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Need advice for a new primary computer

F

Fingorn

n00b
Joined
Jul 23, 2007
Messages
33
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Office tasks (word processing, spreadsheets, etc), gaming(borderlands 2, guild wars 2), web browsing.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
1500, but i'm willing to go up to 2000 if significant performance gains are possible. Tax and shipping not included.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
New Jersey, USA - close enough to reach a microcenter
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.
CPU, MB, RAM, Heat sink, Case, SSD, HDD, Optical, GPU, PS, 2nd monitor
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Asus ve258 display
6) Will you be overclocking?
yes
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
25" 1920x1080
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
within the 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)? UEFI? etc.
network card, onboard sound. Possibly sli/crossfire, see below.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Windows 7 64bit professional


My current parts list:

processor: intel core i5 3570k 189.99 http://www.microcenter.com/product/388577/Core_i5_3570K_34GHz_LGA_1155_Processor
motherboard: asus p8z77-v lk 144.99 http://www.microcenter.com/product/393422/P8Z77-V_LK_LGA_1155_Z77_ATX_Intel_Motherboard
cooler: hyper 212 plus 25.99 http://www.microcenter.com/product/315397/Hyper_212_Plus_Universal_CPU_Cooler
memory: corsair xms3 8gb 52.99 http://www.microcenter.com/product/...l_Desktop_Memory_Kit_(Two_4GB_Memory_Modules)
gpu: evga nvidia 670gtx 399.99 http://www.microcenter.com/product/...e_GTX_670_2048MB_GDDR5_PCIe_30_x16_Video_Card
case: carbide 400r 99.99 http://www.microcenter.com/product/366600/Carbide_Series_400R_Mid_Tower_ATX_Gaming_Computer_Case
power supply: corsair 750w 129.99 http://www.microcenter.com/product/...att_High_Performance_Modular_ATX_Power_Supply
ssd: crucial m4 256gb 189.99 http://www.microcenter.com/product/...lid_State_Drive_(SSD)_with_Marvell_Controller
hdd: seagate barracuda 3tb 149.99 http://www.microcenter.com/product/...ATA_60Gbps_35_Internal_Hard_Drive_STBD3000100
optical: samsung whatever 17.99 http://www.microcenter.com/product/382892/22X_DVD±RW_Burner_with_Dual_Layer_Support_-_OEM
2nd display: asus ve228h 144.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236100

total: 1535.90 - 50 microcenter rebate = 1485.90

This is the continuation of rebuilding my electronics after a lightning strike fried them all. Two main questions with this build (aside from are the parts listed a good idea): Is SLI/crossfire worth it at the resolution of my monitor? How hard is it to install liquid cooling and would it be quieter/less maintenance than air cooling?
 
Yummy build! 258gb SSD! 100% awesomeness.

1080p, no need at all for SLI.

As a matter of fact for the extra money, i would go with a gtx 680 instead of getting ready for SLI.

Later if you need more power, then upgrade the gpu and sell the 670.

BTW, I am a fan of SLI, but that is just me and my epeen
 
I would swap out that eVga and get the Gigabyte Windforce 3x for $20 more.

Are you referring to a closed loop like the Corsair H60/H70 or custom water cooling?
 
BugginOuT said:
I would swap out that eVga and get the Gigabyte Windforce 3x for $20 more.

Are you referring to a closed loop like the Corsair H60/H70 or custom water cooling?
Click to expand...

Closed loop is only for cpu cooling, right? I'd be getting liquid cooling to reduce noise and dust inside the case, so i suppose it'd have to be custom to include the video card and ram.
 
At 1080P gaming, SLI/Crossfire isn't really worth the costs. It's not that difficult, especially if you go closed loop, going custom setup requires a little more time/work/research to ensure it is all compatible. As far as sound goes, under load the water cooling would be signification quieter under load, while at idle the water cooling would probably be a little louder. However this is only true if you put the GPU under water in the loop. Just liquid cooling the CPU wont really notice any difference since the loudest part of that setup will be the fans on the GPU. IMHO, unless you intend to do heavy overclocking or live in a very warm climate, watercooling isn't worth the added costs.
 
I would pick up the CPU + Mobo from MC, but the rest of the stuff I would check out Amazon. You could save some money and not worry having to pay sales tax.
 
My only comment:

buy a 27" LCD with a 2560x1440 resolution. Frankly, I find it silly for gamers to be still using 1080p screens (unless you're going with surround).

