li! And it does have a removable motherboard tray.

If you aren't in a hurry, the Precision PS07 is another good choice for about $20 less than TJ08-E.

 

[dopefish lives]

I wasn't a big fan of the TJ08, partly because of those exterior drive bays and the odd placement of the 3.5" one as well as believing that the tray was not removable. Newegg doesn't do the Silverstone case much justice, with few pictures detailing the unit. I looked at the other models on the Silverstone website, and none of them caught my fancy beyond the renewed interest in the TJ08 Danny mentioned thanks to Tony pointing out the features it carries.

I assume there are no arguments regarding my selection in SSD? -- Looks like the one I am interested in went on sale today as well.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148441

 

[tiraides]

Nope. It's what I bought for myself (granted, it's the 128GB version, but still...).

 

[dopefish lives]

Nope. It's what I bought for myself (granted, it's the 128GB version, but still...).

Yea, I don't plan to have much on it. The OS only and I'll likely use EWF once I get it fully configured; only disabling when updates are necessary. As far as applications, games, documents and media; they will all reside on the secondary drive (Eventually drives in RAID 1).

 

[dopefish lives]

Little update as I placed my order and finished the system up tonight.

Fractal Designs Core 1000
Corsair HX650 PSU (Carried over from another system)
Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z Z68 Micro-ATX mainboard
Intel Core i5 2500K 3.3Ghz
G.Skill Ripjaw X DDR3 1600 8GB
Crucial M4 64GB SSD
1TB storage drive (carried over from another system)

I love it so far and honestly don't know why I waited so long to get an SSD. I haven't ordered a video card yet, but the on-board iGPU will do for now. I plan on ordering an nVidia 560 Ti once I find a good deal. I'm pretty happy and the build ended up costing slightly under $700 after shipping,

 

[Dangman]

Good to see things are going well!