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Building a new computer, looking for advice

T

tehslippery

Gawd
Joined
Feb 17, 2012
Messages
833
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
A little bit of everything, but mostly doing a lot of boxing MMO's like EQ2 and TOR
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Budget isn't a strict issue, but I'm trying to keep it in the 2k range. If I go a little over it isn't a problem
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Cape Coral, Florida
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, Motherboard, Processor, RAM, Video Card, Power Supply, SSD
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Hard Drive, 2 Fans that I'll put on H100, I also have a keyboard, mouse, and monitor already.
6) Will you be overclocking?
Yes, I'd like to be in the 4.5 to 4.8 GHz range
7) 7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1980x1020
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
I'd like to buy this weekend/early next week
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)? etc.
I don't intend to do anything SLI, and don't really use much in the USB department other then peripherals. SATA 6Gb/s for the SSD/HD
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, Windows 7 64 bit


I'll buy stuff from either New Egg or Amazon, whichever is cheaper. I have Amazon Prime so I get free 2 day shipping on a lot of the stuff which sways me there when all other things are equal.

The stuff I'm looking at right now
Case - $134.99 Cooler Master HAF 932, Blue
I have the red version of this case for my current computer (I'll be using 2 computers). It barely fits in my desk (about a half inch vertical clearance without wheels on), so I'm definitely open to suggestions for other cases. Especially ones that might be a little quieter, and power buttons on the front are preferable. I do need to be able to fit the h100 with 4 fans for push/pull though.
Motherboard - $188.49 after shipping and promo, ASUS P67 Sabertooth
Plus assistant fan $6.98 Evercool 50mm
Processor - $324.99 i7 2600k
CPU cooling - $109.55 Corsair H100
2 additional $13.52 each Cooler Master Excalibur
Are they actually better than the stock fans? If not I have the 2 stock fans from another H100 that I could just use 4 stock
RAM - $94.99 16GB Corsair Vengeance DDR 1600
Video Card - $559.99 Sapphire Radeon 7970 3G
SSD - $295.99 Crucial M4 256GB
Power Supply - $155.98 after shipping. Corsair HX750 Silver

That puts me at 1871.99 shipped.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!
 
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After looking around a little more the gains from push pull on an h100 aren't much over just push, so would I really need push pull? If not then the Corsair 550d looks like it could be a good case for my needs, if it actually becomes available in the next week

A few after thoughts. I have 22 inch vertical desk space to play with, I figure actual dimensions are more useful.

When I say boxing MMO's I'll max every thread of the CPU.

Living in Florida the ambient temp even with the air running, especially during the summer, is easily in the low to mid 80's where the computers are, so cooling is reasonably important to me. I'd think about custom water cooling, but I've never done it before and really wouldn't know where to start. I'll probably get extra case fans for whatever slots there are
 
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Case wise, I recommend the following cases if the Corsair 550D isn't in stock by the time you buy and if you're looking for both low noise and good cooling:
$160 - Silverstone RV02B-W ATX case
$178 - Silverstone RV02B-EW ATX case
$230 - Silverstone FT02B ATX Case

As for cooling, I've never heard of those Coolermaster fans before so I can't comment on how good they really are. Whether or not you need push-pull really depends on how much of an importance you're placing on the cooling of the CPU. If you want that CPU as cool as possible, then go for a push-pull.
 
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I'm a little worried that I wouldn't be able to plug things in to the top of those cases due to the desk size
 
tehslippery said:
I'm a little worried that I wouldn't be able to plug things in to the top of those cases due to the desk size
Click to expand...

A valid concern. All of the above Silverstone cases are roughly 2 inches shorter than that Coolermaster case. Your chices for the CPU, SSD, motherboard, and RAM are good BTW.

As for the PSU, the Corsair HX750 is a good PSU. But a tad overpriced IMO from Newegg. Make sure you get that PSU from Amazon since it's $144 shipped there.
 
I think I'll go with the FT02B-W

Still pulling in to the case? Will the video card fit with an H100 in push pull?

(Sorry for the stupid questions, just making sure)

I was also able to find a picture (thanks google, all the product pictures of this thing don't show stuff installed at all) that shows the stuff is fairly recessed in the top so I don't think I'd have too much trouble with that concern.
 
Just my advice, dont go cheap on your PSU. I learn that the hard way. It took out some components when it died on me.
 
I was able to snag a Corsair HX850 from Amazon for 145.00 shipped about a month ago. Might want to keep your eye out for a similar deal.
 