There are plenty of options on ebay direct from S. Korea or in the USA. Since you live near a Microcenter, go check out their 27" Auria display. I think it would cost around $400, but you can take it back if there's a problem. ebay models are around $300 with express 2-3 day shipping. It's my #1 recommendation for new builds and upgrades.
 
revised part list after your feedback:

processor: intel core i5 3570k 189.99 http://www.microcenter.com/product/388577/Core_i5_3570K_34GHz_LGA_1155_Processor
motherboard: asus p8z77-v lk 144.99 http://www.microcenter.com/product/393422/P8Z77-V_LK_LGA_1155_Z77_ATX_Intel_Motherboard
cooler: hyper 212 plus 22.98 www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Direct-Contact-RR-B10-212P-G1/dp/B002G1YPH0
memory: 16gb corsair xms3 83.99 http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-PC3-12800-1600MHz-240-Pin-Channel/dp/B005G9C4EK/
gpu: asus gtx 680 529.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121635
case: corsair 400r 89.99 http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-Tower-Gaming-Computer/dp/B0055Q7BR4/
power supply: corsair 750w modular 107.99 http://www.amazon.com/CORSAIR-Enthusiast-BRONZE-Certified-Performance/dp/B004MYFODI/
ssd: crucial m4 256gb 198.82 http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-2-5-Inch-Solid-State-CT256M4SSD2/dp/B004W2JL2A/
hdd: seagate barracuda 3tb 149.99 http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Barracuda-3-5-Inch-Internal-ST3000DM001/dp/B005T3GRLY/
optical: liteon 24x 24.99 http://www.amazon.com/Lite--LightScribe-Layer-Drive-IHAS424-98/dp/B002SIMPXM/
2nd display: asus vs229h 144.99 www.amazon.com/Asus-VS229H-P-22-Inch-LED-Monitor/dp/B005S0XYKK/

Questions with this list are: amazon shows both 'enthusiast' and 'modular' versions of that power supply for essentially the same cost, which should i be going for?
Is that memory ok for the motherboard/cpu?
Should i get another fan to run exhaust on the case? (it seems to come with 2 input, 1 output fan by default)
Anything else i'm missing?

edit: and i'll take a look at the auria display when i get to microcenter, but honestly a 25" monitor is already pretty huge at the distance i'm sitting from it
 
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Fingorn said:
edit: and i'll take a look at the auria display when i get to microcenter, but honestly a 25" monitor is already pretty huge at the distance i'm sitting from it
Click to expand...

I just wanted to chime in here. I have an older 24" Acer display that is only 1980x1200 and I love it. If I had an inch more and higher resolution it'd be even better, if I had the gpu to push it. I have a Nvidia 9800gt power it now...lol. The build looks pretty solid though that's for sure! The case is def. nice too. The only thing I might of missed is if you will be adding fans to it. I have a 120mm for my 4 Harddrives and it helps keep temps down (especially since you are planning to oc). I didn't see any 1394 spots on the mobo to hook up the firewire on the case though. I don't know if that's a big deal for you or not, but that's the only thing I noticed.
 
The modular cables are nice to have don't clutter up the case. I always look for efficiency. I would like to get an 80 plus gold psu if I could. http://www.microcenter.com/product/389135/Z_Series_Gold_850_Watt_ATX_Modular_Power_Supply this is modular and 80 plus gold. Platinum get's pricey.

The memory being a quad channel kit, the motherboard only supports dual channel. It will work, but if you want to oc anyway you might get more performance going with ddr3-1866 or higher so you don't get bottlenecked by the RAM.

I would def. run more fans just check the db rating if you are trying to stay quiet, and the larger fans move more air, and are usually quieter I think.
 
I may just be cheap but I troll Newegg daily (sometimes hourly :) ) for Open Box and Refurbished items when I'm looking for an upgrade or for parts to fix a friend's PC. I've scored some really great deals and Newegg customer service has not let me down yet.
 
I'm honestly a little clueless as to how memory relates to system bottlenecks in current generation machines. When i was building my last machine in the old days, it basically was impossible for memory to be a bottleneck (or at least that was my understanding of the situation).

So, would this be a good option for memory? : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233281

Also, looking at this fan : www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-120mm-Computer-R4-C2R-20AC-GP/dp/B0026ZPFDE/. Default layout for the 400r seems to be two input fans up front, one exhaust fan in the rear - i was thinking of mounting this as an exhaust fan on top. Are any more necessary?
 
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Fingorn said:
I'm honestly a little clueless as to how memory relates to system bottlenecks in current generation machines. When i was building my last machine in the old days, it basically was impossible for memory to be a bottleneck (or at least that was my understanding of the situation).

So, would this be a good option for memory? : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233281

Also, looking at this fan : www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-120mm-Computer-R4-C2R-20AC-GP/dp/B0026ZPFDE/. Default layout for the 400r seems to be two input fans up front, one exhaust fan in the rear - i was thinking of mounting this as an exhaust fan on top. Are any more necessary?
Click to expand...