For the stuff I've mentioned is there any gain from a z68 chipset over the p67? I really want to try that motherboard as it seems like an interesting concept and looks kind of cool, but not if it is going to cost me something I should have.

My understanding is that the main difference is in the video encoding/decoding, which I don't need at all. Is there anything else that I should consider?
 
tehslippery said:
My understanding is that the main difference is in the video encoding/decoding, which I don't need at all. Is there anything else that I should consider?
Click to expand...
Well the Z68 does allow you to use the onboard video chip that's already part of your CPU. As such, if you don't have a spare video card if/when your main video card dies or becomes defective, the onboard GPU is basically a backup.

In addtion, the Z68 offers slightly higher SATA 6.0Gb/s performance. So IMO, those two features alone are worth switching over to the Z68. I recommend these motherboards:
$190 - Asus P8Z68-V/GEN3 Intel Z68 ATX Motherboard
$200 - Asus P8Z68-V Pro/GEN3 Intel Z68 ATX Motherboard
 
Is the higher performance on SSD something more than the cache?

I think I might go with the Sabertooth simply because I'm curious about how it looks and performs.

On a different note, I got to thinking about finding a smaller keyboard. I'm going to be using the Corsair K90 and Razer Death Adder I have for gaming, but on the second comp it would be nice to have something smaller that doesn't take up as much real estate. Something entirely basic that wouldn't feel funny if I do need to type on it/use it. I have back up keyboards if necessary (G11, Black Widow Ultimate) but I don't really have room on my desk if I don't really need them.

Any thoughts on this? (or other similar completely basic keyboards) HP Wireless keyboard
 
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tehslippery said:
On a different note, I got to thinking about finding a smaller keyboard. I'm going to be using the Corsair K90 and Razer Death Adder I have for gaming, but on the second comp it would be nice to have something smaller that doesn't take up as much real estate. Something entirely basic that wouldn't feel funny if I do need to type on it/use it. I have back up keyboards if necessary (G11, Black Widow Ultimate) but I don't really have room on my desk if I don't really need them.

Any thoughts on this? (or other similar completely basic keyboards) HP Wireless keyboard
Click to expand...


Elitekeyboards has a few Tenkeyless Leopolds for $89 on sale right now. Those would be a great option if you want to try out a mechanical keyboard and you want something a bit smaller without the ten key.
 
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I have to say thank very much for the case recommendation. I got the FT02B-W today (most of the parts come in tomorrow) and it is pretty awesome. It's definitely a unique appearance, and it fits perfectly in my desk. Going to be interesting to put it together tomorrow night.
 
Sorry for bumping the thread, but I wanted to ask a few questions.

I've been using the system for a while, with some difference from the op as talked about in this thread. FT02B-W case, H80 with a pair of Gentle Typhoons, Corsair HX850 power supply since there was a deal at the time, and I added an ASUS Xonar DG sound card. I did go with the P67 Sabertooth, but at some point this year I'll probably get a z77 + 3770k and put the P67/2600k in a back up PC.

Ambient room temp is probably in the low to mid 80's. I live in Florida and this room in thouse just doesn't get good air. While boxing games and Core Temp tells me the cores are all 98-100% load I generally see temps in the 66-70C range (I'm running 4.6 and 1.375v, which I might be able to get down farther but haven't tried much yet)

I have a few questions. How is that for temp range? That will tend to be the temps 12+ hours a day.

Should I replace the bottom 3 case fans? I'd be looking for something equally or even more quiet, with better performance. Is there anything that out performs them?

On a different note, one of the lights on the H80 stopped working, has anyone ever heard of that and should I worry about it? (It's the third light that indicates highest setting)
 
tehslippery said:
I have a few questions. How is that for temp range? That will tend to be the temps 12+ hours a day.
Click to expand...

It's a bit high to be honest. It should be ok but keep an eye out for stability problems.

tehslippery said:
Should I replace the bottom 3 case fans? I'd be looking for something equally or even more quiet, with better performance. Is there anything that out performs them?
Click to expand...
Best ask that in the Overclocking & Cooling subforum.

tehslippery said:
On a different note, one of the lights on the H80 stopped working, has anyone ever heard of that and should I worry about it? (It's the third light that indicates highest setting)
Click to expand...

No. You should contact Corsair about it.
 
I'll try to lower the v-core a little and see if I stay stable.

Thanks for the advice on the others!
 
Don't forget to fold for team 33 during the other 12 hours of the day!!!
 
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