That's some nice ram, and you'll have the option to expand to 16gb down the road. The fan is nice.(4 additional for 6 total 120mm fans). If you wanted to you can get 4 of them and have fans everywhere.
 
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Fingorn said:
So, would this be a good option for memory? : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233281

Also, looking at this fan : www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-120mm-Computer-R4-C2R-20AC-GP/dp/B0026ZPFDE/. Default layout for the 400r seems to be two input fans up front, one exhaust fan in the rear - i was thinking of mounting this as an exhaust fan on top. Are any more necessary?
Click to expand...

That RAM isn't a good choice since it has tall heatsinks which will interfere with most air coolers. Try to find low profile RAM rated at 1.5V.

Fan Wise, you really need three fans but placed differently: top exhaust, rear exhaust, and side fan.
 
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Danny also forgot to mention not to bother with DDR3 1866 RAM as you'll see NO performance gains over DDR3 1333 or DDR3 1600 rated RAM. Therefore, neither one of those choices are good choices.

$72.99 - G.SKILL Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333

That RAM will perform just the same as the RAM you're thinking about. The major benefits to the RAM I selected is. It's cheaper + it's 8GB sticks, so you have room to upgrade to 32GB should you want/need to later without having to replace anything. It's also easier to obtain higher stable overclocks with just two sticks of RAM as apposed to 4 sticks.

However if it just feels right to have DDR3 1600 instead, then go with this set for $5 more.

$77.99 - G.SKILL Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600

Do note that the RAM will run by default at DDR3 1333 when using it with Sandy Bridge/Ivy Bridge processors. So you'll have to overclock to get it to DDR3 1600 which from what I have heard is more trouble than it's worth.

(You'll probably see 1 - 2 FPS average increase with with DDR3 1866 RAM over DDR3 1333, so the upgrade from DDR3 1333 to DDR3 1600 is just a piece of mind thing if anything.)
 
Thank you for that explanation, it cleared things up. I'll go with the 1333 ram you linked, so my final parts list will be:

processor: intel core i5 3570k 189.99 http://www.microcenter.com/product/388577/Core_i5_3570K_34GHz_LGA_1155_Processor
motherboard: asus p8z77-v lk 144.99 http://www.microcenter.com/product/393422/P8Z77-V_LK_LGA_1155_Z77_ATX_Intel_Motherboard
cooler: hyper 212 plus 22.98 www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Direct-Contact-RR-B10-212P-G1/dp/B002G1YPH0
memory: 16gb gskill ares 72.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-na-_-na&AID=10440897&PID=3891137&SID=rewrite
gpu: asus gtx 680 529.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121635
case: corsair 400r 89.99 http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-Tower-Gaming-Computer/dp/B0055Q7BR4/
power supply: corsair 750w modular 107.99 http://www.amazon.com/CORSAIR-Enthusiast-BRONZE-Certified-Performance/dp/B004MYFODI/
ssd: crucial m4 256gb 198.82 http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-2-5-Inch-Solid-State-CT256M4SSD2/dp/B004W2JL2A/
hdd: seagate barracuda 3tb 149.99 http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Barracuda-3-5-Inch-Internal-ST3000DM001/dp/B005T3GRLY/
optical: liteon 24x 24.99 http://www.amazon.com/Lite--LightScribe-Layer-Drive-IHAS424-98/dp/B002SIMPXM/
2nd display: asus vs229h 144.99 www.amazon.com/Asus-VS229H-P-22-Inch-LED-Monitor/dp/B005S0XYKK/
extra fan: corsair 120mm 8.13 http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-120mm-Computer-R4-C2R-20AC-GP/dp/B0026ZPFDE/?tag=hardfocom-20

I'll put the extra fan on exhaust and move one of the front input fans to a side position.

Thanks to everyone in this thread for their help.
 
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The PSU you listed isn't modular. In any case, avoid the TX750M as it doesn't have enough modular cables to justify its lower performance/quality compared to the regular TX750 V2.
 
Hi again.

Got all the parts and built the machine this weekend, but ran into a problem: The entire system would randomly power down with no warning. After such a powerdown, I'd need to unplug the power supply and let it sit for perhaps 10 minutes before it would power up at all again.

I switched out the power supply for an older, smaller one i had and the system *seems* stable - it's been running for over 2 hours now where before it would shut down within 10 minutes.

Is this problem the power supply? Or should i be testing something else?
 
What PSU did you buy?
What is this older PSU you're using?
 
Keep using the PC with the older PSU for a day or two. If you don't have any issues, swap in the newer PSU. If you start getting issues, then yes that new PSU is the problem.
 
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